The Select and Start News Report: 07.30.07
Posted by Vincent Chiucchi on 07.30.2007
The E3 Aftermath Edition. One long huge look at the dozens of games shown at E3 from nearly all companies.
Welcome to the Select and Start News Report, the E3 Aftermath edition. Today's news report is taking a look at the preview list of games that was posted a few weeks ago and going over nearly every one of them to see what's happening.
As for the actual up to date news, well nothing is really happening this week and there's like three other guys to cover it. But I'll still cover a bit of it because I'm just that nice.
Tidbit News
-While filming for a commercial for PGR4, a Ferrari F430 drited too wide and bumped into a concrete barrier. Little damage was done to the car. Rumor has it was the work of a man named "Dietrich".[credit: Joystiq]
-Ubisoft announced at Comic-Com at the video game based on Lost has been pushed back to Q1 2008. Probably because they still need to figure out the plot first. [credit: GameDaily]
-Kojima announced some new Metal Gear games in the works at the Metal Gear 20th Anniversary show. The first being "Metal Gear Online" that will feature characters and settings from MGS4, "Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops Plus" for the PSP that will also features stuff from MGS4, "Metal Gear Solid Mobile" for mobile phones and "Metal Gear Solid 2: Digital Graphic Novel" for PSP. That's a lot of Metal Gears. [credit: Gamasutra]
-Sony Computer Entertainment of Europe (SCEE) recently won the Grand Prix award at the Develop Industry Excellence Awards. Sony also won awards for New Console IP for MotorStorm and New Handheld IP for Crush. [credit: GameSpot]
-Uwe Boll is now making a movie based on the game Tunnel Rats. Wait a minute...actually Uwe Boll making a game based off his movie Tunnel Rats! What has the world freaking come to?! [credit: GameDaily]
-Roger Ebert apparently still does not think that video games can be considered art, or rather, "high art" from his rubbtal to Clive Barker on the issue. I give Roger Ebert two thumbs down. [credit: GameDaily]
-Just when we were getting used to the new E3, all of a sudden there are reports that the ESA will be moving the show from Santa Monica to LA. Jeff Bell from Microsoft suggests Las Vegas instead since that's where lots of other conventions are held. [credit: GameDaily]
-And now here's what's happening in your neck of the woods: Al Roker recently talked with a tech guy on the Today Show and accidently said there was a recall for the Xbox 360's. When the tech guy called the PS3 the "Trojan horse" of the consoles based on it's power, Roker asked if people are gonna jump out of it and kill everyone. Roker, please just stick to the weather. [credit: Joystiq]
-Activision must be feeling as free as a bird now, because they captured EA's spot as the #1 selling publisher for the first half of the year, in large part thanks to Guitar Hero. [credit: GameDaily]
-Sweden's Star Vault and Spain's Tragnarion are just two more developers in the growing list of people using the Unreal Engine 3. [credit: Gamasutra]
-EA Chicago announced that they'll be making a fighting game based on the Marvel Comics license. If it's anything like "Rise of the Imperfects", be prepared to be ultimately disappointed. [credit: GameDaily]
-With the PS3 sales going up because of the $100 price cut here in the US, will Sony be issuing a price cut everywhere else? According to Sony President Ryoji Chubachi...not at this point. Which probably means there will be a price cut by the time you read this. [credit: GameDaily]
-In David Jaffe news, it turns out that he has now left Sony to form his own studio, "Eat, Sleep, Play" with Incognito's Scott Campbell. The company also signed a multi-year, multi-title deal exclusively for...Sony. [credit: GameDaily]
-Vivendi Games racked up 500 million euros ($685.8 million) in revenue, mostly thanks to World of Warcraft now having 9 million subscribers. [credit: GameSpot, Gamasutra]
The Other Crap
OMG FEEDBACK?
From Jason Mohr: Loved the way the column was formatted today. Your "interruptions" while reporting on the PS3 price cut/liquidation captured how everyone felt last week when the news was leaking out.
From clever1 on my Hall of Shame column: Hi Vinny,
You were accurate for the infamous Atari Diasters except for Chase the Chuckwagon and not mentioning The SwordQuest Series contest.
The Swordquest Contest info can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swordquest. All 3 of the 4 swordquest games were among the worst for the 2600 with the 3rd game not being available to many people due to it being an Atari Club game.
Atari had nothing to do with the game Chase the Chuck Wagon Directly. The game was developed by a 3rd party Atari 2600 developer and Publisher called called Spectravision. The dog food company contacted Spectravision to create the game based off there commericials.
Atari had no say rather or not Chase the Chuck Wagon was about to be part of Purina's promotion campaign.
Atari lost a Lawsuit to Activision for developing and Publishing games as a 3rd party. After Atari lost the lawsuit, Atari allowed all 3rd party games to be release games with Atari not be able to have a say to what games are allowed due to the court ruling. This ruling was responsible for Chase the Chuck Wagon and the "Adult video games" on the Atari 2600 had like Custer's Revenge by Mystique. Mystiqe was responsible for developing and publishing X rated Video games and those games had nudity in them.
The damn courts ruin everything! I knew Atari and Activision had their problems but didn't know that actually led to 3rd parties releasing all that crap. Yet it was still Atari who ultimately killed their system. As for Swordquest, I've actually never heard of that one before. Apparently it was a game/contest thing where contestant won thousands of dollars in jewelry or crap like that. Sounds like the whole Advent Rising million-dollar flop, only this one actually had a couple winners of sorts.
Thanks for the feedback guys.
I FUCKING HATE THE RAIN
Every week there seems to be a new rainstorm here in NYC that needs to fuck up my day. I really wouldn't mind but when it rains badly my basement gets flooded and it's a big fucking annoyance. Damn it I hate rain!
So now with that out of the way, it's time for...
THE E3 GAMES WRAP-UP [Lots o'credit: Gamespot, Kotaku]
Despite E3 being a much smaller event this year, there was still a lot of games that were shown off. So looking back at the list that was posted a few weeks ago, I've decided to catch up on what I've missed out during E3 week by looking at nearly every game that was reported. A quick couple of notes before you scroll down:
-I didn't cover any sports games basically because there isn't that much new to say about yearly installments
-I didn't cover any Nintendo stuff because we posted the press conference and Theo Fraser (Nintendophiles) had most of it already covered.
And now, the The E3 Games Wrap-up:
Activision
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PS3, Xbox 360), Q4 2007 - Call of Duty ditches World War II to held into the modern day warfare against those damn Russians. The game begins as you being an SAS sniper taking place 15 years before the game. You have to more around stealthily in order to take out the other soldiers and be detected, especially when at one part you're surrounded by soviets and tanks. The game was so impressive that G4 called it the best game of E3. Even though G4's opinion barely means anything anymore, a lot of people felt the same way about this game. We just might have the Game of the Year right here.
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (PC, PS3, Xbox 360), September 1st - This game is an online FPS based on the Human/Strogg war in Quake. The game really emphasizes teamwork as players are put into classes and several missions require certain classes to do something.
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (PS2, Xbox 360, Wii, DS), Q4 2007 - Other then the list of guitars and confirming that Slash from Guns 'N Roses is a boss character (already reported), nothing much new came out from E3. I'm still semi-excited for it though.
Tony Hawk's Proving Ground (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, DS), Q4 2007 - Would you believe that this is already the 9th game in the series? NeverSoft plans to make this better then Project 8 with a better single-player/career mode, and a feature where you can make custom videos based on your best tricks. Looks like another good game in the Tony Hawk series.
Spider-Man: Friend or Foe (Everything), Fall 2007 - This one has Spider-Man teaming up with the villains he defeated from the movies and possibly more. Based on the screenshots I assume this is going to be like X-Men Legends, only with Spider-Man characters.
Atari
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 (Wii, PS2), November 13th - It's the latest entry in the DBZ Budokai series with over 150 characters from the series to play as, and from the latest report, the Wii version will be able to go online. You either love DBZ or hate DBZ.
Godzilla: Unleashed (Wii, DS, PSP), Q4 2007 - Nothing new for Godzilla came out of E3, though game designer Simon Strange did talk about new things from his developer diary. Rage Mode is apparently going to be replaced with "Critical Mass", where the monsters absorb crystal energy to become more powerful, yet using too much crystal energy will leave them weakened when it wears off. Hopefully this game won't show again and again the follies of Atari.
Jenga (Wii), November 2007 - The wooden block balancing game is coming to the Wii. That's pretty much it.
The Witcher (PC), October 2007 - This action RPG is inspired by the works of Polish fantasy author Andrzej Sapkowski, the plot picking up five years after the end of the book's saga. You play as Geralt of Rivia, a professional monster slayer who got resurrected from the dead somehow. The game emphasizes decision making based on good and bad choices, except what you think is either good or bad can actually turn out to be the opposite later on in the game. Sounds intriguing enough to keep a close eye on this one.
Neverwinter Nights 2, Mask of the Betrayer (PC), October 9th - It's the first expansion to the game where players start trapped below the Earth. You can create a new character with one of the new races (Genasi), or you can import your existing NWN2 character, keeping everything but your weapons (taken away for storyline reasons). Other features include two new base classes, new prestige classes for your imported character, and an overhauled influence system for your companions reactions to you.
Bethesda Softworks
Fallout 3 (PC, Xbox 360, PS3), Q4 2008 - Fallout was a hugely popular PC series until it got canned along with Interplay. Bethesda, the guys behind Elder Scroll IV: Oblivion, picked up the series and finally released new details for this game. The story is that the world's been nuked, and so your ancestors sought sheler in the Vault 101, which stays intact even after 200 years. Your father, main scientist of Vault 101, suddenly disappears and it's up to you to find him.
The game has a unique character creation that ties in with your childhood events, and your father's actual looks will change depend on how you make your own character look. The game's world is slightly smaller then Oblivion's and features rival factions such as the Brotherhood of Steel and the Slavers. The game will also have multiple endings depending on where you go and who your allies are. Where as in Oblivion you can do all the quests and be everything, Fallout 3's choices with have much more consequences. For example, a town called Megaton has an unexploded nuclear bomb. You can team up with some guy who wants to activate the bomb and destroy the city, or tell the town about it and save it. Saving it means you get to do the quests associated with Megaton, but blowing it up with destroy Megaton for good and open up a new area with different quests, Tenpenny Towers.
Combat can be done in either real time or pausing the game and targeting enemies the old Fallout way using the Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System. VATS also allows you to target specific enemy body parts. The over-the-top violence in the old Fallout games will also be coming back along with the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. system of improving a character's attributes. Weapons and armor will break down overtime and you'll have to fix them using similar weapons and armor.
Overall, it looks like Fallout is going to be back in full force come 2008.
Capcom
MotoGP 2007 (PS2), October 2007 - Capcom acquired the license of this game from Namco and so far the game is looking good. The game will play on three different levels: Arcade (the easiest), Normal, and Simulation (the hardest). But even on Normal it'll still be difficult as the turns are hard to do and the AI provides stiff competition. The game features all the basic modes (career, time attack, etc.) along with a challenge mode consisting of over 100 tasks to complete. With this being the debut of Capcom working on the series, this is more of a groundwork experiment that will shape up the sequels.
Devil May Cry 4 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360), Q4 2007 - In case you lost track, this game takes place after DMC but before DMC2, so the order of the games is 3 1 4 2. Newly revealed at E3 was some new powers for newcomer Nero, including the ability to grab far away opponents for a closer beating, a context-sensitive throw attack, and powering up your sword using the shoulder button. Plus even though the game centers around Nero, turns out Dante will be a playable character down the line. This game will not disappoint the DMC fans.
Rocketmen: Axis of Evil (PC, PS3, Xbox 360), Q4 2007 - I swear the moment I saw the latest video for this game I had flashbacks of Robotron 2084. Looks like a good game, but besides the video nothing new at E3.
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (PC, PS3, Xbox 360), - I can't believe they still call it that even when there wasn't a Puzzle Fighter I to begin with. Anyways, Puzzle Fighter HDRMX will play just like the original with a couple new modes and more balanced characters. One of the best ways to spend $10.
Resident Evil 5 (PS3, Xbox 360) - We did get a new trailer, but all it really did was leave more questions then answers.
Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles (Wii), November 2007 - This game will be one of the first to be using the newly announced Zapper peripheral. You shoot using the Wii Remote's trigger under the barrel, the Nunchuk's joystick to look for enemies offscreen, the Z button to counterattack zombies in melee range, and holding Z with swining wildly yields the knife. The C button is used to switch weapons or use a grenade by also pressing the Wii Remote's trigger. So far it looks like a perfect match and is definitely a game to look forward too Wii fans.
Codemasters
Clive Barker's Jericho (PC, PS3, Xbox 360), September 2007 - This is a squad-based shooter where you go through multiple time zones in order to stop a great evil. The members of your squad have special powers, such as telepathic sniping and enemy manipulation. You can also revive other members of your squad, so as long as one person is still alive, it isn't game over. The game also throws in "survival events" like in Tomb Raider: Legend. If you don't press the right buttons quick enough, it's an automatic death, but luckily you'll respawn at the beginning of the event. All I've got to say for this game is...Nuts.
Rise of the Argonauts (PC, PS3, Xbox 360), TBA 2008 - This is an action-RPG loosely based on Greek mythology. Unlike most RPGs however, this one makes things a bit more easier for players. You'll start out with weapons that are actually good, you won't be stuck with so much useless loot you need to sell, and any weapons/items you pick up but can't carry is automatically stored away on your ship. You can carry a variety of weapons that are used for different situations. Leveling up in this game, besides fighting monsters, can be done through conversations with the Gods, where there isn't an automatic right choice you have to choose. You'll earn different skills depending on which God you do favors for through these conversations.
Turning Point: Fall of Liberty (PC, PS3, Xbox 360), Q4 2007 - New at E3 was a new level in the New York City part of the game. The Nazis were attacking with advanced weapons since this shooter is an alternate universe where the Nazis weren't stopped in Europe. America's weapons consists of "Big Henry" rifles and machine guns seen in old gangster movies, so you'll have to take out some enemies in order to get some better weapons.
Eidos
Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures (PC, Xbox 360), October 30th - I couldn't tell whether this was a new MMO or just an expansion pack. Anyways, featured at E3 was the "pet" system where magic users can summon a "pet" creature to battle with them. Pet users earn "pet points" that are spend in summoning different "pets"; the more powerful the creature the greater the cost. They also showed one of the games highest level dungeons that featured a boss more larger then the full screen size. Funcom estimates that 90% of it's players will join a guild, so expect many group oriented challenges in the game.
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men (PC, Xbox 360), Q4 2007 - Kane & Lynch is a third-person action game that features co-op squad tactics. The level shown at E3 featured many places that both you and the police (the enemies) to take cover, such as building columns and cars. The enemies are smart enough to know how to use that cover well, so only good teamwork can really take them out. Bullets leace trace lines to help you find enemies, but it doesn't help when there are so many bullets going around and Lynch (controlled by the cPU) likes to waste ammo like a jackass.
You can command your crew to either follow, stay, or move to/attack. They'll complain about your orders but will get it done and quickly adapt to situations that affect their orders. Like other co-op games, allies can also help each other by reviving one another if they're close enough and exchanging weapons. Smoke is also going to be a good ally as smoke from explosions or grenades will help you take cover from enemy snipers who are one of the hardest enemies to kill. A small window in the corner shows how well a sniper can see you, so you really need to pay attention to it in order to stay alive.
I'm starting to notice how a lot of games at E3 this year want to emphasize co-op gameplay. We'll have to wait and see if Kane & Lynch make a name for themselves or just get lost in the shuffle.
Electronic Arts
Army of Two (PS3, Xbox 360), Q4 2007 - Ever since I read about this game last year, I was kind of surprised that nothing new has come out about this until just recently. This game emphasizes working together by being more of a two player game rather then a one player game, and it becomes more then just helping each other climb walls or flank down enemies. Players share an aggro meter that goes up on one player's side rapidly if they're the one shooting down most of the enemies. A maxed out aggro meter gives you a couple new tricks like the back-to-back 360 shooting. When your partner is on the verge of death, you can use a tampon to soak up his blood (yes, mercanaries do that in real life), and the second time around you have to give CPR. The third time he's down...well, it's game over by then. I've been looking forward to this game since last year and still look forward to it now.
Boogie (Wii), August 7th - EA karaoke/dance game is about to hit store shelves in a couple weeks. The game combines karaoke with rhythm dancing using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk. But aside from all the dancing and singing you get to do, there's also a video maker that records dance/singing sessions and lets you turn it into a music video. You can add filters, use special effects, adjust camera angles, and all of it is done on a easy to use interface. This could be a worthy pick up.
Burnout Paradise (PS3, Xbox 360), Q4 2007 - The car crashing series is back, only this time now taking place in an open world called "Paradise City", where you start races by pulling up to a red lght and attracting other drivers. All the good stuff from Burnout is still intact, from the Traffic checking system to the ramps and obstacles. With the game now in an open world, there's a new feature called the E-brake that has you changing directions very quickly and is used for a power parking mini-game. Crashing is a bit different as now you can keep going as long as your not upside-down or lost your tires. Online play treats the world as a lobby as players simply drop in and start up races. If you decide to screw around and crash into them, you can take a snapshot and send it to the player you took out. This one looks like another winner in the Burnout series.
Crysis (PC), September 11th - A very anticipated FPS shooter from the guys behind Far Cry, Crysis drops you into a tropical jungle occupied by the North Korean army. You're armed with a high-tech suit that gives you special powers like super speed, a cloaking shield, and extra strength for hand-to-hand and throwing enemies further. The suit also comes with a weapons mod feature that lets you add more features to your guns, like lasers and scopes to your assault rifle. All but one weapon can have serveal mods attached to it.
The mission objectives are linear, but completing them can be done in many ways, whether you want to run-and-gun or stick to stealth. Either way, not paying attention to everything around you is what's going to cost you. The AI uses a variety of tactics to take you down. Some will go straight for you, some will take cover, and some might run away if you kill enough of their cohorts. If you don't kill them fast enough, they can signal for reinforcements. The game also includes a variety of vehicles to get around easier or just for crashing into enemies. Whatever you prefer, make sure they don't shoot the gas tank. Since it's from the guys behind Far Cry, you know that the game's graphics are going to look incredibly awesome.
EA Playground (Wii, DS), October 2007 - EA brings it's own variety of mini-games to Nintendo's console that play like Wii Sports. Games include your typical playground fare (hence the name) like Dodgeball and Kickball. Despite being on the Wii, I'm kind of disappointed that it doesn't use the Mii's as avatars. Now we just have to wait to see if it's as any fun as Wii Sports.
Hellgate: London (PC), TBA 2007 - As the release for Hellgate draws near, Flagship showed off a couple new things in the game. The Hunters class, which makes the game feel like an FPS, has a subclass called "Engineer" where you can build droids and bots to help you in battle by giving them the weapons you have. There was also a couple of high-level quests shown off. "The Mind of 314" quest puts you in the mind of Lucius Aldin to defeat a figure called the Mind of 314, and the "Millennium Battle" quest takes to what's left of the Millennium Bridge to fight these huge tentacle-armed creatures. With the game being made by the guys who used to do Diablo, this is sure to be an awesome pick-up.
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames (PS3, Xbox 360), Q4 2007 - In this game you help a man named Ramon Solano take over Venezuela, and instead of getting paid for it, he tries to kill you. So now you're out for revenge. The game has you taking missions from Allied Nations, the Chinese, the Rastafarian pirates, Universal Petroleum, and the PLAV (Peoples Liberation Army of Venezuela) as you fight your way towards Solano. The game is packed with more explosions then ever and will take place on a map 8x8 kilometers in size, but features a transit system to ger around faster you can cause all those great explosions quicker.
MySims (Wii, DS), September 18th - Once again I'm surprised that the Sims aren't Miis either. Instead of raising a family, MySims is about reinvigorating a downtrodden town to its previous glory. Progessing in the game requires you to do tasks for the citizens of the town, convince new sims to move in, and build objects like beds that appealing to their interests (cute, spooky, geeky, studious, fun, and tasty) using a variety of essences. Essences are like currency and can easily get them by just walking around, fishing for them, or ironically, planting them as they grow on trees. This will likely appeal to the Animal Crossing crowd.
The Simpsons (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, PSP, DS), Q4 2007 - It's amazing how for a family that's been around since the NES days of gaming, it wasn't until Simpsons Hit & Run when every console game of theirs sucked. So now the Simpsons are back again, but this time this one looks to be the true Simpsons game we've been waiting for. The game plays somewhat like the Arcade game with the Simpsons going around beating enemies and solving puzzles using their special powers. Bart turns into Bartman (that is sooooo 1991), Homer turns into a giant ball, Marge incite riots with her megaphone, and Lisa uses the Hand of Buddha (remember she's buddist?). Two Simpsons are used on screen that the player can swap around with or a second player can join in. The single-player game is said to be around 13 hours long, and Matt Greoning will apparently appear as a final boss. Please Jebus, PLEASE don't let this game suck!
Skate (PS3, Xbox 360), September 12th - With the Tony Hawk games being so popular, of course EA had to eventually join in. The game's controls tries to be realistic in that you have to manually kick your skater forward and shift his weight with the analog sticks in order to maintain balance. The game's career mode as you gaining fame that gauged by how your photos appear in popular skateboard magazines. Gain enough fame and you'll compete in the X Games. They'll also be a variety of missions to complete, a video editing mode to save some of your best replays, and an online mode to skate against friends. It's EA, it's a sports game, so it's bound not to disappoint.
SimCity Societies (PC), Q4 2007 - A brand new SimCity game that plays nothing like the previous SimCitys. This one is not being developed by Maxis but rather Tilted Mill, whose major change to this game is to make it a lot more simpler compared to the complexity of SimCity 4. This time you simply put down buildings to radiate energy. These energies is what will shape the look of your town. For example, a lot of government buildings and high rises for the wealthy will create an Orwellian city, where the skies look bleak and oppressive, while a town filled with monasteries and farms will create a pastoral city with sunny and tranquil skies. SimCity Societies will also keep track of every single citizen to which you have to keep happy in order for your town to work. Overall, despite the major difference in gameplay, this should still be a great edition to the SimCity franchise.
Gamecock
Dementium: The Ward (DS), Q4 2007 - The first game from upstarter Renegade Kid, this is a FPS/Survival-Horror game where you wake up in a hospital and, surprise, you don't know who or where you are. You move around with the D-pad and pick up items using the face buttons. The touch screen is for equipping items and keeping track of your health. Enemies in this game range from zombies to those maggot-like creatures from House of the Dead, and besides having to kill them you'll also have to solve the occasional puzzle. This is pretty much sounding more and more like a Resident Evil clone of sorts, but since RE hasn't fared so well on the DS, perhaps this one could be a pleasant surprise.
Dungeon Hero (PC, Xbox 360), Q1 2009 - This one puts a humorous twist on the Dungeon hack-n-slashing. Instead of just going in a dungeon and killing all the enemies in sight, you have to defend the goblins of a dungeon city from evil creatures and annoying adventurers. Also, instead of just using the same stupid attack over and over, the game will include over 200 moves you can pull off. Unfortunately, there isn't much other details to discuss as the game won't come out until 2009.
Fury (PC), Q4 2007 - This MMO combines the action of multiplayer shooters with MMORPG combat that focuses only on one thing: Player vs. Player combat. There are four schools of magic: Life, decay, growth, and death. You can only make one character but can eventually learn all the skills from all the schools. The combat takes place in arenas with power-ups spread out with match types like deathmatch and capture the flag, but plays out and looks like any MMORPG. So if you like nothing better then to kill other players in an MMO, this is the game for you.
Hail to the Chimp (PS3, Xbox 360), Q2 2008 - With Mario Party dominating the party genre (which isn't that hard considering it's almost the only one), Gamecock is coming to the party with Hail to the Chimp. This one has several animals compete against each other in mini-games to determine the new king of the animal kingdom. The animals each have their own skills and special moves, and players can form temporary alliances for team up attacks. All 15 mini-games revolve around collecting more clams then the other players. The locales you'll be fighting in include city streets, mountaintops, factory floors, volcanoes, waterfalls, and more. This is certainly one of the oddest games to be seen. Let's see if it's any good come next year.
Mushroom Men (Wii, DS), Q3 2008 - In a world where mushrooms became humanlike, they go into a civil war with each other for some reason. Since the mushrooms are still about a few inches tall, their war takes place in gardens where everyday objects like toys are the weapons. The combat works under a "scav" system, where you can design your own weapons from the everyday objects you come across like chewing gum or staple removers. the Wii version of the game wasn't shown and the DS version didn't use the touch screen at all, so it's going to be a while before there's more news about this game.
Section 8 (PS3, Xbox 360, PC), TBA - All that was shown was a 30 second movie trailer.
Legendary: The Box (PS3, Xbox 360, PC), Q2 2008 - You'd think with everyone always opening that box, Pandora would've found a better way to lock it. Anyways, some would-be thief named Deckard opens it and what do you know, all hell breaks loose around the world. But along with opening the box, Deckard gains powers in order to save the world and stop the organization who tricked you into opening Pandora's box. The trailer shown at E3 makes it seem like a typcial FPS, so I'm not that excited for this one.
Konami
Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3), March 2008 - At E3 we did get a new trailer that featured an awesome Raiden/Vamp fight and what appeared to be soldiers suddenly catching some kind of disease while Snake seemed unaffected, but the real preview took place after E3 at Sony's PSP 2007 press conference when Kojima showed off a playable demo of the game and even more news at the 20th Anniversary party. Stay tuned for news from that.
Silent Hill: Origins (PSP), November 6th - Along with Silent Hill 5, Konami announed a PSP version of Silent Hill that takes place before the first game and explains how Silent turned into the hellhole it became. The game begins with the main character, Travis, in a deserted school in SH. A mirror allows him to travel from the regular world to the parallel world. The game is said to be very impressive graphically with no slowdowns. The controls are still the same and some quicktime events were thrown in. So far the game looks just like the other Silent Hills. Let's just hope it's as good as the other Silent Hills.
Contra 4 (DS), TBA 2007 - Contra goes back to the 2D goodness it was in this 20th Anniversary release. The game was EXTREMELY difficult when played but Konami may tone it down slightly before release. Also, even though it's for the DS, no touch-screen features are being added as Konami really wants to stick to the original games.
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles (PSP), Q4 2007 - This is a remake of Castlevania: Rondo of Blood from 1993 that was never released in the US. The graphics are getting a major 3D overhaul although the game still plays in a side-scrolling manner. The game will also feature unlockable editions of the original Rondo of Blood and its sequel, Symphony of the Night, both of which have been issued with new translations for the American market.
DDR Hottest Party (Wii), October 2007 - It's just like all the other DDR's, except with a couple new features for the Wii. Using the Wii's controllers, adds arm and hand movements to the mix. Also new are armored arrows that a double arrows disguised as one.
LucasArts
Fracture (PS3, X360), Q3 2008 - Remember how in Red Faction you were able to blow up and reshape the environment? Fracture's big draw will be just that. The game is set 150 years into the future where the USA is split between east and west due to political issues, the biggest being stem cell research. You play as Mason Briggs, who fights for the Atlantic Alliance. The environmental deformation plays a major role with not only enemy interaction, but is required to solve some missions. One of the strangest weapons in the game is a gun that spits out a vortex, captures the earth around you and turns it into a giant ball to throw at enemies. Sounds like fun already, but we'll have to wait until next year to se if it is.
Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron (PSP), October 9th - Another year, another Star Wars game. This one has you controlling Han Solo's group that helps the Rebellion. The game features a character-customization system where you spend credits to customize your characters' weapons and stats. You can switch around your abilities even in the middle of battle. Looks like a great pick-up for Star Wars fans.
Thrillville: Off the Rails (PS2, PC, PSP, X360, DS, Wii), October 1st - A sequel to LucasArts' answer to the Roller Coaster Tycoon games, this one is to appeal to those that want a simplified version of a roller coaster building sim. The sequel has a "trick out" features which lets you take the pre-existing rides in the game and customize them from there. Instead of having to do paperwork of what you need to do, you can just ask the NPCs in the game what's needed and they'll tell you where to put it. Interestingly enough, the game includes 34 mini-games. How that goes into building roller coasters I'm not exactly sure. This one's for the casual sim gamers.
Majesco
Blast Works: Build, Fuse & Destroy (Wii), October 2007 - This one started off as a Flash project rather then a video game. This one is a Gradius-style shooter, but the enemie ships you kill can be added to your own ship to make yourself bigger and stronger. The game also has a built in editor for new shapes, ships, and levels, though right now you can only share with others through the memory card. This could go down as a sleeper hit.
Kengo: Legend of the 9 (Xbox 360), September 11th - Majesco showed off a trailer that showed the samurai in the game hacking and slashing at other enemies. At first I thought it was a typical hack and slash game, but instead it's supposed to be a 3D fighting game apparently. So I'm going to assume that was some kind of story mode. I almost have a bad feeling about this game though.
Microsoft
Halo 3 (Xbox 360), September 25th - I think we all know by now that a lot of people are going to be playing this and it will be a huge blockbuster. At E3 we got some more details on the single player campaign with the first level. Master Chief and the Arbiter apparently team up to fight the Covenant. The enemies AI is still as sharp as ever and even talk realistically. For example, a grunt might come after you shouting "I'll revenge my brother!" while throwing a grenade at you. As for the graphics, they were much better then what was shown in the beta, so everybody can stop their bitching now. A new multiplayer feature was also shown at records gameplay and plays it back with movable camera angles. Just two more months guys.
Mass Effect (Xbox 360), November 2007 - Only thing new here was a trailer shown showing off a bit of gameplay where you make conversation choices with one of the alien characters.
Project Gotham Racing 4 (Xbox 360), September 11th - Microsoft's other stellar racing series is coming back, this time with motorcycles thrown into the mix. Even though the motorcycles have great acceleration, their speed are lower then cars, and the rainfall can completely screw up the controls. The graphics are still good, the sound is still good, and of course the game will still be good.
Midway
Blacksite: Area 51 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360), September 3rd - Good old Area 51 is infected with aliens once again. The first two levels were shown in the game. The first had you killing aliens in a trailer park in the desert, and killing each one can take up an entire clip of ammo. So of course it's best to just to avoid them, find the survivalist in the park and get out of there. The second level of the game has you take control of a minigun in a Blackhawk taking out giant wormlike aliens erupting out of the ground. Worse, they should molten rocks at you. After the worms are killed off you then have to fight humanoid aliens who are taking out your Blackhawk. Then even after that, you have to fight another alien worm, only it's now the size of Godzilla. And things will no doubt just get worse after that. This almost nonstop action-packed shooter is bound to be get people noticing.
Stranglehold (PC, PS3, Xbox 360), August 20th - This is a third-person action shooter based on the works of John Woo. The game uses a lot of the slow motion bullet time (or as this game calls it, "tequila time") seen in Max Payne when it comes to fighting enemies and slows automatically when you're trying to take aim at enemies. In fact, the entire game almost looks like a Max Payne clone which is funny because Max Payne was heavily inspiried by John Woo's films. Hopefully that means the game will be just as good as Max Payne when it comes out.
Namco Bandai
Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation (Xbox 360), October 23rd - At E3 was a new level taking place in the mountain range. The levels are played out with different objectives scattered arcoss. You can do them in any order, but doing some before others can be beneficial. For example, doing an objective where you have to protect a support plane will help when you do a battle objective and that plane you protected shows up to lend a hand. You can switch in and out of objectives any time during the level easily. The game is also going to include a 16-player online multiplayer with plenty of modes. Seeing how it's the 6th game in the series, Ace Combat fans are already ready to buy this.
Beautiful Katamari (Xbox 360), October 26th - Everyone's favorite "WTF" series is back, making it's debut for Microsoft's console. It's still basically the same game with improvements like HD and achievements, but there's still some new stuff added. Brand new levels (how many was not given), about 50 playable characters, and a four player online mode. There hasn't been a bad Katamari game yet, so I see no need to worry about this one.
NCsoft
Aion (PC), TBA 2008 - Aion is an MMORPG where the world of Atrea is split into two halves, each half home to a different race. A third non-playable race inhabit the neutral area in between the halves known as the Abyss. Players choose a side and fight both the other half and the Balaur from the Abyss. Since the game features levels where players from both sides take up, the battles can turn into player-versus-player-versus-environment.
Guild Wars: Eye of the North (PC), August 31st - The expansions that ends the first game before the sequel is released, there's plenty of new things in this one. 50 new PvE skills, 40 new armor sets, 10 new heroes to unlock, and 18 new dungeons to explore. The most unique new feature is the Hall of Monuments that displays the achievements of your character as mantles. Those mantles will provide items for your new Guild Wars 2 character (you can't import your character), as if inheriting them. Guild Wars fans should definitely get this before heading into the sequel.
Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa (PC), October 2nd - Another MMO from NCSoft, this one is interesting since Richard Garriott says that the MMO genre is stale and that this one will offer something completely new. Based on the demo, what's different is that there isn't a thousand buttons to the interface and the combat is much more tactical. Taking a hiding spot and then launching an attack from behind or the side will be more rewarding then just charging in and killing. The game also has a moral element to it. One part of the game has you come across a power plant that provides power through human sacrifices, and you have to choose who to sacrifice in the game. The character system has you either become a specialist skilled character or a soldier, and you can clone your character and swap skills anytime. There's also alien symbols across the world that you can translate to earn new skills. For example, finding symbols that translate the words "summon", "friend", and "here" brought a friend into battle. Since Garriot says this MMO is supposed to be much different then the rest, we'll be sure to keep a special eye on this one.
Rockstar Games
Grand Theft Auto IV - A demo was shown at Take-Two's briefing for about 5 minutes and nothing seemed new. But we already know just how big this game is going to be.
SEGA
Condemned 2 (PS3, Xbox 360), Q1 2008 - The game picks up were the first one left off. You still play as Ethan Thomas who, after getting hit in the head by with a brick from a mysterious figure, wakes up in a supposedly paranormal world. Army helicopters are all over the place and the city seems deserted. You can find TV's scattered that can give you a hint of what's going on, or be talked to by that mysterious figure. The game is getting some big improvements, especially the combat system. You can go hand-to-hand which involve punching, kicking, grabbing, and twisting necks. Or you can use the environment to pull off special moves like slamming a guy's head into a TV and stomping his neck. The weapons include firearms to whatever you happen to pick up, and this time you can throw them at enemies. Then are the chain attacks that range from medium to heavy damage.
The forensic analysis is also back with a major overhaul. This time it's based on logical analysis. For example, when you find a dead body, you establish an identity based on the items they may be holding like an ID, they're general age and sex, and gather enough evidence to send it to analysis. Also new to the game is "hobo fight club", where you keep fighting to the death. You can post your best scores on online leaderboards. This game will either me just as or even more creepy then the first game, and that's a good thing.
The Club (PC, PS3, Xbox 360), Q4 2008 - In this game, rich people get so bored they make a sport where people try to escape dangerous locales, only the biggest twist is they'll also be shot at. Some are willing to play this, and some are being forced to. The game will feature several characters with different stats for speed, style, and strength. Your goal is to get to the end while racking up enough points by killing anybody along the way. Killing them in style earns you extra points and you can rack up combos by constantly killing while the combo meter is up. The game features five different modes: Sprint (get to the end), Time Attack (get the most points within the time limit), Gauntlet (time limit to exit a level), Siege and Survivor (stuck in a small or large area with swarms of enemies). Looks good, though it'll be a long wait before this game arrives.
The Golden Compass (PS3, PS2, PC, Wii, PSP, DS), December 2007 - This game is based on the movie based on the children's novel. The story of the game revolves around the book and film's main characters, Lyra Belacqua, her shape-shifting demon friend Pan, and a heavy armored polar bear named Iorek. Iorek is the brute force of the group while Pan's shape-shifting can get Lyra across areas that would otherwise be unreachable. The Golden Compass itself, rather the being used for directions, is used to help answer questions that will come up in the game. How exactly that works hasn't been fully revealed. Usually, games that tie-in to the movies are crap, so here's hoping this one doesn't become just another bad movie game.
Space Siege (PC), Q3 2008 - This is a continuation of the Dungeoun Siege franchise, only this time set in space during the 22nd Century. The humans of Earth go out to explore other planets that are habitable, only to find one with an alien race known as the Kerak that winds up coming to Earth and blowing it up. Now they're about to destory the colony ship that your on to completely finish off humanity. The biggest difference is that instead of using a large party of characters, you only play as Seth Walker, though he does have a friend helping him out. Seth's specialty is that he can replace body parts with mechanical parts to make him stronger and gain special abilities. The downside is that his "humanity meter" goes down which could affect the overall outcome of the story. As for any more details...that'll have to wait until next year.
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii, DS), November 2007 - Three of the over twenty events planned were shown at E3: the triple jump, the hammer throw, and the 100-meter dash. The triple jump has you pumping up the crowd before you do the actual jump to gain a little boost, then drum the Wii Remote and Nunchuk to run, and finally flick them quick enough to do a high angle jump. The hammer throw has you pressing the A button, spin the remote around and pressing B to let go. The better your timing, the further the throw. Finally, there's the 100-meter dash, which also requires drumming the controllers. Sonic may seem like the instant winner for this one, but all the characters will be balanced with strengths and weaknesses when the game gets released. The rivalry will finally settle (or not) come November, and I'm definitely excited for this one.
NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams (Wii), Q4 2007 - The sequel I've been waiting over 10 years for is coming closer and closer. The game stars Will and Helen who deal with tough real-world challenges by, when sleeping at night, go into a dream world known as Nightopia, just like Elliot and Claris in the first game. Also just like the first game, the Nightmarens are trying to destroy this dream world and it's up to them and NiGHTS to stop them. The game plays just like the first one, in which you fly through a course during a limited amount of time. After completing the courses a number of times, you enter a boss battle. The boss battle at E3 was like being inside a pinball machine. This one had you trying to grab the boss before they reached the bottom and fling them upwards. This one can not come out fast enough, even if I've been waiting an entire decade.
SEGA Rally Revo (PC, PS3, Xbox 360), October 9th - Continuing the popular Sega Rally series, Revo stays true to the arcade style of racing. One new feature that was taken from MotorStorm is deformable terrain, where the environment is constantly changing. The snow in the game can melt to become slush, and dirt tracks are left in the sand when you drive through them. The environments still feel the same as the original with all the little characteristics that make them look great. An online mode allows for up to six players to compete against each other, and matches can be set up based on car classes. From the way it look, Sega Rally has what it takes to compete against MotorStorm, PGR, and DiRT.
Universe At War: Earth Assault (PC, Xbox 360), Q1 2008 - This game come from experienced designers who worked on other RTS games such as Star Wars: Empire at War and the original Command and Conquer. The game is split into three alien races and the remaining humans on Earth. Each alien race have their own special abilities. The Hierachy's have hardpoints on their giant walker units, the Novus can patch upgrades to their soldiers, and the Masari can transform their civilization into two different modes. The game will also feature hero units with different powers, such as the Masari's queen that can cause all units surrounding her to stop attacking. When the game hits Xbox 360 next year, Petroglyph says players on Xbox 360 can take on players on their PC. Sounds awesome.
Sierra
Crash of the Titans (Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, PSP, DS, GBA), October 2nd - Remember when Crash Bandicoot was as popular as Mario and Sonic? Good times. Crash has returned and this time he's more agile and powerful then in the previous games. He's also got plenty of new platforming abilities and new attacks using the new jacking system. First you stun the enemy, then you jump over them and jack them, taking complete control. Jacking small enemies gives you projectiles, and bigger enemies can do the fighting for you. Will the franchise make a great comeback? We'll find out this fall.
Empire Earth 3 (PC), November 2007 - The game is in it's final stages of tweaking and polishing, with some help coming from the players at the Empire Earth University event. A lot of the testers felt that the modular user interface was bad, so now that's been dropped in favor of a streamlined interface. New to the game are technology points, the third resource in the game. The testers thought the wealth seemed pointless when you have more money then you can spend. The tech points are tougher to get then wealth and will be used to "epoch up" (reach a new tech age). There's also nukes in the game, but they don't as much damage as you'd think they'd cause. Another beta test is being planned, so you still have a chance to tell them what they should change before the release.
Geometry Wars: Galaxies (Wii, DS), TBA - Geometry Wars has been the most popular XBLA game for the Xbox 360, and now it's heading for the Wii and DS. The game comes with a full version of Retro Evolved and new features, the biggest being a new mode called "Galaxies." This mode has solar systems with a number of planets that you need to beat in order to progress. The game also now features an indestructible drone that always hangs around with you and takes your orders such as attacking other ships or gather up Geoms to buy upgrades. Planets in the game range from having enemies oblivious to your presence to planets where the gravity spins you each which way. Due to the control scheme, the DS version seems easier to play then the Wii version. Both games will have an online leaderboard and multiplayer, so now all we need is an actual release so we can buy this damn game already.
The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night (Wii, PS2, DS, GBA), October 2007 - Ah Spyro. Just like Crash, he was once a beloved character who fell into bargain bin hell for is now trying to get back on track. This is the 2nd game in the reimagined "Legend of Spyro" series and picks up where the first left off. Sierra plans to fix the problems the first game "A New Beginning" had, mostly the monotony with more puzzles and platforming. Spyro is also getting some moves involved with the four elements, each with it's own special breath and melee attacks. Then there's "dragon time", where the world slows down but he still moves fast that can be used to solve some of the puzzles. The first game wasn't exactly the smash hit that has brought him completely back, so hopefully this one can help out.
SWAT: Target Liberty (PSP), October 2007 - The game goes from first-person to third-person in this PSP version of the popular PC series. Before each mission you select two of four officers to go with you into battle as you assign them different commands or follow what you do. All the officers have special skills that you can upgrade with the points earned at the end of every mission. The game features some big name locales of NYC such as Central Park and Grand Central Station. It'll also feature a storyline being written by Scott Rosenbaum of FX's television series The Shield, so it's bound to be good. Add in some multiplayer and this is looking like one great translation from one system to another.
TimeShift (PC, PS3, Xbox 360), October 2007 - Oh boy. This is another one of them "time manipulation" games that at this point either turns out really good (Viewtiful Joe) or really bad (Blinx). This one has you trying to stop a mad scientist altering the course of history, and you're given a suit with a built-in AI that allows you to slow, stop, and reverse time. The demo showed a level where you fight in a war-torn city helping out the insurgents. You'll almost immediately be fighting in large scale battles featuring mechanized walkers and helicopter gunships. Slowing and stopping time can be done anytime, but reversing time can only work during certain moments of the game. The game weapons that were shown were the typical assault rifle, grenade launcher, shotgun variety. The grenades can be a bitch as they can stick on you, but luckily your suit will kick in and reverse time to get it off you. The time is almost for this game to be released, and we'll see if it can do time manipulation right.
Square Enix
Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker (DS), November 6th - The best way to describe this game is to think Dragon Quest crossed with Pokemon. You start the game in jail of all places, but you get released since your dad is the one running it (lucky bastard!) so you can enter a monster-battle tournament. Once your released, you explore the lands to battle and collect mosnters to use in the tournament. Just like Pokemon there's a day to night cycle where certain monsters come out during certain hours. You can have three monsters in your party at anytime, and you can give them individual orders or just use general tactics and let the battle play out itself. Unlike Pokemon however, in order to get monster in battle to join you, you have to impress them enough in battle. A couple other features from Pokemon make their way here as well, from mating monsters in order to create uniquely abilitied monsters and trading your monsters with a friend. Dragon Quest may have such a huge following in America compared to Japan, perhaps the Pokemon-esque style of gameplay will get people noticing.
Front Mission (DS), October 23rd - Even though this series has been around since the SNES days, this is one of the rare North American appearances. Front Mission borrows its missions and storyline from the SNES and Playstation versions. The story is that two militarized factions, the Oceanic Community Union (OCU) and the United Continental States (UCS), are at war over the annexed Huffman island. Both factions will be playable with their own mission sets and story arcs imported from the old games along with 10 additional missions thrown in and new characters from other Front Mission games. So unless you've played the previous Front Mission games, this one is sure to impress the turn-based strategy crowd.
Sony Computer Entertainment
Killzone 2 (PS3) - Two years ago, a Killzone 2 trailer appeared that made it seem like the graphics in battle would be real time, but it was quickly disputed that it was only a glorified cutscene. At E3, Sony tried to prove the doubters wrong with a 15 minute demo of the game. The level starts with your air carrier taking a crash landing and making your way up to the arc tower that's zapping your aircrafts out of the sky. When you're moving and not firing in the game there's no HUD to show your health, and you can regenerate health by standing still. You can hold only two weapons and grenades, and the weapons have an aim function in which you need to look down through the sight of your weapon. Now as for the graphics, based on what was seen in the demo, it's starting to look really awesome. The lighting was top notch, the explosions looked great, and the difference between cutscene and actual gameplay was only very slight. Even though Killzone was a disappointment before, Killzone 2 is shaping up to be a great sequel for the PS3.
Sony Online Entertainment
Pirates of the Burning Sea (PC), Q4 2007 - It's an MMORPG...with pirates! The game takes place in the 18th Century Caribbean, spanning from the eastern coast of Latin America, the southern coast of the United States, the northern coast of South America, and lots of little islands in between. It's pretty freaking huge. You start by choosing your nation (France, England, Spain, or Pirates), then begin your career as a pirate. Each nation has over a thousand missions, of which 80% is said to be capable of doing alone. The game's PvP system has ports that can be captured for a players nation, though first you have to start an uprising. Nations earn unrest points when conquering a port, and once captured, they get handicapped and need to earn more points then other nations in order to retain their port. The number of points need is baesd on how many players are a part of that nation. The gameplay is split into two areas, the land and the sea. The land is where you'll be doing the missions and learning how to fight to earn skills, while the sea is where you'll engage in ship combat and get to board enemy ships. If you think World of Warcraft would be better with pirates, this is the game for you.
2K Games/Take-Two
BioShock (PC, Xbox 360), August 21st - 2K Games' much hyped horror-slash-sci-fi-slash-first-person-shooter game is about to be released soon. At E3 there was a demo giving a quick overview of the game. The level shown as the demo has you restoring life in an underwater forest using the Lazarus Vector and defending the perimeter from enemies. There's plenty of ways to take down enemies, such as setting up proximity mines on the floor then activating when they get close, or putting those mines on a barrel and lunging that barrel right at them. Or you can use an Enrage item that makes an enemy go berserk and destroy everything around them, including his own allies. The environment can also be used as a weapon with your special abilities. Find a pool water your enemies are going through and shock them all to death. You can also toss some buring corpses around and hammer frozen opponents to pieces. But all this is too much for you, you can stick to your typical guns and ammo approach. Yeah, I can see why a lot of people are looking forward to this one.
Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution ("next generation consoles and handhelds"), Q2 2008 - The latest in the legendary Civilization series. The basic gameplay is still the same as you can take many tactics to become the ultimate civilization as it evolves over thousands of years. As your civilization improves, so will your soldiers as they become veteran fighters and can be upgraded with special abilities. You'll also be meeting real world leaders like Cleopatra and Napoleon who offer advice on how to be a great leader.
THQ
Destroy All Humans: Path to the Furon (Xbox 360, PS3), Q1 2008 - You'd think after being on Earth for 20 years, Crypto would've actually destroyed all the humans by now. This one takes place in the 70's, where Crypto and Pox have decided to open up a casino in Las Vegas to relax from all the human killing, only to have it destroyed by some mysterious Furon who wants him dead. Now Crypto is out to get to guy. The demo showed some of Crypto's new powers to an upgraded degree. One of the new powers is a Venus Human Trap that will suck in humans and spit out DNA rewards. Another new power is the Temporal Fist, which freezes time while Crypto can move about and line up objects to be thrown around. Crypto's saucer is getting an upgrade as well, both in power and looks. When firing a laser beam at buildings, the desturction effects will be much better and inhabitants will be running out of there making them easy targets for your tractor beam. Next year we'll see if he'll actually be destroying all the humans this time.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky (PC), Q1 2008 - This one is a prequel to the last Stalker game, taking place one year before the original. You play as a mercanary who can work for any of the factions of stalkers. By allying with a specific faction, you can help that group complete the game by getting the artifacts for them and killing rival stalkers. Finding artifacts requires using an item that must be held in one hand at all times, so using two-handed weapons will cause you to lose track of where the artifacts are. Even though the game should be out by 2008, no publisher has been announced yet, so don't be surprised if there's a delay sooner or later.
Conan (PS3, Xbox 360), TBA 2008 - This one is based on the infamous fantasy hero created by Robert E. Howard. This one draws some of it's influence from God of War with the violent combat between multiple enemies and the dark medieval tone. Conan has several fighting systems to use, depending on what weapons he has. Weapons from the demo had a sword, two swords at once, and one gigantic blade, all bring a different feel to combat. Along the way players gain expe
