I don't typically get excited about E3 the way that other gamers do. I try not to buy into hype, since I've been burnt before. I prefer a good review over the most stellar of previews. E3 tends to be a lot of pomp and circumstance; a cacophony of light and sound and flashy presentations of scripted, pre-rendered previews that are hardly ever representative of the final product.

I also haven't been paying much attention to the new consoles. They just don't excite me that much. Most quality games are seeing multi-platform releases these days, which usually includes a high-quality PC port that is at least as good (and sometimes better) than any console iteration. Gone are the days of sub-par, buggy PC ports. Or at least, that is how it seems to me. So I just don't see the new consoles as being worth while as long as I have a decent gaming PC. And in fact, these consoles will likely be inferior to good gaming PCs within a couple years. So what's the point in investing in one?

There are a few games on the horizon that look intriguing. I've already talked about Evil Within and Alien Isolation as being two of my most anticipated games of this fall. Both of these games will have PC versions that I will likely purchase, so no need to invest in a new console yet.

There's also a new project by the developers of Demon's Souls that was announced as a PS4 exclusive. That game could have the potential to sell a PS4 to me, but I'm going to wait to see more of the game before I get too excited.

But E3 did have one stand-out surprise that really piqued my interest. It's a new game by a developer called Hello Games. The game is called No Man's Sky.

This game was presented during the PS4 E3 press conference, but it's likely to see a PC version as well. If not, then this title could also turn into a PS4-seller for me.

The game is being advertised as an "infinitely-expanding procedurally-generated science fiction universe"...

A few posts ago, I previewed the first gameplay trailer for NCAA Football 2012. I didn't really have the time to go into depth about what the trailer showed and what the trailer didn't show, and I accepted the trailer on face value. Now, I'd like to spend some time and break down this trailer in a similar fashion as the Madden NFL 2012 teaser from back in March. Except unlike the Madden teaser, this time, I can actually see what's going on!

Table of contents

• First, a little eye candy: Presentation
• Onto the main attraction: Gameplay!
• Will the game really be "better"?
  • Line play
  • Tumbleweeds keep on a rollin'
  • Receiver play and coverage
• Has it earned my $60 yet?

First, a little eye candy: Presentation

Before I get into the gameplay trailer, I want to show you the presentation and tradition trailer that was released at about the same time.

There's some very nice stuff in this trailer!

Yesterday, I began an analsyis of the recently-released Madden NFL 12 teaser trailer. In it, I discussed four of the features showcased in the trailer (or at least, what I thought the features would be). My general conclusion in that section was that the only feature of any note is what appears to be a new player attribute and profiling system. Hopefully, the rest of the new features will provide something more interesting.

1. Section 5: Something about field goals...
2. Section 6: Probably not a blimp camera
3. Section 7: Custom playbooks are back
4. Section 8: Surprise onside kicks
5. Section 9: Hot and cold streaks
6. Section 10: 3-D grass
7. Conclusion, and how EA can earn my money this year

Last week, the first teaser trailer for Madden NFL 12 (why don't they just call it '2012'?) was released. Somehow, I managed to miss the initial release and didn't stumble onto the trailer until this weekend. But even though it's "old news" now, that isn't going to stop me from sharing my two cents.

First things first, here's the trailer in its entirety:

There's a lot of information in this trailer. A heck of a lot more than we got in the NCAA Football 2012 screenshot from a few weeks ago. Let's break it down!

Earlier today, EA released the first screenshot for NCAA Football 2012 through the ESPN website.

In addition to giving us the screenshot (and our first taste of the new game), EA also promised that they would break down the new features that the screenshot is supposed to showcase.

But just because EA is going to spoil all the answers to the puzzle they've given us, doesn't mean we can't dissect this little gem ourselves: