Five creative games that left a mark at E3 2012
Beyond: Two Souls
For the past two years, the gaming community had been eagerly awaiting news of French studio Quantic Dreams' next title to would follow in the footsteps of the ambitious indie hit Heavy Rain. Plotwise, David Cage's latest brainchild is still draped in mystery, but its first trailer is promising in terms of narrative and graphics.
The PS3-only title is expected for late 2012, and its stunning motion-capture graphics will serve a mature storyline that will take the players on an emotional journey into the life of Jodie Holmes, a woman who has the ability to communicate with ghosts. Her character is played by Academy Award nominee Ellen Page (Inception, Juno).
Watch Dogs
Considered by many as E3's surprise hit, this Ubisoft production truly baffled the press. After two years in development without any leaks, this building block for a new franchise stunned the gaming community with its narrative, which adds a futuristic twist to a very realistic depiction of modern-day Chicago, as well as its mind-blowing production and open gameplay.
The plot revolves around main protagonist Aiden Pearce's ability to hack the ctOS computer network, which has seized control of the whole city. The game is expected in 2014 on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. The hustle and bustle of Watch Dogs' city setting combined with Aiden's array of technology and deadly skill invites easy comparison to recent Grand Theft Auto, Deus Ex, and Hitman games, as well as Ubi's own Assassin's Creed series.
ZombiU
Another Ubisoft title made waves at the event. The French developer will lend its expertise to the WiiU, Nintendo's next-generation console, with a survival horror-title set in the zombie-infested streets of London, in the wake of a virus outbreak that infected its population.
Despite its rather unoriginal plot, the title is being lauded as perhaps the most ambitious approach to using the GamePad tablet controller, a key feature of the Wii U. ZombiU will go on sale by the end of 2012 to coincide with the launch of the Wii U.
Forza Horizon
The Forza franchise has been around for a while, but the forthcoming Horizon aims to offer something different for fans of the motorsport series, with a more casual, accessible game on the cards this year. The title is expected to go on sale on October 26 (Xbox 360), and its open world marks a drastic shift in this series that used to only offer closed racing tracks. While previous entries in the series were made by Turn 10, Forza Horizon is also the first title from new UK developer Playground Games.
The open expanses, lakeside twists and turns, rocky ravines and cluttered freeways of Colorado all feature as a selection of high-powered vehicles make their way towards the game's Horizon Festival. To spice things up, gamers will get plenty of diversity environment-wise (with an impressive day/night cycle and 65 different types of terrains), and they'll have the option to use Kinect as a navigation system.
The Unfinished Swan
It almost went unnoticed among the flurry of video game announcements, but The Unfinished Swan is a true outlier thanks to its uncluttered graphics and unusual gameplay. In this first-person painting game, you have to help a young guy named Monroe on his quest to spot a white swan hidden in an entirely white environment. Throwing black paint at it progressively reveals the game's surroundings to help Monroe reach his goal.
Its novel concept and intriguing graphics are headed for the PS3 (download only) and will be compatible with the PS Move.
