The Crispy Awards: E3 2009 Edition
6/11/2009 11:07 AM | 7 Comments | Page 2 of 2
Biggest Disappointment: BioShock 2's multiplayer
Evan Narcisse says: "Here's a sequel to a game that's became a classic on the strength of its plot and characterization, two things that multiplayer play doesn't really need or value. Yes, there's a cute, wink-wink framing story about being a product tester for weapons manufacturing that strives to be tonally appropriate to BioShock's 'duck and cover' vibe. But, ultimately, multiplayer will be about people shooting other people, and the stuff I saw didn't seem to have much nuance.
BioShock 2's multiplayer won't compete with
Left 4 Dead 2 in terms of charm, and it won't beat
Modern Warfare 2 in terms of sizzle."
Runners-up for Biggest Disappointment:
Scott Jones: Heavy Rain was a kick in the stomach for me. For a game that supposedly emphasizes character development and above-average writing, having a black character who runs a junkyard named "Mad Dog" seems terribly unfortunate. (Who wrote this thing? Alan Wake?) While it's true that I habitually fear what I don't understand, when the
Heavy Rain build crashed during my demo, I was more than happy to move on with my day."
John Keefer: A disappointment for me was
Dragon Age pandering sex first over what seems like pretty solid gameplay. When BioWare sells sex first, is something else wrong, or is it appealing to the lowest common denominator to appeal to the masses instead of RPG nerds?
William Abner: John, I wonder if that demo would have been different if it were meant solely for the press. In my showing, there were
many cat-calls and "woo hoos!" when the sex stuff was being shown. It was a proud moment, to be sure. When asked if we should choose the good girl or bad girl, there was an enthusiastic shout-out. I am admittedly tired of the BioWare love-triangle formula, and if I hadn't been able to get a 30-minute hands-on demo, I would have left disappointed. But after playing it, I'm on board. (We did the bad girl.)
Since I don't want to piggyback on [Evan's] choice, I'll also throw out
Dante's Inferno. If you already played
God of War, there is no reason to play this.
Dante's Inferno looked stunningly derivative. It was slick-looking, and Hell was beautiful, but the demo showed nothing that did not fall outside of the original GoW design. Zero. I doubt it will be a
bad game -- but is having that really popular and hip Divine Comedy license enough?
John Teti: For my biggest disappointment, I'll go back to the Sony press conference. When Jack Tretton talked about a new Final Fantasy, I was intrigued. Ready in 2010, I was enraptured. And then there was a trailer -- my synapses were ablaze with anticipation. But then, uh-oh, this looked a lot like
Final Fantasy XI. Finally, the other shoe dropped as the title card came up. "FINAL FANTASY XIV," it screamed. And in the tiniest font known to man, it whispered, "Online." Great, another MMO. Do not toy with me like that, Jack Tretton. I was also disappointed that the trailer did not show any tits.
Best Overall Game of E3: Star Wars: The Old Republic
BioWare is at the helm of this Star Wars-centric massively-multiplayer online game. Translation: There's a .000001-percent chance that this will suck as hard as
Galaxies did. The cover-based, third-person-focused combat system, the voice-acted dialogue (a first for the genre) and that retina-searing
CGI trailer that had journos panting like they'd just seen Cheryl Tiegs in a bikini, and we've got a three-pronged attack that no game on the show floor could possibly match. Couple
The Old Republic with last year's flawed (but compelling)
The Force Unleashed, and the Star Wars brand -- which previously seemed about as "cool" as your mom's Crocs -- is suddenly relevant again.
The Game Trust's personal best-of-E3 picks:
William Abner: The Beatles: Rock Band
I always struggle with E3 awards. So many games looked good, because they are designed to look good at E3. But when I ask myself, "Self, what game will you most likely play the most?" the answer is easily
The Beatles: Rock Band. I was able to play the game for a solid 30 minutes, singing lead and playing bass on "Get Back," "I Feel Fine" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand." It was one of the most exhilarating game experiences I have ever had at E3 -- going back to the Atlanta days. It doesn't hurt that I am a true Beatlemaniac, so maybe there's some bias there. Still, goo-goo-ga-joob.
Kyle Orland: New Super Mario Bros. Wii
When I first saw this game announced and demoed at the Nintendo press conference, I was literally bouncing out of my seat with excitement. Part of this is my inner fanboy coming out for some more old-school, 2-D Mario, but I doubt I'd be as excited for another single-player
New Super Mario Bros. The thought of playing through this with my wife (Mario games are some of the only ones she enjoys unreservedly) makes me grin involuntarily with giddy anticipation.
Scott Jones: Bayonetta
This game goes against basically everything I believe in as a game critic. It's morally and narratively bankrupt. It features a vapid, over-sexualized character. It values style 1,000-fold over substance. I had no idea what the hell was even happening during the demo. But this is exactly the sort of thing that's my critical Achilles' heel. Resistance is futile. We can't pick the people we fall in love with. And, as someone who has loved and lost many times, love never makes sense.
Bayonetta: Let's make a baby together.
Evan Narcisse: Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction
By going back to the drawing board, Ubisoft seems to be totally reinventing Sam Fisher's world in terms of play style, motivation and narrative structure. They could've delivered a by-the-numbers sequel and likely garnered stellar sales, but it looks like they're pushing a major franchise out of its comfort zone. I give them props for that.
John Teti: Scribblenauts
The one "wow!" moment of the show for me was playing a demo of this straightforward but very clever DS game. The Warner rep didn't have to sell it at all. It mixes language, touch and classic platform physics in a fresh way.
Ryan Kuo: Left 4 Dead 2
Maybe it was my play experience -- sitting side-by-side with Gus, Russ and another writer through two co-op levels in "The Parish" -- but no other game at E3 gave me as much joy as
Left 4 Dead 2 did in 20 minutes. It may resemble an expansion more than a full-fledged sequel, yet from a creative standpoint, the game reflects typical Valve wisdom. By adjusting such subtle but crucial qualities as light, geography and accent, they've deepened the meaning of both Left 4 Dead and gaming aesthetics. Can a high-profile sequel consist solely of careful, deliberate adjustments to the original work? All undead hands point to yes.
