I don't want to act like I'm superior because I knew the VGA's were going to bad. Everyone knew that. I won't say I told you so or list the various ways in which it was yet another travesty to video games. I will only say one thing, the one thing that made me cringe worse than any other tidbit from the show - they fucking had a running teabagging gag. Way to earn my disgust, Spike.
Anyways, the main point of the night was the exclusive game reveals (it should have been the game awards but of course it wasn't). I figured I'd talk a bit about each one and give my thoughts on the idea, no matter how unknown or flimsy the concept is.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD
There have been rumors of this for months and they finally announced it. Early reports seem to suggest it is a somewhat new game incorporating levels from THPS1 and 2 into it. No reports on how much from the original games will actually make it in (hoping that the soundtracks do!). Also a bit of a bummer is the lack of any THPS3 content, easily the high point of the series. While I would have been a bit more supportive of a HD-compilation of 1, 2, and 3, this seems like it could be a high point in a series that has been severely needing one for years.
Alan Wake: American Nightmare
I really enjoyed the original Alan Wake, with its mix of Twin Peaks-inspired setting and love for the horror genre tropes. I obtained every last point in the game, including its two DLC addons and loved every last second of it. This trailer makes me intrigued by the project (although, did anyone else think the voice actor for Alan Wake sounded a bit different?), especially since it will be released on XBLA. There has been some talk about this game for a few months, before its actual reveal, and it was already known that it would appear on XBLA. I had thought it would be some other kind of game but it looks to be identical in gameplay to the original (hopefully, with a few minor adjustments to some annoyances). Can't wait to see more on this as it develops.
Fortnite
Epic's new franchise reveal and it looks like nothing they've ever done, nothing you would expect from this developer. The trailer really doesn't tell you much about the game (like so many trailers nowadays...) but it hints at a few things. First, the artstyle reminds me (and others) heavily of Team Fortress 2, very cartoony and animated. Next is some kind of building element, blowing down old structures to make new ones. Everyone has been saying "looks like Minecraft elements" but I just don't see that. To me, it looks more like RTS/tower defense style of collecting scrap to build new structures. Guess we can see who is right in the future. The last portion of the trailer is...zombies. Sigh. While I'm a bit more forgiving of the rash of zombie games from this generation, even I can get a bit tired of the overuse of this enemy. Zombies have become the Nazis of video gaming. Can't we come up with something else?
Command and Conquer: Generals 2
There had been hinting of a new Bioware project lately and now we know what it is. Another C&C game. Great. This reveal trailer was about thirty seconds long and showed practically nothing. All I got from it was it's an RTS with destructible environments. Since I care not at all about C&C, I really couldn't help but be disappointed. The bigger buzz around this is coming from the fact that it's Bioware developing it but it really isn't. The studio that had been working on it, Victory Studios, just got renamed to Bioware Victory. Rebranding studios with popular names has happened many times before and will surely happen in the future. Sorry, but the Bioware name isn't enough to get me to play a C&C game.
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Another "reveal" that had been hinted at for months and finally confirmed last night. Platinum Games, makers of the amazing Bayonetta, is now the ones behind development of this game. It looks a bit different than the original gameplay shown from this, most notably the level of action. It looks a lot more like a character action game now, like a Devil May Cry or a Ninja Gaiden (except with oddly stilted animation). The trailer positively screamed anime at me, with over the top dialogue and characters and a hilarious design. The thing that seemed most jarring to me was the artstyle. It doesn't quite look like Metal Gear Solid, which is understandable but still a little odd. Most ridiculous is the fucking subtitle. Revengeance? Really? Do we really need more bad subtitles? I reserve judgement on this game until I see more.
The Last of Us
Here was the biggest reveal of the show, a new PS3 exclusive from Naughty Dog. Seconds into the trailer, the words "The following trailer is captured directly from a Playstation 3." which immediately made me think "So it isn't really, right?" The gameplay that followed certainly supported my theory, looking a little too crisp to be actual gameplay (of course, it could be rendered video; technically, still recorded on a PS3). Naughty Dog has blown us away time and time again with the Uncharted series and it could certainly be possible. The game itself looks like yet another post-apocalyptic thing and includes zombies. Fuck me. They at least look a bit different, fungal based or something like that. Potentially interesting but still a bit cliche. My hopes for the game come with the characters, something that Naughty Dog has nailed extremely well in the past. I'll make sure to keep an eye on it.
Well, those were the reveals from the VGA's. Nothing too amazing like last year but some interesting stuff nonetheless. Of course, there were a few other trailers for existing games, including another phenomenal Blizzard CG video, the opening cinematic from Diablo 3. All these trailers can be found on Gametrailers.com and probably other places if you want to see them yourself. All without having to watch the stupid VGA's!
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