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Madden 10 (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PS2) )
• Publisher: EA Sports
• Developer: EA Tiburon
• Release Date: August 14, 2009
• Screenshots
• What We Saw:
As is usually the case with Madden, it was on the floor at E3 in readily playable form. I played a total of two games (5 minute quarters) and spent a lot of time chatting with Josh Looman and Ian Cummings of Team Madden about design philosophy, the differences between Madden and NCAA, the fact that Donny Moore has no life outside of determining player ratings, and how this is a very, very important year for the future direction of this franchise.
• What We Think:
Bill: The last time I was this excited about a Madden release was back when the next-gen consoles were released and those ridiculous Strahan screenshots started floating around the net. Of course, the game didn’t look like that, but hey, what did I know?
This is different. My excitement over Madden 10 has less to do with the promise of true to life graphics but more to do with the fact that the people working on the game, for the first time that I can recall, are all focused on one key theme: realism. This is still a hands-on, controller driven football game, but Madden has never, ever, felt so much like a simulation. The graphics and player models are also extremely well done – Looman pointed out that every lineman in the game has a different body type. So you’ll get small lineman, fat ass linemen, muscular lineman, etc. Sounds like a smallish detail but when considered in the entire context of the design it shows you how much the team is putting into this year’s effort.
The pace is almost methodical – pockets develop, giving you time to actually read a defense or see a hole open up; passes that are incomplete—many actually hit the ground first…in other words not all incomplete passes are deflected by a defender. The superhuman DB leap was nowhere to be found. I tried throwing on the run a few times and the accuracy was dramatically affected. Some fans are certain to find the speed too slow. In fact some drive-by players commented that it was too slow. Cummings’ response to that is: “Change it. Go in the settings and speed it up if you like.” It is still being determined if the default speed will be slower or given a shot of adrenaline, but regardless, you will have the ability to change it.
There are still questions, of course. How will the new Online Franchise mode work? Will the AI manage its teams better? Draft more intelligently? Over time will gameplay holes develop? It’s E3 – there just isn’t enough time to dig into that sort of thing. Just know this: I have been to 10 E3s. At every one Madden has been on the floor. I have never been late to another meeting because I was playing Madden and didn’t want to leave the EA booth.

Mafia 2 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
• Publisher: 2K Czech
• Developer: 2K Games
• Release Date: Early 2010
• Screenshots
• What We Saw:
Sitting on Park benches in the corner of 2K’s booth, we were treated to about 40 minutes of gameplay. We caught a glimpse of a wide-open sandbox-y city (based on 1940s New York), sweet vintage cars, nicely done GodFather-esque cutscenes and the new combat system that occurs during missions.
Most of the game looks just like an open world title – you control Vito, a returned war hero, as he goes down the path of crime. When you enter proper missions, the gameplay takes a page from Gears of War or Wanted (only faster than the former and presumably better than the latter), turning into a 3rd person cover-based shooter. We saw Vito pop some caps, protect his friends, and escort them out Getaway-style when things turned sour.
• What We Think:

Bill: I have no clue if Mafia II will be any good, but I do know one thing: the voice acting is phenomenal. I spent a few minutes with the developers after the behind closed doors demo at the 2K kiosk, and apparently the voice actors all did the work in the same room over a 30 day stretch so they really got a feel for each other. This really stood out to me during the presentation. It sounded like a film or an episode of The Sopranos. Not the writing so much as how the lines were delivered. They hired pro actors and you can tell.

As for the game itself? It’s a bit too early to say much. It’s an action game that is heavily based on storytelling. But it’s at least 10 months away so there’s a lot of work left to do. It looks like it could be a great way to tell an interesting mob story spanning 10 years of your player’s mob life...or a derivative shooter.

Danielle: I wasn’t expecting the game to look this good. I never would’ve guessed that open-world and cover-based shooting would blend so nicely, but now I’m a believer. Forget the lame Godfather games – this is going to be the best way to live through your Mafioso fantasies for some time to come. That is, as long as the driving controls are what they should be.

Mag (PS3)
• Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
• Developer: Zipper Interactive
• Release Date: December, 2009
• Screenshots
• What We Saw:

Mag is Sony’s online entry into Battlefield style gaming. The primary hook here is that the game’s servers are capable of hosting up to 256 simultaneous players (128 per side) across most of its dozen available combat mission types. Not all the maps support 256 players, however, but the bigger the map the more there stuff there is to make use of (such as vehicles and stuff). The game also boasts a well-defined chain of command that is based on player experience. Players start out as individual soldiers under the command of other more experienced players. As they level up their in-game avatar they can achieve the rank of squad leader (manages individual soldiers), platoon leader (manages four squads) or officers in chief (manages up to four platoons). In addition, getting more in-game experience allows you to get better weapons and equipment for your soldier. A public beta is expected to be announced soon after the end of E3.

• What We Think:
Todd: The tiered command structure is certainly an interesting hook for this sort of game, and certainly -as a PS3 exclusive- it stands to be one of few options that platform has in this sort of genre. That said, this one’s not exactly my cup of tea.

Majesty 2 The Fantasy Kingdom Sim (PC)
• Publisher: Paradox Interactive
• Developer: 1C:Ino-Co
• Release Date: Fall 2009
• Screenshots
• What We Saw:

We were running out of time during our meeting with Paradox so we only caught a quick glimpse of the sequel to the cult classic original RTS. It's keeping the same Monty Python light heartedness as well as the indirect control of units. So Sir Robin may in fact run away if you give an order he finds less than agreeable, unless you pony up and pay him accordingly.

• What We Think:

Bill: Honestly I didn’t see enough to warrant an opinion. It looked ok, but getting the ‘speed demo’ for this one makes it hard to say much else. However, we have a playable beta for full on preview purposes so stay tuned. The game is supposed to drop this September.

Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympics (Wii, DS)
• Publisher: SEGA
• Developer: SEGA
• Release Date: October 2009
• What We Saw:

Sega took us behind closed doors for a demonstration of the Wii and DS versions of Winter Olympics. We didn’t get to play but members of the team were there to play the game so it wasn’t just a running demo – we saw a lot of actual gameplay. We saw some Alpine Skiing and Bobsled on the DS and a little Downhill Racing and Figure Skating on the Wii – and, my favorite, Ice Hockey!

• What We Think:

Bill: The reason I wanted to see this demo was because I have an eight year old daughter who begged me to bring back first hand information. So consider this my parental due diligence. Not that I disliked the Summer Games edition, but I thought the game was still feeling out how to best make use of the Wii controls.

Lessons appear to have been learned as I thought the events we were shown really made better use of the console’s strengths. I didn’t see any events that will make your wrists bleed or cause a bicep muscle pull. It was all smooth, non sweat inducing stuff.

For example, the figure skating was all Wiimote twisting like you were twirling on the ice – following indicators on the screen on how to twirl the remote. It was all about timing. All of the Wii racing stuff looked like a snowy version of Mario Kart, complete with jumps, power ups, etc. It also looked more fun than any event in Summer Games. Hockey is played 4 on 4. You can play 3 human players and 1 AI player; however you wish to set it up. The gameplay reminded me of Soccer Slam. The more you pas sthe more power you build up.

In all, I like the Wii controls for the events here much more than the Summer Games. And my daughter will appreciate it, too.

Brandon: The Mario Kart style of ski and snowboard racing will be a lot of fun and the motion controls for the Wii version look responsive enough. The Ice Hockey follows the same model as Sega's glorious Soccer Slam, so that's worth the price of admission alone. I never got the chance to address the thing I liked least about the previous outing, namely that the inherent characteristics of the various characters never seemed to matter as long as one could scribble fast enough, so I'm not completely sold on the DS version, but at the same time, Sonic can be as fast as he wants, when running, but when riding a bobsled, I don't see how it would come into play any way. In the end, both versions will sell a jillion copies, so what the hell do I know?

Marvel Super Hero Squad (Wii, DS)
• Publisher: THQ
• Developer: THQ
• Release Date: Q3 2009
• What We Saw:

I got to play this kid-friendly superhero beat ‘em up on the Wii for a good 20 minutes, controlling either Wolverine or Captain America and destroying a lot of enemy robots. I also saw the THQ rep play in Battle Mode which is like a 4-player Battle Royale with Dr. Doom, Hulk, Iron Man, and Magneto. There are over 20 characters in all, and six campaigns with two secret campaigns after you complete the original six. There’s even a Silver Surfer campaign.

• What We Think:

Bill: I think kids will totally love this. It looks a lot like a junior version of Ultimate Alliance. The guy was trying to show me the controls but I just started flailing away with the Wiimote and nunchuck and Wolverine was spinning around slicing guys up (no blood) and jumping, and spinning around and Cap was hurling his shield and bashing guys with it. Could I play this over the long haul? I doubt it, but co-op with my 8 year old? Without question…whether I want to or not.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PS2, DS, PSP)
• Publisher: Activision
• Developer: Vicarious Visions, Savage Entertainment, n-Space
• Release Date: Fall 2009
• Trailer
• What We Saw:

We saw a hands off demo with some new E3 footage featuring some new characters. We sat in a particularly cold demo room with a few non media folks who were just a bit too excited to be there. The demo ran about 10 minutes and featured a lot of the new fusion powers and some snips of Deadpool acting like a jackass.

• What We Think:

Bill: Ok, snarky comments aside, I really liked the new footage. We've previewed this one based off earlier press events but this was the first time I had the chance to see it in action. Being a big fan of the original, I like the fusion stuff even if it's a bit over the top but the formula is still the same – a bunch of superheroes and villains band together to beat the crap out of stuff. Cool powers are flying all over the place and you can, and should, play in 2 to 4-player co-op mode.

We saw Juggernaut, Deadpool, Storm, Venom, Spidey, Iron Man, Wolverine and several others fusing powers together and generally kicking much ass. There's something liker 250 different fusion powers by combining various heroes. It's pretty wild to see Storm fuse with Juggernaut to create a brand new power. The devs want the game to be a "tour de force" of the Marvel Universe. I don't know about that, but I'm genuinely looking forward to playing it because I enjoy seeing well animated superheroes throwing powers around like no tomorrow bashing things.

Todd: As much as the comic book whore in me wants to get annoyed at some of the liberties taken with what characters can do, this game looks like too damned much fun to get caught in a morass of geeky continuity technicalities. Flame on you crazy diamonds. Flame on.

Brandon: I hate the Civil War storyline setting, and Juggernaut straight up should not have a health bar what with him being fracking invulnerable, but if the game is as fun as the first Ultimate Alliance, I'm in. Four player co-op is rarely a bad thing. Hopefully between now and the game's release I can get over the fact that Deadpool appears to be wearing a sock on his head.

Mitch: Generic dungeon-crawling has never looked so awesome. Combining the powers of two super heroes to create a unique attack is a great way of handling special abilities, and since each character can interact with every other hero, the attacks are all unique-looking. Their effect is sometimes similar, but there’s enough variety in the attacks to make me want to see and try them all out. Picking up and tossing a group of enemies, nailing a group with scattered laser beams and crushing a posse with an electrified rock definitely makes for an exciting way to fight. Other than the abilities, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 wasn’t impressive -- heroes wandered areas, beat up thugs and earned experience points. It’s an old formula, but that isn’t going to stop me from enjoying cooperative thug-crushing and skill-buildings.

Mass Effect 2 (360, PC)
• Publisher: Electronic Arts
• Developer: Bioware
• Release Date: 2010
• Screenshots
• What We Saw:

In this hands-off demo project director Casey Hudson took us through multiple sequences from various points in the game, which we were told has seen improvements “across the board.” Graphically, it’s everything we’ve come to expect from the various Internet trailers released up to this point. Faces of humans and aliens alike look astonishingly good and are as expressive as we’ve seen from a game. Hudson also reaffirmed the notion that this is the trilogy’s “dark second act,” and that –if you import your Mass Effect 1 save- every decision you made from the first game is reflected here. Any characters who died in the first game do not appear in the sequel, etc.

What we had not yet heard, however, is some of the overarching story. In the wake of the original’s ending, humans across the galaxy have started to go missing. Shepherd’s role (no, he isn’t dead) is to work with the Cerberus Corporation from the first game to recruit and assemble a team of elite allies to help figure out what’s going wrong out in the big black and to find and rescue the missing humans (if possible). It was difficult to tell from the presentation, but it appears that a lot of the meat of the game is about the assembling of your squad and that your ability to win the end game depends on how well you do in putting the right people around you.

One of the more interesting notions addressed during the presentation is the fact that you can lose the game, and not in the sense that you get to re-load and try again. No, Mass Effect 2 has a clear win-lose scenario that has a huge impact on where your Mass Effect 3 experience begins. We watched a gorgeous, but very spoilery sequence of where things can go wrong in this game and to say that it was impressive is an understatement. The potential impact of going down the wrong path in Mass Effect 2 is enormous.

The sequence we watched also showed off the game’s new “dynamic” conversation system, in which the onscreen action can continue during dialog. In the example we were shown, Shepherd has a conversation with one of his allies in an air car while it is en route to its destination. It all flowed very naturally. The illusion of movement -it’s not like you were going to actually arrive at your destination too quickly just because you lolly-gagged through the conversation- made it feel like you were just passing the time. There is also a new “interrupt” aspect to dialog in which you can just cut someone off in mid-conversation (and within the context of that dialog) and take some other action. In the example we saw… well, let’s just say if you like to play Shepherd as a cutthroat son-of-a-bitch, you’ll have no complaints here.

We also got a first-hand look at the game’s newest alien race. Bioware did not indicate the name of the species, but the character we witnessed was both a lethal force and spiritual soul of conviction. The scene itself, in which Shepherd confronts some manner of Asari adversary, was loaded with dramatic tension that had all sorts of cinematic quality that has the potential to eclipse that of the first game.

Finally, we got a brief glimpse of the combat system which we were told is more precise than last time around, with both an improved UI and better control over your squad mates that should lead to a smoother combat experience that is less dependent on pausing the on-screen action to issue orders.

• What We Think:

Todd: I was a big fan of Mass Effect 1, but the game was not without its problems. In particular the highly repetitive side-quests at times made me want to have Shepherd turn his considerable arsenal back on himself. Given that, the news that every environment you explore throughout the galaxy is unique is both welcome and reassuring. Also, if it’s true that there are much more “brutal” consequences for your in-game decision-making it could really dial up the tension a notch when playing this game. Slot this one in as my most anticipated game for 2010. That is, assuming Bioware throws us poor PC gamers a bone by having a simultaneous release with the consoles or something close to it. (There was no mention of the PC release during the demo.)

Mitch: Despite finally getting to see all of the combat/inventory/visual enhancements to my favorite Xbox 360 game, I wish I didn’t see Mass Effect 2 at E3. The spoiler-heavy session showed stuff that BioWare could easily be sticking in the game’s first few hours, but they’re positioning it as late-game stuff that could change the direction of the franchise entirely. The direction that Mass Effect 2’s story is going has my jaw permanently planted next to my shoe laces. I feel like the dialogue flows more naturally, and it’s presented in such a way that will make the chit-chat more interesting than the first game’s Talking Heads approach. Since delving into the realized universe was what I liked most about Mass Effect I’m expecting to become fully engrossed again.

Mini Ninjas (360, PS3, PC, Wii, DS)
• Publisher: Eidos Interactive
• Developer: IO Interactive
• Release Date: September 2009
• Trailer
• What We Saw:
Like a true master of stealth, Mini Ninjas was not quite what it appeared to be. I had initially sloughed it off as another forgettable kiddy game for the Wii, until I noticed a 360 controller poking out from the station. Something was afoot. I approached a band of samurai only to get beaten mercilessly. I repeated the tactic with the other two characters – a mallet-toting oaf and a dainty flautist – with the same result. As it turns out, I had been neglecting every feature of Mini Ninjas, including the ability to use Spirit Form, and don the role of any animal in the vicinity, be it a boar, fox, or even a rabbit. I don’t recommend the latter for combat by the way, but it does have its uses.
• What We Think:
Brian: To be honest, I was just killing a little time at first and had to return later for a more proper demo. You won’t find the speed and brutality of Ninja Gaiden, but nor will button-mashing get you very far. You have to approach each battle with a little bit of strategy and learn how to use each character’s attributes to your advantage. I was also surprised to find a crafting element in Mini Ninjas. You can buy recipes for items like health-replenishing potions, but the player is responsible for tracking down the components, which is where the rabbit comes in handy. I am definitely looking forward to getting more in-depth with this one.

Mod Nation Racers (PS3)
• Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
• Developer: United Front Games
• Release Date: 2010
• Screenshots
• What We Saw:
Two gentlemen from the Vancouver-based United Front Games spent the better part of an hour demonstrating their highly customizable kart racer. Though the team admits to their love of other kart games, they’re aiming for something entirely different. With its crazy creation options, Mod Nation Racers is going to hook recovering LittleBigPlanet addicts more so than Mario Karters.
• What We Think:
Mitch: To be rather blunt, Mod Nation Racers doesn’t look to offer anything special in the racing arena. There doesn’t look to be anything here you that haven’t played before. We’ve been playing the fast cars, sweet jumps and weapon pickups game for more than a decade. What has me excited for Mod Nation Racers is the ability to upload and share your created tracks. The course editor is absolutely genius in its simplicity: driving a pint-sized ride around an empty landscape paints the world with asphalt. Once you’re satisfied with your twists, turns, bridges and jumps, you can start changing everything around your new road. You can edit the surface of the track and the scenery around it, create hidden paths or alternate routes, and alter the shape of it with an easy to use terrain editing tool.
After 20 minutes of tinkering, the United Front crew had created a cobblestone track lined with grassy knolls and towering mountains, filled in the gaps with houses and trees, and created a fancy little lake vista to scope out as you drove over a bridge. It’s all very smooth and easy, and despite not having much of an interest in the racing, I’m still pretty stoked to try out the editor myself.

Monster Racers (DS)
• Publisher: Koei
• Developer: Koei
• Release Date: August 25, 2009
• What We Saw:

Monster Racers is a sort of 2D racing/RPG hybrid – it was pitched to me as “Sonic meets Pokemon” and plays just like it sounds – it’s pure, colorful Pokemon, only the battles are 2D obstacle-laden races. The demo focused entirely on the racing aspect – in which different monsters will have certain advantages (the strategic aspect will have you picking the right little guy for the job, just like in Nintendo’s series). And yes, you capture new monsters (of which there are about 80) by beating them in the races.

My hands-on time was limited to two stages – a grassy course that looked a bit like a Green Hill Zone without the loop-de-loops and a snowy stage. Already, the differences among creatures were apparent – my ostrich-like character kept getting slowed down in the snowbanks, while he flew through the other level with ease. Everything was cutesy and colorful, though the knock-off Pokemon vibe was inescapable.

Races feel like speedy Sonic-lite platform levels – running and jumping felt responsive, and the simple power-up system kept things interesting.

• What We Think:

Danielle: The game was undeniably fun – and a very novel take on the genre (racing makes perfect sense as a combat metaphor). This could make for a very viable alternative for the Pokemon set – as long as the individual courses have enough variety to keep things interesting with 80 monsters.

Muramasa (Wii)
• Publisher: Ignition Entertainment
• Developer: Vanillaware
• Release Date: Late 2009
• Screenshots
• Trailer
• What We Saw:

We had a chance to take some hands on time leading Momohime through a forest of ninjas and demons. The first thing you'll notice is how gorgeous the game is. The beautiful, hand-drawn backgrounds from Odin Sphere are back. Combat is handled primarily with the A button, with c-stick movements thrown in to provide extra variation to your slices and dices. In a nice twist, your character can have multiple blades, each with it's own spirit power and by drawing a new blade you'll unleash a flurry of attacks on your on-screen enemies. The flip side of this is that if your blades can break, meaning that you'll always have to have a spare at the ready should you be ambushed by a giant one-eyed monk wearing a necklace of human skulls.

• What We Think:

Brandon: Playing a game that seems to be just a constant mashing of the A button, punctuated by various c-stick movements sounds like it might be repetitive, and maybe it will be as the game progresses, but honestly, the game is so pretty and the combat makes you feel so powerful that I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. I missed out on the glory that was Odin Sphere so I'm not letting this one get away from me.

Brian: Playing Muramasa for the first time is a spiritual experience; the kind that redefines your outlook, makes you realize how uninspired and frivolous most games are, and probably cures every ailment from phobias to impotency. Take away the majestic, hand-drawn visuals, and Muramasa still boasts a combat system so beautiful in its simply-controlled complexity, that Ninja Gaiden Sigma seems crippled with anachronistic irrelevance. I do have to wonder though, why so many of the sections, which connect to form entire stages, were completely empty.

Mitch: Muramasa’s gorgeous, hand drawn 2D visuals were enough to hook me. But it’s the little things it gets right that makes me so excited. The combat, while incredibly simple, has such subtle variety that you constantly need to focus on your fights. I loved that my swords could deteriorate, and that I needed to balance which of the three equipped weapons I was using. Sacrificing sword stability to use magic attacks is also a great element to keeping you in check. The quick pace is means you’ll constantly find yourself earning experience points and upgrades since you’re constantly in a scuffle. There’s no story worth caring about here, but the solid fighting and fast-paced progression is enough to convince me that Ignition made a smart decision in deciding to publish this one.

My Hero: Firefighter (DS)
• Publisher: Majesco
• Developer: Game Life
• Release Date: August 2009
• What We Saw:
The My Hero series was pitched to me as “Imagine for Boys”, referencing the infamous series of career games aimed at young girls. The demo was for My Hero: Firefighter, though My Hero: Astronaut and My Hero: Doctor are on the way as well. In Firefighter, players take the role of a heroic firefighter (nice, title, right?) tasked with putting out flames with a stylus-controlled hose. There were a few light story elements as well, indicated by text boxes and character art.
• What We Think:
Danielle: I kind of detest the idea behind the Imagine series – though the idea of being a firefighter or astronaut or doctor is definitely cooler than anything in Ubisoft’s awful lineup. I only saw a small snippet of gameplay, but the controls looked responsive and there was certainly plenty of kid-friendly action. I was also interested in finding out if you could play as a female character in some of the later titles (as a young girl, I would’ve liked Astronaut and Doctor way more than Babyz) and I was assured that there would be a woman character in the Doctor game. Good on you, Majesco.

MX vs ATV Reflex (PS3, Xbox 360)
• Publisher: THQ
• Developer: Rainbow Studios
• Release Date: Holiday 2009
• What We Saw:
THQ gave us a bit of a guided demo before letting us go hands-on with MX vs ATV Reflex, and it was a good thing, too. The complex controls are definitely unique, tying your vehicle’s control to the left stick and the rider’s to the right, giving you independent control of the two. You’ll notice terrain deformation as you play, with muddy ruts sending your bike or quad off-course as drivers cut through the track. Once we’d been shown the basics of what’s new, we tried a couple races of our own.
• What We Think:
Mitch: It took me a full race to finally get a grip on the “reflex” controls. Shifting my bike and body independent of each other felt awkward and messy, but toward the end of my final lap it had become, ahem, reflex. The THQ rep pointed out that I was getting the hang of adjusting for a rough landing as well as recovering from one before I realized I’d been using the stick at all. Subtle adjustments let you take an advantageous position when you’re coming out of a jump, and you’ll find yourself flicking the stick a lot by the end of a race – the terrain deformation has a drastic and noticeable effect on how your ride reacts to the ground it’s riding on. So while it took a while to wrap my head around, I’m about ready for a few more races.