C

Captain America: Super Soldier (Xbox 360, PS3)
• Publisher: Sega
• Developer: Next Level Games
• Release Date: July 2011
• Trailer
• What We Saw:
I was given a demonstration of a level in the game, as well as the ability to sling Cap's shield for myself. The game has an interesting combat system where Cap's moves will change based on the enemy he's up against and his relative position to his enemy, all performed by pressing the same button. For example, pressing the light strike button will switch between punches, elbow strikes and kicks whereas the mobility button has Cap rolling, dodging, or leaping over enemies. Cap also has super moves he can unleash that allows him to perform devastating punches, and take his enemy's weapon and use them against his foes, Of course the shield throw is present and Cap can use it to block enemy fire. The combat system isn't quite as involved as the FreeFlow system from Arkham Asylum, but it's varied enough to make you feel like a super soldier yourself by hitting buttons and watching Cap perform all of these cool moves. The game sports nine different combat upgrade paths allowing you to specialize in better hand to hand combar or shield combat, as well as a number of collectibles that give you intel on your enemies and weapon schematics you can use to make Cap more effective against his foes.
• What We Think:
  Brandon: Despite being tied to the movie, between the combat model and the fact that the story doesn't follow that of the movie, there's enough here to make me think this won't be the typical movie tie in game. It's a lot of fun to use Cap to deliver spectacular beat downs to enemies, but at the same time, it's not so easy as to be a cakewalk. You have to be mindful of who is about to attack, and how they're attacking so that you can use the right moves to counterattack and keep yourself from getting damaged. I can see this being very much like Arkham Asylum in that with the right time spent with the controls, you can take down an entire room of thugs without ever getting hit or breaking a sweat. Consider me extremely interested.

Carrier Command: Gaea Mission (PC)
• Publisher: Bohemia Interactive
• Developer: Bohemia Interactive
• Release Date: Q1 2012
• Trailer
• What We Saw:
A demonstration of the way the carrier works, builds units and moves. We also saw the combat which ranges from ground, to vehicle to RTS.
• What We Think:
  Jason: I wasn’t exactly sure what to think at the beginning of this demo, but as it went forward I found myself digging the concept. You run a giant carrier ship that holds multiple units and you fight against another giant carrier in a series of islands. Each island you control can be used for production or mining, your choice, and you stockpile equipment to make new units and upgrades.

Catherine (360, PS3)
• Publisher: Atlus
• Developer: Atlus
• Release Date: July 26, 2011
• Trailer
• What We Saw:
Vincent is in a tough spot. After five years of loyal monotony with Katherine, he falls in bed with the seductive Catherine. Unfaithful men are dying in their sleep around the city, and Vincent may be next unless he can climb the tower every night in his dream by pushing and pulling blocks, climbing higher as the lower blocks drop away. Gameplay during the daytime revolves around conversation and is more akin to a visual novel than an RPG. We were able to sample a handful of conversations, two of the game’s puzzle sections, and a multiplayer match on the tower.
• What We Think:
  Brian: 30 minutes is not nearly enough time to grasp the full scope of Catherine. With a massive series like Final Fantasy, much can be said by mentioning new features and differences from previous games. Catherine is a very different creature from the developer’s previous game, Persona 4. The union of puzzle and visual novel is incredibly strange, but I have full faith in the Persona team’s storytelling. While the towers are puzzles, these sections are anything but relaxing. You have to work fast, sometimes with giant creatures chasing from below. You will screw up, but all you can do is improvise and try to keep going. The result seems to be a wonderful play of tension and release tinged with a streak of masochism; just like a real relationship.

Centipede Infestation (Wii, 3DS)
• Publisher: Atari
• Developer: WayForward
• Release Date: Fall 2011
• Trailer
• What We Saw:

Much like Warlords, Centipede is an updated version of an arcade classic, with better graphics and new modes, enemies, etc. I got my hands on both the Wii and 3DS versions, which both basically involve blasting the crap out of bugs and setting down Tower Defense-esque turrets from special bug carcasses.

• What We Think:
Danielle :

Again, like Warlords, this is a very simple, but well-made title. I really liked the tower defense-light aspects of the gameplay, as it feels like a natural way to deepen this kind of manic shooting experience. The only thing that worried me is whether this will have enough content to justify the full boxed product price tag – and the fact that the Wii version was much more fun and accessible than the handheld one.

Check Vs. Mate (Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
• Publisher: Topware Interactive
• Developer: Targem Games/ChessBase
• Release Date: September 2011
• What We Saw:
This was a hands-off guided demo of a new chess game. If you remember the game Battle Chess from the early 90s, you have a starting point for understanding what this game is all about. It's a classic chess game, first and foremost that's powered by the Fritz11 engine ("plus another 1.7 calculable moves"). We were told in no uncertain terms this game, "will give grandmasters a run for their money." That said, the game tries to liven chess up (is that possible?) by introducing an action combat element to its Battlegrounds mode of play. In the Slasher iteration of this mode, when you attack a chess piece the board zooms way in as the pieces turn and fight each other, under user control, using your usual beat something with a stick action game antics. Fights are balanced by giving each piece a number of supporting troops to fight alongside. Stronger pieces and attacking pieces bring more troops to the table. If the defender is defeated, it's removed from the board. If the attacker is defeated he must retreat back to his original square. A second Battleground mode, Duel, does away with the support troop mechanic in favor of giving pieces more or less health. The game also features a series of mini-battles and scenarios you can use to wrack up points for your profile and compete with other players online.
• What We Think:
  Todd: I played a fair amount of Battlechess back in the day, so I can appreciate what they're going for with this game. That said, Battlechess worked in part because it brought charm and whimsy to the action of taking pieces off the board. Regardless of how smart the chess engine is in this game, I don't think it's more action-oriented hands-on battles are going to sell people on it. The piece interactions mostly consist of blasting the heck out of each other and I suspect the novelty of that will wear off quickly. The fact is, devoted chess players have a load of other options and I'm not sure how many casual chess players you're going to line up for this. Of course, the fact that it will be available to Wii players may help some, as should it's lower price point of $34.99.

Combat Wings: The Great Battles of WWII (PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii)
• City Interactive
• Developer: City Interactive
• Release Date: 9/2011
• What We Saw:
A few dogfights demonstrated to show off combat physics and terrain. The demo showed off the amount of units on screen and the view distance as well as an upgraded graphics engine going from Wii to PC, 360 and PS3.
• What We Think:
  Jason: I really like Crimson Skies and watching this demo made me think of that. It’s WWII battles in a totally over the top arcade style. Case in Point: your health regenerates. This game could be a lot of arcadey good times.

Crimson Alliance
• Publisher: Microsoft
• Developer: Certain Affinity
• Release Date: Summer 2011
• Trailer
• What We Saw:
We were given a hands-on, developer led demo of the game, spent adventuring through a level as a wizard and mercenary, two of the game's three classes. The third class, the assassin was seen on the loading screens, but not in the game. The game has a very bright color palette with plenty of colorful explosions and lots of blood flying everywhere. The game goes in another direction in regards to player progression, tying all of your statistics to the loot you have equipped. Also, if you can't equip a piece of loot, you won't be able to pick it up, cutting down on the inevitable cluttering of your inventory that comes with these games. On the flip side, all classes can use the various combat items such as deployable turrets and combustible throwing axes. Four person co-op is supported, and loading up a team of all one class isn't prohibited. Add to this five difficulty levels and plenty of secret areas and you have one very extensive XBLA offering.
• What We Think:
  Brandon: I'm all in on this one. Being an XBLA title, the price won't be prohibitive, and the ability to play co-op with a team of rampaging wizards fills me with glee. The stat system makes me a little concerned, but not enough to skip out on the game entirely. On the one hand, this is a nice change that allows players who have put some time into the game play with new players, without the new folks feeling drastically underpowered, but on the other hand, it makes the loot progression even more important than in your typical dungeon crawler. I'd prefer that the co-op be drop in and drop out, but I'lll get over it. One save can be for me and one can be for my friends.

Crusader Kings II (PC, Mac)
• Publisher: Paradox
• Developer: Paradox
• Release Date: January 2012
• Trailer
• What We Saw:
I received a nice tour, showing off many of the features of this classic Paradox strategy game which runs from 1066 to the middle of the 15th century. If you're a fan of the Paradox style of game then this is a no brainer. These types of games normally don't demo too well at shows like E3 but I was thrilled to finally get a first hand look at how it’s progressing. I saw how combat will work, the council layout, and the brilliant detail of the family trees, complete with in game Wikipedia links for every historical figure in the game. The folks at Paradox are stressing that this will be as bug free as the company can make it at launch as the game is feature complete right now, and they aren't shipping until January.
• What We Think:
  Bill: I have a very good feeling about CKII. I love the focus on characters, families, and dynasties rather than individual nations. Granted, you can control a nation but if you start out playing as a lowly Count, well, you aren't controlling France yet now are you? I also like that it feels and looks less intimidating than something like Europa Universalis mainly due to the improved interface; it doesn't get in the way and spotlights the beautiful map. Some don't mind all of the data being front and center, but what can I say? The map is too pretty to clutter up.
  I'm encouraged by the combat model which allows you to specify where you want certain troops. Want to place your weak units on the left flank and your vets in the center with heavy horse on the right? No problem. Granted the combat remains abstracted to a certain degree, but this isn't Total War. It's not a tactical game. It's impossible to dig deep into a game like this during a 30 minute demo; the game is far too big for that. Let's just say I can't wait to play it. I think I'll start off as England and challenge the Pope. What could possibly go wrong?
  Tom: I was sold on this sequel from the moment it was announced. There's really something beautiful about watching Paradox improve their games. They're often dinged for releasing games in rough shape, and they've earned those dings. But you also have to give them credit for how their games are increasingly beautiful, accessible, and inspired, which was driven home during the demo for Crusader Kings 2. I love the new emphasis on mixing functionality and aesthetics in the main map. With a new gameplay system for plots and schemes, Crusader Kings 2 looks like their most personal and dramatic game yet. I would say this is, quite literally, as Shakespearean as strategy games can get.
  Todd: I was a big fan of the way Medieval: Total War modeled the progression of royal families and how you could appoint various nobles to positions of power, marry off princesses, etc. I just wasn't all that into the tactical real-time battles that really drove that game. As I've learned more about the original Crusader Kings over the past year I've become ashamed that I never actually played it. I won't make that mistake with Crusader Kings 2. Its mixture of Game of Thrones style intrigue with Crusades era Europe isn't something you're going to get anywhere else and I'm pumped that Paradox is coming back to this title. The game elements we were exposed to in the preview -the ways to build your court, the numerable variables in play that effect loyalty of subjects, the role of religion- are all aspects into which I'm dying to leap.
  The thing that stuck me about the game is that it looks finished now, yet we're not going to see it until January. The reason, Andersson assured us, is that they (Paradox) are tired of their ship it now, patch it later reputation and they're dead set on getting this one right at launch. Sure, no matter how much time they take, a game with this many systems in place is going to need some work after it's released into the wild, but I like that they're making polish a big priority for this title as I'll be there waiting when it's done.

The Cursed Crusade (360, PS3, PC)
• Publisher: Atlus
• Developer: Kylotonn
• Release Date: Fall 2011
• Trailer
• What We Saw:
There are very few games outside the RTS genre that utilize the middle ages without resorting to dragons and magic, and even fewer (if any) tackle the subject of the crusades with any seriousness, let alone incorporate actual events into their plots. We had the opportunity to don the Templar’s tunic as Denz de Bayle in an early stage of his journey. The Cursed Crusade features online and local co-op, but sadly, we didn’t have a second controller to play with :(
• What We Think:
  Brian: A mindless hack-and-slash this is not. Combat in The Cursed Crusade is thick and heavy. You can sense the weight of the weaponry with every labored swing and the disorienting pain as you reel back from a blow. Survival rests on your ability to gauge distances, movements, and attack timings among multiple enemies. Unlike some games, the enemies in The Cursed Crusade have no qualms about fighting in groups and smacking you back and forth.