Earlier in the conference I covered my impressions of the upcoming fantasy RPG from Atari called The Witcher. I didn’t get any hands on time originally but the game was playable on the show floor at the Barker Hanger. I took the opportunity to grab the mouse and slice though a few foes while facing the first few minutes of the game’s prologue tutorial.

After spending about an hour discussing the game further with Atari staff I found the title a bit overwhelming to control. The Witcher uses a timed attack model that centers around clicking in time with your character’s animation and choosing the correct stance or fighting mode to effectively dispatch your opponent. This was only a minor obstacle to my play and the game offered multiple control schemes and views. I tried them all to find what worked best for me and in the end realized sometimes the old over-the-shoulder camera and the mouse driven click movement like Neverwinter Nights worked best. I got a feel for the combat timing but never mastered it which bodes poorly.

The game performed well but it looked different than the build I’d seen during my Atari booth appointment. The game left me with the feeling that the race to October, or maybe even a fall 2007 release might just be a hard sprint for CDProjekt.  I’m still excited by the potential of the game and its mature adult oriented themes, I just hope it doesn’t all fall apart because of badly executed controls or gameplay that is not simple and approachable for players to pick up, forcing them to concentrate on getting Geralt to do their bidding rather than being absorbed by the games setting.

Capcom first brought the Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney series over to the states from Japan just a bit over a year ago and yet the third title is about to hit our shores. Well the title is actually not quite the third chronologically but it will be the final in the game series – completing a trilogy of quirky law dramas. The game was on display at Capcom but honestly I was far more interested in a game that is built off of the Phoenix model – Harvey Birdman Attorney at Law.Based on the funny Adult Swim series and featuring all the off-beat cast of the Hanna Barbara crowd. While the version we saw did not have the voice acting in place, the developer placeholders were amazingly accurate to the voices. Since the game is at heart a comedy the first mission starts with an arson and a case where Peter Potamous has to prove it wasn’t him. Harvey has to examine evidence, examine and cross-examine witnesses using the same techniques familiar to players of the Phoenix Wright series. The game was co-written by the show runners so its true to its roots.

There was no release date given for Harvey Birdman but it looks like it might be a few months at least. The third Phoenix Wright is due to hit shelves this September.

Based on the popular Rocketmen constructible card game by Wizkids, Capcom is bringing the property to the download services of both the Xbox 360 and Playstation Network. Unlike the tabletop property its based on however the game is far more like a comic update of Smash TV or Zombies Ate My Neighbor. We had some great hands on with the title and it offers traditional four way control as well as the thumb stick based control like its arcade predecessors.

Character customization was fun, players can choose male or female characters as well as the various races of the property. Up to four players cooperatively shoot, kick and beat their way through each level competing for the most kills and creds.

The title is expected to hit consoles Fall 2007.

During our visit to Capcom this morning we had a great experience getting hands on with a number of upcoming games from the company. One of the many multiplatform titles they had on display was the HD retooling of the classic Super Puzzle Fighter. The game features crisp and clean graphics and plays in 1080p on the Ps3 and 360. Capcom is taking a broad approach with the game but is offering it as downloadable content on the various consoles and for PSP.

The build we played sported the redrawn character art for the title screens but the actual super-deformed game characters had not been refined or replaced and were a little blurry. The key game assets also looked nice. Fans and casual gamer looking for a fun puzzle game should look forward to the titles release in the coming weeks.

Oh and from experience avoid playing Dan, especially against Ryu or Ken.

I recently managed to get some hands on time with Capcom’s upcoming puzzler Zack and Wiki. The Wii exclusive challenges players to reclaim the lost treasure of Barbaro using sharp wit, a keen eye, and the help of a flying monkey-bell-creature-thingy named Wiki. Wiki helps you by gathering coins, converting enemy creatures into usable tools, and generally showering you with praise. In fact, even when it took me 10 minutes to solve the most rudimentary of problems Wiki was quick to tell me what a genius I was.

Capcom has ensured that Zack and Wiki take full advantage of the interesting play mechanics available with the Wii-mote. Players will have to swing, crank, push, twist, flip, and spin to accomplish a wide variety of actions. The mechanics are far beyond a gimmick as they represent viable and realistic ways to address the current challenge. Knobs twist, levers are pulled, bells are rung.

As publishers continue to direct development focus to “Casual” and “Party” titles, Zack and Wiki could easily represent a “Best Practices”, epitomizing the right way to make casual and engaging titles.

• It is easy to pick up and play – growing more challenging at a steady and enjoyable rate.
• The game is graphically appealing, offering vibrant colors and environments that beg to be looked at.
• While Zack and Wiki is a single player title, the game is impossible to play alone if anyone else is around. Zack and Wiki rapidly becomes a group effort as others gravitate towards the problem at hand begging to offer advice and ideas.

Regardless of why you play Zack & Wiki, you should definitely check it out, as it’s a title that might be under most gamer’s radar.

D3 Publisher of America recently gave us some hands on time with their upcoming title Dark Sector. As the trailers showed (before they were axed by the ESRB), Dark Sector is a third-person shooter/slasher offering stunning visuals, an engaging story, and some truly unique combat features. While the title is sure to be a hit next spring, I found that not all is bright in Dark Sector.

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D3 Publisher recently treated us to a preview of their upcoming Wii exclusive Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire. Written by award winning author Richard Knakk (DragonLance, Diablo, Age of Conan) and developed by LAND HO!, Dragon Blade gives gamers the chance to play the hero and battle enemies using a mystical sword that holds the very soul of a dragon. With each boss kill you are granted additional powers and abilities that give you the ability to defeat even greater foes. Looking at Dragon Blade I quickly assumed that it was simply another arcade-adventure with a linear delivery and nothing new. What a found however was a blessing in disguise.

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