The final day of E3 2011 focused on games for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.
These included free-to-play PC games and some highly anticipated titles from big names like 2K and Sony Online Entertainment.
Everybody loves free games
Tower defense strategy games seemed to be a popular theme this year at E3, and the best part is that most of them are free to play. One of the most impressive was Prime World from Nival. The game is almost an exact replica of League of Legends. But there are a few differences that make it a stand-out game. In Prime World, you can build your own skill sets for your hero that you use to upgrade your character in matches. There are so many skill set combos that the possibilities seem endless.
The bright colors and cartoonish environment make it a visually beautiful game. As enemy towers are defeated, terraforming takes place, which changes the environment around from a dead wasteland to a lush forest, which is a pretty cool thing to watch.
Another cool feature of the game is the mini games within the matches. You can enter mini games like a picture puzzle, which will reward you with special advantages in battle. Look for Prime World to run a public beta later this year.
If you’re more of a person who likes to play games at work (not that we condone that), this summer you can play King’s Bounty: Legions, a Facebook game from Nival. KBL is a turn-based social strategy game featuring player vs. player (PvP) combat.
“King’s Bounty: Legions is the very definition of a social strategy game, offering the combination of competitive, tactical gameplay with fun social interaction,” said David D Christensen in a press release, general manager of Nival’s North American operations and executive producer of the game. “With its mixture of fun for both hardcore and social gamers, we like to think of King’s Bounty: Legions as the chocolate and vanilla swirl cone of Facebook gaming.”
Beta testing of the game will start this summer, where gamers can play for free and purchase in-game items. Nival plans to release regular updates to the game that include new characters, maps and quests.
Star Trek fans, rejoice. A free-to-play browser-based game is on its way. Star Trek: Infinite Space features 3D action graphic levels, which is something that’s different from most browser-based games. The game takes place during the Deep Space Nine continuum and looks fantastic. Star Trek experts Michael and Denise Okuda as well as screenwriter Lee Sheldon were brought on board to make sure the game is Star Trek-authentic. Whether you just want to hang out in the chat lobby or go on a mission with your friends, STIS is a cool social game that you can play anywhere there’s an internet connection.
More console games
With the hundreds of console games on display, we got hands-on demos of both well-known titles and brand-new, never-before-seen games alike.
A popular new game on the show floor was PayDay: The Heist, which was nominated for several E3 best-of-show awards. The game pays tribute to the big blockbuster bank heist movie scenes like Die Hard and Heat. You can even play bank heist missions that are just like scenes from those movies. This first-person shooter was very easy to pick up and play as its gameplay resembles games like Call of Duty. PayDay features a campaign mode and multiplayer mode, where you work together with your friends to successfully pull off a bank robbery. The game is as much about strategy as it is a shooter. Killing hostages can result in point reductions, as you are meant to use the hostages in exchanges with the police.
Another game that was shown to the world for the first time was XCOM from 2K Games. The game has been in production for a year now but was previously known about before that. Unfortunately, the game was scrapped. But at this year’s E3 we got a glimpse at what the new XCOM has become. To put it simply, it’s like Mass Effect-meets-X-Files set in 1962. And we have no complaints about that.
You play an agent of a government agency called XCOM whose task is to stop a living synthetic race of aliens from destroying Earth. The gameplay is very much like an RPG (role-playing game), as you have team members, pause combat action, and dialog choices. XCOM is set to hit store shelves in March.
Another highly anticipated game from 2K is The Darkness II. This is a long-awaited sequel that will finally be coming to store shelves this year. The Brotherhood is the new enemy in this game as you fight your way through the game hunting them down after they attacked you. The Darkness II features new powers that include dark channeling. This power allows you to channel the darkness into your gun for a significantly more powerful punch that leaves a trail of carnage in its wake.
Details about the Star Trek game from Paramount that was mentioned in Part 1 of our E3 show floor coverage can finally be revealed. The game centers on Captain Kirk and Spock and is meant for co-op gameplay. Digital Extremes is working closely with the 2009 Star Trek filmmaking team, and it features an original storyline by that same writing team and award-winning God of War writer Marianne Krawczyk.
The demo showcased Kirk and Spock fighting to take back the Enterprise from an alien enemy. The co-op gameplay forces players to work together using their respective abilities to successfully complete the mission. The game received four awards during E3, including Most Valuable Game of E3 2011 by both PlayStation: The Official Magazine and Official Xbox Magazine.
Details on the second game from Paramount will be revealed at a later date.
For a full overview of the UP’s E3 2011 experience and a look at some more cool features from the expo, check out our next print issue on June 21 and here online at upressonline.com
