The E3 Experience
By John Higgins   •   May, 2006 Before I moved out to Los Angeles around the turn of the millennium, the Electronic Entertainment Expo sounded like heaven. It was three days dedicated to everything good about gaming and being able to see and play games before they were available to the public was something I would have given a limb for while living in the Northeast. When I moved out to pursue a graduate degree at the University of Southern California, just a few blocks from the Los Angeles Convention Center, it became three days of congested traffic, overpriced parking, and people not paying attention while crossing the street.

While the latter has not changed—parking ranged from $40 to $70 for the day—this year, I was included as one of the people not paying attention to traffic instead of heading to campus. It might not have been heaven, but it was pretty close. With bright lights, a dazed look in people’s eyes, and girls dressed in outfits ranging from sexy to strange, it was like a mini-Vegas in Los Angeles. Now let’s get to the important part—the games. Here are the five I found most interesting (in no particular order):

Title: BioShock
Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, PS3
Anticipated Release: early 2007

Irrational Games, the studio that brought us one of the best games ever—System Shock 2—is now working on BioShock. As with System Shock 2, BioShock uses its location and ambiance to make you squirm in your chair. Set in a dilapidated underwater city full of citizens that are now hungry zombie-type creatures, you don’t start holding huge weapons with almost unlimited ammo. Instead you start with close to nothing and must ration everything you find to make it through. How you use the items also determines how you will progress through the levels. Designers wanted to be sure that there was not one solution to each puzzle but instead many, keeping the gameplay engaging.

Since the game takes place in an underwater city, the makers spent a bunch of time giving the water effects an authentic look. The time was worth it. Not only do the water effects look beautiful—adding to the atmosphere of the game—but the rest of the graphics are just as impressive. The art deco architecture—the inhabitants that could leave left in the ’40s —is wonderfully crafted and distinct and acts as a disturbing backdrop to the creatures that wander around. The sound design heightens the mood as you can hear echoes through the hallways. BioShock also lacks cut scenes, instead opting for audio recordings that move the story along without taking you out of the action. There are some more BioShock screenshots here

Title: Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
Platform: PC
Anticipated Release: When it’s done (rumored later this year)

I’ve never been a first-person shooter fan. Whenever I would play, I’d get frustrated at the people that would camp an area and wait for someone to come in view, primarily because getting as many kills with few deaths was what dominated the point system. So, when video editor Geoff Morrison and I sat down to play id Software’s Enemy Territory: Quake Wars I was less than enthused. That feeling went away in a few seconds as I was pulled into the action of the game.

Quake Wars takes place in 2065 during the Strogg invasion of Earth. Players chose sides—either the Strogg’s or human’s—and one of five classes. Each class has its own specialty, and, since the maps are mission-objective based there’s a good chance most class types will be necessary to win the battle. It’s also possible to get in any of the vehicles around to move more quickly to your destination.

There is great delineation between both sides in many ways. A medic on one side doesn’t necessarily work the same as the medic character on the other side. The graphic representation is also distinctive depending on race, including the different ways Stroggs move as related to humans. Look here for some more Enemy Territory: Quake Wars screenshots.

Title: Star Trek: Legacy
Platforms: PC, Xbox 360
Anticipated Release: Q3 2006

Bethesda Softworks and Mad Doc Software might finally give us a Star Trek game as it should be done. Granted, some of the previous games have been decent, but none have captured the excitement of the battles from the movies and television shows. Star Trek: Legacy shows great promise to keep players eager for more.

With four playable races—the Federation, Klingons, Romulans, and the Borg—and over 60 ships, there are plenty of different playing styles. Some of the ships are instantly recognizable from various shows (Voyager, for one) and are controlled in groups of up to four. As commander, you give orders to each ship in your fleet and either watch as those orders are carried out or control one of the ships yourself. At any point, you can switch to one of the other ships to take control or give another order. As missions are completed, you receive command points, which are the currency you use to purchase upgrades to your ship and crew (since there is no currency in the 23rd century). The game spans from Enterprise to The Next Generation, and many battles and characters from the shows will be in the game. At the moment, plans are underway to sign the original talent to do voice-over work. There are more Legacy screenshots here.