E3-2010 posts

In what will likely be our last direct E3 2010 story, the winners of the E3 2010 Game Critics Awards have been announced. The awards, named by a group of mainstream and game-related journalists, gave id Software's upcoming shooter Rage three times for winning this year. One was for Best Action Game, another was for Best Console Game (yep, Best Console Game) and Rage also got a Special Commendation for Graphics.

Valve's puzzle-shooter sequel Portal 2 nabbed two of this year's awards, one for Best PC Game and the other for Best Action/Adventure Game. Other games coming out for the PC that won awards include Star Wars: The Old Republic (Best Role Playing Game) Civilization V (Best Strategy Game) Need For Speed Hot Pursuit (Best Racing Game) and Assassin's Creed Brotherhood (Best Online Multiplayer)

E3 2010 is fading into a pleasant memory for some (and not so pleasant for others) but we are still getting some remenants of the show on the internet. This weekend the official Star Wars: The Old Republic web site has posted up a new trailer of multiplayer footage from the upcoming MMO that was shown at last month's E3.

All four Republic player classes (the Trooper, the Smuggler, the Jedi Knight and the Jedi Consular) are seen on board a Republic ship that's being boarded by large Breach Droids and more. This is still pretty early stuff (some clipping of the character models can be clearly seen) but it looks like BioWare's MMO is coming along nicely.

This demonstration video for TERA takes the behind-closed-doors presentation shown at E3 2010 and condenses it down to presentation that's just over five minutes. In it, you'll see the spectacular graphics and high action gameplay that separates TERA from many other fantasy MMO games. TERA is expected to release sometime in 2011.

Download HD TERA E3 2010 Demonstration Video (237 MB)
Check out all TERA downloads

The final Portal 2 E3 2010 gameplay demonstration videos feature some special goop Aperture Science had cooking up in its labs. According the descriptions, both the Repulsion and Propulsion were originally developed as dietary puddings to help forcibly (and violently) get food out of the body before it has a chance to be digested. They were pulled off the shelf for various reasons, but now have new uses in helping players get around. The video showcasing use of the Repulsion Gel can be seen above while the Propulsion Gel video can be seen after the jump, which concludes with some parting words from GlaDOS.

For more wonders of science, check out some of the previous gameplay videos. Portal 2 is expected to release in 2011.

Download HD Portal 2 E3 2010 Demonstration Video, Pt 7 (196 MB)
Download HD Portal 2 E3 2010 Demonstration Video, Pt 6 (147 MB)
Download HD Portal 2 E3 2010 Demonstration Video, Pt 5 (203 MB)
Download HD Portal 2 E3 2010 Demonstration Video, Pt 4 (205 MB)
Download HD Portal 2 E3 2010 Demonstration Video, Pt 3 (71 MB)
Download HD Portal 2 E3 2010 Demonstration Video, Pt 2 (271 MB)
Download HD Portal 2 E3 2010 Demonstration Video, Pt 1 (269 MB)
Check out all Portal 2 downloads

Cliff Bleszinski, Design Director at Epic Games, narrates this gameplay demonstration video for Bulletstorm and showcases many of the game's unique features. It's the same demonstration that was shown at the EA press conference during the week of E3 2010. While many companies are developing realistic military themed shooters, Bulletstorm takes the exact opposite approach by being a pulp sci-fi action game. Players must dispose of their enemies creatively to earn points, thereby doing cool stuff to earn cool stuff so they can do more cool stuff. These include using a grapple in combination with a variety of weapons and occasionally lighting some butts on fire.

Bulletstorm is scheduled to release on February 22, 2011.

Download HD Bulletstorm Gameplay Walkthrough Video (417 MB)
Check out all Bulletstorm downloads

Episodes 4 and 5 of the seven part Portal 2 E3 2010 demonstration videos show how players will be able to use their portal guns a little more offensively. Episode 4 demonstrates the "Thermal Discouragement Beams," which is portalspeak for laser beams that can be redirected using special weighted pivot cubes and portal openings to burn away obstacles and power up certain systems. Continue after the jump to watch episode 5, which showcases the "Pneumatic Diversity Vent." If you need a way to quickly clean out a room, this device will definitely do the trick. The last two videos will come out over the next few days and Portal 2 is expected to release in 2011. Episodes 2 and 3 can be seen here.

Download HD Portal 2 E3 2010 Demonstration Video, Pt 4 (205 MB)
Download HD Portal 2 E3 2010 Demonstration Video, Pt 5 (203 MB)
Check out all Portal 2 downloads

Even though we personally feel that awards for games shown at E3 2010 are a little premature, other media outlets do hand them out. The most prestigious of the group is the Game Critics Awards, which are selected by a number of well know game and mainstream media outlets (including our sister site Joystiq). Today the nominations for the E3 2010 awards were revealed.

In a bit of a surprise, id Software's upcoming shooter Rage got the most nominations this year with five nods, including Best of Show, Best Original Game and Best PC Game. Valve's puzzle shooter Portal 2 got four nominations including Best in Show and Best PC Game. The other Best PC Game nominations went to Crysis 2, Civilization V and Star Wars: The Old Republic. You can check out all the categories and nominees at the Game Critics Awards web site. The winners will be revealed on July 6.

This video is the first in a seven part series that shows the E3 2010 presentation of Portal 2 and gives a first look at what the game will look like when it releases in 2011. The first chapter introduces Wheatley, a personality sphere and one of the new characters players will meet in the game. Viewers also get a first glimpse of the GlaDOS reborn, however it doesn't look like she'll be offering cake. More videos will be releasing throughout the week.

Download HD Portal 2 E3 2010 Demonstration Video, Pt 1 (269 MB)
Check out all Portal 2 downloads

Big Download has now come to the end of its coverage of E3 for its 2010 installment. We went to cover and for the first time to film tons of activities at or near the Los Angeles Convention Center. We saw some good game demos, saw some that, well, didn't wow us and saw some really odd stuff along the way.

While other web sites and media outlets like to give out awards to games at the show, our philosophy is that giving awards like "Best RPG" to unfinished products is a little silly, especially since very often the final game doesn't turn out as well as its E3 demo. So as we did last year, we are giving awards in categories that are a little different and also showcase what it's actually like to attend the event for those of you who can't go. As always we hope you like it.