It's the third, and final day of E3, so like the previous days, I will be giving my impressions and reporting news -- that I ripped from other sites of course -- about the games that I see today. I try my best not to repeat games, but at this point, after so many hours, it's hard to remember what exactly I've already seen. If I see new footage of games though, I will be sure to let you all know, because I know you all flock to an obscure blog for your E3 information.
Final Fantasy Explorers Is Coming Out For 3DS
http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/06/12/final-fantasy-explorers-announced-for-3ds
Final Fantasy Explorers is a multiplayer Final Fantasy where players search for Crystals while murdering Summons. You can choose from a variety of job classes. It sounds a little bit like Crystal Chronicles, and that's not bad because I played the first one and enjoyed it, despite the fact I never got to play it multiplayer because I didn't have a Game Boy (Advance, I think?) and it required that.
Fantasy Life -- Fantasy Life is the new Action-RPG/Life Simulator for the 3DS and it looks charming. There seems to be a bunch of choice in this game, as there are a bunch of different classes you can choose such as Paladin or Woodcutter, along with the numerous quests. You get a house eventually, and customization seems like a big deal... it seems like you can customize a lot of things, such as what you wear, to your house, to upgrading your bag so you can carry more stuff. For those who are really into co-op, they're saying that you can fully explore the world with a friend, which is a huge bonus for me. I already had this pre-ordered before I actually saw it, but after seeing some video and hearing more about it, I am definitely excited for this.
Road Not Taken -- A puzzle-Roguelike, where you play as a Ranger who has to rescue kids in the forest. Oh good, there's finally a game about my life. The Ranger can only pick up things and throw said things, and the limitation is... interesting. As you carry things, you lose energy so throwing them instantly is the most efficient way of doing things. Enemies react in different ways, such as a wolf who won't harm you unless you corner it, and enemies move when you do. Even though everything is procedural, they do have custom rooms that are littered throughout the thing that are more complex puzzles to solve. I'm not in love with Roguelikes, though there are certainly some I love, but Road Not Taken looks like a pretty refreshing take on it.
Codename S.T.E.A.M. -- It's a combination of American comic books, Steampunk, shooter and turn-based RPG. Instead of a top-down view, it is a third-person view so exploration on the battlefield is important since you can't just see everything. You have multiple characters with you, and the game operates on steam. With each action your steam reduces until your turn ends, or if you manage your steam and don't use it all, you can attack an enemy during their turn if they come into view. It looks extremely promising.
Not A Hero -- Not A Hero is a side-scrolling cover-based shooter with a ridiculous story that they literally only put in there because they felt they needed so so they made it silly. You basically just pick one of a few different characters and move from room to room, shooting things, but each level has a primary challenge and three optional challenges. Some levels involve you being in a building and it gets assaulted and you have to escape, to go along with the levels where you're doing the assaulting. You have a slide mechanic that when used allows you to take cover. I think Not A Hero could be fun, and if there's a lull in games when it comes out in January or February of next year I will give it a whirl, but it's not a must-play.
Hyrule Warriors -- There's something really cool about being on a battlefield with massive hordes of enemies and beating them down as the Zelda theme plays. The gameplay will probably get criticized if it's like Dynasty Warriors -- it certainly looks like it -- because button-mashing gets frowned upon these days, but I dig it once in a while. They put elements of Zelda in there like treasure chests, and the co-op is local: one person uses the screen on the Gamepad and one person uses the TV screen. As the game progresses you can open up new combos and whatnot, and there are huge boss battles, where the bosses just appear and "go crazy," and you will have to find their weak points. Basically, the game looks pretty awesome for fans of Dynasty Warriors. Fans of Zelda will also flock to it I'm sure, but since the core gameplay is Dynasty Warriors I reckon it's more for them.
EA UFC -- Okay, I already have this pre-ordered and I was going to get it regardless because I love MMA and every so often I just like to binge game combat sports games. I've played the demo, and I have to say this: I'm a little worried about this game and I'm really hoping for a good career mode. The moves are way too flashy for everybody that they've shown, which comes off as more of a "what non-MMA fans think it is" opposed to what it really is. The game looks gorgeous, and there are elements of it that are beautiful, but the AI in all the videos is terrible, and I'm not sure if I'm sold on the ground yet. I guess I really just have to get it, put hours upon hours into it, and then do a review. I do enjoy the free roster update idea, though. I'm extremely cautious with this one.
#IDARB -- #IDARB is an interactive sports game. Basically, two teams try to shoot on the opposing goal in a side-scrolling environment. Sounds simple? Yeah, in theory, but this game allows players to manipulate the playing area by hashtagging certain things. They can Rick Roll you, turn out the lights, get rid of all the white platforms and a bunch of other things. The only thing that I saw that pisses me off is the monster because a monster flashes up on screen and that's all you see for a split second, and that's more annoying than amusing. From what I am understanding, the players that you play as are actually created by people like you and they make it in the game. #IDARB makes me forget about my dislike of hashtags, and I'm really excited for this.
Project Spark -- I enjoy that we're at the point now in gaming where developers can give us these game creation tools and they actually look pretty sweet. I remember playing RPG Maker on Playstation 1 and while it amazed me at the time, it was a really bad version of a game that was fairly deep on PC. Project Spark looks great: so great in fact, that I was going to go get the beta for PC but then realized that it's only for Windows 8.
Hitman: Sniper -- The free mobile Hitman game comes out in Fall of this year. I'm conflicted about it, because this really isn't what I want from a Hitman game, but at the same time, it's free and there does appear to be different ways to kill someone... within the context of you being a sniper. I might get it since it's free and I can pick it up and play at work or something, but I don't really care about this at all.
Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham -- When the video started, all I could think is Resogun. They seem to be doing interesting things with the next incarnation of the hit series. I haven't played a Lego game in quite some time, so it's nice seeing where it was and where it is now.
The Crew -- What makes The Crew interesting to me is the focus on teamwork. As the developer said countless times during the presentation I saw, it's less about individual performance and more about working together. You don't often see that in a racing game, and it's a welcome diversion from the usual same ol' same ol'. Another example of this is, if you are playing alone, the game will send out invites to everybody who is playing the area you're in, and they can choose to accept. After the race, the game will ask if you want to make friends with the people. The game looks pretty and the driving mechanics are fine as well so it's another racing game to look forward to. Look for it November 11 of this year.
Habitat -- Want to know what everything is going to be like in 11000? Forget 2050 or something in the near future like most games, we're moving ahead milleniums and Robbie Williams ain't coming. In the future, we will be floating through space, using "space junk" to build space habitats. You choose want to want to add to your habitat, and then it's there. But watch out because there are exterior threats like enemy habitats and the nanomachines that pop up (I guess Solid Snake failed). You have to be smart about what you build though, because survival isn't easy in the vast universe. It's a fun premise, and it looks like it has a sense of humour as well, so I look forward to it. The guy representing the game also was one of the more lively developers that showcased their game, so he probably pumped me up more than I would originally have been. Seriously, I enjoyed listening to him talk.
P.S. There's a space dog who is, and I quote, "a real dog, he's just out for a walk right now."
Aztez - This is a game I was curious about and I saw a little bit of the combat in action and the beat 'em up aspects look like they function well. You can jump through the air and do some crazy moves, and it all seems fluid, even now. The art style is black and white but the blood is red, which works quite well. There's a strategy aspect to the game but I don't entirely understand it right now but it's a game to keep your eye on.
Lovers In A Dangerous Spacetime -- It's a co-op game where you have to run to different stations and defend your ship. I'm always all for co-op, and it appears that it's truly co-op in the sense that you're always going to be something. It looks like you don't die individually, but you die as a team. I love that mechanic. Like Aztez, this is an indie game for ID@Xbox that is definitely worth paying attention to.
Elegy For A Dead World -- You are a writer, and you explore a bunch of worlds inspired by British romantic poets and you... write about it? At first you just fill in the blanks, but you can actually just delete everything and write whatever the hell you want. There is also a mode apparently where there are no prompts to write and you just scribble notes down wherever you want. Your notes are visible to other players. It's a pretty game with a neat synopsis and gameplay concept, but even as a (wannabe) writer myself, I'm not sure if I want to play it, which is really strange because the game is literally blending together the two things I'm most into -- games and writing. I think it's a novel exercise and I can see how it'd encourage creativity though, so I'm going to keep an eye on it and see how this unfolds.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain -- First of all, I love listening to Japanese people talk Japanese when discussing Metal Gear because it's funny hearing "Snake-uh" in the middle of it. Aside from that, I wasn't really told much else today and I didn't see anymore gameplay. This is my most anticipated game because I'm a huge Metal Gear fan, so I felt it necessary to at least mention it on the final day of E3. It looks awesome and it will be awesome.
E3 is over now. The wrap-up shows have commenced, the Nintendo Tree House is over, and I am going to click the pretty publish button and be on my way... to write one more post about E3. Yes, that's right. Check back in a while if you're reading this as soon as it was published, because I'm going to do an awards post for E3.
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