E3 2012 coverage - day three
There were trailers, playable tech demos and demonstrations available, which revealed some really exciting news about some of the hottest games coming out over the next twelve months.
Hitman: Absolution
Two games really stood out for me on the PlayStation 3, Grand Theft Auto 5, and the promising Hitman: Absolution - Attack Of The Saints. The combination of smooth gameplay and a new social element make me think the latest title in this awesome series has a lot of potential. The demo I saw is set in Chinatown, where Agent 47 is busy taking out a drug baron.
Stealth is once again key, and because the gameplay is set in a crowded town centre you're encouraged to think around the situation, move quickly and think fast. At the end of the mission (once the target is successfully ‘removed’), you are given a score based on your speed, efficiency, and accuracy. These scores will be placed on a leaderboard, which will encourage you to try and beat friends. As anyone who’s spent hours stuck on a level on Hitman will know, there is an element of process of elimination to finding the best method for dispatching your target. This, combined with the competitive streak a leaderboard encourages, should make this game very exciting for fans of stealth gaming.
Kingdom Hearts 3D: Drop Distance
I was really looking forward to seeing gameplay footage of Kingdom Hearts 3D: Drop Distance, and I’m pleased that it looks every bit as good as I was hoping the latest instalment in the Kingdom Hearts series would be.
Kingdom Hearts first got my attention on the DS way back in 2010 as an RPG that’s often overlooked in the UK. It deserves far more recognition than it has had previously; I hope this new title for the 3DS will bring it to the attention of UK gamers. Final Fantasy developers Square Enix’s RPG is set in a Disney Universe, where a multitude of Disney characters are all involved in situations together. The main character, Sora, is on a mission to find his friends, and throughout his quest he encounters Disney characters, as well as some characters from the Final Fantasy series. The stories of the games have always been well written, and the gameplay everything you would expect from the same people that brought us Final Fantasy.
The new Kingdom Hearts looks set to be no exception to the rule with regards to the previous games: it looks action-packed, fun, colourful and like a great RPG that will appeal to all ages. Fluid animation, fast-paced gameplay and the awesome 3D graphics make me think this will be the first game for the 3DS I’ve got really excited about!
You can check out the demo video below:
Crysis 3
If you bought a gaming PC in 2008/9, you were probably asked on more than one occasion if your gaming setup was capable of running Crysis. Known as the benchmark for a high-end gaming PC, the notoriously resource-intensive yet stunning Crysis won gamers over everywhere with its gorgeous visuals and high-octane sci-fi battles. 2011’s Crysis 2 was met with an equally positive response, and the third episode once again looks impressive.
EA's new fast-paced First Person Shooter is shaping up to meet expectations. I think that it will really come into its own on the PC, running at a high frame rate in HD, and as with titles like 2012’s Skyrim and Battlefield 3, we may see the Xbox and the PlayStation 3’s older graphics chips inhibit the game a little from looking as fluid as the developers intended.
Star Wars 1313
So, you’ve played the many Star Wars games that have come out over the last 30 years, Episode One Racer, Lego Star Wars, The Old Republic, even flailed your arms about like an overexcited chimp on Kinect Star Wars. And you enjoyed them. But, do you really want to start playing another Star Wars franchise? George Lucas thinks you do! LucasArts’ latest milking of the Star Wars cash cow brings us into the dark underworld of planet Coruscant 1313 as a bounty hunter, sending us on assassination missions. As someone who loves stealth games in depressing urban environments, I was excited, but a little cynical. Observing Uncharted-esque platforming combined with some pretty exciting shooting action has left me wanting to see more of this game.
Call of Duty: Black Ops II
Treyarch’s latest contribution to the Call of Duty franchise, Call of Duty: Black Ops II somewhat passed me by when I was looking at the E3 schedule. I enjoyed Black Ops, which was set in the Cold War, but found myself taking it a little less seriously than the Modern Warfare series, for its inclusion of Zombies and mind control elements. However, I can say without doubt that Black Ops II looks awesome. Explosive action scenes, varied gameplay (there are parts on horseback, which leave me missing Red Dead Redemption, and some frighteningly realistic urban environments) and the kind of battle mechanics we expect from the Call of Duty series all combine to make what looks to make another amazing title (and inevitably, another record breaking release) for the series. For me, Black Ops II really looks like one of the best games we will see over the next twelve months, and I can’t wait to try out what looks set to be a fantastic campaign mode, and undoubtedly another awesome multiplayer mode from Treyarch!