A PC Gamer’s look at E3 2004
While everybody else was in looking at the DS and PSP, some of us had other sites in mind. E3 2004 was, for the most part, very accommodating for PC gamers. I got spend some time with PC developers from every major publisher. In fact, there was a Games for Windows section which displayed quite a few windows titles outside of there developer’s booths. If that wasn’t enough, ATI and nVIDIA displayed PC gamers in their perspective booths. Games like Tribes: Vengeance was available in three separate types.
Half-Life 2
While their were two lines for the DS and PSP, there were two lines for PC games as well, Half-Life 2 part 1 and Half-Life 2 part 2. And in my opinion, it was worth the total 4 hours I spent waiting in lines. This game looks great. The graphics are top notch, the weapons are innovative, the physics is on target and the new CS is jaw dropping. I question, however, whether physics will work in the multiplayer as well as it did in the E3 demo. Those kinds of calculations can be murder on a server. One other thing I question is the AI. Of course, we won’t see that in true action until the game comes out.
S.T.A.K.L.E.R.
Another game that intrigued me was S.T.A.K.L.E.R. This game looks and plays equally as good. The lighting is amazing. The weather affects everything. If it’s raining, the sky looks dark and cloudy. And yes, rain in the day looks different than rain at night. And yes, the amount of rain varies as well. The ground is affected, the creatures in the wild react different, and the physics of objects is different, they slide more. The physics in this game seem up to par with Half-Life 2. Although, they are turned off in the multiplayer. This game uses no scripts. But, it does use zones and cooperative human NPCs. So the AI seems to work like Far Cry.
World of WarCraft
Instance dungeons. That’s the main thing that sets this title apart. Basically, once your party goes into a dungeon, your party is the only one in that dungeon. If you’ve ever played an MMORPG, you know what a good thing this can be. Of course, there is the usual “run into the wild and kill it if it moves” experience you expect with any MMORPG. The GUI lives up to the Blizzard standard. It’s simple, beautiful, and fits perfectly with the theme of the game. I was glad to see all of my favorite races from the RTS series make an appearance in this title. If you’re a fan of the WarCraft series, you may want to give this one a trial run.
Dungeon Siege II
The game is simply an improved version of the first. Better graphics, better weapons, better GUI and better monsters. The donkey is gone, the inventory auto-sorts, and the camera controls work better at giving you a view of the action. The gameplay remains true to the original. While the original is good, it does get tedious. I was hoping to see some innovation on gameplay with this title. Overall, it’s still an improvement over the first.
EverQuest II
They fixed the loading. It doesn’t work by lines anymore. It is switch activated. The character generation has so many more options. The quest and mission systems work better. From what they told me, this version will focus on team play at medium and high levels. And yes, the graphics are a lot better. It just didn’t have that wow factor for me.
Ground Control II
If you played the first one, you know this is not your typical RTS. You also remember there is no resource collection or special buildings. None of that has changed for the second iteration. What has changed is the gameplay and graphics. While the graphics are only a small step up, the gameplay has been put on morphine. Each unit has two attack modes now. The GUI and hot keys are designed for faster units operations. This is good, because the action moves much faster in this one. The units are also given more options on offense, defense and formation. The enemy in the first one is now a playable faction in the second with a morphing ability. This ability allows you to transform multiple units into a single unit with different powers. This allows you to adjust strategies in the middle of a battle.
City of Villains
This expansion pack if City of Heroes is exactly what I was hoping what the first would be. Player vs. player superhero beat downs. While it’s tentative, they told me there will be zones where heroes can battle villains that only high level players will be allowed. I must say, mid-air super powered fights are high in adrenaline.
I should mention…
Dawn of Fate
A Warhammer 40K based RTS. It looks good. Units are customizable. Gameplay is more action orientated like Ground Control
Myst IV
It’s the most gorgeous game at E3. But it’s Myst.
Star Wars Republic Commando
It’s a FPS with an attached AI squad. Multiplayer could become very innovative.
The Roots
I saw it in Kenita Hall. It’s a final fantasy like game for the PC.
Guild Wars
A MMORPG with no monthly fee and it was actually fun.
