E3 2008 is finally over, and has been for a couple days now. Overall I’m a little disappointed. On the front lines of the ongoing Console War, no one really took top honors in my opinion. Battling each other with statistics as usual — boring! Granted, they all displayed their upcoming games, as expected (where was Killzone 2, damn you Sony), but not in the way they should have. I mean in your face, like… “Look Microsoft, fuck your system, fuck your games, and fuck Bill Gates”; with the most anticipated titles showing teaser/trailers, not actual gameplay!

I barely saw Nintendo’s presentation, but I heard I didn’t miss much. Microsoft’s showcased Gears of War 2, which was expected, but the later half of the presentation was a joke. Being a Sony fanboy myself, I loved theirs, even though they didn’t do as well as they could have — see above paragraph. What put Sony above the other two, was how they utilized Little Big Planet’s concept of user created content, to make a presentation. Oh my, informative and fun, this made listening to more statistics not want to make me kill myself.

I watched E308 coverage almost entirely on G4, which I have to admit, is getting better. Somehow they managed to get — and keep, attractive hosts, that know what the hell they are talking about, and Olivia Munn is rapidly taking over Morgan Webb’s spot as hottest gaming chick alive. Like I said I was overall disappointed with E3. It isn’t the E3 it used to be, thanks to bitchy people. First of all, why is E3 in July, with Christmas around 5 months away?! Limited entry to only people in the “industry”, I feel like the whole experience has been watered down, and I know I’m not the only one who thinks that.

That’s all for now, later I will do a little post on the games I am exited about and why.

Ok, it’s rant time. It’s been a good while since I’ve had one of these liberating rants.

What sparked this urge to rant is actually a result of my boredom. It’s Friday, and with nothing to do, I hopped on Xbox Live, and downloaded the demo for Turning Point: Fall of Liberty. The game is about the Invasion of NYC, and I’m guessing other American cities by the Nazis. It’s on a “Next-Gen” console, yet there is absolutely nothing Next-Gen about it… at ALL! Before playing the game you are shown a short clip letting you know that this game is “Powered by Unreal Technology”. That’s a bold statement, seeing as how if the game really is, the Developers did a shyte job at utilizing its power.

Granted, it was a demo I played, but based on this demo, I will never again play the game. The graphics, sucked, the controls, stupid and slow, and the AI, retarded. After playing Call of Duty 4, it’s my belief that EVERY console FPS should play the same, that’s my standard. The premise of the game is a good one, and has potential, but it just doesn’t deliver. If you can afford to even license the Unreal Engine, spend some money on Developers that can use it damnit! It’s not all the Dev’s fault, no, I spread the blame evenly, and making sure everyone gets a taste. C’mon designers, art directors, wake up! Seriously, why when Germans jump out of the Super-Nazi Blimp, do they ALL glide on the same path, as if tethered to the ground, even though the Blimp is moving away. In a Next Generation environment, that’s just laziness.

Are studios afraid of trying something new, are they afraid of actually trying, actually breaking the mold? Are they just stuck in their old ways, scared to use new technology.

 Ugh!

 ~Vaughn