Now that the dust has settled from E3 2011, it's a good time to look back at the past week of insanity and think about which titles stood out from the pack. It's obviously a challenge when you're looking at early games, many of which are more than a year away from release, but despite all that, several titles had magnificent showings. Some were expected, others came totally out of nowhere, but all of these titles are well worth keeping an eye on.
#10 - CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE 3
I wasn't too keen about the first demonstration of "Modern Warfare 3" during pre-E3 week, but the second demonstration, during Microsoft's E3 press conference, was undeniably spectacular. The level featured an underwater assault on New York's harbor, with a small team of Delta Force members sabotaging enemy submarines using SCUBA gear and remote explosives. The level culminated with a visually astounding escape through exploding battleships and aircraft carriers.
In addition to the campaign demonstration, I had the chance to go hands-on with Spec Ops - Survival mode, which took the best bits from "Call of Duty" Zombies and Spec Ops from "MW2." My underwhelmed impression has officially turned around.
Another total shock came from a game franchise that has always felt like it was working in the shadow of "Grand Theft Auto." The developers behind "Saints Row: The Third" appear to have finally gotten the right idea. Instead of just trying to match the tone and features of "GTA," they've gone completely, balls-out nuts. Realism? Ha! They're going to let you drive around a massive pedestrian cannon to launch civilians over the rooftops. Or take command of a VTOL jet loaded for bear with rockets. Or fire an orbital laser cannon to take out a rival gang. Or wear giant mascot masks as you rob a bank. "Saints Row" has always toed the line with realism, but now that Volition has completely left that urge in the dust, the franchise appears to be breaking out on its own.
#8 - INSANELY TWISTED SHADOW PLANET
When I heard about the XBLA Summer of Arcade line-up this year, I was surprised and disappointed that I barely recognized any of the titles. My surprise turned to elation as I managed to try the full slate and realized it's one of the strongest Summer of Arcades yet. While I loved "Bastion," "From Dust" and "Fruit Ninja Kinect," the break-out game of the show was definitely "Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet."
The elevator pitch is that "Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet" is like "Limbo" meets "Metroid." The dark, hand-drawn art style is the first thing you'll notice, followed by clever, physics based puzzles using your UFO's (yes, you fly around in a powered-up saucer) grabbing claw. Then, slowly, you realize that you're in a massive, explorable world filled with collectible tools which let you delve deeper into the alien world. If you've been waiting for a new "Metroid-vania" to fill the "Shadow Complex" void, "Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet" is that game.
#7 - FAR CRY 3
"Far Cry 2" brought the franchise into the open-world genre in ways that the first game just hinted at. "Far Cry 3" appears to be sticking with those tenets, while introducing some truly remarkable character performances (the E3 demo opened with one of the most chilling rants I've ever seen in a video game) and down-right gorgeous graphics. Toss in a new character experience system, complete with unlockable perks and abilities, and you have a truly next-generation open-world FPS. The E3 demo was just a small sliver of the full game, but the potential is enormous.
#6 - WII U (MII CHASE)
Nintendo's big premiere of the Wii U was the hardware story of the show, but since the console isn't launching until 2012, it's still too early to see full-fledged first-party games. What Nintendo did show was a variety of "experiences," one of which was called "Mii Chase." It was basically multiplayer hide and seek in a maze, but the person holding the Wii U controller had the advantage of seeing a top-down view of the maze, along with the locations of all the other players. There's something sort of remarkable about knowing that you're hiding just out of view of someone standing right next to you, and it's something you could never experience in split-screen play. Easily one of the most fun games I played at the show.
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