E3 2010 (Boy Kinectimal or girl Kinectimal?)

Microsoft unveiled it’s version of a motion controller, the Kinect, which we have all been calling Project Natal for the past year or so. And like when it was first revealed to us in 2009, I’m still more excited about the technology than the applications of that technology. Most of what Microsoft showed off for the were updated Wii games. Give Wii Sports an HD upgrade and replace the name of the hardware you’re trying to sell with the name of the peripheral you’re trying to sell and you’ve got Kinect Sports. (By the way, why is Microsoft paying people to pretend to have fun on stage at their press conferences when all it does is make me think they’re not having fun and by association, the games they’re playing aren’t fun?)

Probably the best Kinect game Microsoft showcased was Harmonix’s Dance Central. Sure, it may be just another iteration of Harmonix taking a page from Konami’s playbook and giving it a fresh coat of paint, but it stands out among the sea of Wii software clones that Microsoft is pushing. (And hey! It looked like Naoko Takamoto from Harmonix was actually having fun demoing it!) I mean, I don’t think I’ll be be busting a move in front of my TV any time soon, but I appreciate that Harmonix is actually trying to do something different with the technology.

The game (which I hope is just a proof of concept rather than actual game) that I was most disappointed with was the Star Wars Kinect title. I think we’ve all been waiting for a game where we could pretend our Wiimotes are lightsabers and now we’re getting one! Kinda. Unfortunately, it looks like you’re not actually going to hold something in your hand and pretend it’s a lightsaber. Instead you’re going to pretend to hold a lightsaber... which isn’t the same thing. That little tidbit aside, the footage Microsoft showed at their press conference looked... unappealing. An on-rails game where we flail about pretending to be a Jedi... in front of a camera no less? Is this really just Lucasarts and Microsoft’s insidious plan to find the next Star Wars kid?

Sony’s entry into motion controls was slightly better... but not really what I’d call good either. Sorcery (think Harry Potter) immediately showed how the Move (which, let’s face it, is a souped up version of the Wiimote) can be applied to more immersive gaming mechanics. They also showcased Tiger Woods 11 with Move controls... which brings me back to something I brought up a while back, more real doesn’t necessarily mean more fun. If I want to play Tiger Woods 11, I don’t want to have to be good at golf to be good at Tiger Woods 11. Luckily, it seems that it’s an optional control scheme.

Which seems to be Sony’s mantra with the Move. It’s optional. Many of the games that will be compatible with Move are already out and can already be controlled with a more traditional control scheme. So what exactly is Sony’s strategy here, especially since none of the new titles shown seem to be “killer apps�? Is it to get people to buy a 50 dollar controller out of curiosity to play games they already have? Something doesn’t seem quite right about that...

The other big technology Sony was pushing was 3D. Sony, being not only a gaming company but also a larger electronics company, has a huge stake in 3D tv technology. So it makes sense for their different divisions to work symbiotically. I think that the 3D along with the move has the potential to make for really immersive gameplay experiences, but the prospect of buying a new tv for only a few games isn’t appealing to me or I’m sure a lot of other consumers out there. Plus who wants to wear those 3D glasses?

Not Nintendo, of course... because they revealed what I think it the thing I’m most excited for, the Nintendo 3DS. Now, I know next to nothing about the 3DS. I haven’t experienced it myself, I’ve only read reports about it... and I’m still excited. I’m a little disappointed that there’s no release date and no price (which you know just means really far away and really expensive), but the demos they showed really sold me. A new Resident Evil on the 3DS? Yes, please. A 3D rerelase of one of the best Metal Gear Solid games, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater? Where do I sign up?

If you’re a fan of any of Nintendo’s franchises, chances are there was something for you. A new Zelda, a new Metroid, a new Kid Icarus, a new Kirby, a new Donky Kong Country(!), a new Goldeneye (!!)... Nintendo’s E3 2010 press conference might as well have been called “Nintendo’s greatest hits�. Unfortunately, it makes me think that the next couple of years may be a little lean. But we’ll always have 2010, won’t we?

Of course, E3 isn’t all about the new hardware... it’s also about the new games. Rock Band is a franchise that I’ve loved ever since the idea was first announced in 2007. Admittedly, the franchise and even the larger music game genre was getting a little samey (some might even say stale or stagnant). But >Rock Band 3 looks to up the ante with the keyboard peripheral and the new Pro mode. I had about ten years of piano lessons and it’ll probably make my mom happy to see me touch something that at least looks like a piano, albeit mini-sized. And I’m eagerly anticipating the Pro mode so I can actually learn how to play a real guitar.

I’ve also been a fan of Metal Gear Solid since the original Playstation game was released. Metal Gear Solid: Rising seems like a drastic departure from the core of the series, but fun nonetheless. Although not much has been said about the game, I’m hoping (for Microsoft and Sony’s sakes) that the game will be both Kinect and Move compatible. I think of any other game presented at E3 this year, Metal Gear Solid: Rising feels like it would be a good fit for HD motion controls. And it’d be a good trojan horse for Sony and Microsoft to get core gamers interested in their new tech. Who wouldn’t want to use the Move as a faux sword... or uh, your hand for the Kinect?

And in the interest of full disclosure, I’m a Scottaholic. I’m not sure when or how I first heard about Scott Pilgrim, but after finishing the first book I’ve been eagerly awaiting each subsequent volume. I was excited at first about the movie, then a little worried when the first trailer hit, then a little more at ease when the second trailer was released and now I wish August 13th were today. And now I have a Scott Pilgrim video game to look forward to. Everything I’ve seen of the game makes me feel like the developers actually understand the property and aren’t just doing it as a quick cash in. A retro sidescrolling four player co-op beat ‘em up? I don’t know that it’s possible to play the video game while simultaneously read the final volume and watch the movie, but if it were, I’d totally do that.

So that’s it for E3 2010... as always, there’s a lot of stuff on the horizon. But at least in terms of most of the new technology presented, I feel like it’s just technology and we’ll have to wait for the gaming applications to come later. Except for the 3DS... I want that now.