E3 2011 and all that...

Managed to dodge the crazy that is E3 again this year. On one hand you do miss being there, but on the other hand you quickly recall that when working E3 you rarely get to actually see a lot of the cool stuff that comes out of E3...so in many ways sitting here and watching the new trailers, previews, and information flow out just like everyone else means you get a much better chance to digest it all.

So what did I think? Let's take a look after the jump...

New and exciting news on the actual traditional MMO side of things was pretty thin on the ground, but it was nice to see some new material from some of the upcoming big hitters like The Old Republic, although I would have loved to see some more of Guild Wars 2. The original was a great game, and one I sunk many hours into, so I hope they don't stretch too far with the sequel and end up missing what made the game so cool first time round (primarily that skill system and the competitive elements did it for me), so looking forward to seeing more from them at PAX and the like.

That was the traditional established genre titles though, on other fronts, there you definitely find some things of interest to MMO fans. CCP's Dust still sounds all kind of intriguing to me. I was fascinated when the idea when it was first announced a few years ago, and it still has heaps of potential. Not sure on the whole PS3 exclusivity (I prefer my shooters on the PC as I absolutely stink at FPS games with a controller :p), but the whole idea is something I hope they pull off. As a long time players and fan of EVE, I think it is a very interesting angle, and if they can really nail a synergy between both titles, with EVE pilots feeding a war effort in Dust, then I think they will have a pretty unique offering.

I also liked hearing some more details on Cryptic's new Neverwinter title, and I am very glad to see it doesn't appear to have been effected by their recent sale. As I have said many times on the blog, I love the concept of player created content, and it is something Cryptic continue to evolve. I loved working on mod projects on NWN back before I worked at Funcom, so I would love to see a day when Cryptic's Foundry tools evolve to an online version of the old aurora tool-set. So much potential there. 

In other genres a few things stuck out for me. I simply can't wait to get my hands on From Dust. No real explanations of the gameplay yet, but I am a sucker for some original ideas and something a little different, so I can't wait to try it.

Of the mega-titles I really don't get all that excited by all the virtual saber rattling between Modern Warfare and Battlefield's latest installments. Not my types of games, although you do have to acknowledge how technically impressive the Battlefield 3 demos look.

Of the titles I am looking forward to the new Uncharted game took the prize for my favorite trailer. For some reasons the ever-so slightly stylized art style they take manages to avoid the whole 'uncanny valley' thing with their characters. It also wasn't just a cgi show (I am looking at you Tomb Raider and Hitman!). I also watched the material for Mass Effect 3 and the new Assassins Creed games with interest as I will definitely be playing those games.

...my nostalgia glands also flared up in a nice way when I heard that Carrier Command was being remade. I'll keep an eye on that one...