Four members of the GamesFirst! staff ventured into E3; only one returned. Well, OK, we
all did, but its not like we wanted to. E3s an amazing institution, an
enthralling yet weird combination of postmodern Japanese/American video culture and late
capitalistic decadence.
At first glance, it seems like everyones hustling everyone
else at E3; the PR guys ply the media with slick brochures and free drinks while their
minions--hordes of biologically-enhanced booth babes--shower superbly feigned affection
upon middle-aged game store owners. Geeky attendees plead like starving peasants for
corporate-stamped trinkets while the suits, seemingly oblivious to the general mayhem,
strike deals behind closed doors. And the media work the companies for demos, review
products, and the worth-their-weight-in-gold invites to those swingin E3 parties.
Everybody sneaks furtive glances at everyone elses name tag, trying to place them
somewhere in the gaming communitys hierarchy. The food chain has nothing on E3.
All of this
is played out on a glitzy Barnumesque stage that beggars description. Gargantuan company
logos tower over gigantic company iconsthirty-foot Laras, Sweet Tooths, Mechs.
Beneath them MTV-like emcees conduct stage shows consisting mostly of them making
suggestive comments while video nymphs (as played by bored models) pitch baubles into the
crowd. The musics loud, but not loud enough to drown out the hum of commerce, and
the entire scene is illuminated by theatrical lighting and the glow of thousands of
monitors.
Its
important to remember that upon these monitors are displayed PC and console games, the
ostensible reason for the exposition. Because whether you regard E3s crassness as
deplorable or whether you roll in it like a pig in slop (and, as far as I can recall, I
think I did both), its easy to become cynical about the whole glitzy PR and media
steamroller. That is, until you put all the hype aside and just look at the games. And my,
there are a lot of them. My best moments at E3 had nothing to do with hype; they had to
with talking to design crews about their newest games and hanging out with a bunch of
thoughtful and engaging people who were as into games as much as I was.
For example, one of the
most-hyped games at E3 was Westwoods Nox; we really hadnt heard much about it
before E3, but once we got to the Convention Center it was everywhereNox banners,
Nox floor displays, Nox models dressed up like Hecubah, the games beautiful and
immodestly-attired antagonist. It was a little obNoxious. But when I arrived for my
appointment with Westwood, I was shown the game by Michael Booth, the games
designer. Michael started designing the game in his apartment four years ago, and
its clearly a labor of love. As we checked out Nox (and a marvellous game it looks
to be), all the chaos surrounding us just sort of faded away, and we were just two guys
goofing with this really cool game, checking out the graphics, playing a little
multiplayer, discussing the features and other games we liked. There were a lot of moments
like thatsitting around with the Tribes 2 design team talking about our Everquest
characters, chatting with Warren Spector about Steve Jackson and living in Austin in the
early 80s, hacking around on AoE 2 with some kid from Pomona who called himself
Black David. Theres no people like game people.
And theres no way for one person to cover all of E3; in fact, we found out
theres no way for four people to do it. We didnt get to see everything we
wanted, and we got to see some stuff we wish we hadnt. But out of all the PC games I
did see, Id like to award the top ten of them the first annual GamesFirst! Best of
E3 awards. Remember, some of these games are a long way from completion, and might not
fulfill the promise that they now show. And of course this is a highly subjective list,
and it was damned difficult to limit it to only ten games. Well run more in-depth
previews of these games later, but for now these are quick looks at the games Im
most looking forward to, listed in no particular order.
OniWhat
was it with the Lara Croft obsession at E3? She was everywhere, and someone not familiar
with gaming could be forgiven for thinking that she was either the star of the greatest
game ever (not bloody likely, given the last two rather undistinguished Tomb Raiders) or
that they had inadvertently stumbled into a Hooters. The odd truth is that shes
become a sort of cultural icon, like Elvis, and the decline of both their careers has done
little to diminish their popularity. And in her case, its mostly because shes
got really big breasts. Gimme a break. And while youre at it, give me a kick-ass
female action game hero who isnt just eye candy. Well, thats just what Bungie,
best known for Myth and Myth II, might be giving us with Oni, a stylish anime third-person
action/adventure thats equal parts fighting game and shooter. The shooting interface
is quite smoothly handled by a standard keyboard and mouse configurationbut the real
surprise is the ease of play with which one can fight. Standard punch and kick key can be
used in conjunction with move keys to generate spectacular fighting moves, the equivalent
of anything seen in console fighting games. And the game looks damn good, toothe
animations are extremely smooth, with some really cool cut scenes thrown in here and there
to advance the games plot. You play the role of Konoko, an special agent whose quest
to inflitrate a crime syndicate is complicated by the sneaking suspicion that all is not
quite right in her own house. Bungie is working very hard to make this a game that
includes three-dimensional characters who react in varying ways to threats. If Bungie can
carry off this ambitious game, they could have a big hit. It looks action-packed,
beautiful, and smart. Whats not to like?
ShogunThe EA booth at E3 this year was dominated
by sports titlesin fact, the center of their area was taken up with a wrestling
ring, which was in use for, oh, thirty minutes of the three-day exhibition. As a result,
such very cool games as Dungeon Keeper 2 and Shogun were pushed to the periphery of the
exhibit. I dont know how EA came to this decision, but I cant imagine the
relationship between EA Sports and EAs other divisions as much warmer than cordial.
In any case, as an old strategy gamer, this is one I cant wait for. From what I saw
at E3, Shogun might be the game that takes PC strategy gaming to the next level. First, it
has an unbelievably cool theme: the samurai wars of 16th-century Japan. Why
game companies have not seized upon this subject before is beyond me. Shogun also hopes to
be the strategy title to successfully integrate an in-depth strategic game--in which you
make broad political and military moves--with a realistic tactical engine that allows you
to fight out epic battles. Both parts of the game are attentive to detail and
good-looking. The strategic game will take into account economics, marriages, religion,
assassinations, and the intangible but important Japanese concept of honor. The tactical
game allows you to command massive armies on a real-time 3D battlefield, and it looks
fabulous, like a cross between Myth and Kurosawas Ran. EA has been consulting with
Dr. Stephen Turnball, an expert on samurai warfare, and the games AI will employ
tactics derived from Sun Tzu and historical battles. Youll also be able to play the
strategic and tactical games separately as well. If EA can combine the two parts of the
game successfully, this could be a strategy gamers dreama deep strategic game,
an action-packed tactical game, historical, educationaland with samurai.
Deus ExOne of the catch phrases I kept hearing
at E3 this year was "thinking mans"as in "this is a thinking
mans shooter" or "this is a thinking mans space combat game."
Of course, nobodys going to market a title as "a really stupid guys
strategy game," but it was still edifying to hear designers talking about games that
emphasized critical thinking as much as quick trigger fingers. This is particularly nice
to hear in relation to first person action games, which are almost universally known as
shooters. (Except in that paragon of journalistic responsibility, Time Magazine, which
refers to them as "splatter games.") Last year the first-person genre broke out
of its "shoot em all and let God sort em out" mentality with two
great titlesHalf-Life, which had a fine narrative and some interaction with
NPCs--and, I think more importantly, Thiefa game that was about stealth more
than strength, problem-solving more than puzzle-solving. Deus Ex, the latest game from
Warren Spector, will attempt to follow up on the cerebral Thiefs successin
fact, everyone I talked from the design team insisted that the game was not a
"shooter," but rather a "first-person role-playing game." The
games premise is sort of "X-filish"; youre a secret agent who
uncovers a global conspiracy; unfortunately, only a few other outcasts credit your story.
Cracking the conspiracy takes you around the world; and its a very atmospheric
onethe graphics are rendered using a modified Unreal engine, and looked excellent.
But what really impressed me about Deus Ex was its emphasis on dynamic interaction with
NPCsdepending upon how you choose to treat them, theyll respond
differentlyas well as the games non-linear narrative. Youll be forced to
make decisions in the game that will lock you out of certain game paths, but open up
others. Since the game is "winnable" in different ways, this adds to
replayability. But more importantly, it teaches that decisions have certain
consequencesa valuable lesson, and one not likely to be picked up from Quake III. If
this is the future of first-person gaming, count me in. When people think Ion Storm now,
they think John Romero and Daikatana; I predict that in a year theyll be thinking
Warren Spector and Deus Ex.
Planescape - TormentInterplay had a
lot of terrific games in their boothI think it was the most impressive at the show.
It looks like their Star Trek franchise is finally on track, and the follow-ups to Descent
and Descent:Freespace looked like theyll better the originals. But one of their
games that really blew us away was Torment. Its a tribute to Diablo that two years
later no one has really managed to successfully match its combination of isometric
perspective/action role-playing. Torment may be the game that does that. Set in the
Advanced D&D Planescape universe and using a modification of the Bioware engine used to
drive Baldurs Gate, Black Isles Torment is an RPG that allows you to take the
role of an immortal character who awakens in a strange setting with no idea why hes
there and no memory of his past lives. As the game progresses, youll gradually piece
together your memory, mostly through interaction with an engaging and sometimes horrifying
collection of NPCs, including Morte, a smartass disembodied skeleton. The very cool
members of the design team that we spoke withGuido Henkel and Feargus
Urquhart--emphasized the games non-linear plot and replayabilityagain, this
looks to be a "thinking mans" gamewitty, deep, and with a compelling
narrative. But we would be remiss if we did not mention the more visceral pleasures of the
games graphics. The characters are twice the size of those in Baldurs Gate,
and the art is stunningthe team had over a year to work on art as they waited for BG
to ship, and it shows. From the dynamic backgrounds to their superb 2D rendering of 3D
effects (really, the 2D magic effects we saw looked as good as any accelerated ones), the
game is a visual feast. There had not been a lot of buzz before E3 about this game; there
will be.
MessiahYet another Interplay game, this one
developed by Shiny Entertainment, the long-delayed Messiah looks like it might be one of
the years biggest hits. The games premise is intriguingyou take the role
of Bob, a cherubic angel who decides that the earth of the near future is an evil place
that needs some serious cleaning up. Bob thus begins a quest for redemption that will
eventually lead him into a showdown with Satan himself. Whats fascinating about the
game is how Bob does this. Bob, you see, has the ability to possess any living
beingand there are over 50 types of characters in the game. Since each has different
strengths and weaknesses, as well as different psychological makeups, this makes for a
truly diverse gaming experience. You do all this from a third person perspective that
looks spectacular; Messiah was one of the best-looking games at E3. Add to this excellent
AI and 14 sprawling levels, and youve got a game that seems a sure thing.
Theres probably a lot of pressure for Shiny to get this baby out the door, but
lets hope they take their time and get it just right. If they do, itll be well
worth the wait.
Giants: Citizen KabutoBesides
having the best name of any game this year, Giants is also the most difficult to
categorize. Its more a less a 3D real-time strategy game that takes place on planet
consisting of 30 separate islands. You can either single- or multi- play one of three
different races: the Sea Reapers, who have magic and control of the seas on their side;
the Meccaryns, more or less standard military types, whose strengths are weapons and
technology, and of course Kabuto, the giant. It looks great, and even though it appears
the game has a way to go yet, were much taken with it. Plus its got a terrific
trailer.
NoxI
went to my appointment with Westwood expecting to spend a lot of time with C&C 2:
Tiberian Sun (which, by the way, does look really good). Instead I spent almost all of it
with Nox, one of the biggest surprises of the exposition, and along with Interplays
Torment the game that might make gamers forget (at least a bit) about Diablo II. It shares
with Diablo the 3rd person isometric perspective, but is more colorful and
action-oriented. However, the games most striking difference from both Torment and
Diablo II is that it will offer competitive multiplayer gaming, including deathmatch and
capture-the-flag. You can choose from three character typeswizard, warrior, or
conjurerand with over 70 spells and a plenitude of magical weapons and
accoutrements, characters will have plenty of variety. Even though action-packed, the
emphasis in Nox is not so much on hack-and-slash (though you can go that route if you
wish) as it is on coming up with clever spell and trap combinations; a truly elegant
interface ensures that even the most complicated combos are easy to cast. And Noxs
single-player game is no slouch, eitheryoull face the undead forces of Hecubah
over levels that will consist of a combination of fixed and randomly generated maps. The
games innovations include a great true line-of-sight engine, as well as a truly
dynamic and interactive environmentif you cast a blast spell, tables near the area
of effect will move a little; smaller items will move a lot. As I said earlier in the
article, this was one of the most-hyped games at E3; at least for now, it more than lives
up to the hype. Look for a more in-depth review of Nox in these pages very soon.
Rites of War/Panzer General IIIIn
what looks to be a really weak year for wargameseven Talonsoft didnt have
anything that looked like a traditional wargame on displaySSI has a slew of them
coming out. Theyve picked up the Close Combat series, are also publishing Fighting
Steel this year. But the wargames that really had us going are the last game of the Panzer
General II series, the Warhammer 40K-based Rites of War, and the next of the new Panzer
General series, PG III Assault. Were big Games Workshop fans, and SSIs last
Warhammer game, Chaos Gate, was brilliant, so we have high hopes for Rites of War, which
features the until-now neglected Eldar race. The build we saw looked great, from its
colorful oversized units to its terrain, which is modeled after the tabletop terrain in
White Dwarf. Since the game is based upon a story about the outnumbered Eldar defending
their planet against swarms of Tyranids, expect plenty of nail-biting
scenariosincluding one based upon the battle of Thermopylae!. Panzer General III, on
the other hand, returns the series to the historical world, keeping its focus on the
Western Front of World War II, including North Africa. The big change is of course the 3D
graphics, which make an already nice-looking series even nicer-looking, and allow for 3D
rotatable maps. But just as notable are the additions of a new combat system and a
redesigned interface. The first Panzer General is often credited with resurrecting a
moribund wargame market; heres hoping the third in the series can repeat that feat.
Age of Empires IIBruce Shelley, the
mastermind behind AoE and AoE II, showed up briefly at E3 to hand out posters for the new
game. When I picked mine up, I told him that I taught medieval literature, and that I was
really looking forward to the game. To my surprise, he got a little defensive.
"Im not a historian," he said, "this is a game." I knew both of
these things already, but I took his point. AoE is not historically accurate. However, my
lifelong love of history began with historically-based but inaccurate movies and novels,
and if AoE II gets even a few people interested in the Crusades or Joan of Arc, well, Mr.
Shelley will have accomplished more than a lot of history professors ever do. Age of
Empires IIThe Age of Kings looks a lot like its predecessor, but with larger maps,
better enemy AI and pathing, the ability to use formations, and of course medieval
cultures. A new victory option, economic victory, and a deeper trade and resource system
(as well as a choice of technology trees) will also allow players to win through cunning.
From what I saw, the game seems to be based a bit more on siege warfare than the last
games almost C&C-like rush tactics; if AoE can combine historical flavor with
even quasi-historical combat and politics, this could be the high-water mark of real-time
strategy games.
Diablo IIWell, duh. Blizzards Diablo II
booth wins hands-down the "most crowded" display award, with Quake III finishing
second. Well have a preview of it up soon, but for now lets just say three
things; its Blizzard, its four times as large as Diablo, and it should be out
by the end of the year. Prepare to see the national productivity index take a huge dive in
Q1 2000.