Game Previews

The idea of actually entrusting your life to a computer-controlled character that isn’t named Alyx Vance might repulse you, or even conjure up images of the inevitable humans vs. machines revolution that's on the horizon. However, don’t let that get in the way of you keeping an eye on Ninja Theory’s upcoming AI partner-based adventure title Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. After all, I should know. I played it at E3 last week:

“Because the game puts such an emphasis on teamwork between Animal and Trip, you will encounter situations where you will have to provide cover for the AI-controlled Trip in order to move her into position. One of the ways to do this is to yell at enemies, crude I know, but it works. Then, when the enemies focus their fire on you, you simply tell Trip to move and she’s make her way to your position.”

Grab your nearest pal, and check out the full Enslaved: Odyssey to the West E3 2010 hands-on preview.

Creative play meets an age-appropriate adventure in Lego Universe, where for the first time, kids (and those who still feel like kids) can immerse themselves in an MMO where they must save the universe from chaos. Alexandra Hall previewed Lego Universe at E3 2010, who discovered a lot of fun came--unsurprisingly--with putting together Legos:

"For my money, Lego Universe’s best element is its building system. The first building tasks are simplified, either auto-assembling or guided by outlines. But eventually you’ll unlock a free-building space, and that’s when all those blocks you’ve been collecting come in handy. You can use templates and pre-made models or start with a blank slate, and the possibilities seem robust. You’ll be able to share your creations with others, should you choose, so long as they pass the various moderation systems."

Yellow plastic figures run amock in this E3 2010 Lego Universe preview!

G4's Jake "The Gasser" Gaskill knows fitness; where some men have a six-pack, Jake has an 18 pack! So he was a natural choice to preview Ubisoft's Your Shape: Fitness Evolved. Here's part of his heart-rate-raising preview:

"The entire demo session had a soothing air about it, and that's clearly the point. The menus, the calming voice of your trainer, the twinkling soundtrack, and the entire presentation is meant to put you in a calm and relaxed state before engaging in a series of health conscious activities. Clearly, this isn’t meant for shooter fans, but its intended audience will surely find plenty of value in it"

Read the rest of Jake's preview right here.

G4's resident futbol fanboy Sterling McGarvey got a chance to check out  Pro Evolution Soccer 2011, and he was very impressed with the game's trick system. Here's a taste of Sterling's preview:

"Arguably the coolest things I saw was the revised trick system. Instead of rather uniform stepovers, which you can still do with the right stick, you can pre-program a set of special moves and chain them together. So, for example, you can set up a feint into a rainbow flick and your player will string the move together. An arsenal of cool-looking, but very useful moves could go a long way if this system works. It’s no longer about being flashy and showing off now."

Check out the rest of out E3 2010 Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 preview.

It's been a long time coming, but Nintendo finally gave Link lovers a proper look at the much anticipated The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword during their E3 press conference. Our own Kevin Kelly braved the maddening crowds to get some hands-on time with the game, and here's what he had to say:

"The controls aren't that complicated, but they do take some getting used to. Here are the basics: shake the nunchuck to pull out your shield and sword and hold them at the ready, and wave your MotionPlus enabled Wiimote around for 1:1 sword action (more on that in a second). Link can slash up, down, diagonally, and all that jazz, and you can even hold your sword triumphantly aloft."

Check out the entirety of our The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword preview from E3 2010.

Crysis 2 is looking pretty amazing, and this time, you won't need a $5,000 PC to get it working; the game is coming to consoles too. But you will need a pair of 3D glasses to get the full effect of the game.

Here's a sliver of what are own Kevin Kelly has to say about it:

"Well, we're seeing Crysis 2 through 3D glasses! Just when I was ready to say that 3D was an annoying fad (except for the Nintendo 3DS, which I love), this game comes along and blows me away with its 3D graphics. This game is seriously gorgeous in two dimensions, but the 3D is very impressive. Rather than going for the 3D that pops off the screen at you, Crytek is making Crysis 2 concave, meaning that the graphics appear to extend into the screen. Instead of shock value, they've gone for realism, and it's most noticeable when you're aiming down the sights of a weapon. You'll feel like you're looking through a window into the world of Crysis 2."
 

Take a look at our E3 2010 preview of Crysis 2.

How many Spider-Men do you need to make an awesome video game? No one knows the exact number yet, but the makers of Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions  are betting on four. G4's Alexandra Hall got her hands on the game at E3 2010, and here's a small taste of her preview:

"Each Spider-Fellow has his own nickname and style. The Spider-Man we're all familiar with is referred to as "Amazing" Spider-Man, and he excels at agile, web-based combat (one of his key abilities is instantaneously forming giant axes and the like from webbing). "Noir" Spidey focuses on stealth, with great sneaking abilities and a surprising variety of stealth-kill options. The last currently known wallcrawler is "2099," a futuristic, free-falling daredevil who can glide on webbed wings and seems skilled in aerial combat. (In the E3 demo he plunged through a vertical corridor in pursuit of a very cool-looking Green Goblin, to whom he latched on and administered a mid-air beatdown.)"

Check out the rest of Alexandra's E3 2010 Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions preview.

E3 may have happened last week, but we'll be bringing you a ton of previews of games we played at the show. Case-in-point: Sterling McGarvey's early look at the next God of War game! Here's how Sterling described God of War: Ghost of Sparta:

"If God of War III hasn't satisfied your urges for more Kratos action, Ghost of Sparta not only appears to be a worthy sequel to Chains of Olympus, but also a suitable section of the series canon. This is definitely a game to watch in the coming months."

Check out our E3 2010 God of War: Ghost of Sparta preview.

The original may not have set the world on fire, but IO Interactive's sequel, Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days, is poised to recapture action fans this August with a host of multiplayer modes. But what about those who like to play solo? Patrick Klepek spent some time with the single-player focused Arcade mode, and found it quite appealing:

"...if you enjoy the occasional multiplayer match but don't want to deal with actual people (common amongst some of my friends), Arcade can scratch that itch."

For more Arcade impressions, read our Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days preview from E3 2010.

Ahh! Look behind you! Kevin Kelly went underground with the dev team behind Red Faction Armageddon to learn more about the sequel, such as its super awesome weapons.

"For instance, why would you want to swing away at a building when you can use the new Magnet Gun? Pop a shot at anything, and it attaches a magnet to it. Fire a second shot at anything, and a second magnet gets attached to that. And what do magnets do? They attract. Whatever you've tagged first will haul itself over to the second magnet, and cause a ton of destruction in the process."

Why can't they make this stuff in real life? Read his E3 2010 Red Faction Armageddon preview.

With the World Cup still going on, there's no better time to become a true football fan than now. Resident soccer expert Sterling McGarvey learned about a new player type feature in the upcoming FIFA Soccer 11.

"This year, the team has pinpointed the attributes of the world’s best players and plan to imbue their personalities into the game. It goes for play style, animation, and physical size. The team has tripled the number of player types and sizes to make them fit real people more accurately."

Read more about it in our E3 2010 FIFA Soccer 11 preview!

Samus returns in Nintendo's Metroid: Other M, and we strapped in at E3 to get our latest impressions of the game.  Here's a sliver:

"It’s a gorgeous and colorful game, from what I can tell, and I’m excited to play it."

Just a sliver! For the rest, you'll want to read our E3 2010: Metroid: Other M preview.

For those of you waiting for Mafia II to finally come around, your patience will be rewarded soon. Patrick Klepek checked the latest version of the game at E3 2010

"Mafia II has come a long ways since the first time I saw the game, just over a year ago. Back then, the game's first presentation to the press, the sequel was looking pretty rough...Though the frame rate could still use some tightening up, there's time for that to be addressed and it was heartening that the hands-on mission available was much more polished than anything else I'd seen of Mafia II prior."

Find out more in his Mafia II E3 2010 preview.

One of Microsoft Kinect's launch titles, Kinect Sports is a motion-controlled mini-game collection that will keep you active and competitive, and we've got a preview direct from the show floor at E3 2010.

According to G4tv.com's Jake Gaskill:

"Microsoft had no choice but to create their own version of Wii Sports to introduce players to the Kinect’s capabilities, and this collection looks like a solid enough title that will do just that. "

Read Jake's whole preview of Kinect Sports here.

It's the end of the world! Perfect time to go racing, especially if it's anything like MotorStorm Apocalypse. Sterling McGarvey got some hands-on time with the game, and gushed:

"It’s got the same white-knuckle racing as past games, but the urban chaos (factored in with 3D, if you’ve got the setup) adds a new layer of intensity."

If you approve of new layers of intensity, check out our E3 2010: MotorStorm Apocalypse preview.