Check out the highlights for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC!
Over 45,000 video game industry bigwigs have converged in Tinseltown (do they call L.A. that even when it’s not Christmas? We’re never sure) to get an exclusive look at what you’ll be playing this year and beyond on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC (let’s face it – with Nintendo, we’ll mostly be playing with the controller from now on). With hundreds of games on the massive show floors at the Los Angeles Convention Center, the following nine titles stood out from the crowd.
MICROSOFT XBOX 360
Gears of War 3
The final installment in the Gears trilogy has upped the action quotient, as Epic Games wants to go out with a bang, not to mention a boom, a crash, a "nyarrghh," a splat and some serious chain sawing. Rapper Ice-T was brought in to voice a character and provide an original song from his newly reformed group, Body Count, which automatically makes this game worth buying, but if that doesn’t convince you, new weapons like the mechanized body suit, the silverback, definitely will.
Batman: Arkham City
Next year will serve a double dose of the Dark Knight for fans of DC Comics. The Caped Crusader is getting a new movie from Chris Nolan and a sequel to the mighty Arkham Asylum from developer Rocksteady Games. Arkham City is the first Batman game to introduce a truly open world environment for players to explore: unfortunately (or, fortunately, for those of us who enjoy beating up clowns), every nook and alleyway is inhabited by the most notorious criminals of all time. As a bonus, gamers will be able to play with Catwoman in certain portions of the game. To quote Maxim.com’s managing editor, Heather, "Oh holy shit you guys, did you see the Arkham City trailer?! I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHY I’M SO EXCITED, I CAN’T PLAY VIDEO GAMES."
Hitman: Absolution
IO Interactive is redefining interactive entertainment with the atmospheric, cinematic action game. The bald-headed assassin Agent 47 finds the tables have turned and he’s the hunted in this new story. The developer says 47’s deadliest weapon is his mind, and in the Chicago level shown at E3 he actually starts the game without any weapons, so presumably he’s going to foil the bad guys with some really exhilarating sudoko action or something. And it’ll still kick ass.
SONY PLAYSTATION 3
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
Who needs Indiana Jones when you have Nathan Drake? (Also – who needs Indiana Jones at all after Kingdom of the Crystal Skull? Not us, that’s for damn sure). Naughty Dog’s game franchise has taken huge leaps with each new adventure, and the third installment introduces the best-looking stereo 3D experience ever seen in a game. As for Drake, he’s searching for a lost city of gold in the middle of the desert, which, considering we’re still searching for a pencil in the middle of our desk, is actually pretty manly. Thanks to continued improvements in the co-op and multiplayer gameplay, this game will keep you hooked long after the campaign adventure is over.
Resistance 3
Set in an alternate 1950s universe in which aliens have essentially taken over the world (that’s this universe, if you ask our buddy, Paranoid Steve), Resistance 3 tells the story of one man’s redemption as he heads to New York City to save mankind. The new Chimeran aliens that Insomniac conjured for this game - like the cloaking snipers - will challenge the most veteran gamers, while the progression-based multiplayer experience adds something new to the franchise. All in all, this is looking like a must-have shooter in a very crowded genre.
Twisted Metal
Sony’s oldest game franchise is back with a vengeance, displaying more car combat carnage than ever before. Game creator David Jaffe said this is the vehicular onslaught that he always envisioned, but which technology only recently allowed him to bring to life. Isn’t progress ace? From flying attack choppers to 16-player multiplayer mayhem in transforming arenas, Twisted Metal is one crazy ride that’ll make you wish your couch had airbags.
WINDOWS PC
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Bethesda Game Studios makes role-playing games that can suck even novice players into the fantasy world of Elder Scrolls. You don’t need to know anything about the first four games to enjoy Skyrim: It’s one of the most gorgeous and immersive worlds yet seen in a video game. With fire-breathing dragons to slay and dungeons to explore, this open world game lets you become the hero of an epic adventure. Also, “Skyrim” sounds like a particularly dirty sex act performed in an airplane toilet, so that’s a bonus.
BioShock: Infinite
Just as it did in the underwater epic, BioShock, Irrational Games is delivering on the promise of a truly unique gameplay experience with this new action game. Set in 1912, Booker Dewitt must rescue Elizabeth from Columbia, a floating city in the skies. With frenetic gun battles occurring while hanging off a rollercoaster-like pulley system that spans the city, to a “tear” system that brings future technology into 1912 (we can’t wait to see Booker twotting turn-of-the-century enemies in the face with an iPad), Infinite opens up an unbelievable new world.
Defiance
Trion Worlds and Syfy have partnered to create the world’s first, first-person shooter online game and television series with Defiance. The massively multiplayer online action game will ship for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, allowing players to explore a future United States ravaged by war (also known as “Detroit”). Syfy will launch a live action TV show in conjunction with the new game, and the actions of players will influence the events in the TV series and vice versa. The shooting action is as intense as Halo, so gamers can also bypass watching the boob tube if they want.
