Eric’s top 11 for E3 2011
Hello and welcome to my personal assessment of my favorite eleven games at E3 2011. This isn’t an official Digital Chumps “Best of” list and it doesn’t speak for the rest of the staff that attended E3. It is also not all-inclusive, as I certainly did not get to play or see everything on the show floor (for example, had I been given a proper demo of From Dust, you can bet it...[Read More]
Impressions: Okabu
Tucked in a rather nondescript slot in the middle of Sony’s booth was the usual quintet of PlayStation Network games. PixelJunk SideScroller was a gem I had discovered at Sony’s post-press conference part a few nights earlier while Machinarium was a know darling of the PC community, but what really stuck out was a trio of games I had never heard of. Okabu, Eufloria, and Papo & Yo all boasted ...[Read More]
Impressions: Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
The Uncharted 3 demo shown to the press (and streamed to the world) was quite impressive. Motion seemed to be the concordant theme; lights, waves, and water all seemed to be swaying to and fro as Nathan Drake infiltrated a ship in stormy sea. The tech and the drama were undeniably impressive, it was hard to tell whether your heart was racing from Drake’s constant peril or the whiz-bang FX of Naugh...[Read More]
Impressions: Papo & Yo
Tucked in a rather nondescript slot in the middle of Sony’s booth was the usual quintet of PlayStation Network games. PixelJunk SideScroller was a gem I had discovered at Sony’s post-press conference part a few nights earlier while Machinarium was a know darling of the PC community, but what really stuck out was a trio of games I had never heard of. Okabu, Eufloria, and Papo & Yo all boasted ...[Read More]
Interview: Tekken producer Katsuhiro Harada
Tekken Tag Tournament more or less destroyed my first year of college, so it came as quite a delightful surprise when we discovered a Tekken Tag Tournament 2 prototype arcade cabinet tucked in the back of Namco-Bandai’s space on the E3 show floor. A small privileged crowd from Namco’s fan community had gathered to exploit the machine (which also meant that my feeble appreciation of Yoshimitsu and ...[Read More]
Impressions: BioShock Infinite
By the time I saw BioShock Infinite E3 was already two days old. Everyone on the show floor had their favorite game, but it seemed that everyone on the show floor who had seen the latest from developer Irrational Games had decided that BioShock Infinite, undoubtedly, was their favorite game. I didn’t have an appointment with 2K, but I nevertheless managed to work my way into a closed-doors demonst...[Read More]
Impressions: Hitman: Absolution
“Cinematic” is a buzzword that arrives with a lot of baggage. To some it implies an unobtainable carrot developers have been trying to catch ever since Metal Gear Solid seamlessly blended the film-like experience into its mechanics. Games certainly mean well when attempting to emulate a more successful medium, but more often than not developers don’t possess the direction necessary to integrate na...[Read More]
Impressions: Mass Effect 3
Mass Effect 3’s closed-door session was quite impressive. Composed of three segments, the first was another live rendition of the same Mass Effect 3 content that was featured in EA’s press conference on Monday. The other two segments were exclusive to those who waited in line forever and select members of the media. Lucky for you, we were the latter category. The second segment saw a soldier-class...[Read More]
Impressions: NeverDead
I don’t always rip my own head off, but, when I do, I’m playing NeverDead. NeverDead is crazy. It’s almost as if the developers at Rebellion threw out the social acceptability rulebook and consciously decided to make the Crank of videogames. Oh, sure, there are certain videogame-y elements of NeverDead that might cast it alongside other third person shooters, but its basic premise sets it aside fr...[Read More]
Impressions: Prey 2
I couldn’t say I was expecting much with Prey 2. Human Head Studios’ first effort was earnest in scope but disappointing in execution and a sequel nearly half a decade later was the last thing I expected. Fear and judgments were slightly premature, as Prey 2 is shaping up to be a solid (if not surprising) title. Prey 2’s narrative pieces required a significant leap of faith. US Marshall Killian Sa...[Read More]
Impressions: Sly Cooper – Thieves in Time
Sly 4, more appropriately known as Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, is not a Sucker Punch game. Could have fooled me. Sanzaru (I had to look it up too, they handled Secret Agent Clank and Sly Collection) has taken the reigns and cranked out a nearly indistinguishable successor to Sucker Punch’s Sly Cooper trilogy. Indeed; the look, sound, and feel of the Cooper gang is delightfully intact in Sly...[Read More]