Battlefield 3
Set to be one of the biggest releases of the year, we got some hands on time with an early single player level from Battlefield 3 called 'Operation Guillotine'. It wasn’t a particularly long level, and it was played on the PS3, but it gave a good idea for what players will be in for when they take to the battlefield on foot. According to what we overheard from the developers, you play the role of a ‘misfit’ who has been lopped in with this particular team and isn’t particularly welcome. Maybe that’s why you’re getting the dog jobs like carrying the cannon down a hill being peppered by enemy fire or being the first to break through the door?
Prepare for battle.
What was seen from a core gameplay level was a lot more impressive. The actual firefights were intense and the set pieces were well thought out. You could tackle each ‘corridor’ from numerous perspectives, and the better that you played, the more that your team mates would feed off you. The friendly AI would actively take down enemies and get involved. Obviously, if you did something stupid and try to play Rambo, you’d be gunned down but with a little patience and skill, progression would be quite satisfying. Unfortunately, there was something not quite right with our setup and the game was not looking as good as it will in the final version.
Mass Effect 3
Another short demo level, we got to play through the Mass Effect 3 mission that was first shown at E3, where Sheppard is attempting to save a female Krogan, but is being hampered in his efforts by Cerberus. But before that, we were allowed to flaunt some skill points and options to customise our Sheppard and his team – which consisted of Liara and Garrus. The presence of Liara makes for some potentially interesting implications to the already complicated ‘space opera’, and could be a very noticeable factor when viewing the consequences of your past actions. While the menu is quite similar to that found in Mass Effect 2 at first glance, a deeper look revealed that there has been a bit more thought put behind the available abilities.
The new 'slap' attack.
At a core level, the game still pretty much plays like it did in Mass Effect 2, though not without some handy additions. The most prominent being the improved cover mechanics, which will now allow you to switch from one cover point to another without leaving cover. However, there have also been noticeable improvements in the smoothness of moving and aiming. The demo showed off new enemies that carried massive riot shields, and defeating them really demanded you making intelligent use of your squad powers. While the environment mightn’t have been the best for the new cover mechanics, and there wasn’t enough to see if there were more RPG elements this time, Mass Effect 3 is at least shaping up to play very well.
Need for Speed: The Run
While many may say that the Need for Speed franchise has been milked dry, there is still a lot of effort being put into Need for Speed: The Run. Criterion did a good job with their Hot Pursuit revival, but Black Box is back in the driving seat, and has now added on-foot quick time events, for the first time in the franchise’s history. While we didn’t get to see any of these, we did get to take a race through a stretch of Nevada and learn more about the story. It will have you competing against over 100 other racers in a cross country sprint from the east to west coast of America. In addition, the mob and the police will be looking to stop you as well.
Nevada is only one of the places you'll visit.
The controls for the game were extremely proficient, and it only took a little bit of time to get used to before we were zipping around the Nevada desert stage. In fact, the PR representatives were quite impressed how quickly we got the hang of it. The game seems to employ a basic checkpoint feature, where you’ll be thrown back to a earlier point in the race following a major wipeout. However, sometimes we were just given a basic penalty. Need for Speed: The Run is being built off the same engine as Battlefield 3 (Frostbite), and it’s definitely looking like a very sharp title.
FIFA 12
There isn’t really a lot to say about FIFA 12, particularly as we haven’t been given access to the online modes yet. In the very least, the annual incremental changes have been more noticeable than with Pro Evolution Soccer 2012. In particular, FIFA 12 felt like it was the most realistic in terms of body physics. Tackles felt more like a contact between two bodies, rather than two pieces of computer programming. And the animations are starting to get closer and closer to a more natural appearance, with less unrealistic glitches getting in the way. Until we get more time with the game though, we won't know just how much of an improvement it might be.
Just how will the beautiful game be evolved?
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