Alien Isolation

As I mentioned in my previous EuroGamer Expo post, I was very fortunate to attend this years event. It gave me a chance to get hands on and see some of the biggest releases that would soon be hitting the highstreet. The biggest developers were there of course along with many indie developers and the event drew quite the crowd.

Whilst I don't tend to enjoy playing snippets of games pre-purchase I was quite eager to try Sega's Alien: Isolation.  This game has been causing quite a stir since its announcement and has won many awards at this years E3. After the last game in the franchise, Alien: Colonial Marines, ended in such devastation I was wary of the hype it was gaining. I as with many others had been burned by the previous game and felt I needed to see it first hand to avoid the problem a second time.

One big problem with bigger games such as this is that they drew the queues. Some of the lines boasted waiting times of over forty-five minutes for only a few seconds of demo. Thankfully this wasn't the case with Alien: Isolation. The queue seemed to dissipate in massive chunks and I started to question what they had behind the massive curtain perimeter. What didn't help was the smoke that seemed to be emanating from somewhere inside. Perhaps inside the infamous Xenomorph lurked and we gamers were in a production line of sorts fed to the hungry beast.

As I approached the staff energetically engaged with us in a refreshing manner that many other booth staff were not. All wearing uniform drawn from the film series, they ushered us forward stating that their 'Xenomorphs were hungry' or to move closer to 'warm us up, Aliens like their food hot. They also provided us with a free comic that ties into the game and told us of the competition that ran alongside the demo. If you could survive until the end of the level (a big IF they emphasised) your time taken, if good enough, would be added to a leaderboard. For those who made the top ten a free T-shirt was yours, if you came first a replica jacket from the game. With such customer interaction it is no wonder the booth apparently won an award for best visitor experience.

We entered the area in groups and were shown a short video about the games production. Then ushered into a darkened box filled with monitors ready to scare the unfortunate watchers. Many articles have said that the game is 'terrifying' and I hoped that it would live up to this. I am still very much on the hunt for something to scare me and I as of yet go rather sedate when confronted with all manner of horror media. I ensured I was sat comfortably, knew the controls and had the headphones secured to ensure I was as immersed as possible.

Immediately felt a sense of familiarity as I looked around the cramp cargo hold I started the level in. As a fan of the film series the iconic look that they carry was like an old friend. Everything is a light grey, piping hangs from the ceiling and tubes of coolant encompass me. This clearly where my character as the daughter of Ripley belongs. The developers clearly understood the feel of the franchise. It could have been tempting, with all the graphical technology at their disposal, to create a wondrous and eye-catching setting. But instead they have stayed true to the gritty, bleak, cargo ship feel that evokes the nostalgia.


I soon found myself gathering everything in the room to help my survival: metal scraps, extra batteries for the motion tracker, health bars and of course a handy flamethrower. I liked the sense of urgency this installed in me from the get go. I hope that a lack of resource will be big in the game making your chance of survival defendant on careful management.
Making my way cautiously towards the objective, a switch to activate the lifts door control. Utilising that trusty tracker to ensure I avoided any unwanted attention. I liked the fact that the tracker seems to take up a lot of the screen when used, which should discourage overuse. Anything else and a player could become reliant; much like Arkham Asylum's detective mode. I noticed a few times my wall-hugging technique would bring me in collision with the scenery. At which point a box would tumble and it's noise seemed to echo too loud for comfort. I felt the atmosphere was just right and really affected my playing style. I became very cautious of tight spaces where I may knock something; which drew me out into the open.

I soon learnt that this would be a bad sign.

I soon met my hunter of course, it was inevitable, unfortunately this wasn't as exciting or terrifying as I had hoped. I just watched him pass me by before sneaking behind him. A lot has been said about the Alien's intelligence, but I still saw the same adherence to a patrol pattern as any guard has in countless other games. Not to say it isn't imposing, I did find myself taking a breath in as it walked past hoping it wouldn't turn its gaze my way. When I made it to my destination I was given the next objective, head back to the lift. At this point there is a scripted attack, but as I kind of guessed there would be I was prepared. I flamed the Xenomorph in the face and then sprinted to the exit, pressing the lift control and surviving... on my first attempt.

It may be a bit boastful, but I will tell you that I did indeed make the leaderboard, unfortunately not the top. I was pretty proud of my free T-shirt especially since they had said no one had won for a while.

The demo was good, yet it wasn't quite as outstanding as I had hoped. Yes, it was atmospheric and yes, it is definitely an improvement on Alien: Colonial Marines (but the what isn't?). Groundbreaking, however, it isn't. The Alien was very easy to outsmart and this meant I never truly felt too vulnerable. I know in the main game there will also be other threats to deal with, I'm sure it has potential.

For now I will keep an eye on it, however, not enough  to pick it up on release day.







Alien: Isolation image from ABCgames, in-game image from Videogamewriters.

EuroGamer Expo London 2014

This weekend I was lucky enough to be able to attend Eurogamer Expo London 2014 (EGX). The expo is one of the biggest game shows held in the UK. At the show developers have gathered to showcase what they have in development and give gamers a chance to go hands on with the year’s releases. Whilst not as big as an American gaming convention, E3 especially, the show still excites me.

A massive thank you to my friend Lewis Bailey for allowing me to attend as his plus one. It was a great day and I really appreciated it.

There weren’t any big exclusive games announced at the event, but there were several game titles I was keen to see in action. The games I was most eager to see included: Namco Bandai’s Project Cars, Dragon Age:Inquisition, Arkham Knight and of course the much hyped Alien Isolation (which I even got a chance to go hands on with). For a full list of games I will provide a link at the end.  It was also my first opportunity to hold the Xbox One and PS4 controllers, both of which I am still unfamiliar with.

Before I begin I will admit that I personally don’t like playing demos; worse still I don’t like playing in public (video games that is, honestly your dirty minds!) Firstly, I don’t like demos as often they are lifted from the games directly. I realise this is technically a good thing; it does after all give you a very good impression of the game. But I like my new games to feel fresh and new and hate replaying a whole section. Some games demos have understood this and offered demos that are challenge maps not in the main quest line or serve as prequels to the story. By doing this not only does it save spoilers until release, but also invests me into the story so that I am eager to pick it up on release.

I hope gamers are going to start seeing the lack of real ingenuity behind the triple A game's PR campaigns. Too much glitz, without any substance, is bad for any industry.

My second peeve about playing in public is that I get very self-conscious. I am always very aware that behind me stand several others who are eager to take my place. This realisation isn’t helped when they offer ‘helpful’ remarks or whisper about my techniques. A lot of this is down to my own pig-headed nature; I like to figure things out for myself. Another issue is the queues that come before the demo, often the most hyped games have lines well over 45 minutes long and when you only get a few minutes of game time to compensate I lose enthusiasm.

By the end of the day we were 'BFFs'

For this reason what actually stole the show in many ways for me wasn’t the big hitters it was actually the indie games. Not only are there shorter queues for them, but the developers are usually on hand. They are eager to get feedback from their games and genuinely interested in your opinion. Thankfully I think the gaming industry is starting to slide towards the indie trend. At this year’s E3 big games like Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare failed to gain as much attention as previous years. I think gamers are starting to see that behind their PR agent led pitches lies a lack of innovation.

The games I tried out were pretty decent and I will post about them separately in other posts. I got to grips with Alien Isolation, NBA 2015, Super Exploding Zoo, Little Big Planet 3, Terra Tech, Never Alone, Cloudbuilt. I also saw a lot of gameplay due to the aforementioned fact that I enjoy watching more than playing. I will go into detail about the games in later posts as I wouldn’t be able to go into enough depth in this post.

You may notice that my Euro Gamer Expo posts are slightly one sided towards what Sony had on show. This isn’t on any biased of my part, more on the part of the show. Sony seemed to get the better space and even the event programme came with a Sony advert attached. The billboards leading from the station to Earl’s court where plastered with their promotions too.  

What I will talk about is my first experiences with the PS4 and Xbox One controllers. I will say that right now due to the exclusives the PS4 is my preferred console (after the Wii U of course). It is also partly because of how the Xbox One’s reveal was handled which left a bitter taste in my mouth. It is rather unfortunate then that after giving both a whirl that the Xbox One controller felt more natural to me.  It hasn’t really changed that much from the old Xbox 360 pad except it has put on a few pounds. The buttons all remain the same and very much easy to understand. Some might complain that the fact that it didn’t change means there is nothing new to gain, but I’m more of the opinion that it isn’t broke, so why fix it?

Luminocity had a beautiful cardboard display.

The PS4 controller on the other hand is an attempt to revolutionise the dual shock pad. Once again it has put on a bit and become squarer at the top. I wanted to test out the touchpad of course, but was somewhat disappointed. The pad is plastic in texture and feels like the back of a Kindle eBook. This made it rather too fiddly for precise control. I found the slightest movement was interpreted as a mile long stroke, which is disappointing considering how advanced touchscreens can be. Despite it’s added size the buttons don’t seemed to have benefited. They instead have become smaller and more out of reach for my fingers to find, the analogue sticks were oddly indented too. I already miss the classic start and select buttons and found myself reaching for empty space. Overall the controller felt alien to me and just rather uncomfortable.

EGX was a fantastic opportunity for me to attend and I really enjoyed seeing what is to come in the year ahead. I saw some great games, met some lovely people, bought expensive merchandise and played spot the cosplayer. It is a must attend expo for those who need to keep up with gaming and geekery.

Link to games on show can be found Here.

Link to Vlog done by The Lewis Rocks, featuring myself, can be found Here.

E3 2014 - My Overview

Before I start, I’d like to issue a slight disclaimer. As mentioned in my previous E3 posts I did not go to E3 myself, and all insight I provide has come from live blogs and articles. This is not due to laziness, but living in a totally different country and not having the funds - I would love to go to E3 someday.

With that out of the way let’s take a look at my opinion on E3 2014; an event that has brought back a part of me. For the past two years I have been hesitant to call myself a gamer; I blame this in part to a rather cynical view of the console wars and the handling of the new generation. After last few years of companies showing off who has the biggest CPU, it seems we have finally got back to the games. And to be honest it’s the games that get me excited, not the boxes I play them on. So as I believe that this year focused on the games, it stands to reason that I feel a bit like my old geeky self again.

Favourite Part:

This is an easy one; my favourite part of E3 was Nintendo’s live event. Yes, it can be argued that as the Wii U is the only new gen console I own that I’m biased. But, at least I am honest about that fact. However, Nintendo’s fun and enthusiastic event couldn’t help but raise a smile in anyone who watched. It pays off too, if the creators look enthusiastic then the fans shall be as well. It’s little wonder then that Microsoft, Sony, EA and Ubisoft all seen rather procedural when their announcements can feel like a business meeting. I think this article demonstrates my point; not many executives are seen enjoying themselves so much as Shigeru Miyamoto.

To be more specific, I would say that Nintendo’s showcasing of their Amiibo concept was my highlight. I love the potential behind the idea, and as an avid collect of geeky merchandise, I can’t wait to fill my shelves with my favourite characters.

I can't help but want all of these.

Unexpectedly Impressed By:

On the other hand, I was rather impressed by both Sony’s and Microsoft’s first day conferences. Yes, they may have been a bit business like in their presentation, but they gave us a good look at some amazing games. With the competition between their machine's releases are out of the way we can finally see what they can play. In the exclusivity department I think Microsft did well; with Phantom Dust, Project Spark and Scalebound all looking rather appealing, despite not much gameplay being shown. Sony however, won in my mind with a single game, No Man's Sky - 

which if it is as it appeared, could be revolutionary. Having a genuinely new experience each time you play sounds great, and the fact that you can go from walking on land to space flight seamlessly adds a whole new level.

Disappointed by:

This one shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who has been keeping even a small interest in E3 -  its Ubisoft. Two reasons for this: firstly, the fact that playable female characters are not being included in two of their biggest upcoming releases co-op modes (article concerning the statement is here). Both Far Cry 4 and Assassin’s Creed: Unity features co-op with multiple playable characters but with no female option provided. I find it especially odd considering how Far Cry 3 and the Assassin's Creed series have had the option before.  This has been put down to time and resource constraints, which as explanations go is more offensive than the issue itself. There is a lot wrong with Ubisoft’s decision and if I'm honest it is an issue that runs throughout the industry, it will take full blog rant to cover it – look forward to that one!

The second reason is the announcement of a game that has been developed for the Wii U. But wait, surely this is good news? Well no, because Ubisoft refuse to release the game until the Wii U sells enough consoles to justify them releasing the game (article here). This came off as being a dig at Nintendo and a bit unprofessional in my mind. Why mention the game at all? I find nothing wrong with holding back a game ,if you believe it will sell better later. But, when it concerns a sensitive issue concerning another companies product, keep the reason to yourself. 

Looking forward to:

My top three games that I am hyped for are:

• No Man’s Sky
• Mario Maker
• Dragon Age:Inquisition

I also love the idea of Project Spark, however until I see some solid gameplay footage showing the kind of games we could create I will be wary of it. The concept sounds great, but seems a bit too ambitious.


Least looking forward to:

Well the yearly additions of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and Battlefield Hardline go without saying. I hate how both series release yearly with little to no new features being added. Yet, the game I dread has got to be Let it Die; which from what I’ve seen, looks like a murder simulator along the lines of Manhunt and Mad World. The only outcome of this game is yet another media outcry against video games. For once too I would agree as the game looks like violence for the sake of being violent.

Conclusion:

Overall I was impressed by this year’s E3 and came away feeling rather enthusiastic for being a gamer again.

What did you think? Let me know in the comment section.


E3 logo from Arkhamverse, Amiibo image from Nintendo, Assassin's creed image from Rkbwrites, Shigeru Miyamoto image from paper architect blog

Nintendo's E3 Live Digital Event

Yesterday evening, at some point between the hours of four and five pm GMT, something changed within me. Or, to be more specific, something was rekindled. I am referring to the time at which Nintendo were conducting their live digital event, an event which made me proud to own a Wii U.  I hoped Nintendo would ease any doubts I have been having as an early buyer of the Wii U, and thankfully they delivered.

Even before the live broadcast, details of three titles currently in development began to emerge. All three were described as utilising the gamepad in new ways. The titles include a Star Fox game too, and even though I'm not a fan of the space mammal I know he is a popular character and sure to get people interested in the Wii U. The other two projects are currently known as Project Giant Robot (a fighting game where you pilot a giant robot), and Project Gaurd (a tower defence game). Little else is known about them yet, apart from that the gamepad will be used as some form of first person viewpoint. For instance, in Star Fox and Project Giant Robot the pad will give the view of a cockpit, whilst the TV screen will show the outside world. I hope that more games will incorporate the pad in such ways as this will prove it to be more than a gimmick.

The digital event itself started with a Super Smash Bros. style mock fight between Global Nintendo President, Satoru Iwata, and Nintendo America President, Reggie Fils-Amie. This fun opener stands in stark contrast with Sony's and Microsoft's very business-like approaches, and highlights Nintendo's continuing focus on fun. They went on to demonstrate Super Smash Bros Wii U, which of course looked awesome due to the new features shown. These include allowing the use of your Mii as a fighter and Nintendo's newest concept, Amiibos. These are basically Nintendo's own version of the popular Skylanders and Disney Infinity games, the concept being that physical figurines can be used as characters in the game's world. Nintendo promises each figurine will be able to develop their own stats and playing style, like a memory card. I love the idea of this, although I'm not sure my wallet will. As someone who has been already taken in by the aforementioned examples, I can see myself having the urge to collect them. Especially if they all look as good as the Mario they showcased:

The Amiibo designs are looking good!

When two whole new Legend of Zelda games were shown my excitement almost killed me. One of them, Hyrule Warriors, I had already heard of and I relish the combination of Zelda with Dynasty Warriors. The footage shown looked epic, displaying not only co-op play but also multiple playable characters from previous games - like Midna, a firm favourite of mine. I especially love the cool looking mega attacks and got a bit too thrilled by Ganon's giggle at the end. The second title (not yet named) is described as an open world Legend of Zelda; something seen only in a limited sense in the series before. The trailer shown was visually stunning, with a beautiful Hyrule vista followed by a lush forest. If the finished product is like this I imagine it as being similar to Skyrim. Something I have always wished to see, clearly shown by how my RPG characters are almost always named Link. No date was given for the second game, but Hyrule Warriors could well be in my hands by September and I can't wait.

There was also some typical cute looking Nintendo games. Games like Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker. The trailer looked cool, very reminiscent of puzzle games like Fez. Yoshi, too, is getting a new title - Yoshi's Wooley World (A successor of sorts to Kirby's Epic Yarn). Whilst looking fun and unbelievably cute, I doubt I'll be interested as I havent been a fan of previous Yoshi games. Kirby himself is coming back in Kirby and the Rainbow Curse. It looks good but, as I have never played a Kirby game before, I can't form a strong opinion. But I like the clay art style so may keep my eye on it.

With so many enemies on screen at once in Hyrule Warrior I'm going to need a co-op buddy!

As many already know Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon Sapphire are being remade, and initially I was skeptical as to why. It seems, on the other hand, that these are not just straight remakes. The inclusion of mega evolutions in the battles as well as the story suggests more than just superficial tweeking.

Bayonetta 2 looked good, and I like the fact they are including the Bayonetta 1 on the disc too as the first never had a Nintendo release. Looking as mad and quick paced as the original, it is a great example of a more hardcore game coming to the console that many dismiss as being only for families or children. Another hardcore title, The Devil's Third, will be released exclusively on Wii U as well, further disproving that the Wii U is just for casual gamers. From what little footage I have seen showed it to be quite dark and bloody. Finally, Xenoblade Chronicles X continues to uphold the Wii U's serious side. The trailer gave glimpses of an epic and heartbreaking story that makes me want to complete the first game.

One of my personal highlights was Mario Maker, a game where we will be able to create our own Mario levels. It reminded me a bit of Wario Ware D.I.Y. mixed with Little Big Planet. I can see it being fun and addictive, although I'm not sure my imagination is up to the job!

One citisism of Nintendo is their over-reliance on already established characters; looking back at my previous points in this post show this. Yet, the game Splatoon displayed that new concepts are coming as well. This one looks very odd - take the gameplay of Team Fortress, mix in a few painting puzzles from Portal 2 and then add the ability to turn into a squid... Yes, this game looks very odd indeed. It is essentially an online, team-based shooter, however as I am not a big online multiplayer fan I don't know how interested I am in this. If it is released with a split-screen option or single player I will definitely buy as it looks really fun.

In one word...
 hectic.

Nintendo's live digital event left me excited beyond belief, as you may be able to tell. I finished watching feeling nostalgia for the Gamecube era of my life, a time when I was proud to be a gamer, when every new game seemed innovative. I truly believe that Nintendo have proved that the Wii U has some serious potential, but in all honesty I didn't need much persuading.

I'd just like to finish by saying that I hope I haven't missed too much from E3 so far. There are a lot of games being showcased and I am aware of some I have overlooked. Feel free to ask my opinion on any game below in the comments.

What's your opinion on E3 so far? Are you as impressed by Nintendo as myself?


Amiibo image from Videogamer, Hyrule Warrior image from Zelda Universe, Splatoon image from news.geliyoo

E3 Day One

Today's post is going to be a brief summary of what I thought about some of the announcements made at E3 on day one.

Microsoft

The first day of E3 2014 kicked off yesterday with Microsoft's press conference, and I've got to admit they impressed me. Which is a hard thing to type, considering my current feelings towards the company after the last few years. However their slot didn't start off this way, as they opened with a trailer for the newest Call of Duty. I use the word 'newest' in the loosest possible terms here. The only change appeared to be that they had managed to slip in a celebrity cameo, (Kevin Spacey) in amongst all of the explosions. As the show progressed, I saw some games that did peak my interest and I will give a brief summary of them in this post.

After Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, they showed Forza Horizon 2, not much has changed since the first one; but it is hard to innovate on a racing game apart from better graphics. They were keen to mention the addition of what they called 'dynamic weather' (what I presume means wet surfaces will affect your driving etc.); as I enjoyed the first Forza Horizon I will keep an eye on the sequel.

Kevin Spacey looking rather plastic.

Next came Valve's Evolve, which looks like a cross between Team Fortress, Left 4 Dead and Borderlands. Considering it is a Valve game and they rarely put a foot wrong in my opinion; means this is definitely of interest to me.

What isn't of interest to me is Assassin's Creed: Unity but this is mainly due to how disappointed number three made me. The inclusion of co-op does little to appease this. Similarly my feelings towards the announcement of Crackdown 3 and based on how the first had failed to hook me and the sequal passed me by in the same way I wasn't very impressed.

Project Spark stood out to me however, by suggesting it would allow gamers to create and share games of their own creation. On the face of it this sounds amazing. However I fear it is rather over ambitious idea; and the fact that most of what was shown was little more than a CGI movie did little to abate these fears. I will reserve my excitement for this game when actual game play is shown. The same for both Scalebound and Phantom Dust, games which had no actual game play footage, so whilst looking rather cool and stylish I can't really make a judgement on whether I think they will be any good.

I love that Conker the Squirrel will finally return through Project Spark,
but can't help but wish he would get his own game again.

My highlight of Microsoft's conference was the trailer for Dragon Age: Inquisition, it showcased a return to Dragon Age: Origin's focus on beautiful open landscapes and an epic story line. The trailer left me feeling excited for its release and worried about the state of Fereldon (the world it is set in). I can't wait to get my hands on it, and experience the conclusion to the trilogies story.

Overall Microsoft did impress me, with their focus returning back to the games. I did notice a certain lack of Kinect related games and with the announcement of a Kinectless Xbox One package, suggests that perhaps they have finally stopped trying to push what many gamers like myself don't want.

EA

EA's press conference seemed to focus a lot on their sporting games, the Sims 4 and of course Battlefield 5. None of these really peak my interest. They gave some very bare details about both Mass effect 4 and Star Wars Battlefront, two of their games I had hoped to hear about. However, they seem to be a long way off and still very much in development. I do like that they emphasized Mass Effect 4's story which will feature new characters and locations; so at least fears of them trying to rehash Shephard's story from the original trilogy are eased for now.

Ubisoft

Ubisoft did little to enthuse me, but considering a large part of their efforts centered around Assassins Creed: Unity this is of little wonder as to why. Their trailer for The Division was cited as the highlight of their presentation, this looked a lot like a combination of The Last of Us and Homefront. It didn't look bad but with no gameplay shown it is hard to judge as I have mentioned earlier. They gave us a good look at Pagan Min, the lead bad guy in Far Cry 4, as I enjoyed the last game  I looked forward to this one. However the new villain feels very similar to Vaas, Far Cry 3's insane bad guy. Whilst Vaas was what made the game enjoyable I don't believe copying the character is a good way to go, after all if I wanted to see him again I'd just replay it. Still it isn't often a game will allow me to ride war elephant, so my interest has been caught somewhat. Lastly racing simulator The Crew suffers the same problem as Forza Horizon 2, that it looks like any other modern racer with little innovation apart from a shinier setting.

Pagan Min looking both stylish and insane!

However, any good feelings I could have had towards Ubisoft was lost when they made a statement concerning a yet to be released Wii U exclusive. A game that whilst complete, they refuse to release until the Wii U sells more consoles. They justify this action as they need to make the marketing financially viable, to me this just sounds petty and downright dirty. I understand that they need to ensure that a game will be able to at least break even and that sometimes this means being tactical in its release. But then why tease a game with minimal details and say it won't be released until a console sells better. To me this just seemed like a bit of a dig towards the Wii U and a bit unprofessional.

Sony

The last presentation of the night came from Sony and I have rather mixed feelings towards this one. It did not look good at first, as they opened with a trailer for Bungie's newest game Destiny. It looked a lot like a mix of Halo and Mass Effect, which whilst should sound good I think I'd rather see something that looks innovative. This feeling wasn't helped by the trailer for Uncharted 4 which showed Drake once more at a seemingly low point of a new expedition. It repeated the line 'one last time' a few times which I found ironic considering I believe that Uncharted 3 should be the end of the series. Then there is Little Big Planet 3, which also looked rather the same as past iterations; except with the introduction of three new characters. I admit that I do like how it will be backwards compatible with levels created from the first two, and that the new guys do indeed look cute.

What wasn't cute was the trailer for Dead Island 2, which I can assume was meant to be a funny look at the beginning stages of yet another zombie apocalypse. Instead it just looked gross and rather samey. Considering how I quickly grew bored of the first Dead Island I doubt I'll show much interest here. The gore only got worse with Let it Die a game that from the trailer looks like disemboweling people in the most vicious ways possible. The only thing I can see resulting from this one is yet more fodder for the media's hate towards Video games. I honestly felt ill watching this one and can't imagine myself going near it.

Then there was some great looking concepts that emerged. For instance, The Order: 1886 the upcoming Sony exclusive steampunk game, which from the trailer seemed now to be taking a survival horror approach. It showed a man walking the dark corridors of an asylum before taking on what I believe to be a werewolf. Werewolves themselves don't appear much in games so that is a different idea at least. Also looking rather different was Abzu, an underwater exploration game from the makers of Journey. This looked visually beautiful although I can't imagine it will have much storyline which is something I always want in a game.

Let it Die looks too grim and gore related for me

My two biggest highlights were the announcement of No Mans Sky and the remastering of Grim Fandango. The first from the trailers looks amazing; as we were shown game play footage of both planet exploration (with dinosaurs) followed by hoping in a spacecraft and flying through space. They seemed to suggest that the game would be different for every player with the the world being 'procedural generated'. This means to me that the game creates itself as you play, which if it becomes a reality is an awesome concept. The second whilst being the most removed you can get from a new idea still interests me. As Grim Fandango is a game I have always wanted to try, so now seems to a good time to.

Sony's presentation left me feeling rather mixed, they showed some games that didn't interest me, some that really interested me and the one that made me feel ill. However, I still think that between the PS4 and Xbox One I would buy a PS4 first. This isn't really as a result of E3 so far; as Microsoft impressed me this year more than Sony. Instead my choice comes from the exclusives already out for PS4 Although on principle I hate the idea of exclusives they do clearly have an impact.

I'm still holding out for Nintendo's digital event and really hope they give me something good, especially after the Ubisoft statement.

What have you seen that has interested you? I want to  know below!

Kevin Spacey image from the verge, Project Spark image from gameinformer, Pagan Min image from gamepur, Let it Die image from gamereactor,

Electronic Entertainments Expo 2014

In just a few short hours the Electronic Entertainments Expo (aka. E3) 2014 will be opening in Los Angeles. For those of you unaware, this is one of the biggest annual events in the gaming calendar. It runs for four days giving companies the chance to announce, show off and generally create hype for the games they have lined up for release in the year ahead. Unfortunately, as a poor student living in the UK I am unable to attend. However, I am going to keep myself updated using various live streams, and will be posting my thoughts on the announcements soon after they go live.

I am actually excited for this year's E3. The last few have passed me by as I felt little to no enthusiasm towards them, mainly because they seemed to be focused more on the consoles than the games. I was initially looking forward to the next generation console announcements, but these turned out to be a let-down in my opinion so I lost interest. To make matters worse, these events showcasing what could well be the next ten years or so of gaming seemed to be poorly organised. The PR handling and fan responses left me with a bad taste in my mouth. If I am honest I still feel disdain towards the Xbox One and the PS4. Sony and Microsoft are trying too hard to create entertainment systems with glitzy graphics, rather than fun and enjoyable games. My attention is rather captivated once more by Nintendo and a few other third party publishers who I believe are making games that are fun rather than visual spectaculars.

E3 begins with Microsoft's press conference on Monday the 9th of June at 4.30PM GMT. They will be followed by EA, Ubisoft, Sony and then Nintendo. This year I hope that because the new gaming consoles have now been released they will go back to focusing on games. I have checked their website to see what is on display and found a list with some promising titles.

A list of games confirmed to be shown at E3 can be found here.

These are the titles that are of great interest to me:

• Batman Arkham Knight
• Disney Infinity 2.0 (Childish I know, but come on. Who doesn't want to see Captain America get owned by Maleficent?)
• Dragon Age: Inquisition (The last part to yet another awesome Bioware made trilogy)
• Hyrule Warriors (The Legend of Zelda series given a Dynasty Warriors Twist)
• Kingdomhearts 2.5 and 3
• Legend of Zelda Wii U
• Mass Effect 4
• Pokemon Omega Ruby/ Alpha Saphire
• Super Smash Bros. Wiiu/3DS
• Warhammer 40K: The Eternal Crusade
• X (Monolith's WiiU game)

Where will Mass Effect go now Shephard's story is done?

And these are the ones that I'd like to keep an open mind for:

• Sonic Boom
• Star Wars Battlefront
• Tales From The Borderlands
• The Order: 1886
• The Evil Within

There are also some that I really don't want to see. For instance, both Halo 5 and Gears of War 4; two series that I loved, yet I think both should have ended by now. I don't want new installments as I feel that both have already had their most gripping story arcs completed. Of course, there is also Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and Battlefield 5,  I loathe the fact that yet more is being added to what I believe to be already stale franchises.

I can't help but wish that Master chief
would ride his Arbiter into the sunset.

Lastly, I really hope there are some surprises in store from E3. Although due to many 'leaks' that have occurred it seems like we have a good picture of what is being showcased. This is a shame in one respect as I do like a good surprise, but at the same time discovering what is being shown has also drawn my interest. One of my biggest secret wishes is that Nintendo gives me some real hope for the future of the Wii U.

E3 can be watched live from their website Here, and a list of games being displayed is here.

What are you looking forward to from E3 2014? Let me know in the comments!

Mass Effect image from the fuse joplin, E3 logo from gadgety news, Halo image from jujukind on Tumblr