{"id":6083,"date":"2011-06-11T16:20:09","date_gmt":"2011-06-11T22:20:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gamesanityblog.com\/?p=6083"},"modified":"2011-06-11T16:20:09","modified_gmt":"2011-06-11T22:20:09","slug":"carys-return-to-e3-day-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/2011\/06\/11\/carys-return-to-e3-day-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Cary’s Return to E3: Day 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Well another E3 has come and gone. The Electronic Entertainment Expo is the largest trade show for the video game industry, and since I went this year, here\u2019s my coverage of it! Now, I\u2019m going to do things a bit differently for my articles. Most of the hardcore gaming sites out there have already covered the popular and mainstream games. But I never see any coverage of some of the smaller games and family-friendly titles. So since that\u2019s where my interests lie, and since this site is called GamingWithChildren.com, that\u2019s what I\u2019m going to cover. Plus I\u2019m only one person, so I can\u2019t cover ALL the games! So if you want to read about Modern Warfare 3 or Halo 4, you might want to go elsewhere. But click here if you want to know more about some of the family friendly titles shown you may have missed during the E3 frenzy. (of course, every now and then I might cover a T or M rated game) So here\u2019s Day 1 of my E3 adventures!<\/p>\n

Zen Studios<\/strong><\/p>\n

Even before the show started I had a meeting with Zen Studios, who are responsible for the Pinball FX games on 360 and Zen Pinball on PSN, among other things. They showed me a sneak peek at some of their upcoming titles. I can\u2019t talk about them yet, but they have a lot of surprises in store!<\/p>\n

Capcom<\/strong><\/p>\n

When the show opened, I went straight for the West Hall. Right in the front was Capcom\u2019s booth, so I stopped there first. I have to say I was a little disappointed with Capcom\u2019s showings at E3. Don\u2019t get me wrong, they had a lot of cool games, like Street Fighter X Tekken, some Resident Evil stuff, and other things. But I was hoping they\u2019d have a more variety of titles, like Mega Man Legends 3. I think they had a better showing at last year\u2019s PAX.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Nintendo<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nintendo almost always has a showstopper at E3, and this year was no exception thanks to the announcement of their new console, the Wii U. Unfortunately, I didn\u2019t get a chance to play it. The line inside the booth was an hour long, but the line also wrapped around the outside of the booth, so it was probably more than two hours. I\u2019m sorry, but I\u2019m not waiting that long to play a game system that won\u2019t even be out for another year and a half. On the third day of the show, I got there early to try and get in to play the Wii U, but when the show opened, everyone was running and pushing and shoving, even though the security guards said not to do that. Well, I\u2019m not going to do that, so by the time I got there, the line was wrapped around the booth again. Oh well. One of the things I did see was New Super Mario Bros. Mii, which lets you use your Mii characters in a 2-D Mario game. Later I saw a video that stressed that it\u2019s not a real game, but I bet Nintendo makes it one someday.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I at least got to HOLD the Wii U, though. In the middle of the floor, Nintendo\u2019s booth lady helpers let you take a look at the controller, so I took a picture of me holding it. That\u2019s my hand in the picture. It kind of reminds me of holding two Wii remote controllers with a screen in the middle, with the start, select, and home buttons on the bottom like the 3DS has. And no, the Wii U is not red, the spotlights in the booth just changed as I was taking the picture. Either that or I was in a submarine about to dive. And I know it\u2019s so last decade to make fun of the name of the Wii, but I\u2019m going to do it again anyway. Wii U sounds like what you say when someone just farted. \u201cWhee-eww! Who let out that air biscuit?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The other game I didn\u2019t get a chance to play because the line was too long was The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. But that\u2019s OK because Zelda games are best played when they come out and you can really sink your teeth into them. So I was happy just watching others play it. Looks like a more colorful version of Twilight Princess, which is good because one of the problems I had with TP was the graphics were too muddy and smeary and brown-ey. Link looks like he hangs out with a more colorful and varied cast of characters, too. And they ride on giant birds. When they showed the Skyward Sword video at Nintendo\u2019s booth, the birds in the center would caw and crow loudly.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The first game I actually got to play at E3 was Kirby Wii. They don\u2019t have an official name for it yet, but I think they should call it Kirby Super Star 2, because that\u2019s essentially what it is. More traditional than Epic Yarn, Kirby can swallow enemies with the 2 button. And if you shake the Wii remote while Kirby is inhaling, you can do a super suck to reel in even more stuff! Kirby can also power up his copy moves by getting two of the same powers. I did this with Kirby\u2019s sword ability. Level up and Kirby swings a huge scimitar and breaks blocks and pillars in his way! One of Kirby\u2019s new powers has him donning a fedora and using a whip. It\u2019s Indiana Kirby! But what makes it really remind me of a sequel to Kirby Super Star is that four people can play at the same time! Kind of like a Kirby version of New Super Mario Bros. Wii. The other players control Metaknight, King Dedede, and a bandana wearing, spear wielding Waddle Dee.<\/p>\n

I also played the Wii version of Rhythm Heaven. Looks like more of the same from the DS game, but I hope the controls are better on the Wii. I played a game where you push the A button to make a samurai swing his sword in time with the music. But the game flashes pictures that got in the way. Also, I wasn\u2019t sure what I was supposed to do since it was all in Japanese. They also showed Wii Play Motion, which comes out soon and I plan to get it, so I didn\u2019t play it at E3.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also a board game on the Wii coming out called Fortune Street, which stars both Mario and Dragon Quest characters! The game is like a cross between Mario Party and Monopoly, and I\u2019m surprised they\u2019re bringing it to the US! In Japan there are several versions of it starring various characters, like ones from Final Fantasy. Speaking of Mario Party, Nintendo also announced Mario Party 9. I\u2019m not sure if it was playable or not at E3, but don\u2019t they have too many Mario Party games as it is?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In the back of Nintendo\u2019s booth was a raised area where you could play 3DS games. I got to play most of the ones I wanted fairly quickly without having to wait in lines, which was good. One thing I should warn you is that since I\u2019ve been blind in my left eye since birth, I can\u2019t see the 3D effects of the 3DS, so I can\u2019t tell you about that in these E3 articles. The first one I tried was the new Super Mario 3D game (probably won\u2019t be the final title). It reminded me of a cross between Super Mario 64 and New Super Mario on the DS. It\u2019s a 3-D platformer, but rather than trying to collect stars or shines, you just have to get to the end of the linear levels and touch the flagpole. Power-ups include the traditional Fire Flower and the return of the Tanooki Suit, which lets Mario swing his tail at enemies and float to the ground after a jump. Not sure if he can fly or turn into a statue with it, though.<\/p>\n

The demo had four stages you could try. A green grassy early level, an underground stage, a level set high in the sky with switches that would temporarily make platforms appear (this stage was pretty hard). And finally a level on an airship, just like Mario 3. The airship level even had a Boom Boom Koopa as a boss. Remember those guys? Anyway, it\u2019s a fun game, but not as innovative as you might think. While I was playing, one of the Nintendo booth ladies kept clamoring on how good I was at Mario. While I\u2019m sure she said that to EVERYONE who played, it was nice to hear someone actually say I was good at video games, as I don\u2019t hear that very often. And I got a cool Mario pin, too!<\/p>\n

Speaking of Mario, another 3DS game I played was Mario Kart! It\u2019s more of the same racing fun, but they did add a few things. You can edit parts of your kart now, and change up the chassis and wheels. Word of warning, the big monster truck wheels make it harder to control. New to the series is that when you drive up a ramp and launch in the air, you can slow your decent by opening up a hang glider! And usually when you fall into the water in a Mario Kart game, you\u2019ll be whisked right back on the track. But not here! If you fall in the water, your kart will sprout a propeller and you can continue racing underwater! I played a typical Mario themed track with lots of ramps and jumps for you to use the hang glider on, avoiding pipes all the way down. Another track was a Donkey Kong jungle level, complete with those enemy drums from DKC Returns!<\/p>\n

Another surprise I played was Luigi\u2019s Mansion 2! I loved the first one on GameCube. Looks like the sequel has Prof. E. Gadd sending Luigi to a digital mansion. This one seems like more of the same, but I didn\u2019t like the controls as much. Luigi\u2019s flashlight is always on, so in order to stun the ghosts, you have to hold down the button and charge it to make the light flash big for a second. Charging hinders Luigi\u2019s movements, so I preferred just turning the light on to stun the ghosts in the GameCube version. Also, you have to press the Y button to move Luigi\u2019s flashlight up. I preferred the dual analog controls on the GameCube. Vacuum controls work well, though. I also thought the ghosts looked cooler on the GameCube. But, it did take me a while to get used to the controls on the GameCube version, but once I did, it became second nature. So I\u2019m sure that will be the same way on the DS, too. I\u2019m glad they\u2019re bringing Luigi back, and at E3 they even gave me a cool Luigi pin after playing!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Other playable 3DS games included Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Kid Icarus Uprising, and Star Fox 64 3D. But I didn\u2019t play those because I wasn\u2019t quite as excited about them. I wish that Animal Crossing was playable, but you can download videos of it on your Wii and DS. Same goes with most of the other games mentioned here, as well as others like Dragon Quest Monsters Joker 2, and Paper Mario 3DS. Finally, I nearly freaked when I saw the video for Kirby Mass Attack, a new Kirby game on DS where you use the stylus to control ten little Kirbys to solve puzzles. Man I wish it was playable! It comes out September 19, which is right after my birthday! I\u2019m super happy that we\u2019re getting TWO Kirby games! If you can\u2019t tell already, I really like Kirby. Even more than Mario! Anyway, that\u2019s all I saw at Nintendo\u2019s booth!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Majesco<\/strong><\/p>\n

Another meeting I had the first day was with Majesco. They have a wide variety of titles coming out this holiday for all ages, and I\u2019m excited about all of them.<\/p>\n

Anyone who says the Kinect doesn\u2019t have enough games will be glad to know there were TONS at E3. I think I saw more Kinect 360 titles than regular 360 games. Anyway, Majesco had three shown at E3. The first was Hulk Hogan\u2019s Main Event. Not really a wrestling game, but allows you to do more of the showboating stuff, like bonk the other players heads with a folding chair. You can create your own crazy wrestler, and while the game is a bit more violent, it really doesn\u2019t seem so since all the characters look like action figures. Even Hulk Hogan. The real life Hulk Hogan was at E3, but I guess I missed him.<\/p>\n

Another Kinect game was Take Shape, which required one or two players to arrange their bodies to make the shape on screen as best they can. Crazy shapes include a teapot and a heart, and when you have two players, you can get into some really, ah, weird positions! There\u2019s also a game mode that plays a lot like the popular TV game show Hole in the Wall. Their last Kinect game was Mind\u2019n Motion, which reminded me of Namco\u2019s own Brain and Body Connection. They also had Zumba Fitness 2, but only in video.<\/p>\n

Majesco had tons of 3DS games, too. The Hidden plays a lot like Face Raider except with ghosts. The storyline has a Ghost Hunters TAPS vibe to it, which is cool since one of my guilty pleasures is watching those dumb ghost shows. Plus, Ghostbusters is one of my all-time favorite movies. Another game was Face Racers: Photo Finish, which was basically Mario Kart except you can put your face on the racers using the 3DS camera. Nano Assault was made by the same folks who did Nanostray and Iridion, and looks like a cross between a 3-D shooter and Super Mario Galaxy. Finally, they\u2019re making a 3DS game based on Jaws, where you get to be the shark!<\/p>\n

One of Majesco\u2019s most popular series, Cooking Mama, is back in a big way. There\u2019s even a Cooking Mama game on Facebook coming out! Also, Cooking Mama 4: Kitchen Magic on 3DS features graphics comparable to the Wii versions, and more ways to create your own recipes. And on DS, Mama goes outdoors with Camping Mama: Outdoor Adventures. This one has more of an adventure feel, as you play as one of the kids and view the action in a top down perspective. Mama will have various quests for you, such as collecting firewood, and along the way you might have to play a camping themed mini-game or two. Just watch out for pesky monkeys!<\/p>\n

Finally, Majesco managed to do the impossible: make me interested in a BloodRayne game. I hate vampires, they\u2019re gross and I don\u2019t know why people think they\u2019re so alluring. And I was never interested in the BloodRayne 3-D games or movies. So why would I want to play the new BloodRayne Betrayal, an upcoming downloadable game for Xbox Live and PSN? Well, for one, it\u2019s a 2-D platforming hack and slash this time, with more cartoony graphics and tons of animation. And two, it\u2019s made by WayForward, who also developed other great titles like Shantae and Majesco\u2019s own A Boy and His Blob. BloodRayne in this game has all sorts of stylish moves, and can suck out enemies\u2019 blood all the way for health, or just partly to make them explode in a Blood Bomb to create combos. Obviously, it\u2019s going to be rated Tor higher, but even though there\u2019s a lot of blood, it\u2019s so over the top it\u2019s almost more cartoony than violent. But it looks to play very well and will have all sorts of cool unlockable goodies, so it\u2019ll end up being the first vampire video game I\u2019ll be willing to play since Kid Dracula!<\/p>\n

Sony<\/strong><\/p>\n

When I wasn\u2019t in meetings, I was checking out the other booths at E3. Sony\u2019s was right next to Nintendo\u2019s, but I didn\u2019t spend much time in there because their booth was so disorganized and messy, and I couldn\u2019t find where things were. Nintendo\u2019s booth was easy, playable Wii games in the middle, Wii U stuff on the sides, and 3DS stuff in the back. Sony did announce their new handheld called the PS Vita, but I wasn\u2019t sure where it was at their booth. Plus I imagine there was a two hour long wait to see it, too. I\u2019m sure it\u2019ll be a cool handheld, though, as the PSP was one of the only few that could truly compete with Nintendo\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

But there was one game at Sony\u2019s that really caught my eye, a cute and colorful downloadable PS3 title called Okabu. You play as a flying Cloud Whale, and you can dive into water and carry it over fields to make it rain over them to make plants grow. Looks like you fly about and try to help people, and two players can play at the same time. I bet it\u2019ll be a great game for parents and kids and siblings to pay together.<\/p>\n

UTV Ignition<\/strong><\/p>\n

They had a lot of games that looked interesting to me, too. I almost wished I had set up a meeting with them at the show! Magical Drop V for PC was a big surprise, as I have a bunch of friends who really got into previous installments of the puzzler back in the day. Mercury Hg for Xbox Live and PSN has you moving a blob of mercury around a maze, and you can even tilt the maze with the PS3 controller. On the Wii they had a trivia game called National Geographic Challenge. Finally I played a game called Quarrel that was like a cross between a word game and a strategy game. I thought it was for consoles, but after reading a press release, it looks like Quarrel is only for iOS devices right now.<\/p>\n

Bethseda<\/strong><\/p>\n

They showed two very popular titles: The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim and Prey 2, but I didn\u2019t really look at them much. You saw ads for them everywhere, though!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Gazillion<\/strong><\/p>\n

I also stopped by here to check out their free to play online game for kids called Marvel Super Hero Squad Online. It looks very good for a free to play online game, like console quality good. In the game, you collect cute \u2018chibi\u2019 versions of popular Marvel comics characters and work together to defeat the bad guys in action stages similar to the LEGO titles. Looks very easy to control and very kid friendly, and I think you can check it out now!<\/p>\n

End of Day 1<\/strong><\/p>\n

After E3, I always go to Universal CityWalk to eat. Mainly because I know it\u2019s in a safe place and I don\u2019t have to waste time trying to find a good restaurant that\u2019s not in a bad part of town.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

One night we ate at a new place called Bubba-Gump Shrimp Co., based on the movie Forrest Gump. The drink menu was on a ping pong paddle, and to get your waiter\u2019s attention, you flipped a sign that said \u201cRun, Forrest, Run\u201d to \u201cStop, Forrest, Stop!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

For dinner I ate shrimp tacos. Yeah, you won\u2019t be smiling for very long Mister Big Shrimp!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

And that\u2019s all I did on Day 1 at E3. Click here to move on to Day 2<\/a><\/strong>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Well another E3 has come and gone. The Electronic Entertainment Expo is the largest trade show for the video game industry, and since I went this year, here\u2019s my coverage of it! Now, I\u2019m going to do things a bit differently for my articles. Most of the hardcore gaming sites out there have already covered […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6083","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-game-reviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6083","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6083"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6083\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6083"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6083"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6083"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}