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EA Sports Active 2 (Wii, 360, PS3)
• Publisher: EA
• Developer: EA Canada
• Release Date: Q3 2010
• Trailer
• What We Saw:
The sequel to the only really good fitness game on the planet, EA Sports Active 2 is going multiplatform. I saw the Xbox 360 Kinect version, which adds a whole slew of new functionality and better motion tracking for the various exercises. Basically, the game looks the same – with clean, simple graphics and a polished, shiny interface. Players can choose to jump into pre-set workouts and track their progress (there is now a comprehensive website that connects directly with the game and tracks ALL of your stats), or you can create your own routines by picking and choosing activities.
My demo included jumping squats and boxing drills, which certainly benefitted from the hands-free control scheme. There will be over 70 individual activities total, with a nice mix of cardio and resistance exercises. Another major feature – there is a heart rate monitor included in the game, which makes for much more accurate calorie burning information. Move over, vitality sensor.
• What We Think:
  Danielle: This is the natural evolution of an already-excellent product. While the game experience itself is fairly similar (you exercise and track your stats), the web integration is fantastic. Essentially, you’re creating a metagame for yourself with your workouts – you actually gain “levels” by burning calories and logging time in the activities. By “grinding” and “leveling up” you can show off in user-chosen groups and leaderboards. It’s a great idea and should really hope with motivation (turn working out into a compulsive RPG, and everybody will want in!) and longevity.
  As for the 360 version, this is exactly what Kinect was made for – full body games with “big” broad motions. In fact, of all the Kinect games at the show, only the fitness titles (this and Majesco’s Zumba dance game) that impressed me at all.

EA Sports MMA (Xbox 360, PS3)
• Publisher: EA Sports
• Developer: EA Tiburon
• Release Date: October 19, 2010
• Trailer
• What We Saw:
EA’s been skimpy on video or screenshots of MMA, so finally seeing it at their booth was a relief. We brawled with another E3 attendee, who audibly exclaimed his excitement alongside us, as well as the small crowd gathered to see EA Sports MMA in motion.
• What We Think:
  Mitch: THQ has some serious competition here. There’s no UFC license in EA’s mixed martial arts fighter, but the impressive roster of famous fighters gives Undisputed something to consider. More importantly, the controls in EA’s MMA title are phenomenal, letting you throw huge hits and big combos using, shocker, the right analog stick. The animation is unquestionably better than its competition, with off punches bouncing off shoulders, fighters falling when struck after a misplaced kick, and completely natural collision eliminating clipping. I couldn’t get a grip on the ground game because we didn’t have a lot of time to fight each other, this other gentleman and I. I did, however, manage to get a handle on the movement – it’s fast, and evasive maneuvers don’t require extra effort – and face-punching. Mixing up high and low blows, big crosses and devastating head kicks was a blast, and I’m aching to get back into the ring.

End of Nations (PC)
• Publisher: Trion
• Developer: Petroglyph
• Release Date: 2011
• Trailer
• What We Saw:
An MMO RTS with two kinds of play. The core game is you and your guild versus the AI controlled Order of Nations. You are given either small battles or huge tactical challenges analogous to dungeons in MMO RPGs. Your class will have strengths and weaknesses and special powers and it will all come down to working together to take down the bad guy. Somehow this feeds into a PvP metagame, but I didn't get any explanation of how it all fit together. One side of the user interface is MMO like, the other more RTS oriented. Battalion construction is collectible oriented, with bonuses for gathering entire sets of similar units.
• What We Think:
  Troy: The MMO RTS is sort of a Holy Grail thing. Online RTSes are kill or be killed affairs, so a lot of design focus has gone to finding ways to keep every player sticking around while getting their ass kicked by more powerful players. By making a powerful AI opponent, Petroglyph gives players a reason to team up with different classes and take down a bad guy. The “dungeon” we saw presented an interesting tactical puzzle, but the demo guy just turned on invulnerability so he could show us the entire map. I think that this could be the AAA model for future MMO RTS games, but Petroglyph has a rough history in the RTS genre. Often their ambition has exceeded their polish. Fingers crossed, though.

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West (Xbox 360, PS3)
• Publisher: Namco Bandai
• Developer: Ninja Theory
• Release Date: October, 2010
• Trailer
• What We Saw:
We completed one of Enslaved’s missions, which either has a lot of variety in it, or crammed a lot of it in to give us an idea of what the full game entails. We solved light puzzles, cleaned some robot clocks and jumped around an atypical post-apocalyptic America for ten minutes.
• What We Think:
  Mitch: The main character in this game is pretty cool – he’s a lot like a monkey, really. The slumped posture, tail-like cloth hanging from his rear and nimble climbing all scream primate. This is an opinion I held before realizing his name was Monkey, which takes the magic away from it, but hey. Robots. You get to beat them with a club, climb in an almost literal urban jungle – buildings are covered in green and the ground is grassy – and hang out with a tech-savy lady. There’s no co-op for Enslaved, which is a bummer considering this girl sticks by your side, so I’m guessing her inevitable disappearance serves as an excuse for omitting that. Still, bummer.
  I didn’t know a lot about Enslaved going in. I knew it was the Heavenly Sword team’s new game –the beautiful world, mo-capped characters and cinematic “je ne sais quoi” give it away – and not much else. Heavenly Sword’s repetition and brevity bothered me, but it seems like Enslaved is an entirely different beast. Combat is plentiful but broken up by Prince of Persia-esque wall climbing, and you don’t fight hordes of identical enemies. That’s a plus. Taking care of and ordering around an ally is an interesting angle, too. I’m pumped to see where that leads, and to dig deeper into what looks to be an awesome, original batch of fiction.

Epic Mickey (Wii)
• Publisher: Disney
• Developer: Junction Point
• Release Date: Late 2010
• Screenshots
• Trailer
• What We Saw:
For all the talk of this being a darker Mickey, it isn't. Yes, he can destroy animated enemies with paint thinner, but he can also convert them with paint or build platforms with his brush. A loving tribute to almost a century of Disney animation with quest levels (we were shown the island themed Ventureland, with pirates and tiki lounges and treehouses) and action levels (Skull Island with animated brooms and lots of cliffs). Long lost Disney characters appear, some in black and white, including a Steamboat Willy themed platform level.
• What We Think:
  Troy: Once as essential to American popular culture as American Idol, Mickey Mouse has become more mascot than hero in recent decades. He shares the stage in other Disney themed games, but not here. Mickey returns in a Disney game that uses the studio's entire history as inspiration and setting for some equally inspired game ideas. It's a platformer and a light combat game and an adventure game. Maybe the least surprising joy of the show, but a joy nonetheless. This is the game that will make me buy a Wii.
  Brandon: I think that this is a beautiful game that I'm really looking forward to playing. The combination of platforming and combat along with choices that have in game consequences made for a very entertaining demo. Granted it was just 30 minutes out of the whole game, but Warren Spector has made some pretty dang good games and I have faith in his ability to do the same here. It was great to see Mickey back as the hero and not just some merchandising shill and the game's use of 2D cut scenes and various Disney supporting characters made for a very charming experience. This was one of my favorite things at this E3 and I can't wait to play the final version.

Etrian Odyssey III – The Drowned City (DS)
• Publisher: Atlus
• Developer: Atlus
• Release Date: Fall 2010
• Trailer
• What We Saw:
A quick overview of the game and a demo trailer revealed that the new title will be heavy on Sea-based exploration and treasure hunting, as the location has changed to a coastal city. You’ll get a ship and be able to cruise the ocean, Wind Waker style, and explore beneath the sea. There will be ten character classes, and we were told that the game was built around the idea of being a “tribute” to old-school 1st-person RPG’s.
• What We Think:
  Danielle: I’m not much of a hardcore RPG player, so my experience with Etrian Odyssey begins and ends with making sure I’m spelling “Odyssey” correctly. In all seriousness, there really wasn’t much to go on from the presentation I saw. There was an emphasis on how “blue” the new game will be, which I’m always in favor of, but I’ll need to see more before I can render an educated opinion.