So another E3 has come and gone and, like last year, I’m left feeling a bit deflated.  Is that it?  Are we only capable of getting excited at pre-rendered Star Wars videos?

Now, there’s no doubt this is excellent entertainment (and yet further evidence that Star Wars can still be great as long as George doesn’t get involved). But it tells me very little about the game.

Square released a trailer for Deus Ex: Human Revolution last year:

Again, staggeringly good entertainment that immediately makes you want to watch Blade Runner again. During E3 some footage of the game itself appeared:

I’ve purposefully linked to some footage from the shop floor rather than the controlled demo because this is how players will experience the game. And, for me, it’s a perfect example of expectations versus reality. In fact, it’s a perfect example of why games are not films. The pre-rendered movie evokes a sense of wonder and excitement that only passive entertainment can: it makes the viewer believe they are the protagonist that can do all these wonderful things. Games allow you to do wonderful things and can be completely immersive, but not in the same way. Deus Ex is all about freedom of choice, and trying to wrap that up in a cinematic way invariably ends up with “press this button to watch an animation of you killing someone”. Which, for a Deus Ex game, is disappointing.

In what can only be described as a complete surprise, about the only game that I’ve really thought “that looks cool” is Need for Speed: The Run:

This is, in effect, Dragon’s Liar.  But I’m not sure it’s pretending to be anything else and, because of that, is all the better for it.  The expectations set by it are clear: a high octane interactive movie.  The driving bits in between will be the meat of the game, and the on foot sections provide a quick interlude.  This is much more likely to get my money than a game that’s only shown me pre-rendered footage.