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Wesley Yin-Poole, deputy editor – Bayonetta, Xbox 360
Funnily, enough, I didn’t play that many games at E3. Most of my time was spent in behind-closed doors presentations, watching live gameplay demos of games that weren’t ready to be unleashed into the wild. But one I got my trigger fingers on was Bayonetta, Platinum Games’ Devil May Cry 4 killer. The thing that struck me most immediately was how fascinating the game is to watch. The E3 build seemed too easy, but it felt like a deliberate move on SEGA’s part because taking in all the spectacular, beautiful, 60fps action felt more rewarding than actually playing the game. Bayonetta is gorgeous, and she has some stunning attacks that the camera isn’t afraid to show you from the most revealing angle. Could she end up better to watch than to control?
Neon Kelly, previews editor – God of War 3, PS3
Shock revelation: Sony has removed all the violence from God of War 3, and the aim of the game is now to help Kratos make friends with several woodland animals. OK, so I’m lying. The bald headed ball-breaker is back, and he’s as psychotic as ever. Indeed, God of War 3 was easily the goriest game I saw at E3, and thanks to the PS3’s graphical prowess, dismemberment has never looked so good. During one QTE execution, Kratos grabbed the face of sun god Helios. The deity tried to resist, but slowly Mister K managed to wrench his head backwards. Helios gurned in pain… then his neck began to rip, George Romero style. When the poor bugger’s head finally came loose, fleshy strings of windpipe were clearly hanging from the hole. It looks amazing, though it’s also a bit stomach-churning if you’re badly sleep deprived and have ingested nothing all day, barring a lukewarm cup of coffee.
Seb Ford, video producer – Tony Hawk Ride, Xbox 360, PS3, Wii
E3 is a big event, which is great, but it’s very bad when you’re lugging around a Hi Def video camera, tripod and a massive case full of electrical gadgets. So, there was actually little time left for hands-on. Just before the event wrapped up on the final day, however, I tried out Tony Hawk Ride behind closed doors with the president of Robomodo, Josh Tsui. The board itself feels durable and rugged. I was instructed to stand on the board in exactly the same way you would a real skateboard, with my left foot towards the front and my right on the lip of the board at the back. Sensors on the front and side of the board are used to detect grabs later in the game, but for now it senses your foot move past as you physically push yourself off. My first task was to pull a manual, simply done by slowly raising the front of the board controller; do it too fast and you’ll pop the board up into the air. The contextual controls are simple to get your head around, but balancing on the thing at first is a bit messy. I stumbled off the board once or twice but once I found the right position I was popping kick flips and grinding with ease, something I can safely say I could never do in my youthful skateboarding glory days.
