Sure, you see the hero grow from a child to an adult, but the childhood lasts about five minutes and adolescence no longer than ten. The rest of the game simply sees you controlling your average adult warrior. There are also elements like marriage and family drama that come into play that never realize their full potential. Instead of being an experience where you truly assume the role of another being, it’s built like an average RPG with some nifty life-building elements thrown in. Still, it’s a criticism of the game as old as time itself (or at least the Xbox 360) and the important thing is that the game is still enthralling all the way through.

Remakes have proven to be money-makers in the past, but reproducing a remastered version of a game so beloved and fresh in the memory of Halo fans is a risky proposition. If 343 Industries is in fact working on a remake of the game that started it all, then we have to wonder what the developers mean when they say they’ll be bringing “dramatic innovations” to the property . Does this mean the story or delivery will be overhauled, or will the improvements apply strictly to multipla

While many gamers have the press conferences for both Sony and Nintendo pretty well figured out, the big question mark in the room is the Microsoft conference. There are a few titles that most expect to see from the company, but there is a lot of mystery in the air, and a hope that some really huge surprises are lying in w

The final new feature in Fable Anniversary (besides achievements) is that of SmartGlass, something that is weighing heavier and heavier in overall experience these days. As admitted by Lead Designer Ted Timmins, it was basically implemented here as way to test the technology’s capabilities for future implementations. Thanks to that, there are actually a few interesting features that the app offers. Unsurprisingly, it’s basically an interactive map, but they’ve worked with Prima to also provide the locations of key items and characters (without going into too much detail). While this may seem a bit like cheating at first, it’s helpful enough only to ensure that you won’t get lost and makes it so you won’t result to using a full-blown strategy guide.

This is of course just a small taste of what we could potentially see from Microsoft at this year’s press conference. There are a few other third-party titles, like Metal Gear Solid Rising , that might make an appearance, but given Kojima’s no-show at the event it seems unlik

The funny thing about Star Wars: Battlefront 3 is that there are so many rumors and speculation over the title, we just want to know if it’s really going to happen or not. The game has changed hands more than a few times, but those close to the production still maintained that Battlefront 3 was definitely in developm

There are, however, a few third-party titles that Microsoft has included as part of their press conferences in past years, that should be front and center once again — chiefly among them Modern Warfare 3 . With the map exclusivity deal between Microsoft and Call of Duty comes an assumption that Microsoft will be the company to show off the first demo of the g

If the websites registered for the game are any indication, the next GTA game may be just what fans of lewd humor have been missing. The technical advancements in both of Rockstar’s last titles are sure to be worked into the game, but exactly what kind of animal it will turn out to be is a mystery. A possible leaked release date for the game , and rumored connections to the Wii 2 all point to an announcement of some kind at E3 2011, but we won’t know anything until Rockstar decides to pull back the curt

On the hardware and software side of things, rumors have been suggesting that Microsoft might finally unveil Project Opara. According to early details, Opara would be Microsoft’s answer to something like Hulu Plus or iTunes, offering subscription-based television shows for Xbox Live, Windows PCs, and Windows Phones. Since this particular conference will be in direct competition with Steve Jobs’ keynote at WWDC , it would make sense that something a little Apple-esque might be shown

Another big improvement is that of the interfaces. The previous ones were rough even in 2004, seeming basic enough to be more at home with PS1-era games. Thankfully, they’ve been completely overhauled for this release, matching up better with the subsequent Fable Adventure games dlc. Navigation-wise, they’re a bit too clumsy. The triggers, shoulders buttons and analog sticks all come into play when scrolling around, resulting in a learning curve that shouldn’t exist for menus. Still, there’s only so much that can be done and at least the old interface wasn’t simply re-skinned.

The show starts off strong on Thursday with familiar titles such as Dead Rising 2 , Assassins Creed: Brotherhood , and Halo: Reach all on display. Friday follows much in the same vein, as we will see Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 , Gears of War 3, and Twisted Metal Returns . Saturday, the last day for video games at Comic-Con, might be the day with the most variety to offer, with panels ranging from everybody’s favorite dancing studio (MTV Games) to everybody’s favorite cartoon mouse ( Disney Epic Micke