E3 2006

When I think back on E3, my least favorite moments were typically spent cruising around Kentia Hall. Kentia Hall, as I learned, is the less mainstream portion of E3, where smaller game companies are and where various inventions and other game related content is showed off. Though it lacks the glitz and glamour of the other major halls, there are some treasures buried within the confines of those walls. The Witcher was one such game, and not only was it one of the best in Kentia Hall, but I felt it was one of the best overall games at the entire show.

Ah, how that famous tune infuriates me so! I'll admit it – I'm terrible at Spyhunter. For one reason or another, I always found myself being knocked off the road time and time again, and I could never even get past the first section. Yes, I was and still am that bad at it. The next installment in the Spyhunter series is coming soon, and thankfully I can proudly say that I can play this one.

One of the big reveals at E3 was Microsoft's announcement of Xbox Live Anywhere, which basically means what it says. Xbox Live…Anywhere! While chatting with the MSN Casual Games people, the idea was explained in great detail to me as were several other elements regarding their branch in Microsoft.

A few statistics were thrown around to begin the sit down, namely that there are currently 16 million Messenger Game players a month and around 25 – 35 million casual game players during that same time span. Also, women over 35 make up 66% of the players each month who play MSN games. To me, that is an amazing number, which showcases exactly how many women are really gaming and what types of games they prefer.

Perhaps it is my old age talking here – jeez, is 24 really that old – but I remember the good old days when the Mortal Kombat franchise was new and unique. I still recall dialing in my first Finisher and watching as the computer controlled player died horribly at my hands. I remember the glee I got from using Scorpion's harpoon for the first time. I got to play the next installment in the Mortal Kombat franchise while at E3, and I can only wonder "Did I really enjoy this back then?"

Anime fans are very protective of their franchises. It is one of those genres where people are judged based on what they choose to like. A Cowboy Bebop viewer is likely to be heralded as a connoisseur with taste, while a Dragonball Z fan is likely to be shunned. That doesn't mean Dragonball Z fans take their disapproving glances lightly, as they are always quick to defend the anime they love, and that includes the several games that have branched forth from the series. Budokai Tenkaichi 2 is the next fighting game in the Dragonball Z Budokai franchise, and it is set to bring fans the same fighting action with their beloved characters.

As gaming technology continues to grow from one generation to the next, and the graphics continue to get better and better, players are finding that we are getting pretty close to having completely realistic graphics. Yes, it will still take a few more systems more than likely, but look how far graphics have advanced since the early days. With the graphics being the most realistic they have ever been, players are starting to look more towards that next stepping stone to bring games even further into the world of realism. Rag doll physics is a big "it" word nowadays, but what if physics applied to just more than how a character can die? What if physics applied to everything in the environment?

The name makes me laugh because I always think of the movie Drop Dead Fred. I know, not the best movie, and I've forgot every moment of the plot, but the name makes me laugh. Anyways, Dead Head Fred is a third person adventure game coming to the PSP, which features a detective looking to find his missing head in a story that mixes film noir with horror.

As Fred, the player ends up losing their head (literally!) and it is off to the races to recover it from a hideous corporation that has taken Fred's head for one reason or another. Luckily for Fred, he has the ability to swap heads, which enable him to use various powers and abilities to help him accomplish his task of retrieving his original head.

Who doesn't love aliens? Whether they be the friendly candy eating variety or the "humanity shall bow before us" aliens of classic B-movies, everyone loves a good alien. Apparently people loved the adventures of Crypto well enough to warrant a sequel, and so he is back once again, though in a new era, to wreak some havoc and to anal probe some more unwilling humans.

Killzone Liberation is a direct sequel to the original Killzone for the PS2 that takes place two months after the first game, but unlike that first game, Killzone Liberation moves far away from the realm of the first person shooter genre and into a third person iso perspective adventure. While the game technically works in this new perspective, the change over doesn't come easy.

The recent trend of "cell shading" is typically hit or miss for me. In some instances the graphics are richly stylized and look amazing, but at other times it looks like a half thrown together project. The most recent "cell shaded" endeavor I've come across is Okami, and boy does it ever fall in that first category. Okami, from a visual perspective alone, is an amazing work of art. When the gameplay is factored in, Okami becomes simply outstanding!

I really wanted to title this, "What the MMO World needs now is a really kick ass shooter." I walked into the Tabula Rasa demo at E3 dubious at best. I live in Austin, and TR comes up often, as you might expect out of a game that has been in development for years. I cheered the notion of TR in its first incarnation, when it sounded like the ulimtate choose your own adventure novel. But then it seemed to have married Starship Troopers, and it turned a corner so fast and hard, I really didn't know what to expect.

Well, I should have expected fast and hard. TR was described to me as "similar to WoW or Guild Wars." Well, yeah, if you add the pacing the best first person shooters and the adrenaline of a Rob Zombie concert. The demo looked strong with visuals inspired by science fiction art and a wonderful use of color. The mobs looked incredible - gigantic flea insect ships and nice beefy attackers.

In today's day and age where prequels are the new rage, God of War II is set to continue moving forward with its narrative when the game is released in February 2007. At the end of the first game, Kratos found himself sitting alongside the gods as the new God of War (get it – hence the title) that he took from Ares during the final battle of the first game.

Ever since the early days of Double Dragon and Streets of Rage, it has come to my attention that people like to beat up other people. Run across the screen, beat the tar out of anyone who stands in the way, and then move on to the next mindless thug. God Hand continues the beat 'em up genre, but introduces a bit of anime flair set in a Wild West world. Yeehaw! I'm gonna whip me some doggies!

FEAR has become a popular first person shooter on the PC as of recent, thanks to its highly detailed graphics, creepy psychological thriller narrative, intelligent enemy AI, and lots of slow motion/bullet time gun wielding action. Well, everyone's PC can't run a game of this caliber, so thankfully FEAR is heading to the Xbox 360 with its same brand of fun.

I love mythology. There is just something about these old stories that are so interesting to me, but sadly Greek mythology is all I've been exposed to. Well, it turns out Norse mythology can be quite the wealth of knowledge and entertainment, and so Too Human is building a sci-fi hack and slash adventure set against this Norse mythology. The developers said Norse mythology was chosen because it is fatalistic in its nature and because their gods accept their death.