Sunday 1 April 2012

Writer’s Block II – What we’re waiting for from E3


Continuing from where I left off last Wednesday, I want to try and expound on the types of game I’ll be waiting to see at E3.  I know E3 is a good 2 months away, but realistically game companies would probably need all of that time, since much of what I’m looking for was absent (as usual) from the GDC.

First, let’s comment on the positives.  Fire Emblem: Awakening 3DS looks great, and adds a lot of new ideas, including a custom player character and multiple unit attacks, to the formula.  I’m still looking forward to seeing how Support Relationships can influence such combats.  Most interesting is the rumor that a new magic is being added to retrieve lost allies from the dead, which is looking more and more likely to be true.  While I appreciate that Permadeath can be turned off for the purists like myself, I sense a missed opportunity.

Full disclosure: I haven’t played the Japan only Hero of Light and Shadow due to the lack of localisation for English, so I could be making much ado about misinformation.  But consider the thought, often cited as the difference between Fire Emblem and the majority of games on the market, that death is always permanent.  Sometimes you can’t help but sacrifice a unit to advance.  It may be a game, but it’s a game of war, and this is what war is all about: the future, and the steps taken, even through treacherous and unsafe, even suicidal ground, to get there.  Fire Emblem forced that appreciation, in Path of Radiance and GBA Fire Emblem no less than in Shadow Dragon, when Marth is given a difficult choice that ‘someone’ must be sacrificed to lead off the army and allow his escape.

But here is the missed opportunity: I sacrificed four allies, not particularly useful allies but they all have potential if you work hard enough.  Now I have a wand of resurrection, much like a hammerne.  It puts allies back together again, but I only get to use it once, twice, maybe even a full three times.  So whom among the four do I bring back?  With permadeath turned off, they all come back after the battle.  I can be an idiot commander, a fool, and not lose allies, ever.  But if I have to pay to bring them back, suddenly I have to make more emotionally deep choices.  That feels completely in line with Fire Emblem, far more than no permadeath or the option of no permadeath.  Just a thought, about where the series is going.  I intend to buy it either way!

Kid Icarus’ pack-in AR cards has me playing with the AR camera again, and there is more talk of card distribution methods.  Nothing seems to be coming that makes better use of this mechanic than Spirit Camera, which hopes to bring seriously creepy scenes right into gamers living rooms, or wherever they game.  I hope to hear of more of these types of games as time goes on.  Perhaps Nintendo, you could give this mechanic full expression with Mr. Game and Watch, of all your IPs.  Think of the possibilities, of selling new AR cards and using the camera to change animations with a push of the button.  Adding new cards adds new effects.  I would be an odd new property, but Mr. G&W is the best of all for showing off what the AR cards can do, and has a long history of working brilliantly with static backgrounds and halting, repetitive animations.  He, singularly, could overcome those limits – he always could before.

What the 3DS needs most, though, are RPGs.  Fire Emblem Awakening will help, and Square-Enix’s Heroes of Ruin will do perhaps the most to help, but I for one can’t wait for details on an all new 3DS Zelda.  I’m crazy like that.  While Nintendo is never known for rushing their work, and we thank them for it, a few singular pieces of concept art at E3 could go a long way.  Playable demos always go further of course.  While I’m on the subject, though I expect no way that they will be playable, Metroid and Smash Bros would be welcome news indeed.  Luigi’s Mansion 2 is the last title from last year’s E3 to see any new publications, so I’m preparing myself for news that it has been delayed, but hey, when has Nintendo stalling for more Quality been a bad thing.

Let me cut the chase and get to the star of the show, or what I like to call my last priority.  As in, there is no way I will drop $300 or more dollars for a Playstation 3 Clone for only games I could have on a Playstation.  Did I lose anyone?  I refer to the Wii2.  I hate the name announced last E3, and refuse to use it.

Wii2 has a short list of seen demos from last E3 showing the new tablet and the kinds of games it could open up.  It also includes an HD demo of Zelda, with no promises that any Zelda will come from that.  I hold no hope of seeing an HD Zelda at launch, since Skyward Sword was only just launched, and is by reports one of the most expensive Zeldas ever.  While I still hope for a new adventure using many of the assets designed for Ocarina of Time 3DS to cut down development time, realistically the pricey but gorgeous visuals of Skyward Sword will likely stay rooted to the old console.  I look forward to being wrong, but in any case I don’t see HD Zelda coming to a game anytime soon.

That brings us to the question of what is coming this E3 for the new console.  With many answers coming up Batman Arkham City or Assassin’s Creed III, that leaves Nintendo’s announced properties at Battle Mii and Chase Mii.  Some fully realized first party games, the likes of which can’t be obtained elsewhere, would be a requirement.  Otherwise, why not just get a PS3, or <gasp> upgrade the PC for them.  Leaving the Gamecube controller and library behind is a painful enough sacrifice as it is, and one that I won’t make without good reason.  Pikmin III would be a good start, but this sort of launch requires Mario, Link and Samus on the front lines.  Here’s hoping that this doesn’t slow down the 3DS, just the same.
 
That’ll do it for tonight.  I’ll try the creative writing again tomorrow.  Till next time, gaming fans
Keep that control stick smokin’ – Bowser, Super Mario 64

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