12:43: Last April we announced that Sony Online joined us, and we welcome them today. Today for the first time ever, we'll show DC Universe online. Proud to introduce Jim Lee, director of DC Universe Online.
He gets on the flor and does a one-handed pushup!! Yeah, big deal, Lee ... we could totally do that too if we wanted to. We've been building this world up from scratch, and I'm actually a bit winded and anxious.

12:44: It's total gang warfare: Microsoft couldn't get Marvel Universe Online out the door, but here's Sony and DC Universe Online. "This is really a dream project for me. When I was a kid, my parents wanted me to become a doctor and follow in my father's footsteps. Meanwhile, I wanted to read comic books, and even started my own comic book like. As far as my other obsession? I remain an avid gamer today -- hooked on MMOs and even started playing Everquest on launch day. I was the first Paladdin to get fire avenger." (People laughing) "No, it sounded cool at the time!" (Laughing turning to applause) Switching back

Jim Lee takes the stage. does a one handed pushup or three. tells anecdote about how he's hardcore, playing everquest from day 1.

talks about scenarios that happened in many famous comic book arcs. Says how they'll be on DCO. Premiere follows.

12:49 -- 80GB Core Pack PS3 launching this year for $399.99 -- same price as the 40GB but double the storage space.

Will be on PS3 and PC. character models are great. Animations are horrific.

12:49 -- 80GB Core Pack PS3 launching this year for $399.99 -- same price as the 40GB but double the storage space.
damn, you're 3 mins into my future :lol:

never mind, more like 1 min. so much for no price cut. thank you falling HDD prices.

12:44: It's total gang warfare: Microsoft couldn't get Marvel Universe Online out the door, but here's Sony and DC Universe Online. "This is really a dream project for me. When I was a kid, my parents wanted me to become a doctor and follow in my father's footsteps. Meanwhile, I wanted to read comic books, and even started my own comic book like. As far as my other obsession? I remain an avid gamer today -- hooked on MMOs and even started playing Everquest on launch day. I was the first Paladdin to get fire avenger." (People laughing) "No, it sounded cool at the time!" (Laughing turning to applause) Switching back

12:45: Imagine being able to create your own superhero or supervillain in teh DV universe and fihgt alongside
help batman take on the joker . Imagine being a villain and helping all the inmates at Arkham Aslyum espace and attack the batcave. (We're hearing "imagine" a lot. We're imagining lunch. But this game looks cool so we'll wait.)

12:46: It's certainly a project that would have made my 12-year old brain explode. This game seriously has every DC star. Craziness Could this be the first good game involving Superman? Tretton is back: Jack: "Great content and one-handed pushups. I've seen it all now ... we continue to work hard to increase the value proposition for consumers"

12:48: Starting in September, the 80GB will have the current functionality of the 40GB PS3, for $399. Whoah. 80GB for $399. So $50 more than the 60GB 360. Interesting. Add an XBL membership to your 360 and they're the same price. (What happens to the 1/2 backwards compatible 80GB now?)

12:44: It's total gang warfare: Microsoft couldn't get Marvel Universe Online out the door, but here's Sony and DC Universe Online. "This is really a dream project for me. When I was a kid, my parents wanted me to become a doctor and follow in my father's footsteps. Meanwhile, I wanted to read comic books, and even started my own comic book like. As far as my other obsession? I remain an avid gamer today -- hooked on MMOs and even started playing Everquest on launch day. I was the first Paladdin to get fire avenger." (People laughing) "No, it sounded cool at the time!" (Laughing turning to applause) Switching back

12:45: Imagine being able to create your own superhero or supervillain in teh DV universe and fihgt alongside
help batman take on the joker . Imagine being a villain and helping all the inmates at Arkham Aslyum espace and attack the batcave. (We're hearing "imagine" a lot. We're imagining lunch. But this game looks cool so we'll wait.)

12:46: It's certainly a project that would have made my 12-year old brain explode. This game seriously has every DC star. Craziness Could this be the first good game involving Superman? Tretton is back: Jack: "Great content and one-handed pushups. I've seen it all now ... we continue to work hard to increase the value proposition for consumers"

12:48: Starting in September, the 80GB will have the current functionality of the 40GB PS3, for $399. Whoah. 80GB for $399. So $50 more than the 60GB 360. Interesting. Add an XBL membership to your 360 and they're the same price. (What happens to the 1/2 backwards compatible 80GB now?)

Current functionality to me means, 40GB PS3 hardware now with 80GB.

12:49: Montage of folks talking PS3. Thinking about lunch again. We're watching videos of developers being interviewed. Treyarch dev, Tiburon dev, Ubisoft Far Cry 2 dev, Bethesda (Fallout dev), Prince of Persia dev. Fallout 3 developer was saying that the SPs "eat everything alive" Amazing -- everyone is just talking about how it used to be much tougher, but they're all getting used to it now.

interview with developers saying they're now more confident with PS3, saying they're just starting to get the hang of it, more efficient programming, BR is good, etc etc. Shows fallout3 and PoP, CoD:W@W, and more. They say programming words :). Someone says that some games don't use 80% of SPUs.

IOW, a 3 min montage of flame bait for fanboys.

Looks like they are starting to wrap this up. GoW3 teaser trailer for the masses.

12:52: Ben Mattes says the Blu-ray is way better than the competition. Long term playstation 3 development: This all sounds similar to the PS2 development cycle. Dev's hated it and then learned to love the pain. Ironically, though, these are mostly cross-platform games that won't really take advantage of the Cell structure. Jack: "as you can see there's a tremendous amount of support from our development partners" SCE worldwide studios makes a competitive advantage - 23 exclusives, 10 on Blu-ray and 13 on PSN

12:53: They're pumping smoke in here, either to confuse us or make this all seem like a dream. First mention of Killzone 2, which has been suspiciously absent so far. LittleBigPlanet, MotorStorm: Pacific Rift, MGS4, Guns of the Patriots, Quantum of Solace, SOCOM Confrontation, Ghostbusters: The Video Game, Soul Calibur IV, Resistance 2, The Agency, Naruto Storm, Mirror's Edge, Resident Evil 5, Singstar, Guitar Hero World Tour, NBA09: The Inside, Buzz Quiz TV, Killzone 2

12:56: I'd like to spedn the next few moments to show you what's to come after this holiday season. God of War 3
is coming to PlayStation 3 (SURPRISE!) (Applause for GOW3) Really nice graphics, but a total CGI trailer. No gameplay, all cinematics. Cool?

12:58: We're about to see what Sucker Punch has been up to this whole time with Infamous. With infamous, you roam an open world as a superhero, putting you in a postition to ... save or destroy an entire city.

New PS3 trailer with LBP, motorstorm, MGS4, SOCOM, Ghostbusters, soul caliber, R2, agency, re5, mirrors edge, and more. lots of guns and explosions.

Now for stuff next year:

GOW3 trailer. finally. no way it's in game. talks about chaos.

infamous: good environments, a few weak textures, overall looks like it could be a lot of fun.

One final title: A massive action online game, putting the PS3 architecture "on a workout." "Impossible anywhere else."

1:00: He can climb, jump, throw dudes, and shoot electricity out of his mitts. So infamous is coming in Spring 2009. This is gonna be a long winter. "You've all seen multiplayer online games, you've all played massively multiplayer games" Jack says even this will push the PS3 hardware. Andy Beaudoin from Zipper interactive. MAG = Massive Action Game. Zipper building on their experience from SOCOM. Buh. 256-player battles. We certainly hope this handles voice chat well. "MAG will deliver a sweeping battle expereince using only real players" 8-player squads. lead by people who are "proven" to be good leaders, character advancement tree to fine-tune your character. Groundbreaking large scale combat, intimacy of 8-player squad combat, and character growth

1:02: First glimpse video, here we come! This game will either be complete chaos or completely amazing.

256 players? On squads of 8?...no lag?

12:52: Ben Mattes says the Blu-ray is way better than the competition. Long term playstation 3 development: This all sounds similar to the PS2 development cycle. Dev's hated it and then learned to love the pain. Ironically, though, these are mostly cross-platform games that won't really take advantage of the Cell structure. Jack: "as you can see there's a tremendous amount of support from our development partners" SCE worldwide studios makes a competitive advantage - 23 exclusives, 10 on Blu-ray and 13 on PSN

12:53: They're pumping smoke in here, either to confuse us or make this all seem like a dream. First mention of Killzone 2, which has been suspiciously absent so far. LittleBigPlanet, MotorStorm: Pacific Rift, MGS4, Guns of the Patriots, Quantum of Solace, SOCOM Confrontation, Ghostbusters: The Video Game, Soul Calibur IV, Resistance 2, The Agency, Naruto Storm, Mirror's Edge, Resident Evil 5, Singstar, Guitar Hero World Tour, NBA09: The Inside, Buzz Quiz TV, Killzone 2

12:56: I'd like to spedn the next few moments to show you what's to come after this holiday season. God of War 3
is coming to PlayStation 3 (SURPRISE!) (Applause for GOW3) Really nice graphics, but a total CGI trailer. No gameplay, all cinematics. Cool?

12:58: We're about to see what Sucker Punch has been up to this whole time with Infamous. With infamous, you roam an open world as a superhero, putting you in a postition to ... save or destroy an entire city.

New PS3 trailer with LBP, motorstorm, MGS4, SOCOM, Ghostbusters, soul caliber, R2, agency, re5, mirrors edge, and more. lots of guns and explosions.

Now for stuff next year:

GOW3 trailer. finally. no way it's in game. talks about chaos.

infamous: good environments, a few weak textures, overall looks like it could be a lot of fun.

Don't care if its gameplay or what, I want to see that GoW3 trailer. Hopefully I can find it when I get off work!

MAG: massive action game. 256 player battles. multi-front assaults, airdrops, etc. squads of 8, lead by a "proven leader." Character advancement trees. Sounds like COD crossed with WoW.

Trailer.

1:05: So far just a FMV trailer... Looks like a giant SOCOM, which makes sense... Vehicles? Looks like there may be. Air combat with air drops of reinforcements? (? = we're not sure, but trailer alludes to it) "It's hard to imagine that all of this could have come out of a meeting in a Sony Computer conference room fifteen years ago."

phenomenal gfx. vehicles, turrets, great fire effects, jets. could be the real deal.

And it's over. Well, not bad Sony.

Don't care if its gameplay or what, I want to see that GoW3 trailer. Hopefully I can find it when I get off work!
im sure it'll be on ign and GT.

And it's over. Well, not bad Sony.
Yep. I'll give them an A-. They didn't do anything spectacular aside from that MAG bit at the end (which, of course was just a trailer and may not have bearing in reality), but they didn't shoot themselves in the foot like N and MS either. They stayed true to their game and let others make mistakes.

I find that Sony had a good, overall conference. Nintendo was, I believe to be, the weakest of show.

hey people keep saying that the WiiMotion+ will be available without purchasing Wii Sports Resort

what is the source of this information? how much will it cost?
Because no accessory packaged with a Wii game is unavailable without it. Not to mention, the game only supplies 1. Meaning that if others want to play with one, they're either SOL or need to buy one. which solution do you think Nintendo went for?

MAG: massive action game. 256 player battles. multi-front assaults, airdrops, etc. squads of 8, lead by a "proven leader." Character advancement trees. Sounds like COD crossed with WoW.

Trailer.

sounds freakin sweet. hope this game comes out soon

im sure it'll be on ign and GT.


Yep. I'll give them an A-. They didn't do anything spectacular aside from that MAG bit at the end (which, of course was just a trailer and may not have bearing in reality), but they didn't shoot themselves in the foot like N and MS either. They stayed true to their game and let others make mistakes.

I'm waiting for your overall recap weighing the pro's and con's of each and then the trophy presentation after that. ;)

I find that Sony had a good, overall conference. Nintendo was, I believe to be, the weakest of show.
It's interesting. If you think about what was presented, Nintendo had the most "big surprises" with two -- voice chat and MotionPlus (though the latter was announced previously at E3). MS had the biggest with the FF13 coup. Sony really didn't do anything unexpected other than MAG. However, I too feel that in order of best conference, it went Sony > MS > Nintendo.

I guess surprises aren't everything. Not doing stupid stuff (which only Sony successfully did) and not having tons and tons of hype rumors (which certainly plagued nintendo) made a big difference, as did general presentation skills. Sony didn't show too many PS3 titles, but they also weren't stupid enough to say "we're only going to show you 3" like N did, even though they showed more than that in the end.

I'm waiting for your overall recap weighing the pro's and con's of each and then the trophy presentation after that. ;)
see below your post :lol:

i think that was a good showing. A roster of games and releases and system tools?! No kidding, what an interesting strategy!!!
Again, not a big library - i dont recall Killzone in the lists - but definitely something to be excited about.

So did I read correctly them saying the super stardust is gonna be released as a PSP game?

Can anyone confirm?

So did I read correctly them saying the super stardust is gonna be released as a PSP game?

Can anyone confirm?
yep. called SS portable. Looks pretty solid too, from the 10 secs we saw of it.

i think that was a good showing. A roster of games and releases and system tools?! No kidding, what an interesting strategy!!!
Again, not a big library - i dont recall Killzone in the lists - but definitely something to be excited about.
nope. KZ was notable absent.

yep. called SS portable. Looks pretty solid too, from the 10 secs we saw of it.



It would be sweeter if PSP had 2 analog sticks but I'll settle.

My fav. part of the show was the presentation using LBP.

they showed KZ2 in the games for 2008 presentation...isn't the game coming out next year :confused:
oh -- you're right. I forgot to list it and it didn't dawn on me b/c I was thinking about fallout for some reason. not sure on release date.

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/07/img_3110.jpg

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/07/img_3140.jpg

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/07/img_3137.jpg

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/07/img_3144.jpg

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/07/img_3146.jpg

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/07/img_3151.jpg

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/07/img_3167.jpg

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/07/img_3154.jpg

oh -- you're right. I forgot to list it and it didn't dawn on me b/c I was thinking about fallout for some reason. not sure on release date.

Should be around march/may area in 2009 for KZ2

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/07/img_3157.jpg

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/07/img_3193.jpg

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/07/img_3189.jpg

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/07/img_3208.jpg

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/07/img_3202.jpg

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/07/img_3207.jpg

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/07/img_3216.jpg

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/07/img_3217.jpg

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/07/img_3233.jpg

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/07/img_3242.jpg

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/07/img_3221.jpg

I have a ps3 & 360, and was up in the air for a Wii and waiting for something to make me buy it...Well after all the keynotes, I feel like there isn't really a winner and if I had to pick one it would be Microsoft because of the FF and Netflix. PS3 is trying but not trying hard enough, or "living up to their potential". I primarily use it for blu-ray now and don't really see anything that makes me want to get a game soon, and not Twisted Metal info!!!??

Lets all hope the rest of E3 picks up like it usually does because this was average at best.

PS3's bingo card

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/07/sony-bingo-results.jpg

In case you couldn't keep up with all the announcements, here are the highlights from Sony's E3 2008 press conference:

* Sony announces PS3 greatest hits: Resistance, Oblivion, others $30
* New PS2 bundle has Lego Batman, Justice League movie, $149 price
* Ratchet and Clank: Quest for Booty $14.99 this summer
* PSN's video content is "open for business to all studios" tonight
* Sony mentions new PSN titles at press conference
* Shots from the E3 2008 showfloor
* Sony offers a PSP Entertainment pack for $199
* Third-person 'Resistance: Retribution' coming to PSP in Spring 2009
* Sony announces God of War 3
* Sony announces 80GB PS3 will be $399 in Sept.
* Sony unveils 256-player MAG: Massive Action Game
* Sony E3 2008 press conference bingo results

No Home in 2008 looks dumber than ever, and Sony eliminates Backwards Compatability in the new 80GB SKU

didnt want to read ALL the wii stuff, but...

anyone know if there are anything free (dlc) or upgrades coming out for wii?

Siren + Heavy rain look amazing.. wheres the info on them? ISnt siren due out this year?

Important Updates:

* Greatest Hits titles will be available at $29.99 retail later this year. Games include Resistance, Motorstorm, Warhawk, Call of Duty 3, Fight Night and Need for Speed Carbon, Rainbow Six Vegas, Assassins Creed, Oblivion, Ninja Gaiden.

* Universal access to PSN, via PC later this fall. Access Friends lists and more on your computer, even when you're not on the PS3.

* Ratchet & Clank Quest For Booty coming to PSN this Summer. A new concept: shorter game at a lower price. A big summer blockbuster film: it's everything you expect from a Ratchet game, and it's a continuation of the franchise. It leaves off where Tools of Destruction leaves off.

* New PSN games includes Rag Doll Kung Fu sequel.

* Movie and TV downloads. Major studio supports from Sony, Fox, MGM, Lions Gate, Warner, Disney, Paramount, Turner, Funimation will offer support for PlayStation video. Will offer SD and HD content. TV shows start at $1.99 per episode, movie rentals start at $5.99 per rental. Not only can you play the content on the PS3, you can play it on PSP. It can be placed on multiple devices at the same time.

* Ratchet & Clank Size Matters Entertainment Pack includes Size Matters, Nation Treasure 2, 1GB Memory Stick, echochrome for $199 later this year.

* PSP Resistance Retribution announced. Third person action game. The Resistance is now in your hands. Uses over-the-should view. From Sony Bend, developers of the Syphon Filter PSP games.

* PSP Software highlight reel includes Loco Roco 2, Super Stardust Portable. Valkyria Chronicles on PSP!

* Life with PlayStation also on display. Will be available at the end of the month.

* First look at DC Universe Online for PS3. Experience the DC Universe as never before. Fight against or alongside favorite DC heroes and villians, like Batman, Superman, The Joker. Build your legacy against super powered enemies.

* 80GB Core Pack at $399.99. Twice the storage capacity at the same price. New SKU, most likely will not feature PS2 backwards compatibility.

* God of War III coming to PS3! Trailer showcased.

* inFamous coming Spring 2008.

* Andy Beaudoin from Zipper's new game. (Zipper worked on SOCOM on PS2.) MAG will support up to 256 players.

didnt want to read ALL the wii stuff, but...

anyone know if there are anything free (dlc) or upgrades coming out for wii?
nothing mentioned besides voice chat and motion plus. No software updates, if that's what you mean.

After months of speculation, Ratchet and Clank: Quest for Booty will come our way this summer via PLAYSTATION Network for $14.99.

It would be sweeter if PSP had 2 analog sticks but I'll settle.

It would be sweeter still if they'd make the original PS3 game Remote Play compatible. Earn trophies on the go. I'd even settle for using the four face buttons as a substitute for the right stick. The game is all about defense anyway.

12:49 -- 80GB Core Pack PS3 launching this year for $399.99 -- same price as the 40GB but double the storage space.

Sounds like this is what the Walmart memo was talking about. The 40gb getting "replaced" with an 80gb.

And, ICK, I doubt this one will replace the current 80gb model.

that 1.99 per episode is rather fair sounding and could be a steal in comparison to buying season boxes.

that 1.99 per episode is rather fair sounding and could be a steal in comparison to buying season boxes.

average price, same as itunes...

I rather buy from itunes and be able to take it anywhere with me..

Siren + Heavy rain look amazing.. wheres the info on them? ISnt siren due out this year?

Where's the link? I have been looking forward to Heavy Rain

average price, same as itunes...

I rather buy from itunes and be able to take it anywhere with me..
Didn't know about the itunes one. Does iTunes load it up with a DRM? Probably sony will as well.

80GB MGS4 Bundle SKU $500 includes backwards compatability includes DS3
80GB PS3 $400 comes with Dual Shock 3 packed in no BC

No mention of a price drop for the current 40GB SKU till September

Still after the huge FF13 news its obvious the era of exclusive 3rd party titles is over even with Sony's 20% ownership of Square Enix they could not stop it. Besides the huge FF13 news, is that in essence confirms MGS4 on 360 just at a later date.Some will disagree no doubt. I really did not see that FF13 would be multiplatform. It wil probably help sell and extra 100 360's in Japan.

Maybe if they release it in Japan.

average price, same as itunes...

I rather buy from itunes and be able to take it anywhere with me..

You can do that with Sony's stuff too... with a PSP of course :D

$500 and $400 for the new PS3 SKU's

$299 Temp 20GB SKU $349 60GB SKU $449 Elite SKU and $279 Arcade SKU

Basically at $349 and $399 the PS3 is $50 more than a 360 very good positioning on a value and features for money.

And the $399 PS3 should be here by August or early Sept.

80GB MGS4 Bundle SKU $500 includes backwards compatability includes DS3
80GB PS3 $400 comes with Dual Shock 3 packed in no BC

No mention of a price drop for the current 40GB SKU till September

Still after the huge FF13 news its obvious the era of exclusive 3rd party titles is over even with Sony's 20% ownership of Square Enix they could not stop it. Besides the huge FF13 news, is that in essence confirms MGS4 on 360 just at a later date.Some will disagree no doubt. I really did not see that FF13 would be multiplatform. It wil probably help sell and extra 100 360's in Japan.

Where did you see that the 40 would get a pricedrop in September?

Are you sure about that 20% thing?

Regarding MGS4, it may happen but from what I read, Kojima hates the 360 and some of the ipod commentary in the game has employees of Konami talking about how they don't like the 360... I don't have 1st hand knowledge of that though. Maybe someone else here knows more about it?

FFXIII isn't even going to be released on the 360 in Japan... so what are you talking about? (last sentence)

You can do that with Sony's stuff too... with a PSP of course :D

ahh I didn't think of that. So they go on media cards? isn't the biggest media card only 8GB?

ahh I didn't think of that. So they go on media cards? isn't the biggest media card only 8GB?

ya but i think you could do remote play oui? (my PSP is on an old ass firmware so I haven't ever really tried that whole remote play thing)

Where did you see that the 40 would get a pricedrop in September?

Are you sure about that 20% thing?

Regarding MGS4, it may happen but from what I read, Kojima hates the 360 and some of the ipod commentary in the game has employees of Konami talking about how they don't like the 360... I don't have 1st hand knowledge of that though. Maybe someone else here knows more about it?

FFXIII isn't even going to be released on the 360 in Japan... so what are you talking about? (last sentence)



I must admit I never saw the FF13 happening, now thinking back to Kaz Hirai's interview with threespeach.com where he mentions a possible shift in SONY's policy of not paying for exclusivity I know know what he was reffering to. Also Sony owns 20% or 22% of Square Enix unless they sold it back to them. And MGS4 is pretty much gone as exclusive now. Once that nugget hits the hardcore PS3 fanboys it will have a chilling effect. But I don't see MGS4 on 360 till Holiday 2009 or later. Kojima may hate the 360 I don't see where he has been quoted as saying so actually quite the opposite, and he hates the SIXAXIS even more which is why he insisted on rumble. And I'm sure he still likes money.


Hideo Kojima: Yes, that's technically possible. I want to express, first of all, it's not that I don't like Xbox or 360. It's just that last year, our hands were really tied to MGS3, so the other Konami developers were able to get their hands on the 360 tools and hardware earlier. But we simply didn't have time to do that last year. So, meaning that we were behind the other developers in terms of 360 development. Kojima Productions has this philosophy that we want to be the first in everything regarding new technology. So after we finished MGS3, the option was to work on the PS3 to try all the new things for Metal Gear Solid 4. The only reason for this is I'm the kind of person who wants to be the first person on the moon, and don't want to be asking "what the moon was like?" from other people. So that's the real story behind selecting PS3.

http://www.1up.com/do/minisite?pager.offset=1&cId=3146425

MGS4 technically possible on 360 says Kojima and after the news at E3 with FF13 its pretty clear that Sony is not holding on to any of its 3rd party exclusives.

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/889/889625p1.html

July 15, 2008 - Namco Bandai announced this morning that Eternal Sonata, a role-playing game that hit the Xbox 360 last September, will be coming to the PlayStation 3 this fall. Inspired by the life of a composer, Eternal Sonata follows Frederic Chopin through a tale of combat and exploration … and colorful monsters. There's combos, light and dark influences, and secrets to discover. The PS3 version will feature new quests, new playable characters, new music, and more.

Yeah, I know there's no actual date given in that article. Don't ask me about that. This is all verbatim.

Have you guys ever played this game?

Maybe its because I understand what all the names in the game mean, but this has got to be the most ridiculous RPG I've ever played.
The combat is pretty much a mash fest.

Have you guys ever played this game?

Maybe its because I understand what all the names in the game mean, but this has got to be the most ridiculous RPG I've ever played.
The combat is pretty much a mash fest.

i tried the demo
did not like it at all

Nope, I've never played this, but I gotta say I never knew Chopin's life was so rough, what with all the quests and monsters and all. Different times back then...

Oh, and don't forget the cutscenes.


Featuring the amazing Japanese over-the-top movements (have to make up the lack of facial expression) and over(voice)acting from dubs. :vomit:

Now with screenshots. http://www.1up.com/do/media?cId=3162689

I LOVED THIS GAME ON 360!!!

It is HELLA HARD your second run through.. enemies have 1.5 times the health/damage.. its insane!

new characters too??? AWESOME!

ahh I didn't think of that. So they go on media cards? isn't the biggest media card only 8GB?

There are 16GB cards but at a minimum cost of $150 each right now, I don't think anyone is buying them just yet.

I'm guessing two things: downsized copies for the PSP, remote play accessibility, or hopefully both.

i was hoping that nintendo would announce a hard drive but nothing...

Wow Sony and Microsoft are dueling out on RPG landscape.

RPG will determine which console we will be getting

I must admit I never saw the FF13 happening, now thinking back to Kaz Hirai's interview with threespeach.com where he mentions a possible shift in SONY's policy of not paying for exclusivity I know know what he was reffering to. Also Sony owns 20% or 22% of Square Enix unless they sold it back to them. And MGS4 is pretty much gone as exclusive now. Once that nugget hits the hardcore PS3 fanboys it will have a chilling effect. But I don't see MGS4 on 360 till Holiday 2009 or later. Kojima may hate the 360 I don't see where he has been quoted as saying so actually quite the opposite, and he hates the SIXAXIS even more which is why he insisted on rumble. And I'm sure he still likes money.


Hideo Kojima: Yes, that's technically possible. I want to express, first of all, it's not that I don't like Xbox or 360. It's just that last year, our hands were really tied to MGS3, so the other Konami developers were able to get their hands on the 360 tools and hardware earlier. But we simply didn't have time to do that last year. So, meaning that we were behind the other developers in terms of 360 development. Kojima Productions has this philosophy that we want to be the first in everything regarding new technology. So after we finished MGS3, the option was to work on the PS3 to try all the new things for Metal Gear Solid 4. The only reason for this is I'm the kind of person who wants to be the first person on the moon, and don't want to be asking "what the moon was like?" from other people. So that's the real story behind selecting PS3.

http://www.1up.com/do/minisite?pager.offset=1&cId=3146425

MGS4 technically possible on 360 says Kojima and after the news at E3 with FF13 its pretty clear that Sony is not holding on to any of its 3rd party exclusives.

Sigh*. Before you continue to spew out numbers, they currently own 8.5%
(http://www.square-enix.com/jp/ir/e/stock/stockholder/)
And before then, it was sometime like 8.9 %.

"Valkyria Chronicles" was officially announced as a PS3 exclusive in a press release. So was "Disgaea". The surprise is that "Star Ocean 4" is *not* being touted as an exclusive for Xbox360. Well, it's a surprise to no one, actually. The most I expected "Star Ocean 4" to be was a timed exclusive for Xbox360. I'd like to know why we haven't heard from "White Knight Story" in a while.

Sony used to own something like 22% (19%, actually) but that was before Square's merger with Enix. The merger diluted Sony's holdings, but that's still pretty significant.

See my theory here on how things might have gone down. http://forums.slickdeals.net/showpost.php?p=12117168&postcount=47

i was hoping that nintendo would announce a hard drive but nothing...
huh. I was hoping for the same thing. But there are still a few more days left in E3. And nintendo seems to be holding back on stuff.

E3 2008: Miyamoto Says New Zelda for Wii Progressing
Zelda Wii team exploring big and unique ideas.
by Matt Casamassina

July 15, 2008 - No big surprise. At E3 2008, Nintendo confirmed (very vaguely) that the Mario and Zelda teams had reassembled, but offered no further details. But when we sat down with Shigeru Miyamoto this week, he elaborated on situation, absolutely confirmed that a new Wii Zelda is underway, and suggested that it will see some fundamental changes.

"The Zelda team in particular always works on Zelda titles. The core members of the Zelda team have for a very long time now been focused on Zelda games, and continue to focus on Zelda games, so they are hard at work and working away," Miyamoto said. "And then, of course, we have the DS Zelda team as well, so even there we're having some switching of people in and out where the DS team is mixing in with the Wii team and working on the Wii version."

At GDC 2007, Eiji Aonuma gave a presentation on The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. At that time, he showed a brief snippet of an experimentation the Zelda team conducted -- it was Twilight Princess running in the first-person view. We asked Miyamoto if such a fundamental change could await players of Wii's next Zelda adventure.

"I don't necessarily think it will change that drastically, but I think that Zelda is a franchise that does need some big new unique ideas," he said. "And so the team right now is very focused on trying to find those ideas."

http://wii.ign.com/articles/890/890200p1.html

E3 2008: New Galaxy, Pikmin and DS Mario Coming?
Miyamoto drops some not-so-vague hints.
by Matt Casamassina

July 15, 2008 - At the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2008, we made it our mission to bombard Nintendo producer Shigeru Miyamoto with nearly unanswerable questions about possible games in development -- because, frankly, that's how we roll. Although he politely explained that he could not announce new products to us, we would not relent and we did come away with a few not-so-vague hints about projects underway. Namely, a new Pikmin title for Wii, a sequel to Mario Galaxy and a DS sequel to New Super Mario Bros.

"There isn't anything that we can announce right now, but I'm sure we'll probably do something with it," Miyamoto said of a Wii Pikmin sequel. "The Pikmin team is, of course, still there and maybe we'll have something to talk about before too long." We like the sound of that.

In regard to a new New Super Mario Bros. for DS, Miyamoto tried to throw us off guard with trickery about not being able to announce unfinished projects. "That team is also working hard," he said. "The thing that's difficult is that, as you know, the way we handle our announcement is we work on product and once the product is at a state where we feel it's ready to show to people, then that's when we're willing to talk about it. Which is why it's difficult for me to talk about different projects in interviews. I have a lot of different teams and those teams are all at different points in their experiments or development, so it's typically once they've finalized something that we're able to talk about it. But for me to go into too much detail would be a little bit irresponsible in an interview. All that I can say is that that team is also working."

When we pressed him for more, Miyamoto added, "Maybe the best thing for you to understand is that all of the leaders of those teams -- of the Mario team, of the Zelda team and of the Pikmin team -- all sit within 150 feet of my desk. The Galaxy team is the only one that's farther away -- they're in Tokyo. But I do have video conferencing with them."

We stunned him with a hard-hitting follow-up: 'We don't really have a question. We just want you to make another Galaxy game.' To this, Miyamoto replied, "Leave it to me."


http://wii.ign.com/articles/890/890276p1.html

E3 2008: Miyamoto on Wii's Lacking Storage Space
Is there a solution coming?
by IGN Staff

July 15, 2008 - Nintendo fans had expected the company to address two Wii hardware related issues at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2008. Some kind of voice-chat solution. Check. And a proper response to gamers who have collectively run out of storage space on their system. That one, not so much. No USB hard drive. No official developer access to retrieve dynamic game data from SD cards. (At least, not for anybody outside of Vicarious Visions, making Guitar Hero: World Tour). And players themselves definitely don't have that kind of access.

But is a solution coming? And if so, when?

"There isn't anything that we can announce today, but we have been thinking along a variety of different lines regarding this matter for some time now," Shigeru Miyamoto told IGN. "So my hope is that sometime in the not too distant future we will be able to discuss some concrete solutions."

Exactly when that answer might arrive, we don't know. But at the very least, we're encouraged to hear that Nintendo hasn't simply chosen to altogether ignore the problem.

http://wii.ign.com/articles/890/890143p1.html

Is nintendo going to drop a late-show bomb from their booth? Keep in mind, the reveal of Smash Bros Brawl and Snake in 2k6 was done in a back room. Heck, one of their main announcements this year, MP, was done before their conference. One thing is for sure -- Shiggy's the guy to go to if you need some info. I wonder if peppermint schnapps is needed to open the vault?

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/

this comic pretty much sums up E3 08. Microsoft had some great things like the Netflix deal and a new Dashboard, where as Nintendo could not even be bothered to show off FZERO Nintendo can do what ever they want which makes me even more glad I sold the Wii seriously Wii Music and Animal Crossing, 2 Nintendo games for the rest of 2008, and everything was for little kids but I'm sure it will sell to a point where its out of stock every where Wii Speak and Wii Motion Plus driven of course by a new hardware peripheral they'll be out of stock from launch till late 09 And there will be tons of reseller here on the forums or threads of "WiiMotion Instock hurry". And poor Sony what can I say blatantly lied about PSP developer support, Movie downloads were very good but I thought Jack Trenton seemed drunk at times if he could slur his words a bit more he could be President. Basically Sony was saying we will have better games in 2009. And ending the Press Conference with a CGI video of MAG which is just a concept reminds me of what they did at E3 06 showing off KillZone 2, which won't be out till Mid 09. Don't expect to see MAG for another 2.5 years.

i was hoping that nintendo would announce a hard drive but nothing...
Me too. I'm hopeful that the ability to have an HDD or other external storage would allow for games to be a bit more... I don't know... more interesting?

"Valkyria Chronicles" was officially announced as a PS3 exclusive in a press release. So was "Disgaea". The surprise is that "Star Ocean 4" is *not* being touted as an exclusive for Xbox360. Well, it's a surprise to no one, actually. The most I expected "Star Ocean 4" to be was a timed exclusive for Xbox360. I'd like to know why we haven't heard from "White Knight Story" in a while.

With decreasing size of E3 they are probably holding out for the real show..."Tokyo Game Show" in October

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/

Reggie looks like a rejected Street Fighter 4 character.

Me too. I'm hopeful that the ability to have an HDD or other external storage would allow for games to be a bit more... I don't know... more interesting?
:confused: It'd let them be stored....or even run from the HDD. It wouldn't make them bigger (if that's what you mean by interesting) unless they zipped them and had you install an unzipper on the drive.

I think "interesting" is a matter of personal taste :) There are many reasons to allow for HDD or even SD support. "interesting" I think is towards the bottom of the list :lol:

If Microsoft had just made some sort of indication of incorporating blu-ray support I'd have bought an Xbox 360 today. It almost seems like they think they can still beat Blu-ray through digital vs. hard-copy.

"Valkyria Chronicles" was officially announced as a PS3 exclusive in a press release. So was "Disgaea". The surprise is that "Star Ocean 4" is *not* being touted as an exclusive for Xbox360. Well, it's a surprise to no one, actually. The most I expected "Star Ocean 4" to be was a timed exclusive for Xbox360. I'd like to know why we haven't heard from "White Knight Story" in a while.

Valkyria Chronicles looks really good
i remember seeing previews in egm
great looking game

Anyone else notice Nintendo and Sony kept saying the "Core gamer" while Microsoft threw in hardcore a few times but kept saying they wanted to expand to other audiences. And Nintendo DS Lite 52% males and 48% females. Good job Nintendo also the Celebrity commercials with Liv Tyler and Carrie Underwood was directly aimed at female gamers.
Where as Sony had no idea who its demographics was. Little Big Planet looks kiddish but its actually level and puzzle building not for kids. PSN Movie downloads and PC transfers to PSP really not for kids. And I guess Resistance 2 will be for the hardcore gamer, maybe we will see Tekken 6 and God of War at E3 2009. It would be nice if Sony could release a few good 1st party games in 2008.

Reggie looks like a rejected Street Fighter 4 character.


:confused: It'd let them be stored....or even run from the HDD. It wouldn't make them bigger (if that's what you mean by interesting) unless they zipped them and had you install an unzipper on the drive.

I think "interesting" is a matter of personal taste :) There are many reasons to allow for HDD or even SD support. "interesting" I think is towards the bottom of the list :lol:
I couldn't think of the proper word to describe it when I'm playing on the Wii. WiiFit, WiiSports, Mario Kart, and some other games just couldn't catch my fancy or hold it long enough to keep me coming back.

The only thing that seems to catch my fancy is playing old NES games on the Wii but then again I can't use game genie and play through the games in the fun ways.

[edit]I guess the more if they release shoot'em up games on the Wii that is a bit more serious like zombies *ahem* that doesn't fly to the edge when moving it towards the left or right, which was my gripe with zelda cross bow, then I would be more likely to have a greater interest in the Wii. The Wii has the ability to make for awesome shooters.

I couldn't think of the proper word to describe it when I'm playing on the Wii. WiiFit, WiiSports, Mario Kart, and some other games just couldn't catch my fancy or hold it long enough to keep me coming back.

The only thing that seems to catch my fancy is playing old NES games on the Wii but then again I can't use game genie and play through the games in the fun ways.

[edit]I guess the more if they release shoot'em up games on the Wii that is a bit more serious like zombies *ahem* that doesn't fly to the edge when moving it towards the left or right, which was my gripe with zelda cross bow, then I would be more likely to have a greater interest in the Wii. The Wii has the ability to make for awesome shooters.
ah, yeah. they shallow minigames or one-shot games. I thought you were referring to Zelda, Metroid, Galaxy, Zack and Wiki, etc. Games that I personally find very interesting. But again, it's a matter of taste. I find smash interesting, though I can see how some people just think it's random button mashing. After all, many people think all fighters are.

Microsoft had some great things like the Netflix deal...
Everything I've read states you need an Xbox live gold account and a netflix membership that allows streaming of movies, so this really is nothing imo.

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/

this comic pretty much sums up E3 08. Microsoft had some great things like the Netflix deal and a new Dashboard, where as Nintendo could not even be bothered to show off FZERO Nintendo can do what ever they want which makes me even more glad I sold the Wii seriously Wii Music and Animal Crossing, 2 Nintendo games for the rest of 2008, and everything was for little kids but I'm sure it will sell to a point where its out of stock every where Wii Speak and Wii Motion Plus driven of course by a new hardware peripheral they'll be out of stock from launch till late 09 And there will be tons of reseller here on the forums or threads of "WiiMotion Instock hurry". And poor Sony what can I say blatantly lied about PSP developer support, Movie downloads were very good but I thought Jack Trenton seemed drunk at times if he could slur his words a bit more he could be President. Basically Sony was saying we will have better games in 2009. And ending the Press Conference with a CGI video of MAG which is just a concept reminds me of what they did at E3 06 showing off KillZone 2, which won't be out till Mid 09. Don't expect to see MAG for another 2.5 years.

Yeah, E3 is there so people can see Jack Tretton...or was it about the games and the systems? I forget. Since you care what other people think, Ice Cold, Yahoo gave Sony best-of-show. http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/e3-2008/e3-2008-blogs/1227326 Yahoo may or may not be in Microsoft's pocket, but we know which side Penny Arcade's bread is buttered and they do too. :shake: I thought Microsoft's conference was weak myself. Amazing, right? :lol: Where Sony gets disparaged by some for showing stuff they're working on for the future, for the second year in a row at E3, Microsoft has shown us nothing that it's working on. So now we can get into a discussion as to the historic purpose of E3. Is it only to hype your next 8 months worth of games or is it supposed to let you in on that plus what else they've got planned?

As to demographics, have you already forgotten that Sony is the company behind the 100+ million selling Playstation2? The PS3's game library is trying to retain the diversity of the PS2's.

Everything I've read states you need an Xbox live gold account and a netflix membership that allows streaming of movies, so this really is nothing imo.

Netflix would have been great if it was their entire catalog, but when I look at my queue and how many are available for streaming.....

Netflix would have been great if it was their entire catalog, but when I look at my queue and how many are available for streaming.....

... its all old movies and only available in 480i... what's the big deal?? I have a hard time watching anything in 480i.

Netflix would have been great if it was their entire catalog, but when I look at my queue and how many are available for streaming.....

Never going to happen unless they start charging extra for the good movies. It's the same reason you have to pay to watch any of the good stuff on Comcast's On Demand service. The people behind those works want their share of the loot. The Netflix thing sounds a lot better than it actually is.

Never going to happen unless they start charging extra for the good movies. It's the same reason you have to pay to watch any of the good stuff on Comcast's On Demand service. The people behind those works want their share of the loot. The Netflix thing sounds a lot better than it actually is.

The funny thing is that I was REALLY excited about this...until I realized that I already have a PC connected to the same TV as my Xbox360 is connected to. I guess that just means that it made my PC worthless!

ah, yeah. they shallow minigames or one-shot games. I thought you were referring to Zelda, Metroid, Galaxy, Zack and Wiki, etc. Games that I personally find very interesting. But again, it's a matter of taste. I find smash interesting, though I can see how some people just think it's random button mashing. After all, many people think all fighters are.
well, roomie got the zack and wiki for 8 dollars and zelda isn't my forte in terms of RPG's. I can only take playing Super Mario only for so long before I want some other protagonist to the story as I want variety. Metroid Prime, roomie hasn't gotten that one.

I wouldn't call them shallow, but more so, to the point. Though Okami seems really tempting but I might as well get it used on the PS2 since owning a ps3.

well, roomie got the zack and wiki for 8 dollars and zelda isn't my forte in terms of RPG's. I can only take playing Super Mario only for so long before I want some other protagonist to the story as I want variety. Metroid Prime, roomie hasn't gotten that one.
lol, playing as Luigi doesn't cut it? ;) I highly recommend Metroid. Basically the adventuring of Zelda, the platforming of mario, and FPS all combined into one. Some terrific boss fights.

well, roomie got the zack and wiki for 8 dollars and zelda isn't my forte in terms of RPG's. I can only take playing Super Mario only for so long before I want some other protagonist to the story as I want variety. Metroid Prime, roomie hasn't gotten that one.

I wouldn't call them shallow, but more so, to the point. Though Okami seems really tempting but I might as well get it used on the PS2 since owning a ps3.

If you don't like Zelda don't bother with Okami. It's similar concept and game play. Pick up power up at each dungeon and use it on the boss.

lol, playing as Luigi doesn't cut it? ;) I highly recommend Metroid. Basically the adventuring of Zelda, the platforming of mario, and FPS all combined into one. Some terrific boss fights.
Its a shame they didn't pan Luigi out as much as they did Shadow in the Sonic Series.
In the Shadow Moses Island stage [of super smash brothers], Colonel Roy Campbell of the Metal Gear series refers to Luigi as the "king of second bananas" and mocks that he has pale skin from being in Mario's shadow for too long. I found that quite funny and personally the best scene.
If you don't like Zelda don't bother with Okami. It's similar concept and game play. Pick up power up at each dungeon and use it on the boss.It wasn't that I didn't like that concept it was just playing as link that I couldn't get past. I don't own the Wii or any of the games as it's the roomie's Wii and his games.

It wasn't that I didn't like that concept it was just playing as link that I couldn't get past. I don't own the Wii or any of the games as it's the roomie's Wii and his games.
What you can't stand playing as Peter Pan look alike in green tunic and tights ?

E3 hands-on: Left 4 Dead

The zombie apocalypse is not funny. Modern civilization crumbles, your friends are eaten alive and those with a pulse are forced to adopt a rather rigorous and unrelenting exercise program, one largely motivated by the desire to stay alive. Shakily counting out your precious remaining bullets and praying that the snarling, undead legion won't find you huddling beneath a desk is hardly a situation worthy of a chuckle. It certainly isn't the basis for a fun party game.

"It is a fun party game, in a way," remarks Valve's Chet Faliszek.

The fun party game in question, of course, is Left 4 Dead, a team-based shooter that actually makes Armageddon amusing. Don't get us wrong -- horrible, horrible things are happening to you and three friends. You're all fighting for your lives, living from room-to-room as you aggressively expend ammo, rummage for medical supplies and desperately try not to shoot each other in the back. Good times!

This strange combination of fun and misery, of horror and laughter is ultimately what makes Left 4 Dead such an enjoyable shooter. The urban setting is familiar and the shoot-everything-that-moves gameplay isn't particularly deep, but there's a real sense of camaraderie and playfulness -- even between complete E3 strangers -- that emerges, even if it is largely motivated by your own selfish desire to not die.

"...Left 4 Dead manages to turn the thrill of survival-horror gameplay into a cool, shared experience."

The infected enemies that run, leap and crawl through the environments are tenacious and overwhelming when faced alone, so it's in your best interests to pay attention to the rest of the survivors. Where are they? Check for the green silhouettes that appear as soon as the characters are obstructed from view. Do they need help? Knock hunter zombies off them with the melee attack, or protect them when their vision is obscured by a stream of nauseating vomit. Oh, yes, expect to see this hilarious message more than once: "Friend vomited on -- defend them!"

It doesn't take long before the shotgun blasts are drowned out by fits of "did you see that?" giggling, shouts of crucial advice -- "It's behind you!" -- and castigation for people running too far ahead of the party. "You should heal yourself," you might advise a visibly limping team mate. You're not doing it because you're nice, mind you, but because slow characters are a terrible liability. Remember, a dead team mate means less firepower!

"It doesn't take long before the shotgun blasts are drowned out by shouts of crucial advice..."
Another thing Left 4 Dead gets absolutely right is pacing. Fighting off a constant stream of creatures can quickly become exhausting (just like real life!), so it's just as well that the action is frequently punctuated by safe rooms. Filled with ammo, medical supplies and glorious silence, these areas signal the end of each map and give players a chance to catch a break. "People love to prepare," says Faliszek, pointing out the room's wealth of weaponry and its clearly marked exit. There's little doubt as to what will happen as soon as you barge out of your temporary haven -- but you'll be ready.

It's a great roller coaster ride, one that is best experienced with friends. That way, you can hear them taking a deep breath as you climb up the track, and let out an ear-piercing scream as you plunge down again. Though its central mechanics and presentation may not stand out in a single-player game, Left 4 Dead manages to turn the thrill of survival-horror gameplay into a cool, shared experience. Even the apocalypse is fun with friends.

Left 4 Dead is out on November 4th for Xbox 360 and PC.

E3 eyes-on: Bayonetta (Xbox 360/PS3)

Platinum Games has a very tiny room located in the back of Sega's closed door area. Within this tiny room is a mountain of gaming goodness, as the former Clover folks had two very solid titles to show off. The first game we got to check out is PS3 and Xbox 360 action adventure title, Bayonetta.

In Bayonetta, you hack and slash tons of baddies much in the same manner as Dante, the hero of the Devil May Cry series, but instead of playing as a pretty boy with white hair, you're charged with taking up the struggle of a witch dressed in black called Bayonetta. We couldn't pry much info about her from the Platinum Games folks, but we did gather from the demo they played in front of us that she is very voluptuous. That, and she kicks a whole bunch of ass.

The demo took place in an outdoor courtyard setting, with plenty of combat and Halo collecting. No, not the master of chiefs, the kind that angels have above their head. In defeating the many evil things populating this level, she gathers Halos, which then allow her to beef up her abilities. And, her abilities, are really where it's at.

"She pulled a guillotine out of the ether, placed a monster within it and ... Well, you know the rest."

Aside from normal melee attacks and firing her dual pistols, she can also summon things to help her dispatch enemies. She's able to conjure up gigantic fists and feet, mid-combo, to perform a powerful attack that sends those evil jerks reeling. Also, she has the very cool ability to summon specific instruments as fatalities. For example, during the play session, following a combo, she pulled a guillotine out of the ether, placed a monster within it and ... well, you know what happens then. We also witnessed a very cool iron maiden maneuver.

The demo then brought the title's heroine to a boss fight, which was a gigantic hulking beast that stood on two feet. Upon laying into it with pistols and melee attacks, a final death animation was triggered where a huge black dragon emerged and bit the colossus in the face. Good stuff, to say the least.

We should also mention the game's visuals. The frame rate was consistent and the title was incredibly fast, loading crisp textures and handling the multiple enemies on the screen with ease. All around, we found ourselves to be incredibly impressed with Platinum Games' Bayonetta.

E3 eyes-on: MadWorld (Wii)

Upon walking into the tiny room Sega had Platinum Games crammed into in their closed-door section of the E3 floor, we thought that Bayonetta would be the only title on-hand. Then, our wildest dreams came true and we were graced with what is sure to be a day one purchase for us: Wii title MadWorld.

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/07/madworld-snap490.jpg

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/05/madworld-002.jpg

We're not kidding. You'll want to buy this game.

I liked the story of Eternal Sonata. It's a typical JRPG, so the it goes wacky at the end and parts in between.

man I really hope they release a trailer for MadWorld.. :drool:

character in the picture kinda looks like the Gears of War guy

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E3 08: Reggie baffled by outcry over conference

So it seems a good portion of the internets didn't like Nintendo's E3 2008 press conference, with many accusing the company of forgetting "core" gamers, whoever they're supposed to be. The negative response from the online community quickly got back to bossman Reggie Fils-Aime, who immediately announced a new Zelda game admitted that he couldn't understand the fuss.

As Sir Reginald of Fils-Aime sees it, Animal Crossing: City Folk on the Wii ("the Animal Crossing that people wanted") and Grand Theft Auto on the DS are exactly the kind of thing "core" gamers would want, and reminded us that the Mario and Zelda folks were hard at work. "How could you feel left out?" he exclaimed to G4.

Over to you, good reader.

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E3 08: Metallica DLC in Wii Guitar Hero World Tour, MIDI drums compatible

Hot Guitar Hero: World Tour news out of Activision's press conference: Metallica songs will be featured as DLC in all three versions of the game. The Wii version is one of those versions! We like hearing anything that lends credence to the idea that GH World Tour will have DLC on the Wii. Could this replace the rumored Guitar Hero: Metallica?

We admit to not really understanding the next bit, but apparently the drum kit will have some kind of MIDI port for the use of any MIDI drum machine in song creation mode. That sounds pretty serious! Although anyone with a drum machine probably has methods of music creation outside of Guitar Hero.

Check their liveblog transcript for lots of exciting chat about Guitar Hero!

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E3 08: Miyamoto says DS and Wii Zelda teams collaborating

As if the prospect of a new Legend of Zelda game isn't good enough, Miyamoto mentioned to IGN that not only are the regular old Zelda team hard at work on a Wii entry, but that the folks behind the DS title The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass are also pitching in. "The Zelda team in particular always works on Zelda titles. The core members of the Zelda team have for a very long time now been focused on Zelda games, and continue to focus on Zelda games, so they are hard at work and working away," Miyamoto commented to IGN. "And then, of course, we have the DS Zelda team as well, so even there we're having some switching of people in and out where the DS team is mixing in with the Wii team and working on the Wii version."

As you can imagine, our mind is racing at the prospect of a new Zelda game. One that combines the best of the console titles and handheld entry, creating a new Zelda that is so appealing that to be without it would surely end in your death.

source (http://wii.ign.com/articles/890/890200p1.html)

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.nintendowiifanboy.com/media/2008/07/96202_drw1_122_507lo4838727272345.jpg

The adventures of photojournalist Frank West have taken him into one of the darkest, filthiest, most vile and disgusting cesspools of scum and villainy in human history -- the Xbox 360 (zzzzzing!). Now it appears he is branching out to the sunny shores of Nintendo, as Dead Rising for the Wii has been revealed in the latest Famitsu! Happy day for humans, bad day for zombies.

Dead Rising was Capcom's fresh foray into the survival horror genre, after spending years on the same Resident Evil formula. It was critically acclaimed and a blast to play, despite being criticized for awkward saving mechanics and time constraints. Based on the success of RE4: Wii Edition, Capcom went ahead and pulled Dead Rising up from the grave. And we're glad they did.

According to some brief translations, new content in the Wii port includes extra weapons, a brand new (undoubtedly psychotic) boss and motion-controlled attacks. The graphics will look as close as possible to the 360 version, and the gameplay purportedly takes into consideration the needs of casual players. Could this mean a more streamlined save system for ease of use? Possibly.

Enter here (http://wiieveryday.blogspot.com/2008/07/famitsu-20080718.html) (if you dare) for the full range of Dead Rising scans.

E3 hands-on: Age of Booty

Tragically, Age of Booty may receive our second-annual award for "worst game title," but this should not at all reflect on the game's quality. Once known as Plunder, Age of Booty is a name change and not much else from the game we've had a positive hands-on experience with in the past.

Age of Booty is an RTS action/European board game expected sometime this fall and the title already feels incredibly polished. It will release with a fairly robust map editor to create and share user-generated content for the game on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. Yeah, but in this age of microtransaction shenanigans, where's the catch? We were informed that DLC for the game will actually involve legitimate expansion content. As a Capcom representative informed us, "We're not going to nickle and dime with this game."

It's a good thing too, because developer Certain Affinity has a good thing going with Age of Booty that is difficult to explain; however, after trying it, it'll be hard to put it down. We can't wait to see if playing 8 player games online in teams (or solo) is a casually intense experience or just a frustrating clusterfrack.

As explained in our previous hands-on, the game is about collecting items by sailing over them with a pirate ship on a hexagonal board, upgrading the ship with the items received, taking over strategic points to upgrade the ship and maintaining a certain number of nodes to win the game. The game can be set up on many pre-installed map variations as a free-for-all or team match.

The other interesting thing is that there won't be ranked matches. Usually we frown on this because it means that there isn't a "set" mode for an even playing field online. Capcom tells us that they want users to play this game with friends they actually enjoy playing with and that if they go into the Wild West of random matchmaking, that the host has the ability to boot any offending players.

We also asked about lag, a significant issue with even some of the most basic XBLA games. Capcom tells us that the developers at Certain Affinity were some of the same folks behind Halo 3's multiplayer. We've been assured that online lag will not be an issue when the game ships.

Our time with Age of Booty was very enjoyable and we really wanted to have more time and invite some friends to play. There appears to be a lot of depth in something that is being touted as a "casual" title. This game could be a treasure worth spending your hard-earned booty on when it ships this fall. We'll let you know what date to mark with an X when we hear of a release date.

E3 hands-on: Age of Booty
I totally thought this was the downloadable ratchet and clank game and was increasingly more confused as I read.

Age of Booty, Quest for Booty... I'm starting to think some gamers must have some butt fetish.

Age of Booty, Quest for Booty... I'm starting to think some gamers must have some butt fetish.
bubba sparxxx would be proud.

What you can't stand playing as Peter Pan look alike in green tunic and tights ?
I have to say, that made me think of Michael Jackson somehow.

I never did like peter pan, something about a guy climbing into the windows of children at night looking to have an adventure with them doesn't seem to make me feel.... oh... I don't know.... excited?

Yes I know that entire statement could be easily misinterpreted but what if....

I have to say, that made me think of Michael Jackson somehow.

I never did like peter pan, something about a guy climbing into the windows of children at night looking to have an adventure with them doesn't seem to make me feel.... oh... I don't know.... excited?

Yes I know that entire statement could be easily misinterpreted but what if....
Onstage, peter pan was usually played by a woman. If that makes you feel any better :)

Anybody who hasn't seen the new Fallout 3 E3 Trailer (http://ps3.ign.com/dor/objects/901269/fallout-3/videos/fallout3_security_071408.html), check it out. This is by far my favorite E3 thing so far. I may actually be hyped for this now. Or better yet, download the HD version on PSN (or Live if they have it.)

Anybody who hasn't seen the new Fallout 3 E3 Trailer (http://ps3.ign.com/dor/objects/901269/fallout-3/videos/fallout3_security_071408.html), check it out. This is by far my favorite E3 thing so far. I may actually be hyped for this now. Or better yet, download the HD version on PSN (or Live if they have it.)

Yeah, XBL put it live last night.. or shortly after the E3

Hands On: Left 4 Dead

We'll come out and say this: Valve's Left 4 Dead impressed the hell out of us. We were not expecting its co-op focused gameplay to be so addictive, intense and so mind-blowingly zombie'riffic. From the game's look to the presentation all the way through experiencing the affects of zombie vomit, we enjoyed our Left 4 Dead ride. Admittedly though, we should make it clear that we only received hands on time with the PC version (mouse and keyboard FTL!), but were told that the 360 version will be nigh identical. Enough setup, let's get to the impressions. Read on to get the Left 4 Dead impressions dish.

Jumping right into it, we (four player co-op!) began our Left 4 Dead experience with the general mission to escape to some sort of hospital location. Sounds innocent enough. But then, right off the get go, the zombie killing mayhem started. You begin your living dead adventure in a room called a "Safe House" which acts as the game's method of saving progress and determining where each "level" begins. Inside the Safe House, you'll also stock up on health packs, ammunition and new weapon assortments. Anyway, the zombie interaction begins with your first step out of the Safe House doors. The best way to explain or describe the zombies and their movements themselves would be by categorizing them as 28 Days Later-style zombies. At first they'll wander about, mindlessly walking the alleyways until they spot you. When spotted, you must shoot. Shoot fast, shoot accurately (team killing is enabled by default) and shoot often, because these zombies will all out sprint directly towards you with no fear and one simple mission. They want your blood. Interesting too is the nice variety of zombie enemies, including zombies of all gender, ones that have lizard tongues, some looked hopped up on steroids and, our personal favorite, the chunky wobbler zombie. He likes to throw up on you. It's gross.

When it comes to dealing with an influx of zombies, you'll soon realize that Valve's "director system" makes the gameplay unpredictable and tense. One moment you and your co-op buddies will be managing the zombie onslaught, then suddenly a stampede of thirty bum rush you from behind in an attempt to eat your ear or leg. And this is where the co-op gameplay really shines. You'll need the assistance of your crew for everything, from watching your back to being able to give a quick revive to sharing a health pack. Knowing this, Valve added a feature to view your partners' character outline no matter if they're in sight, behind a wall or downstairs, you'll know where they are And trust us, you'll want to know where your friends are to help with the fifty plus zombies who'll rush towards your position. The most amazing display of Valve's smartly controlled zombie system was apparent when traversing across the metal roof of an old warehouse. Looking down onto the loading dock, we saw the streets full of zombies descending on our location, leaping up at the roof's ledge in hopes of climbing up, falling over eachother and even climbing up on top of a semi trailer to get a height advantage. They'd even climb up eachother's bodies in a mock zombie-ladder to try to get to us. It was one of the most epic and thrilling displays of pure action-horror-suspense we've ever experienced.

With a robust engine, a large selection of weapons, various multiplayer modes, polished controls and its gorgeous presentation, Left 4 Dead is something very, very special. We don't ever remember specifically asking for a zombie survival co-op gaming experience, but we're glad Valve anticipated the need. We want more Left 4 Dead and we want it now.

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E3 08: Warhammer: Battle March is dark, moody

Making its way to the Xbox 360 for the first time is the famed Warhammer series. Warhammer: Battle March, from Namco Bandai, is a real-time strategy game set in the Warhammer universe. Battle March on the Xbox 360 includes the original PC released Warhammer: Mark of Chaos, in addition to the upcoming Battle March expansion pack. Warhammer: Battle March includes a single-player campaign and skirmish modes and online support for up to 4 players and the game has ditched resources in favor of keeping it action oriented for console gamers.

source (http://www.viddler.com/explore/X3F-TV/videos/56/0.668/)

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E3 08: FFXIII team will find ways to compress and not 'affect the final product'

In a round-table discussion regarding its E3 announcements, Square Enix was asked the inevitable question of disc storage space for the Xbox 360 and how it will affect the final product versus the PlayStation 3 release. Final Fantasy XIII producer Yoshinori Kitase didn't have a definitive answer but his response is sure to both cool and fuel flame war fires.

EGM editor-in-chief James Mielke asked Kitase, "Will there be any compromises made to the Xbox 360 version in terms of the FMV quality or audio quality?"

Kitase cooly responded, "At this point, nothing's really been decided; that will be a process that takes place in the future, but for the difference between the hardware, we'll work on trying to find ways to compress the prerendered movies and voice that take up a lot of data in ways that don't affect the final product. As for the in-game visuals, we're going to look for ways to ensure that the quality remains the same between the two versions.

Here's a question readers. If it had to be on multiple discs would it matter? Seems like the same amount of hassle compared to being forced to install a game. Just saying.

source (http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3168776)

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E3 08: Dashboard with themes, downloads and launch area

Major Nelson just added a trio of images to his flickr account outlining examples of how the new dashboard redesign will retrofit existing Xbox 360 themes, a more detailed download page for content on the Xbox Live Marketplace and an example of a game specific launch page. Microsoft has promised the new dashboard will still allow themes -- as seen in the image above -- and we anticipate the photo will change based on the area of the dashboard you visit.

For images, and an analysis of the images for downloads and specific titles jump in.


The new download area for content is completely overhauled with the ability to add more information regarding the download for a specific game. Scrolling through each piece of content displays the window of information, reducing the amount of button presses it takes to jump into purchasing or learning more. We'd hope the new design would allow for a full display of gamer pictures, but with the new Avatar system we doubt it's a focus.


The game specific launch center adds everything from access to (what we expect are) streaming trailers, screenshots and description of the game selected. Demo download and launch appears to be included in the game specific page and the Play Now function could be an option made available when a game is inserted or added to the harddrive, or always displayed and will outline the steps needed to be taken to play. You know. Put the game in somehow.

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.xbox360fanboy.com/media/2008/07/dashwiththeme-1.jpg

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.xbox360fanboy.com/media/2008/07/downloadnewdash-1.jpg

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.xbox360fanboy.com/media/2008/07/playnowviva-1.jpg

E3 hands-on: Fable 2

I should come right out and say that I'm probably not going to be giving you the most objective view on Fable 2. I know, exactly what you wanted to hear, right? I'm sorry in advance, but I'm a big fan of Fable, and that's the viewpoint I'm coming from.

To that end, I should open by saying this: If you too are a fan of Fable, you need read no further, though I know you will. Judging from the build I played, it's more of the stuff you love with richer combat and ... well, you're just going to adore it. Promise. But not everybody played Fable. In fact, there are a sad few that played it and didn't even like it. It's for them that I'm soldiering on.

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/05/mgdfablecon03.jpg

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/05/mgdfablecon02.jpg

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/05/mgdfableart03.jpg

I started playing as a child, my sister in tow, with only a wooden sword to defend us as we traveled around a village and ran a few odd jobs. I should mention that there was quite the cacophony of activity at Microsoft's party and without headphones I normally only had a vague idea of what was going on from a narrative perspective.

As a result, the first thing I noticed about the game was how much was communicated by the animations of the NPCs. At the end of my childhood demo I met a character who I could tell was a villain just from the sinister way he lurched around the room. Crowd scenes looked great too, with enough animation variety to make the city's denizens seem quite lifelike.

What wasn't so great was the technical quality of the graphics themselves. Though really pleasing from an artistic point-of-view, buildings and characters were often harshly jaggy in spots and some of the particle effects are just plain ugly. My hope is that these issues will be fixed before release, but with just a few months to go I'm a little unsure.

What players will likely notice first though is the sparkling bread crumb trail that leads you from objective to objective. In the demo, the brightness on the trail was cranked to full, and it was constantly drawing my eye away from the action. I was comforted to learn that the trail's relative brightness would be dynamic, glowing when it was followed and fading when you are off the trail.

After my all-too-brief childhood came to an end I jumped ship for an adjacent seat in the demo area and got into some adult combat.

When it was first presented to us, Fable 2's one-button battling seemed like a way to pull off really complicated maneuvers with simple inputs. Using one button for attacks (tap), blocking (hold) and flourishes (hold with a direction) is smart, but in practice in the chunk I saw it simply made sword fighting feel simplistic. I'm hoping that things will change in indoor environments, but what I saw was pretty far from a revolutionary step forward. It felt like a brawler.

What was surprisingly good was the firearm combat. Tapping the Y button shot from the hip, while holding it in allowed you to target, which I understand is a skill you have to procure. Guns feel powerfully satisfying, especially against some of the stringy zombies we were battling. Swordplay is functional, but I'd bet you'll spend a surprising amount of time using guns.

Magic has also been retooled from the original game. Tapping a button allows you to use an area of effect spell of your choice, while pressing it with a direction fires a projectile. You can also charge the button, which fills a meter through five levels of intensity as you hold it in. What spell is at which level is entirely up to you, so you could quick tap to use a fire bolt, hold it in for a second to use a level 2 ice spell, for two seconds to use a level 3 force push and so on. It's a really smart way of making you feel like you have a wide variety of different abilities at your disposal.

Speaking as a Fable fan, I left really pleased. It's not a quantum shift, but it's absolutely been refined for the better. My hope is that some of the graphical issues can be dealt with, and the game can become an experience that anyone, even non-Fable fans will be able to get on board with.

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/02/fable-gdc-006.jpg

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/05/mgdfable05.jpg

Texas Gov. Rick Perry: For developers, everything's better in Texas

If we had to summarize thismorning's E keynote speech by Texas Governor Rick Perry in three words, it would be "Texas is awesome." If we had a few more words, we'd say "Texas is awesome, and so is the game industry."

After a short introductory video featuring a few Texan developers (including Warren Spector), Perry launched into a laundry list of the business virtues for the Lone Star state, including a legal system low on frivolous lawsuits, an income-tax free revenue structure that "lets workers keep their wages" and a "sensible regulatory environment," whatever that means. Texas also has more Fortune 500 companies than any other state, making it an economic powerhouse.

"The weather is hot, the barbecue is hot, the music is hot, and we want to see the game industry even hotter," Perry said, gushing about the 2,800 new jobs created by 22 Texas game development companies (the third highest concentration in America, but Perry is "gunning for No. 1"). The governor lost us a bit when he said the industry average salary of $63,000 a year "may seem like pocket change to those of you here from California or Washington," Personally, we'd love to make that kind of scratch.

Perry also cited the game industry as a potential cure for the negative trends in the economy. "You all get it when it comes to the issue of competitiveness," he said. "You harness the creative power of nearly 80,000 people and connect to consumers at the heart level, building a community based on shared interest and creating jobs faster than just about any other industry out there."

Since this is an ESA keynote, it was perhaps not too surprising when Perry went to great lengths to dispel negative stereotypes about gamers. "Those who think gamers are just a bunch of pale teenagers sitting in a basement casting spells and indulging in adolescent fantasies don't really know this industry," he said. "They'd be stunned to hear the average age for gamers is approaching 35 and that best selling games are rated E." While acknowledging the influence of violent first-person shooters, Perry also exhorted the industry for including "families taking up Wii Tennis, children mocking their parents score on Brain Age" and games that help soldiers recover from injuries and doctors practice their craft.

But most of all, Perry was effusive about the artistic merits of the medium. "Virtual reality resembles actual reality more every day [and] your ability to influence the world increases at the same pace," he said. Perry went on to call games "a medium whose potential I think is only beginning to be tapped. ... Games convey a view of the distant future, your industry has a work ethic, business model, and embrace of new ideas that the rest of our nation would be wise to consider. I congratulate you on your success and applaud your creativity."

IS it me or news on game publisher seem to be lackluster? The whole E3 now seem to stage around three console and that's it. I haven't hear too much news from game publisher themselves and their roadmap. It's rather disturbing I am not hearing more news about games.

IS it me or news on game publisher seem to be lackluster? The whole E3 now seem to stage around three console and that's it. I haven't hear too much news from game publisher themselves and their roadmap. It's rather disturbing I am not hearing more news about games.

I feel like game publishers focus more on that other show.... damn it, i can't think of the name right now but it's the biggest one

I feel like game publishers focus more on that other show.... damn it, i can't think of the name right now but it's the biggest one
leipzig? TGS?

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6194240.html?
When Texas Governor Rick Perry was named the keynote speaker for the 2008 E3 Media & Business Summit, the organizing Entertainment Software Association stated that the match was "especially timely given the high concentration of entertainment software developers and publishers in Texas as well as the state's long-standing support of our industry."

Judging from the attendance at the E3 keynote address, event-goers may not have agreed wholeheartedly with the choice of Perry. In a ballroom with seating for more than 1,000, audience members numbered in the single digits just 15 minutes before the session's scheduled 9:15 a.m. commencement. When the appointed time arrived, there were just over two dozen attendees spread thinly throughout the room.

The dearth of listeners to hear Perry talk may have been partly due to Activision Blizzard's unofficial E3 press event the night before, a marathon affair that featured a fair bit of sponsored revelry. Another factor might have been a statement from the governor that ran on the San Antonio Express-News' Web site the day before. In that missive, Perry laid out what he would say in his keynote to the movers and shakers of the gaming industry (a couple dozen of them, anyway).

"The answer is simple," Perry wrote. "I want those leaders to hear about everything Texas has to offer their companies."

Entertainment Software Association president Michael Gallagher warmed the crowd up with a bit of biographical background on Perry, then introduced a video clip featuring some of the biggest names in Texas' game development community: Junction Point Studios head Warren Spector, BioWare's Gordon Walton and Rich Vogel, and NCsoft's Starr Long. The four developers talked about the reasons to make games in Texas, from the talent pool to the cost of living and lack of income tax.

"I think they need to know that Texas rocks," Walton explained. "Texas is a great place to make games."

Long finished the clip by introducing Perry, who first thanked the organizers for inviting him and said it was a pleasure to be around so many people who "get it."

One of the things gamers instinctively understand, according to Perry, is the benefit of competition, whether it's battling the Covenant in Halo or smoking your friends at Mario Kart. Competition makes society stronger, he said, and even when people come out on the losing end, they pick themselves up and try again. That mentality is familiar to gamers, he said, who can just respawn after falling short of their goals.

Perry also said gamers get the concept of a global economy, that there are opportunities in that. Whether it's competing in games against players from other countries, keeping games secret to avoid other companies stealing ideas, or pulling all-nighters at the office during crunch time, Perry said gamers and game creators do these things because they're inherently competitive. That spirit has thrived in the Texas development community, he said, from Origin Systems to BioWare to NCsoft to Junction Point.

The key bottom line is that competition leads to job creation, Perry said, adding that jobs that come from competition are more stable than those created by social programs. He noted that Texas is the third-biggest game-producing state, "but I'm gunning to be number one."

While he noted that Texas has some incentives for game developers who spend money in-state, Perry said he'll push legislators to sweeten those in the next year. He added that he wants to expand on the educational system for game development in the state, pointing specifically to the Guild Hall at SMU.

Perry touted a judicial system that keeps employers and doctors working instead of defending frivolous lawsuits, and emphasized the cost of living that allowed workers to get by on less. He also talked about a regulatory atmosphere that allowed companies to go about their business.

Pointing to the home loan crisis and skyrocketing oil prices, Perry said some of the answers can be found in the competitiveness of the game industry. The game industry is built on shared interests, Perry said, and manages to create jobs faster than just about any other field.

Taking a page straight from the ESA's fast facts book, Perry talked about the expanding game audiences, from children to parents. He mentioned that wounded soldiers in a San Antonio hospital are using Guitar Hero and other games to help get their dexterity back.

"There are fascinating things going on in your industry that not enough Americans--that not enough people around the world--know about that," Perry said.

He added the industry is in a constant state of evolution, "and yes, for all you bloggers out there, I used the 'E'-word."

Perry then laid down a challenge to the audience and the industry, asking what they could do to use the power of the medium to make the world a better place to live or make a difference. He asked if the next game to be made would save a life, prepare soldiers for the challenges of a peacekeeping role, teach an abusive parent about proper disciplinary options, or teach the next generation.

The game industry represents a work ethic, a business model, and an embracing of new ideas that would fit well in Texas, Perry said. He closed out his presentation by inviting the crowd one more time to come to Texas. But instead of recapping the economic incentives, cost of living, and other business benefits, he instead appealed to simpler enticements, namely the state's BBQ, weather, and music.
::lmao: Another reason why E3/ESA is going down the drain

leipzig? TGS?

the Toyko Game Show!

thanks.

it's public for 2 days (and 2 days for industry only) which is focused more on consumers rather than the industry and investors.

.................................................. ...................

Everything's bigger in Texas....including the butt kissing.

the Toyko Game Show!

thanks.

it's public for 2 days (and 2 days for industry only) which is focused more on consumers rather than the industry and investors.

Unfortunately that's in October..kind of late in the game to talk about game that's going to be release in Fall/Winter '08

Metroid Prime 3 (Wii)
:confused: Are we in a time warp?

Midway at E3: Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/07/image007.jpg

Scorpion vs. Batman. Catwoman vs. Subzero. These aren't exactly matchups players have always dreamed of, but Midway is going to do their best to cram two disparate universes into one with Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, the very first Mortal Kombat game on the next-gen systems. Here at E3, Joystiq got to sit down with Brian Lebaron, senior designer for the game, and we talked about why it's OK to set the Flash on fire, why Bizarro probably won't be in the game, and what Midway is doing to Toasty uppercut the fighting genre.

After the break, find our hands on with the game, as well as details from our chat with Lebaron. When MK vs. DC comes out, you'll finally be able to find out whether Liu Kang's kicks can catch the Flash in the jaw.

The game looks really nice so far, but "so far" is the operative phrase there -- the game is far from done. There are only six fighters in the game we played: Flash, Superman and Batman represent the comic book side, while Scorpion, Sub-zero, and Sonya are in from the MK series. Catwoman, Sheng Tsung, Captain Marvel, and Liu Kang have been announced as well, but Lebaron told us that Midway probably won't have your favorite character Zatanna in the game -- he says they're sticking pretty mainstream with their character choices for now. And unfortunately, they don't have full access to the DC Universe. "We can't do Bizarro as an alternate costume to Superman," he said as an example, "there are licensing things to deal with." But the benefit there is that by sticking to the mainstream DC superheroes, they can make sure to get all the standard moves in there, and a few more.

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/07/image002.jpg

Case in point: Batman has a few different batarang actions -- he can either just wing one at his opponent, or actually toss it upwards off the screen, at which point it hits Subzero in the back, and pulls him in closer to Bats to start up a combo. And Mortal Kombat veterans will even find some familiar moves mixed in with the superheroes' new arsenal -- Batman has a smoke pellet teleport that's old school for MK (fall off the bottom of the screen, fall back from the top on the opponent's other side), while Flash can do the Scorpion teleport -- jump off the back of the screen, and dash around to the other side. The move sets we saw weren't anywhere near finished, but we did see an interesting mix of MK with DC.

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And Midway has really innovated in a few places, most notably during throws and stage transitions (where you knock someone off one part of the stage and into another). In the past, these two experiences have been pretty passive for whoever's getting thrown or knocked away, but Midway has put in a fun counter system to break things up. Whenever you throw someone, the screen zooms in a bit and slows down, and down in the corners, you can actually see what your opponent is pressing to attack. This makes it much easier for the opposing player to counter in the middle of the action, if they know what each button counters and how to time it exactly right.

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Stage transitions have the same element, with an added bonus: there's a "super meter" that builds up while fighting, and when a counter is done, your opponent can actually steal your super meter power. So there's a balance between fighting to build the super meter, and using that power before your opponent is able to counter the attack and steal the momentum. Both of those innovations definitely make what was previously a cutscene into something much more interesting.

They're also squeezing combos into the regular gameplay, as another fighting game has done -- the game will feature moves that can be "upgraded" with really tough timed button presses, i.e. hitting X in the middle of a combo at exactly the right time. Lebaron says that "even perfect players won't be able to hit it all the time."

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And the other challenge Midway is facing is walking the line between treating DC superheroes like superheroes, and being as brutal as Mortal Kombat is known to be. The most well-known collision so far is the Fatalities -- as most Batman fans know, he's not much for the killing, so while seeing him stripping the spine out of someone might be cool, it's not exactly in character for the guy. Lebaron confirmed what we've heard before: that certain superheroes will perform "Brutalities" ("They might not end up being called that," says Lebaron), and severely maim opponents instead of outright killing them.

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For their part, Lebaron did say that Midway is trying to push the line as much as possible, both with DC and with the ESRB (the game is set to be rated T): he showed us a Scorpion fatality against the Flash where Bart Allen (at least we saw him as Bart Allen -- when we asked Lebaron which Flash he was, Midway said they weren't choosing a certain one) fell to the ground, his costume and skin charred and burned. Lebaron said that death animation was already approved by DC, and that in the future, if DC or the ESRB has a problem with something they come up with, they'll take it back out and try it again, rather than just removing animations from the game. Villians will have fatalities for sure -- Lebaron confirmed that Catwoman, among other villains, will be killing their opponents.

The version we played was very early, but Lebaron told us that right before E3, the game went into quality assurance mode, so progress is being made (he did say that they're still tweaking the moves -- we overheard Lebaron say to someone else that the Xbox 360's D-pad was giving them problems). Online modes are "what you'd expect in a fighting game," so Superman will be able to beat up Johnny Cage from anywhere in the world. We also asked about DLC, and Lebaron said Midway would like to do it -- "add characters into the game that we didn't add for five bucks or something like that," but that they didn't have any plans yet.

All in all, MK vs. DC is shaping up pretty well -- it's headed for a release later this year, and fans of both Mortal Kombat and DC will probably find some good fun in it.

:confused: Are we in a time warp?

I was wondering that too... Eddie isn't that from the previous E3? :lol:

I was wondering that too... Eddie isn't that from the previous E3? :lol:

I was going to say...are they re-releasing Metroid Prime 3? :lol:

lol yeah sorry guys not sure how that got in there :hide:

:confused: Are we in a time warp?

Oh good, i wasnt imagining something being wrong with the article

Midway at E3: Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/07/image007.jpg
huh -- pro-combos (as I believe they're going to be called) are so tough they won't be able to be activated even if you put a lot of time into practicing the timing? Sounds frustrating to me. Daigo would not approve.

E3 08: Project Origin trailer

The Xbox Live Marketplace videos keep rolling in. This new trailer for Project Origin showcases a few things, namely: chills, thrills and kills. Alma is back in the non-FEAR named sequel to FEAR. Immediately the game looks amazing, it looks like ol' Monolith found the smoothing button on their graphics engine! Seriously though, prior to watching this trailer we just shrugged at a chance to play Project Origin -- but now that it looks this good we will need to check it out!

source (http://www.viddler.com/explore/X3F-TV/videos/57/)

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E3 08: Bungie responds to 'hoax' speculation

Bungie.net has been updated. No, nothing was announced. That was canceled, but the update has come in the form of a quick-n-dirty Q&A regarding the situation. Responding specifically to internet claims that Bungie was masterminding a plot to trick fans only to later reveal an 'OMG-megaton,' Bungie's Luke Smith posted an update today -- and please, really listen.

"As much as fans wanted to believe otherwise, this is in fact, the truth and not a cruel hoax or prank. E3 is winding down and there are no plans to make a surprise announcement later this week," Smith wrote.

Smith does assure fans that everyone at Bungie is aware of their disappointment and even share in it as "a metric ton" of work was done to create and showcase something special at 7:07am this morning. Smith also does well by the community by answering some of the more controversial questions later last night.

Smith revealed that Bungie learned of the postponement near 7pm and for the sake of tradition timed the release that that time. The splash image was not removed for people who were not online during the situation and went to Bungie the next morning looking for details. Finally, Luke Smith assured fans that former tester Harold Ryan is the current president of Bungie LLC.

source (http://www.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&cid=14782)

live at Konami E308 press conference

2:39PM PST: As is the standard procedure for attending an E3 press conference, we're currently waiting in line for Konami's E3 2008 event. Keep an eye on this post and brace yourself for unimaginable megatons and/or insipid fizzles!

2:41PM PST: We've taken our seats! Jay Boor, Konami's head PR guy welcomes us. Here we go!

2:43PM: Anthony Crauz, vice-pres of Konami's marketing welcomes us too and expresses his pleasure with the success of Metal Gear Solid 4. "Thank you very much for your support!" He also thanks SCEA for their support in developing the game. The "Gene" expansion is mentioned for Metal Gear Online -- it's coming July 17th complete with new maps and characters.

2:45PM: There's a MGO worldwide tournament planned, beginning in Japan sometime in the future. There's also a tournament planned at the upcoming Comic-Con, so be prepared to polish up those online sneaking skills.

2:46PM: Rock Revolution will be the official video game for Linkin Park's upcoming tour. Other horror news: Silent Hill: Homecoming will be demonstrated "in detail" for us later in the conference. Some "exclusive footage" is promised. Yay! Also, EEK!

2:48PM: Koji Igarashi is up next, here to show some highlights of Castlevania Judgment and the DS' Order of Ecclesia.


2:49PM: The Castlevania producers marhces onto the stage and introduces himself. He says he's a little nervous -- we would be too if we had to explain the reasoning behind Judgment. First up, a trailer of Order of Ecclessia. Commence the 2D Castlevania goodness.

2:51PM: We see the game's stylish heroine casting spells and generally inflicting pain on every one of Dracula's dimwitted denizens. The game's sprites are impressively large, especially the screen-filling bosses.

2:53PM: "This is the third DS Castlevania game, I hope you enjoy it." Next up, the "very different" Castlevania game, Judgment. "I like to consider it a 3D versus action game." Let's watch the trailer.



2:54PM: We see Alucard pummeling Maria in a gothic locale, followed by a glimpse of Dracula and Simon flinging magical attacks at each other. Airborne combos, over-the-top special attacks and -- of course -- whip attacks are all accounted for in the clip. It's out in Fall 2008, says a spooky voice.

2:56PM: Plot details -- because we so desperately wanted them -- are being shared. Essentially, Dracula's being a jerk and is messing with the series' timeline. Time travel: the best way to bring all those characters together. 14 playable characters are promised. We'll hear more about the unrevealed characters later.

2:58PM: It's Simon vs. Alucard (psst, it's "Dracula" backwards!) in a real-time demonstration. The Wii remote is used for the main attacks in the game -- shake for basic whippage. While Igarashi explains, we quietly hum the stage's theme music. Igarashi notes that holding down the B-button and swinging, it'll initiate a stronger attack. Use combinations of both waggle-tacks to create combos. There are also sub-weapons available, a Castlevania staple.



3:01PM: "Based on whether you're moving or standing still, you'll do different attacks." Objects can be destroyed for hearts, of course, since Dracula still hasn't gotten off that habit of hiding precious items within his fancy candles and chandeliers. You can also grab the candlesticks and use them as weapons.

3:03PM: Igarashi next demonstrates a special attack, in which Simon knock Alucard into the air and slashes him multiple times for a K.O.. In certain environment, non-playable characters may be present and affect the outcome of the battle, adds Igarashi. "I understand the gameplay is very different from what Castlevania fans are used to ... but I hope that you will all try it when it comes out."



3:05PM: Jason Allen takes the stage to introduce a short trailer for Silent Hill: Homecoming.

3:06PM: "Josh! Josh! Don't let me fall!" The protagonist wakes up from a nightmare and is quickly thrust into a scary, flashy montage of grimy environments. We're honestly a little creeped out. "Find me, and everything changes," says a gravelly female voice.

3:08PM: Jason is talking us through a demo of the game. We're in a hotel -- and fans of Silent Hill should realize that this is rarely a good thing. The camera is no longer fixed and closely follows Alex as he moves around the room. Physics are here too, with a chair shifting as Alex shoots it. Stop wasting your ammo, dude!

3:10PM: We're going into the Atrium. It doesn't look safe. Suddenly, the Silent Hill siren starts blaring, and the entire world dissolves and rusts in front of our eyes. Welcome to Dark Silent Hill. Alex, wielding an axe, slowly walks into the darkness. A suspicious-looking man stands in the center of the area, promping the appearance of a dialogue tree.



3:12PM: Jason explains that the developer wanted transition between controllable dialogue and cutscenes to be as seamless as possible. "You shouldn't have come back, Alex," warns the man. We agree with suspicious standing-in-the-atrium-man.

3:14PM: A giant, leathery monster descends from the ceiling and initiates a boss battle. Jason just pointed out the "hanging meat sacks" surrounding Alex. Eww. The boss creature isn't pleased when you attack these sacks, so that's our strategy. The lighting is fairly impressive, but we wish they'd turn up the volume for us to appreciate Akira Yamaoka's sound design. Alex takes out the meat sacks and -- oh! The monster just grabbed him. Pound the A button to escape! Have a health drink!

3:16PM: "That's just one of the boss battles we have," says Jason before departing. Lauren Facadomo arrives to sing the praises of Rock Revolution. Sing the praises. See what we did there? HEAR what we did there? Oh, forget it. The Sheenas -- a Los Angeles band, apparently -- are here to play a song on Rock Revolution. They're... loud.

3:19PM: Our limited music knowledge tells us we're listening to a Ramones' "Blitzkrieg Pop." Hey ho, let's go! Tempting... but we'll stick around a little bit longer.



3:20PM: Applause! Let's get rid of those silly "real" instruments and whip out those plastic peripherals. Blitzkrieg Pop, round 2. Lauren's jamming the guitar and another guy is drumming through the scrolling note chart. This isn't nearly as exciting to watch. Bring back the real band, please! Oh, and they just failed the song. "That was my fault," says Lauren.

3:23PM: That's it? The crowd is still sitting in stunned, confused silence. Is this a trick?

3:24PM: People are starting to leave. There's got to be something else, right?

3:26PM: Still here.

3:27PM: People are taking pictures with Mr. Igarashi, who just pulled out a gigantic whip.

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god, who took these pictures? lol.. they're horrible

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E3 08: Chrono Trigger's controls explained

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While, for the most part, Chrono Trigger on the DS looks just like Chrono Trigger on the SNES, some liberties have been taken to make the use of the new, screenier hardware. I snapped this control scheme diagram from the Chrono Trigger demo station, figuring there may be someone out there interested in how it would play on the DS.

Oh, and I played it. The big revelation here is the touchscreen movement. The touchscreen (which displays an automap of the room you're in) basically acts as a big analog stick: hold the stylus toward the right of the screen and Crono moves right; hold it farther toward the edge and Crono moves faster. Tap, or run into something, to make Crono interact.

It's awesome if you want to have a really hard time performing basic movement operations in Chrono Trigger. But the traditional button controls remain more than adequate. It doesn't really mar the fact that it's OMG CHRONO TRIGGER. And battling on the touchscreen is perfectly fine -- you just touch buttons on a menu.

In other Chrono news, an SE rep told me that the translation (yes, it was the English version!) was new! And according to a statement given to Spencer Yip, the single-screen version just as it appeared on the SNES will be added to the cart before release.

The Leviathan in action. Reminds me a little bit of the opening of God of War 2. http://www.gametrailers.com/player/36513.html

that looked so much better than the first one

http://psp.ign.com/articles/890/890293p1.html

Resistance 2 to have web-based community features. http://ps3.ign.com/articles/891/891383p1.html

..........

:bump:

E3 hands-on: Geometry Wars 2

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Some would say Geometry Wars Retro Evolved was Xbox 360's best launch game -- it beat early hyped games like Perfect Dark Zero, Call of Duty 2, and Kameo to win the heart of 360 early adopters, despite the fact that it was 2D and a cheap XBLA version of a game that had previously been included with Project Gotham Racing 2. It held the record for a long time as the system's most-downloaded game, and that title was well-deserved, considering that a lot of $60 games haven't held a candle to the kind of frantic fun you can find pushing that little red ship around the board.

Now Bizarre Creations is attempting to follow up with Geometry Wars 2, and after our playthrough at E3, we're sold. Not only has the developer filled out the game with multiplayer and co-op modes, but Bizarre has figured out a way to make the super simple, yet extremely fun gameplay go deeper than ever before.

Controls work exactly the same way as the first game, as they should: you move with the left analog stick, and shoot with the right. But along with the standard mode from the first game (called just "Evolved", and now available in co-op multiplayer), Bizarre has somehow dreamed up five more ways to play this game, and almost all of them are just as fun as the original.

There is a timed mode, something that isn't too surprising -- the first game was regulated by lives, and so it's fairly easy to think of a timed twist on that gameplay.

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But the other modes are more different. King was probably the most fun mode we played -- in that mode, there are circles on the board, and you can only fire your weapon from within those circles. And of course, those circles appear and disappear at random, so the game is not only about just getting away from the shapes coming at you, but also getting back into the circles to shoot back. Co-op in the mode is nuts, as you have to coordinate moving to the different circles with your partner, and there's a nice wave of panic as a horde of enemies fly at you while you realize the only circle on the board is the one behind them.

Wave is another mode -- we were told that Bizarre noticed that players were using the wall to dodge enemies, so they decided to create a mode that forces you to the middle of the area. Waves of bad guys in single file will sweep across the screen, and sometimes they'll even block the whole way across, so that you have to shoot your way out just to get past them.

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Pacifism was an achievement in the original game, and here it's been turned into a game mode: your gun doesn't work, and the only way to stay alive is just to dodge enemies for as long as you can. And finally, Sequence is the "puzzle mode" of Geometry Wars 2 -- enemies come at you from the same place every time, so expert players will be able to record better and better times and scores in that mode.

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And there are a few new enemies in the game -- "gates" are little shapes that look like floating free weights, and when you cross the line in between them, the orange shapes on both sides explode and destroy other enemies. These are put to good use in the Pacifism mode. You can't shoot, but you can explode enemies with the gates, and it's a fun addition even with the standard controls.

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The only thing we didn't get to check out was the sound -- the music of Geometry Wars really added to the chaos, and it was too loud in the demo area to hear it correctly.

But otherwise, Bizarre has really done a terrific job of capturing the fun of the original game, and tweaking it in ways that add a lot to the depth. The first Geometry Wars really broke out past its retro graphics and arcade status to compete with full price games for gamers' attention, and every indication is that Geometry Wars 2 will do the same.

Overheard@E3: The Who said what?

"We're a Who cover band, we're not nearly as good as all the others." -- The Who guitarist Pete Townshend.

The Who, the freakin' WHO, are on stage right now and this is the event of E3 2008. We probably won't be able to liveblog this while we're rockin' out, but check back later for pics of some industry folks off the clock. OK, we're missing the concert ...

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Liveblog from Nintendo's 2008 E3 Developer Roundtable

We've heard rumblings that something big might be announced at this post-press conference event, but it's far from a sure thing. Keep it here.

5:44 PM PDT There are roughly 100 members of the press gathered on the green plush seats of the L.A. Convention Center's Theater 411. No music in the background this time, just the low chatter of dozens and dozens of journalists.

5:49 A few latecomers are straggling in, but it looks like it will be far from a capacity crowd. About half the seats are empty.

5:54 The lack of background music is a little disturbing. We find ourselves humming Bill Joel's "No Man's Land" under our breaths for no apparent reason ...

5:55 On stage there are two large LCDs, four Wiis, four chairs, a bunch of Remotes and Nunchuks, a drum stool, and a Balance Board. Begin the rampant speculation!


5:58 Comment of the moment: "pleasebekidicaruspleasebekidicaruspleasebekidicaru spleasebekidicarus..."

6:01 Eric Walter with Nintendo PR welcomes us. Photos are OK, no video allowed, and audio for note-taking purposes only. Journalism geekery over.

6:02 Bill Trinnen from Treehouse comes to the stage. They're presenting the three key titles of E3: Animal Crossing: City Folk, Wii Sports Resort and Wii Music. The producer on all three is Mr. Tasia Yeguchi, or something spelled similarly.

6:04 "As you can see, my name is not Shigeru Miyamoto," says Yeguchi. This gets a smattering of laughs.

6:05 The translator will also be playing th game. He apologizes for any mistakes in translating caused by his play, and vice versa. More lulz.

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6:07 Yeguchi's going to focus on the new stuff that's not in the old Animal Crossings. One event that's coming backfrom the Gamecube version is Halloween, and Jingle, the reinder that comes during the holidays. Two new events as well: A visitor that hides painted eggs, and a "Carnival." Have they been taking notes from Take Two's Carnival Games?

6:09 Furntiure and wallpaper and such will be updated through WiiConnect24. On screen, our toe-headed character walks around another new feature: the city! There's a salon for hairstyles and whatnot, an auction house, a fashion store, the "Happy Room Academy Office." and a theatre where you can catch a comedy show.

6:10 The city is like a shared space where friends can visit, even when you're not there. YOu can interact indirectly. That's SO much better than interacting directly, don'tcha think?

6:12 Yeguchi is talking up the new WiiSpeak feature, as shown at the media briefing. It's a conversation from various locations "as if they were in the same room." Because it sits on the TV, you can have group conversations, which is different that what you get with a traditional headset mike. TAKE THAT, MICROSOFT!

6:14 Diving into the "enhanced user creativity." This time you can edit not just the front of your shirt, but also the back and each sleeve. OMG MEGATON! Seriously, editing with the Wii Remote looks pretty neat.

6:15 On screen, Mabel asks if we think our design "Loud! Proud!" or "Simple, subtle." The other animals in the town will give feedback based on this decision.

6:17 You can save screenshots to SD cards, for easy transfer to a PC or to other Wii owners through the Wii Message Board. Nice that you can bypass the on-board storage totally, we suppose.

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6:18 Q&A time. In WIld World, if one player left a town, everyone was disconnected. This time around there's the same system, and so the same problem. But this time around you can do more stuff together, like take in a show and such. Still, Yeguchi is sorry for not fixing the problem.

6:21 You can port your characters and items from the DS to the Wii! If you don't have Wi-Fi in the house, you can move the character to the DS, and move the character to your friend's Wii physically, using the DS. It's like a wireless flash drive!

6:23 In Japan, those without Wi-Fi can download the new furniture and such in certain real-world locations, then upload them to their Wii. They're hoping to recreate this in America too. We suppose 7-11 should be hearing something about this soon?

6:26 Will the NES games be returning? Maybe Virtual Console titles, playable with friends online? The answer is ... no. They want people to stay in the Animal Crossing world ... if you want Virtual Console games, please play them on the Virtual Console, Yeguchi says. FINE! We didn't want to play Virtual Console games in Animal Crossing ANYWAY! *sniff*

6:31 They thought about interconnecting with the Forecast Channel, but they were worried that some regions would be too rainy/not rainy enough, leading to too rainy/not rainy enough Animal Crossing cities. The game relies on seasonal changes, so they figured it would be better to keep the seasons consistent in the game. Seasons are still inverted for those in the southern hemisphere. We didn't even know this was a problem!

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6:33 Moving on to Wii Sports Resort. Wii Sports contained typical, serious sports. With Resort, they changed it up with a tropical island setting and make the game "filled with some sports and lesisure activities that refelct the nature of the locale." Sounds good to us, but swordfighting on the beach? Really?

6:34 JC from the Nitnendo Treehouse (not Fletcher) shows off how the movement of the Remote correspond to movement of the Frisbee in the Mii's hand. Looks very precise and relatively lag free, from our vantage point. JC gets some mild applause for a decent throw.

6:36 JC tries a forehand throw that goes way off. Just like in the real world, you might be able to throw it, but not very well, Yeguchi says. Some developers at NCL have gotten a perfect score.

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6:37 The audience is getting into it a bit. "Get it... yay!" It is rather endearing.

6:39 On to waterskiing, which uses the Remote and Nunchuck, leaning back and forth to navigate through hoops in the water. Twisting the Remote works the throttle for a speed boost. Without Wii Motion Plus, this would not be possible. The audience groans sympathetically as JC crashes into a bouy and his Mii falls into the water.

6:42 On to swordfighting, JC points at the screen to calibrate the Remote and takes some practice swings at pieces of wood. Other games on the Wii had sword fighting, but none of them could recreate this realistic motion, says Yeguchi. We have to agree ... just thinking of Red Steel's sword controls still gives us nightmares.


6:43 It's not just about swinging... the B button can be used to block. You can't win just by wildly flailing around, says Yeugchi. You have to watch the opponent, block, and then attack when the opponent has left themself open. Reminds us of the stick-and-move style of Punch-Out, a bit.

6:46 Q&A time. Someone asks if third party developers had access to WiiMotionPlus before today. Yeguchi doesn't know. Someone else asks about what kind of tech is actually in the WiiMotionPlus, and whether Yeguchi is worried that everyone needs one to play. WiiMotionPlus measures angles of rotation, and adds that to the accelerometer data from the Remote itself.

6:49 As for multiplayer, they hope you'll purchase more WiiMotionPlus units, but there are pass-the-remote games, like Bowling in Wii Sports, so multiple WiiMotionPlus accesories aren't always needed.

6:52 Yeguchi can't say exactly how many mini-games will be in the final game, but he'd "like to have ten." We'd like to have a million dollars, but ...

6:54 Is this an admission the Wii Remote isn't good enough? When they were working on Wii Sports, Yeguchi says, they always wanted more, but they realized they could create a fantastic product with what they had. Or, as Donald Rumsfeld might say, You go to launch with the Wii Remote you have, not the Wii Remote you might wish you had.

6:58 Is WiiMotionPlus going to become the deafult Wii control scheme sometime in the future? Perhaps WiiMotionPlus will be built in to the Remote? Yeguchi says they're always looking into things like these, but there's no definite answer for today.

6:59 Is WiiMotionPlus too sensitive? Is it going to make the games too hard for some? Yeguchi says developers could, for instance, track the head of the racquet in Tennis for real topspin and backspin. The developers then have to ask themselves, "Is this easy to play? Just because iit's realistic, is this somethingwe want to do?" Nintendo always tries to keep a balance between too hard and too soft, with a low difficulty hurdle at the beginning and depth later on to keep everyone happy.

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7:02 Shigeru Miyamoto comes on stage to demo Wii Music. He's clad in a retro Super Mario World undershirt, a stylish black cowboy shirt, black jeans and brown cowboy boots.

7:04 Miyamoto briefly goes over the basics that he discussed at the press conference: Other rhythm games require precise matching of notes, but they were trying for something different.

7:06 Miyamoto plays guitar, but he says he's terrified of playing in front of other people, because he's scared of missing notes and making a bad noise. In jazz, however, they do rapid play, and "I'm sure they make plenty of mistakes. In the end, it's not a mistake, it's an ad lib." Light laughter from the audience. Oh Miyamoto. You ham.

7:07 Miyamoto chooses Yankee Doodle, a "perfect song for an American audience." The hamminess continues!

7:08 The demo has "only" 26 of the 60+ instruments that will be in the final game. when 26 insturments gets an "only," that's pretty impressive, from where we're sitting.


7:10 Miyamoto plays one guitar rendition that sounds just like the real song, then another that is a total mess of random notes and steel drum notes. I t sounds surprisingly still OK, in its way. Quickly on to the vibraphone, and harpisichord. It sounds likea real harpsichord, all right! The tinny toy piano gets lots of laughs.

7:11 The vocal track sounds like K.K. Rider from Animal Crossing. The dog suit reminds us of those AWFUL christmas albums composed totally of dogs barking. ARGH!

7:12 Miyamoto and the translator do some rapid fire back and forth on the mouth harp and the harpsichord. They're still on the music selection screen. This isn't even the real game yet!

7:14 JC comes up for a three-player jam on the original Super Mario Bros. theme. Miyamoto gets some laughs with the beat box character on melody. His "Whoo!" sounds just like Michael Jackson. Miyamoto asks us to notice how they don't have to watch the screen as they play. TAKE THAT, OTHER RHYTHM GAMES!

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7:15 You can change the arrangement, the tempo, and record it all to a music video to share with your friends on WiiConnect24. Some 5-8 year old children of the development staff came in to try the game. "Children of that age could not pull themselves away from this gam," says Miyamoto. They also can't drag themselves away from Barney the Dinosaur...

7:17 Miyamoto thinks that half of an elementary school music class could be dvoted to this. Mothers can also jump in to the game easily. And those in between, we wonder?

7:19 Aaron Rosenbeck comes up to show off the separate drumming mode. Using the buttons and the Nunchuk/Remote and the Wii Balance board, he can control a nine-piece drum set. He's definitely an experienced Wii drummer, effortlessly putting together nice set.

7:20 There will be a lesson structure built in to the game that Miyamoto says can teah anyone how to play the drums "in a few weeks." He hopes we'll get more drummers and a lot more kids interested in music. Just what we need ... even MORE drummers joining the Rock Band/Guitar Hero/Rock Revolution army of drummers.

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7:24 Q & A time. Someone asks if the drum mode is an extension of the similar mode in the Japanese game Rhythm Tengoku. "To be honest, it's not so related at all." It was created specifically with the Wii in mind.

7:26 The 50 songs in the game will include a wide variety of public domain songs, but also licensed music, says Miyamoto. They're "not really thinking" about digital distribution of song downloads, instead focusing on using WiiConnect24 to share music videos.


7:29 Someone has the temerity to ask if this is really more of a musical toy than a game. HOW DARE HE! Miyamoto says the questioner is right, and "that's why it's more interesting than a video game." The audience laughs and applauds at this verbal bitchslap.

7:31 Staff from Wave Race 64 are working on the waterskiing game from Wii Sports Resort. Yeguchi was the director of that game. The team is going to create a game that "surpasses Wave Race," according to Yeguchi. Miyamoto adds that it will "exceed Wave Race in depth." Bold words.

7:37 Miyamoto and Yeguchi address a question about "core gamers" and whether or not these games will appeal to them. In a nutshell, they respond that they hope anyone will enjoy these games, and that a "core gamer" is someone that enjoys games, regardless of genre, as long as they're good.

7:38 In response to a question about whether or not a new Pikmin is in the works, Miyamoto says he'll announced the new game when he's ready. Apparently he's ready now. "We're making Pikmin," the translator says. OMG MEGATONZ! Huge applause from the audience.

7:40 Motion plus offers no new functionality for new games. And with that, the event is over. Trinnen says he hopes we found it illuminating. Well, there was that Pikmin thing, we guess ...

that looked so much better than the first one
dunno what you watched. the building interiors still looked like crap.

Can't wait for Geometry War 2, we fired up Geometry War in the back yard on like a 80 foot screen and projector setup on July 4th in the backyard. It was amazing Wii Resort looks very fun, but I know it will fade quickly just like SSBB. Its almost fun how Nintendo can basically do whatever they want and fans will eat it up Wii Fit anyone?

dunno what you watched. the building interiors still looked like crap.

I didn't think it looked like crap.

The layout of the first building seemed odd just a stairway going up to the roof top seemed pretty sparse. I mean I don't know much about past architecture and how alien invasions change the floor plans of war torn buildings, but I would've put some couches and a couple of recliners in there.

I was expecting more MGS stuff but MGO is fine for now.

But that's rather impressive that they had the Who there probably brought in by Harmonix.

I didn't think it looked like crap.

The layout of the first building seemed odd just a stairway going up to the roof top seemed pretty sparse. I mean I don't know much about past architecture and how alien invasions change the floor plans of war torn buildings, but I would've put some couches and a couple of recliners in there.
they were devoid of objects, the burnt-out windows looked terrible, the wall textures were bad...then after he crossed the bridge, the floor and wall textures were awful, as was the couch.

they were devoid of objects, the burnt-out windows looked terrible, the wall textures were bad...then after he crossed the bridge, the floor and wall textures were awful, as was the couch.

I'd probably be more critical about it if it were the final product. (who knows it may be)

Can't wait for Geometry War 2, we fired up Geometry War in the back yard on like a 80 foot screen and projector setup on July 4th in the backyard. It was amazing Wii Resort looks very fun, but I know it will fade quickly just like SSBB. Its almost fun how Nintendo can basically do whatever they want and fans will eat it up Wii Fit anyone?

"80 foot screen" are you serious? Thats almost the size of an Imax screen.http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/imax1.htm

I'd probably be more critical about it if it were the final product. (who knows it may be)
yes, to be sure. hopefully they will address the issues. because its slated for release alongside Gears which looks far superior at this point in time.

How'd my threads end up in here? They might as well put all of this week's new threads in here. It's rather silly.

dunno what you watched. the building interiors still looked like crap.

I'm assuming you're talking about the Resistance 2 video since some context got lost in the transit of your post. I thought it looked great. It indeed looks better than the first Resistance game. You make a comparison to Gears of War, but I don't recall the interiors of Gears of War looking all that homely and lived-in either.

I'm assuming you're talking about the Resistance 2 video since some context got lost in the transit of your post. I thought it looked great. It indeed looks better than the first Resistance game. You make a comparison to Gears of War, but I don't recall the interiors of Gears of War looking all that homely and lived-in either.
yeah, the R2 trailer. I'm comparing it to Gears2 and those environments. The one thing R2 had going to it compared to G2 based on trailers shown was that leviathan.

Microsoft pulled Halo announcement for a stupid reason

Even the L.A. Times is caught up in Bungiegate – and it's getting (some) answers. The paper spoke with Xbox senior VP Don Mattrick, who told its writers that Microsoft decided to omit the announcement of the next Halo universe game from its pre-E3 press conference ... to save time.

As the story goes, Microsoft's presser was originally planned to run two-and-a-half hours, but Mattrick wanted to get it down to under 90 minutes. For some reason, a Halo game was cut to make way for such content (what Mattrick is quoted as calling "an embarrasment of riches") as the needlessly long (and silly) live demo of You're In The Movies. We're sure it wasn't cut because it would have taken attention away from Final Fantasy XIII for 360. Oh no. Never.

When do we get to see it, then? "We felt we could do this game more justice with a more dedicated event," Mattrick said in the L.A. Times piece. Given that Bungie was ready to rock with an announcement on Tuesday, we're guessing that it would prefer ... soon.

source (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2008/07/halo-bungie-e3.html)

Spore space phase is 15-20 hours, has one ending

Will Wright's Spore is aiming to set precedents in many ways, and it's also set to break a long-standing Maxis tradition: the game ends. Producer Thomas Vu told us that the space phase of the game is what he considers the RPG phase, with 15 to 20 hours of gameplay and -- prepare to be floored -- one ending. No matter how your species lives its existence, it always ends the same way as you make your way to the center of the universe.

Unsurprisingly, Vu said the game has a twist ending. Also unsurprisingly, he was mum on what that twist is. We'll have more from our exhaustive session with Spore later this week.

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E3 hands-on: Dark Void

If you're a frequent visitor to the digi-halls of Joystiq you probably remember my all-but-glowing take on Capcom's upcoming jet pack-based shooter Dark Void. Yesterday I got to play the game and I'll keep it brief because it's basically the same section I watched and you know all the details. But I figured you'd like to know if it plays as good as it looks.

Short answer? Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. Taking cover and gunplay feels pretty Gears of War, not that that's a bad thing or completely unexpected. But taking vertical cover, clinging to a cliffside while robots blast down toward you, feels completely fresh.

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The real-life Fallout 3 Pip-boy peripheral that almost was

Writing about video games can often expose you to those heartbreaking stories of things in development that almost made it, but never appeared. Things like the Phantom game console, Shenmue Online, and the years-in-the-making Duke Nukem Forever.

We spent time with Bethesda's Todd Howard beyond locked doors and found out about some of the dark secrets behind Fallout 3, including the massive real-life Pip-boy that would have had a screen built into it to allow you to interact with the game. Or possibly hold your PSP on your wrist to become a PiPSP-boy. Find out more after the breakage.

Q: Whose idea was it to build the Pip-boy 3000 clock that comes with the Fallout 3 Survival Edition?

A number of us. Pete [Hines] was probably the first one of us to say, "You know... we should build one of those." The initial concept was... peripherals were getting so popular. Retail was just cleaning up with peripherals, you can see where I'm going with this: Guitar Hero. I got asked if I wanted to do one as a peripheral, and I said "Absolutely!" The idea was that we would sell it, and it would work with the game. Now it's going to be a letdown, because it's obviously not what's happening.

Q: Like something you would snap onto your wrist?

We talked about it being a modified controller. Instead of having to pull it up in the screen, it had a screen that you could just pull up and [screen button punching noises]. Then we talked about a snap-in on the PS3 that would work the PSP. You could just snap your PSP into it and talk to your screen. It just became too crazy. "This thing is gonna cost $500! Another screen? How does it work on the platforms?" It was just too much for us to bite off.

But there was a one week period where we were like, "This is the greatest idea in the history of the universe, and we're doing this." But then we decided it would probably distract us from making a better game. The main argument was that it was only useful in the game, it wasn't something that was useful when you were out of it, so we decided to make it as a clock. Now you can wear it as a goofy watch to the mall, or you can put it up on your desk. It's really meant to be used on your desk as a clock now.

E3 hands-on: Halo Wars (Xbox 360)

After all this time we finally got to touch Halo Wars and ... it was good. There's visual polishing to be done, but the user interface (UI) is as intuitive as developer Ensemble Studios has been hyping since (what feels like) the time of the Forerunners. This is an RTS game clearly made for a console first.

The UI is incredibly intuitive. Left analog moves the camera, right analog zooms, A selects, X is the move/attack button and Y activates special moves. If you've played other RTS games ported to the Xbox 360, this is a very different experience.

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One of the key features of the UI is selecting build/research actions through a circular pop-up interface. Dave Pottinger, lead designer of the game, says the company has "the magic rule of eight" with the ring selection screen. No more than eight things can be on it, which keeps the pace of the game moving and reduces selection clutter. The menu is intuitive and fast for a controller.

The action in the game consists of making squads of diverse classes and sending them out to slaughter the Covenant. Unlike most RTS games, Halo Wars isn't about making four or five diverse squads and just sending them into battle all over the map without a second thought. From our time with the game, it seems like players will make a squad, battle in a location and try to push forward. Then a second group can be made to hold an acquired strategic choke-point on the map. Once in battle, players will quick select troops to strategically attack certain enemies.

The squads we got to work with consisted of staples in the Halo universe like Marines, Spartans, Warthogs, air units, and the introduction of the Elite crisping Flamethrower unit. The game takes place 20 years before the first Halo so there's plenty of Spartan to go around. Once in battle, it's easy to quick select a certain unit with the right trigger and then have them use a special attack by pressing Y on the intended target. For example, the Spartan will jump onto the Covenant's Wraith tanks, punch its way into the cockpit and hijack the vehicle. Voila, now we have a Wraith at our disposal.

In orbit over the planet is The Spirit of Fire, a colonization vessel, which will supply air support when it's needed. When a skirmish isn't looking good, a bombing raid can be called in or a MAC canon can shoot down a single devastating blast. The game actually switches to a drawn out targeting reticle view to give the feel a player is shooting from high above from the messy battle below.

One other quick thing is how building is done. Players will have a main base with seven slots around it. Buildings aren't just placed willy-nilly in Halo Wars; they are an extension of the main building. Barracks, generators, vehicle factories are some of the additional buildings we saw. Once again, the entire process is done to keep the focus on the combat in the game, instead of getting too involved in placement strategy.

The easiest way to describe Halo Wars to a gamer would be to say it is to RTS games what Civilization Revolution is to Civilization. It's not RTS lite, but just RTS different. A judgment on the game is going to require giving the title a chance and seeing how it shakes what Ensemble gave it over many hours. It could introduce a new form of RTS we haven't seen yet.

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Rock Revolution

Where is Heavy Rain (or the Origami Killer)???? wiki says it's suppose to be releasing fall 2008. Dang... I'm dying to play that game!

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Rock Revolution

2 yellow drum pads?? How is that going to work?

I'm confused myself. That's why I had to post the picture.

The only other pictures listed are not visible at all

E3 hands-on: Resident Evil 5

Before I get into talking about my brief hands-on with Resident Evil 5, I want to make to make something perfectly clear: I'm fairly sure you're going to love it. It's gorgeous, it's fun and it looks like it's going to be horrifyingly intense. So why am I about to tell you I'm a little disappointed? Well, as good as it is, it's also Resident Evil 4.

To clarify, where it's not RE4 is in terms of graphics. E3 isn't the best place to judge this stuff before the setting is always so ideal, but the game looks astoundingly realistic. As hordes of not-zombies lurched towards the window of the hut I began in, I was almost a little disturbed at having to blast things that looked so ... human. From the standpoint of graphics, I don't have any complaints about RE5.

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They're complemented by some really nice camera tricks too, which is something I can't believe I'm writing about a Resident Evil game. For example, when you destroy a barrel, the camera does a quick pan up to show the full scale of the explosion. It's hard to understand without seeing it in practice, but I imagine you'll see plenty of games trying to ape it in the coming years.

However, as good as it looked, I still couldn't get RE4 out of my head. Remember the first time you played it? How fresh it felt? How every facet had been retooled, re-imagined to really serve the experience? I think that is what I was hoping for from RE5's gameplay. But this is iterative, an evolutionary step forward, nothing like the leap I was hoping for.

Your partner is one of the few tweaks that really adds something new. When they're under attack a light begins flashing in the lower left corner of the UI, and knowing that they need you and you're swamped in a thicket of not-zombies adds an even greater sense of urgency to a game that was already pretty intense.

Though it wasn't available, I imagine the previously announced co-op play could be able to parlay that intensity of having to watch two backs into something that really will feel revolutionary. But it hasn't happened yet. Along those future-looking lines, I should note that this is a small section of the game we're talking about, and there could be plenty of surprises, but I have to judge what I'm given.

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I have no problem dinging a game if it doesn't meet my expectations for quality, but this is something different. This is complaining about a game not changing the very landscape of the genre, something I'm not even sure is fair. But as I put down the controller, guts freshly ripped out by a zombie, it was the thought I couldn't get out of my head.

E3 2008: Killzone 2 Multiplayer Details

A few months ago, when you said first-person shooter and PlayStation 3 in the same sentence, people started talking about Killzone 2. Then, Resistance 2 popped up on the radar and started flexing its multiplayer muscle as well as a sooner release date, and the buzz about Killzone 2 seemed to taper off.

Guerrilla Games is trying to change that this E3. I just got out of an hour-long presentation from the company's Senior Online Game Designer Eric Boltjes, and the stuff Killzone 2 has planned is pretty sick.

The presentation started with a trailer comprised of material that was captured in the game. The trailer's been floating around the web since the wee hours of the morning and is even embedded right below this paragraph, but if you want a quick rundown, the movie displays a mess of arenas that look like dingy, abandoned warehouses and rundown cityscapes with a troop of ISA soldiers moving through. Then, a battle between the Helghast -- one of whom is rocking a wicked cloaking device -- and our boys breaks out on the ground.

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This is Killzone 2, so of course the gameplay and graphics look great, but the real meat of the presentation followed the clip. Boltjes says the designers set out to create an online multiplayer mode (sorry, no split-screen) that everyone could enjoy, that you could play as you wanted, that would inspire team play, and that would create a community.

Something For Everyone

To begin with, let's verify that Killzone 2's going to support online matches for two to 32 players and, according to Boltjes, look as good as the single-player campaign. This means that at the most basic level, you're going to be able to find an affair that fits you size and visual needs.

When you start a match, you'll either select Quick Join or Regular Join. The Quick option tosses you into whatever match it can with players of your caliber, while the regular option lets you choose games based on one of the game's eight maps, five mission types, and so on. When you create a match, you can specify what maps to play on, how many players, what kind of weapons, and what missions will be used.

Have it Your Way

Player progression is going to be a huge deal in Killzone 2. There are 12 military ranks to ascend through, 46 ribbons and medals to unlock, more than 100 player stats to dig through, as well as an extensive badge system to flesh out and master.

Let's start with that badge system. There are six player types including engineer, medic, scout, assault, and saboteur in Killzone 2's multiplayer. When you start, you'll need to play to unlock every class of character, but when you do, you'll be given that badge's primary special ability -- a medic can revive fallen comrades, engineers can toss out sentry turrets, etc. If you keep playing with that class, you'll unlock a secondary ability as well -- medics can toss out med packs, engineers can repair stuff, etc.

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Never roam alone.

That's cool and all, but what's neater is that you'll be able to merge classes if you like. Let's say you love reviving people but could really use the ability to repair machinery. You can combine the medic badge with the engineer badge to make -- you guessed it -- the medic engineer. You can make any combo you want, but whatever badge you put first will give the final product its primary ability, and whatever badge you put second will add its secondary ability.

As you increase your military rank -- basically your XP that is displayed after every match so you know how far you've got to go -- you'll unlock more of these badges. Use the badges and you'll unlock medals. Use the medals and you'll unlock secondary abilities.

Oh, and then there's the completely separate events that will unlock your PlayStation Network Trophies.

Another neat function debuted by Boltjes was Killzone's spawn mechanics. If you're like me, every now and again some nerdburglar gets a lucky shot off and drops you in a multiplayer game. When this happens in Killzone, you'll have a map pop up on the left side of your screen where you can cycle through the different respawn locales and the right side of the screen will display video in real time of what's happening at whatever spawn point you're scoping out.

Now if you spawn into a firefight, you have no one to blame but yourself.

Killzone's also trucking out what Boltjes called dynamic missions. There are five types of battle for you to take out your aggression in -- which include Assassination, Body Count, Search & Destroy, as well as Search & Retrieve -- but when you start a round, you don't have to settle for one mission. In a demo video I saw, the ISA finished up a Search & Retrieve mission and as soon as they were announced as the victors, one of them was targeted for a Helghast Assassination mission. The orange-eyed team surrounded the squad, blasted the target, and won the mission. Then, another mission popped up challenging the ISA to plant a bomb. They did, the device went boom, and the boys won the round 2 to 1.

Teamwork

What's going to make it easier for you and your team to wreckshop in Killzone 2 is the squad option. When you're playing, you'll be able to tap a button and invite teammates to squads of up to four players. This grouping function allows you to see your squad's health and badges, it gives you your own chat channel, and it opens the ability to spawn on your squad leader. Only eight squads are allowed per faction.

Although it sounds helpful as hell, Boltjes ran a quick video to showcase the true power of the feature. In the clip, a solo ISA gunner tried to take a reinforced turret spot manned by three Helghast in front of a lone entry way. In a second, the lone dude was obliterated. On the next attempt, the solider brought a friend, popped into a menu overlay, formed a two-man squad, and suddenly had the vitals on what his buddy was doing. The new guy placed a turret at the entry way (something the original dude told him to do after seeing his badges) and stepped up to provide some cover fire while the original dude used his boost ability to run at super-speed to the back of the enemies. The original dude could see how his friend was doing via the health bars and had plenty of time to get behind the occupied troops and fire off a life-ending RPG. The squad then placed some bombs before the bad guys could respawn and won the day.

A Killzone Kommunity

Squads are cool and all, but Guerrilla is intent on taking Killzone 2 further than that. Once you get going online and open up the option through the basic rounds of leveling up your military rank, you'll be able to join or create a clan for up to 64 total players. These groups will be awarded Valor points -- a Killzone 2 currency -- that can be put on the line in 16-player v. 16-player clan challenges, which are basically fights under whatever mission setting the groups agree to. See, Clan A would challenge Clan B and each would risk some Valor points. Whichever clan wins the fight gets the points.

There are also clan tournaments that up to 256 clans can participate in. You can risk and win valor points here as well. Now, it's important to point out that you can only be in one clan at any given time. If you tire of a group's shenanigans, you can leave and join up somewhere else as long as your clan's not in a tournament. Guerrilla doesn't want you quitting a losing team and joining the squad beating you.

These points play into Killzone's practically OCD obsession with stats. There are going to leaderboards for individuals, friends, clans, and clan members as well as stats based on daily, weekly, monthly, and all-time performances such as headshots and the like. If you can't get enough of scoping these figures on your PS3, you can sign on to Killzone.com, synch your PSN username, and check out all the figures there.

In fact, Killzone.com is going to become a pretty handy portal for people who go off the deep end with this game. On the site, you can invite folks to your clan, track your military rank progression, check out what medals you have and what you need to do to get the next few, compare medals, see folks' favorite weapons, and the list goes on. Clans will have their own spaces on the pages where you can see who's in the group and who's the MVP, you'll be able to search for Clans, and the page will even display featured match rundowns that give you the skinny on the when, who, and how many Valor points are up for grab.Whew
With the formal part of the presentation over, Boltjes ran another trailer that was really an extended look at the first one. This time we got to hear the banter between the folks playing as the ISA as they made their attack on the Helghast. Shots were fired, turrets were manned, and all was right with the world. At one point, one of the soldier's ran up and set some C4 at the exit to a building. He doubled back, and then setoff the payload when the Helghast began to come out of their dwelling. It halted the initial batch, but soon another swarm attacked the area and a sniper took up an elevated potion. None of the ISA guys could get a shot off on the scout, so one tossed a green smoke grenade.

Uh, medic?

It called in an air strike. Soon, an unmanned sentry 'bot flew in and lit the sniper up. An AI-controlled weapon, the 'bot will patrol until someone takes it out.

In yesterday's single-player preview, I wrote that Killzone 2 kept finding ways to impress me. That is definitely the case here. The servers are global, the clan system sounds awesome (Who'd be down for a Podcast Beyond crew?), mixing and matching my badges sounds like fun (Please let me be able to cloak and boost.), and the Killzone.com community sounds like something I'd love to be apart of. If you're looking to be a part of the Killzone 2 cloth sooner rather than later, Guerrilla's planning a public beta later this year. Looking to life post-launch, the Guerrilla team said that they're investigating online co-op as a DLC possibility as well as the tanks I got to see yesterday.

Info on this multiplayer mode has taken its sweet time getting here, but it's definitely lived up to my expectations -- although I wish I could customize how my characters look

How much hype then delay does it take to desensitize a person? As much as I love seeing the gameplay footage & reading about all the cool features and all, I just don't get as excited as I used to about this game. Don't get me wrong, it's still a first day purchase to me, but it's kinda like the NBA dunk contest.

When someone (say Chris "The Birdman" Anderson) steps up to dazzle us all with a high flying dunk then continues to miss, over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again, at some point you figure, sure your idea was good, but now it's getting old. Gimme a call when you're actually ready to dunk the damn thing!

yeah, the R2 trailer. I'm comparing it to Gears2 and those environments. The one thing R2 had going to it compared to G2 based on trailers shown was that leviathan.

ya but that leviathan was pretty freakin slick

hands-on with Wario Land: Shake It!

Hands down, Wario Land: Shake It! is the best game I've played so far here at E3. And, thanks to my persistence and rudeness, I was able to enjoy the game a lot longer than most others who've been fortunate enough to play it, not only enjoying some of the game's normal levels, but also taking part in an underwater excursion in Wario's badass sub.

So, I started out on the tutorial level, which shows you all of the in-game actions Wario can perform through some handy billboards sprinkled throughout the level. I was dashing through blocks, scurrying down pipes and doing butt stomps with ease, and once I got to the end of the level, I discovered its end creature, the Murpel (odds are, that isn't spelled right).



Once you discover this caged critter, a timer will start and Wario is then forced to rush through the level backwards, to the beginning, where there is a portal that will safely whisk him and the little thing away. But, the catch is that you have to run back through the level quickly, as a timer starts counting down the second you grab the Murpel's cage. And just so you don't get bored seeing the same stuff again and navigating the same obstacles for a second time, you pretty much go back through the level on a whole different path.

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By now, you should all know just how the motion controls work in the game. The waggle isn't taxing in the least and the motion-based stuff (shaking the controller up and down to pry loose coins from hefty bags, flicking the Wiimote down while standing on the ground to do a ground smash, etc.) is used pretty effectively. In the 6 levels or so I was able to enjoy, the motion stuff was really only used once, with the exception being the underwater level (more on that in a sec). So I wasn't getting tired or winded from overuse of motion controls.

About that underwater level: it was awesome. You navigate in Wario's submarine, which has a large pink nose and mustache much like the garlic-eating protagonist of this title. You control the direction the submarine is facing with motion-based controls, as angling the Wiimote will then cause the sub to mimic that angle. Using the 1 button, you can fire torpedoes, and using the d-pad will allow you to speed up or slow down. It was a nice change of pace to the basic flow of the title.

"I'm pretty convinced that Wario Land: Shake It! was the best game I've played so far here at E3."

I'm sure I don't have to tell you that the animation in this game is fan-freaking-tastic. Not since Street FIghter III have I seen such fluid sprite animation, but, you should know that Wario Land: Shake It! looks ten times better. Seriously, it's not only smooth, but the animations are just downright funny. Wario's patented personality has been captured quite well in these animations.

Controlwise, the game also shines. It only uses two buttons, but with these two buttons, you can perform a variety of different actions. I found that butt-stomping, dashing through concrete walls and taking out fleets of underwater baddies was a snap, keeping the flow of the game consistent and fun. Wario is so easy to move around and interacting with the environment is utilizing his skill set is loads of fun.

I'm pretty convinced that Wario Land: Shake It! was the best game I've played so far here at E3. And that's counting Wii Sports Resort, Animal Crossing: City Folk and even Retro Game Challenge out. Those are some pretty impressive titles, so believe me, it's an impressive title. Frankly, we can't wait to get ahold of it when it releases in late September.

Killzone MP sounds awesome.. I love the idea of mixing up badges to create custom classes.

ya but that leviathan was pretty freakin slick
no denying that. The sheer scale of what was shown in the gameplay demo and the trailer was just huge. But the devil's in the details. That said, I'm one who's more than willing to forgive poor textures if the overall experience is good.

hands-on with Wario Land: Shake It!
funny -- the hands on I read this morn on IGN said they expected the animations to be better :lol: still, I'm always game for a good platformer. Oh, my poor wallet.

KillZone 2 seems to have some MMORPG like elements that reminds me of GuildWars which is an extreme positive. I may end up purchasing it. I really like the ability to choose your spawn points like in MGO but with real time camera view of the area, it makes spawn killing [which I find extremely annoying] that much harder to perform.

So, now that it's over, what'd everyone think? Overall, it was a pretty "meh" conference to me. Not a long list of big surprises -- FF13, MP, Wii voicechat -- a few decent games revealed -- fat princess, superstardust portable, wii sports, DC online -- and good "check ups" for the expected games -- fallout3, KZ2, Conduit, RE5, R2, G2, and many others. Not to mention the expected GOW3 reveal and Pikmin confirmation, plus that interesting MAG concept. But not too many things that blew me away like shows the past 2-3 years. A lot of stuff either "in the pipeline" or "check out what you already knew about."

Yea, same here. It's never really had the same impact since they changed the format.

At least one of the games was under lock and key. "Heavy Rain" (PS3) made everyone who watched its trailer sign an NDA, but it supposedly "wowed the crowd", according to N'Gai Croal...who also went on to to say, "Hate to be a tease, but we can't say more other than if you liked Indigo Prophecy, you'll *love* [it]." http://twitter.com/ncroal?page=2

No motion controllers were unveiled. That was kind of a surprise after all the talk about them around the Internets pre-E3. The Motus thing continued to be nothing at all. They've done a good job at getting publicity for themselves.

are there any good wii fps coming out?

They're working on another Metroid, I believe.

are there any good wii fps coming out?
the conduit. (http://wii.ign.com/objects/142/14248157.html)

cool.... anything more realistic like counterstrike?

They're working on another Metroid, I believe.
Really? Rumor, or did you skim over the E3 2007 post eddie made?

cool.... anything more realistic like counterstrike?
well, COD5 will be on Wii. They showed the trailer at E3. Dunno how it'll be or if there are any previews. Conduit's supposed to be awesome, though.

The latter. He posted something from 2007? I guess no new Metroid then. Forget what I said earlier.

Yea, same here. It's never really had the same impact since they changed the format.
wii was impressive last year with the wii fit reveal. the whiny "hardcore" just didn't think further than their noses when complaining in order to see the potential uses for it. and two years ago was smash. but yeah, it's just not the same.

The latter. He posted something from 2007? I guess no new Metroid then. Forget what I said earlier.

Yeah I deleted it shortly after... sorry for the confusion

E3 08 hands-on: Galaga Legions

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There's really no way to get around this, so here it is: Galaga Legions might as well be called Galaga Championship Edition. It's made by the same Namco team that made Pac-Man Championship Edition and it achieves the same success: reinventing an arcade classic and making it relevant again. At the same time, it is definitely still Galaga in much the same way that Pac-Man CE is still Pac-Man. It's new, it's classic, it's pretty. Period.

There probably isn't much need to elaborate on that, but I'm going to anyway. On the surface, Galaga Legions is the same as it's ever been. You're job is to pilot a ship and obliterate wave after wave of bug-like aliens. The ship can now move in all directions, not just left and right. The firing mechanics are still the same though; the ship can only shoot straight up. This is problematic, because enemies can come at you from all sides. How do you deal with this? Satellites.

The satellites are undoubtedly the biggest addition to the Galaga formula and the most fun. Satellites are deployed with the right stick and their direction of fire corresponds to the direction pressed on the right stick. Press up, and your ship will deploy a satellite that constantly shoots up. Satellites can be deployed in any of the four main directions up, down, left and right. Only two satellites can be deployed at any one time though, so strategy and quick thinking is key.

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Aiding players with their strategy is another new feature. Before each wave of enemies hits the screen, luminescent lines trace the paths that the enemies will take. This gives you crucial seconds to place your satellites in positions where they will do the most damage. For instance, say an enemy path is traced through the center of the screen. Before they arrive, quickly place a satellite on either side of the path shooting inward. You've just created a funnel of alien death. Enemies come in multiple waves though, so satellites have to constantly be shuffled on the fly. Of course, you don't always have time to make immaculate plans, so sometimes a turret will be deployed simply to keep an approaching baddie off your tail.

Quite simply, Galaga Legions is beautiful, bright, frenetic fun. It's a must play. Thankfully, it shouldn't be long before the masses get to try it out, as we were told that it should be available in the next 4-6 weeks.

E3 hands-on: HAWX

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You have to give it to Tom Clancy: He hasn't let his success keep him from trying his hand at new things. One of his latest of these ventures is HAWX, a new action flight game that I got a chance to play during E3. I only got to sample the multiplayer, but what I saw left me really impressed.

At first, the game seems a fairly common take on the genre: You coast around in a strikingly realistic world that's been generated by Google Maps. When you find a target, you can either paint them with heat-seeking missiles or blast them with machine guns (the latter of which I never had much luck with).

Where the game really shines though is when you take the safety off. With the press of a button, the camera pans back, and you suddenly have much more control of the plane. Suddenly, you can evade missiles much more easily and do 180 degree mid-air turns on a dime. It takes a little to get the hang of it, but, once you do, it feels like no other flight game I've played.

The structure of the multiplayer is fairly innovative too. Though I was in a 2-on-2 match, you can have up to eight players going at it. The mode was a basic deathmatch, with you scoring points for bringing down enemies. What made it feel different was the Support system, which maybe be fairly familiar to fans of Call of Duty 4.

As you get kills, the support bar begins to fill. Once the bar is full, you can activate support and get one of a range of different effects. How powerful the support item is depends on how much of a lead you have or, alternately, how far behind you are. For example, when my extremely generous tutors were down zip to five, they were able to activate an item that made my plane stall. When they were down by 9, they gained insanely powerful stealth, which let them hammer away at me while I had no way to locate them or defend myself.

It's not, I'm told, a way to balance lower skilled players with higher skilled players, but rather a way for a team to have a shot of bringing themselves back from the brink of destruction. I think of it as sort of an inverse of CoD 4's system, which allows solidly performing players to extend their kill count gap.

Hard to say anything definitive on the game from that brief multiplayer sliver, but all indications are that Mr. Clancy has outdone himself again. Where does he find the time?

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E3 08: South Park XBLA to launch in 2009

Remember that epic trailer showcasing the new South Park game for Xbox Live Arcade? All 2.4 seconds of it. No details were dropped regarding what type of game it would be but the South Park Studios official site is already trying to fuel the hype train.

A posting moments after it was unveiled at the conference reads: "A brand new South Park game is coming to Xbox Live in 2009. That's all we've got for now, but stay tuned for more details over the next few months. Let the speculations begin!"

We don't have any guesses on what it will be but we hope it has nothing to do with that awful first-person shooter or the terrible kart racing game or that laughable mini-game collection or ... wait, are we supposed to speculate on whether or not it's going to suck? Who do we send our guesses to?

source (http://www.southparkstudios.com/news/3492)

E3 08 hands-on: Galaga Legions

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huh. I'm a big shmup fan and Galaga (more specifically, Galaga 90 for TG16) is one of my absolute faves. (this would be my dad's influence rubbing off on me.) While this sounds like a really fun game, it doesn't sound like Galaga. the satellites makes it sound more like Rtype. sounds like they're counting on a name to draw people in at the sake of tradition for that IP.

Missing@E3: Indiana Jones and the Vanished Game

One notable absence from LucasArts E3 room was any presence of Indiana Jones whatsoever. While they were highly touting Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, and Fracture, they didn't even have a poster featuring a silhouette of Indy and the Hat anywhere to be seen. Not only that, but LucasArts employees visibly bristled whenever we asked about it. "No comment" stung us like a whip several times.

Matt Shell, marketing manager at LucasArts, finally let us know that yes, they're working on something. However, they didn't want to talk about it at all. It just seems odd that they have one of the highest grossing movies of the year, based on one of their most iconic properties, and they don't even want to show us a photo of a whip and say "It's in the game." Jump on that opportunity, Lucas! Especially after you were honking your Euphoria physics engine so loud in 2006.

2 yellow drum pads?? How is that going to work?

article i found

First we had Rock Band and their 5-button drum kit. Then we had the announcement of Activision's Rock Band clone (Guitar Hero IV) and its 6-button drum kit. Now, not to be outdone, we have word of Konami's Rock Revolution and its 7-button drum kit. And yes, it's all way too eerily reminiscent of "7-minute abs."

But even though Rock Revolution's drum kit looks like those of its competitors, the game is supposed to offer drummers more flexibility. Beginners can remove the pedal completely to ease the learning curve, and advanced drummers can feel free to fill in extra hits where they feel appropriate without penalty.

2 yellow drum pads?? How is that going to work?

The one in the lower right is green.

i was hoping for the new DS to come out, but it didn't. what a disappointments. i waited for almost 3 months. sigh...

GTA: Chinatown Wars sounds interesting, but there aren't no teaser screenshots other than the title pic. I'd like to see how this would turn out on the DS.

E3 hands-on: Tom Clancy's EndWar

"Attack the enemy base!"
"Yes sir, I'll enter a foot race."
"No, launch the missiles!"
"We'll harvest all nearby thistles."
"Attack the enemy units. Please, listen to me."
"Downloading latest DLC."
"Oh ... just forget it."

This doesn't happen in Tom Clancy's EndWar. It may be a sad comment on the history of in-game voice commands, but the best compliment one can give to Ubisoft's robust interface is that it works. There's no need to plead with it in a robotic tone or a slowed pace, and no voice training is required beforehand. Despite slipping in an "uh" here and there while contemplating orders, EndWar understood everything we said. Well, everything aside from the muttered curses prompted by our utter defeat.

EndWar can be daunting at first, especially if you missed out on the tutorial's explanation of what that icon means, what this part of the HUD is telling you and why you shouldn't drop a nuclear bomb on your own tanks. This is precisely why the voice commands needed to work well -- if you can trust that your orders won't be mangled somewhere along the journey from your mouth to the game, you'll quickly gain confidence in your ability to command troops.

"...the game feels more involving and immediate than many typical RTS games we've played."

Though you're sure to read this on the back of the box and in just about every piece of marketing material, EndWar truly feels like a real-time strategy game built for consoles, as opposed to one that's been ported from a mouse-equipped platform. This is true for two reasons: Firstly and quite obviously, no PC version has been announced. Secondly, the game feels more involving and immediate than many typical RTS games we've played.

It's not just an issue of controls. It's about bringing you, the general and player, closer to the troops who so loyally follow your every command, ill-advised or not. Most strategy games place you high up in the sky, asking you to peer down on your troops, drag boxes around them and send them off to some contested corner of the map. With EndWar, this distance has been diminished and your comfortable, Cheeto-encrusted couch has been dropped right into the battlefield. The third-person camera, which can be attached to any of your units (say: "Unit X, camera."), sticks low to the ground, faithfully following your armies and allowing you to aim and target incoming opposition (or say: "Unit X, attack hostile Y").

Of course, you can play the whole thing without uttering a single word -- all your commands can be issued via a branching, on-screen menu -- but it feels more exciting to bark orders directly and desperately yell for reinforcements (say: "Deploy tanks."). The action-packed EndWar doesn't seem to place much emphasis on resource gathering and exploitation ("Dumbed down!" goes the PC crowd), instead focusing on capturing locations and protecting them. It gives the missions an exciting, brisk pace that forces you to remain active and pay attention to unit hierarchy. Don't expect your infantrymen to triumph against tanks!

"Mutually assured destruction is still chalked up as a loss, you know."

We should probably have listened to the Ubisoft representative when she told us that. Ordering our men to take cover and garrison some buildings would have been more tactically intelligent, certainly more than our plan to jam enemy tank treads with crushed bones and human mush. Another poor decision: Dropping the bomb. The resulting mass destruction not only damaged our own units, but triggered the enemy's cataclysmic retaliation. Though the "EndWar" phase gives you the chance to turn the tide of battle, acting impulsively gives the enemy permission to get its hands just as dirty. Mutually assured destruction is still chalked up as a loss, you know.

And where does EndWar stand to lose? Well, despite being more acclimated to the console realm, it's still a real-time strategy game. Missions can't all devolve into capturing uplinks, and the game's multiplayer meta-campaign, a turn-based tussle for world domination, will have to remain dynamic to maintain interest. There's also a four-player online co-op mode in there, though we question whether the game's voice recognition will be able to make sense of all the racial slurs and homophobic slang on Xbox Live.

Still, we really don't have many bad things to say about Tom Clancy's EndWar. The skirmishes are exciting, the voice controls work well and it boasts some solid production values. With Halo Wars not due until next year, it seems EndWar might just deliver the first real-time strategy that intuitively clicks (sans clicking devices) with consoles. It's out on October 14th for Xbox 360 and PS3, with DS and PSP versions to follow later. Watch out for a demo on Xbox Live and PSN within the coming months.

The one in the lower right is green.

ahh.. good catch. I went back and looked at the picture and I can see the difference now.

Not sure if this was mentioned before,but on Cutting edge on demand,its like 14xx? its either right before Entertainment on demand or right after,can't remember,anyways. G4 is on it and it has a bunch of feed from E3,interviews w/ creators and demos. GOW2 and Mortal Kombat vs DC were my favs!

http://games.ign.com/articles/892/892415p1.html

An interesting editorial on the state of E3. Too long to C&P, sorry.

E3 sticks-on: Ion premium drum set

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Last week, a handful of Joystiq crew got to make fools of themselves on the mini-stage before Harmonix's Rock Band Bash featuring The Who. Set up for us on stage was the new Ion premium drum set for RB2. Over the span of the night, we drummed through a handful of songs to get a feel for the set.

The drums themselves are very sturdy, and the cymbals are quieter and responsive. If you get a chance to play, our first recommendation is to make sure the cymbals are placed as far as comfortably possible from the pads so that you don't accidentally hit one while intending for another. We did that more than a few times and it threw us off a bit and caused us to miss a few more notes than we normally would have.

Some of the issues we had are due to how Rock Band programs the drums, which are great for the standard set but don't necessarily transfer well to the Ion premium kit:

* Songs with fast, repetitive hi-hat beats (i.e. when you need to use two hands) will generally assign the hi-hat to the red pad, meaning you'll have to change your mindset back and forth on songs that capitalize on it, such as "Debaser" or "Everlong." The red pad is not able to have a cymbal attached to it.

* Songs that feature both open and closed hi-hat sounds generally assign the sounds to separate pads such as yellow and blue, while in real life you'd have a foot pedal to open and close the cymbals. The Police's "Message in the Bottle" highlights both this problem and the previous issue since it assigns the closed and open hi-hats to blue and green, respectively, for a large chunk of the song.

A lot of our concerns can be chalked up to being unfamiliar with the new set, but for the $300 price tag, we're perfectly comfortable rocking out with the set we already have, or the smaller, expandable RB2 set (which you can bet will also be usable as a functional electronic drum set).

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E3 Hands-on: Novint's Falcon controller

You make your way down the hallway in City 17, and push open the door into the bright sunlight reflected off of concrete. A Combine soldier stands before you, so you life your semiautomatic weapon, and as you pull the trigger and fire, the gun recoils in your hand. Another Combine stands across the viaduct, and when he fires at you, you feel the bullet strike you from the left, so you turn, and feel the gun jump in your hand again as you take him out.

That's the idea experience with Novint's Falcon controller. The controller itself is about an eight inch orb that sits on your table, with a three-inch sphere sitting on the end of three arms coming off of it -- like a Soviet satellite sticking out of the globe. The idea is that you push the little sphere around to move your cursor, and the three arms provide resistance against whatever you bump up against. We got to use the controller at E3, and the verdict is that while it does provide a nice experience, the costs might be a little overwhelming for most players. More after the jump.

The Falcon was actually developed in a laboratory -- it was originally designed to be used for medical applications, as well as sold out to oil and vehicle manufacturing companies for different applications. But, as the PR rep from Novint told us, the company's founder somehow felt that the gaming market would be more the place for it (either that, or the aforementioned medical and manufacturing industries decided it wasn't their thing either). Whatever the backstory, nowadays the Falcon is used to control videogames, something it actually does a pretty good job with.

We were first shown a demo piece of software, with all of the various applications of the Falcon's feedback mechanism on display. On screen, there was a 3D metal ball, with all kinds of dents and textures on it, and there was a hand cursor that could be controlled with the Falcon. And sure enough, as we moved the cursor over the ball, and "rubbed" the textured globe, we could feel the various indentations in it. It was a strange sensation -- something virtual made real. We were also shown an iced globe (the cursor felt as though it slid right off of the ball when we pushed against it), and one "made of molasses" (so that wherever the cursor pushed through the ball in 3D space, it slowed down and gave resistance).

Finally, the best demo we were shown was the last -- a small circular ball weight was attached to our cursor on screen, and in the controls, we could feel the weight of that ball pushing against it. As we swung the controller around, it responded in kind, as if we really were flinging a heavy yo-yo around. As it sits on the table, the controller is impressively stable -- the PR rep told us that as hard as we pushed against a surface in game, we'd never be able to move the controller, and though we pushed with all of our E3 Red Bull and various junk-food enthused might, the controller stood firm in providing resistance against us. It really is an amazing piece of equipment.

It's just too bad it's not quite fit for prime time. After seeing the impressive demo, we were ready to get our hands on with the Falcon in a real game, and so Half Life 2 was loaded up for us to play and try. The game did feel like the description above -- the gun does recoil in your hand, and you can feel which direction you're being shot from. But none of the texture or weight effects come into play here, and the game is not fundamentally different -- at least not different enough that it's worth paying the $189 price for the controller.

And the cost isn't only financial -- just to get the controller running with certain games will take a bit of time and work. The Half Life 2 mod is available from the Novint website (and supposedly straight from a piece of launcher software called Nvent that comes with the controller), but we took a look at the options screen, and while it's super complicated (a dream for anyone who wants to experiment with a "3D haptics" controller), that makes it not very easy to get it working exactly the way you want it to. And forget about getting it running with an unsupported game -- while Novint says they're working with EA, Codemasters, and a number of other companies, and they say they've got some really great ideas for others (they want to get a "spell gesture" system working for games like World of Warcraft), almost none of it is available at the time of this writing.

In short, it's hardly a simple or easy experience. There's a lot of potential here -- that demo was very impressive, and the Falcon seems like an ingenious piece of design. And there is some software to be had, at pretty outrageous prices, on their website. But until Novint gets software developers putting out quality Falcon-specific games (or, at the very least, gets existing games to easily and simply use the Falcon hardware), the controller isn't much more than a $189 demo, and definitely nothing even the most hardcore of PC gamers will want to spend their money on.

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E3 hands-on: Dead Space

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Survival plus horror. It's a pretty self-explanatory genre, albeit one that frequently produces thematically lopsided games that would rather have you yell "Eww!" than "Aiieee!" Running around with 43 different kinds of machine guns, a rocket launcher and an abundance of ammo is tremendous, limb-splattering fun (see: Resident Evil 4), but it's not scary.

When we say Dead Space is scary, don't take it to mean that EA Redwood Shores' ambitious, zero-g frightener shoves a stick in your hand and pushes you out an airlock. On the contrary, you're armed to the teeth and quite capable of defending yourself from everything with teeth thanks to an array of upgradeable weapons, including a shotgun, flamethrower and charge-up-in-the-nick-of-time beam rifle. Shooting isn't the problem -- it's knowing where to shoot. The face is usually a good place to start, though!

In the absence of a readily discernible face, however (a common occurrence, really), you'll want to take aim at dangerous things like claws and tentacles. While "strategic dismemberment" is often just a fancy way of saying "shoot the weak point k?" the results of a good shot are immediately noticeable and beneficial. Taking out an enemy's primary method of attack is vital to your survival, with poorly placed shots serving only to ratchet up the pressure and waste what little time you have before head and body go their separate ways (Eww!). When a tenacious tentacle latches onto your leg and attempts to drag you into an inky abyss (Aiieee!), efficient aiming is your only means of escape.

"Shades of System Shock 2 are abundant in the USG Ishimura, as are splashes of BioShock's rich atmosphere and evocative environments."
Thankfully, you also have a handy stasis gun to slow down enemies ("NOT time!" insists an EA rep) long enough for you to put a bullet where it hurts. It has a fairly lengthy recharge time though, so even it requires a modicum of precision to use effectively. Less precise but considerably more depraved is your telekinesis ability, which effectively transforms nearby clutter and leftover limbs into damaging, airborne projectiles. Placing your enemies in arm's way, so to speak.

It's remarkable that Dead Space can manage to convey such a threatening presence even in the din of EA's cramped E3 room. As grotesque and menacing as the monsters are, the most sinister foe is the environment itself, an eery personification of technology gone awry. Shades of System Shock 2 are abundant in the USG Ishimura, as are splashes of BioShock's rich atmosphere and evocative environments. There's nothing to get in the way of this stunningly realized environment either, as Dead Space's elegant, holographic interface seems completely inextricable from the science fiction milieu. How many games let you peer at your inventory screen from behind?

But hang on -- isn't this just "BioShock in space?" Do the customizable weapons, the surreal audio logs and the lingering ghost of disaster inspire similar feelings? Absolutely. But while BioShock was a journey inwards, deeper and deeper into the mysteries of Rapture, Dead Space feels like a desperate attempt to claw your way out of a desolate nightmare. Pacing will be key, requiring a mixture of "quiet" moments -- sailing silently through a poisoned, gravity-less environment -- and thrashing climaxes, like our end-of-demo boss encounter in a 2001-esque centrifuge.

Dead Space will be one of EA's best games in years if it can hold true to that feeling and maintain its aura of claustrophobia, relentlessly pushing the player through one intense encounter after another until a cathartic, waking gasp. We're setting the alarm for October 28th.

RIP days of good E3's I remember when I used to look forward to these. And why doesn't microsoft come out with a portable game system already??!! Looks like the Tokyo show is going to steal the show this year.

RIP days of good E3's I remember when I used to look forward to these. And why doesn't microsoft come out with a portable game system already??!! Looks like the Tokyo show is going to steal the show this year.
OOC, why should they? What makes you think they'd have a success with a handheld? Sony already tried to crack that market and they were put flat on their backsides. What makes you think MS will do better? The success of the Zune?

Their first move should be to fix RRoD problems and campaign for customer satisfaction. Then, they can develop a few handhelds, wait for Nintendo to shoot themselves in the foot somehow, and THEN enter the market.

At least they manned up to it.

Iwata Apologizes for Bad E3
Nintendo's president says good core games take time to prepare.
by Matt Casamassina

July 22, 2008 - In an interview with Forbes, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata apologized for the company's lackluster E3 media briefing and said that while it chose not to display more core games, that doesn't mean that the developer isn't working n them.

"If there is any perception that Nintendo is ignoring the core gamers, it's a misunderstanding and we really want to get rid of that misunderstanding by any means," Iwata said. "We are sorry about [the E3] media briefings, specifically for those who were expecting to see Nintendo show something about 'Super Mario' or 'Legend of Zelda.' However, the fact of the matter is the so-called 'big titles' need a long, long development period. ... We really didn't think this year's E3 media briefing was the time to do so."

At least they manned up to it.

Good to see that... but at the same time I think most game companies didn't really care about E3 this year, especially with quite a few dropped out. They got bigger fish to fry at TGS

E3 hands-on: Tomb Raider: Underworld

The room is stuffed with a handful of game journalists. It's dark. Drifting from the (very nice) speaker system are the sounds of ocean waves lapping against a boat. On screen, Lara Croft stands on the wooden deck wearing scuba gear. Thrifty girl that she is, it looks like Lara didn't want to spring for a wetsuit with legs in it. Apparently not worried by the deep cold of the ocean, she dives into the water. It's time for me to play Tomb Raider Underworld.

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The underwater world is wide and open. Sharks are swimming nearby. One of them charges Lara, no doubt drawn in by the tasty proposition of her svelte, uncovered legs. Thankfully, Lara's packing. A few shots with a harpoon gun and the shark is dispatched. For those who don't want to kill the exotic animals (and humans) in Tomb Raider: Underworld, assistant producer Adam Phillips tells me that players can also use a tranquilizer gun. And then, there it is, the reason for this briny adventure, a stone ruin.

Naturally, the entrance to the ruin is closed. Blocked, to be more precise, by a giant gate comprised of three golden wheels, each adorned with several eye glyphs. A puzzle! The solution looks simple enough, just align the three open eye glyphs in the center. Of course, only one of the wheels has the axle needed to turn it, so I have to go find the other two. The first one is in a cave directly outside the ruin's entrance. Easy. The other one isn't as obvious.

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Thankfully, Lara has a new trick to help her find them. Bringing up the pause menu, I activate a 3D map. Acting like sonar, I ping the local area and the map assembles itself around Lara. It turns out there is another cave, though it is obscured by seaweed, which explains why I couldn't see it before. I go nab the third axle and bring it back to the golden wheels, align them, and watch the ancient machinery grind the door open. It's all very spectacular.


Inside, Lara finally finds dry land. Pulling out of the water, she emerges into a cavernous chamber with a giant doorway at the end. One problem: the doorway is blocked by a humongous Kraken. There is a large spiked platform hanging above the Kraken. That looks like it will come in handy later. There are two bridges extending to the platform from either side, holding it in place. They will have to be retracted before I can make use of it.

Assistant producer Adam Phillips explains that each level in Tomb Raider: Underworld contains one large, overarching puzzle that is composed of several smaller puzzles. The small puzzles can be solved in any order, giving the game a certain degree of non-linearity. In this case I have to decide which bridge I want to retract first. I opt for the right one.

I start climbing a stone wall, making my way to the top of the chamber. I direct Lara to some hanging stalactites and leap to grab one. The leap to the next stalactite misses by a mile, sending Lara sprawling to the chamber floor. I expected Lara to more or less home in on the next one, but no. No matter though, as I find another entrance to the gear chamber that works the right bridge. Phillips explains that there are multiple routes to the puzzles in Tomb Raider: Underworld. Oh, good.

He also takes a moment to explain that Lara grows progressively dirtier as she gallivants about in the game's eponymous tombs. This is plainly evident as Lara's legs, arms, and face are streaked with dirt and grit. So yeah, um, Lara gets dirty now.

Anyway, I was solving a puzzle. The Kraken, it turns out, is strangling the machinery that runs the bridges, so I whip out the magnetic grapple to pull out a support ring in a stone column. The column tumbles, crushing the Kraken's tentacle, forcing it to withdraw. I set the gears in motion and make my way to the other gear chamber.

Before arriving at the gear chamber, the Kraken assaults Lara with whip of its tentacle. At this point, Lara's "adrenaline" kicks in, which slows down the gameplay, allowing players to focus on the action and make a quick decision. Phillips explains that this is a way to implement the fast thinking gameplay of a quick time event that still keeps control in the hands of the player. A deft leap and the tentacle misses Lara's legs by inches and subsequently destroys the platform I was standing on. Once in the opposite gear chamber, I solve a similar puzzle and am finally free to release the spiky platform and drop it on the Kraken.

Of course, once Lara flips the switch, the Kraken decides it would rather live and gums up the platform's counterweight chains with its tentacles. No matter, as Lara is capable of taking out the chains with her trusty pistols. The platform crashes down on the Kraken, crushing it and clearing the way forward. On that climactic note, my demo is over.

Improving on and adding to the already solid foundation in Tomb Raider: Legend, Underworld looks to be another great entry in the recently revitalized franchise. Look for it on 360, PS3, PC, Wii, PS2 and DS starting November. 18.

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Iwata 'sorry' for Nintendo E3 briefing; Wii supplies may still be tight this holiday

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Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata has apologized for the approach the company took at this year's E3 press conference and the perception that it has abandoned the "core gamers." He tells Forbes that the feelings of neglect Nintendo fans might be feeling is a "misunderstanding" and the company wants to "get rid of that misunderstanding by any means." Iwata explains "big titles" require time and Nintendo didn't think this was the year to announce any.

The other thing Iwata's conversation with Forbes covers is the continuing Wii supply shortage in the US. The CEO expresses that Nintendo is 100% committed to having Wii be available this holiday, but can't make any guarantee. He believes the best he can do right now is say the company is doing its best to supply the States with consoles.

source (http://www.forbes.com/technology/2008/07/21/nintendo-wii-shortage-tech-personal-cx_cm_0722nintendo.html)

E3 Returns in 2009?
Will the renowned show have at least one more romp?
by Ryan Clements

July 23, 2008 - The 2008 E3 Media and Business Summit has come and gone, along with many mixed feelings about the show itself. Drastically toned down compared to previous showings, this year's E3 was marked with a smaller space, fewer games and fewer companies represented. After a one year relocation to Santa Monica in 2007, E3 returned to its traditional spot at the Los Angeles Convention Center but had nowhere near the impact it once had. Many attendees commented on how drab and desolate the show felt and speculated that 2008 might be the last year for E3.

However, reports have surfaced online that a representative from the Entertainment Software Association has commented that E3 will have at least one more showing next year, though no solid details have been given. We contacted the ESA to confirm these details but a representative was not available. Instead, we contacted the Los Angeles Convention Center and spoke with a booking agent to see what sort of events were taking place next year in July. At the time this article was written, the ESA has not yet booked any space at the LACC, though this could mean a number of things, including an alternate event site or a change in scheduling.

We did discover, however, that a baby convention could be scheduled in July.

Looks like it may not be dead yet.

Nintendo: No guarantee on holiday Wii supplies
There's no guarantee that the "must-have" toy from one holiday season will even be remembered the next, much less still selling out with regularity. Then there's the Nintendo Wii, which launched in November of 2006 and remained a tough find on store shelves throughout 2007.

Those waiting for the system to fall out of favor and be deemed a fad might have a while longer to wait. In an interview published by Forbes this week, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata told the financial magazine that he couldn't promise US holiday shoppers would be able to find a Wii for under the tree this year.

"We are really intending to increase the shipments to the US, especially compared to last year," Iwata said. "However, I can't give you a 100 percent commitment [that you'll be able to find a Wii this holiday season]. What I can commit myself to is that Nintendo is going to do its best to supply as many Wii hardware units as possible in order to meet demand there."

Iwata added that more units will be allocated to the US, where demand for the system is disproportionately high compared to Europe and Asia.

The executive also addressed criticisms levied against Nintendo for its showing at this year's E3, which heavily emphasized games aimed at more casual markets, like Wii Music and Wii Sports Resort.

"If there is any perception that Nintendo is ignoring the core gamers, it's a misunderstanding and we really want to get rid of that misunderstanding by any means," Iwata said. "We are sorry about [the E3] media briefings, specifically for those who were expecting to see Nintendo show something about Super Mario or Legend of Zelda. However, the fact of the matter is the so-called 'big titles' need a long, long development period. ... We really didn't think this year's E3 media briefing was the time to do so."