E3 2010: The Ben Awards

The 2010 Electronic Entertainment Expo is over. There were video games there and I played them. I have some categorical thoughts on these video games, some might call them awards: Biggest Surprise, Biggest Disappointment, and even Game of Show, both Hands-on and off. Don't you want to read what I thought? Go on. Read more.

Game of Show Hands-on: Limbo

I am reluctant to describe what was in the demo for Limbo beyond saying it is a platformer with a distinctive style. With Limbo, the developers have chosen to drop you straight into the game, with no explanation, no tutorial, leaving you to figure out what to do, what the narrative is, even down to what buttons do what. In a time where players are regularly told what to do, even in the most simplistic situations, this is welcome. Limbo seems to have the right balance of letting the player discover things on their own without being so hands off that they are confused. This type of design, along with incredibly distinct black and white style and an aptly used, subdued soundscape, makes Limbo an easy pick for the best game I played at E3 2010.

[caption id="attachment_6983" align="alignright" width="150" caption="The Playstation Move had some of the most practical applications, with games like Little Big Planet and SOCOM 4. Kinect, well, it works, though the applications are rudimentary. Child of Eden is intriguing; synesthesia taken to the next level? The Nintendo 3DS was mostly tech demos, making it hard to

Game of Show Hands-off: Portal 2

Portal 2 nearly took this category by way of me not going to very many hands-off demonstrations. Still, that doesn’t mean Portal 2 is any less deserving, as it showed wonderfully. Displaying a new companion, the hilarious and charming Wheatley. He is easily one of the most human characters at the show, being extremely expressive through movement, yet he is nothing more than a small, robotic sphere. Also on display were more things in the environment for the portals to interact with like tractor beams, fling plates, laser beams, air tubes, and gels with pro- and repulsion. All of these elements were singularly featured in a clever way before being shown in a quick trailer with all the elements interacting with one another. And that is where Portal 2 looks to truly shine strongest: immensely creative puzzles created with new and more varied elements.

Biggest Surprise: The Lack of Surprise

The biggest surprise to me was the sheer number of games that were already announced, sequels to current franchises or “me too” games. In reflection, that probably should not have been a surprise. These types of games are all safe bets and we are, unfortunately, beginning to see increasingly more of these safe bets. More fitness games after the success of games like Wii Fit. More dancing games after the success of Just Dance. More shooters with a number at the end, even some that forgo the number for a subtitle instead. This isn’t to say that a sequel can’t do something interesting (Portal 2, is a sequel after all) but in the majority of the ones shown, there seems to be little to set them apart from their predecessors. It also isn’t to say that the entire show had no surprises but many of the new and interesting things, were already, in some form, known.

Biggest Disappointment: The Things I Didn’t See

That is my biggest disappointment, the things I was unable get my hands on or, in some cases, even see that were at the show. Things like the next Deus Ex (though the sneaky people of the internet have somewhat rectified that), thatgamecompany’s Journey, Telltale’s upcoming adventure games based on Jurassic Park and Back to the Future, the Bethesda published Brink and Rage, the new Zelda game, Mizuguchi’s Child of Eden—there are others I am sure I am forgetting now. So many of these things are by appointment only and appointments are rare compared to the open show floor. It is disappointing that these things are so closed off but it is understandable why it is done this way—thinking about the insanely long line for Zelda. This could be a case of me wanting something more when I can’t have it but it seems many of the games that I didn’t see or play, that I couldn’t see or play, are the ones that I really wanted to try the most.