The Hidden Gems of E3

WarpSource writes "Most people including me are excited to see what Twilight Princess has to offer, read more about Spore and possibly Halo 3 at E3 2006. Yet there are so many other games at the show besides the "big name titles". An article at Silconera mentions some of the lesser known games that deserve attention, like a Wii flight simulator, an online rollerblading music rhythm game and Dragon Quest Rocket Slime."

Comments

Heh

[aftk2]

some of the lesser known games that deserve attention, like a Wii flight simulator,

Who you callin' wee, laddie?!

(Am I crazy to be posting this with my karma bonus?)

Re:Heh

[FearTheFrail]

some of the lesser known games that deserve attention, like a Wii flight simulator...

Who you callin' wee, laddie?!

(Am I crazy to be posting this with my karma bonus?)

Without a Warcraft III reference to gnomish flying machines? Probably. =)

Re:Heh

[AKAImBatman]

Who you callin' wee, laddie?!

That would be "BEEEEEEEE SEVENTEEEEEEEN BOOOOOoooooooommmmmmbeeeeeerrr!"

(Apologies to those who've never had an Intellivision.)

NCSOFT

[portwojc]

Tabula Rasa sounds interesting. I always considered CoH as a FPS of sorts. It was fun to log in and just play.

Re:NCSOFT

[Asmor]

NCSoft's not responsible for any of its games any more than EA is of any of its games. NCSoft is the publisher, Cryptic is the creator of CoH.

Some areas of E3 are a treasure trove

[Dark Paladin]

I think it's karnthia hall or some such - I can never remember the name - but it's where all of the Korean developers hang out. That place is a trip, and sometimes the most unique (99% of the time crap, but 1% of the time it's something that at least worth a laugh).

Re:Some areas of E3 are a treasure trove

[Anonymous Coward]

I think the name you're looking for is Kentia Hall. (This from a guy who's never been to E3, but who has apparently read about it WAY too much)

Interesting

[unheard02]

I've thought for a while that the Wii controls would work well for a flight sim. I'm glad to see them acting on this. I just might be swayed to buy a Wii.

Re:Interesting

[Anonymous Coward]

Are you kidding me? If you want a flight *simulator*, you use a stick, there are many available, both the fighter style and the commercial airplane style, it's not hard to make a WW2 style (long stick), maybe those are available at retail too.
  Of course, I'm talking about a PC, a console lacks the controls for a simulator (it takes a stick, rudder, throttle and a bazillion keys/buttons, TIR is nice, a hat or two will do).
  Wii controller with a console doesn't get along with flight simulators, maybe flight arcades...

Hidden Gems?

[gEvil (beta)]

The title makes it sound like some alternate reality platformer or something. Collect all the hidden gems to face the big boss--Steve Ballmer with his Mighty Chair!

Re:Hidden Gems?

[Fr05t]

"...makes it sound like some alternate reality...Steve Ballmer with his Mighty Chair!"

That doesn't sound very "alternate" to me.

Re:Hidden Gems?

[Anonymous Coward]

You know, how long does it take to make an old Donkey Kong clone where you've got Ballmer at the top hurling chairs instead of Kong rolling barrels? The plot could be a hero Google exec "rescuing" a former MS employee from Ballmer's grasp.

If he kills you, you can play that Miami Sound Machine soundbyte of his. If you win, it would play a version of "I'm gonna fsckin' kill Google!" with a chair crash.

I'm sure there's already a donkey kong clone floating out there and just needs an update in art. Could ship it with xBill.

Re:Hidden Gems?

[Anonymous Coward]

I've had exactly this idea.

I just hope someone codes it someday :) Then we can all learn of it (and download it) during the Slashdot story wherein said person is sued by Ballamer, Microsoft & the ESA :)

Re:Hidden Gems?

[Ekhymosis]

Kind of like Dodgemon, with your pet sidekick Pikabill vs. the dreaded Ballmon

Got to dodge them all!

The only important thing at E3

[Hubbell]

is Darkfall, hands down.

Re:The only important thing at E3

[zyte]

the darkfall devs will be at e3. they will however not be showing off darkfall.

Nintendo Flight Sim!

[the dark hero]

I can just imagine flying the revmote around my living room and then being made fun of for the excessive "vrooooooooom" noises i will be making. oh, and isn't Naruto: Ultimate Ninja the same as Naruto 3 in japan? i imported Naruto 2 for my gamecube and i'll say this...you don't need to wait for the english version. get a freeloader for your GC and you're set! the menus are simple enough to navigate and if you're already a fan of the series you'll have no problem figuring out where in the storyline you're at.

Re:Nintendo Flight Sim!

[dividedsky319]

I can just imagine flying the revmote around my living room and then being made fun of for the excessive "vrooooooooom" noises i will be making.

Why not go "WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!" instead?

Re:Nintendo Flight Sim!

[MindStalker]

excessive "vrooooooooom" noises

Hmm you may be on to something here. Previously gamers tried to move their hands around to control games. Nintendo answered this call. Now Wii users will be making funny sounds.. Voice activiated controls? (No not words like Go and stop, but things like VROOOOM and SCREEECH) /If you don't realize I'm joking here, please find another thread.

Re:Nintendo Flight Sim!

[the dark hero]

yea, the "vroom" noises are purely aesthetic. let's hope nintendo isn't crazy enough to actually implement something like that.

Re:Nintendo Flight Sim!

[RotoX]

Naruto: Ultimate Ninja is absolutely not Naruto 3 Gamecube or like any of the Gamecube games. The Geiktou Ninja Taisen / Clash of Ninja Gamecube series is made by Tomy while the Narutimett Hero / Ultimate Ninja series is made by CyberConnect2. Both of the games differ in gameplay too. The GCN games are 3D fighters while the Ultimate Ninja games are more like Smash Brothers.

Re:I have an issue i can not resolve

[Anonymous Coward]

So my question is what the hell am I?

Wasting my time.

time to piss on u all

[Anonymous Coward]

wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!

wii will piss all over the competition wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!

hi microsoft open ur mouth... wiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!

hi sony u look thirsty... wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!

if the wii is announced to sell for $99 then it will piss all over the competition.. .wiiiiiiiiii!!!

all this talk of wii made me want to take a piss. laters y'all... wiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!

ps. the surprise of the show is the announcement of the wii's successor... the siimen

Huh?

[bynary]

Hidden gems? Why are Tabula Rasa and Yakuza on this list? If you haven't heard of either title you probably didn't care about E3 to begin with. And why even have the honorable mentions if, as the author stated, "...most people attending the event probably have them on their to see list"? That means they're not hidden. The other games on the list aren't really what I would consider "gems" let alone worth even mentioning. Come one, Slashdot...where's the "Stuff that matters."?

Re:Huh?

[Anonymous Coward]

I have never heard of either game ...

The fact is that unless a game is a Sequel only people who are really interested in the Developer/Designer/Genre really know about the game. With me I know about E3, follow news from E3, but really pay little attention to games that are not very likely to be really good.

The reason for my attitude is quite simple; you'd be surprised by how many games are proclaimed to be the next "Half-Life" or "Warcraft" at E3, and when they're released are actually the next "Diakatana".

Re:Huh?

[shutdown -p now]

On the other hand, speaking of "gems": what of Triumph Studios' (creators of Age of Wonders) "Overlord"?

RE: Halo 3

[Anonymous Coward]

Somewhat tangental, but since the submitter brought it up, I thought I might want to address this: In the latest Bungie Weekly Update, it was stated that, and I quote: "So if you're at E3... you might see some familiar Bungie faces. They'll probably be playing other people's games!"

This leads me to believe that there will not be an announcement regarding Halo 3, or whatever game Bungie is working on as its next major software project.

Katamari Damacy

[saboola]

This brings up a really good point. I wanna say E3 2004 they showed Katamari Damacy at E3 to very little fanfare and it ended up being one of the breakout hits of that E3. A lot of the time the titles you have never heard of going into the show are the ones that really impress.

Re:Katamari Damacy

[kasek]

ya, i remember walking past the katamari display, and waiting my turn to give it a try. afterwards, the namco rep asked me what i thought...i simply asked him 'when does it come out'. his response was something along the lines of "We don't know if it will be released in the states yet"...

luckily for us it came out.

2 places to look for gems.

[Rifter13]

Kentai Hall. Where there is about 85% crap, 14% crap except if it fits in a niche that you are into... and about 1% ultra cool. If you have a media flag, it can be a VERY scary place. I also suggest trying to check it out on the first day. People there tend to be more genuine than those up stairs... but day in and day out of people calling the hall the low-rent district I think wears on them. Another place to look, is back-corners of big booths. You can find some gems in those places, especially the big booths that Nintendo/Sony/MS will be putting up.

Re:I have an issue i can not resolve

[Anonymous Coward]

is that you, Mike/Kelly?

Parent post NSFW

[wuie]

The parent post is not safe for work. Just thought you'd like to be warned. :)

Nintendo Racer

[sottitron]

Seriously, if Nintendo had an okay Simulation Racer (Rally Prefered) for the GameCube I wouldn't have ever owned a MSFT console. Sure, Halo is great, but Timesplitters is a fantastic FPS, too.

Remember when Tabula Rasa was an RPG?

[Enderandrew]

Before all the staff was fired and the game was scrapped. Now we get a Planetside clone. Great. I am curious to hear what all of Bioware's, Obsidian's and Pandemic's unannounced projects are.

Re:Remember when Tabula Rasa was an RPG?

[the dark hero]

you're making me feel old

Re:Remember when Tabula Rasa was an RPG?

[Enderandrew]

I loved playing Ultima IV way back in the day, though V may have been my favorite. Man, what happened to Richard Garriot?

Re:Remember when Tabula Rasa was an RPG?

[kria]

Ultima III was better, before they got rid of the non-human races. And we could hack the data files for all the clues. Ah, my old Atari 800...

Re:Remember when Tabula Rasa was an RPG?

[Enderandrew]

Ultima III was good, but hard to distinguish from a title like Wizardry or Might and Magic. Ultima IV was innovating, and Ultima V featured both depth and compelling gameplay. It was also a well-realized virtual world, perhaps moreso for its time than Ultima VII.

Re:Remember when Tabula Rasa was an RPG?

[Rifter13]

Holy Cow! I didn't know it had changed! :-) Now, I am REALLY interested in this one.

Re:Remember when Tabula Rasa was an RPG?

[Enderandrew]

That's why it has been so many years in the making.

Hidden Gem? Seriously?

[uvsc_wolverine]

an online rollerblading music rhythm game

This is a hiddden gem?

"Forget about going outside kids, now you can simulate rollerblading to music online! Does your overprotective mother make you wear kneepads? Now she won't have to worry because you're safe inside your house! Concerned about air pollution hurting your lungs? You guessed it, you can rollerblade in the comfort of your own home without getting tracks on the living room carpet! Don't have any friends? Now you can pretend to be somebody else and make friends online! Worried about sunburn? Well worry no more becuase now you can safely bask in the electromagnetic glow of your TV!"

Pilot Wings In The Works?

[Thwomp]

...a Wii flight simulator...

This is a great idea and I hope that Nintendo resurrects Pilot Wings for Wii. I can't wait until tommorrow's press conference.

Re:Pilot Wings In The Works?

[Anonymous Coward]

Maybe they'll call it Pilot WIIngs

Re:Pilot Wings In The Works?

[C0rinthian]

That is frighteningly plausible.

Look again at that Intellivision controller

[ianscot]

FIGHTER!
SIX! OH-CLOCK!

(In retrospect, the Intellivision controller was a lot closer to a remote control than anything until this Wii one, now I think of it... Actually looked more like an iPod, with the circular pad for your thumb and a standard number pad you slid the individual game's little plastic sheet onto. Holy cow.)

Assasins Creed

[Mac Degger]

That is, if they6 deliver; think Prince of Persia in a crowded medieval/crusade era middle eastern city, with jumping/fighting/climbing a bit over the top, but still reality based (you can't change direction in midair...if a piece of geometry sticks out more than 10 cm. in the game architecture, you can climb it). This is a game like I've been thinking of for years...if they can pull it off.

And of course the big N's Revolution. I only wish they made it RF based instead of LOS/infrared (which is just silly...two infrared camera's or three micro antennae to pick up the movement...one can lose the 'joystick' if you turn away, the other won't), but otherwise I see the Revolution winning this round of the console wars...just like the DS and GB Advance won the last one :)

Re:Assasins Creed

[Yosho]

What makes you think it uses infrared? There are no "cameras" involved; the sensors used are necessary to track the position of the RF transmitter(s). That's what makes the position tracking and tilting that you've seen in videos (you've seen them, right? There is obviously no need to point it at the TV) possible.

Re:Assasins Creed

[Mac Degger]

The announcements by Nintendo, maybe? Even if what /they/ say isn't good enough for you, the little infrared window at the front of the controler is a dead giveaway.

Re:Assasins Creed

[Yosho]

Can you point to any announcements from to Nintendo that say that? I can point you to videos that show that the controller does not need to even remotely be pointed towards the sensors. Besides, that would make it impossible to hold the controller sideways and use it like a standard game pad. But, maybe Nintendo's invented some form of non-directional IR emitter...

Re:Assasins Creed

[Mac Degger]

http://www.physorg.com/news65375101.html

In combination with gyroscopic sensors from Gyration Inc.

Re:Assasins Creed

[Yosho]

It sounds like PhysOrg's interviewer was talking to some PR rep who didn't understand how the technology actually worked. Nintendo's web page says it uses Bluetooth.

Re:Assasins Creed

[Mac Degger]

Yeah, to transfer the data from the accelerometers and button presses, not to get location data. Bluetooth really won't cut it for that...the frequency won't allow for decent location data. Go do the math yourself.

http://www.n-philes.com/features.php?id=241&p=1

bottom of the page.

Still not convinced? Google yourself.

Re:I have an issue i can not resolve

[Anonymous Coward]

Maybe you're a lesbian in a man's body.

Wii games...

[Gogo0]

I dont think that ANYTHING Wii-related will be "hidden".
Hell, the tech demos from TGS had fleshed-out analyses at every game site.

Can't believe this (The only important thing@E3)

[Lead Butthead]

Booth babes. This IS slash-dot crowd after all.

Re:Can't believe this (The only important thing@E3

[Hubbell]

Booth babes are gone :(
RIP Booth Babes

Slightly Off Topic

[the dark hero]

What about Katamari Damacy ported to the Wii? So long as we don't get another Billy Hatcher or whatever the hell that game was called.

Re:Hidden Gem? Seriously?

[JonTurner]

>>an online rollerblading music rhythm game
>This is a hiddden gem?

I don't understand it either. Two points:

1) For me, the joy of rollerblading/biking/hiking/running/etc. comes in large part from from motion and from experiencing the environment. A multiplayer rollerblade game strikes me as a bit too sterile -- in the same way that riding a Segway isolates you in a way from the environment by reducing your interaction to one of simply leaning, this game reduces skating to button pressing. Then again, I don't understand why people would read magazines about music or newspaper articles about art, so maybe I'm the problem. Experience what life has to offer, but don't fool oneself filtering it through another medium because that makes it something else entirely. A story about a great meal may create an appetite, but it cannot satisfy one. If that makes me a purist then so be it.

So says the guy having a discussion over a computer screen. :(

2) Simply making something multiplayer doesn't make it better. What's next? Massive Multiplayer novel reading? (Would Oprah's book club claim prior art?)

Look, computers are great for a lot of things. Experiencing life is not one of them.

Re:Can't believe this (The only important thing@E3

[Anonymous Coward]

Booth babes are gone :(

So does that mean any booth with booth babes will leap frog all other booths with this "babe gap?"