Game publishers love to wait until big events to release information about games, and this week’s E3 is no exception. Sure, sometimes we’re leaked information a little bit at a time, but events like this are about showing-off and celebrating games and the new technology that showcases them. So with all eyes on the game industry it’s no surprise that a handful of trailers have been released, some are just hype, but some actually show fans some upcoming gameplay footage as well. I’ve selected four specific ones to take a look at from games that most of us are eagerly anticipating.
X-Com: Enemy Unknown
An apocalyptic radio broadcast forecasting the end of humanity? Check. A technologically superior alien force has invaded earth, and they’re not here to make friends? Check. A mysterious council of international G-men creates a combat unit designed to combat the aliens? Check. That’s pretty much any X-Com fan’s plot checklist, and the video above pretty much covers all of it, unfortunately there isn’t much gameplay, just an overview. To be fair, they have been leaking information about their gameplay for months now, and I guess this video does wrap-up the plot pretty well. The game did need some old-fashioned hype, so maybe this will help to accomplish that.
Black Ops II Gameplay Footage
Normally I’m not a fan of a traditionally multiplayer game showcasing only their single player gameplay, but Black Ops 2 has picked a unique timeframe for their game, 2025 to be exact, and it’s interesting to see the choices they’ve made for their overall theatre of war. Inevitably this type of game brings with it some social commentary, and even though it might be over the top, having normal American civilians as causalities in a war against our own digitally hijacked technology is a pretty strong analogy in a real-world that is seemingly always on the brink of a major conflict. Some people worry about identity theft and digital security, and it looks like Black Ops II will be the Michael Bay version of that fear.
Also, is it me or does Black Ops II look a bit, how do I put this without offending anyone, Battlefield-ish. Maybe it’s just because the HUD looks a little more futuristic, or most likely it’s because I saw some flying in there, but the whole thing had a sleek Battlefield 3 look to it. Perhaps some of that vehicle combat will make its way into the multiplayer.
Halo 4 Gameplay
Halo 4’s Trailer is kind of a throwback to the days when real actors portrayed our characters in games like Command Conquer. The roughly seven minute video is as much a mix of story and gameplay as it is real-life acting and digital footage, it’s all sort of woven together. It’s just the kind of extravagance I normally can’t stand, but there is gameplay footage and it is E3 week so I’ll let it slide.
And speaking of gameplay, to be honest it doesn’t really look like Halo as much as it looks like Crysis which not being a Halo fan is a good thing for me. It also doesn’t sound like Halo, at least not any Halo I’ve ever played; it’s vastly more realistic than I remember. Perhaps they’re going for a more realistic experience with this Halo, if so I think it’s an improvement which probably means some fans will hate how much it’s changed.
Gears of War Judgment Trailer
Not much here except “Hey more Cole Train and Baird!” Compared to the other release videos of the day, this was the most “teaser-ish” with no real gameplay or plot elements to speak of, in other words the type of trailers I normally can’t stand. So I guess all Epic said today was, “Yes, there is another Gears of War on the way, it’s called Judgment starring you’re two favorite side characters, and yes there will be chainsaws.”
