It was my great pleasure to attend E3 last week, and while I was unable to write for Gaming World during that week, I’m now prepared to write up impressions on anything you want to hear about. Let me know what exactly you’d like me to talk about. Are you anxious to read Metroid impressions? Would you like me to elaborate on my Wario World thoughts? Want to know what I thought of Final Fantasy 11? Wondering if Dave Mirra BMX XXX is real? Take advantage of our mailbag and let me know what you want to read. However, to start things off, I’ll tell you what I thought were some of the best and worst parts of the show.
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Most Pleasant Surprise - Contra: Shattered Soldier, PS2
Even after playing it, I still find it hard to believe that the new Contra will be two dimensional. Of course, this is excellent news for any fan of action/platform games. For the most part, Shattered Soldier plays like the original Contra games. There were two playable levels at E3; each one was primarily 2D. Of course, environments, characters, and enemies are fully rendered, but the player is restricted to moving and shooting in 8 directions. Standard one-hit kills have returned, but the weapon system is different. Instead of collecting new guns as the player advances through the level, the player is simply given three weapons and can choose on the fly. Perhaps this will be changed or modified in the final version, but as it stands now, there are only three weapons: a machine gun, a flamethrower, and a grenade launcher. Some weapons are more effective against certain enemies, so it becomes important to actually make use of each weapon’s strengths and weaknesses. Simply put, this game is just as fun and challenging as the original Contra; It’s just prettier.
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Runner-up - Wario World, GCN
I’m not quite sure what I was expecting from Wario World, but it’s certainly not what I received. Wario World was quite enjoyable, despite being a tad repetitive. In fact, I might go so far as to say I enjoyed it more than Mario Sunshine. Essentially, Wario must pummel his way through room after room of enemies, all the while grabbing golden coins and other treasures. Attacks are simple, with only a few different combos and moves, but it’s fun. Often, there will be a dozen or more monsters attacking the player! The game is clearly a beat-’em-up at heart, but there’s a fair bit of platforming also. The occasional “jumping puzzle” helps to break up the action. It’s lots of fun, but most beat-’em-ups need a two-player mode to be worth a purchase. Hopefully this is being planned, as it’d be much more fun to punch skeletons and grab treasures with a buddy.
Most Disappointing- Turok: Evolution, all platforms
The original Turok: Dinosaur Hunter is one of my favorite N64 games. I hated the sequel, and didn’t bother playing any of the ones after that. Those issues aside, I had very high hopes for Turok: Evolution. The developers have stated again and again that they were attempting to go back to Turok’s roots as a dinosaur hunter. Sadly, it doesn’t make any difference what Turok is shooting at if the game is no fun. Almost like Agent Under Fire, the game is just so horribly bland. Turok was equipped with standard FPS weapons, such as the pistol, the shotgun, and the grenades. Yawn. The handful of enemies I fought were not actual dinosaurs, but walked upright. Perhaps the one level I had a chance to play was not a good representation of the final product, but it has turned me off on the game regardless.
Runner-up- The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, GBA
LttP is easily my favorite Zelda game, and I’m happy that many gamers will get their first chance to play such a classic. However, I would’ve much rather had a compilation GBA game. Nintendo could easily fit Zelda 1, 2 and 3 on one GBA cartridge. I suppose Nintendo thinks it can make more money by porting each game separately. It can, but I’m still disappointed by yet another SNES port for the GBA. The build at E3 featured few (if any) enhancements to the actual Link to the Past part of the game. Of course, the Four Swords mode marks the first time a multiplayer mode has been included in a Zelda game. That’s all well and good, but it’s just not fun. The dungeon I was able to demo was bland and uninteresting. The concept of fighting monsters in order to compete for treasure just wasn’t appealing to me. All of the great puzzle elements of the Zelda series are dumbed down to the point where one might confuse the game for Gauntlet. For those that never played LttP, this will be a must-buy. For anyone else, it looks like there will be little reason to own the game.
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Game of the Show- Metroid Prime, GCN
I had my doubts about Metroid Prime, but it has now become my most anticipated game for any console. Retro Studios has done an amazing job with the franchise. Despite being played from a first person perspective, it still manages to feel like a Metroid game. The demo was very brief; only a single level was playable. The level featured a research facility of some sort that had been ravaged by an unknown disaster. The corpses of aliens lay scattered about, as well as a handful of living ones. Much of the game was simply exploring the facility, which was downright creepy. Combat was intense, but the selection of weapons was a bit small. Samus had her standard blaster, would could be charged up. She also had a limited supply of missles, and could drop bombs in her ball form. There were a few simple puzzles, mostly of the hit the switch variety, but they served as a good break from exploration. The level concluded with a massive boss, which was truly impressive. In traditional Metroid fashion, a countdown appeared after the boss was defeated. After a mad dash to the exit, the demo ended. There was very little Metroid-style platforming to be done, but that might be for the best, given the new perspective. The graphics were gorgeous, the gameplay was near- perfect, and it truly felt like a Metroid game; Retro Studios has proven themselves.
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Runner-up- The Legend of Zelda, GCN
I’ve been a big fan of the cel-shaded look ever since it was first unveiled, but I’m now even more in love with it. The world of Hyrule has never looked better; everything from the oceans to the mountains looks absolutely incredible. The game really feels like an interactive Disney cartoon; it seriously looks that good. Fortunately, it’s not just eye-candy. The game plays just as well as it’s processors, yet still manages to add several new elements. For one, Link can now pick up the weapons of slain foes. This may seem like a small addition, but it creates many new puzzle possibilities. Hopefully, it won’t resort to Resident Evil-style backtracking to get the proper items. I only played a small portion of the massive demo,
as I didn’t want to spoil the game, but it’s safe to say that the new Zelda is a winner.
