E3

A few thoughts on what I’ve seen talked about throughout the game-o-sphere:

It seems like most people’s reactions to Nintendo’s conference was a big shrug of the shoulders. Everyone seemed interested in WiiFit, but not much else. I can’t blame them. The Nintendo’s stable of games is being replenished by old stand-bys (Mario Kart, Super Mario, Metroid [so purty!]) but other than that, not a whole lot. I’m not that interested in WiiFit, personally. I see what they’re doing and I guess they should be commended for it, but I’d rather go to the actual gym and pump some iron. I’m also a bigger guy, so the thought of me getting on that balance board thingie is laughable. I’d snap that thing in two in two seconds flat.

Fracture for the 360 looks interesting.

I didn’t play the original Fallout games but I know its pedigree. Fallout 3 on the 360 has me very intrigued. bethesda

On the other hand, Fable 2 does not interest me in the least. Fool me once and all that.

Finally, I know I’m in a tiny minority here (made up of probably myself and a couple teenage girls) but I still don’t see the allure of Guitar Hero. Now even Nintendo is getting in on the GH action with the Wii. I’m still not swayed.

(Gametrailers is quickly becoming one of my favorite sites. All this media to consume!)

Things are going to be somewhat quiet around here over the next week. With the forthcoming onslaught of information and booth babes that E3 brings with it, the signal-to-noise ratio goes way down, to almost imperceptible levels, rendering any discussion moot for a while. While I eat up all the information that accompanies the cacophony, I don’t buy in to much of the hype. I’m excited to see what Nintendo has to show off (starting this morning!) and all the new games make my inner-nerd twitter in anticipation, but I’ve always got my guard up, lest I be let down yet again.

All that being said, I’m anxious to see people’s reactions to the Wii controller. I certainly hope it lives up to its hype. I also hope Nintendo has some more concrete plans about their online gaming service. I’d love to see them offer something similar to Xbox Live with Gamerscores and the Live Arcade. There are so many possibilities that they could do with their download service. And will there be Wii/DS connectivity? I wouldn’t be surprised. I also wouldn’t be surprised if their presentation starts of with, “Wii were just kidding. It’s not called the Wii. It’s still the Revolution.” And I stand by my other prediction that Zelda will be a Wii-only release. That would be fine by me.

On the gaming front, I can still be found in the EVE-Online universe, ridding the galaxy of bad guys, one pirate at a time. I’m also very excited to see that the New Super Mario Bros. game is getting rave reviews. The return to 2D is very exciting. I think this will be my next pick up. I’ll be out of town this weekend, visiting with the in-laws, so that means lots of NCAA 2006. With details leaking out about 2007, I figure it’s time I get my money’s worth out of 2006.

So I won’t be commenting too much on the E3 happenings in real-time here. I’d suggest you check out Joystiq’s E3 coverage or Evil Avatar. That’s where I’ll be.

So as you may or may not know, I am not at E3. I’m perfectly okay with that, I have no desire to be around such a nerd herd that is the Expo. But I can’t deny how exciting it would be to see the press conferences, wander the floor in awe, meet cool people and play even cooler games. Alas, such is not my lot in life. But bloggers are there en masse and I am cool with that.

I would frequent Gamespy/IGN and Gamespot for my E3 fixes in years past. Not this year. I’m sticking to my fellow bloggers for my information. Funny how that works. They know what the gamers want and are covering the Expo with aplomb.

The major 3 consoles have held there press conferences and I have mixed feelings. Sony’s and Microsoft’s presentations sounded more like pissing contests while Nintendo was low-key and focused on the games. (I tip my hat in Joystiq’s direction, they have done a bang-up job on their coverage)

Nintendo seems to be catching a lot of flak for their presentation and their direction in general (although some people seemed to have enjoyed it). After last years trash-kicking (see: Reggie-lution) the bar was set unfavorably high for them. From what I’ve read, Nintendo did just fine. They avoided the muscle flexing and were more about the games. That works for me. I’d love to see Nintendo contend this generation (and I think they will) I just wish they’d get more respect. They’re not George Lucas, for crying out loud! The Micro this is a little weird, but come on! I can play games ON, not WITH an NES controller. Cool, if it costs 39 bucks or less.

Currently I’m torn between the Xbox 360 and the PS3. I will buy a Revolution, that much is clear. (hat tip to Kotaku for the great spec coverage and Top Of Cool has a great comparison of specs here) Now the question comes down to the other console (I don’t have the cash or desire to own all three). Halo 3 weighs heavily on the decision. The PS3 controller looks horrible in its present form but I’d like to feel it and see how well it flies when I’m tee-oh’ed. That bomerang shape may come in handy. Right now I could go either way with my 2nd console.

Of course, it comes down to the games and that’s my current beef. Outside of Gears of War, I’m not seeing anything original. What is this, Hollywood? Nevertheless, Nintendo could release a thousand Zelda games, I’d play them all and love every minute of it. I mean look at this stuff!

Wondering how the food at E3 is? Damned Machines has it covered!

I haven’t even mentioned PC games yet (which I admit that I don’t play as much as consoles) but I do love the Strategy genre and I am pumped about Age of Empires 3. Troy, at Portico, has a great list of E3 Strategy games here. I’d like to see what E3 holds in store for Guild Wars (and other MMOGs). On the shooter front, Quake 4 looks rock solid.

My bloglines feed reader is virtually empty.

Something big must be happening.