E3 pre-show! Warning: heavy linkage.

Also: my birthday's tomorrow! I'll be a quarter-century old.

Another year, another E3. I know this is starting to sound like one of the first blogs I wrote on this site and that's for a good reason: E3 2011 looks to be the year of sequels, remakes, and ports. I seriously think the games industry is running out of new ideas for new IPs.

The news is fresh from Konami's press conference: HD remakes of the original Metal Gear Solid games, Resident Evil, and Zone of the Enders. Woop-de-doo. Someone might be wondering why I'm so critical of Metal Gear Solid and I can hear the fanboys getting mad right now. Allow me to clarify why I dislike the whole MGS universe: fanboys. Because of the outrageous nature that some fanboys go through, it makes me want to have nothing to do with any of it. From what I've gathered, the MGS universe is a convoluted story centered around Solid Snake... no wait Big Boss... no wait Old Snake... Raiden?! It can't make up its mind who it wants to follow and if its not one specific character the fanboys go nuts and reject the game at first, then suddenly its Game of the Year material. Fanboys are raving lunatics.

Dedicated? No, I just call it freakin' weird.

However I will give Konami a little bit of kudos for announcing the next Contra, but not a lot for not revealing it. For all we know it could be an FPS Contra that old-school fanboys will get mad about. I'm starting to sense a pattern here....

Along with all of this, Konami is developing a multi-platform engine called the Fox Engine. Really? Fox? As in Kojima's company's moniker? I've had enough. Moving on.

Hot on the trails of the "exciting" Konami news is from the Sony camp. Yes they still exist despite recent circumstances. Not only are they getting the MGS remakes, but they're porting all of the digital download PSP releases, those that were on the PSN, to the NGP, or PSVita as some people are claiming. On top of that, they'll be bringing some new games to their Android-powered device, the Xperia Play. While the BFBC2 sounds good to me, I'm going to stick around and see what the NGP (or PSVita) has to offer. Plus I just bought an Android phone, I'm broke right now.

The NGP will also be getting an Uncharted sequel this year. And I know a lot of people are complaining about the motion controls with the NGP and all I hear is whining about using the back touchpad to climb up a rope. Get over it. Its a new way to play a game and it could be one of your favorites. STOP being so critical over something you haven't even played yet!

A little story happening with Microsoft is that CD Projekt is bringing The Witcher 2 to Xbox 360. So what does this little morsel have to do with all of this? Its a port. Enough said. Moving on.

THQ is headed back to the octagon for UFC Undisputed 3.

Another.

Sequel.

I'm just going to run down the list of sequel games that are being shown off this year:

Batman Arkham City

Saints Row: The Third

The Darkness II

Darksiders II

Serious Sam 3: BFE

Call of Juarez: The Cartel

Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm (while not exactly a sequel, it is still a continuation of the StarCraft universe)

Silent Hill: Book of Memories

Mass Effect 3 (with rumored Kinect support)

Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition (even though they said they wouldn't do any more releases of SFIV)

Rayman Origins

Twisted Metal (reboot)

Gears of War 3

Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (its a sequel)

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (ITS JUST A REMAKE, and some of you will pay $50 for a game you've bought 3 or 4 times before. SAME GAME.)
Tomb Raider (reboot)

Prey 2

Halo: Combat Evolved HD remake (very possible

Forza 4

Starhawk

Duke Nukem Forever

Madden 12 (you saw that one coming)

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Driver: San Francisco

Splinter Cell 3DS (rumored)
Guild Wars 2
Ninja Gaiden 3
Red Faction: Armageddon
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3
Battlefield 3
Carmageddon: Reincarnation
Resistance 3
Sniper: Ghost Warrior (PS3 port)
FEAR 3Alice: Madness Returns
Metro: Last Light
FIFA 12
Worms Ultimate Mayhem (rated in Australia)
Trackmania 2
Dragon Age 3
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Tales of Xillia (Tales of... series)
Diablo 3
Final Fantasy V
Might & Magic Heroes 6
Professor Layton
WWE 12
Blizzard DotA

And I'm sure there are a couple of games I missed.

Meanwhile there are three games I'm reluctant to call sequels: Sonic Generations, Age of Empires Online, and Aliens Colonial Marines. While the first two are new games in their respective franchises, I expect them to be more of the same-old same-old that we've played in the past. Aliens:CM has been in and out of development for a long while. I'm not entirely sure if its a sequel to the lackluster Aliens vs Predator game or not.

So, that's the sequels. Let's see how many original IPs are showing up in the next year:

From Dust
Heroes of Ruin
Dead Island
Rage
Bodycount
*Hawken (still in development, they need to find a publisher)

Yep. After 30 mins of searching you can count on one hand the big name IPs that you can expect to see soon. I know there are a few more but, like I said, after 30 minutes I gave up searching.

Seriously. People complain about their being no new IPs for games but they'll buy sequels and remakes left and right.
Its your own faults.
Some of the sequels I'm looking forward to, yes, but its the remakes and the thought that there are very little new ideas being made that disappoints me. I'm sure each of those games will do something their predecessor(s) never did but at their cores, they'll be the same.

Keep Playing.

E3, Microsoft and YOU

On Monday morning, the level of stupidity on the internet rose to epic proportions as scores of mindless fanboys rose up in anger with pitchforks and torches and demanded the death of the heads and developers of Microsoft.
Turning on their once beloved console, these fanboys forgot about the years of entertainment that the Xbox 360 had given them.
Alas, they wanted more. Rather than letting Microsoft broaden the scope of the Xbox 360, these fanboys insisted that they receive more mindless destruction video games, scantily-clad women, short storylines and bad voice acting.

What they seem to forget is that Kinect is aimed towards the casual audience.
I KNOW!
How DARE Microsoft attempt to turn a video game console into a casual machine! They shouldn't make money from it that way! They should keep charging $60 for a game that players will forget in less than a month!

Kinectimals featured a little girl playing with a tiger, and the fanboys demanded blood. What they forgot at that precise moment was that Kinectimals was made for little kids.
They saw Kinect Adventures and proceeded to tear out their own eyes. They also forgot that this game, no matter how unimportant it seemed, was meant for the casual gamers as well. If someone invites their friends over for a movie and says "Let's play some games first," they can all JUMP IN (Xbox 360's motto) and play together.
They saw Kinect Joyride and demanded a human sacrifice. Nevermind the fact that it's a kart racer and that it was already announced to be supported by the Kinect.
The fanboys saw the fitness program and it made them sweat. I guarantee that half of them are actually obese gamers and hate the thought of exercising.

I am one, I know I need to exercise. That's why I'll be buying the Kinect. At least it will separate me from you mindless baboons that demand to see explosions and hear 12-year-olds, frat boys and potheads curse you out for fragging them.
Want to know why gamers get such a bad rep? It's all of you that get in an uproar when you see something you don't like.
"Hardcore" gamers are some of the whiniest child-like people I have ever come across. If something isn't up to their standards, which are very low in this case, they voice their opinions thinking it will change the minds of the developers.

They simply REFUSE to step back and take a look at the potential that the Kinect offers. Most of them have been stuck inside their rooms for so many years that the main social interaction they've received is through a headset and party chat.
What if they could ACTUALLY see what their friends look like for a change? What if gaming could be something more social than a headset?
You fanboys are stuck in a rut and you don't want to come out of it.

Because Bulletstorm, Gears of War 3, Halo Reach, Metal Gear Rising, Assassins Creed: Brotherhood, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, Medal of Honor, Fable 3, Rock Band 3, Dead Rising 2, Red Faction: Armageddon, Portal 2, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, Crysis 2, a new Duke Nukem, Fallout: Vegas, Brink, Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit, Rage, and all these other games aren't enough for you....

You want more and you don't want to give the casual audience any leeway. You don't want Microsoft to try out new technology.

You all make me want to quit gaming.

My Own E3 Impressions

Its been a year since the last E3, and after my debacle of not posting anything but Microsoft, I've gone a little further this year and typed up something that I've posted around on other sites. Unfortunately not any of it is any good. It's quick, short, and opinionated; something you wouldn't expect from me. That's because I'm not going to write up on each game and how the presentation of each went. I don't have that much time and if I did it would take me over a month to do. So remember that what I have written is opinionated, not fleshed out, and if you want to see things for yourself, go to E3Expo.com, scroll down a little, and take a look at the videos, the links are on the right. I encourage you to form your own opinions on each press conference and, if you want to tell me a thing or two, go ahead and leave a comment.

Microsoft: "Hardcore" fanboys are some of whiniest child-like people I know. Microsoft shows off the Kinect and they go crazy, saying they've forgotten the "hardcore" audience.
Here's a question: Why can't someone be "casual hardcore?" As in, they only play casual games because they're not impressed with the 4-hour long shooters with storyline depth as deep as a kiddie pool.
Microsoft has catered to you long enough. It's time they use the Xbox 360 as something more than a platform for angry, foul-mouthed 12 year olds, potheads and frat boys who want to spend 8 hours yelling at someone who fragged them online.

Nintendo: ANOTHER DS...
Zelda, who didn't see that one coming?
Metroid Other M, yeah...
Wii Party replaces Mario Party....
No Vitality Sensor, thank you, Nintendo...
Just Dance 2 *sigh*.....

Sony: REALLY riding the balls of the 3D thing, aren't you? Give me a GAME, not an EXPERIENCE.
But who cares? They've announced a new Twisted Metal and this will be the game that will make me buy a PS3.
(I've only seen the videos for Twisted Metal. The GameTrailers videos go for 20 seconds and then stop, forcing me to reload the page each time. Once Gamespot has the full press conference video I'll give my reactions. Not like you guys care anyway.)

EA: Congratulations on getting your act together and making a REAL Need For Speed game that doesn't involve Tuners and NOS.
I'm also looking forward to Medal of Honor, although I know that people are already calling it a CoD ripoff. *middle finger to them*

Ubisoft: A Michael Jackson game? Really?
Rayman Origins, never played the first.
Assassins Creed with Ezio. Again.
Whatever.

I generally don't like E3 because it brings out the a-holes, by that I mean "Opinions are like a-holes: everyone has one." So many people's opinions on what's good or what's bad means it taints your knowledge of what's being presented unless you've seen the press conference videos for yourself and formed your own opinions. I'm about to leave one game community because the founder of it trashed Microsoft without even presenting the facts, he just blurted out his own opinion and that makes me think less of him. If he had given just the facts rather than outright saying "It's lame!" I would have more respect for him. He's supposed to be reporting what's going on, not giving his own opinion.

AHA! I can tell what some of you are thinking already: "But you just gave your own opinions, you're stoopit!!!11!!111!!eleven"
I'm not reporting on the things, am I?

Keep Playing.