The floor this year was jam-packed with games of all kinds for everyone to enjoy. We had the pleasure of seeing a number of classic titles see sequels and just as many new IP’s jump into the game. Below you will find some of the stand outs that we got the chance to see today on E3 day two.
‘Game of The Day’ Award: Batman Arkham Knight
We got a media only sneak peek at about 15 minutes of actual gameplay. The trailers for the game so far have been pretty impressive, but they don’t do the game justice. The footage we witnessed was simply spectacular. Batman has a number of new abilities at his disposal this time around. He can perform a double grapple allowing for better movement around the larger world; he now moves as fast under grates as he does above them allowing for faster and smoother gameplay; Batman can also go from a glide directly into a vent shaft in a single move without slowing down the game at all.
The most impressive thing that we saw was the Batmobile in action. What we get is a more compact vehicle that allows for a wider range of motion. You can, at a time, switch the Batmobile into battle mode, this shifts into a tank allowing for precise control. It’s an impressive machine and can also be controlled remotely and used in combat.
Combat has also been upgraded to what the developers call Free-Flow 3.0. You can the opportunity to string combos like before, but now with new moves and environmental KO’s. You can also incorporate the Batmobile into your combos allowing it to fire riot rounds while in a combo for an amazing finisher.
We closed our sneak peek by earning a little more about our villain, the titular Arkham Knight. He has a close connection with Batman, to the point that he knows the weaknesses of his suit and instructs his mean on where to shoot and how to put him down. This means that we get new types of enemies that are far and above anything we have seen before. These aren’t your typical thugs, these are trained soldiers taught by someone who know Batman and his techniques intimately. Arkham Knight is the game to watch in 2015.
Alien Isolation
This behind closed doors demonstration was the scariest game we have ever laid out eyes on. It’s safe to say that we, along with our small groups, nearly peeped ourselves from the sheer terror of what we saw. The mood of the game is absolutely terrifying in the best possible sense. Knowing that a single Alien is lose is such a nerve-racking experience even when you aren’t the one holding the controller.
The developers have spent an incredible amount of time recreating the push button look and feel of the original move to the letter. You really get the feeling that you are helpless in a hopeless situation. Ammo is beyond scarce and your survival will depend on your instincts and quick reactions.
The story has you playing as Ripley’s daughter looking for the whereabouts of here mother and finding a lot more than see bargained for. You really feel alone and for a game paced this slow, it flows incredibly well. We can’t wait to play this one in th wee hours of the night when it drops this November.
They have managed to make the Alien a terrifying monster once again. Ridley Scott would be proud.
‘Most Surprising’ Award: Sonic Boom
We got some hands on time with Sonic Boom and came away quite impressed. Before we sat down we were asked our take on Sonic and his past games. They acknowledged that the series has been hit or miss and that they used a lot of that feedback going into Boom. The new visually style isn’t just cosmetic, but helps to showcase the new style of gameplay.
One thing that our helpful guide mentioned, and we agreed with, was that Sonic Boom took a lot of influence from the Ratchet & Clank series. If you have played those games recently, Sonic Boom will be really easy to pick up and play on both Wii U and 3DS. From what was showed off, the game is spilt into several play styles; Boss Battles occur on a single screen that feels a lot like boss fights do in the Super Mario Games, Race Segments see our characters blasting through levels in a more classic Sonic style, and Adventure see Sonic and friends take on the Ratchet & Clank 3D action platforming.
Super Smash Bros.
Fighting games were out in full force today and Super Smash Bros from Nintendo was one of the standouts. While the entire roster has yet to be reveled ( T. Dawson made it clear that Captain Falcon was missing) what we did see was impressive. The play style remains fast and frenetic with great level design and colorful graphics. The inclusion of the Amiibo system to scan in a character is also something that will be interesting to see play out.
The new characters we played included Little Mack (how seemed really OP, but we aren’t expect Smash players by any means), Mega Man, Villager, and the Wii Fit Trainer who makes for a solid opponent. Along with Smash on the Wii U get got some hand on with the 3DS version of the game as well. Playing Smash on a hand-held seemed like an odd choice, but the controls seemed to work well even on a cramped 3DS.
‘Surprise Product’ Award: Nintendo Amiibo Figures
When we first caught a glimpse of this figures during the Nintendo Direct, we were on the fence about them and their use. The Skylanders thing seems to be popular enough, so Nintendo doing their own thing makes sense. What impressed us was in how you can use these little miniatures. No third party peripheral is required when you buy a figure as they work when you place the unit on the Nintendo Wii U gamepad. Not only is this really simple, but the Amiibo chip allows for transfer of information in two directions. Not only can a character be loaded into your game from the figure, but you can send data back to the figure as a sort of memory card allowing you to take your upgraded character to another Wii U.
Our biggest concern was what the figures would look like in person. Would be be getting some cheap plastic hunk that looks like a toy, or would be see something far nicer? Well, after seeing the first hand we can safely say that they look stunning. The detail on the figures is exquisite and can proudly be displayed on you shelf or desk. We can see people and fans buying up the entire range even if they don’t own a Wii U just to have for display.
‘Coolest Display’ Award: Nvidia Booth
Nvidia had there own tent set up just across the street from the convention center showing off a lot of great new stuff for PC gamers. Not only did they offer free booze to press (score one for being writers), but they had a full size Titan from Titan Fall on display right on the street. Anyone driving by could see the monstrosity and be in awe. If only it were real, and we could pilot it through downtown LA. Look out hipsters, here comes trouble!
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