Bringing it all back home from E3 for the final day of the show before tomorrow’s final roundup, and one of the first games we’ve spied is the next instalment in the often-shunned Hitman series.
In Hitman: Absolution, developers IO Interactive, who you may remember from Kane and Lynch, and publishers Square Enix have obviously been taking a few hints from games that have been released in the large absence of Hitman titles of late.
The demo featured at E3 seems to evoke a pleasing blend of memories from Batman: Arkham Asylum, Splinter Cell, Assassin’s Creed and the older more classic Hitman titles from those who saw it, with a hint of modern popular culture being thrown into the mix too.
Currently only this demo is available, the featured one at E3 was a bit too exclusive for the general public.
Meanwhile, Warhammer 40k: Space Marine is shaping up pretty damn well, and one of our more intrepid expeditions into YouTube has unearthed this fairly decent review from last year, along with a more up to date trailer.
And here’s today’s new trailer too, which reveals a pretty scary enemy force lying in wait for the titular space marines.
Wait, if this hasn’t been enough of a gorefest of an opening article for you, check out this epic trainer for the latest Serious Sam outing, BFE (we don’t know what it really stands for either).
E3 2011: Hardware
Dear Nintendo,
We all know how much you appreciate our constant purchases of decent titles for decent consoles in the last 15-odd years, which eventually built up your company into what it was when you released the Wii.
But in 2006 and 2011 respectively, you decided to take a massive dump on all the non-casual gamers who bought the N64 in the ‘90s, and then the Gamecube in the early ‘00s with these casual ‘family’ consoles. Why did you do this?
Motion control is the future, yes, but not the way you do it. Look at Microsoft. Look at them. That should’ve been you doing that when the first Wii came out, with cameras, not half-assed swings and vague movements that don’t translate to what’s on the TV screen.
People are switching off your 3D, neglecting your touchscreens and plugging in gamepads instead of Wiimotes, to play slightly better looking versions of the same franchises they played 15 years ago. The gimmicks are getting ignored, and when you sacrifice gameplay for gimmicks that never get used, the games you make suffer for it.
Nintendo, now you are silly. You have no notable third-party games, or publishing/developer partners who have faith in your hardware. What are we supposed to play on this new Wii U, when every game you announce is ‘due next year’ and every third party game is some piece of garage trash that nobody wants?
Please, next time give us a new console, new gamepad and a new first-party franchise or two.
Yours irately,
The World
E3 2011: My Thursday Hot List
YES:
- Hitman: Absolution
- WH40K: Space Marine
- Skyrim (still)
NO:
- Wii U
HIDDEN TREASURES:
- Serious Sam: BFE
- LittleBigPlanet Vita
- Xcom
- Silent Hill: Downpour
CAN’T WAIT:
- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- PSVita
- Battlefield 3