The skinny on Gears 3 at E3

Seeing Gears of War 3 at Microsoft’s E3 press conference was just about as sure as someone mispronouncing Ubisoft or, if that confuses you, finding sand in the desert. Predictable as its appearance was, the macho, hemoglobin drenched phenomenon was in full-cooperative form. While the demonstration was extremely rough, boy did it have a lot to show.

 If you’re a Gears aficionado, you likely watched the debut of the Seran survivors through gritted teeth. Gears of War 2 wasn’t exactly the shining example of how to do your multiplayer component. If the latest title update (current total – six) is any indication, Gears 2 has become a testing ground for what not to do in the sequel. Us Gears fans needed to see proof that we wouldn’t be subjected to the same form of torture on the third round. Saying that, due to the brevity of the situation it’s entirely too early to tell if all the problems have been worked out. But what’s clear is that Epic is giving us some very fine, and sadistically cool features we can appreciate right now.

I’ll have to open with the quick kick. Countless times I’ve been trapped whilst in cover, my opponent residing on the opposite side. We’d exchange fire and move back and forth, much like some cruel depiction of wandering ducks. Unless you could make a quick leap over, getting close to your opponent wasn’t really possible without making yourself an incredibly large and vulnerable target; like a duck. Now, Gears 3 lets you hurdle over cover with an option to give your nemesis a quick kick to the solar plexus. This little gameplay device was announced, like a slew of other mechanics, but it’s one thing to read about it and another to see it in action. Sure it’s small, but what a new weapon to have in your back pocket. 

Better, even is the ability to use your mobile cover as a weapon. Gears 2 implemented the meatshield to great success, but it apparently wasn’t good enough. Now you can take the opponent you’re using as cover, attach a grenade to their back, and kick them into unsuspecting foes. Surely, the expression, “Catch!” will get old real quick. On a side note - the ability to blow yourself up while down but not out in Gears 2 was fine, but it just never worked right. There was too much of a delay and if you were down but didn’t have grenades equipped, you were out of luck. This seems to be quite the complement to suicide.

The new threat called the Lambent, still are shrouded in mystery but they hate the Locust just as much as you. They consist of weird mutating creatures that appear to have multiple forms. During the demo Cliff was hiding behind cover and the creature was lobbing acid-like globules that were hitting him. It’ll be weird dealing with a creature that can hit you in several different ways, but I suppose that’s the trade-off for having a four-player co-op campaign. By the way, Berserkers are back. You know, those things from the first game? They have tentacles now.

Of course the four-player co-op is pretty important. Most games nowadays are utilizing this mechanic and I’m all for it. Gears always seemed like one of those games who’d eventually explore higher-scale battles and who better to bring with you than three other buddies?   Cliff also mentioned a new mode entitled “Beast” which could be practically anything at this point. My guess is it’s going to utilize the returning Berserker for something.

New weapons were also present along with placeholder name selects like Retro Lancer. Right in the beginning we were blessed with the carnage the new Digger weapon could inflict. The projectile does what its name implies and tunnels under cover while emitting that familiar beep, right before it explodes in your face. The Pendulum Lancer was also fired quite a bit and was used to roadie-run impale a Locust in an immensely satisfying charge of gore. Unfortunately the sawn-off shotgun was not utilized in the demo, even though Marcus was clearly carrying it.

It’s also worth noting that the UI has gone through a few changes. When downed, the standard medical cross will appear above you so your teammates will be able to locate you’re worthless ass. Also, your reticle now changes like most shooting games. The bigger it is, the less accurate you are. But the best change comes with swapping weapons. You can now exchange weapons with teammates, so that dude who can’t hit anything with the Torque Bow can give it to someone with a shred of talent.

The game looks great and it’s everything anyone can and should’ve come to expect. Although the presentation was definitely rough with animations not looking as solid and some overall jankiness to the gameplay, Gears 3 looks to be a satisfying addition to the series. I wouldn’t worry too much though. Epic has quite some time to tighten things up as the game doesn’t even ship until April of next year.
 
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Why Mortal Kombat's change is necessary

I can’t think of too many franchises in need of a fresh start, well not nearly as much as Mortal Kombat. With overly stale installments and the total collapse of parent company Midway, it’s painfully obvious that the legendary series has been in trouble for quite some time. But with a recent unveiling of what seems to be Mortal Kombat’s new direction, this perpetual dilemma could be drawing to a close.

 It’s no secret that Midway flat lined and sold its once seminal, highly popular Mortal Kombat franchise to Warner Bros. last year. Despite the new owner, with how bland and derivative the series had become, one would assume that the glory days were long since passed for Ed Boon and company. However, recently a video has surfaced showcasing a completely different take on the Mortal Kombat universe. As a matter of fact, it’s so unique that it’s anything but typical Mortal Kombat. Whether that’s tough to swallow relies solely on your affiliation with the games, but like it or not, no one can deny the need for change here.

Sure we don’t know exactly what this “trailer” means yet but being released merely a week away from the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) practically screams the intentions. Mortal Kombat, responsible for copious amounts of blood, the ESRB, and over-exaggeration at its finest is finally getting an overhaul. This presents a tough choice, and if the new home for Mortal Kombat is to be successful then they must choose their destiny.

What I mean is, Mortal Kombat is dead. It has been for some time. Ever since Mortal Kombat 4, characters have been forced into what could conceivably be called a story. As awesome as being thrown into a “soulnadoe” sounds on paper, it’s just downright stupid. Almost as stupid as killing off main character Liu Kang and bringing him back as a zombie. Almost as stupid as characters named Bo Rai Cho, Kobra, and Mokap. Almost as stupid as pitting Scorpion against Superman in a duel to the death. It’s nonsensical, inflated, and is further exacerbated by the clunky and stiff animations of each and every fighter. That being said, the charm of the fantastically morbid tones of violence is intoxicating. What other game allows you to freeze your opponent, pull his head off, and shatter their body by flinging their head directly through it? None. But if Mortal Kombat is to succeed, we as the fans need to realize that enough is enough and tuck away our world destroying grenades.

Mortal Kombat has always been about exaggeration, multiple rib cages bouncing around after a massive death-dealing explosion, being uppercut through solid concrete, but no more. This new video depicts our favorite characters with their trademark abilities albeit humanized. You won’t find Scorpion ripping his mask off to reveal a brightly burning skull ready to incinerate his opponents. Reptile may look like an abomination but that’s because of a rare skin disease. Baraka wasn’t born with swords in his arms; this guy actually put them there. You might find yourself crying foul here, but you must look at the picture in a panoramic view. Mortal Kombat has gone nowhere. Fantasy powers and ridiculous plot devices worked at first, but this reboot will give us what we really need; a totally new take on the series in realistic form. Ice grenades are great and morphing into a dragon to chomp down your opposition is immortal, but retiring these things is the best thing for everybody.

The realistic approach can still convey the motif of violence and gore, and more importantly it brings with it a creepy, dark atmosphere I’ve only found compelling in Twisted Metal Black. The characters and stories in that game were so messed up you simply had to keep playing. Having this unknown mechanic practically manifest in the laps of the designers is incredibly exciting. Not only does it give the creators room to mold an intense environment around each character, it also allows them to give us a true, deeply violent, disturbing story. How will game mechanics and functions be implemented? It’s all still very much up in the air.

It can be hard to let go of something you’ve been tethered to for so long, and as ridiculous as it may sound, the positives finally outweigh the negatives. We’ll all miss freezing and electrifying dudes with just a touch of the hand, but all this paves the way for some of the biggest change a legendary series has ever seen and ever needed. Bring on the humanized Mortal Kombat. I won’t settle for anything less than outstanding. 


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