E3 came and left within a heartbeat leaving nothing behind but the countless moments to be remembered… that is of course until next year. This year, like every year, getting your hands on a game is considered an accomplishment. I happened to get my hands on several titles, and maybe tell you a few things to look forward to.

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E3 2003: More Hands-Ons...

007: EVERYTHING OR NOTHING

The current standard of FPS games began on the N64 with the release of Goldeneye. The game quickly established itself amongst the best games ever released, and drove the bar to a higher level. How can EA improve upon this? They thought they had found their answer with the release of Nightfire, another James Bond FPS, though the game didn’t meet gamers standards. This was not what they had expected from a company of its caliber. Now, EA will try a different approach as they plan to release yet another James Bond game, trying to make it as remembered as Goldeneye was.

Unlike the previous Bond games, EoN will be played in third-person. The demo being shown had Bond come down from the side of a building, while dodging gunshots and fiery-explosions. Upon reaching the surface, he will cut his wire and begin his shooting rampage of licensed killing. The targeting system implemented is just like many others such as Metroid Prime where the system automatically locks onto the enemy. The action remained rhythmic, moving along just as a Bond film would. In fact, the feel of the game implied a movie-like feel and easily became enjoyable.

However, the flaws of the game degraded its value dramatically. One issue was with the camera angle. It couldn’t be adjusted and became annoying as it was fixated in the worst angles. Half of the time I had myself shooting towards the noise of gunshots, unaware of the enemy’s location. The other severe problem was with the movement of Bond. Third-person games are usually simple to control and move, giving the player lots of freedom. Not in this case. The movement seemed to be altered to become smooth and seamless, though making quick turns and quick changes nearly impossible.

The title was entertaining, though the setbacks really set the game…back. Hopefully EA will act upon these issues, and create a simple yet accessible system.

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TEENAGE MUTNAT NINJA TURTLES

When the SNES received the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 4: Turtles of Time, I was one of the first to pick up a copy. The game was highly addictive blended in with luminous graphics and simple gameplay. Now, the turtles are making a return. The new TMNT game will be cel-shaded and featuring all of the four artists back in action.

The playable demo set me back into a tunnel of memories remembering all of those great

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moments spread throughout Turtles In Time. One of the first things noticed is the striking resemblance the game has with its forerunner. That being the style of gameplay and speed of combat. Compared to TMNT 4 – both seemed identical. Minus the new graphics and new consoles, the game looked and felt exactly like the SNES version. Though that seems like a downside, it was actually the complete opposite. The feel of the game was similar, but remained fresh and innovative with the new graphics. The camera angle is constantly moving as if on a ballpoint, making all of the action visible, as well as stay in rhythm with the style. The turtles themselves were duplicated based off of the same scale, though with smoother and more flowing moves. While playing through, numerous characters remembered from the previous games poop up constantly, such as the robotic dogs.

The game is targeted to a younger audience, noticeable through the cel-shaded graphics and continuous comic book references. Fortunately, that doesn’t take away from the value, persistent with great action. If you’re worried about repetitive gameplay, that mistake being revealed with Hunter: The Reckoning, their shouldn’t be anything to worry about with this title. The invariable locales and constant addition of varying enemies, TMNT should establish itself as a solid title, with a limitless replay value.

SYPHON FILTER: THE OMEGA STRAIN

One of the last games I played at E3, Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain (SFOS) was one of the more memorable. I happened to play the game in a co-op mode on two separate screens making the title more impressive, being one of the few co-op games on display.

The setting of the game remained dark and less attracted to color as other games. The graphics were still notable, showing off the striking detail on shadows and shading effects. The game, like all of its predecessors was in the third-person and had an automatic locking system if you held down on of the buttons. The game was extremely fun and more impressive then the previous games, though one minor setback ceased all of those thoughts. The PS2 alongside me froze through mere minutes of playing, showing the fragmented design of beta games. Chances are this will be fixed and the game will be shipped as a quality title. Hopefully they will also have time to form an original premise for the game, as most sequels seem to rely on features and visual discrepancies.

XIII

This inventive FPS will be breaking some barriers later this year, becoming the first FPS to hit both the PC and consoles systems. The premise of the game is still uncertain, but what is known is that you control a character who is found lying on a beach with “XIII” tattooed on his chest.

Like earlier stated the game will be cel-shaded. Before you go on a rant about the weakness of cel-shading, Ubi Soft has done a superb job of blending the comic book style and graphics; alongside the FPS action we all expect. The demo shown was mighty impressive, showing off its graphics engine and gameplay. I played the version on the PC which look much better then the consoles versions, which seemed to show jagged lines around the characters. The action was similar to No One Lives Forever 2, carrying almost the same elements.

Overall there weren’t any visible problems with the game, even though XIII was attempting a new feat. The best feature of all was the presence of comic book style themes. Such as the bold fonts that make the sounds of an action: “KA-POW”, “ARGHHH”, and countless others. XIII was the most innovative game I could get my hands on, and one of the most stable.

- Eric "element" Lahiji

May 25, 2003


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