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Live Blog from E3: Day 2

by Dick Ward July 15th 2008 12:42 AM CDT2 Comments

Well, semi live anyway, since Nintendo decided not to give us any wifi for the show. Honestly though, you didn't miss much. They announced a lot of stuff that everyone knew was coming and while they really seemed to impress some of the people in the audience, I'd call the press conference a dud. The only thing interesting is that the Wii is finally emerging into the online age with Animal Crossing. Live online chat? Welcome to 2005. Keep checking back for hands on reports of the latest from Sega and THQ as well as summaries from press conferences and the show floor throughout the day!

Met with Warner Bros first thing in the morning and was really impressed by what they had to offer. Lego Batman improves greatly over the earlier games by offering not only a new and exciting IP to work off of, but by introducing a wide range of heroes and villains each with their own unique special moves. The Joker has a joy buzzer and twin pistols, Mr. Freeze has his freeze gun, and The Riddler can hypnotize enemies. Batman may have the coolest of all with the addition of the Batarang.

Using a simple targeting system, players can select multiple enemies and objects to map out its path. I was given the opportunity to go hands on with this one, so I’ll have much more later on.

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Next on the agenda was Project Origin. The sequel to F.E.A.R, Project Origin does much to improve upon the formula set forth by the original. From things as big as huge graphical improvements to details as small as how the gun is held, the game looks better all around. The blood spatter from downed enemies is fantastic and the mech sequences are a great way to change up the pace.

Next on the agenda was SEGA. I got a whirlwind tour through a great many titles. There was a lot of diversity, from PC titles to Wii titles, and though Mad World may force me to shell out $250 for Nintendo’s system, I’ll be picking up Bayonetta for certain. It’s difficult to describe just what Bayonetta is. The gameplay is fairly straightforward at first, guns and melee attacks in a 3rd person view, similar to that of Devil May Cry, but then it starts to get crazy. The main character is a witch, and is able to use her hair as a weapon, shape shifting into a giant boot, fist, or various other attacks. Crazy right? Not even close. At the end of the demo, she began to summon torture devices, which she could interact with. First a guillotine that she strapped an enemy to, kicked around a bit, and then cut his head off. The developers say this is one of many options available. Not crazy enough for you? After defeating a boss, her hair turned into a giant dragon and devoured him. Yeah. Hair Dragon.

THQ was next on the list and I got some very early looks at Legends of Wrestlemania and UFC 2009, both of which have tremendous potential. Of course, the theme in both is an experience like watching the real thing, so they have minimal or nonexistent HUDs. UFC’s ground fighting is amazing to watch, but only time will tell how well it plays.

The Activision press event closed the day off, and while I wasn't able to live blog the event, I have provided below a few of my notes on the announcements made at the show.

Call of Duty: World at War – “Redefining WWII shooters”. The footage in the trailer is really intense, a lot of really horrific things are happening. This could be huge and really artful, or just plain bad. Flame tanks. 2 player co-op on console, 4 player co-op online. Takes a sort of arcade mode and keeps score. Keifer Sutherland does a voice!

They show off some co-op and it’s pretty brutal. Looks like a pretty cool experience. The flamethrower is rightfully devastating. The co-op looks freaking amazing.