No I wasn't there, but as usual, watched all the footage made available to me - mostly via Xbox Live Marketplace - last night. I watched the entire Microsoft conference in 9 400mb HD parts, not to mention countless stand-alone HD trailers and since I'm still feeling quite blown away the next morning I thought I'd scour Youtube for the bits that really impressed me - across both Xbox 360 and PC platforms - and stick them all into this here blog post, for easy browsing purposes:
So, to kick off... at number 10 we have:
10. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Most unlikely for me I know, but the fairly in-depth demonstration of the 'range' of heavily scripted missions, set-pieces and spectacles should serve as a welcoming treat for my re-integration into PC gaming. It's also bound to have a fairly hefty following, so I might even get to contribute to all those MP conversations and arrangements I've been avoiding for the past 2 or 3 years...
9. Too Human
Last time actual gameplay of this was shown (at E3 last year) it promised the world, but in all honesty looked a bit ropey. This year, all we saw was this bombastic cinematic, which proves at least that the concept (of cybernetic 'gods' in a culture based on Norse Mythology) is intact, but will the promise of both enjoyable and cinematic ranged/melee combat, 4 player co-op and an epic story spread across three seperate games hold true?
8. Lost Odyssey
I've ranted on about this one before. It's one of those mental JRPGs, but the concept sounds amazing. You play an immortal, who's been around for 1000 years but can't remember anything about it. Only the merest shreds of actual gameplay are suggested in this trailer, but this should serve up a fairly epic stroyline at the very least. If you like this sort of thing... :)
7. GTA IV
This game needs no introduction. It's the first next generation installment of the game that defined the last one. And it will rock. Utterly...
6. The Witcher
Quite possibly the main reason for my prioritizing a new PC over a PS3 this year. Little in the way of gameplay was shown at E3 this year, but we all know it uses a pseudo real time combat system, is based on one of the more 'mature' fantasy settings out there, and well... it just looks really cool. RPG-tastic!
5. Crysis
So what if it looks like Far Cry all over again. A lot of people liked Far Cry. This latest effort from Crytek is turning out to be M$s poster child for their DX10/Games For Windows vision, but I'm more excited by the big monsters, the crazy Ice World stuff and configurable Deus-Ex-a-like cyber suit our avatar seems to be wearing in this stonking footage straight from E3:
4. Hellgate: London
What's not to like?
A demon infested and gothically skewed version of our good ol' London Taan. Real time combat, character classes that lean as much towards the class allocation in games like TFC as they do party configurations in MMOs, extended pay-for MP options all wrapped up in the kind of package only the guys that worked on Diablo 2 know how to deliver. Hellgate: London could be the most potent gaming drug since WoW:
3. Mass Effect
And now the top 3. Out in November according to M$. Bioware's first game since the magnificent Jade Empire looks set to be a SCI-FI classic in the making. Space Exploration, Real Time Combat, an extensive suite of character progression options and NPC interaction to die for. Who knows? This might even top KotOR...
2. Bioshock
This is so very nearly with us and just in time for your humble correspondent's recently ordered uber PC. This spritual successor to System Shock 2 is going to reach the parts that other games can only dream of. Yes. Um. The flaming bloke does look a bit dodgy though. Doh.
1. Assassin's Creed
And the award for demonstration of sheer jaw dropping magnitudes goes to... Assassin's Creed. Personally, I've been moist with anticipation for this one ever since it first showed it's Ridley Scott inspired hues a year or so ago. Please. You owe it to yourself to watch all of the video below. Quite honestly, this is the first game I've seen that truly exemplifies the term, 'Next Gen'.
And so... that pretty much sums up the rest of my year in gaming (and well into 2008 most probably). Quite how I'll find the time to play all of the above I really don't know, suffice it so say I shan't be suffering any kind of gaming drought for the foreseeable future!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment