Glitz, glamour and games - this was the flavour at this year's E3 convention in Los Angeles, the biggest gaming fair in the world. It all started with Microsoft's impressive press conference a day before the convention started. Present at the event were the who's who of the gaming arena.
Thousands watched as Microsoft honchos launched new games for the Kinect and Xbox 360 and showed integration with Xbox Live accounts. To make searching simpler, Microsoft Bing will also be integrated with your Xbox Live accounts. But what interested us most were the Kinect games.
These have definitely moved a notch up from the first games such as Kinect Sports and Kinect Adventures. The news from Los Angeles is that soon we will be able to play hardcore action games such as Tom Clancy Ghost Recon without the controller.
You will use hand gestures and voice commands, yes you read that right, voice commands, to play the game. You can fire weapons with hand movements, zoom scopes and change weapons with a few voice or hand gestures.
Another action game that will ride the Kinect will be Star Wars. Kinect Sports and Dance Central will also have their second editions. And children will love this one-Disney is going to bring Disneyland for the world on the Kinect platform. This means that you will soon be able to roam around the fantasy park and meet all your favourite Disney cartoon characters. All this was fun, but the crowd went mad when Microsoft execs demoed the trailers of Gears of War 3, Forza Motorsport 4 and Halo HD.
The first part of the extremely popular Halo is making a comeback with new, improved hi-resolution graphics. There was, expectedly, a mad rush at the convention grounds that had every major maker from the gaming and peripherals industry. Hollywood stars also made their appearances and tried their hands at the new games.
Serpentine lines stretched out in front of the stall, with everyone wanting to get their hands on the fresh offerings games and the new gaming devices like the PS Vita and the Nintendo 3DS. Microsoft's stall was popular with the people, who crowded its Kinect pods, where they played some of the cool demos of the upcoming games on Kinect.
However, the main attraction was the lifesize figure of Gears of War's Marcus Fenix. Sony and Nintendo, the two other major console makers, too attracted crowds. Both showcased their new consoles. Capcom, Square Enix, WB Games, Ubisoft and 2K Games put up good shows too. Popular games on the game floor included
Deus Ex Human Revolution, Dance Central 2, Hitman Absolution, Lord of the Rings: War in the North, Ultimate Fighting Championship, Bioshock: Infinite, Forza Motorsports 4, Street Fighter Vs Taken, Need for Speed: The Run, Uncharted 3 and Battlefield 3.
These were attractive offerings, but it seemed like the masses were really salivating over two well-awaited games-
Batman Arkham City and
Gears of War 3.
These were easily the crowd favourites. The glamour did not stop here. Men and women dressed as game characters, combatants on real tanksof World War II vintage, and lumbering robots were everywhere. E3 2011was quite an experience-and will continue to be talked about, having forecast what is in store for the coming months.
Exciting Gear @ E3
E3RAZER STAR WARS EDITION HEADSET
Razer showcased some cool gear. One was the Star Wars headset. It has 5.1 channel virtual surround sound. Sadly people could not give them a go as they were in glass enclosures. But they were attractive to look at.
NINTENDO WII U
This is Nintendo's new controller. But don't get your credits cards-it'll only hit the stores some time in 2012.Wii U has a 6.2-inch screen in the middle that lets you play multi and single player games using the TV and the controller-which is the USP of this game controller.
PS VITA
PSP has been the favourite handheld gaming device for almost a decade. Now Sony has introduced the successor, PSVita. It has dual analogue sticks, OLED touch screen interface, Wi-Fi, 3G, GPS, motion sensor and above all, two cameras, one in front and one in the rear. Users can also join the PS community and interact with members and stay updated on new games and happenings.
NYKO ZOOM
This was one of the hottest attractions as the E3. What these spectacles for your Kinect console do is that it reduces the play area for Kinect by 40 per cent. You won't need the required 6 ft of space that the Kinect required when you use the Nyko Zoom. It will be out in a couple of month.
NINTENDO 3DS
3DS has twin screens like the earlier DS. However, 3DShas a 3D upper screen that doubles the fun. The 3D is OK, and you don't need to wear any geeky glasses. There are plenty of game choices, including our favourite Mario.
N-CONTROL AVENGER
Avenger is a controller that gives you the edge in professional gaming. It is a pad cover with specially designed tentacles and buttons that reduce finger lag and increase response time. The pad is available for bothXbox360 and PS3 controller.
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Hands On @ E3BATMAN ARKHAM CITY(Launch: Oct 2011)
After Arkham Asylum we had high expectations from this game and we were not disappointed. The game is breathtaking. Character details are perfect, the elaborate city views are awesome and the stunts that Batman carries out are remarkable. As Batman, you can take down 20 bad guys at one blow. That's action on steroids.
FORZA MOTORSPORTS 4(Launch: OCT 2011)
Forza has always been a rewarding series for racing gamers. With version 4, it has leaped to the next level. A lot of new cars have been added, the graphics have become even better, car handling and assists have been improved too. There were many fighting for the top racing game spot, but Forza is the undisputed topper.
SUPER MARIO 3DS(Launch: TBA)
Ah, the game that we have been playing since we were young kids is soon going to be available in 3D on the Nintendo 3DS handheld. It is a fun game and making Mario run in 3D is quite nice. There are a lot of puzzles in the game so you need to save those much-needed Mario lives.
GEARS OF WAR 3: BROTHERS TILL THE END(Launch: Sep 2011)
Here is a game in development that we've heard a lot about. A night with the game at Los Angeles left us hungry for more. The graphics are top notch, the audio is brilliant and the enemy swarms are super tough-just the way we like it.
KINECT SPORTS SEASON 2(Launch: Dec 2011)
The lovely sports party game for Kinect which launched last year is going to be back in its allnew avatar. New sports have been added to the roster-like golf and American football. We enjoyed playing both the games, but then we ran out of time-and breath.
KINECT STAR WARS(Launch: Late 2011)
Till now we had our controllers, keyboard or mouse as our allies. Now we need to depend on our quick hand and body movements to kill those wretched beings on the dark side. The game is a lot of fun without controllers. Hopefully one will not exhausted too soon.
