Sony Conference Rundown

Well it didn't take long for Sony to address the recent Playstation Network outage. Minutes after the opening sizzle reel, Jack Tretton took the straightforward approach, rather than trying to play it off, though he did manage to sneak in a few half-hearted attempts at humor.

The uncontested big announcement of Sony's conference was the unveiling of their new handheld, the Playstation Vita, formerly known as the NGP. The Vita will feature two SKUs, a Wi Fi-only model for $250 and a Wi-Fi/3G model for $300. Games shown on the Vita were Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Ruin (which looks strikingly similar to Torchlight), Modnation Racers, Little Big Planet and Street Fighter x Tekken.

On the software side, Sony wasted no time jumping into the meat of their catalog, kicking the show off with a new demo of Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (11/1/11). While impressive in its own right, the decayed ship environment didn't exactly show off the game's gorgeous visuals. In addition, Naughty Dog will be holding a multiplayer beta in late June.

Following Uncharted was a brief, unflattering demo of Resistance 3 (9/6/11), whose best feature so far appears to be its Olly Moss cover art. However, the game will feature a SOCOM-style sharpshooter bundle for $150.

Not to be discounted was an HD collection of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus (Sept. 2011), which appeared so briefly you'd have thought that Sony was ashamed of the cult classics. Both will be remastered and 3D enabled.

Speaking of 3D, Sony is attempting to make three dimensional gaming more accessible to those without an arm and a leg burning a hole in their pockets, with a $500 bundle including 24'' Playstation brand 3D TV, along with a pair of 3D glasses, an HDMI cable and Resistance 3.

From there, Sony focused on Move, with a Kobe Bryant-filled NBA 2K12 demo, a forgettable Medieval Moves: Dead Man's Quest demo (seriously, even the developer describing the game sounded like he didn't care), increased Move functionality in Little Big Planet 2, Infamous 2 and the space western-themed Starhawk.

My personal announcement of the show came when Sony unveiled Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time (2012), which was teased in the recent (and very good, if you haven't picked it up yet) Sly HD Collection.

Sly was followed by Ken Levine, who came out and declared that Bioshock Infinite would feature Move functionality, and hinted at something Bioshock related on the PS Vita. In addition, PS3 Infinite will feature the original Bioshock, adding incentive to go PS3 for those with multiple consoles.

Electronic Arts Conference Rundown

EA hit the ground running this year with a new gameplay unveil of Mass Effect 3 (3/6/12), which is pushing more and more towards blockbuster action game and further away from hardcore RPG. That's not to say Commander Shepard's big finale is dumbed down for the masses, just streamlined in the same vein as ME2. However, the on-rails boss battle at the end did feel a little too similar to playing as Master Chief.

ME3 was followed by a head-scratching car-to-on-foot-quicktime-sequence-to-car-again gameplay segment of Need for Speed: The Run, which already makes us wish Criterion was handling NFS from now on.

Speaking of games that are already dragging a little, EA followed NFS with a trailer of Star Wars: The Old Republic, which doesn't have very big shoes to fill after the last Star Wars-themed MMO, Galaxies. However, in the trustworthy hands of Bioware, SW:TOR definitely deserves the benefit of the doubt for now.

EA Sports brought the thunder with an action-packed trailer for the new reboot of SSX (Jan. 2012). The game will feature the crazily arcady gameplay the series is known for. FIFA is aiming for a "global community" with the addition of EA Sports Football Club along with a revamped physics system in FIFA 12. Lockout be damned, Madden 12 (8/30/11) is really pushing emotion this year with a pumped up speech by Vince Lombardi, however EA was suspiciously light on actual features.

Curt Schilling came out to show off his pet project, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. While it may seem like a Fable/God of War knock-off with Elder Scrolls elements, Reckoning has above average looks and interesting melee-magic combat.

Insomniac premiered a trailer for their all-new franchise, Overstrike, which has about as much charm in its characters as explosions in its combat. While it is a disappointment to not get any actual gameplay, the anticipation of a fresh new franchise is enough to keep us wanting more.

Electronic Arts certainly saved the best for last with a brand new trailer and demo of Battlefield 3 (10/25/11). The game's engine, Frostbite 2, looks like the major push forward in technology that everyone has been waiting for. The on-foot and vehicle controls are classic Battlefield and a brief look at multiplayer should have Activision looking over their shoulder.

Microsoft Conference Rundown

Microsoft kicked off the E3 festivities today with the unveiling of new gameplay from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Tomb Raider, both of which looked impressive. After teasing a new mystery EA Sports title (more than likely a return to MLB), Bioware showed off their Kinect voice integration with Mass Effect 3. Ghost Recon: Future Soldier made an appearance, putting some cool, Kinect gesture-enabled weapon customization called "Gunsmith" on display, and revealing that all future Tom Clancy titles will feature Kinect functionality.

Proving that Xbox 360 is about more than just games, Microsoft unveiled their new Dashboard update - set to release this fall - which will remove clutter and improve on lackluster Kinect support. In addition, the Dashboard will now feature Youtube, as well as Bing and live TV, with UFC being an early adaptor.

Back on the gaming front, a new Gears of War 3 level was revealed, in which Marcus and company fight off a giant tentacle sea creature with mech suits called "Silverbacks." A Kinect sword-play game called Ryse, Halo 1: Anniversary, which features a graphical overhaul as well as online co-op and multiplayer and Forza Motorsport 4 all made brief appearances.

Appealing to their more casual audience, Microsoft unveiled theri new line of Kinect games, including: Fable: The Journey, Minecraft, Kinect Disneyland Adventures, Kinect Star Wars, Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster, Kinect Fun Labs, Kinect Sports: Season 2 and Dance Central 2.

Microsoft capped off its conference with one final surprise, a new, Bungie-less, Halo trilogy beginning with Halo 4 in holiday of 2012.

E3 Press Conferences

It's that time again! With E3 about to hit like a 1000-pound elephant, the big three console devs will strut their stuff for the masses the week of June 6. There will be no shortage of places to watch the livestreams of Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, Electronic Arts and Ubisoft, and I'll be reporting on ALL of them. However, if you're so inclined to watch'em yourself, here's when the lights will go on.

Monday, June 6

Microsoft - 12 noon EST

Electronic Arts - 3:30 p.m. EST

Ubisoft - 5:30 p.m. EST

Sony - 8 p.m. EST






Tuesday, June 7

Nintendo - 12 noon EST

Review: The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

With the exception of Steam and a few other determined developers, gaming on the PC is in a rapid decline. Piracy and the allure of greater profit on consoles have stymied the progression of gaming on a once-thriving platform. However, with the release of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, Polish developer CD Projekt Red Studio is attempting to prove that sticking with the PC’s hardcore roots while simultaneously pushing the platform forward graphically will be enough to bring console gamers back to the mouse and keyboard.

The Witcher 2 is literally the Frankenstein of gaming. There are so many modern and old-school gaming tropes packed in that you’ll feel like you’re playing Baldur’s Gate one minute and Assassin’s Creed the next. This is the beauty and the curse of The Witcher. While many of the game’s elements will feel familiar, most of them have already been done better. Combat is clumsy, with the protagonist, Geralt taking far too long to implement attacks and even simple movement, at times. Button inputs sometimes won’t even register, and enemy targeting is a huge hassle. All these problems are amplified even further by the game’s group combat. When surrounded by a swarm of enemies, often you’re only chance at victory will be to cheese the system by getting foes stuck on the game’s environment and going in for a few quick blows.

A annoying as combat can be, however, The Witcher 2’s biggest flaw is the tutorial system, or to be more precise, the lack of one. True, the game teaches you all the basics of combat and map markers of objectives help, but seemingly obvious things like what spells do or how to mix potions aren’t covered. Whether this was bad development or because The Witcher 2 is callback to hardcore PC games is unclear, though the latter seems more likely. However, getting lost for hours at a time and dying constantly because you couldn’t tell that Yrden was the sign (i.e. spell) you needed to cast in order to stop a giant tentacle from smashing you are unforgivable, whatever the reason.

One thing that is obvious about The Witcher 2 is how impressive it is, graphically. It is among the games that truly push the limits of gaming PCs, looking gorgeous even on medium and low. Minute details like the texture of skin and light shining through trees are captured perfectly. 

The Witcher 2 makes no concessions about its content; this game takes full advantage of its M rating. Blood flows like water and women ain’t shy in the world of The Witcher. Right of the bat, Geralt’s little lady, Triss is on full display and not soon after that, you’re cutting up badies left and right in a chaotic siege. There’s not a whole lot of romanticizing when it comes to the game’s fiction. Towns like Flotsam are filled with fat slobs, prostitutes and corrupt guards, and the way characters talk, you’d think everyone in the game was a sailor. If you’re looking for shinning knights and blonde damsels in distress, this isn’t the game for you.

While the unapologetic adultness of The Witcher 2 is refreshing and the major characters are decent enough, $50 is just too high a price for such a niche game. There are just too many problems with the gameplay and interface that will put off the average gamer. However, if you’re a hardcore gamer with a powerhouse rig and a lot of free time this summer, and you’re willing to stomach the atrocious combat, The Witcher 2 is right up your alley.