The last time I wrote, I talked about EA’s E3 line-up and how excited I was to see what they were offering.  This time, I’m excited to jump into the world of Nintendo.  They brought it big this year at E3, and though I’d like to see a release year for the 3DS, there was just too much to love.

Golden Sun Dark Dawn.  I cannot be more excited about this title.  The first Golden Sun is not only the first RPG I’ve ever played, but also one of my favorite games of all time.  I play the series annually at the very least, and the gameplay formula hasn’t aged a day since launch.  All I can hope for in Dark Dawn is that it will have the puzzle-solving I’ve grown so used to and have a sprawling narrative with unique towns and sub-plots.  If Camelot delivers on my promises, it will likely steal my heart just as the first two have.

Retro Studios, known for their work on the Metroid Prime Series, has been hard at work for the past couple years on my most anticipated Wii title of the year, Donkey Kong Country Returns.  Taking a step back in the series franchise, Retro has opted to make a sidescrolling co-op Donkey Kong game from yore.  Diddy will make his appearance for the co-op, and the worlds looks just as fun and difficult as the original Donkey Kong Countries.  Donkey Kong Country Returns will launch later this year.

In keeping with reimagining their backcatalog of games, Nintendo also announced  a new Kirby game from Hal Laboratories, Kirby’s Epic Yarn.  The art-style for this game is incredible.  Gone is Kirby’s ability to inhale enemies for their abilities, and instead, you’ll whip them with yarn and spin new abilities out of them.  The game also features co-op, and will be releasing later this year for the Wii.

It’s been almost 3 years since Link’s last console adventure.  In the interim we’ve had two DS games, but he’s finally making his way back onto Wii, and it looks better than ever.  The new art style takes a queue from The Windwaker with cell-shaded graphics, but also holds on to the important parts of the Twighlight Princess art style.  The effect is not unlike that of a colorful and bright watercolor painting.  But that’s not the most important part, as it will be using Wii MotionPlus for 1:1 sword fighting, item management, and the use of those items.  Getting around seems to have changed a bit too because Link can now sprint.  Check out the trailer below for a better look at the game.  The game will release sometime in 2011.

Last but not least, I’m going to take a moment to talk about the 3DS.  I was really hoping for a release date or release year from Nintendo.  Reggie even built it up as if that was going to be the surprise of the show, but I digress.  Because they announced it earlier this year, I had assumed that the product was near it’s completion.  After all, an announcment like that is almost like an E3 announcement.  So up until last week, all that was needed was to see the console itself and a release date.  Unfortunately, we only got the former.  So, here’s to hoping for some more information on its release at the Tokyo Game Show or Gamescon.

Stick with me here for some more thoughts on E3.  Next up is Ubisoft!

There are so many things that I want to touch on in this journal, but in keeping with being reader-friendly and digestible, I’ll split my thoughts up over a few entries.  Today will feature my thoughts on EA.

EA made a huge killing this year at their press conference.  From name dropping their top five partners (Respawn, Dice, Crytek, Insomniac, and Epic) to seizing complete control on the FPS genre, there wasn’t much more they needed to wow me with. Let’s start with the pulpiest of games: Bulletstorm.

Bulletstorm is still looking as entertaining as ever.  The environments are beautifully lush with plant life and the man-made structures are unlike anything I’ve seen in a video game.  There is something Baroque about it’s architecture, but also foreign and alien.  It’s gorgeous, the gameplay is striking, and the comments from other members of the party are hilarious.  Bulletstorm has a solid release date of February 22, 2011.

The most impressive showcase for EA was the return of Medal of Honor.  In doing away with WWII and calling in the help of Dice to create a multiplayer experience, EA has taken a stranglehold on the FPS genre. This will be the best FPS of the year.   The live 24-player demonstration was the last thing I would have expected to see, but for a game releasing on October 12th of this year (perfectly planned around my birthday I might add) it seems reasonable.  It is going to be my jam, and I’m already frothing at the mouth.

Dead Space 2 is by far my most anticipated dated title.  The first one completely blew me away with it’s use of sound and lighting to set  a very tense and curious atmosphere.  The Ishimura, much like Rapture, Arkham Asylum, and now Bright Falls, was just as much a character as Isaac Clarke.  And although I’m sad to see it go, I’m excited to see the new environments the Sprawl has to offer.  If you haven’t seen anything for Dead Space 2 yet, you are doing yourself a severe disservice.  Head over to their website for a gameplay trailer and a ton of screenshots, and if you’re anything like me, this will be in your disc tray on launch day:  January 25, 2011.

Finally, I’m unbelievably excited to learn that Need For Speed is headed back to its roots with NFS:  Hot Pursuit.  However, I’m incredibly biased in my opinion because Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2 is my favorite racing game of all time.  I’ve sunk so many hours and so much frustration into that series, and I couldn’t be happier to see it coming back.  The demo that Criterion Games gave showed a course reminiscent of the pacific northwest coast I’ve come to know and love.  It’s quite a departure from the city-scapes that most racing games have been going for recently, but isn’t change a good thing?  I believe so, and I’ll be getting a taste of it on November 16th.  Check out the trailer at the top of the post for more coercion.

Keep tuned in here for my thoughts on Nintendo on Friday.  For now, I leave you with one question.  Where is Mass Effect 3?

Though I was unable to write last week, I found a little spare time to play some games.  I jumped into a few games of Battlefield Bad Company 2.  I absolutely love the team mentality that is required for that game.  It’s the reason that Call of Duty has become more and more obsolete for me.  That lone-wolf style of game gets old really quick, but playing with your friends (not to mention spawning on them so you’re never out of the loop) seems to have a lot more longevity.  As long as EA and Dice continue to support it, I’ll continue playing.

I also played some more Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition.  I can’t seem to play that game for more than an hour.  It’s a good game and all, but it’s really slow-moving when you don’t know what to do, and that just so happens to be all the time for me.  I’ll finish it eventually.

Outside of my own gaming news, comes news that Project Natal finally has a real name:  Kinect.  Microsoft had a big showcase tonight, and it seems that most of the press came away mildly impressed.  There wasn’t really a showstopping game or tech demo outside of some Star Wars implementation.  In any case, E3 officially begins tomorrow.  Though I have to work all day tomorrow, rest assured that I’ll have some opinions to share for each of the “Big 3′s” press conferences in the coming days.  For now, this is what I’m looking forward to hearing about and a few predictions.

Nintendo

• Golden Sun DS -  there is no game that I want to hear about more than this.  The first two are my favorite games of all time, so I’m hoping this won’t disappoint.
• 3DS – I want to know much more about this device.  I want to get a new DS because I lost mine a year ago while traveling, but I want to know if my investment is worth waiting for or splurging.

Microsoft

• Bulletstorm – This game looks intense and super fun.  I’m really excited to see more of the world they created as well as a few new skillshots.
• Limbo – This is my most anticipated XBLA title for the year.  The watercolor artstyle, harrowing traps, and lonesome atmosphere have me completely enthralled.  I’m hoping for a date.
• Ilo Milo – There are very few games more adorable than this one.  The puzzles look incredibly intricate, and reuniting two cute creatures together couldn’t bring more warmth to my heart.
• Hydrophobia – Your character is afraid of water.  You are investigating an underwater base.  Need I say more?

Sony

• Killzone 3 – Though I’m not entirely optimistic about this title, I’m interested in seeing what they plan on doing with the series.
• Little Big Planet 2 – You can create your own games.  You can create your own games.  Expect a lot of news about this one.

Predictions

• New Zelda Game
• Mirror’s Edge 2 (not sure how likely this is, but if it exists, it will make an appearance)
• Beyond Good and Evil 2 (almost definite appearance)
• Kinect will be a flailing festival
• Bungie will announce their new IP at Sony’s Conference; will talk up Reach at Microsoft’s
• Nintendo Heartbeat monitor will monitor the unenthusiastic press
• Handheld games hit Nintendo’s Virtual Console

Sadly, I haven’t played many games this week.  I’m still working my way through Assassin’s Creed 2, and I still feel the same way I felt last week about it.  The free-running mechanic is pretty fun, but ultimately still a little broken.  My most frustrating moments come with the assassin’s tombs.  Though gorgeous and well-crafted, the camera angles kept the free-running from being enjoyable.  Also, because the mechanic isn’t perfect, rushing me to complete them only made the issues stand out that much more for me.  I only have one more of them to finish though before I hit the rest of the end game.

I’ve also been playing a little bit of The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition.  I’ve only heard good things about it, and I figured I owe it to myself to play it when it is only $5 on XBLA.  So far, it’s pretty hilarious, and I’m enjoying what I’ve experienced, but I’m really not that far into the game at all.

Finally, I need to talk about my excitement that E3 is just two weeks away.  From what I’m seeing right now, I’m most excited to hear more about Golden Sun DS (a sequel for my favorite series), Bulletstorm, and a couple indie XBLA games, most notably Limbo.

Golden Sun DS is something I’ve been looking for ever since I finished the series back in the day.  I still play the first Golden Sun all the way through at least once a year, and every once in a while, I’ll dabble in Golden Sun 2.  Needless to say, their announcement last year that there was one in development for DS really got me pumped.

Bulletstorm is looking better and better with each passing video and interview.  The concept of giant carnivorous plant-life in a fallen paradise is pretty interesting, but what really catches my eye is the skillshot system they’ve implemented.  You more or less have the ability to play with every enemy the way you want.  People Can Fly have given you a ton of interesting weapons, the ability to kick and slide, and a grapple hook of sorts that allows for a Rube Goldberg type of gameplay.

And last but certainly not the least by any means is Limbo.  I have been dying to play even a demo of this game for about six to eight months now.  The sense of isolation and terror I’m witnessing in the trailers is bar none (just check out the video above).   Other good XBLA games of note are Super Meat Boy, Hydrophobia, and Comic Jumper.

Because it’s been a while since I’ve done a journal article, I’ll give a brief idea of what to expect.  This featurette is a simple way for you to keep up with what I’ve been playing, and for me to give you a little more of my personality as a gamer.  The personality  should help you figure out why I feel the way I do about certain games, and further aid in your understanding of my viewpoints and beliefs in this regard.  That being said, let’s get this run-down started.

I’ve been playing Alan Wake.  As you’re likely aware, I loved it.  As of right now, it is contending with Mass Effect 2 for my favorite game of this year so far.  It may be early, but Alan Wake was absolutely perfect for me.  I beautiful blend of Resident Evil 4 gameplay and a narrative on par with Bioshock, it is a game that shouldn’t be missed.  If you have an Xbox 360, pick it up.  You won’t regret it.

I’ve also been playing Assassin’s Creed 2, which I recently received from Goozex.  I’ve already played through and beat it once, but I was still a little fuzzy on the story, and really wanted to play it again after playing through the first one.  The game is a significant improvement over the first one, and it has some really memorable moments, but the free-running is still quite glitchy.  I find that Ezio will, at the most inopportune times, choose to jump off buildings instead of gracefully sprint across the tops of them.  Because the free-running is still so problematic for me, the frustration of going through all of the assassin’s tombs, a necessity to complete the game, is all the more game-breaking for me.  It’s trying to be Prince of Persia, but the tightness in controls is still not there.  Hopefully they fix this issue for the third game.  Doing so would make AC3 an outstanding title.

Not much has happened by way of news in the industry this week.  The only notable thing left for me to talk about is the Indie Game The Movie.  Blink Works is doing a documentary on the indie game scene, most notably the developers behind indie games, the work they put into it, and how they are supported by the communities they’ve created and their families and friends.   Check out the video above, and head over to Kick Starter to donate some money so Blink Works can get this film out there.  For only $10, you’ll get your name featured in the special thanks of the credits; add an extra $20, and you’ll get a copy of the DVD.

You play as Alan Wake, a pompous famous horror novelist, who has had writer’s block for the past three years.  In an attempt to curb this problem, he and his wife, Alice, take a vacation to Bright Falls, a small logging town in the pacific northwest.

Shortly after Alan’s arrival, Alice goes missing, and Alan wakes up from a car crash.  Without a single memory of the events of the past week, Alan begins his search for Alice.  Along the way he finds pieces of a manuscript he has written, but doesn’t remember writing.  The twist:  everything he wrote is coming true.  What’s worse is that he is the protagonist.  To spend more time on the premise of the story would only be a disservice to you as a player and to Remedy as story tellers, but the way it is delivered helped keep me interested to the very end.

The story plays out in six episodes, complete with “Previously on Alan Wake” bits and an episode ending song like that of a television show.  Though they vary in length, Remedy’s control of the story is impeccable.  The set-up allows for control of cliffhangers, reveals, and fore-shadowing similar to that of a novel.  This where the game truly shines.

There is a realism
to the lighting and
tree-lines that is both
sublime and terrifying.

It is not only written in the style of a horror novel you would expect from this fictitious writer, but also paces itself as if each episode were a chapter in one of his books.

In addition to the usual cut-scenes and manuscripts scattered around the world, the story is also told out through bits of radio shows and episodes of Night Springs, a Twighlight Zone-esque television show unique to the world of Alan Wake.  It all fits together incredibly well, and gives even more personality to this already well thought-out universe.

The presentation of the universe is also spectacular.  Though the character models and their lip-syncing are muddied, the environments are gorgeous.  There is a realism to the lighting and tree-lines that is both sublime and terrifying.  Straying off the path has its benefits –the beauty of the world being one; coffee, radio shows, and Night Springs episodes being the others.  But I was hesitant to leave the comfort of the patch because of the perils hiding in the dark. Things became obscure, and the Taken, being both brisk and silent, quickly closed in on me as I was dazzled by the haunting forest.

Thankfully, I was given a powerful array of weapons to battle the overwhelming storm of enemies that were thrown my way.  Flashbangs became devastating grenades, flare guns became RPGs, and flares helped push back the darkness when I was smothered by Taken.

To miss [Alan Wake]
would be to miss
this year’s Bioshock.

The combat isn’t like most survival horror games.  It is frenetic and quick.  Enemies ambush from all sides, and their speed is frightening.  To dispatch an enemy, I first had to burn the shroud of darkness surrounding them before shooting them with weapons.    There is a strategy to killing the enemies that allows for a lot of play in the use of light.  I found myself funneling enemies with a flare so that they would walk into a static light source.  At that point, they became easy picking for my revolver or shotgun.  The guns are incredibly satisfying, and I left with quite a few memorable battles and narrow escapes.

The combat never became wearisome for me.  Each battle seemed perfectly placed in the midst of the already well-paced narrative, and I think that’s exactly what Remedy intended.  Though the game stumbled with its character models and lip-syncing, the six years Remedy spend in development on this game haven’t gone unnoticed.   The attention to detail, pacing, tight controls, and use of synergy to tell a story are what made Alan Wake a stand-out title for this summer, and to miss it would be to miss this year’s Bioshock.

It’s been a very long time since I’ve posted here, and I’d like to start things up again.  In any case, I’ll give you a short run-down about why I abruptly stopped posting and what’s happened since then, and finish strong by letting you know my goals and purposes for this blog.

To put it simply, I stopped writing here because I got a volunteer writing position at Kombo.com in February 2009.  Shortly after getting the position, I was flown out to Los Angeles for a developer interview and hands-on preview of Wrestlemania.  Needless to say, I was in a pretty good place.  I had a blast, and continued to write news for the site after that.

Around June, while studying abroad in Germany, I had some personal issues come up that forced me into a position in which I stopped writing for them.  This wasn’t a problem with the site, there were personal matters in my personal life that took precedence over things.  After I regained some composure and got back on my feet, I returned to write for them a few months later only to quit yet again, but this time for academic reasons (I was back in the US with a much more stringent and difficult school schedule).

After finishing my German Major that semester (December 2009), I started a Journalism majorwith the hopes of fulfilling my dream of being a video game journalist.  That’s where I am right now.  This semester is starting to wind down, and I’ll start having more time to write frequently –at the very least, regularly– and this blog is a promise to myself that I won’t lost sight of what I want to do for a living.

So, what are you going to gain from reading this blog, you ask?  What are my purposes for this blog?  This blog will be completely dedicated to the gaming world.  Although I don’t discriminate between consoles, it will be focused more on the hardcore gamer.  In this regard, most of the writing you’ll find on this blog will be in relation to Xbox 360 and PS3.  This isn’t to say that the Wii has no place, it just means that because there aren’t as many “core” games for the system, it won’t get as much coverage.

In addition to news coverage from time to time, I will also try to post some columns about games and the industry as a whole.  I see games as the ultimate collaborative art form, and the columns I write will keep that as their focus and show how certain games push the medium forward.

My purposes for this blog are simple.  It will give me the the practice I need to write consistently and create my own voice.  It will also help build a small portfollio as I work through my Journalism major.  And last but not least, it will also help me keep you (and me) up to date on the industry and the direction it’s heading.

So, to say the least, I’ll be working out some ideas of what I’ll be doing for this blog as well as when I’ll update it, so keep checking back for more updates.  Until then, enjoy your gaming and follow me on Twitter.

-Bobby Crossen

Well, as predicted, I was unable to throw together some posts during the week, so I’ll recap a bit of the important stories –capping my bandwidth didn’t help matters.  After which I’ll explain what is in store for me this coming week, and what I’ll be doing next Sunday and the week which follows it.

To start off, the Operation Anchorage DLC was released for Xbox 360 and was recieved with various opinions.  The four to five hour long sidequest addition dumps your character into a virtual reality situation where the only things that transfer through are your stats.  When you kill enemies, they fade away in a mix of The Matrix and Tron styled fashion disallowing you from picking up the weapons they drop.  There are plenty of reviews out there –as well as some video footage– if you’re interested in more indepth coverage.  I on the other hand am going to ask the number one question:  Have you ran out of stuff to do in Fallout 3 to warrant the download of a  $10 expansion?

In more hilarious backlash news, Sony both relayed the message that, yet again, the PSP2 is not in production, as well as dissing IGN for their rumor starting skills.  It would seem that a Sony representative was having a bad day and decided to end the endless unsubstantiated PSP2 rumors with the following quote:

Clearly, being a quiet time of year, many, what we thought to be credible websites, are making up stories about PSP2, and how it allows you to teleport across the globe, travel through time, and will be powered by the horns of baby rhinoceroses.

Hopefully, you can sense a mild tone of sarcasm, which should hopefully indicate how ‘on the money’ IGN are. Needless to say, we don’t comment on rumour or speculation, but this is nonsense.

Clearly Sony is tired of the PSP2 rumors running around the video game world in a marathon where the only winners are photoshops and speculation.  Hats off to Sony for standing up and telling it how it is while reminding us that baby rhino horns won’t power a non-existent handheld platform.

In news that is less gaming related, and more gaming news site related, Joystiq has done not only given itself a nose job, but also went under the knife to combine their offspring into one ultimate being.  One can now access all of their site from Joystiq.com by using a prefix to the address such as “xbox.“, “playstation.” or “nintendo.”  The idea behind this was to remove the “Fanboy” monocre and get those other sites to sound more reputable when trying to ask for interviews and the like.  So, what are you waiting for, I’m not posting anything, and their professionals!  Check out their site and leave them pretty little comments for Ben Gilbert, one of the newest hires, to moderate.  He’ll love you for it.

As for me, I’m still pacing myself through my final week of the semester.  I’ve downed one test with more ease than expected and am preparing for the rest to ambush me later this week.  On the video game front, I’ve been working through Chrono Trigger, and I’m still getting frustrated beyond all means.  My frustrations, sweat, love and tears will all be put into words when I finally complete the game, but that won’t be for a while.

If you’ve been following these journal updates, you’ll know that I’ll be taking a long flight back to the United States next Sunday, and will finally be able to dip my toe into the pool of games that I’ve been dying to swim through — please don’t splash.  I’m getting really excited for next week, and I’ll be attempting to write pieces about the games I do get my hands on, albiet without my computer.  To reitterate from last week, I’ll be sending in my laptop for some much needed hardware assistance (read:  Dell is fixing my keyboard).

Next:  More studying with game breaks and the occasional stop for some relaxing movie or TV entertainment viewing.

In my last journal entry, I made some remarks about how frustrating Chrono Trigger can be due to its dated mechanics, and it still is.  Luckily, I was able to power-house my way through a boss that I had been stuck on for –i-dunno– a couple weeks.  I looked up a a walkthrough online which was absolutely no help, so i just had to experiment.   It was tried and true trial and error gameplay.

Now that I’ve jumped over that hump and sitting at around 20 hours into the game, I’m ready to finally make my push to the end of it.  The unfortunate circumstance around the timing of this compulsion is that I have finals this week and next week.  On the eighth, I’m flying out of Germany and back into the US for some much needed rest, family time, and console gaming.

This week I will by trying to avoid posting so that I can focus on my test Friday.  I also have a test next Wednesday, and when I get home, I’m going to finally get the keyboard on my laptop fixed (See picture; I don’t have “Enter” or “K” keys.). The keys just keep popping off; lucky for me, Bertha is still under warranty.  To put this plain and simple, my posting is going to be very irregular over the coming six weeks (I’ll be in the US for four of them; the other 2 are school related).

Needless to say, I’m going to try and experience as many games as I can when I get back.  I have plans to marathon Metal Gear Solid 4, a night of Left 4 Dead among buddies, a Gears of War 2 Campaign waiting for me, and lots of game rentals waiting for me.  I’ll most likely get a lot of time with the 360 during the day since I’ll likely be the only one home!  The list of games I feel that I must try are as follows:

• Fable II
• Far Cry 2
• Mirror’s Edge
• Fallout 3
• Little Big Planet
• Metal Gear Solid 4
• Gears of War 2
• Left 4 Dead
• Braid (I might be waiting for the PC version for this as I’m not sure I can coax my brothers to buy it on XBLA)
• Dead Space
• Prince of Persia

It’s obvious I have a lot of gaming ahead of me, and I’m hoping that it will turn into a lot of writing.  In any case, I’m going to try to make these journal entries a regular thing for Sundays.  During the upcoming “hiatus”, I’ll continue to do Sunday journal entries, and attempt to write as much news as I can from my family’s computer.

Up Next:  Use Chrono Trigger as study breaks in the attempt to finally finish it.  Lots of studying and homework.

This week, I’ve started to feel bad for the PS3 because I feel like I haven’t covered any news on it.  Though I’m working on getting as much news as possible, there isn’t much that has been worth writing.  Luckily, some news was dropped today that I can write about.

Insomniac will be releasing a patch for Resistance 2 on Monday, January 26th.  It will fix peoples’ levels being reset to one, and will restore the XP, stats, and attributes of those people to thier rightful conditions.  It will also correct trophy issues the same way (aka retroactive trophy support for trophies the game didn’t give you when you should have earned them).  For a full list of the patch notes and more detailed info of what I displayed above, visit Bryan Intihar’s post or hit the break.

Resistance 2 Patch 1.40 Notes:

Trophy/Medal/Ribbons

• “Salute Me” trophy is not awarded until player reaches level 31 (Lieutenant)
• “Berserker” trophy can be collected during non-ranked games
• “Survivor” medal can be collected in cooperative games
• “Sure Shot” ribbon is awarded if player has accuracy of exactly 50%

Clans

• Added clan support for viewing members, sending invites, and setting up clan tags
• Default clan region is now USA

Match Balancing

• Unbalanced ranked games are cancelled in staging before the game is started
• Parties are prevented from matchmaking into free-for-all Deathmatch games

Competitive

• Loadouts can be disabled in the “Create Game” screen in competitive games
• Balanced the chance of dropping large ammo pickups in competitive games
• Core Control scoreboard displays “Kills”
• Improved scoreboard formatting

Cooperative

• Balanced the amount of XP gained by the Medic class in cooperative games
• Stalker movement enabled in cooperative games
• Small ammo pickups don’t give LAARK ammo in cooperative games

Weapons/Gameplay

• Splash damage on Pulse Cannon can damage the player firing it
• Rossmore reticule better reflects its accuracy
• Fire is easier to shake off
• Players cannot swap weapons in the middle of a melee attack

Miscellaneous

• Localized text updates
• Network message optimizations
• EULA displays the correct language text for Norwegian, Finnish, Swedish and Danish

Via:  Giant Bomb