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
No comments:
Post a Comment