Zilla Man's Post 2006 E3 Thread

[Zilla Man]

Guys, I just got back from the show and am exhausted! :cryin: But I've got a lot of stuff/info for ALL of you and will post it later after I've recovered.

Oh yeah, I did get to try the Wii -- after waiting 4 1/2 hours!!mad2:

I'll post the details later. Until then, enjoy these pics:

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[Zilla Man]

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[Jupiter_x]

Nice Pics, but more would be nice....am I pushing my luck?

4 1/2 hours? Damn...thats worse than waiting for the hottest new ride at 6 flags!

[Zilla Man]

Hi, guys.I'm still recovering from the show. But I thought I'd post the answers to some of your questions. BTW, this is by no means all of the stuff I dug up for you. I've got a LOT more games/tidbits to write about. I just thought I'd start with these:

.
1. Is Visual Concepts still doing the NFL legends football game or any football game.

2.The real difference between Playable PS3 games and X360 games

3.Next gen version of Criterion's Black.


1. I couldn't find anyone from Visual Concepts but I talked to a few of the 2K guys. They told me they heard it was still being worked on but that it hadn't "officially" been given the go ahead as a project yet. It sounds like it's still in the planning stages. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

2. I'm going to cover this in nother thread. I think you'll be surprised. I have one clue for you though: "physics".

3. No Next Gen Black has been announced from Criterion. The EA rep told me that that doesn't mean that it couldn't happen though. Criterion is working on a new IP as well as Burnout.

Yo Zilla, what's the word on Stalker? Is it even still alive?

Also how is Heroes of Might and Magic 5? I believe it's due out next month (but I am already downloading it as we speak).

Also how is:
Spore
Prey
Hellgate London

And of course, as GameLegend said, one of my primary interests is the RevMote. Is it any good? Worth its balls?

And: confirmation on whether the PS3 can use Mouse for FPS input


Hey, Moch,:

Yes, Stalker is very much alive! :) I'd actually forgotten the name of the game but described what I'd seen 2 years before. The THQ reps were very friendly and actially introduced me to 3 of the programmers/artists that are working on it. They were very flattered that people still remember the game and are looking forward to it. The reason they're not showing it is because they want to make sure it's ready or at least close to finished. We can expect a late 2006 or early 2007 release. I'm thinking it'll probably come out by next E3. Platforms: the PC and "any console that's powerful enough to can handle our engine." And yes, they've got PS3 dev kits.

Somehow I missed Heroes of Might and Magic 5. Sorry.

Spore: Right now it's just slated for a PC release. But c'mon it's a Will Wright game from EA! I'm predicting that next E3 will have the console versions announcement. Until then you'll just have to be happy with the Sims Pets expansion pack...

Prey: I played it at the MS booth. Unfortunately, all they had running was the Deathmatches - no single player modes. The graphics and backgrounds were great. Your weapons are creepy and biomechanical. But the Single Player game will be what sells me. Otherwise it just looked like an exotic Quake mod.

Hellgate London: I saw a demo but couldn't get close enough to tell what was going on. The one on the big screen looked good though. I think my friend played it so I'll ask him his impressions.

Damn! Forgot to ask about the KB/Mouse for games for you and Mandark! I'll see if I can find out from my Sony contact...

I'd like to know about anything Team Ninja is doing outside of DOAX2.

Updates and possibly pics on DMC4.

Anything on the next Silent Hill game.

Thanks!


Sorry, no Itagaki-san sightings this year. The only thing TECMO was pimping was DOAX2. The rep at the booth remembered me from last year and told me that yes, there will probably be a Ninja Gaiden sequel but that it wouldn't necessarily be on the same platform as it's predecessor. Apparently Team Ninja has PS3 dev kits so it's safe to say that they'll probably be doing something for the console. Whatever Team Ninja is working on next, I expect we'll get an anouncement at next year's show.

There was nothing on DMC4 or RE5 - not even the videos from last year. The only thing they could tell me is that it's almost a certainty that DMC4 will be PS3 exclusive.

There's a Silent Hill prequel for the PSP but all the video showed was a series of settings from the game. I was told that the've started working on another SH game for the PS3 but it's not "official" as to whether they'll finish it (depends on if they're happy with the story or not). No word on cross platform port.

Rogue Bounty Hunter: Your questions were actually the ones that I got the most info on so I'll give them their own post.

And, no Gaddy & Trebor, I haven't forgotten about the Wii, DS and other games. More on those later.

If you guys have any questions about my answers, please feel free to post them.

BTW, I did get to talk to Robert Altman, the head of Bethesda, again this year (unfortunately his wife, Wonder Woman, wasn't present). He said he was glad people enjoyed Oblivion. So of course I asked him about FALLOUT 3 -- was 1st or 3rd person, etc? He said that if he told me that, then he'd have to kill me, and I wouldn't be able to see the demo at next year's E3 if I was dead. Fair enough. He did say to pass this to my fellow gamers though:

"If you thought Oblivion was great, prepare to be blown away."

When I asked what platforms besides the PC, an OBLIVION programmer said that he expects FALLOUT 3 to play smoother than Oblivion on one platform -- because they know that everyone who owns it already has a Hard Drive built in. At least that's the port what the producers want to start with. Stay tuned.

Zilla out...

[Zilla Man]

Nice Pics, but more would be nice....am I pushing my luck?

4 1/2 hours? Damn...thats worse than waiting for the hottest new ride at 6 flags!

Hi, Jupiter:

Sure I'll post more pics. I'll probably do it in a separate thread though. That way people can just go there to see them.

[Mochan]

Thanks Zilla.

Nevermind HOMM5, I'm already playing it (and loving it)> Stalker, I begin to wonder if I'll ever get to play this game. =_= Hellgate London BTW is a kind of Diablo FPS game (but different in implementation than, say, Dungeon Lords). I am hoping it turns out okay.

I'll wait for whatever word you have on PS3 KB/Mouse support.

And YEAH I totally forgot to ask about Fallout 3. Anyway I hope Fallout 3 blows Oblivion to smithereens, Fallout is still the best PC RPG franchise in my opinion!

[thug]

Zilla, hope you recover fast. I thought a lot of the game site's coverage of E3 blew a$$, so I'm eagerly awaiting your unbiased/objective opinions on everything you saw and heard. Things I'm most interested in hearing are (1) anything Wii (what games did you get hands-on?) (2) your general impression of what everyone at the show thought of the PS3, its price, and how it compares to the 360.

Usually I tell people to stay away from drugs, but if that's what it takes for you to get writing then so be it. THANK YOU for the annual report...it's always excellent.

[trebor]

Spore: Right now it's just slated for a PC release. But c'mon it's a Will Wright game from EA! I'm predicting that next E3 will have the console versions announcement.

I heard that it was coming to basically every platform, including the DS and PSP. I hope it does too, because that game looks about the coolest thing I've ever seen - and funniest. I can't wait to play it somewhere... somehow.


And, no Gaddy & Trebor, I haven't forgotten about the Wii, DS and other games. More on those later.

No probs. Take your time.

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

Rogue Bounty Hunter: Your questions were actually the ones that I got the most info on so I'll give them their own post.

Cool, thanks. I'll be patiently awaiting the post.

[Gadfly2317]

I heard that it was coming to basically every platform, including the DS and PSP. I hope it does too, because that game looks about the coolest thing I've ever seen - and funniest. I can't wait to play it somewhere... somehow.

No probs. Take your time.


It looks to me like the PC will really be the way to go. A dumbed down DS version has a certain appeal--the universe in your pocket--but this game is so freaking vast I'll have to play it on PC. As the fall gaming season approaches, I'm thinking Wii, and Spore on PC and keep on eye on Sony and MS duking it out and price dropping and so forth. Spore looks like it could munch a vast chunk of a gamers life.

This developers conference vid is long (35 minutes) but it's the best view I've seen of the game from organism to space-level. The developer is describing the game as it goes along:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8372603330420559198&q=spore

[Jupiter_x]

Zilla, hope you recover fast. I thought a lot of the game site's coverage of E3 blew a$$, so I'm eagerly awaiting your unbiased/objective opinions on everything you saw and heard. Things I'm most interested in hearing are (1) anything Wii (what games did you get hands-on?) (2) your general impression of what everyone at the show thought of the PS3, its price, and how it compares to the 360.

Usually I tell people to stay away from drugs, but if that's what it takes for you to get writing then so be it. THANK YOU for the annual report...it's always excellent.


Agreed!

[GameLegend]

Rest up, the moment u start answering a bunch of questions i bet a flurry of questions will spring out.

[Gadfly2317]

OK. Enough rest Zilla. We're dying to hear your hands-on experiences and impressions!

[Zilla Man]

:cryin: OK. Enough rest Zilla. We're dying to hear your hands-on experiences and impressions!

I know! :) And this is the most important E3 ever. I have a lot more notes/demos to sort through. More than ever, I'm going to need you guys to ask questions after you read my impressions. That way the whole board can learn more.

I apologize for the delay. Work's been tough this week :mad: and I had a close relative pass away right before the show. :( So I've been a bit overwhelmed lately.

But have no fear. I'll be posting info up this weekend. And don't worry; you're not being pushy at all. In fact, all your posts have been one of the few bright spots this last week and a half. :)

Thanks for being so patient, guys.

PS - Loved your website, Gaddy. I'll PM you later on.

[Gadfly2317]

Zilla, did you happen to see the 360 game "Overlord"? It wasn't announced prior to E3 I don't think. From what I can tell, it looks like a wonderfully sick and evil take on Pikmin.

[Zilla Man]

Zilla, did you happen to see the 360 game "Overlord"? It wasn't announced prior to E3 I don't think. From what I can tell, it looks like a wonderfully sick and evil take on Pikmin.

Sorry, didn't see Overlord.

[Zilla Man]

Okay, Rogue Bounty Hunter here you go:

Too Human - Silicon Knights

I played about 15 minutes of this in the MS booth. I'm a big fan of Silicon Knights and I have to say that I was disappointed. It's a shooter that alternates between 3rd person and isometric views where you control a guy that looks like your average Quake/Gears of War/Unreal 2007 clone. You basically run into a cavern, shoot bad guys (bio-mech aliens), roll/dodge their fire. When you're done it's on to the next one -- wash, rinse, and repeat. The graphics were decent, nothing special. And the framerate stuttered badly. I'm assuming that this was because it's a work in progress. One of the designers was kind enough to answer my questions about later levels and such. Again, I wasn't impressed from what I heard. I'm not saying this will be a bad game; just that the screenshots l saw were more exciting than the finished result (so far). The whole experience had a "been there, done that" feeling.

Mercenaries 2 (Pandemic) and Mass Effect (Bioware)

I'm not sure if you guys know this but the studios of Bioware (KOTOR, Jade Empire) and Pandemic (SW: Battlefront, Mercenaries, Destroy all Humans) have recently ben acquired by one company (even though each studio will remain a separate entity). Their booth was only open to the press but I got in anyway (long story).

Mercenaries 2: World in Flames:

I had watched my friend play the first one and was very impressed but wanted to wait for a price drop before picking it up. So I'm pretty familar with the game and it's content.

About six of us were led back into a small dark room where the game's producer (who worked on the first one) led us through a demo. The game was running on a PS3 dev kit (more on that later) because it's going to be a PS3 exclusive.

The game started out with the blonde Aussie guy from the first game standing a a cliff in what appeared to be Mexico/South America receiving a call from the woman from the 1st game regarding a retrieval on an oil rig. The producer then selected binoculars from his inventory. You could see the rig and people working on it even though it was a mile off shore. He panned it around to show us everything from birds in the sky to traffic on the vilage roads in far away mountains. Next we hopped into a jeep and were winding our way through the village we'd seen in the binocs. He demoed the interactivity of the NPC's by shooting at a wall where 3 of them were standing. The reaction was immediate and hilarous. One ducked for cover behind a mailbox, the other fell to his knees and prayed in spanish. The third ran off. Unlike GTA, when someone shoots in this game, everyone reacts.

Then we were out to see how the game got it's sur name. Our character spotted some rival faction doing a robbery across the road. An oil tanker was parked nearby. A few shots in their direction got their attention. Two of them ran towards us, guns blazing. And here's where the real fun begins: The producer shot a couple of holes in the tanker and oil ran across the road towards us. He then shot a rocket launcher straight into the tanker. WHABOOM! Okay, so it blew up, so what. Well, it was what the fire did that made the difference. Not only were the rival jeeps blown into the air and incinerated, but flames came racing down the leaking oil trails towards ours. Our character moved it but here comes the kicker: remember those two rivals that were running towards us? One got totally blown into the air, immoliated by the explosion. The other was far enough away that he caught fire and then ran off screaming. When the tanker blew up, chunks of flaming debris came raining down igniting trees and the like. I'd never seen anything like it. To prove that it wasn't scripted he "reset" the game to that scene and let one of the reporters try it. The guy approached the tanker from a different angle, shot holes in the back of it and the results were totally different but still incredible. Their flame program or "fire engine" as the staff likes to call it, is just one part of the way their attempt to make the world completely interactive.

But wait...there's more! Our character met up with the female one and then one of the programmers pulled out a controller. That's right - Mercenaries 2 supports co op play! So the woman calls for an air drop and a chopper shows up. She climbs up the rope/ladder and then proceeds to "evict" the pilot from his seat. When she opened the door and threw the guy out screaming I thought that was the end of it. But as she starts to close the door, the guy climbs up and pulls her out! A struggle on the ladder ensues -- he loses. She lowers the chopper and our guy climbs onto the ladder. She flies him out over the ocean towards the rig but heavy ordinance makes it impossible to get too close so he dives into the ocean. This opens up one of the most realistic underwater effects I've ever seen. Then the demo ended and they fielded questions. Surprisingly, I was the only one asking them.

How far along is the game?

About 40%

It's a PS3 exclusive? I'd read that this was for Xbox 360 as well?

"Nope, only for the PS3."

How hard is it programming for the PS3?

"The first kit was tough but not as hard as we expected. Once we got the second one we really went to town. The CELL multiprocessors make it easier to assign physics and behavioral codes to a myriad of objects without taxing the main CPU. I think most of the complaints come from programmers used to doing things with the one type of archiecture that has been around for the last two generations. Then along comes Sony with this multi-level thing and people aren't sure what to make of it. You really can't blame them. The same thing happened when we made the jump from the Genesis/SNES side scrollers to PSX 3D- you just didn't hear about it. Sony's actually been better with the middleware this time around."

Release date and publisher?

"Might be a launch title or early 2007. We've had a lot of offers but haven't chosen a publisher yet. We'd like to get a bit more of the game done." {Probably so they can get more $$$ from a publishing deal - Zilla}

Mass Effect - (Bioware)

We came in on the middle of this demo but I think I got the gist of it. A race of machines is exterminating humanity throughout the galaxy. Your job as a human is to explore the galaxy find out why this is happening. The first thing I noticed about this game is that it basically uses a more advanced engine of KOTOR. When you talk to characters you can see their expressions a bit cleaer but it's still the same "choose a line of dialogue" engine from before. Because it moves a bit faster, the producer talked about how this allowed more immersive character interaction but to me it just seemed faster. Not that this is a bad thing. Besides the graphics the other difference is that you actually see/hear your character speaking this time.

Then we were off to the galaxy map which is a cool display of planets and their stats. You can explore any planet make contact with (or destroy) life forms on inhabited ones or just mine/explore the uninhabited ones. A six wheeled, armoured all terrain vehicle appears on the planet you select and you can maneuver it around the terrain. All this was giving me a strange sense of deja vu...

Then it was onto some exploration of ancient ruins with your squad (two people). Ours consisted of a human woman and a reptilian species. A fire ight broke out and my teammates showed amazing AI by getting into strategic positions and informative but natural dialogue. I was very impressed with the graphical detail (puddle splashing from laser hits) as well. Also, you get to see your character take out his weapons as he uses them. The combat appeared to be realtime.

Then the demo ended. I told the producer that I was impressed with the game and asked him if he'd ever heard of a game called STARFLIGHT (a space exploration STAR TREK like game from EA on PC/C64/Genesis) from the late 1980's. He laughed and said it was one of his main influences.

So it's basically KOTOR meets STARFLIGHT (minus the space combat) with awesome graphics. This game is the first in a trilogy for the 360.

Bottom line: I think the 360 has a winner here.

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

(about Mercenaries 2: World in Flames)

It's a PS3 exclusive? I'd read that this was for Xbox 360 as well?

"Nope, only for the PS3."

noooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Aw, crap. Just when I thought I would go a couple of years with one console this new gen.....oh, well. I guess I need to take Ken's advice and start saving up, because it will be hard for me not to want to play the sequel to what I consider the "best and most fun" game I've played last-gen.

Did Pandemic say why Mercs 2 would be exclusive? I really thought this one would be multiplatform, since Mercs 1 sold well on both Xbox and PS2.


(about Mass Effect)

The combat appeared to be realtime.

This is true. I did read a Gamespy article talking about the combat, and that you aim and shoot with your character just like any other good 3rd person shooter. Normally, I would be worried if a dev who has never made a shooter decided to put that into their game, but with Pandemic working under the same company as Bioware (and can help iron out any shooting mechanic problems), I don't have any worries.

Thanks, Zilla. Good info. I still want to know how you got in to see Mercs 2 and Mass Effect, since it was only for press.

[Mochan]

Hey, was there a game called Zegapain for the 360 at e3?


And as expected, I knew the Cell would be useful for physics crunching (that's the kind of computation it's supposed to be good at). Well whatever.

[thug]

Wii want Wii impressions....Wii want Wii impressions....Wii want Wii impressions...

[slade]

noooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Aw, crap. Just when I thought I would go a couple of years with one console this new gen.....oh, well. I guess I need to take Ken's advice and start saving up, because it will be hard for me not to want to play the sequel to what I consider the "best and most fun" game I've played last-gen.

Did Pandemic say why Mercs 2 would be exclusive? I really thought this one would be multiplatform, since Mercs 1 sold well on both Xbox and PS2.

At best, it's a time exclusive unless Sony is publishing the title. There were rumors I'd read that Sony was really impressed with the first Mercenaries and went after exclusivity rights for the second game. All of this is heresay though unless Sony turns out to be the publisher.

[GameLegend]

Wii want Wii impressions....Wii want Wii impressions....Wii want Wii impressions...

.Oui.

[Gadfly2317]

Wheeeeeeeee!!!!!!

[mandark]

Here's an impression: Nintendo's Wii is smaller compared to MS's and Sony's. :D

[Cuddly Knife]

Why you looking at their Wiis, Mandark?

[Zilla Man]

I was going to save Wii for last but because of the unforseen delays I'll cover it now and then do the 360 and Sony stuff afterwords.

After waiting in line for 2.5 hours just to get into the area and then another hour just to play the individual games...:rolleyes:

So, here we go:
Outside the Nintendo Booth:
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As you first come in (the guy with the grey hair is the voice of Mario in all the games):
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You wind your way to the other side where there's a guy demo'ing the Wii-troller on some Virtual Drums and Tennis:
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Then you wind your way down to the main game area. But first you're treated to a good look at:
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[mandark]

Why you looking at their Wiis, Mandark?
Because eventually we will be playing with our own Wii's in the privacy of our own rooms. :D

[Zilla Man]

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Finally, the games!!!! :)

In honor of tradition, the first one I played (after waiting 90 minutes for my turn):mad2: was Super Mario Galaxy:

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Wii Mote:

I got about 5 minutes to play the game. Yes, the wand felt comfortable as did the numchuck but there were a few problems (BTW, I'm right handed). The first was the sensor strip. I kept losing control of Mario because I was pointing the wand at the TV and the strip was at the bottom. The distance between the couch and the TV was about10 - 13 feet. Somehow there was a problem. As for the controls, the only specific thing I remember is that shaking the Wand makes Mario spin. The main problem I had was the learning curve. The left numchuk had a stick and trigger and the Wii mote had a pair as well. My problem was that the control scheme did not feel at all intuitive. I kept getting the buttons confused and trying to coordinate everything seemed difficult. While I was waiting my turn, I noticed some other people having the same problems. I just kept thinking how much easier using a joypad would be. And my arm was starting to get tired. But maybe five minutes wasn't enough time for the learning curve. Creative? Yes. Intuitive? Not to this gamer. Still I'll be curious to try it again for longer.

As for the game, I liked it better than Mario Sunshine and the graphics were about the same (which isn't a bad thing at all). You start out at a castle with Mushroom People (Toad?) giving you text on how to operate the Wii. And then you spin Mario up into these vortexes that literally launch him into hyperspace. From there you can land on small planetoids crawling with Kroopas and other enemies. Ome of the more creative stages was Mario getting caught in a giant web. The way you have to defeat the Spider Boss is really creative and cool to do.

So basically this is the true Mario sequel to M64. Nothing groudbreaking; you're still hitting blocks, collecting coins, and rescuing friends. Except this time you actually get to see him warp to other worlds and the worlds are actual planetoids/worlds. So while I was happy to see the return to form I was still a bit underwhelmed.

Red Steel
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Well, this was another interesting experience. First off, although I enjoyed the game with this controller, I don't think it'll replace the joypad or keyboard mouse as a FPS staple. I had an easier time using the Wii controller with this game. Actually having your onscreen limb react to your aiming was cool There was also a gauge that you could fill up if you killed your targets with one bullet. It froze the screen and let you pick off the remaining enemies. The sword fighting was the saving grace for this game. You really had to time your strokes.

Red Steels a decent game but it didn't really have me drooling over it like I'd expected. The graphics are GC quality and the control scheme unique but other than the sword fight, it seemed more of a tech demo than a game. But please keep in mind that the game was far from done and if what the producer told me is true, the story/plot/chracter interaction is deeper than most regular games much less a FPS. Only time will tell.

Wii Virtua Console

They actually had SM64 running on a Wii. I got to play it using the Wiii Gamepad (aaaah, that's more like it) and it still rocks! No numbers on pricing but I was told they'll probably be one price for renting a game and another for buying. Hmmm,

Stuff I saw but didn't play:

New Metroid: Looked the same as the old. No reason this shouldn't be good.

Golf and Baseball Looked interesting for Wii-mote use but I had one big problem: the graphics. They were bright but crudely shaped with almost no textures. They just screamed out "Playskool". Now I know graphics aren't everything but there's no reason to neglect the look of these games just because you're emphasizing the controller. Even Mario Baseball/Soccer showed graphics that can be simple but creative without being crude. The Tennis looks a bit better.

The Conducting Game Looked cool as hell and I wanted to try it. If you know anything about real conducting, you'll be impressed as to how they integrated the baton into a genuine artform.

My initial impression of the Wii mote is hard to describe. I liked the innovative concept but in some cases it just seemed a bit shallow/gimmicky. But I can't tell you guys whether this was due to the fact that some of the games weren't finished or my own jadedness.

Next, the DS, PSP, and the difference between the PS3 and 360 games I saw.

Until then, send me your thoughts/questions.

[Fivespot]

RBH, in the latest issue of GI, Mercenaries 2 is also only listed as a PS3 game. I guess Zilla was correct. I too was looking forward to the sequel but aren't sure if I plan to buy a PS3 (at least not right away).

[Gadfly2317]

Thanks for the Wii posts Zilla.

I kinda thought a few minutes would make it hard to get a sense of the controller after what Matt Cassamania from IGN was writing. He got a big chunk of playtime with Red Steel, Zelda, and Metroid prior to E3 and his reaction was the same as yours. But the impressions the second time around were way better, which he chalked up to a little learning curve.

So much for "intuitive." Well, Warioware looks intuitive, anyway.

With the system supposedly being more powerful than GC, it's dissapointing that the graphics are so Gamecubish. Yes, the new control is what the system is about, but traditionally the #1 thing you expect when you hook up your brand new console is better graphics. Were they GC-like as in straight up the same, or were these games at least marginally improved?

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

At best, it's a time exclusive unless Sony is publishing the title. There were rumors I'd read that Sony was really impressed with the first Mercenaries and went after exclusivity rights for the second game. All of this is heresay though unless Sony turns out to be the publisher.

I hope you're right. Though it would give me a 3rd must-want title for PS3, I really would like to wait on a price drop. I think I could wait out a timed-exclusive deal. It is odd that the game doesn't have a publisher yet. Maybe that publisher will have the final say-so about exclusivity, unless it's Sony.

BTW, are you getting God Hand?

RBH, in the latest issue of GI, Mercenaries 2 is also only listed as a PS3 game. I guess Zilla was correct. I too was looking forward to the sequel but aren't sure if I plan to buy a PS3 (at least not right away).

I still have yet to get my GI (Assassin's Creed cover). Maybe they are trying to penalize me since it's my last issue before I have to renew.

[trebor]

Good Wii coverage, Zilla. I can't wait to actually try this thing out at some point, and hopefully by then, some of the quirks will be ironed out.

I'll still patiently wait for your DS tidbits. :)

[Cuddly Knife]

It appears to me from what Zilla said that using the Wiimote could go either way. Frustrating or god-sent. I think it'll depend solely on the gamer.

In a sense, using the Wiimote will require some decent 3 or 4-way coordination. You'll have to keep under control your usual button-pressing fingers, but now you also have to work on the wrist actions to guide and such. People aren't used to that in platformers(but for some reason, controlling a character holding a gun seems to be more natural, go figure), so that's why it could seem a little bit rough at first. More right-brain thinking is needed than what's normally used to non-musicians, possibly? I'm pumped from seeing the Mario galaxy vid that it will be a lot deeper than what it appears to some people.

[thug]

Wooo Hooo!!! Thanks Zilla. Love that you brought the digital camera and are posting pictures too. I imagine I'll struggle at first with the Wii's controller, but I'm not too concerned. I'm sure there will be some games where control sucks just like there are games that have sucky control with the current joypads. I just hope the controller functions the way it should and there aren't problems like the one you ran into where the character was unresponsive...that could be a show-stopper for the Wii. At least you know Nintendo won't release their games until they are happy with the controls. Looking forward to the rest of your comments.

[slade]

BTW, are you getting God Hand?

But of course. It looks generic as hell but the gameplay has possibilities and I really like the whole 'Fist of the North Star' vibe it has.

[Zilla Man]

Thanks for the Wii posts Zilla.

I kinda thought a few minutes would make it hard to get a sense of the controller after what Matt Cassamania from IGN was writing. He got a big chunk of playtime with Red Steel, Zelda, and Metroid prior to E3 and his reaction was the same as yours. But the impressions the second time around were way better, which he chalked up to a little learning curve.

So much for "intuitive." Well, Warioware looks intuitive, anyway.

With the system supposedly being more powerful than GC, it's dissapointing that the graphics are so Gamecubish. Yes, the new control is what the system is about, but traditionally the #1 thing you expect when you hook up your brand new console is better graphics. Were they GC-like as in straight up the same, or were these games at least marginally improved?

Well, Gaddy, I think the Wii will rock for games like Warioware and that Emergency Room Surgery Game (I forget the name- it's on the DS too). The Surgery game looks so cool that it may be worth getting a Wii for on its own.

I forgot to mention that Zelda looks great too. It's actually the first time I've ever gotten excited about one of those games.

Regarding the graphics: I think they are marginally improved from the Cube -- in other words the game looked great. In Super Mario Galaxy you get to see Mario, Toad, Goombas, and other sights scaled, rotated, and moved like you've never seen before. I know that doesn't sound too exciting but I think you'll be impressed (I know I was). Nothing that blew me away ike RE5 or the RE remakes. But then again those didn't come until after the 1st year of release so...

Thanks for the heads up on Casamassina's report. I've got to read it.

And keep in mind that if I was playing without a time lmit at home, I could probably get the Super Mario Galaxy controls down.

Oops, I see my previous Red Steel photo didn't come out. Here goes:
364

[Zilla Man]

Good Wii coverage, Zilla. I can't wait to actually try this thing out at some point, and hopefully by then, some of the quirks will be ironed out.

I'll still patiently wait for your DS tidbits. :)

I'm sure they will be. They've definitely got my (and apparently everyone else's) curiosity piqued.

BTW, Nintendo's catalog this year was on a CD-ROM. So I'm having a friend burn you and Gaddy copies to go in your packages. I haven't seen it yet but if it's got Wii or even DS game footage, it should be cool. ;)

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

But of course. It looks generic as hell but the gameplay has possibilities and I really like the whole 'Fist of the North Star' vibe it has.

Beat Down and Final Fight make me cautious about any future Capcom beat 'em ups. Whenever there's a new preview, I'll still read about God Hand, out of curiousity.

[slade]

Beat Down and Final Fight make me cautious about any future Capcom beat 'em ups. Whenever there's a new preview, I'll still read about God Hand, out of curiousity.

God Hand has Shinji Mikami as a director. So, at the very least, I expect it to be better then those two titles.

[GameLegend]

great coverage on the Wii
I'm surprised u were able to get to play that many games, i heard the line ups were around 4 hours long, heres a video displaying it:

http://www.nintendogal.com/index.php?/archives/1009-E3-PS3-vs-Wii-Lines.html

and it apparently broke E3 line records

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

God Hand has Shinji Mikami as a director. So, at the very least, I expect it to be better then those two titles.

I don't recognize the name, but I'm sure I've seen or played some of his work. What has Shinji Mikami directed recently?

[slade]

Resident Evil 4! He was also the director behind the REmake on GC. And he was executive producer on Devil May Cry and Viewtiful Joe.

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

Oh. I guess I have to see how God Hand ends up. RE4 & Viewtiful Joe didn't exactly get glowing impressions from me. Is Mikami working on RE5?

The creator of Mega Man is the only Capcom guy whose name I recognize, though I don't know it right off.

[slade]

Nope, Mikami's got nothing to do with RE5. Although don't look for them to add a strafe button to the equation. It probably will not happen.

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

Nope, Mikami's got nothing to do with RE5. Although don't look for them to add a strafe button to the equation. It probably will not happen.

What about the camera control? Will we see a leap in camera from RE4 to RE5 like we saw from MGS3 to MGS3:Subsistence, or is that too much to ask for?

[slade]

You already got a leap in camera from RE3 to RE4. They might make it more free form but that's about all I can see happening with the camera.

[Gadfly2317]

I posted a response in another thread talking about potential control depth with the Wii (in games like Zelda). Like Fox News, I try to be "fair and balanced" (ha ha in both cases) but anyway, here is a pretty interesting tidbit from Planet Gamecube's discussion of their Wii experiences:

I felt that Zelda had the worst controls of any of the Wii games that I played. While not totally broken, the controls were unintuitive and often confusing. For example, unlike the demo shown at the press conference, arrows are not shot by pulling the remote from the nunchuck. Instead targeting is performed by the remote, and arrows are shot by pressing and releasing the A button. The hookshot worked in the same manner.

Targeting, as most of the games shown at E3, was very sensitive. Movement was controlled with the control stick. Item switching was done by pressing the appropriate direction on the D-pad.

The inventory was one of the more annoying things to activate, and the remote had to target a small icon in the corner of the screen marked inventory. The positioning of the D-pad relative to the A button makes switching between them somewhat uncomfortable. The B trigger was used for sword slashing, yet special sword moves were performed by jerking the nunchuck attachment.

Overall, button assignment felt haphazard and hard to remember, being split across the two hands. It is my hope that these controls will be modified before the final release. Otherwise, I’ll probably stick to the standard controller.

http://www.planetgamecube.com/impressionsArt.cfm?artid=11639