The final countdown (is very long indeed)

Consider this the bookend to my E3 updates. Hundreds of games were demonstrated at E3 this year, from the very small independent publishers to the very large, all consuming massive corporate developers such as EA. Only a few really caught my attention, however, and thus we begin:

Mass Effect 2

Considered by many to be one of those 'invisible' titles, having slipped mostly under the radar at E3 due to a lack of floor presence, it's buzz is kicking in to high gear in the week following. On Thursday the 4th, I was lucky enough to be ushered in to the private meeting room at the EA booth where the widely available trailer was played, followed by an in-game demo.

The first thing you'll notice about the new Mass Effect is that you don't have to pause to use biotics ('magic'). This new freeflow combat system (which seems to be the buzz word (see Batman)) makes the fighting experience intense and personal; no more pausing for a brief moment before that missile kicks you square in the goonies.

But I had seen this before -- the day before, actually, when I snuck in to the Bioware room to preview The Saboteur -- and was surprised to see the game being played as if it were a casual party and I was cool enough to be invited (I'm never cool enough).

I'll say this -- it's a beautiful game. As Shepherd (Yeah, he's not dead) looked out over the city, you could see the Blade Runner/Minority Report influence as flying cars zipped by.

The most shocking moment of the demo came when we were told that we would be given a spoiler (That should be your cue that thar be spoilers here): Someone was going to be dying in the following clip.

Spooooillllerrrrrrrrrrr warrrrrnnninnnng. Don't read if you want to be absolutely, positively virginal upon buying the game.

We are thrust aboard the Normandy in pitiful condition. Joker (still voiced by Seth Green) is struggling valiantly to keep the wailing vessel alive, but an attack by a much more powerful enemy has rendered it useless. Shepherd demands everyone to evacuate, but Joker won't. So he goes after him and drags his crippled ass to an evac pod, where he tosses him in and then is promptly blown out of the ship through the open roof and sent hurling in to space.

Yeah. For a moment I thought, "So, Shepherd's going to cling on to some debris and be rescued, right?" But the following scene showed a weightless Shepherd clutching on to his leaking space suit as the oxygen is sucked out of him and he goes limp.

This is a game in which you are not expected to survive. I'm not just saying that; Casey Hudson, the project director is. "In Mass Effect 2, you're not expected to survive." For this very reason, the game will focus on building a strong, trustworthy team who can see to it that you actually do survive to carry over in to Mass Effect 3. This should be a must-have for any gamer, and if you haven't played the first, play it! Your save will carry over in to this installment, and the decisions you've made -- whether they be important or trivial -- will effect your game play experience.

Heavy Rain

Like Mass Effect 2, there was little effort by EA to promote Heavy Rain during E3. However, that hasn't stopped a growing community of fans from following it.

Heavy Rain is a game that looks more like a psychological thriller movie, set in a bleak world where the villain, the Origami Killer, has murdered several people and plans on murdering more, leaving an origami bird next to each victim. The game, played out over 60+ chapters, isn't meant to be played in a linear fashion. Instead, you jump between characters (four of them) and your decisions affect the story as it progresses. If a character dies, he or she stays dead. I'm also adding Alan Wake to this category, though it looks and feels more like Silent Hill than the movie Se7en.

These three titles make up a trifecta of immersive game play experiences coming out this year and the next that should keep fans of the genre busy, from science fiction to supernatural horror.

But there's always room for...

Super Mario Galaxy 2

Oh look a new Mario game from the creators of Mario from the land of Mario. I'm just going to show you what it looks like and you're going to tell me that you'll play it, because face it, you're going to.

In blog related news, this blog will be changing formats to a strictly news and opinion format starting with the next update. Consider Bioschlock! to be your #1 source of video game news outside of every other video game related site. Now back to your regularly scheduled program, Glee! The TV show about being unpopular in high school.