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E3 3005 Report
Ubi had a nice set up again.
There was an Rainbow six Lockdown competition over the three days.
Ghost Recon 3 on XBox was there of course, but sadly only gameplay footage was shown.
Prince of Persia 3 looks amazing and more darker than before.
Check out these Prince of Persia 3 concept art graphics.
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From what I could see, '187 Ride Or Die' looked to be just 'another' arcade driving game, and there was very little to see of 'And 1' which is Ubi's first entry into sports games. |
Far Cry: Instincts was there again, and we've been assured an '05 release for this XBox title. There was no Far Cry PC expansion or Silent Hunter 4 to be seen.
Far Cry Jet Ski
'Blazing Angels' was a great looking WWII arcade flyer [think 'Combat Ace' with propellers], and should do well on the XBox.
Blazing Angels
Finally, 'King Kong' was there by way of a cinema showing gameplay.
And 1 from Ubisoft |
I was very surprised, that after all the 'Battlefield 2' marketing that we've seen and the online enthusiasm in anticipation of this game, its E3 presence was a disappointment.
It was just 'another' game on the EA stand! Maybe because it's out next month, that EA weren't making a big song and dance, but to be honest I thought it was pathetic, and I couldn't even find anyone handy to actually talk about the game, and I visited the stand several times.
The game looks and plays great though. Bright graphics and plenty of action.
Another EA title, 'Black & White 2' continues the beauty and originality of the the first, and another title from Peter Molyneax's Lionhead Studios is 'The Movies' , although published by Activision.
Long in the making, 'The Movies' is a Hollywood film making sim. Build your cast, your crew and your sets, you actually make films which which can be uploaded to their websites and which will then be critiqued by fans.
Very original, lots of fun and wide open to popular satire of current world events and Hollywood gossip. |
A 'Company of Heroes' thread has already been started in our forums here, and I have to say that sitting in the small cinema to watch the gameplay and talk to the developers was well worth it and very rewarding. Relic, the developers, brought us 'Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War' and there are some similarities in the gameplay, including ragdoll physics.
It's probably the best looking WWII RTS I've ever seen. |
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Set in Normandy, I saw a whole village destroyed before my eyes as GI's fought hard against Nazi soldiers. It was loud and action packed and the attention to detail was breathtaking. The footage I saw started by following a US patrol along a road. I actually thought it was FMV, but I was told afterwards that there was no FMV in the film. You have the ability to zoom right into the map to observe, in great detail, the gameplay, or pan out to control the game more effectively. If you've never played RTS games before, at least watch the gameplay if you get an opportunity. RTS fans will love it.
Whilst on the subject of WWII, a few more titles I'll touch upon are 'Codename Panzers: Phase 2' , the second release in the very popular and highly acclaimed 'Panzers series and 'Panzer Elite Action: Fields Of Glory . I was really impressed with the latter and you can see screenshots and the trailer on JoWood's website .
The only Quake 4 I saw was the same XBox gameplay footage I think we've all seen. I was assured that the PC version won't be a port and will look identical apart from the controls. Interestingly enough, id aren't developing it. Raven Games are, and it's based on the Doom 3 engine.
Sadly, Konami's 'The Regiment' was absent from the show. A Japanese Konami staff member explained that it was a 'European' title and that's all he knew about it. I wonder if it's too early in development to show or it's not going to be a triple A title!
AA was there again, but they had a smaller stand and were making less of a fuss, although they had a tent outside and there was some helicopter action to be seen again.
Consoles
'Destroy All Humans' is an original and fun game [Think 'Grand Theft Alien'] and I took a few shots of the stand.
As you can see it was done in a 50's cinema front style, in keeping with the genre of the game. I'm really looking forward to it. |
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EA's 'From Russia With Love' is a nice move on the Bond franchise, especially as it features Sean Connery [The Man] himself. It's set mainly around the original storyline, although EA have added a few gadgets eg. the jet pack, from other Connery Bond films.
Nintendo's 'Zelda' probably had one of the biggest queues at E3, so consequently I couldn't be bothered, although the gameplay I saw before and after the show is really beautiful. A must for fans.
Call of Duty will have an all format sequel. 'CoD: Big Red One' , developed by Gray Matter Studios, will be available on all current gen consoles. It follows a group of soldiers in the US 1st Infantry Division and its campaigns in North Africa, Sicily and Normandy.
However, a different game completely, CoD2 [working title], will appear on the 360 and the PC. It's being developed by Infinity Ward, the original developers of CoD, and I have to say the gameplay I saw was absolutely amazing.
Typical 360 footage, bright, sharp, clear and very detailed. Trailer and 360 screenshots here , and PC screenshots and developer interview here. |
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Sierra were there, pushing the console version of 'Delta Force BHD', but there was nothing new to see.
Two Q4 titles, 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe' and 'Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge' both looked amazing.
'Heroes Of The Pacific' was another WWII arcade flyer, looked identical to Ubi's game and was great fun to play.
Finally, Relic had another title in the making 'The Outfit' for XBox 360, but it typical 360 fashion, there was only gameplay footage to see. Certainly one to look out for.
The Outfit
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