I already took the time to tell you about my favorite game from the IndieCade section of this year’s E3 show floor, but it was far from the only game on display. I have an unhealthy love for independent games — you tend to see some of the most creative and least “safe” ideas in gaming when you’re not answering to a publisher. This isn’t to say that every independent game is a winner, but IndieCade is dedicated to putting indie’s best foot forward at various high-profile gaming events, so there’s typically some choice selections on display. We got to play a few, and we share these innovators with you, after the break. Continue Reading

I feel like I might not have gotten the proper experience out of my Alpha Protocol demonstration last week, since I didn’t employ any stealth or guile when gaining access to Sega’s E3 booth. There I was, coming in to see an espionage RPG, and I walked right in the front door with legitimate credentials. What a wasted opportunity to spark an international incident and get burned! I learned from the demo, however, that not every spy game is about lies, hiding in the shadows, and/or choking people. When you play Alpha Protocol, you too will have plenty of chances to choose between a safe, boring entry and a sneaky, underhanded one. Our preview has more details, after the jump. Continue Reading

Think of it. The brain of a dead man waiting to live again in a body I made with my own hands! Now I know what it feels like to be God! Okay, so, maybe Monster Lab isn’t quite so fraught with moral dilemmas as your standard mad science story. We can still have a good time without the innocent flower girl being mauled to death, can’t we? That’s the hope, anyway, as I learned from my demo of Monster Lab last week at Eidos’ E3 booth. I was able to witness what man hath wrought in the name of science, and I share my horrifying tale after the jump. Step into my parlor… Continue Reading

Poor Sonic. Intriguing RPGs and Smash appearances aside, the blue blur has fallen on some hard times lately; he hasn’t had a solid core game since, arguably, Sonic Adventure 2, 7 years ago. I know, I’ve been checking up on him. I played Sonic Heroes, and I played Shadow the Hedgehog. I played the demo for Sonic 2006, and that was enough. Still, I’m one of those irrepressible fans, the kind who puts on a big smile and says “This time, it’ll be great!” again and again. Thus, when E3 rolled around last week and I had a chance to visit the Sega booth, I took the time to stop by and check in once again with Sonic and his upcoming adventure, Sonic Unleashed. As a result, I’m not willing to give up hope just yet. Impressions after the jump. Continue Reading

When it was revealed just prior to E3 that Castlevania Judgment would be a 3D fighting game, the news was met with equal parts disdain and disbelief. How could classic 2D platforming possibly translate to 3D fighting? How could Konami — master of platformers, shooters and music games — even create a competent fighter? You’re kidding, right?

They weren’t kidding — but the other two questions still stand, because even though I got considerable hands-on time with the title, I still don’t quite know whether Castlevania Judgment has what it takes to succeed. Continue Reading

It was somewhere around my visit to Eidos‘ booth at last week’s E3 that I started to realize just how many games are using the naming scheme “Something: Something Else.” This didn’t detract, thankfully, from my hands-on demo of Battlestations: Pacific, the sequel to 2007 WW2 RTS/action combat title Battlestations: Midway. I had a chance to take control of a few planes (well, several planes; I’m an awful pilot) and get a look at how Eidos’ upcoming alternate-history game would play out. Continue Reading

As a lifelong gamer who’s lived through six generations of home consoles and their concurrent hype, I don’t impress very easily. I’m not completely cynical, mind you; I can appreciate nice visuals and inventive concepts when I see them. It’s just not very often, these days, that a well-executed game will get more than a verdict of “that looks nice” from me. So, when I attended the PlatinumGames demonstration at Sega’s E3 booth this year, I hope you understand that when I say my jaw hit the floor, I mean it. The two games being shown off by Capcom’s ex-development studio (and you know how I feel about their previous work) were easily the most impressive games I saw for the duration of the E3 summit. If Sega and Platinum can deliver on these titles, we’re all in for some incredible-looking games. It is my sincere hope that they play even half as well. Continue Reading

The British are coming! Also, the French, Russians, and possibly the Ottomans are coming, to Empire: Total War for the PC, the 18th Century addition to the Total War franchise. Until they get here, however, we’ll have to settle for preview coverage, like the demonstration we got last week at the E3 Summit while visiting Sega’s booth. We saw all manner of seafaring slaughter in this upcoming RTS/Turn-Based Strategy from The Creative Assembly, and our impressions await you after the jump. Step lively! Continue Reading

We were just about to leave the show floor at E3 2008 for a private appointment, but saw something beautiful out of the corner of our eye.  Rain, thick and as realistic as we’d ever seen, was completely drenching a gritty, war-torn world just the other side of a large LCD screen. We had to have a closer look — and minutes later, when Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway producer Stephen Palmer saw us agape and offered a quick tour, we were powerless to refuse. Continue Reading

At last week’s E3 Summit, we stopped in to visit Eidos, and check up on what Lara Croft has been up to since her anniversary. It would seem she’s staying active, which is nice for a franchise her age. Eidos treated us to a sneak peek at Tomb Raider: Underworld, showing us a few of the moves and locations in Lara’s repertoire, and we share our impressions with you after the jump. Continue Reading