E3 in brief: 5 top trends in gaming - Military Video Games, computer games, games, gaming - Military Times

E3 in brief: 5 top trends in gaming

With a new 3-D gadget, motion controllers and a buffet of never-before-seen gaming goodness, this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo, better known as E3, was a feast for the eyes — and hands. Five trends that emerged from the 2010 show:

1. Poetry in motion.

By the end of the year, every major console is slated to have some form of gesture recognition. The PlayStation Move, which employs a wand-shaped controller and camera to precisely detect players’ movements, will give the PlayStation 3 the ability to be more like Nintendo’s Wii — except with high-definition graphics and a library of more mature games.

Microsoft is further pushing the envelope with the Xbox 360’s controller-free Kinect system, which detects gamers’ bodies, including their skeletal systems, to do such things as teach choreography in “Dance Central,” administer workouts in “Your Shape: Fitness Evolved” and deploy adorable virtual pets in “Kinectimals.”

2. Going forward.

The future is here, judging by the plethora of hereafter-set first- and third-person shooters showcased at E3. “Fallout: New Vegas” and “Rage” took decidedly post-apocalyptic routes, while “Red Faction: Armageddon” and “Dead Space 2” shot for interstellar territories. “Homefront,” however, imagines a not-too-distant future in which North Korea invades the U.S.

3. Old is new again.

Several beloved franchises were awakened from a deep slumber at E3. An ice cream truck driven by freaky clowns ominously drove onto a stage during a Sony press event to unveil the first-ever PS3 installment of the popular car-combat series “Twisted Metal.”

Many Nintendo titles pushed the nostalgia factor: “Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword,” enhanced for Wii MotionPlus; “Kirby’s Epic Yarn,” stitched with a new art style; “Donkey Kong Country Returns” and “Kid Icarus: Uprising,” presented fully in 3-D.

4. Group dynamics.

Developers showed off innovative ways to battle online with new multiplayer modes. The most monstrously enthralling was the new beast mode for “Gears of War 3,” which tasks players to take down human forces for the first time as various baddies from the Locust Horde, including explosive Tickers, behemoth Berserkers and something resembling a giant centipede.

5. Up close and personal.

Sony’s plans for 3-D came into sharper focus as the electronics empire displayed PS3 titles, such as “Eye Pet,” ‘‘Killzone 3,” ‘‘Gran Turismo 5” and “Motor Storm: Apocalypse,” in stereoscopic 3-D. The effect — sometimes as impressive as “Avatar,” other times as underwhelming as “Clash of the Titans” — required a 3-D television and glasses.

Nintendo, on the other hand, dominated this year’s E3 with the unveiling of the 3DS, the 3-D handheld console that doesn’t require glasses.