Articles
Ray and Jennifer’s
Excellent E3 Adventure
by
Ray Ivey & Jennifer Miller
Non-Adventure Wrap-Up
JEN: Now, the winner
for the pretty factor is Okami from Clover Studios, the makers
of the mind-boggling Viewtiful Joe. It’s
all done with an old-fashioned Japanese art style, reminiscent of
the ink drawings done on rice paper. You play a wolf that uses the
power of art to defeat her foes. I’m itching to get my hands
on that one again.
RAY: This game was breathtakingly
beautiful. One of the most remarkable-looking games I’ve
ever seen. Imagine using calligraphy as a gameplay element!
JEN: Another weird, but
cool entry into the Japanese developed game market is Odama, a
hybrid of RPG, strategy, and pinball. And
it is exactly as it sounds. The developer told us in a seminar that
he got the idea from a childhood trauma of seeing a community center
being knocked down by a wrecking ball. We all agree this has to be
the most creative use of pain that we’ve ever seen.
Heroes of Might and Magic V
RAY:
It’s extremely
good news for all of fans of the long-running Heroes of
Might and Magic high-fantasy turn-based strategy series
that when its long-time developer and publisher, 3DO, went belly-up,
UbiSoft picked up the rights to the series.
They’ve
farmed out the next installment of the series to the Russian studio
Nival
(of Etherlords and Silent Storm fame).
The game
isn’t
slated for release until early 2006, but I was blown away by what
they were able to show me at E3. The entire
game, including the towns, are all now gloriously rendered in 3D.
The gameplay seems to stick pretty close to the classic Heroes formula
of building towns and armies and exploring a lush environment.
In addition, the new game will take place on an entirely new world,
though many of the town and army units will be familiar to players
of the series.
I really
liked the heavier-than-usual RPG elements in the hero characters
in Heroes IV, but I was in
a minority. Evidently when
it comes to the capabilities and characteristics of the heroes, the
new game will use a system that’s a hybrid of Heroes
III and
Heroes IV.
JEN:
Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix has got to be the most welcome
sight at E3. I adore DDR
and dance quite frequently to the tunes
of my PS2. But now I can steal my sister’s Cube and dance out
with Mario, Peach, Toad, and all the other Mario world characters.
I just didn’t want to embarrass myself at E3. I’ll practice
it in the comfort of my own room.
And how
can I forget We Love Katamari! for the PS2! Yes! The gods have
answered! More
Katamari! Easily the most addictive and crack-induced
gaming experience I’ve ever had.
Four Games That Ray Will Be Watching For
Spartan:
Total Warrior.
This arena-style fighting game from Sega looks like lots of stupid
fun.
Kameo: Elements of Power. We thought it had become vaporware after
appearing at one too many E3s, but it turns out this action/adventure
is going to be a kick-ass launch title for the XBox 360!
Phantasy
Star Universe: You can’t ever count Phantasy Star
out, and this new game looks like it might be a winner.
Stubbs the Zombie: You
play as a zombie. You kill people. What else could we possibly want
to
know?
Jen’s Cool
Moments
Meeting my unnamed reviewer/TV
celebrity
Seeing
the kids from G4, cause I’m a junkie like that
Getting to put my My Little Pony on the Katamari Ball (and getting
a free mousepad for my trouble!)
Meeting
Rand Miller of course. That’s a no-brainer.
Seeing
Tim Schaefer playing Psychonauts. I know he’s a personality
of controversy on JA, but it was neat to see him
RAY: (Actually, Ray bravely went up and SPOKE to Tim Schaefer,
who practically pulled a knife on me when he realized where I was
from. Not really. But still.)
JEN: Even cooler to see
Ted Price playing the new Ratchet and then subsequently getting
my assed kicked by him.
Lorne Lanning talking like Abe from Oddworld
RAY: His viewpoints were pretty interesting and informative, as
well.
JEN: Getting to hear
Peter Molyneux, what else needs to be said
Myst 5!!!!
The creepy moment when my mom called to tell me she could see me
on G4 and she described exactly what I was wearing at that moment.
Weird . . . . .
Meeting Ragnar Tornquist
Dinner with the great
people from Her Interactive and talking music with them. You all
are the best!
Seeing
the biggest collective of fanboys one couldn’t see
outside of a Comic Con
$21 hamburgers, no joke.
Getting
to wear the sorting hat from Harry Potter when I toured Warner Bros.
(wasn’t
an E3 activity, but still a cool moment.)
The sleep deprivation and sore feet.
