The best games at X’07
On Aug. 28, I had the privilege of attending X’07.
X’07 is a video game convention run by Microsoft that showcases up and coming releases for the XBOX 360 gaming console. Many publishers had booths up and running to show off their upcoming games. Most of the major studios were in attendance: 2K Games, Bungie, Ubisoft, Bioware, Electronic Arts, and THQ to name a few.
The show was massive and it would be impossible to talk about every game that was there. So instead I will simply cover the best that the show had to offer.
Mass Effect: Bioware’s new RPG Mass Effect was a solid entry at the show. Made by the same people who brought the gaming world Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Bioware has established itself as a company that does extremely well with role-playing game releases. Mass Effect looks very similar to KOTOR but with an updated graphics engine. The game shows great promise. I’ll be very interested in checking out a demo once the game nears completion.
HALO 3: When I reviewed HALO 3 multiplayer a few months ago, I wasn’t totally impressed with it. It looked like HALO 2 with slightly better graphics. At the show I was given the opportunity to interview Steve Scott, a Bungie employee who was showing off HALO 3 single player mode. HALO 3 simply looks fantastic! New weapons, new vehicles, updated graphics... it was heaven for any HALO fan. My interest in this title has greatly increased.
Assassins Creed: Easily the best game shown at X’07. Assassins Creed has gorgeous graphics, humongous free roaming cities, and excellent A.I. I spoke with the lead engineer for Assassins Creed and I was blown away with how good this title looks and how many possibilities the unique A.I. affords the player. We were given a demonstration of an assassination contract. Your target has his guards attack you and once the guards are down, the target flees. It was stressed that there is no set route or paths your target will take while fleeing, the A.I. chooses randomly with only one goal in mind: get to safety. Another cool aspect that was shown off is social stealth. There are many ways for you to blend in with the crowd in these cities. When running from the guards, the demonstrator turned a corner and saw a group of monks up ahead praying. He ran to the group, hit a button to blend in and the main character started praying and walking with the monks. When the guards rounded the corner they ran on by and didn’t take a second look at the main character.
All of the games I’ve talked about are must haves. I wish I had the time and space to cover everything from the show but unfortunately I don’t. Other games to keep an eye on include Conan, Kane and Lynch, and PGR4. See you next week.
About Rob Michael: Unable to control himself emotionally, Rob awarded the lead engineer for Assassins Creed with hugs, kisses, and “thank you’s”. Hey, the game really was that good! E-mail Rob at rmichael2@sympatico.ca and let him know what you think of the article.