#NerdsUnite: The Missing Games of E3

<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy Sean. He has a really rad site called Violent Gamer, and he's here today to talk about some of the latest and greatest in the gaming industry. I only have one more thing left to say ... HIT IT SEAN !!</editorsnote>

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @violent_gamer

After Violent Gamer’s trip to E3 this year, I feel confident in saying we were all a bit…underwhelmed. Which makes sense, I suppose. This is probably the last year of the current generations of consoles, so of course E3 will lack some of the drama and excitement of other years. It was a kind of Swan Song for the current generation, and while I understand that in itself is hard to make exciting, I think they could have gone out with a bit more of a bang. In any case, there are a few games that I did not see at E3 that I believe have no excuses to have been missing. All of these games should have lit up E3 and had us talking in hushed whispers of awe, and yet they were all absent. To be honest, I felt a bit cheated. But I haven’t given up hope. And with that in mind, here is my list of the missing games of E3 2012:

1. The Last Guardian

If the ICO Shadow of the Colossus HD Collection taught us anything, it is that Team ICO + HD = Awesomeness. ICO and Shadow of the Colossus are universally acclaimed titles, and rightly so. They are truly unique in telling compelling stories that make us laugh, cry, and feel every emotion possible. So needless to say when The Last Guardian was announced, I was ecstatic. And that trailer looked so cool! But ever since then it has just been more and more bad news: the director leaving Sony, delayed release dates, rumors and hearsay. This game was supposed to come out this year, and there was no word about it at E3. Now we have a nebulous release date of 2013, and nothing but waning hope that this game will ever see the light of day. I thought this year’s E3 would be a wonderful chance for Sony and Team ICO to reassure our faith in The Last Guardian by showing us some gameplay, and maybe by even having a short demo. At the very least, a solid release date would have been nice. Now we must face the big question all alone: even if this game ever does come out, will all of the inner turmoil cause the game to be less than what its creators imagined? Team ICO is all about imagination – I cannot imagine a game where they were forced to reign in their creative vision.

2. Beyond Good & Evil 2

Beyond Good & Evil is one of my favorite games of all-time, hands down. The story, the characters, the world, all of it was incredibly engaging and compelling. That game made me care about what happened in it, and I had an incredibly fun time experiencing it. When the sequel was announced, I was astonished. After playing the HD version of the original, I could not wait to see what Ancel did with the sequel. That teaser trailer was so tantalizing, and yet it left so many questions. And then there was the “leaked footage” of Jade running through a city, which looked awesome. I was a bit bummed to learn it had been delayed (although Rayman Origins is a pretty awesome placeholder), but now with the announcement it will be on next-gen consoles, I am a bit worried. Ancel is already working on Rayman Legends for the Wii U – how long are we going to have to wait for BG&E2?

3. Final Fantasy Versus XIII

This game confuses me to no end. We’ve seen trailers, we’ve seen gameplay footage, we’ve seen Nomura talking about it for years now. I will say that one thing has become clear – apparently, Nomura wants to use Square Enix’s new Luminous Engine to do the lighting for the game. Well, if that is the case, then that means that Versus is probably going to come out for the next gen consoles. And if that is the plan, then why announce the game in 2006? It seems a bit unfair to me to make fans wait 7 years (minimum) for a game that still has yet to receive a set release date. And after all of those years of waiting, how in the world can it live up to the hype?

4. Final Fantasy X HD

Yet another puzzle from Square Enix. They announced quite a while ago that Final Fantasy X was going to be updated for the PS3. This sounded really cool, not only because seeing the beautiful world of X in HD would be amazing, but for the potential path it could lead to for Square Enix. If the X remake was success, then what would stop them from making the famed VII remake? Unfortunately, Square Enix has said virtually nothing since the announcement, other than the fact that it is due out in 2012. If that is still true, wouldn’t E3 be a wonderful place to show us a trailer or something?

5. Tales of Xillia

Unlike all of the other titles on this list, this game has already been released. In fact, it was released to universal acclaim. I am a big fan of the Tales series as a whole, and when reviews of the game began to come in from Japan, I was ecstatic. Many claimed this to be the pinnacle of the tales saga, on par or even besting Symphonia. I could not wait until they announced the US release date. Instead of doing so, however, Namco announced a sequel. For Japan. So the game is definitely a success – why is Namco not bringing it to the States? I was really excited about the new artistic design they seemed to be going for, and the more mature feel in general. I really, really want to play this game, and I am sure I am not the only one in America who feels that way. Namco, don’t forget about us!

6. Zelda Wii U

For me personally, the Wii U is a giant question mark. I was able to play it a bit at E3, and I felt that while the concept was really cool and innovative, I still wondered what it would be like in practice. Sure, some of the new controller concepts were intriguing, and it was cool to see Nintendo games at 1080p, but I was still not convinced that the Wii U was worth the risk. I feel like what I really need in order to believe in the Wii U is a game that will make me take that leap of faith without any hesitation – a Legend of Zelda title. Nintendo showed us with Skyward Sword that Link and Zelda are enough to go back to Nintendo anytime. And I think an announcement/trailer/gameplay footage of a new game for the Wii U would have given us all a lot more confidence in the console. In my opinion, Nintendo really wasted an opportunity.

7. Final Fantasy XIII-3

I have already written two articles about why we need Final Fantasy XIII-3, so I will keep this one brief. Square Enix created two games that were absolutely wonderful. They told a story that drew me in, created characters that I grew to love, and offered me an experience that I will never forget. However, they did not offer a resolution to that experience. I know that the people working at Square Enix have hearts – and I am confident there is no way they would only tell 2/3 of a story. I believe in Final Fantasy XIII-3, and I believe it will be a truly amazing game. I just wish they had given us something at E3. Even if it was just an official announcement. I suppose we’ll have to wait for TGS 2012. In the meantime, we’ve got to keep hope alive.

Thanks for reading! 

#thatisall

#Nerdsunite: Confessions of a Videogame Journalist (Being a professional and conquering a fear)

<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy John. We started talking on the twitter not too long ago, and then he reached out and asked if he could write for us regarding his journey through the nerdy realm. I was all DUDDEEE!! That's so raaaddd!! And now, here we are. Like right now, in real time, this is happening. Pretty cool huh? HIT IT JOHN!!! </editorsnote> 

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @JohnSollitto

So! Things are picking up! Couple of new experiences in the last couple of weeks, even DURING that last update I wrote.

Because I’ve been invited to E3, again thanks to Jen <3, I’ve been getting emails and all sorts of press releases. It’s CRAZY. I mean, half of my emails are all just news and invitations and all sorts of stuff.

It’s a little overwhelming actually. Being so professional all of the sudden, being in charge of my team from the Game Creators Vault. My team actually had the best idea ever of working with some of the indie developers. I’m really happy my partners are really reliable and creative guys.

Speaking of things I’ve been receiving, I got this awesome update from Sony Online Entertainment! Not sure if you’re familiar with online games but there’s a big one out called the “DC Universe Online.” You get to create a superhero in the DC Universe and fight alongside Superman, Wonder Woman and even Batman.

The game recently went free-to-play so if you don’t want to pay per-month, you can play the game after you buy it! You’ll have to buy certain pieces of content though if you go free-to-play, like the new update coming out called The Last Laugh! They’ve got a bunch of voice actors coming back like Mark Hamill doing the Joker, Arleen Sorkin doing Harley Quinn and Adam Baldwin doing Superman! It’s pretty awesome. Lots of new missions and even a new tool to use! I played the game when I was at G4 and honestly it’s a well put together game, and now that it’s free-to-play it might be well worth a look!

On a personal level, I conquered a personal fear about two weeks ago. I didn’t write about it in my last blog partially because I didn’t really realize it until the weekend afterwards. I conquered the fear while working on an installation down in Seal Beach, California.

We were installing two large sandblasted wooden signs on the roof of a new restaurant/bar that’s literally across the street from the beach. Seriously, he’s a picture from the top of the building.

It was a really beautiful day that day. Now, the story of how I got on that roof is where the conquering comes in. So, this building was about thirty or so feet tall. The height of a normal restaurant/bar, it was single story too so not that high. Now, one of my big fears is heights. I can go up to high places. I’ve been to the top of the Empire State building and Eiffel Tower, but I can’t go to the upper deck of the Honda Center for a Ducks game because there isn’t a lot between you and falling to the lower decks aside from a small railing. I’m not a fan of high places that don’t have a lot of safety measures to keep me from falling to my death. Call me old fashioned.

So to get on the top of the place, I had to go to the back and find that ladder to the roof. Now, in the sign business you climb a lot of ladders and I’ve been pretty good about it, mainly because the roof access ladders are encased in a metal cage to ensure that you don’t fall down and kill yourself. But this building has recently come under new management and at the time we were installing, they hadn’t gotten their cage or ladder installed yet. They still had to get to the roof though, so they put a painters ladder underneath a extension ladder bolted to the building. This ladder was tied together with a bungie cord so that it wouldn’t extend while you were on it. So a regular ladder wedged underneath a jury-rigged ladder to the top of the roof. MacGyver would be proud.

The first time I went up this ladder I had to go rung by rung because I could literally feel the ladder giving way, trying to extend as I climbed up it. I was freaking out. My dad just kept saying, “Don’t look down, don’t lean back, and go slow okay?” I did exactly what he said but my hands were so sweaty I was afraid I would fall off just based off on sheer bodily functions.

But I did it. I was happy, I was soooooo glad to be on top of that building you had no idea. But…then I had to go down. That was even worse, because now I was looking down and now I was seeing how high off the ground I was. I could still feel the ladder budging and clattering on me and I could hardly take it.

I had to go up and down that ladder 7 times that day. By the 6^th time? I was going up and down slowly and steadily without worry. It was a freaking miracle. We had to go back there this week and sure enough I had to go back up that ladder system, but this time I was eager to do it. To prove to myself that I wasn’t afraid. And I wasn’t.

I felt so happy to be rid of that fear. Sure, it’s not the Honda Center, but it’s a start and I’m looking forward to conquering the rest of it. Conquer your fears, nerds!

#nerdsunite

#NerdsUnite: Confessions of a videogame journalist

<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy John. We started talking on the twitter not too long ago, and then he reached out and asked if he could write for us regarding his journey through the nerdy realm. I was all DUDDEEE!! That's so raaaddd!! And now, here we are. Like right now, in real time, this is happening. Pretty cool huh? HIT IT JOHN!!! </editorsnote>

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @JohnSollitto

Oh hey folks! I’m alive! Yeah, I know I haven’t been gone that long, but really I disappeared for 60-years into an alternate dimension and became their king and now I’m back. Kind of like Narnia, or John Carter of Mars…or Klaus the fish from that one American Dad episode. ANYWAY!

It’s been CRAZY busy for me over the last few weeks what with all the work I’m doing and finals finishing up at school. I’m in this weird sort of transitional period so bear with me, we’re going to talk about a few different aspects of my life that are new and exciting.

FIRST: Academically, I believe I had the last actual classroom class of my life during finals, and the last school test I will ever take. That didn’t hit me till I was in the parking structure at CSUF and I kind of freaked out a little bit. I finished classes in THREE YEARS. That’s it, three. That could either mean I have had no life for the last three years and I need to get out more, or that I’m a freaking machine. No, there is no gray area. NONE. But I digress. This is a crazy time now and I’m already looking at freelance and permanent positions to get some work going.

SECOND: Work stuffs. The sign shop my family operates is moving soon to Irvine which is kind of dope because the location will be bigger and apparently having an Irvine address makes you cool? I dunno. Realtors are weird. I’m just happy we’ll have more room and my dad said we can still film stuff for the Vault there which is awesome since we might have an actual room devoted just to that.

Speaking of the Vault, we just published a HUGE article recently that got us SOOOOOOO many hits on our website I almost cried. It was amazing. It’s located here and it’s an interview with a really big industry person and I just want to thank Brian Fargo for taking the time to talk with me and give me such a great interview. He’s awesome.

Internships are always fun and I’m going to apply again at G4 and several other places, and I’m doing more work for Jen here so I’m definitely keeping busy, but I just sent my resume and a cover letter in to Playboy for a paid internship there doing fact checking and research for the editorial team. That’s a little intense and if I get the gig…I’m not sure what I will do but that will be pretty awesome.

THIRD: E3 is just around the corner and by just around the corner I mean seriously like 2 weeks away and I’m freaking out. Honestly. I’m scheduling stuff for Talk Nerdy/the Vault and it’s going to be nuts. My team might be live posting/tweeting/shooting from there so expect to hear about all the cool stuffs. I’m not sure if I should do one BIG post for Talk Nerdy or several posts, one per day. What do you want? Let me know at my Twitter account @JohnSollitto and I’ll do my best to deliver.

Some of you might remember my article talking about how E3 only lets in major outlets that get 10,000 hits a month, and it just so happens that Jen was kind enough to allow my team to apply through Talk Nerdy and we’re all able to get it. I just want to thank Jen again for this opportunity. It’s helping us more than you know. Love ya boss.

Sooooo yeah. That’s all been in the span of, like, 2 weeks? Yeah. I think that’s right, two weeks. Apparently being this busy means that I’m not available to hang out with people, which is a lie, because I’ve recently started hanging out with a couple of friends from my local comic shop and I want to reconnect with several of my school friends during the summer. I’m really trying to be more social, but if some of this stuff you see above goes through, then I might be busier than ever but working at Playboy. Hah, yeah. That’ll be fun. I’m not going to count on it but I’d be thrilled if that went through. Man, I’d need to dress NICE for that gig.

OH! And I’m working on a super-secret awesome comic book project for myself that’s pretty dope. It’s not affiliated with any company, but it’s an academic sort of work that I’m putting my own personal time into. I’m really excited about it. And I might be futzing about with some friends doing some voice over stuff soon too.

Someone stop me…seriously. Ah screw it, I’m havin’ fun. What’s better than that?

And before I go, a poem for Derek, or @DerekJ_AllDay here on the site who does all our sports stuff. He did a poem in his last article and I am rising to the challenge:

Fighting dragons I'm a silicon knight,

All day long and throughout the night.

Treasure hunting, monster slaying, an all-around badass,

They never taught any of this in university class.

It's not Shakespeare. Sue me.

#nerdsunite

Want more from John? Click here to follow him on the twitter!