Microsoft E3 Press Conference

'Games at the forefront of what we do,' was one of the key messages given by Microsoft's Xbox team throughout their hour and half press conference from E3 today and they weren't entirely lying although it was sadly a little underwhelming.  Halo 4, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Fable: The Journey, Forza: Horizon, Tomb Raider, Resident Evil 6 and Gears of War: Judgement all made unsurprising appearances in some form or another during the show and it would be trite to say that they didn't get my gamer blood flowing.

Halo 4 is looking good and polished with an opening of a UNSC science ship crashing on to an unknown planet.  Master Chief turns up to investigate and soon comes across some covenant, using a redesigned battle rifle and assault rifle the chief makes short work of a few of these before they are destroyed by an unknown foe.  We're then introduced to an organic-looking AI enemy, one of whom drops a weapon which Cortana quickly explains is early Forerunner technology.  A few new Forerunner weapons and a new heat-sensitive visor are shown off but again nothing overwhelming.  Call of Duty went through its usual paces of scripted scenes and big explosions.  Some were certainly impressive, especially a building collapse near the end of the scene.  How much do people care about what Call of Duty does in its single player mode though?

The most interesting gaming addition of the show, for me, was the announcement of Splinter Cell: Blacklist.  It looks like the same engine as the very enjoyable Splinter Cell Conviction with Sam Fisher, now firmly back in the fold as the leader of a newly founded unit Fourth Echelon.  With Sam moving quickly through his environment killing on the way, the game looks polished and surprisingly close to ready considering its Spring 2013 release date.  Kinect support is integrated and Sam can distract guards and call in support from home base using voice commands.

Whilst we're on it, Kinect support looks to be highly pressed by Microsoft with the addition of Kinect features for Fifa 13 and Madden.  A slightly puzzled looking NFL legend Joe Montana was dragged out to make a few calls as a quarter-back and Kinect seemed to pick them up nicely and a short video and talk demonstrated Kinect being used to change formations, make substitutions and direct your players in 'Be a Pro' mode.  A quite nice touch was shouting at the referee and the commentary picking up on the anger at a bad decision; I was left wondering if you get booked for swearing though.  Fable Journey looks a little like a fancier Gunstringer, although I do love the universe Lionhead have created.

The biggest 'surprise' of the show was the announcement and demonstration of Xbox SmartGlass.  This had previously been leaked but some of the integration, particularly with games, could be very interesting.  We saw a return to Madden 13 with the use of a Windows 8 tablet being used to select and draw out plays and a return to Halo 4 with the integration of game and tablet by selecting a ship on screen and getting information on the tablet.  With the right developers this could be a brilliant addition to the Xbox but I worry the best uses will be limited to a few creative developers.  Rather brilliantly however is that this will work on existing tablets including iOS and Android devices.

Most disappointingly though were the apparent attempts at copying other games and console ideas.  Tomb Raider and Resident Evil 6 both look like they're trying to capture some of the pace of the Uncharted series with scripted moments through collapsing environments.  New Xbox Live game Wreckateer is a fairly shameless Angry Birds ripoff in 3D (and was described as rad!).  Forza Horizons has too much of Burnout or Need for Speed with more realistic vehicles look for me.  New game from Signal Studios, Ascend New Gods, looks like it has clear pretensions to Shadow of the Collosus.   And even Xbox SmartGlass, whilst quite interesting, is a clear attempt to pick up the Wii U market before the Wii U even comes out.

Asides from a handful of celebrity appearances, the aforementioned Joe Montana, South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone showing South Park RPG and a frankly peculiar 5 minute Usher interlude linked to Dance Central 3 near the end of the presentation, it was a pretty by the numbers press-conference.  The reveal of the previously leaked SmartGlass raises some interesting possibilities and I'm intrigued to see what innovative developers can do with it beyond inventory management and maps.

I'd be intrigued to know what others think so leave your comments in the box below.

This is a man's world!



"Female assassin in the lead role? big fail ! nooo thank you"

"Okay, I'll say it: I think having a female assassin is a bad idea!"

This weekend Games Informer let slip that the Playstation Vita was getting its own Assassin's Creed and, not without controversy would be staring a female assassin, Aveline.  From outright aggression to the attempts at humour with the mention of 'touch screen input', message boards I've looked at have been dotted with negative comments. Now whilst the two quotes I've shown above are in the minority, sadly the fact they exist raises a question about how accepting gamers are.  Female characters have existed in games for a number of years but have always been overtly sexualised creations with big chests, small waists and flawless looks.  Even supposedly 'strong' female leads such as Lara Croft have widely been characters flaunted for their looks whilst they jump, shoot and swing around the environment.  In the soon to be released Lollipop Chainsaw, there exists an Xbox achievement achieved by taking a peek up the lead characters incredibly short skirt.

Women are represented in games.  The much maligned publisher EA has included default female versions of the lead characters in Dragon's Age and Mass Effect (the latter of which raised it's own controversy).  Beyond Good and Evil had the strong female protagonist Jade who doesn't come across as an overly sexualised piece of eye-candy for male gamers.  And of course Metroid's Samus Aran is an almost completely positive role model even if she did appear in an 8-bit bikini at the end of the original Metroid.  Excluding the question mark over whether Lara Croft is a good role-model or not, the negative portrayals far outnumber the positive.  From Dead Or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball (which amazingly got a sequel and a PSP spin-off) to Bayonetta's high-heels wearing 'sexy' clothed witch, women have regularly been little more than sex objects in games.

How different is this from the way men are treated in games though?  In my experience they either lean towards the wise-cracking and handsome (Nathan Drake, Ezio Auditore) or brutish commando (Gears of War).  I don't personally mind these male stereotypes and accept that as most games are in someway attempting to be action movies I am likely to be either Bruce Willis or Arnold Schwarzenegger.  Whether or not I am supposed to relate to an American voiced, hulking super-soldier doesn't seem to be considered.  Do I relate to Marcus Fenix?  Not particularly.  He is just a vessel through which to play an enjoyable and well-crafted game.  Would it matter if the lead was female or out of shape?  I don't believe it would, although I accept that the muscles are vaguely in role for the game.

This doesn't mean that games shouldn't be more representative though.  Like no other medium games project us on to the world that we play in.  The drama that surrounds women, homosexuality and religion when they are represented in games is astounding in a supposedly enlightened 21st Century.  Studies seem to suggest that around 40% of gamers are women and 60% of The Sims 125 million players are female.  I don't believe that female gamers need more female protagonists though but perhaps more games designed with women in mind or even by female developers.

Back to the original idea of Assassin's Creed: Liberation though.  Regardless of the gender of the lead assassin, more high quality reasons to play on my Vita are warmly accepted.  I'm looking forward to spending time in 18th century New Orleans with Aveline and look forward to finding out more about the game at E3.

E3, can't wait to see

I have to be honest and admit that I've wondered whether I enjoy the world around gaming almost as much as I enjoy the playing. I eat up previews, new releases and anticipation of new things. As many gamers do, I await E3 with a keen excitement each year to find out what's coming. Here are my hotly anticipated games this year (everyone else writes one, why not me?).

The Last of Us (Naughty Dog)

Following up Naughty Dog's Uncharted trilogy is a task for a brave set of men but like pioneers embarking on a trip to uncharted territories the California based company look like they might pull it off. What little I know of the game so far can be gleaned from a few short videos although they show a well crafted game world and solid believable characters. Joel looks like the sort of character that I want to spend some time with. He's a brutal killer who has been surviving for a long time in a world that seems set to try to kill you.

It will be interesting to see how Naughty Dog balances the question of which is more brutal, the monsters that roam the world, your fellow humans or your own character and his loss of humanity. Whilst Joel is a brutal survivor, his fellow young survivor, Ellie, might be the heart in the story. I don't expect Joel to have Nathan Drake's wisecracking demeanour but hopefully Ellie can give us something worth fighting for in this desolate world.

Looking like it's one part Uncharted, one part I Am Legend and one part The Road, The Last of Us looks like one to eagerly look forward to. Whilst we're about it though, if Naughty Dog want to announce Uncharted 4 then that would be pretty good too.

Grand Theft Auto V (Rockstar)

Sadly we're currently working on even less with GTA 5 than we are with The Last of Us. Just one video that has been doing the rounds for 6 months and a bucket load of, 'What we want from GTA V' pieces on websites. After the hours I put in to GTA IV and its expansion DLCs, how could I not wait expectantly for this.

Hopefully this keeps the more serious and realistic tone of the previous game but it looks like having a pinch of humour and in game jokes with the glimpse of a tired and drunk Niko Belic-alike. I can't wait to find out a little more at E3 and hopefully, with a rumoured release before the end of the 2012/13 financial year then now is the time for Rockstar to stop hiding the goods.

The Last Guardian (Team Ico)

Sure, this may not be at E3. In fact, it may not even exist anymore. It has been a long time since this game was first seen (E3 2009 for those that are counting) but how could this story of a boy and his massive bird, dog, cat creature not be near the top of everyone's most anticipated list? Rather upsettingly for a gamer with the commitment I have, I only played Shadow of the Colossus and Ico when they were re-released on PS3. However I found both to be remarkable games. Fumito Ueda is a designer who tells stories written very specifically for games. Unlike many other designers he doesn't appear to be a frustrated film director but understands the medium he works in. With open-ended and interesting tales to be told Team Ico's next game could well be a classic; should it ever appear.

On that note Sony recently stated that progress was slowly continuing and that Ueda worked on the game on a daily basis. This is from a team that assured us in February of 2011 that it would release during that calendar year though. When it comes, will it be worth the wait? After playing earlier Team Ico games, I sure hope so and in the mean time bring on the Colossi... again.

A Journey to be savoured

I can't hep but liken Journey to a story of a life. From the tentative ambling hops of your beginning, to the confident, swooping strides of adult life, to meeting a stranger to spend your time with, to your slow shambling loss of this physical freedom as you reach the end of your tale.  A little deep for a game that involves flying around a desert and making beeping noises but the best metaphor for this wordless masterpiece.

As I'm sure anyone who is reading this is already aware you begin in a nondescript desert with a shining mountain top in the distance.  The hand-holding so apparent in many modern games doesn't exist here and you're more or less left to decide where to go from there.  A few button presses and you're taking your first small hops and glides around the landscape and sliding down the odd dune.  Like a newborn fawn, you're beginning to find your feet and begin your journey in the only direction that seems to have a point (literally and figuratively).

Before long you've collected a few of the glowing symbols the dot the landscape and your flights and glides have increased.  It's enjoyable to soar around the landscape and all would be lovely as a single player experience.

What sets Journey apart however is the subtle yet affecting multiplayer.  The first fellow wanderer I came across filled me with a feeling of desire to share this desolate, lonely world with someone.  And whilst I adventured through Journey I met around 10 or so other souls to share my journey with.  Whilst I was with them the world became a slightly better place and after the brief but effective story sections, I found myself seeking out my nameless fellow wanderer in the new section of the game.  I was also reluctant to turn off the game whilst I was with someone and at times had to drag myself away from a playthrough so as not to just plough through the game in one sitting.

Multiplayer gaming is in quite a state if you ask me. I'll write in more detail about why I think this some time soon but the Journey  gets multiplayer, amongst many other things, right.

Some won't get it, will miss the point entirely and I can only imagine in years to come people will be amazed as this nears the top of best game ever lists.  The premise is simple.  The input minimal.  But the Journey is an experience not to be missed. 

Aliens: Colonial Marines - Multiplayer impressions.

This weekend I attended London's MCM Expo and was lucky enough to get an all too brief hands-on with Aliens: Colonial Marines multiplayer component.  The game I got to play is the 360 version, currently running on PC and firstly it looks great.

I began by watching a team of Gearbox playtesters taking on a group of Colonial Marines in 6v6 combat.  The xenomorphs move quickly and gracefully around the scenery, based on the Hadley's Hope colony from the Aliens movie.  The stage is suitably dark and scary, although the Alien moves without fear.  The xenomorph I saw was quick and versatile and leapt from surface to surface with a deadly ease.  This is made easier for the player through the use of a 3rd person camera.  The marines you are seeking are outlined in yellow through walls and scenery for the alien to quickly close in on.  And when they did... well, things got bad quickly for any marines nearby.  I watched the xeno go through a number of special kills including walking up behind an unwitting marine and lifting him from his feet before its 'inner mouth' was used for the kill and using its tail to impale and lift the marine.  The coolest death sequence however was a xenomorph dropping from the ceiling above a marine and landing on top of him, killing him quickly.  These quick kills lead to a small death sequence.  In terms of gameplay though, it's important to remember that these instant kills did lead to a short time that the alien is caught in a kill sequence and is vulnerable to the guns of any marines nearby.  The player I watched spent much of his fight using his vision to see through walls and pick off any marines that strayed too far from the pack.

The feeling whilst watching the Alien was that they were something of solo, cannon-fodder killers and staying alive individually wasn't the most important aspect.  This didn't feel true whilst playing as a marine and the fear that flicked through you as you caught a sight of one of your hunters was very affecting even in the middle of a packed exhibition centre.

When my playtest began I was first given the option to choose a class from three that were unlocked.  They largely appeared to be differentiated by their primary weapon including the M4A1 pulse rifle.  The other two classes I got to play with used a shot-gun and another sub-machine gun that fired in short three round bursts.  The controls are much as you would expect if you've played any first-person shooter and I had no problem coming to terms with them.  Whilst with the pulse rifle, the underbarrel grenade launcher is mapped to the right shoulder button, the standard Aliens motion sensor (a brilliant piece of movie design) is mapped to the left shoulder button, a simple (and mildly ineffective) rifle butt hit is mapped to a press of the right-stick and a flashlight to the d-pad.  When using the motion sensor, your weapon is locked out but available quickly with a squeeze of the right trigger. 

My marine team was a fairly disparate bunch and we began in various corners of the map.  I was quickly killed by an alien whilst finding my feet but the fun began as our team came together slightly.  The game was quick and brutal and I believe I acquitted myself well, coming top for our group of marines, in spite of my team losing the team deathmatch overall.  Grenades proved an effective way of picking off troublesome aliens although aren't enough to unbalance the game against the speed and brutality of the alien horde.  I was once killed after suffering acid burns from being too close to an alien as he was killed.  The screen became mildly distorted whilst I died a painful death.  I'm not sure if there is a way to avoid death once covered in acid and simply had to watch and wait whilst I died.  Each time I managed a kill or an assist, a message flashed up giving me a points reward in dollars.  When I accidentally grenade killed my own squad, I was given a deduction in dollars.  I imagine these dollars are used to customise guns, perks and armour as in many other similar FPSs. 

One final addition is the availability of team based rewards (perks).  I got to see the Crusher alien, an enormous bull like creature that can charge in and break up a team of well drilled marines.  This alien type could kill fairly instantly on a good charge although if it misses is very vulnerable to a string of attacks whilst it completes its charge.  I also saw the marine automated sentry turret that seems to be based on the weapon seen in the Aliens Directors Cut tunnel scene.  This turret can sit and fire at any xeno it sees doing an effective job of covering a flank.  I expect there to be a slew of other perks when the game launches.

I can only imagine the version I played was the game in a relatively early state but it is already very playable and polished.  With nearly a year to go to launch I can truly expect big things for this game although it enters a market crowded by similar shooters.  With  a great franchise, Gearbox's skill and a touch of luck,  perhaps this can have something that sets it apart from the identikit shooters out there.  I was a big fan of the Brother's in Arms series and trust that the things that made that great can be carried through to Aliens: Colonial Marines.

Any questions, comments or feedback is greatly appreciated below.  I'll be posting more phots of the great cosplay from MCM Expo in the next few days and a first impressions of the upcoming Lollipop Chainsaw.

Day of Reckoning

The sad collapse of Kingdom's of Amalur developer 38 studios this week made me think about the incredible short-sightedness and immaturity of games developers.  The movie industry seemed to realise a long time ago that there was a limit to the number of films in any particular genre that people could watch.  Studios seem to work together to ensure that big movies stay well out of each other's way and a movie costs around ten pound to go and see and lasts two hours.  Games cost around £40 new and, in the case of many RPGs, can take long over 50 hours to complete.

Sadly Kingdom's of Amalur: Reckoning released a few months after the behemoth that is Skyrim and a few weeks before another RPG beast, Mass Effect 3.  Now I have to admit to not having played Kingdom's of Amalur and understand from its reviews that it isn't that similar to Skyrim but it surely suffers from seeming similar and releasing in the wake of such an enormous RPG.  If RPG fans were ready to dive in to another expansive world I imagine most would, as I did, wait for Mass Effect 3. 

Now, I understand the difficulty of releasing a new IP at any time but how can games companies continually get it so wrong.  We wait through a bigger drought than has hit the south of England in June, July and August.  Suddenly in September the games start coming thick and fast.  We're expecting the likes of Halo 4, COD Black Ops 2, Assassin's Creed 3, Medal of Honour: Warfighter, Resident Evil 6, Far Cry 3, Hitman: Absolution to name but a few of the big name, big number sequels.  How many perfectly good games, and more sadly perfectly good games companies, are going to get lost by trying to go up against these hugely succesful franchises.

Until game companies start to think more sensibly about the way games are released then I worry that we are going to continue to see losses like this.  People don't have the resources and time to play through games as quickly as they can watch a movie.  There is a limited amount of time to play big AAA titles and new IPs need to be releasing under a different model to the big outlay games.  Whether it's episodal content, cheaper pricing or subsidising pricing through advertising something needs to be done to get companies thinking more professionally about the business they are in and stop the sad loss to people's livelihoods and futures.

No need to cry.

Quanitc Dream's David Cage said this week that we didn't need a new generation of consoles yet and set an ambitious 2017 date on the requirement of 'the next gen'.  Anyone who saw Kara, the remarkable video from the studio, will certainly agree that Cage is doing something that many don't.  However, is he correct that the current generation of consoles is too tilted towards violence and RPGs and that we don't need a new generation of consoles for another five years?

Firstly, are we oversupplied with violence?  To get an idea of this I took a look at the top selling games on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.  Thirteen of the top fifteen 360 games could be construed as violent or RPGs and eleven of the top fifteen PS3 games fit in to to the same category.  This certainly does seem to back-up the idea that we are perhaps oversupplied with these games but is Cage taking too simplistic a view on things.  Perhaps the games being made are there because they sell.  Hardcore gamers complain about the likes of Call of Duty and its identikit clones but perhaps that is because we, the gamer, continue to buy them.  Quantic Dream's own Heavy Rain sold well at around 2 million copies (as of GDC 2011) but this doesn't begin to touch COD MW3's 6.5 million day one sales in the UK and US or MW2's 18 to 20 million total sales.  Perhaps game designers aren't lacking imagination as Cage said, perhaps they are simply caught by the unavoidable fact that our hobby is many people's business.

On the second suggestion of no new consoles until 2017, I'm torn.  The most interesting games I have played in the last few months have not needed more polygons or better hardware.  To The Moon, Journey or Lone Survivor have all been interesting, quirky, different and thrilling in their own ways.  The industry is full of people and teams pushing boundaries and finding new and exciting way to use the hardware they are given.  I believe that David Cage and his team are capable of doing remarkable things with the current generation of hardware and I can't say I'm too ready for more.  After seeing the Wii U and it's difficult to comprehend tablet controller, I worry that one day we will pine after this generation of controller based gaming.  Without some brave souls I worry the ever increasing expense of console manufacture and game design will drive developers to need to appeal to the chattering masses.

What do you think?  Do you want more David Cage and something from Kara or are you happy to see more COD and it's itterative sequels?  Do we need a new console generation or are those wanting it setting us up for an incremental decline to casual gaming?

And here is that video... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-pF56-ZYkY