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Batman: Arkham Asylum (Xbox 360; PS3; PC)
• Publisher: Eidos
• Developer: Rocksteady
• Release Date: August, 2009
• Screenshots
• Trailer
• What We Saw:
In this hands-on demo, the caped crusader takes another swing at the criminal lack of quality licensed superhero games on the market. In Arkham Asylum, Batman has busted the Joker yet again and sent him packing to Arkham. This time, however, it’s all going according to the Joker’s plan. Joker, of course, breaks free and frees the rest of the criminals in Arkham and now it’s up to Batman to navigate Arkam’s treacherous campus (it has multiple buildings) and stop… well, everyone really.
In this game Batman is required to use both his mind and his fists to clear Arkham’s dank corridors. A Detective Mode simulates both Batman’s powers of observation and his techno geek side to help him determine what threats are present in any given room, the extent to which they are armed, and even their emotional state (calm, terrified, cautious, nervous, etc.). The AI for your adversaries behaves differently based on these emotional states so that, for example, a terrified gun-toting toady is likely to try and bunch up with his companions; safety in numbers and all that.
Also unique is that despite being the consummate bad ass, Batman is not gifted with super endurance. If he gets hit more than four times during a single encounter he is done. So, the importance of staying hidden and quickly and quietly taking down adversaries is paramount. Rocksteady refers to this aspect of the game as being the Silent Predator. Fortunately, Batman has an array of tools and abilities at his disposal to get the job done, ranging from upgradable batarangs to grappling hooks that can snare and pull enemies to him (or leave them dangling) to special combat moves that make him capable of quickly incapacitating his enemies. (Remember, the Batman does not kill.) In all, Rocksteady says Batman will have 20-30 upgrades at his disposal that affect his moves, body armor and gadgets.
Given that the key to any game of this type is control, Rocksteady is eager to highlight what they call Freeflow Combat, in which the game dynamically selects the nearest enemy based on where you’re moving Batman. So, it’s a simple matter of flowing from target to target as you take down the Joker’s various peons that don’t require any fighting with the controller. Speaking of Mr. J., he promises to be an ever-present sense of menace throughout the game as he uses Arkham’s PA system and video screens to taunt and threaten you. Think Shodan or Andrew Ryan.
The on-screen action itself is both convincing and nerve-wracking. Knowing that Batman can only take so much damage it becomes critical to not only sneak up on minions, but to use the vertical elements the game offers to position Batman above them, where they make for much more susceptible prey. Expect for Arkham Asylum, which features a host of villains from Batman’s gallery of rogues, to be a 10-12 hour game with a fair amount of replayability.
• What We Think:
Todd:: Batman is Batman. Even when he’s bad, he’s still pretty good. Except when it comes to gaming, where bad is usually mind-numbingly awful. Fortunately, this game looks pretty damned good. The animation and overall art direction look phenomenal, if a bit more gritty and adult than many parents may be comfortable. The use of voice talents from Batman: The Animated Series, such as Kevin Conroy, is a very nice touch that lends some familiarity to the game right from the word go. Finally, as easy as it is to dismiss the cavalcade of marketing jargon, both the Freeflow Combat and Detective Modes look like they’ll add a whole lot to the game.
Brandon:: I think having Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill back voicing Batman and the Joker is a good thing. I think being able to do an inverted takedown while hanging from a gargoyle, or being able to take down a room full of thugs without breaking a sweat reminds me of why Batman is the greatest superhero ever. I also think that incapacitating three guards in a row yet no one thinks to look, or shoot, up at the ceiling gives me reason to pause. Still though, I didn't see anything while playing the game that makes me think that this won't be the first decent Batman game ever.
Mitch: Batman is a stellar investigator and kicker of asses, but his games tend to suck. When a developer has a clear grasp on the characters, the world they occupy, and what makes a great game, it’s only natural for them to send Bats investigating and ass-kicking. With The Joker slipping deep into Arkham Asylum, you’ll have to sneak through shadows and zip to the ceiling to get the stealthy drop on your maniacal enemies. Arkham was full of surprises that I didn’t expect. The mix of simple, timing-base d combat and slow-paced investigation sequences made for fantastic pacing, and because you’re ducking into vents and running through the dimly lit halls of Gotham’s loony bin there’s an air of tension throughout. The Joker is a terrifyingly disturbed villain and it’s well realized in Arkham Asylum. Batman’s badassery is equally well achieved, and it makes Arkham one of the best Batman games in a long time. I can’t wait to see where the story goes and what kinds of gadgets I’ll use to get around.

Bayonetta (360, PS3)
• Publisher: Sega
• Developer: Platinum Games
• Release Date: Fall 2009
• Screenshots
• Trailer
• What We Saw:
We were able to see a closed door viewing of the game's later levels as well as spend a good amount of time playing the game on the 360 at Sega's booth. The game has a very distinctive, yet over the top art style leading to many “what the hell is that” moments when the various beasties showed their heads. Bayonetta herself has an impressive number of ways to take enemies out, including melee weapons, magic and pistols as well as the ability to pick up the weapons of fallen enemies and use contextual attacks unique to those weapons. Loading screens are present, however in a nice twist, the player is able to see a list of all of Bayonetta's available combos and practice them with Bayonetta while waiting for the level to load.
• What We Think:
Todd:: During the hands-on demo this game had me on the hook. The action is unbelievably cool, the controls felt so tight and logical that even an action-gaming troglodyte like me was able to get quickly indoctrinated to using them effectively. And I was really digging the heroine. I was sold. Until I noticed Bayonetta’s clothes disappearing every 30 seconds when executing a special move. So I had to ask. When the answer came back that her clothes were her hair (which is also a weapon that leaves her disrobed when activated) I wished I hadn’t. Seriously? You’re going to make a game this cool looking and then do something so immature, so devoid of logic or purpose, that there’s no chance I can ever show it off to a non-gaming friend? I’ll still play it. I’ll probably still love it. But give me a frigg’n break.
Brandon:: I'm usually not into the Devil May Cry style of games, but man this game is a lot of fun to play. Watching butterfly wings unfold on Bayonetta's back when she double jumps and then seeing butterflies fly away when she lands is oddly charming. Dodging is key in this game, as it slows things down so that Bayonetta can score some combos. Best of all are the torture attacks which can be pulled off when an enemy is weakened enough. Launching one of these attacks will cause anything from an Iron Maiden to rise up for Bayonetta to kick an enemy into up to a giant spiked wheel to appear and rip an enemy to shreds. The type of attack is based on how furiously the player mashes a button once the attack is launched; allowing you to control just how much brutality is involved. If the gameplay doesn't hold up, at the very least I'd like to watch someone play this just to see the enemy design as the game progresses.
Bill: When I think of Bayonetta – I think style. There is an obvious grace to this game – at least from what we saw at E3. I saw it last year and the demo was different but the style and the gameplay was pretty much the same. The connection to Platinum's MadWorld is undeniable – only this game is an assault of colors and fluid animations with a heroine who looks like a grown up female version of Harry Potter. But the same over the top weirdness is definitely there.
Bayonetta is the kind of game that demos extremely well at a show like E3; it’s the type of product that due to its sizzling look catches everyone's eye and it carried a lot of buzz during the show but it's unclear, to me at least, if it will have ample staying power. It's gorgeous, no doubt, and looks incredibly entertaining and over the top. Will that wear off after a few hours? I think that's the million dollar question with this one. I really did like the behind closed doors demo and Brandon and Todd both raved about the show floor hands on build, but I'd still like to see a bit more of it. Sega also wins best 'booth babe' of the show. The Bayonetta model was an uncanny look-a-like.

The Beatles Rock Band (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii)
• Publisher: MTV Games
• Developer: Harmonix
• Release Date: 9-9-2009
• Screenshots
• Trailer
• What We Saw:
We walked into a model of the old Apple Studios and saw members of Harmonix jam to I Saw Her Standing There, Here Comes the Sun, and Taxman. After watching the demo and hearing about some of the features we were shuffled off into another area where we could get some hands on time pretending to be the Fab 4.
• What We Think:
Bill:: I was lead singer on I Feel Fine, Get Back and I Want To Hold Your Hand. And I was awesome.
Being a hardcore Beatles fan, this game is a no brainer. I was thrilled to hear that no songs will be locked so if you want to start off playing later era Beatles stuff, you can. The three part harmony feature, an absolute must in a game about The Beatles, is brilliant. I do have some concerns that the different on screen singing symbols for each player might get confusing but it was a blast harmonizing with my fellow staffers and members of the Harmonix team. The Beatles gear was also stellar in both look and feel.
When discussing the legacy of The Beatles there is the early touring era and the studio era. The venue for the studio songs is a Dreamscape (basically looks like a magic pill from the Day Tripper) which is another expert touch. For example, when playing Here Comes the Sun you're playing on top of a lovely grassy hill with colors flying about where as I Saw Her Standing There is at the Cavern Club with screaming girls, etc.
I am absolutely stoked for this to come out – not only with the 45 initial songs but also when the Abbey Road album DLC drops. I could have stayed at this booth all damn day playing this game. This was our first meeting of the show and it was all downhill after that – for me, anyway. I'm such a Beatles fan boy that it was going to be very hard to top this. Some people are wondering about challenge -- after all, this isn't Metal Up Your Ass. It's Strawberry Fields. This will be a game that is more about the music than bone jarring difficulty. Ask yourself this: do you play these games for the challenge of nailing Painkiller on Expert or for the feeling of playing/singing along to your favorite songs? For me it's easily the latter.
The trick will be playing guitar/bass and singing at the same time. For a die hard (me) it wasn't tough to sing on Medium and play guitar on Hard. In fact I didn't even look at the song track after a few bars. I can sing Get Back in my sleep. But for Beatle novices or casual fans it could prove tough. I didn't get a chance to try Expert, sadly. (Todd is the Walrus)
Brandon:: I'm not a big Beatles fan, I mean, I like their stuff, but I don't know the Beatles very well, nor do I go out of my way to listen to them, but man, this game is fun as hell. The style of the game is a nice change from the darker, club atmosphere of Rock Band and Rock Band 2 and the dreamscapes give a nice interpretation of the songs, even if the one for “I Am the Walrus” looks like it came out of “The Shining”. The ability to sing three part harmonies is a nice addition, however it's a little too easy to get confused as to which part you're supposed to be singing. The automatic no fail mode when playing on Easy will help with the party aspect of the game, as will all 45 tracks being available for quickplay from the beginning. The DLC's lack of compatibility with Rock Band and Rock Band 2 is, in my opinion, a bad move, but it's not surprising. Most importantly, the game is fun to play, which in the end, is all that matters.
Todd: Sold! Just sold. Seriously, what else is there to say? It’s got music from throughout the career of The Beatles, the multi-part vocal harmonies look like they’ll be a critical new edition to the Rock Band mechanic, and the dream sequences (LSD Mode) in which you are told you’ll, “connect to the music in a deeper and more spiritual way,” are just too damned hilarious and trippy not to love. Oh yeah, and the new instruments look fantastic.
Mitch: I’m not a Beatles fan. I mean, I like The Beatles, I just don’t know The Beatles. I know that their melodic flow is slow compared to the heavy or fast paced rock that makes Rock Band games such a blast to play, so I was expecting the plodding melodies to be boring. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Ringo’s drum beats were more complicated than I expected, and ripping up a groovy Beatles bass beat was great background noise to my band mates’ harmonizing vocals. The psychedelic sequences that play in the background aren’t going to do anything for me while I’m playing, but when I’m watching the game and listening to the tunes I’m absolutely engrossed. Harmonix has one of their best games ever, right here.

Ben 10: Vigax Attacks (Xbox 360, PS2, PSP, Wii, DS)
• Publisher: D3
• Developer:
• Release Date: October 2009
• Screenshots
• What We Saw:
Ben 10 is a big, colorful 3D platformer that allows you (as Ben) to turn into various alien creatures in order to explore strange new worlds, seek out new civilizations, and to boldly go... Yeah, I wish this was a Star Trek game too.
• What We Think:
Danielle: Like Secret Saturday’s, this will probably appeal to fans of the series, but for a Mario-spoiled girl like me, it’s an underwhelming experience. It’s colorful and well-animated, but nothing revolutionary.

BioShock 2 (360, PC, PS3)
• Publisher: 2K Games
• Developer: 2K Marin, 2K Australia, Digital Extremes
• Release Date: November 30, 2009
• Screenshots
• What We Saw:
We were lured into a Rapture-esque room, complete with bubbling tubes and scary graffiti – apparently, Big Sister is waiting. After a very brief overview of the single player game – which highlighted the predominance of combat – we were taken straight into an in-depth (ha!) demonstration of the multiplayer mode. Alan Good, (a designer at co-developer Digital Extremes) gave us the rundown. While the single player game is a direct sequel to BioShock, the multiplayer mode is actually a prequel – the events depicted here occurred during the civil war that ripped Rapture apart, about one year before Jack’s first descent down the bathysphere.
Here, you play as a deranged citizen of the ruined city, participating in Sinclair Solutions’ weapons testing campaign, raining death and destruction on your fellow splicers. You can choose your plasmids (elemental powers) and traditional weapons prior to each match – and continued play grants you access to more powers and arms.
Each arena will be based on a location from the original game – our demo took place in the semi-decayed ruins of Kashmir Restaurant. Combat looks exactly like one might expect from a multiplayer version of BioShock, though it’s a bit faster, thanks to the ability to duel-wield a plasmid and a gun. Signature moves like hacking turrets happen without the Pipe Dream minigame, and there is actually a Big Daddy power-up – giving the chosen player massive resistance and strength.
• What We Think:
Danielle: As a lover of all things BioShock, I pretty much ate this demo up. While I don’t think Bio 2 will live up to the insanely high bar set by its predecessor, I’m definitely anticipating a fun, exciting shooter that will creep me out. I was on the fence about the multiplayer mode before the demo – but everything looked fast and furious and flexible enough to assuage my fears. I got the impression that the folks at Digital Extremes are all fans of the first game – it looks like they “get” what BioShock is all about (customizable combat, freaky atmosphere) and crafted an experience worthy of the name.
Bill: Not sold yet. I loved BioShock – it was my game of the year pick for 2008, and I am looking forward to getting back under the sea, but the behind closed doors E3 demo was a lot of multiplayer talk which does absolutely nothing for me. They are trying to put a back story as to why you are zapping other people (it supports up to 10 players) with plasmids a year prior to the fall of the underworld city, but I just wasn’t really into it. Why does BioShock need multiplayer? Why not use the resources for crafting another brilliant solo game?
Of course, maybe the solo game will still be brilliant. Maybe playing the Big Daddy and fighting Big Sisters will be a blast? I like the idea of chaining plasmids together to use off of one another but the quick E3 demo didn’t show a whole lot of that part of the game; it was mostly multiplayer stuff, which I can take or leave.

Blur (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
• Publisher: Activision
• Developer: Bizarre Games
• Release Date: Fall 2009
• Screenshots
• Trailer
• What We Saw:
We got to race against seven other E3 attendees in the upcoming arcade racer from the dudes and ladies behind Project Gotham Racing. Blur, put simply, is the lovechild of Need for Speed Underground and Mario Kart, though the mix of street racing and power-ups manages to be more about completing laps than car combat.
• What We Think:
Mitch: The Project Gotham guys are definitely taking a more arcade-y approach to their new racing game. Saturated colors on a rain-washed road, trails of neon, and… power-ups? Even though the mix of street racing and pickups is a solid mix that works well, I don’t know how long Blur will hold up. The racing is fast, feels good, and works well with the new pickups. The problem is that the ability pickups aren’t original or interesting. Launching lightning at an enemy to stun them, causing someone to spin out with a shockwave, and blasting nitro to boost are great ways to keep races unpredictable. The instant recovery doesn’t lead to any heavy consequences, though – I was still winning races after being pummeled by power-ups. Having a shield you can trigger at almost any time makes it even easier to survive the onslaught of your opponents’ attacks. Blur is looking to be a solid game, for sure. I just didn’t get the vibe that it was effectively using its ideas.
Brandon: It's Mario Kart, but with normal cars, filling that all important need to see what happens when you shock a '79 Vega to hell and back. The game plays nicely and the ability to dodge incoming attacks is a nice touch, even if I was never able to do so due to poor multitasking. With no real insight into the single player mode, or the various multiplayer modes and vehicles, it's hard to get too excited, but at the same time, the racing was fun and Bizarre makes good games, so that’s something.

Borderlands (360, PS3, PC)
• Publisher: 2K games
• Developer: Gearbox Software
• Release Date: Q3 2009
• Screenshots
• What We Saw:
Not much unfortunately. Gearbox plowed over a handful of enemies, looted some corpses, and flipped through the character skill-trees at mach-10 before jumping straight into a round of multiplayer. As far as I can tell, Borderlands is still an open-world FPS with more guns than I can probably count. During the demo, an extremely rare gun appeared as loot that none of the developers had ever seen. This is possible because Borderlands draws individual pieces from massive lists of components to create new and unique weapons on the fly. Borderlands is also fresh out of graphical overhaul and sporting a colorful, cel-shaded palette that suits the bizarre creatures of the alien desert.
• What We Think:
Brian: Millions of possible gun combinations is an impressive feat, but really, it matters little if Borderlands doesn’t have the story and missions to back it up. Bethesda in particular has set a new bar for open-world games, so Gearbox better come packing with twists and hidden surprises galore. The co-op, which has been upgraded from three to four players, should offer plenty of reasons for players to return to the frontier even after the storyline has been completed. I for one, look forward to showing off my best finds, and hope that Gearbox plans on implementing some sort of trading feature.

Brink (360, PS3, PC)
• Publisher: Bethesda
• Developer: Splash Damage Studios
• Release Date: Spring 2010
• Screenshots
• What We Saw:
We watched a demo of the game where we saw the game's Smart Movement Across Random Terrain feature which allows the player, with the push of a button, to mantle over, or slide under any piece of terrain in the environment. We also saw the game's single player mode, which is also the eight player co-op mode. During the campaign, mission objectives change dynamically, and by bringing up a radial wheel, you can pick which objective you're going to go after, as well as see how much experience you'll get for completing the objectives. If you're current character class doesn't float your boat, simply find a command post and switch your class and voila, new objectives. Oh, and when you're not getting experience by completing objectives and killing folks, stuff blows up real pretty.
• What We Think:
Brandon: The class stuff looks really interesting however it's way too early to know if it'll work as well as it looks. The ability to have mission objectives change dynamically for you as well as your co-op teammates sounds great, especially when you throw in the fact that the game will bribe players with more experience to do more menial tasks like standing guard and you have a game that can change dramatically every time you play it. Here's hoping they can pull it off.
Bill: I was pleasantly surprised by the pre-alpha demo of Brink. Splash Damage is mostly known for multiplayer shooters – and while Brink technically is that too it also has a beefy solo campaign and a story which is key to the design. Will that story/campaign be good? Hard to say, but the E3 demo hinted that it is on the right track. I was a bit skeptical of the fact that you can switch classes back and forth from say Engineer to Solider but knowing that you miss out on a lot of the benefits from sticking with a class and gaining XP in that certain class makes the trade off feel like a fair one. So if you keep switching from Soldier to Engineer over and over you will end up being a so-so Solider/Engineer instead of a bad ass in either class – missing out on some of the higher level skills.
What stood out to me, aside from the frantic co-op firefight demo we saw, was the dialogue. Usually, especially in a shooter, the dialogue takes a back seat to the action. Here, though, the quality of the voice acting was surprisingly well done. I believed that these guys were a military task force. I also was impressed with the fluidity of the mission design – your objectives will change during a mission, depending on what you have done (good or bad). This ebb and flow gives the missions, at least in the demo we saw, a realistic feeling as on the battlefield, things can and will change. The real selling point though? 8-player campaign co-op.
Todd: I was a bit skeptical of this during the hands-off demo. The notion of swapping classes practically at will seems an odd one to me. But our brief sit down with a couple of the game’s designers and the detailed explanations offered for some of our questions put to rest many of these doubts. Left 4 Dead has shown how much fun a co-op game of this type can be and the top-notch production values that are already evident are indicative of a game that’s seeing a lot of care. If Splash Damage can do a solid job of play-balancing this one, it could be a real winner come 2010.

Brutal Legend (360, PS3, PC)
• Publisher: EA
• Developer: Double Fine Studios
• Release Date: October 13th, 2009
• Screenshots
• What We Saw:
Brutal Legend tells the fantastical story of Eddie Riggs, a metal-head roadie sucked into a demony netherworld. It’s another game from the mind of Tim Schaeffer. Brutal Legend is largely an action oriented game. Oh, there’s the occasional puzzler to be sure, but most of the game is taken up with fighting your way past various nasties with a giant axe and an electric guitar that brings new meaning to the word “electrical.” In this game, though, you won’t battle the bad all alone. His royal dudeness gets help in the form of Ophelia, a partner with whom you can execute some pretty spectacular moves in tandem. Amongst the game’s other features are some sections that place you behind the wheel of a fully upgradable and tweakable roadster that is just as much fun to drive as the rest of the game is to play. Finally, there’s at least one classic cameo from a legendary metal figure who acts as Yoda to your young Skywalker. We’ll let other sites spoil the who, but rest assured he’s just as hilarious in this game as his show was on TV.
• What We Think:
Todd: It’s classic Schaeffer wit, it’s metal, and it demands to be played!