E3 2012: Just "Plane" Thoughts

I'M ON A PLANE!!! I just paid $5 to say that.

E3 kicks off tomorrow with press conferences up to yin-yang and we have a lot to be excited about. With a slew of new gameplay and world premier trailers already making themselves known, it is hard to decide which games will take priority for me in the coming days. The E3 convention hall is a big place and despite my efforts to be more organized that years past, the last day is sure to be a clusterf*** as I strive to see the things that I missed. With so many assured hits, there is still something to be said of all the unproven quantities. E3 is the go-to place for world premieres and official game unveilings so there is still plenty of mystery to be uncovered in the days ahead. Here are my top 5 games that could go either way at E3 2012:

Hitman Absolution

My experiences with Hitman have been fairly limited. I have played about half of Hitman Blood Money and despite my appreciation for the tone and well-realized gameplay mechanics, I found my frustrations with the trial and error to far outweigh my enjoyment. With our skepticism of Absolution building since we last saw it at E3 last year, it was refreshing to see the 2 latest trailers this week, once again, re-invigorating my interest in the title. Pre-E3 material has focused on showing off the newly realized cinematic nature of the game, zany character palette (scantily clad nuns anyone?), and the return to the classic open-ended gameplay. While there is still a lot to be proven, Hitman is definitely back on my radar for the time being.

Metro Last Light

Metro established itself as one of the more authentic, atmospheric, post-apocalyptic games of this generation in 2010. After seeing the game at E3 2011, one thing was certain, THQ has stepped up their game by backing the sequel with a bigger budget and a proper marketing campaign. While I am not sure how I feel yet about the changes being made to the ammunition as currency system, the game has enough talent and innovation behind it to ensure that this game will stay at the top of my radar for awhile.

Tomb Raider

I am totally behind the tonal shift that Tomb Raider is taking with the latest reboot from Crystal Dynamics but somewhere in that shift, the game has started to lost sight of its identity. Mechanically speaking, the game seems more akin to Uncharted than a classic Tomb Raider game. The Pre E3 trailer had glimpses of hunting animals in an open environment but it was quickly lost amongst the cinematic set piece moments that are clearly a major part of the game. All I can say is that I hope Crystal Dynamics can show us more of what makes this game a Tomb Raider game at E3 in a few days.

Overstrike

Very little is known about the first multi-platform game from Insomniac but after the debut trailer at E3 2011, the game is sure to be packed full of personality and sweet weapons. I am not sure what Insomniac has planned for E3 this year but I hope it involves information about the structure and pacing of the game. I also want to get a feel for how the game looks because their sleek cinematic trailer last year implied the team got creative the art style. The game has not been confirmed to be at the show this year but after a year of darkness on the project, E3 would be the perfect place for Insomniac to reintroduce the game.

DmC

There isn't too much to say here except I have been waiting to get my hands on this game since it was announced at Tokyo Game Show 2010. I love Ninja Theory and I have been a fan of their interpretation of the Devil May Cry universe since day 1. It seems this week I will finally get my chance. Let's just hope it delivers on some level.