411 Games Top 5 6.11.09: Week 15 - The Top Moments of E3 '09: Uncharted 2, Star Wars: The Old Republic, More

Posted by Todd Vote on 06.11.2009

Some of the staff went to the big show this year. What were their favorite moments? Well you will have to come inside for that. This week the staff breaks down the best of E3 '09. Where does Skynet Milo fit into it all? Read on to find out.

Last week the column ended in a tie between Adam Larck and Chris Lansdell. I then decided to let the readers decide who would be named the winner and that person would be named this week. Well, with a massive vote tally, with numbers far exceeding zero, Adam Larck is the winner with one vote. To be honest, it wasn't even a vote to name him the winner. Someone just named him the best writer on the site for his inclusion of both the Burnout franchise and the Gran Turismo series. So congrats Adam, you are last weeks winner. Let's move on to this week, shall we?


This weeks banner once again comes courtesy of the B3yond the Superfan Eric. This was Eric's first attempt at creating a banner for the top 5, before he had any clue as to what I would want... Pretty badass, right?


Welcome to the E3 hangover edition of the Top 5. Last week was our industry's biggest show of the year, and as per usual, this year brought lots of new and exciting prospects for us gamers. So with that in mind I rounded up a few of the staff members that attended this years big show. So today we are bringing you the their favorite moments from this years E3. So without further ado, kicking us off this week is Sean Garmer. Sean, what did you enjoy about this years show?

Sean Garmer


Muramasa: the Demon Blade

5. Muramasa: The Demon Blade I've talked about this game a lot lately, but I really enjoyed this side-scrolling 2D Wii title. You get to play two different stories as a boy or a girl. They each have two different weapons and you must fight through the game using both weapons interchangeably. The best part was there were no forced waggle or slashing motions to perform with the Wii Remote. You just press A or other buttons to perform attacks and that is a welcome addition. The boss battle in the demo showed off not only some fun, but the impressive art done by Vanillaware. I was mesmerized at times looking at the pretty drawings, and it added to the gameplay as well.

4. Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days Say hello to 411mania's Best DS Game of E3, why because it finally brought to the handheld the same gameplay we've enjoyed on the PS2 for years. It also brought with it nice graphics and four player capabilities as well. Before E3 I thought this was going to be another card playing adventure, but seeing this totally surprised me. It was easy to pick up and play with one or more people. The story is set just after the original portable adventure but just before KH 2. I can't wait for this to come out because it is going to be one awesome game.

3. Beatles: Rockband It is no surprise that this title won numerous Best Music Game awards at E3. We are talking about the Beatles here after all. Though the game may not be overly difficult like its brother Rockband 2 title, I think people that are bashing it because "The Beatles don't make me cringe with fear when I have to play their songs, like Iron Maiden" are stupid. First of all, Rockband is a music title, which is there to appease fans of all genres and most of all to bring to life the music of artists in video game form. Not to necessarily make your fingers or vocal cords hurt after you play every song. It is this variety that MTV/Harmonix have brought to the genre that brings us the Beatles game. If you don't like the Beatles don't buy the game. However, for those that care to know, the game looked great on screen with the three-part harmonies, bright colors, and the Beatles all on-screen. I played the game as well and it plays like all other Rockband titles but the modeled instruments do add to the fun, with each having their own Beatles flair. Add in the new feature that allows you to set individual players on no fail mode, and you have a game everyone can enjoy.

2. Brutal Legend I am a big fan of Tim Schafer as well as Jack Black. So when I got to play this game on the floor I figured what we were getting. I was right, but in a good way. Jack Black voices the hero Eddie, who finds this Axe and Guitar and goes out to rock the world, while saving it from creatures. You can use a girl as an ally in battle, not to mention you get to meet rock idols like Ozzy Osbourne and Rob Halford in the game as well. It was a cool, very funny, and different action title that I have seen in a while. I'll be looking to pick this up in September when it comes out.

1. Uncharted 2 This is the only PS3 title that I played, where I was hoping someone from Microsoft would come out of nowhere and say, hey this is on XBOX 360. However, it is a PS3 exclusive, regardless, to me, it was the best game at E3. The visuals were probably some of the best I've ever seen on a system and the gameplay takes what made the first title great and makes it better. From the videos we were shown at the press conferences, to the Co-Op Play on the floor. This is a title that will sell some systems for Sony because it is extremely good. I would give five stars right now.

Thanks Sean, I must admit, even though I am not a fan of the Beetles, it would have been cool to see them on stage at E3. It kind of shows just how far this fine industry has come just in the past 10 years. Up next is our humble editor here at 411 games, and he is also the editor of our kicked up Boxing zone, so be sure to check that out if you are a fan of the pugilistic arts. Ramon Aranda, ladies and gentlemen.

Ramon Aranda

1. The Milo simulator shown at the Microsoft Press Conference - This thing was both creepy and very impressive. I've never seen anything like that and the possibilities are endless with that type of technology. When Milo grabbed the piece of paper being shown to him via the camera and having him recognize what was on it was just amazing.


Its-a-Mario

2. Super Mario Galaxy 2 Reveal - The Nintendo Press Conference was going pretty well but when we suddenly got hit with the first trailer and announcement of Super Mario Galaxy 2, I could hardly contain myself. Not to mention that Yoshi now joins the party and we have a must-have title on the way for the Nintendo Wii.

3. Seeing Star Wars: The Old Republic in action - After checking out a few Star Wars titles from Lucas Arts at our meeting last Thursday, we were finally led into a private room where we got to see our first look at Star Wars: The Old Republic. I was just expecting a more in-depth video but we actually got to see plenty of gameplay which just looked awesome. I'm not a huge fan of MMOs but dammit if this one didn't have me excited. It looked good, it seemed to play well, it appears to be a huge and deep experience and overall, I wanted to see more.

4. Seeing E3 go back to its roots - After the last two years of seeing a gimped version of E3, it was great to walk inside and see it back in all it's glory. Huge booths, tons of games, a crapload of people, booth babes and plenty of schwag. Hell, even driving by had me excited as we finally saw massive billboards and layouts of upcoming titles splashed all around the LA Convention Center and nearby hotels. It was a nice feeling to experience that again. I'm sure I speak for the staff writers that also attended.

5. The Windows 7 party - Yeah there weren't a ton of parties this year but one that we all had a great time at was the one being hosted by the Windows 7 team. We were picked up by a limo near the convention center, then dropped off at a lounge a few blocks away. We drank the night away, ate delicious hors d'oeuvres, mingled and came away with a Windows 7 release candidate which I've been testing out over the past few days on my laptop. It's looking pretty good!

Yeah, that was totally a backwards list... See, I'm not the only one a little freaked out by Milo. Milo presented a lot of unique opportunities, but one has to ask oneself, how far off are the red and blue pills? Up next is the class act that is the B3yond the Report team. Mark and Shaqy.. You just know Shaq made Mark do all the work at E3, as the Diesel was only worried about booth trim.

Your local B3yond the Report team: Mark Salmela and Shaq



HONORABLE MENTIONS:

The lovely ladies - SHAQ! This is total BS, you didn't even play any games at E3. You just wandered around mackin' on the ladies, making the Team Trauma ladies put band-aids on your unmentionables. And that's a bad thing? …….

5.) Heavy Rain - Playing Heavy Rain was definitely one of our highlights at E3. Shaq and I got to go on a private tour of Sony's VIP section with the Gamer Girls from Gamespot and boy did they suck. They basically died the first chance they got. Because they couldn't help but stare at these amazing biceps. … I on the other hand did some serious ass kicking on what is one of my most anticipated games.

4.) Tony Hawk's Ride - While I was skeptical at first of the new skateboard peripheral let me say that it did work. Well, it worked well for me. My comrade on the other hand couldn't even tilt the skateboard. Screw you Salmela, 7 foot tall pimps such as myself weren't meant to skateboard. I'm just surprised you didn't break the damn thing. Shit son that thing was sturdier than my… SHAQY! This is a family column. Than why do they let rapists like you in?

3.) Split Second - The new racer from the guys behind Pure kicked total ass. While it is highly scripted I have faith that with a lot of track variety it won't be noticeable. Mark everything you write at 411 is highly scripted. You write about Target Terror every week. Oh shit, speaking of which…

2.) Talking to Konami about Target Terror - That's right I did it. I went around asking everyone at Konami about the status of Target Terror 2. And believe it or not there was one girl working at Konami who was actually familiar with Target Terror. While she didn't know anything about Target Terror 2's status, I nearly creamed myself in excitement, plus she put me on their VIP email list incase Target Terror 2 ever does get announced. HA! You got put on an email list, I got her phone number. Can I have sloppy seconds? Any girl who knows about Target Terror has to be amazing in the sack. No, no you can't.


Uncharted 2

1.) Uncharted 2 - Whether it was the single player, multiplayer, or co-op Uncharted 2 was kicking some major ass. The new trailer was sweet, and I'm already in love with the story. September can't come soon enough. Oh great, another game that'll keep Mark away from the sun. That's it, you and me, outside, behind the jungle gym, right now!

So fans can either rest easy, or lie awake restless at night due to Mark's news of no forseeable Target Terror 2. I can't wait for Heavy Rain. I've been waiting for that one since it was first used as a sort of tech demo for the PS3.

Joining us next this week is Jacob Lopez. Jacob, what was great about the show for you this year sir?

Jacob Lopez

5) The banners are up again. Yes, it may not be a big deal to some what the convention center looked like from the outside, but this is E3. Seeing the posters meant that the show will once again be flashy. While I enjoyed last year's show because it gave the press room to walk around and play what they wanted, I have to say that this year they struck a nice balance. We were able to get around and work, the publishers were able to have their fancy light shows. Everybody wins.

4) South Hall is once again open. Last year, as we all know, the show was a lot smaller. Only one side of the convention center was actually used. Last year, most of the games were in concourse in an area about the size of an airplane hangar. This time, I was able to work off everything I had gained while sitting on my butt at work. One meal a day, walk like 5 miles, sleep 2 hours. That's E3 for ya.



3) The two remaining Beatles appear at Microsoft's press conference. I will admit that I am not too huge on the Beatles, but I cannot deny their musical impact. The fact that Microsoft was able to get Paul and Ringo up on stage like that was just an indication of what we were in for this E3.

2) On the subject of Microsoft's presser. Seeing Kojima walk up on that stage, was a bit of a shocker. We have seen Metal Gear Solid on other platforms, but Kojima always seemed to back the PlayStation brand so strongly, we just never expected to see him onstage at a Microsoft conference. Oh well, more people will play his awesome games. Can't argue with that.

1) Nintendo gives us games. Yes, I love me some Nintendo, but last year's press conference was mostly talk about sales figures and some games here and there. This time we saw four Mario games, Metroid Gaiden, and even some stuff for the casual crowd. I was pretty happy.

I loved the way Kojima told old whats-his-face, "Ah, but i didn't say Solid Snake". Alright, finishing things off this week is the man with one of the coolest last names on the planet, JDL, John DeLarge.


This is the face of a PIMP..... oh, hey there's John De Large!

JDL

5. Just come back for me later, Valve: I love Left 4 Dead, so when I got a chance to skip the lines and get some hands on time in Valve's secret room for a whole hour (with free drinks and food!) I was certain I'd hit the jackpot.

4. My favorite kind of clothes are free: If you ever go to E3 make sure you do two things. One is bring a bag to carry all the free stuff you can get, from t-shirts, games, food (don't put that in the bag though) and even more bags, E3 will load you up with cool stuff.

The second thing you need to do is drop Ramon's name (That's Ramon Aranda for those of you who need to know how it's spelt) because the people at both South Peak and Capcom (and who knows where elses he's viewed as a king?) love and revere this man. Just by mentioning that he is my editor, South Peak's representitives offered me a chance to visit them in NYC, an hour away. As for Capcom? By saying I knew Ramon, I got into a party with free food, free alcohol, free t-shirts and free video games. Ramon is the king.

3. Three new Metal Gears and a new Castlevania: At the Konami Presser, the audience got to see the new Metal Gears coming out: Arcade, for those of you who still can find and play Coin-Ops, Peace Walker for people who like Snake and/or handheld games and Rising, which Kojima all but said would be for the kids ("youngblood" is the term he used).

But then, we got to see a Castlevania trailer boasting the far off, 2010 release of Castlevania: Lord of Shadows and the theatre ERUPTED, rightfully so, as the game looks like some God of War type stuff. I don't even like Castlevania and I liked the way this game looked!

2. Donkey Lips : While playing Brutal Legend, I met Michael Bower, whom many of you know as Donkey Lips from Salute Your Shorts. Mike was super nice to me, I only regret not giving him my spare Battlefield copy.
Heh, Donkey Lips RULED!

1. Collection complete: This trip saw JDL do A LOT of networking, whether it was with the people at South Peak, the assistant product manager for Dissidia, or a hot older woman at the bar who wanted to get me set up writing for her friends in high places, no moment at E3 was better than sitting back at the end of the trip and browsing the collection of cards I had gotten from hot women and important business people.

Man, sounds like JDL had quite the experience. I can't wait for my turn at E3. Maybe next year... Well there you have it. A few of the staff's most memorable moments from this year's big show. Be sure to check back to the site on Monday for 411mania's Best of E3 Awards, it should be a great read, check it out. Might as well just bookmark the site right now so you can remember. We'll see you back here next week for a brand new Top 5.

Bonus Video of the week: Project Natal, more specifically Milo! Be afraid, be very afraid.