E3 2011: Bioshock Infinite (Part 2)

As promised - the full closed-doors demo for Bioshock Infinite from E3 2011. This demo, released to the public last night via a 30-minute Gametrailers TV special on Spike, is really something to behold. Whether it be Elizabeth tearing holes in space/time (pay attention for a clever Star Wars reference!), riding around rails in the sky like the world's biggest and most suicidal rollercoaster, or taking down a Zeppelin with a shotgun (and my description doesn't even do its coolness justice), Bioshock Infinite is really something to behold. I am going to have to watch this video several more times just to soak up all the little tidbits of information to be found!

For those looking to see Ken Levine's interview before the demo, head on over to Gametrailers.com to check out the full special.

E3 2011: Mass Effect 3

Shown at E3 2011, Mass Effect 3 is the final title in the trilogy starring Commander Shepard. In this video, we see that the Reapers have finally arrived in our galaxy and are in the process of conquering Earth. The game promises to be a finale that lives up to the expectations all the fans have for it, with every decision you made in the past two games coming to bear in this one, drastically altering your circumstances and who your squadmates are. According to Casey Hudson of Bioware Studios, you will encounter either Kaiden or Ashley during your time on Earth, depending on who you chose to save in the first game - pretty crazy, huh? If the second game was any indication, where almost every major decision you made (and even some that were fairly minor) comes back around in a positive or negative way, the "butterfly effect" of your decisions is going to be quite impressive - I'm interested to see how the Rachni situation plays out!

In this trailer, we see that a lot of changes and tweaks have been made to the gameplay, with more dynamic animations and cover systems, as well as a melee weapon called the Omniblade and grenades. While this description makes it sound like Mass Effect 3 is abandoning its RPG roots and is instead embracing the third person shooter side of its personality, that is not the case. Rather, this is the natural evolution of the combat we have seen over the course of the series. I will say, I was slightly disappointed with the demo for two reasons, the first being I find the animations to be somewhat stiff, but it is a problem that has plagued the series since its beginning (and I admit - I have been spoiled by Uncharted 2). My second disappointment comes from the color scheme - it could just be the environment that the demo takes place in, but all the colors just look a little washed out. However, these are just nitpicking issues, ones that ultimately do not affect the game, or my excitement for it, much.

To be fair, I am also a very big Mass Effect fan - this could very likely be my favorite science fiction universe outside of that of Star Wars, and there are enough similarities between the two to keep a self-professed nerd like myself quite happy. Just like I geeked out for months on every crumb of information on the second game before it came out, so I will do with this game. It's not healthy, but I'm okay with it! Included below is another part of the E3 demo, as well as a trailer for the game shown at E3. Enjoy the videos!

Reaper Base E3 Demo


Fall of Earth Trailer

E3 2011: Bioshock Infinite (Part 1)

Dear readers, I title this post Part 1 as the video shown above is only the first two minutes of the fifteen minute behind-closed-doors demonstration of Bioshock Infinite given to the press at this year's E3. Next week, on July 7th, Gametrailers and Spike TV will be debuting the demo in its entirety, a demo that, to date, has received Game of the Show from over 30 different publications (so, naturally, I have been very excited to get a look at it).

I am a huge self-admitting Bioshock fan - despite paying little attention to the first game until a playable demo was put on Xbox Live back in summer 2007, I was hooked from the first time I played it. To date, I have played the first game several times, as well as having played its sequel, despite its paint-by-numbers nature. Everything about Rapture and its universe was utterly captivating and compelling, and changed the way I look at games. Whether it be Bioshock introducing the concept of an unreliable narrator in a video game, to the moral choice of saving or draining a child for your own personal gain, everything about the 1960's underwater dystopia reaffirmed in me every reason I love being a gamer.

When Bioshock Infinite was first announced, I was over-the-moon excited that Ken Levine and his studio were back behind the reins on the series, after 2K Marin (and various other 2k studios) developed Bioshock 2. Instead of playing it safe, Irrational Games has brought the series into the skies above the United States, with the game taking place in Columbia, a city held aloft by a fleet of hot-air balloons and existing as, essentially, a floating World's Fair to demonstrate the might and ingenuity of America. While there is a whole lot I could tell you about the warring factions in the game, the captor holding the "damsel in distress" your character, Booker Dewitt, is tasked with saving, or even the methods of travel you will use in the game, I will instead leave you with the above video from this year's E3, as well as last year's demo in its entirety. Enjoy!