E3 – Items of noteworthynessness

Here are a few reasons why the E3 convention of 2010 was such a winner.

The 3DS obviously getting the first mention because it was the star of the rather Nintendo-dominant show.
A new handheld from Nintendo that is backwards compatible with previous DS games, but now adding two cameras, analogue control, motion sensing and a unique “3D display” similar to that of digital 3D TV’s and movie theatres, only no need to wear those glasses.

The 3DS had a lot of demo’s on display, with some big names already seemingly working on new titles for the device. Demo’s included franchises such as Metal Gear, Kingdom Hearts, Street Fighter and Resident Evil, not to mention several other Nintendo franchises such as Ocarina of Time of the Zelda fame and Star Fox 64, both of which demonstrated sharper graphics than their N64 past-lives.

The Wii had a few promising titles on display too, a new Kirby game being one of them which has Kirby being a piece of yarn, walking around a fabric-type world in a classic sidescroller with a twist. Kirby can manipulate the softness of the stages in order to progress, from unzipping things to creasing the backdrop fabric itself.
Epic Mickey also appeared and looks to be quite good with it’s paint/erase gimmick in a world that oozes Disney fan service.
Donkey Kong Country Returns was also there. The developers have quite a task on their hands, to create a sequel to what some consider the best sidescrolling series of all time.

The last amazing thing of E3 would be Civilization V which I expressed my love for a few months ago when it was first announced. More details emerged including gameplay footage and some information on how deep the game will go. If it plays as good as it looks, I’m sure it will become the new standard in strategy games.

There was also XBOX and Playstation stuff going on. The usual motion-control things and a few cross-platform titles that will fly off the shelves but nothing too striking. I do own a PS3 myself so, I’m not entirely biased.

Free game with PSP-Go

For folks in the US holding out on getting a PSP-Go, here’s an offer that might make you take the plunge.

If you purchase a PSP-Go between now and March 21st, you can redeem a code to get either Assassins Creed or Little Big Planet for free.

Again, this applies only to US customers.