there's something about e3... and milo
There's something about E3... and Milo - 07/06/09
I know a lot of people (all five of you) are probably groaning at a video game related comic, but it's E3 week and I could not ignore it. Those that know me are aware of how big a gamer I am and have been all my life. I still have ambitions of working in or for the industry. I have finished my services to the retail side of it years ago now as a seller but still support it hugely as a consumer (more of a mass-consumer I guess). I love games! Nuff said.
As for what exactly went down at E3. Microsoft did indeed get the ball rolling showing many strong games. They also let us see their motion sensor controller-camera Project Natal which I still have reservations about as I feel it is still too gimmicky and while having no actual controller is a great idea, it will not work with certain types of games unless they make an additional device for specific games. For example, First-person shooters (99.9% of games on the 360... well not quite) will not work as you need something to not only look around within the game but something to move forward, backward, side-ways and diagonally. Apart from the limits I see, it could work well.
They then showed Milo. Peter Molyneux's project. An interactive, virtual 10 year old boy. On initial viewing this was scary and seemed impressive but was heavily scripted and we have since learnt how it actually picks up on things such as emotions and what you are saying. It doesn't understand words just tone. Progression but not the leap they seemed to claim it is. My biggest concern is the fact that I can't see why grown adults would want to have a virtual 10 year old boy to talk to and interact with. Maybe those that could never father kids have a chance, here have a virtual one at least he won't start doing cocaine in his late teens. The other worry as illustrated is an older member using it. Yea it's a sinister and sick joke to make but like my disclaimer says I mean no offence. Just commenting on what I see. No holds barred and all of that. Stranger things go on all over the world. It is quite worrying that this is what things are coming to. Most people nowadays only ever talk to each other over the internet via social networking and the like. Now they are actually making full on virtual people who react like a real person to what we say and do. Soon our friends will just be things in machines. Oh no! The future is here.
I didn't include a dig at Sony as I missed the conference. I heard it was impressive though and I do quite like the PSP Go. Nintendo's conference scared me at times as it felt like a repeat of the one from two and maybe three years ago. They did in fact announce three new Mario games. New Mario Bros Wii, Mario and Luigi R.P.G. for the DS in which they get stuck in Bowser's intestines which is just lovely (they are plumbers after all) and finally Mario Galaxy 2, which looks exactly the same as the first one only they added Yoshi. The showed an awesome new Metroid game being made alongside Team Ninja. They also showed a Virtual Sensor which seemed to be the most pointless announcement of the entire week. I still have no idea what they bloody point in it is other than monitoring your body. To what end any gamer would want to do this, I have no idea. Maybe to see how his blood pressure increases from playing some imported Japanese, maid game.
All in all it was a great week and I have been glued to Kotaku, Eurogamer and IGN all week constantly clicking refresh for more news. I have a high level of obsession when it comes to video games and have done since I was four and mostly too scared to play my brother's Spectrum when I was on my own for fear of breaking it. I love games and I love E3. Don't worry though there will be some proper Toast related nonsense coming up.
Much nerdy, geeky, computery love people. J