07.16.07 - Monster 1 of 2

So once again E3 has come and gone, and gamers have had a chance to whet their appetites with what's to come in the future for the Xbox 360. Sure, you didn't get to go to the show, but with Xbox Live's Bringing It Home, all of the previews, trailers, and demos are right there for you to check out in your living room. In case you missed the best of the best out there, here's a small recap of what you should check out.

Demos

Definitely Play:

Blue Dragon
Blue Dragon is the Japanese RPG that's finally making its way to the U.S. borders in an English version of the game. This demo seemed a little complicated at first, but was actually really easy to get into once you got started. When you start the demo, you'll have two different missions you can play, Fortress or Ruins, each of which you can play for an hour. I tried the Fortress mission, and will probably go back and play the Ruins mission as well. In the Fortress mission, you'll have an hour of play to get a bomb necklace (I don't know, they don't explain, I personally would never try on any jewelry that was ticking and flashing like a bomb) off of one of your party members. First thing, you'll get to talk to characters, which will explain the basics of attacking, using spells, and how to navigate quickly through the world if you so choose, and then move on to some basic fights where your whole party seems too powerful. While fighting, you'll enjoy and wonder how the feel-good old-school metal music playing never seems to end, but just loop over and over and over in a never-ending cacophony for your ears. Spells are numerous and easy to navigate and differentiate between. The characters are colorful, individualistic, and very anime, so if that's your type of thing you'll probably really enjoy the story. Overall, this is a game I'm definitely looking forward to checking out on its release because I'm always up for a good RPG, and I'd recommend the demo to anyone who likes RPG's.

Check Out If You Have Time:

Ace Combat 6
I tried out this game, but flying an aircraft was never something I was very good at unless it was a 2D shooter, or Starfox. The controls were a tad complicated, and the gameplay was a little slow. However, this type of game is totally not my thing, but if it's your type of thing, you might really enjoy it. I'd at least recommend trying it out to everyone to see if you like it.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
The beginning of the demo soars around Hogwarts, presumably showing off that the whole school from the movie has been modeled for the game. That's probably the best part of the demo. Why? Well, I should start by saying this is a timed demo, which is a annoying because there's hardly time to do anything at all, but at least you can just go back into the game and play again. I'm not sure what the point of this demo was, to be honest. Almost everything you try to do says that it can only be done in the full version of the game. Yawn. One thing you can do is play Gobstones, which is a little difficult to control, and not much fun anyway. Everything else is just making little discoveries with your spells.

Trailers

Definitely Check Out:

Assassin's Creed
Ha, this one made me smile from the first few seconds all the way through. Great fight scenes, stunts, and blood effects.

BlackSite Are 51
I like when live action shots are in video games, and the story looks to be on par. Helicopter chain gun vs. Huge freakin' alien? Nice.

Eternal Sonata
Hell yes! I love the animation, the music, and the cheesy lines! Does it get any better for an RPG!? I'm way too excited about this one now. This was possibly my favorite trailer. "Death is reality that is far too real." How overdramatic... I love it.

Fracture
A completely original concept to a shooter, showing only gameplay, gives this one a must-see.

Halo 3
Really, no explanation needed, but you'll get a preview of the campaign.

Mass Effect
Bioware's RPG is looking to impress. Awesome character models. Is this an RPG with a shooter element? I like the over-the-shoulder look that was in Gears of War, and this looks the same. Good mix of gameplay and cutscenes.

Xbox 360 Games Montage
Best way to get a quick rundown of games that are bound for the console, and the only look you'll get at a few games.

Xbox Live Arcade
Definitely check this one out to get excited about what's coming up soon for the arcade.

Check Out If You Have Time:

Bee Movie Game
I downloaded this because I love Jerry Seinfeld, but he didn't have any lines in this trailer.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Interesting looking trailer, with a little twist. Audio seemed a little funky to me, but maybe it was intended that way.

Civilization Revolution
This one looked a little cheesy, and I couldn't understand going back and forth between olden days and modern times. Looks good anyway.

Guitar Hero III
You've seen it before; this one's a little different.

Halo: Arms Race
Wow. Looks like Halo only real. Not sure what it was getting at though.

PGR4
Looks stunning, but I found this trailer a little weird with the guy on the bike.

Spider-man: Friend or Foe
Getting to play as Spider-man's foes? Interesting concept, but I'm a little skeptical to how this game will turn out.

Tony Hawk's Proving Ground
The newest Tony Hawk game looks nicer, and more innovative. Create your own story, decide your own path? We'll have to wait to see just what that means.

Too Human
The mask around the bar patron's neck looked really nice. Did he expect those little guns to really do anything? Anyhow, after he pulls out the sword, it looks like the gameplay has potential, even though there was no gameplay footage shown.

Two Worlds
Yay, another choose your destiny, good or evil game. Those never seem to get old. Nice to have online multiplayer, also.

Viva Piñata Party Animals
Might be able to rival the Mario Party franchise. Let's hope.

With this great roundup of games that are destined for the Xbox 360, it was an overall satisfying E3, despite any major announcement from Microsoft. Now we just get to wait and see if these games and Microsoft pull through with everything we've been teased with. Should be an exciting year end for 2007.

 

 

E3 2007 Content - Look over all the marketplace content released during E3 2007.
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