E3 Expo 2012 Daily Wrap Up: Day 2
(CBS NEWS) Nintendo Press Briefing
We started our second day of E3 with the last of the major press briefings: Nintendo's. Going into it, I certainly wasn't expecting to be wowed. After last year's introduction to Nintendo's new console, I figured this year would be subdued and it was. The announcement that the Wii U would support two gamepads instead of just one was a no brainer. Also not a surprise were the unveiling of even more Mario games. The Wii U does seem capable of competing with the PS3 and Xbox360 in terms of power and graphics. Though to be truly competitive, they will need third party mature action titles. Less Mario, more Ninja Gaiden III and Mass Effect 3. The highlight of the briefing for me was ZombiU. Last year my imagination ran wild with the possibilities the Wii U's gamepad could offer for survival horror and this year Nintendo gave me what I asked for with ZombiU. This game demonstrates how to integrate the new controller in an action game in a way that enhances the experience. The Show: Part 1
Today was also the first official day of E3 as the show floor opened at noon. We started the E3 experience with the latest Transformers game from Activison. Transformers: Fall of Cybertron is a must-have game for all Transformers fans with its massive roster of characters from the franchise. We also got a glimpse at Call of Duty: Black Ops II. We saw the same demo shown at Microsoft's briefing and a new level also. Overall, not a lot of info was given but from the little that was shown it's shaping up to be a solid second entry in the COD: Black Ops series. The venue was packed with expo goers regardless of the relative quietness of this E3 in terms of big news and mega announcements. Still we were surprised to see that there was almost no wait to play the demo for Sleeping Dogs, the new action game from Square Enix. The playable demo showcased the game's hand-to-hand combat and environmental executions. It felt like a cool mash up of Stranglehold and GTA. For fans of that genre, Sleeping Dogs is one to keep on your radar. We ended the day with Bethesda and their new steampunk action game Dishonored. Right away you can tell this game is heavily influenced by Bioshock with perhaps a dash of Assassins Creed thrown in for good measure. The combination of powers and weapons made for some very entertaining gameplay as I played through the demo. I really like Dishonored and I'm looking forward to playing it this fall... especially since Bioshock Infinite has been delayed. Overall, a nice way to end E3 Day 2. Stay tuned for previews of these games and more!