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Best Games of E3 2013, Random Thoughts, Photos

As expected, E3 2013 was a super-exciting show (new consoles always add extra excitement), but it was even more exciting than I thought it would be. Sony kicked things off with a bang, there were loads of great games to see, and independent developers brought a different (and refreshing) type of energy to the mix. Since everyone else is doing it (and it adds lots of search traffic), I’m listing my top 10 games of E3 2013. Keep in mind that there was a ton of stuff I didn’t see and these silly lists are subjective. After that are some random thoughts and a photo gallery.

Top 10 Games of E3 2013

Titanfall — Giant robots are frickin’ cool, but I was surprised by how much fun it was playing as a pilot. Mixing up the two types of action made for a unique experience. The animation of the mech inserting the pilot still scares me though. That looks painful.
Knack — As a fan of super-cute platformers, clever gameplay, and Mark Cerny, this game worked for me on so many levels. The brief portion I played was crazy good — much headier than most platformers out there, but still very accessible.
Beyond: Two Souls — A few of my friends have soured on this game, but I’m still a Quantic Dream mark and I can’t wait to play the whole thing.
Destiny — I thought I would be dazzled by the graphics and okay with the gameplay. After seeing the demo, I was surprised by how much I want to play this one.
Transistor — From the excellent Supergiant Games comes another sweet action-RPG that combines modern flourishes with old-school sensibilities.
Below — From the excellent Capybara Games comes another visually and aurally distinct game with old-school sensibilities.
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons — I’ve been high on this game since I saw it in October and was glad to see several friends of mine digging it too.
inFamous: Second Son — I really enjoyed the first two inFamous games and am a big fan of Sucker Punch. I love where this sequel is going and have high hopes for it.
Disney Infinity — While it has some similarities to the wonderful Skylanders franchise, this game is more ambitious and has several unique features. I love being able to share adventures with characters from Disney movies, Pixar movies, Pirates of the Caribbean, A Nightmare Before Christmas, Wreck It Ralph, etc.
Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare — The sights and sounds in this game are utterly charming, but don’t overlook the gameplay. It’s like a goofy version of Team Fortress.

Random Thoughts

– It was fun catching up with Keiichi Yano from iNiS. I knew he studied jazz at USC (before going off to make excellent games like Gitaroo Man, Ouendan, and Elite Beat Agents. I didn’t know that he played saxophone. It was awesome to hear that he’s watched YouTube videos of my brother playing sax. I wish I had one of my brother’s CDs to give him at the show, but I’ll find a way to get him one.

– I’ve had some great times over the years with longtime Konami producer and current Namco Bandai producer Jason Enos. Seeing that he’s literally half the man he used to be was impressive. My man lost 171 pounds! It’s inspiring. I’m so happy for him.

– Of course it was awesome seeing my former sidekick Zoe Flower. I’m so proud of her and the work she’s doing on LEGO Friends. It was also fun meeting and getting to know her “boss” at Hellbent Games, Chris Mair. While she kicked all sorts of ass with her game at E3 2013, it started out as a strange experience for her. She’s spent most of her E3s roaming around the halls and looking at games (sometimes dressed as a zombie). Having to stay in one place for most of the show was a very different experience. On the first day of the show, she was like a freshly caged animal wanting to bust out. Ha!

– Michael Pachter throws the best E3 parties. I want to be his intern.

– I was happy to catch up with Cliff Bleszinski. I always knew he would be huge and I’m delighted for his success. We have a…colorful history and it’s great that we can still hang after all these years. I’m also thrilled that John Vignocchi and Adam Boyes have blown up. Johnny V is the executive producer on Disney Infinity and Adam Boyes is a vice president at Sony Computer Entertainment. I caught up a bit with John at Pachter-palooza and saw Adam on stage at the Sony presser (so weird). And to think, it was like 10 years ago that the three of us were cruising around Vegas in a limousine like idiots.

– While the new consoles were exciting and the games were tremendous, my favorite part of any E3 is catching up with old friends and business colleagues. I believe this was the nineteenth E3 and I’ve attended 18 of them. You kind of forget how long you’ve known people and how long we’ve all been part of this amazing business (though I maintain that game “journalists” are barely a part of the industry). Catching up, reconnecting, and all that good stuff was tremendous. I want to list all the people I was happy to catch up with, but that would take a long time and I’d moronically forget to include someone (and feel horrible about it later).

– The fine people at 47 Communications throw a Sunday party called B4. The show is obviously called E3. A respected videogame producer has dubbed the post-E3 endup at the Figueroa Hotel “F This.” That totally cracked me up.

Random Photos

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Coffee Talk #588: Scattered Thoughts on E3 2013 Day Zero

Yesterday I went to three E3 2013 press conferences: Microsoft, EA, and Sony. I watched some of Ubisoft’s with a few friends through streaming video, but quickly got bored (to be fair, I was pretty tired at the time). Here are some random thoughts on the day’s pressers…more

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, iOS 7, Ian Ziering working at Chippendales, or Tim Tebow signing with the New England Patriots, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Sony Curb Stomps Microsoft: The biggest talk of the day was Sony giving Microsoft a major beatdown — at least in the eyes of hardcore gamers. Enthusiasts love that Sony isn’t following Microsoft’s strict stance on game licenses, allowing PS4 owners to sell, trade, and gift games as they see fit. Mainstream consumers will see the $100 difference in price points: $499 for Xbox One and $399 for PS4. To be fair, the Xbox One package comes with Kinect, which is required to use the system. The new PlayStation Eye will cost an extra $59, but isn’t required to use the PlayStation 4.

Still, the sentiment right after the Sony presser was one of disbelief. Some people couldn’t believe how thoroughly Sony one-upped Microsoft. Some couldn’t believe the manner in which the company did it, equating it with the beating in American History X, repeated curb stomps, and repeated kicks to the testicles. The words to used to describe Sony’s delivery were fascinating. Some thought it was funny, some thought it was arrogant, and others thought it lacked class. No matter what they thought of the delivery, almost everyone agreed that Sony had a point and shoved it in the competition’s face.

Microsoft hosted a party shortly after the Sony presser was over. Several joked that the party should have been reclassified as a wake.

The Rape Joke: Blogs, forums, and social media services blew up over some trash talk used during the Killer Instinct portion of the Microsoft presser. A guy was trouncing a girl in the game and said, “Just let it happen. It’ll be over soon.” Several people labeled the comment a “rape joke” and lambasted Microsoft for using misogynistic comments in its press conference. I really want to hear your take on the matter.

Rape didn’t come to my mind at all. At first I thought of Muhammad Ali using similar lines against his opponents. Then I thought of an Ultimate Spider-Man arc that had Spidey and Wolverine switching bodies. When Spidey (in Wolverine’s body) got shot in the head, he panicked. Wolverine (as Peter Parker) pulled out the bullet and said, “Relax. Let it happen.” I had no idea that phrase was a rape reference and didn’t think of it as a rape joke. However, I want to check myself. There’s a good chance that I’m ignorant of the connotation because I’m older, a boxing fan, and a comic-book nerd. Did you guys and gals think anything was wrong with comment?

My Indie Darlings: While there were a lot of big-budget games to get excited about, two of the ones I’m amped for are smaller games from independent developers. I was delighted that Capybara Games’ Below was featured at the Xbox One presser and Supergiant Games’ Transistor was featured at the PlayStation 4 presser. I’m a huge fan of these independent developers. Capy is known for the lovely Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP, while Supergiant Games created the fantastic Bastion.

I know that most of you aren’t nearly into indie games as I am and that journalists are often accused of overrating indies (though I’m a verbal entertainer, so I’m not sure that I count), but I’ve noticed that independent games have been catching my eye at these shows. At the last few E3s, I recall being enamored with Journey, Sound Shapes, and The Unfinished Swan. Perhaps it’s because I’ve covered and played so many big-budget games; maybe I find indie games refreshing? I’d like to think that I genuinely love these games, but as a philosophy major, I have to question the pattern.

Do you guys and gals pay any attention to the indies? Or is it all about the major releases for you at E3?

The Big Boys: Respawn Entertainment’s Titanfall got the most buzz according to the incredibly inaccurate survey I took (i.e. chatting with industry friends). A lot of people were high on Bungie’s Destiny. At the EA presser, the teasers for Mirror’s Edge 2 and Star Wars: Battlefront were met with joyous reactions. While I was psyched to see Kyrie Irving during the NBA Live demo, my inner 12-year old keep chucking at the repeated use of the phrase “ball handling.”

Games shown today that excited me include Dragon Age 3, inFamous: Second Son, Knack, UFC, Crimson Dragon, Kingdom Hearts III, and Final Fantasy XV.

While most of my pals are certain that Watch Dogs will be a quality game, they’re starting to lose interest in it. It never clicked with me and I still don’t see what’s so amazing about the game.

Of course all of this stuff played differently to the people that watched the press conferences at home and/or read about them. What games shown at yesterday’s pressers have you jazzed?

Onto Day One: Tomorrow should be a light day and heavy night for me. I have one important meeting (at the Hooters across the street from the convention center) and will use the rest of my time to play stuff that I care about (journalists rarely get to do this, which is another advantage of being a verbal entertainer). The evening will be the outstanding Wedbush party (my favorite E3 party, affectionately called Pachter-palooza) followed by a Bethesda shindig. If there’s anything you want me to check out, please let me know in the comments section.

E3 2013 Press Conference Day Sandbox

I’ll be running around the USC area and downtown Los Angeles for several E3 2013 press conferences. I’ll be in touch through the RPad.TV Google Hangout, but if you have any thoughts on the pressers while they’re happening, kindly use the comments section of this post. It’ll be our E3 2013 press conference day sandbox! I can’t wait to hear what you guys have to say about today’s pressers from Microsoft, EA, Sony, etc. And just for old times sake, fore!!!

What Do You Think of Kiefer Sutherland as Solid Snake?

Konami has confirmed that Kiefer Sutherland has replaced David Hayter as the voice actor for Solid Snake. Sutherland’s pipes will be heard in the upcoming Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain. According to Polygon, Metal Gear Solid director Hideo Kojima chose Sutherland on the advice of producer Avi Arad (longtime Marvel producer). While many longtime MGS fans were bummed about Hayter being replaced, Kojima felt that a change was necessary for a 49-year old Snake and a new game:

The themes are a little different from previous games in the series. We’re taking on some heavy subjects, like race and revenge. As a result, I wanted Snake to have a more subdued performance expressed through subtle facial movements and tone of voice, rather than words.

It’s different from anything we’ve done before. I felt that he was the perfect fit, in terms of age and performance.

Sutherland has a lot of nerd fans from his work on 24. While he’s had a number of great movie and television performances, he’ll always be the guy from The Lost Boys and A Few Good Men to me. Those roles combined with the fact that Hayter has been voicing Solid Snake since 1998 will make Sutherland’s performance a strange experience for me, at least initially. Hopefully he’ll do a good enough job that gamers will get over the replacement quickly.

How do you feel about Kiefer Sutherland being the new voice of Solid Snake in Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain?

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Noobz is on Netflix

Blake Freeman’s videogame movie Noobz is on Netflix. The movie, starring real life gamers Jay Mewes and Zelda Williams, is about a group of gamer friends that go on a road trip to compete in a Gears of War tournament. If you have some time this weekend, please check it out. After you’ve seen it, please share your thoughts on the flick in the comments section. If you need additional background info on the movie then check out the video interviews below. Continue reading “Noobz is on Netflix”

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

Now that my AT&T U-Verse Internet and television service is up and running, it’s time to fix up my consoles and games. My consoles have been ready to go, just waiting for a solid Internet connection. My games are in boxes in the living room. I didn’t want to unpack them until the wiring was all done. As expected, I had to move the shelves several times and that would have been a pain in the ass with hundreds of games and movies on them. After the dust clears, I’m going to try to play some Fuse for PlayStation 3, but just a little bit. E3 2013 festivities start on Sunday. I’m excited for the show and looking forward to catching up with old videogame friends.

How about you? What’s on your weekend playlist?

Microsoft Outlines Xbox One Game Reselling, Sharing

In a post titled “How Games Licensing Works on Xbox One,” Microsoft has detailed its policies for game sharing, reselling, and trading. The bullet point that has been getting the most heat is the gifting policy, which states that a game can be gifted to a friend once. Here’s the full text:

Give your games to friends: Xbox One is designed so game publishers can enable you to give your disc-based games to your friends. There are no fees charged as part of these transfers. There are two requirements: you can only give them to people who have been on your friends list for at least 30 days and each game can only be given once.

While the policy doesn’t change anything for me, I totally understand why some people are angry about the new rule (Bill Maher TM). Naturally, I want to hear your views on this policy and Microsoft’s other Xbox One licensing proclamations. Kindly shout it out in the comments section!

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This Week’s Videogame Releases

The week before E3 is usually a dull one in terms of videogame releases. Still, there are few games that you should keep an eye on. Capcom’s Remember Me has been getting some buzz. This stealth-action game takes place in a futuristic version of Paris and uses some interesting sci-fi concepts. If you’ve missed out on Skyrim then you should consider picking up The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Legendary Edition, which has all the bells and whistles. Lastly, Marvel Heroes launches this week. As a comic-book nerd, I’m intrigued by this superhero MMO and wondering if any of you are interested in a spandex adventure (in the game, not in real life).

Any of you picking up new games this week?

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

As most of you know, I’ve been spending the last few weeks playing The Moving Game, which is something you need to play every now and then, but also utter crap. Thankfully, I’m done with that…experience. Now I’m playing the slightly better Unpacking Game. To keep myself somewhat sane, I’ve shoved all the non-essential boxes into the closet of my home office/filming space. Of course there will be a lovely surprise when I discover that an important box is tucked away in the corner and I have to dig through 18 boxes in order to find it. Yeah, this game isn’t the best.

Hopefully you can regale with your exponentially more entertaining exploits (E3?). What’s on your weekend playlist?

This Week’s Videogame Releases

There are two games that you should keep your eyes on this week. The (far) more interesting one is Fuse by Insomniac. This four-player cooperative action game is being published by EA and will be available on multiple platforms. I don’t remember the last time an Insomniac game was published by a company other than Sony (I think it was 1996, but don’t quote me on that) and it’s weird seeing a game from this stellar developer on a non-Sony console. Dogs and cats, living together! Mass hysteria! The other release is GRID 2.

This week’s pairing reminds me of when Ricky Gervais introduced Tom Hanks and Tim Allen at the Golden Globes:

What can I say about our next two presenters? The first is an actor, producer, writer and director whose movies have grossed over $3.5-billion at the box office. He’s won two Academy Awards and three Golden Globes for his powerful and varied performances starring in such films as Philadelphia, Forrest Gump, Castaway, Apollo 13, and Saving Private Ryan. The other is Tim Allen.

So yeah, the other is GRID 2. Ha!

Any of you picking up new games this week?