Space Combat, Batman, Argonauts and Star Wars

Jumpgate Evolution

Publisher - Codemasters Online Gaming
Developer - NetDevil
Platform - PC
Official Site

News from E3 - This game was first described to me by our Managing Editor Rob Wright as "the anti-EVE Online" and he might just be right. You may have missed Jumpgate: The Reconstruction Initiative when it first launched in 2001 but soon you'll have an opportunity to get on board the sequel to the space combat MMO titled Jumpgate Evolution. Pay attention, fans of old-school PC games like X-Wing and Wing Commander, this one is for you. Jumpgate Evolution features a twitch-based top-speed combat engine that supports a joystick as well as mouse and keyboard controls. When it comes to combat this one's more Star Wars than Star Trek. It's difficult to gauge any MMO from such a brief demo but Jumpgate's concept - joystick space combat in a persistent online universe - is strong enough to get our attention.

LEGO Batman

Publisher - Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Developer - Traveller's Tales
Platforms - PC, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii
Official Site

News from E3 - If you've played any of LEGO Star Wars or LEGO Indiana Jones you know exactly what to expect with LEGO Batman. This is the first LEGO game that doesn't follow the stories of a film series - although it does feature the classic Danny Elfman score from the 1989 film "Batman" directed by Tim Burton - so the designers at Traveller's Tales were able to throw as much Batman lore in the game as they wanted. LEGO Batman will have 30 levels total: 15 playable as the heroes and 15 playable as the villains. The Batman comic book universe lends itself very well to LEGO reconstruction and it provides the perfect playground for a variety of superpowers for each hero and villain. Besides, what other game will let you play as LEGO Killer Croc?

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe

Publisher - Midway
Developer - Midway
Platforms - Xbox 360, PS3
Official Site

News from E3 - I don't consider myself a fighting-game elitist and that's probably why I think Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe looks like a lot of fun. Sure it's a silly idea, but so was Marvel vs. Capcom and that turned out pretty well. There were early rumors that, due to licensing pressure from DC, the signature Mortal Kombat gore would be significantly toned down. I can tell you first hand that isn't the case. MK vs. DCU has blood, escalating levels of damage on the "kombatants" and, yes, even fatalities. It's true that none of the DC characters will be tearing out spines or smashing open heads - their fatalities are actually called "brutalities" - but I did witness Scorpion burning Superman to death. MK vs. DCU also has a couple of neat mini-games that can occur during fights where the players are fighting for position while falling from a great height or smashing each other through walls. It definitely violates many comic book rules but it looks like a blast nonetheless.

Rise of the Argonauts

Publisher - Codemasters
Developer - Liquid Entertainment
Platforms - PC, Xbox 360, PS3
Official Site

News from E3 - I have to admit that I had never heard of Rise of the Argonauts prior to my meeting with Codemasters and Liquid Entertainment but it was a pleasant surprise. Rise of the Argonauts is a third-person action title reminiscent of the God of War games but with some RPG elements such as dialogue and skill trees. Players take on the role of Jason of the Argonauts and battle the monsters of Greek myth alongside Hercules, Achilles and other A.I. controlled Argonauts on his quest for the Golden Fleece. Rise of the Argonauts features a streamlined user-interface opting to allow Jason to carry all his gear visible on his person. I was shown some awesome spells that Jason can gain access to depending on which gods he appeases, the best of which involved opening a swirling portal to Tartarus which sucked in any enemies Jason could knock off their feet. Jason can also pull off some wicked combos in battle; some that involve fluidly switching weapons in the middle. The demo ended with a tease of an epic boss battle with an enormous, obese Medusa again reminding me of God of War II, but if there's a better mythological, action game to use as a model I haven't played it.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Publisher - LucasArts
Developer - LucasArts
Platforms - Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii
Official Site

News from E3 - I was a bit disappointed by LucasArts' demo of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed because I felt like I'd seen it already. That's probably more my fault though, since I've been ravenously consuming everything about this game I can find. Recently we've had to venture 4000 years back into the Star Wars universe to the time of the Knights of the Old Republic to get a great Star Wars game story, but there was a time on the PC when the Jedi Knight series spun some terrific tales near the chronology of the original movie trilogy. The Force Unleashed feels like a return to the Jedi Knight games where story and character were so very important, but with the added bonus of the best Star Wars action ever seen in a videogame. When you have a game that opens by playing as Darth Vader and then later as his secret apprentice who can throw TIE Fighters at people with the Force, you really don't need to do much other than just replay the existing trailers to get us excited.

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