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Saturday, May 21, 2011

E3 2011 Preview

I like to talk about video games. Do you? Of course you do; now have a drink of kool aide and let’s have a chat. Why the sudden decision to discuss games on this blog? Well I want to and it’s my damned blog, so I will. It also help to know that E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) is just around the corner and is sure to provide a lot of fun topics of discussion. E3 is the game industry’s main trade show. Most of the major developers attend and announce a wide range of games and hardware. It's also just a great way to get your epeen hard. So over the next few Saturdays my friend Alex and I are going to have at some of the most intriguing topics leading into the show held June 7-9.

I know the first thing most of you want to hear about when talking about E3 is the impending Wii 2 announcement. We will get to that next week in a full blow post dedicated just to Nintendo’s little Wii Stream or Wii Nii or Project CafĂ©; what ever they are calling it. I think it is important to note we know nothing about it. Everything we’ve heard is total speculation other than it does exist. I guess next week could be considered more of a wish list? I’ve already said too much. I guess I really will be interested to see what information we really do get at E3 2011. It seems like a lot of developers have been announcing things away from E3 in recent years. Not to mention giant developers like Blizzard have their own shows completely; so they may more efficiently bathe in our money and tears. The big three console makes (Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo) usually roll out the red carpet though. We pretty much know what Nintendo’s show is going to be about. What about Sony and Microsoft? Maybe Sony’s big announcement will be the rebirth of their online network (if it's still not completely back up by June... should Sony even show up at all)? Microsoft will probably try to convince us how awesome Kinect is, despite having to rearrange your entire living space just to use it.

I am also intrigued by a relatively new comer to E3. Mojang, the minds behind Minecraft, will be there! Okay, everyone roll your eyes now because I’m talking about Minecraft again. It really has been the most creative game of the past year. The idea behind it is so simple. It really lets the user generate the content, and I believe user generated content is going to be a large part of the future of gaming. Not only Minecraft, I’m excited to see what all the independent developers are going to bring to the table. The market is saturated with Call of Duty clones and the like. These young upstart developers can’t rely on flashy graphics and huge advertising budgets to make it. They have to make solid game play that pushes the envelope to get noticed. I think they are going to change gaming the same way their big budget counter parts did fifteen years ago when they were all just getting started. So please everyone, support indy gaming.

On a personal note before I let Alex have the floor, I do hope to hear something about Too Human 2. Recently it was reported that the game is not dead, as most people have thought. I may be in the minority, but it is one of my favorite games this console generation. It is fresh and new for its genre. It is also addictive and I’m still playing it two years post release. That says something about it I think. Or I am just a fanboy; wouldn't be the first time I've been called that.

-Hobo Dan

Hello, all. I am the man known simply as Alex, and I’m here to talk about video games. Why me? Well I own almost every system known to man and have been playing video games since before I could read. I also assume that if you really don’t care about games you’ve already stopped reading, or are already slogging through Hobo Dan’s babble and won’t mind reading mine as well.

E3 is upon us. It seems every year is a toss up as to whether or not E3 has good news to tell the industry and its patrons. Since we’re saving our speculations for a later post, I’ll leave the real info out until then. What I can say is that this: I’m hoping for some new IPs (intellectual properties). The Call of Duty series is becoming a Madden-esque yearly installment and Final Fantasy has hit rock bottom. We need new ideas. What will be the next Devil May Cry, Guitar Hero, or Shadow of the Colossus? Okay, maybe it doesn’t matter for CoD because they could make game with only one new feature and the sheep would flock to the store throwing their money at cashiers. Personally, I’m hoping for bowel voiding upon character death as the newest feature.

For us gamers E3 is pretty much a giant cock tease. We get pictures, trailers, demos, and announcements for upcoming games set to release in the next year or two. The big 3 (Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo) and various 3rd party developers use this venue to start fervor for their next big blockbuster. What does this year hold? Who knows? Speculation starts next week so tune in!

-Alex

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