Apologies for the delay in tonight's E3 recap. We mean for our nightly recaps to summarize key events for the day, but don't forget that you can read our coverage of things happening at E3 while they are happening over at the E3 site. Most of today's news items we covered come from the press conferences held by Nintendo and Sony. The rest of the week will give more focus to third-party publishers. Without further delay, here are some of today's biggest highlights.
From Nintendo's conference a couple of hardware devices were announced in addition to a few software titles. These things can be read in greater detail in the coverage from the press conference here. The hardware devices come in the form of the Wii Motion Plus, which offers 1:1 movement correspondence, and WiiSpeak, a room-wide microphone used for voice chat. Software titles include Animal Crossing: City Folk, Wii Sports Resort, Wii Music, and Shaun White Snowboarding. A significant announcement also came in the form of Grand Theft Auto coming to the DS.
From Sony's conference several games were shown off in addition to some hardware news and new features for the PSN. More details in the full recap. Of particular note were Resistance 2 and LittleBigPlanet. A new Ratchet and Clank game was shown. Gran Turismo TV was announced. New Trophies system is given some talk time. New PS3/PSP connectivity is detailed, including the ability to share video from the PS3 to the PSP. Resistance and Ratchet and Clank also have new games coming to the PSP. DC Universe Online is given a preview. An 80GB PS3 (without backwards compatibility) will be selling for $399. God of War III is shown. A sandbox-esque game, Infamous, is shown. Trailer for MAG (Massive Action Game) is shown, game is said to support 256 player online gameplay.
A trailer for God of War III was released.
Ubisoft's I Am Alive debuts with a trailer.
Microsoft gives a walkthrough of the Xbox Dashboard update that is in the works.
A trailer for the new Prince of Persia title is released.
More footage from Resident Evil 5 is shown.
Finally, though not directly tied to E3 itself, we have a full hands-on with the Xbox 360 demo of Too Human from Silicon Knights.
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Showing posts with label Gaming - News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gaming - News. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Sony's Press Conference (7/15/2008)
Five minutes late, Sony's press conference begins.
A montage of games plays on the screen... Snake's voice is heard, and Richard B. Riddick is mentioned (from Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Athena). Ratchet and Clank, Ghostbusters, Motorstorm: Pacific Rift shown.
Jack Trenton walks onto the stage. Trenton welcomes the press corp. and mentions the history of the auditorium where the conference is taking place.
Trenton mentions Sony's banner franchises alongside famous actors; says that there will be updates for the system to come. Trenton states that 2008 is the year of the Playstation, and says that more will come. Does a brief recap of PS timeline; speaks of the late date releases of blockbusters and "mass migration from system to system." Talks about PS3's achievements, technology, etc.
Mentions that Blu-Ray won the format war against HD-DVD. States that games like MGS4 are only possible on PS3, largely because of Blu-Ray. Says that Playstation is 2008 is all about software. Says that games like MGS4 on PS3 are reason enough to buy a PS3. Says that exclusive content is nice (i.e., MS's exclusive DLC), but exclusive games are what drives a system. Says that there are three successful platforms in market at once.
Starts off with PS3. Shows off Resistance 2. Video begins. Graphically looks a lot better than the first game. Player is battling a massive monster. Player is running, monster is crushing pieces of building behind him. Video will be posted later. Creature is revealed to be called a Leviathan.
Insomniac president Ted Price on stage. Says that scale describes Resistance 2. Says that Resistance 2 offers more than any shooter to date. Shows trailer for Resistance 2. Both Price and the trailer reveal that the game will take place in America.
Shows LittleBigPlanet off. Emphasizes user generated content. Says that it's unique Playstation. Alex Evans takes the stage, starts playing custom level of game. Trenton starts quoting different figures about Playstation brand. Says that Sony success has been spread out across the globe. Announces that Sony is about to start engaging in distribution in Latin America. Says that games will start to be available on PS3 as Greatest Hits, for $29, including Resistance, Motorstorm, Warhawk, Rainbow Six Vegas, Assassin's Creed, Oblivion, Ninja Gaiden Sigma and Need for Speed Carbon.
Evans starts talking about LittleBigPlanet. Says that it will appeal to a wide-range of people. Trenton says that LittleBigPlanet is one of their tentpole games, saying that it will expand PS3's demographic.
Starts to talk about PS2. Says that PS2 owners are starting to upconvert to PS3. Says that over 130 games coming out in 08. Montage of PS2 games are shown. Says that PS2 has a history of developing games for everybody. Pitches PS2 as a system that's a great introduction to gaming. Says that Sony helped usher in social gaming five years ago.
Announces that Buzz will be coming to PSP and PS3, with special packs available on PSN.
Starts talking about Singstar, says 15 million song downloads worldwide.
Announces a limited edition Lego Batman PS2 bundle. Includes game and Justice League cartoon, says available this fall for $149.
Starts talking about PSN. Says that all Playstation owners will have a single sign-on, from where ever you sign on. Trenton says that PSN will become the best network available. Starts talking about stats for PSN downloads. Says that PSN is becoming a destination for digital content.
Trenton says that PSN is a great way to enhance a franchise and create better gaming experience. Introduces Ratchet and Clank Future: Quest for Booty. Game will pick up after Tools of Destruction and will provide a continuation of the story for a lower price. Trenton says that it'll be available for $15 on PSN. Montage of PSN games begins, Trenton levels a thinly veiled jab at Microsoft.
Trenton announces Gran Turismo TV. A PPV feature that allows for players worldwide to see motorsport programming. Trenton says that the content will be available August 1, says that it will be available via GT5: Prologue.
Says that "Trophies" allow players to track, brag and expand on game play accomplishments.
Trenton starts talking about Playstation Home. Says that it is the "binding factor" for PSN. Trenton states that Home already has publishers signed up to deliver content through the service. Trailer begins, starts to show off different game spaces for different games.
Trenton begins to speak about PSN's video store, says that it's open for business for all studios and networks. Announces partnerships with studios, says that PSN will be allowing rental and sellthrough for video. Downloaded video will be able to be transferred to a PSP. Video store is walked through. Progressive downloading has been incorporated into video store; viewers will be able to download a movie and watch it a minute after purchase. Announces that Sony is launching the video store tonight.
Starts talking about PSP. Announces a new entertainment pack--Ratchet and Clank Size Matters pack. Silver PSP included with game.
Announces new Resistance game for PSP: Resistance: Retribution. Game looks to be a third person shooter set in England. Montage of PSP games starts to play. Buzz: Master Quiz, The Force Unleashed, Loco Roco 2, among others, shown.
Trenton starts talking up PSP-PS3 connectivity.
Goes back to PS3. Starts talking about open platform. Says that live feed video will be available by the end of the month.
Shows preview for DC Universe Online. Comic artist Jim Lee comes on stage. Says that he's been working with SOE on the project for three years. Trailer for DC Universe Online shown.
Trenton announces that the 80GB PS3 is going to be the focus. Price drop announced. 80GB PS3 will now have 40GB functionality at the same price--$399.
PS3 lineup shown. LittleBigPlanet, Motorstorm: PR, Quantum of Solace, SOCOM Confrontation, Ghostbusters, Soulcalibur 4, Resistance 2, The Agency, Mirror's Edge, Resident Evil 5, Singstar, Guitar Hero World Tour, Killzone 2, and others shown.
God of War III trailer shown. Game looks like it will pick up slightly after God of War II. Video will be posted soon, if possible.
Infamous trailer shown. Game looks like a typical, free-roaming, do-good-or-do-evil game.
Last game to be shown is to be a massively multiplayer action game. Rep from Zipper Interactive comes up. MAG announced--Massive Action Game. 256-player battles announced. Teams are broken into 8 player squads. Trailer shown.
Conference is over.
Read full article
A montage of games plays on the screen... Snake's voice is heard, and Richard B. Riddick is mentioned (from Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Athena). Ratchet and Clank, Ghostbusters, Motorstorm: Pacific Rift shown.
Jack Trenton walks onto the stage. Trenton welcomes the press corp. and mentions the history of the auditorium where the conference is taking place.
Trenton mentions Sony's banner franchises alongside famous actors; says that there will be updates for the system to come. Trenton states that 2008 is the year of the Playstation, and says that more will come. Does a brief recap of PS timeline; speaks of the late date releases of blockbusters and "mass migration from system to system." Talks about PS3's achievements, technology, etc.
Mentions that Blu-Ray won the format war against HD-DVD. States that games like MGS4 are only possible on PS3, largely because of Blu-Ray. Says that Playstation is 2008 is all about software. Says that games like MGS4 on PS3 are reason enough to buy a PS3. Says that exclusive content is nice (i.e., MS's exclusive DLC), but exclusive games are what drives a system. Says that there are three successful platforms in market at once.
Starts off with PS3. Shows off Resistance 2. Video begins. Graphically looks a lot better than the first game. Player is battling a massive monster. Player is running, monster is crushing pieces of building behind him. Video will be posted later. Creature is revealed to be called a Leviathan.
Insomniac president Ted Price on stage. Says that scale describes Resistance 2. Says that Resistance 2 offers more than any shooter to date. Shows trailer for Resistance 2. Both Price and the trailer reveal that the game will take place in America.
Shows LittleBigPlanet off. Emphasizes user generated content. Says that it's unique Playstation. Alex Evans takes the stage, starts playing custom level of game. Trenton starts quoting different figures about Playstation brand. Says that Sony success has been spread out across the globe. Announces that Sony is about to start engaging in distribution in Latin America. Says that games will start to be available on PS3 as Greatest Hits, for $29, including Resistance, Motorstorm, Warhawk, Rainbow Six Vegas, Assassin's Creed, Oblivion, Ninja Gaiden Sigma and Need for Speed Carbon.
Evans starts talking about LittleBigPlanet. Says that it will appeal to a wide-range of people. Trenton says that LittleBigPlanet is one of their tentpole games, saying that it will expand PS3's demographic.
Starts to talk about PS2. Says that PS2 owners are starting to upconvert to PS3. Says that over 130 games coming out in 08. Montage of PS2 games are shown. Says that PS2 has a history of developing games for everybody. Pitches PS2 as a system that's a great introduction to gaming. Says that Sony helped usher in social gaming five years ago.
Announces that Buzz will be coming to PSP and PS3, with special packs available on PSN.
Starts talking about Singstar, says 15 million song downloads worldwide.
Announces a limited edition Lego Batman PS2 bundle. Includes game and Justice League cartoon, says available this fall for $149.
Starts talking about PSN. Says that all Playstation owners will have a single sign-on, from where ever you sign on. Trenton says that PSN will become the best network available. Starts talking about stats for PSN downloads. Says that PSN is becoming a destination for digital content.
Trenton says that PSN is a great way to enhance a franchise and create better gaming experience. Introduces Ratchet and Clank Future: Quest for Booty. Game will pick up after Tools of Destruction and will provide a continuation of the story for a lower price. Trenton says that it'll be available for $15 on PSN. Montage of PSN games begins, Trenton levels a thinly veiled jab at Microsoft.
Trenton announces Gran Turismo TV. A PPV feature that allows for players worldwide to see motorsport programming. Trenton says that the content will be available August 1, says that it will be available via GT5: Prologue.
Says that "Trophies" allow players to track, brag and expand on game play accomplishments.
Trenton starts talking about Playstation Home. Says that it is the "binding factor" for PSN. Trenton states that Home already has publishers signed up to deliver content through the service. Trailer begins, starts to show off different game spaces for different games.
Trenton begins to speak about PSN's video store, says that it's open for business for all studios and networks. Announces partnerships with studios, says that PSN will be allowing rental and sellthrough for video. Downloaded video will be able to be transferred to a PSP. Video store is walked through. Progressive downloading has been incorporated into video store; viewers will be able to download a movie and watch it a minute after purchase. Announces that Sony is launching the video store tonight.
Starts talking about PSP. Announces a new entertainment pack--Ratchet and Clank Size Matters pack. Silver PSP included with game.
Announces new Resistance game for PSP: Resistance: Retribution. Game looks to be a third person shooter set in England. Montage of PSP games starts to play. Buzz: Master Quiz, The Force Unleashed, Loco Roco 2, among others, shown.
Trenton starts talking up PSP-PS3 connectivity.
Goes back to PS3. Starts talking about open platform. Says that live feed video will be available by the end of the month.
Shows preview for DC Universe Online. Comic artist Jim Lee comes on stage. Says that he's been working with SOE on the project for three years. Trailer for DC Universe Online shown.
Trenton announces that the 80GB PS3 is going to be the focus. Price drop announced. 80GB PS3 will now have 40GB functionality at the same price--$399.
PS3 lineup shown. LittleBigPlanet, Motorstorm: PR, Quantum of Solace, SOCOM Confrontation, Ghostbusters, Soulcalibur 4, Resistance 2, The Agency, Mirror's Edge, Resident Evil 5, Singstar, Guitar Hero World Tour, Killzone 2, and others shown.
God of War III trailer shown. Game looks like it will pick up slightly after God of War II. Video will be posted soon, if possible.
Infamous trailer shown. Game looks like a typical, free-roaming, do-good-or-do-evil game.
Last game to be shown is to be a massively multiplayer action game. Rep from Zipper Interactive comes up. MAG announced--Massive Action Game. 256-player battles announced. Teams are broken into 8 player squads. Trailer shown.
Conference is over.
Read full article
Labels:
Gaming - News
Nintendo's Press Conference (7/15/2008)
Nintendo's conference was set to begin at 9:00AM PDT, and it began shortly thereafter.
The conference begins with a video slideshow showing an assortment of people enjoying Nintendo's products. The video concludes with the following line of text: "We promise to keep people smiling..."
Cammie Dunaway comes on stage to kick off the presentation, making a quip about her name not being "Reggie." She gives personal story and sentiment that lead up to a presentation of Shaun White Snowboarding featuring none other than Shaun White himself giving the demo on stage from a Wii Balance Board.
A brief interview with Mr. White details some of the gameplay, and another hands-on (or, more accurately, feet-on) demonstration of the game is given. The game is said to release by the end of the year.
Global President of Nintendo, Satoru Iwata, is now brought on stage. He begins his speech by stating that "a true paradigm shift has taken place in the global market." His speech initially focuses on Nintendo's success in the changing market, and then moves on to define the changes that have taken place in the market. He focuses on Nintendo's dual-focus of providing games to established gamers and pick-up-and-play causal gamers and non-traditional customers. Iwata-san speak of destroying the barrier between gamer and non-gamer with Wii Sports and similar titles. His speech of the challenges presented to the industry lists three responses that customers should have: They should be engaged, enriched, and enthused.
Iwata-san moves on to discussing the products that Nintendo is developing to gain these responses from gamers. Community-focus and creativity-focus in game design are deemed key. He then gives the floor to a video interview with Katsuya Eguchi, creator of Animal Crossing. The video marks the announcement of Animal Crossing: City Folk, with a 2008 release. The video begins to show gameplay footage focusing on the town-aspect of the game. Graphically, the game follows in the footsteps of Wild World and features fairly simple environments. The video moves on to a new landscape of the game, the city. The city includes an auction site and a place to see what other gamers are doing. Costume and character presentation options are available from the city. Communication via the game is considered key. The ability to write letters to other players, and to other Wii Message Boards, is mentioned. Immediately, a significant announcement follows: WiiSpeak. A microphone that captures audio of the entire room instead of a simple headset.
The video concludes, followed by the introduction of Nintendo of America CEO, Reggie Fils-Amie. He begins with sales information. He declares that, despite successes, Nintendo is committed to progressing. He iterates the need to value newcoming and veteran gamers alike. His marketing commentary points out the advertising focus of interesting females. His commentary moves on to discuss the software direction of Nintendo. He iterates the company's dual focus. He then points out the third-party success on the system, promising "dozens and dozens of new titles in the coming months." He promises that the conference will focus on three new games that make different uses of the Wii's gameplay options.
He introduces a trailer for Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The video focuses heavily on lightsaber duels. The game is dated for the 2008 holiday season. The next part fo the video is for Rayman Raving Rabbids: TV Party. The crazy antics of the series are back, and the gameplay is shown to make use of the Balance Board. The game is set for a fall 2008 release. Next up is Call of Duty: World at War. The game is shown to feature Wii Zapper support along with a co-op mode.
Cammie Dunaway returns to the stage. She begins giving market data on the DS and its software sales. She refers to Guitar Hero: On Tour: Decades, introducing a video for the game. The game is going to features the ability to share songs across versions of On Tour. The video then moves into a brief preview to Spore Creatures. The video emphasizes the creativity and connectivity design philosophy. Next, a new entry into the Pokemon series is announced. November 10th marks the release of Pokemon Ranger. One more announcement takes place: Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars will be DS bound this winter. The game features new characters, sandbox gameplay (with a new engine), and will be set in Liberty City.
Mrs. Dunaway begins to speak of the DS and its usage in airports. She details features used in Safeco Field to provide game-goers with game updates and even the ability to order Ichi Rolls from the stands. A November release of a new Cooking Mama game is said to feature the ability to use it as a real cookbook.
Mr. Fils-Amie retakes the stage. He wastes no time in revealing the Wii Motion Plus. The new peripheral provides more realistic motion tracking. He then announces Wii Sports: Resort. "Literally a day at the beach," he says. Three games from Resort are set to be shown. The first game is a game of fetch with a virtual dog. Motion control is shown in detail with real-time mapping of motion to the gameplay character. The next game shown is a jet-ski style game similar in style to Wave Race. This game demonstration leads to a sword fighting game within Resort. The sword fighting game looks similar to Wii Boxing, but the motion mapping looks great.
Returning to the discussion of Wii Motion Plus, Mr. Fils-Amie declares that other developers are looking into ways to make use of the 1:1 motion control offered by the device. Wii Sports Resort is set for a release in Spring next year.
Mr. Fils-Amie states that one more significant game will be released this holiday season: Wii Music. Lights dim and a rock show presentation seems to take place. A virtual drumset appears on screen, and a man on a stool begins to play said drums using the Wii Remote and Nunchuck in free-form fashion. Game director begins playing a virtual saxophone along with a virtual jazz band. Wii Music has been around, in concept, since Wii Sports and Wii Play. The game experience is promised to be different from that of other music games. Wii Music is not precise and demanding in the way that other music games are. Playing the songs within Wii Music simply tracks with gesturing and plays notes in a way that works with a predefined music track. Over fifty instruments will be in the game. There is a separate mode that makes use of the Balance Board that simulates an entire drum set. The mode includes full lessons to teach real drum skills. Other modes, including a symphonic director mode, will be present. The ability to create music videos is also included in the game. Up to four players can play the game at once. A demonstration showing off the improvisation of the game features a familiar Mario theme song.
Mr. Fils-Amie and Mrs. Dunaway retake the stage. They recap the new hardware and software coming to the Wii. Mr. Fils-Amie concludes with an argument for Nintendo's staying power, stating that it is not a "fad" as the DS and Wii were once labeled. He again pushes for Nintendo's drive to gain advantage after advantage in the industry.
Read full article
The conference begins with a video slideshow showing an assortment of people enjoying Nintendo's products. The video concludes with the following line of text: "We promise to keep people smiling..."
Cammie Dunaway comes on stage to kick off the presentation, making a quip about her name not being "Reggie." She gives personal story and sentiment that lead up to a presentation of Shaun White Snowboarding featuring none other than Shaun White himself giving the demo on stage from a Wii Balance Board.
A brief interview with Mr. White details some of the gameplay, and another hands-on (or, more accurately, feet-on) demonstration of the game is given. The game is said to release by the end of the year.
Global President of Nintendo, Satoru Iwata, is now brought on stage. He begins his speech by stating that "a true paradigm shift has taken place in the global market." His speech initially focuses on Nintendo's success in the changing market, and then moves on to define the changes that have taken place in the market. He focuses on Nintendo's dual-focus of providing games to established gamers and pick-up-and-play causal gamers and non-traditional customers. Iwata-san speak of destroying the barrier between gamer and non-gamer with Wii Sports and similar titles. His speech of the challenges presented to the industry lists three responses that customers should have: They should be engaged, enriched, and enthused.
Iwata-san moves on to discussing the products that Nintendo is developing to gain these responses from gamers. Community-focus and creativity-focus in game design are deemed key. He then gives the floor to a video interview with Katsuya Eguchi, creator of Animal Crossing. The video marks the announcement of Animal Crossing: City Folk, with a 2008 release. The video begins to show gameplay footage focusing on the town-aspect of the game. Graphically, the game follows in the footsteps of Wild World and features fairly simple environments. The video moves on to a new landscape of the game, the city. The city includes an auction site and a place to see what other gamers are doing. Costume and character presentation options are available from the city. Communication via the game is considered key. The ability to write letters to other players, and to other Wii Message Boards, is mentioned. Immediately, a significant announcement follows: WiiSpeak. A microphone that captures audio of the entire room instead of a simple headset.
The video concludes, followed by the introduction of Nintendo of America CEO, Reggie Fils-Amie. He begins with sales information. He declares that, despite successes, Nintendo is committed to progressing. He iterates the need to value newcoming and veteran gamers alike. His marketing commentary points out the advertising focus of interesting females. His commentary moves on to discuss the software direction of Nintendo. He iterates the company's dual focus. He then points out the third-party success on the system, promising "dozens and dozens of new titles in the coming months." He promises that the conference will focus on three new games that make different uses of the Wii's gameplay options.
He introduces a trailer for Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The video focuses heavily on lightsaber duels. The game is dated for the 2008 holiday season. The next part fo the video is for Rayman Raving Rabbids: TV Party. The crazy antics of the series are back, and the gameplay is shown to make use of the Balance Board. The game is set for a fall 2008 release. Next up is Call of Duty: World at War. The game is shown to feature Wii Zapper support along with a co-op mode.
Cammie Dunaway returns to the stage. She begins giving market data on the DS and its software sales. She refers to Guitar Hero: On Tour: Decades, introducing a video for the game. The game is going to features the ability to share songs across versions of On Tour. The video then moves into a brief preview to Spore Creatures. The video emphasizes the creativity and connectivity design philosophy. Next, a new entry into the Pokemon series is announced. November 10th marks the release of Pokemon Ranger. One more announcement takes place: Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars will be DS bound this winter. The game features new characters, sandbox gameplay (with a new engine), and will be set in Liberty City.
Mrs. Dunaway begins to speak of the DS and its usage in airports. She details features used in Safeco Field to provide game-goers with game updates and even the ability to order Ichi Rolls from the stands. A November release of a new Cooking Mama game is said to feature the ability to use it as a real cookbook.
Mr. Fils-Amie retakes the stage. He wastes no time in revealing the Wii Motion Plus. The new peripheral provides more realistic motion tracking. He then announces Wii Sports: Resort. "Literally a day at the beach," he says. Three games from Resort are set to be shown. The first game is a game of fetch with a virtual dog. Motion control is shown in detail with real-time mapping of motion to the gameplay character. The next game shown is a jet-ski style game similar in style to Wave Race. This game demonstration leads to a sword fighting game within Resort. The sword fighting game looks similar to Wii Boxing, but the motion mapping looks great.
Returning to the discussion of Wii Motion Plus, Mr. Fils-Amie declares that other developers are looking into ways to make use of the 1:1 motion control offered by the device. Wii Sports Resort is set for a release in Spring next year.
Mr. Fils-Amie states that one more significant game will be released this holiday season: Wii Music. Lights dim and a rock show presentation seems to take place. A virtual drumset appears on screen, and a man on a stool begins to play said drums using the Wii Remote and Nunchuck in free-form fashion. Game director begins playing a virtual saxophone along with a virtual jazz band. Wii Music has been around, in concept, since Wii Sports and Wii Play. The game experience is promised to be different from that of other music games. Wii Music is not precise and demanding in the way that other music games are. Playing the songs within Wii Music simply tracks with gesturing and plays notes in a way that works with a predefined music track. Over fifty instruments will be in the game. There is a separate mode that makes use of the Balance Board that simulates an entire drum set. The mode includes full lessons to teach real drum skills. Other modes, including a symphonic director mode, will be present. The ability to create music videos is also included in the game. Up to four players can play the game at once. A demonstration showing off the improvisation of the game features a familiar Mario theme song.
Mr. Fils-Amie and Mrs. Dunaway retake the stage. They recap the new hardware and software coming to the Wii. Mr. Fils-Amie concludes with an argument for Nintendo's staying power, stating that it is not a "fad" as the DS and Wii were once labeled. He again pushes for Nintendo's drive to gain advantage after advantage in the industry.
Read full article
Labels:
Gaming - News
Monday, July 14, 2008
E3 Nightly Recap - 7/14/2008
As promised, here is a recap of some of the most important and newsworthy announcements made at E3 today.
Though only a brief glimpse at what is to come, Nintendo announced that a new Wii peripheral will be released in the future that allows for truly accurate (1:1) motion detection. More on that here.
A few companies announced what they would be showing at the main E3 show. Those announcements can be found over at the E3 site.
Though not part of Microsoft's conference, Too Human had a playable demo released to Xbox Live Gold subscribers this morning.
All other news comes from the Microsoft press conference, so full details on those items can be found here.
Of particular from the conference are the following things:
A Fallout 3 gameplay demonstration is given, detailing combat options and ways to play the open-ended post-apocalyptic game.
Resident Evil 5 is given a gameplay demonstration, revealing co-op play, some story details, and a release date of March 13th, 2009.
Fable 2 takes its turn with a gameplay demonstration, showing off new online co-op options and a gorgeous cinematic. The game is set to release in October.
Gears of War 2 made a showing with an action-packed gameplay demonstration. Five-player co-op is revealed. The game is given an October 7th release date.
Xbox Live Marketplace is set to receive lots of new support from the film industry. NBC Universal joins the ranks of publishers to support the Marketplace. Netflix is also set to partner with Microsoft in the near future.
Huge changes to Xbox Live and the Dashboard are set to take place in the fall. Among these changes are new Mii-like avatars that will be associated with Gamercards, the ability to form parties of friends that are online, and the ability to transition to a variety of activities (from playing games to sharing pictures and even to watching movies together with Netflix).
Other additions to Xbox Live include new gameshow channels that players can join up and enjoy, some significant sequels (including Geometry Wars and Galaga), and community-made games on their way to the Marketplace this fall.
Microsoft iterates their desire to reach casual gamers by means of a new Scene It? game and an entirely new property, You're In The Movies.
Music games are given a bit of the spotlight. Guitar Hero: World Tour is given a little bit of stage time. Of significance are a new eight-player battle of the bands mode and the ability to edit your own songs for playing in the game.
Rock Band 2's massive setlist is revealed in full. Spanning 84 songs on disc, you can read the list here.
A new karaoke style game is introduced. Lips, as it is called, allows for players to use their own music in the game and makes use of wireless, motion-sensitive microphones.
Square-Enix gave brief details on their Xbox 360 releases. Infinite Undiscovery is given a September release date. Star Ocean is given a spring 2009 release date. The Last Remnant is set to release this holiday season.
Square-Enix then closed the show with an absolute show-stopper: Final Fantasy XIII is set to release on the Xbox 360.
Needless to say, lots of big news for the Xbox 360 took place today.
Read full article
Though only a brief glimpse at what is to come, Nintendo announced that a new Wii peripheral will be released in the future that allows for truly accurate (1:1) motion detection. More on that here.
A few companies announced what they would be showing at the main E3 show. Those announcements can be found over at the E3 site.
Though not part of Microsoft's conference, Too Human had a playable demo released to Xbox Live Gold subscribers this morning.
All other news comes from the Microsoft press conference, so full details on those items can be found here.
Of particular from the conference are the following things:
A Fallout 3 gameplay demonstration is given, detailing combat options and ways to play the open-ended post-apocalyptic game.
Resident Evil 5 is given a gameplay demonstration, revealing co-op play, some story details, and a release date of March 13th, 2009.
Fable 2 takes its turn with a gameplay demonstration, showing off new online co-op options and a gorgeous cinematic. The game is set to release in October.
Gears of War 2 made a showing with an action-packed gameplay demonstration. Five-player co-op is revealed. The game is given an October 7th release date.
Xbox Live Marketplace is set to receive lots of new support from the film industry. NBC Universal joins the ranks of publishers to support the Marketplace. Netflix is also set to partner with Microsoft in the near future.
Huge changes to Xbox Live and the Dashboard are set to take place in the fall. Among these changes are new Mii-like avatars that will be associated with Gamercards, the ability to form parties of friends that are online, and the ability to transition to a variety of activities (from playing games to sharing pictures and even to watching movies together with Netflix).
Other additions to Xbox Live include new gameshow channels that players can join up and enjoy, some significant sequels (including Geometry Wars and Galaga), and community-made games on their way to the Marketplace this fall.
Microsoft iterates their desire to reach casual gamers by means of a new Scene It? game and an entirely new property, You're In The Movies.
Music games are given a bit of the spotlight. Guitar Hero: World Tour is given a little bit of stage time. Of significance are a new eight-player battle of the bands mode and the ability to edit your own songs for playing in the game.
Rock Band 2's massive setlist is revealed in full. Spanning 84 songs on disc, you can read the list here.
A new karaoke style game is introduced. Lips, as it is called, allows for players to use their own music in the game and makes use of wireless, motion-sensitive microphones.
Square-Enix gave brief details on their Xbox 360 releases. Infinite Undiscovery is given a September release date. Star Ocean is given a spring 2009 release date. The Last Remnant is set to release this holiday season.
Square-Enix then closed the show with an absolute show-stopper: Final Fantasy XIII is set to release on the Xbox 360.
Needless to say, lots of big news for the Xbox 360 took place today.
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Labels:
Gaming - News
Microsoft's Press Conference (7/14/2008)
Microsoft's conference was meant to start at 10:30 PDT... and started on time with Don Mattrick.
Mr. Mattrick opens with a talk about having the biggest and best hits, listing games like Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty. He then comments on the Xbox360 providing for everyone with games like Guitar Hero. He promises to "kick off the next series of blockbuster games" and also promises "games guaranteed to welcome everyone to the fun." Fallout 3, Resident Evil 5, Fable 2, and Gears of War 2, are listed as games "not for the faint of heart," but sure to show support for hardcore fans.
The first video shown is a 50's-esque commercial that leads into footage from Fallout 3.
Todd Howard, of Bethesda, takes the stage to provide us with information about Fallout 3, stating that a lot was learned in Oblivion's development. He immediately provides us with live-footage of the game. Taking place in Washington DC in the 2200s. The game is shown to have ridiculous and comical stylings. Combat is shown to be real-time, but it allows for scripting attacks ahead of time, leading to a cinematic playing out of the battle. Players can be good or evil, high powered or stealthy, and they are pretty much able to do whatever they want, however they want. The game looks beautiful. Mr. Howard announces that Xbox Live Marketplace will be used for downloadable content.
Jun Takeuchi, of Capcom, now takes the stage with a translator to reveal Resident Evil 5. The RE5 director begins to play a demo of the game. The game takes place in Africa. Story details are revealed. Online co-op is revealed and a new protagonist is revealed. Combat, and stage interaction, looks to take place in a way similar to that of RE4. Visually, the game is looking beautiful. An in-game cinematic is shown, showing a new variation of the chainsaw wielding enemies of RE4.
Capcom would like to tell us one more thing: RE5 will be available worldwide on Friday the 13th, March 2009.
Lionhead Studios makes a showing. Peter Molyneux steps on stage to share with us that Fable 2 is finished. He reminds us that Fable is an RPG, and that Fable 2 takes place 500 years after the first game. A cinematic is shown, and it looks beautiful. A snow-covered realm is shown, leading to a fortified city. Co-op over Live is revealed. Heroes are unique to the player, as well as the game world itself, providing motive for others to come and visit in co-op. Life-sim elements seem present in the form of being able to go to a bar to getting married. October 2008 is the set release date.
A video for Gears of War 2 plays. Cinematic and dramatic in nature, the video looks great. Epic Games' Cliff Bleszinsky takes the stage. He readies to show a co-op video. The gameplay looks very intense and bloody. Graphically, the game manages to look even better than the first Gears of War. The action-packed video concludes. A new mode is revealed, a five-player co-op mode. Gears of War 2 is coming Worldwide on October 7th.
Mr. Mattrick takes the stage again. He takes a moment for nostalgia, taking us back to that first moment of being absorbed into a game. He declares that "our industry belongs to everyone." He gives sales stats on the financial aspects of the industry, and shares how it is that Xbox is leading the market. He makes the bold claim that this generation of gaming system will have more 360s sold than PS3s. He shifts gears to detailing the strengths of Xbox Live, declaring that more than 12 million subscribers exist. More than 500 million pieces of content have been downloaded through Xbox Live since 2005. He explains that Xbox Live pushes more on-demand high definition content than any other group. A new TV and movie partner are announced; NBC and Universal Studios will be bringing content to Xbox Live. This content lauches today. MGM International and Constantine are offering new content as of today, too.
Asking how it is Microsoft continues to fuel innovation, he asks John Schappert to come on stage to explain things. He begins by declaring that online is where innovation will continue to grow. He announces that a new software update is on the way, bringing a "new Xbox experience." This fall, a new interface and Dashboard will hit. The new "My Xbox" channel provides instant access to everything on the console. Gamercards will now contain Mii-like avatars. A video explaining the design of the avatars begins with a Rare logo. Avatars are going to be integrated across the system.
A new community channel replaces the friends list of before with visual representations of friends' avatars. Live Parties are a new innovation, allowing for group chats (of up to 8 people). A new photo-sharing tool. Xbox Live Primetime is a new channel coming this fall, that puts players into Live variations of game shows. After a brief comment about video content on Live, viewers are taken to the games channel. Here, Uno Tour, a new game, is revealed. With the click of a button, the entire party begins playing Uno Tour.
Geometry Wars has a Live-exclusive sequel that is officially announced today. Another Live Arcade game is revealed, sure to touch nostalgic gamers' hearts: A true sequel to Galaga. Galaga Legions will be available next month exclusively on XBLA. Portal Still Alive is announced as an Xbox Live Arcade exclusive, coming this fall. In 2009, a Live-exclusive game based on South park is coming. A video showing off some titles from community created Xbox Live games said to hit this fall.
An exclusive partnership with Netflix is announced. With Netflix connectivity, a queue (similar to that of Netflix) is available for immediate viewing. With the emphasis on Xbox party support, it is possible to watch Netflix movies with friends who are on their own consles.
Shane Kim takes the stage. Prince of Persia, Call of Duty, Tomb Raider, and other games show third-party support. An Xbox Live-exclusive new episode for Grand Theft Auto is said to be soon released. A trailer for the new Banjo-Kazooie is revealed. It looks similar to older games in the series at first, but gameplay implies that "some assembly may be required" to progress. A video for the colorful Viva Pinata sequel begins playing, showing off a usage of the Live camera. The camera scans cards to introduce new characters into the game. Both games are set to come this holiday season.
Two new "games for everyone" are revealed. The first is a live-action advertisement for a Scene It? game. New controllers are a part of the game. Downloads for new questions are possible. Playing on Live is also included. The next game revealed is You're In The Movies. The game has brief improvisations that are "immediately turned into movies." Minigames in varied forms are shown with players acting out in front of a camera. The mini-games look fairly simple, but the game then compiles the footage captured into a comical B-movie. A director's mode allows editing to take place. You're In The Movies will include an Xbox Live Camera in the packaging.
Next, music games are revealed. On average, 3.5 million songs are downloaded from XBLA. Kai Huang of Activision comes out stage to talk about the next Guitar Hero game. He promises that On Tour will take music gaming to a whole new level. New features include a wireless drum kit and eight player battle of the bands. He then details Guitar Hero's new music creation tool. Two new announcements show that World Tour will have three songs from R.E.M.'s next album before anyone else. Metallica's next album will be released in full at the same time as the actual album on Guitar Hero III, then on World Tour.
The next Xbox exclusive is a new karaoke game, Lips. Keiichi Yano, creator of Lips, takes the stage. The game lets you sing from your own music collection. The wireless mics light up with the performances and have motion sensitivity. Duffy takes the stage to provide a live performance of one of her songs, "Mercy," using the Lips game. The game is set to come out this holiday season.
Rock Band is now introduced as being huge last year. Rock Band 2 is said to be exclusively released on Xbox 360 in September. A spokesman comes on stage to reveal the entire Rock Band 2 soundtrack, made of 84 tracks (all of which are master tracks). Tracks of focus are Guns 'N Roses first single in 14 years, Bob Dylan's "Tangled Up in Blue" is announced, and AC/DC will be appearing exclusively in Rock Band 2 by means of "Let There Be Rock." Metallica, Pearl Jam, Devo, Megadeth, Paramore, Modest Mouse, Interpol, and many, many more are mentioned to be on the game. 20 bonus tracks will be released later in the fall. All Rock Band tracks are compatible with Rock Band 2. Most all of the Rock Band's original setlist will also work with Rock Band 2. More than 500 songs will be available for the game in time.
Mr. Mattrick returns to the stage to present Yoishi Wada, president of Square-Enix, as the last guest of the day. Wada-san mentions three major titles, Infinite Undiscovery, Star Ocean, and the Last Remnant. Infinite Undiscovery is set for a September release. Star Ocean is set for a spring 2009 release. The first real-time trailer for the game is available on Live Marketplace today. The Last Remnant will be available on the Xbox this holiday season. Footage for the game plays, revealing a cinematic setting and an impressive art direction. The game is announced to also come to Games for Windows.
Mr. Mattrick retakes the stage. He provides a conclusion and recap to the conference. But Wada-san returns to the stage with a new announcement: he asks viewers to "take a look at this movie." The movie is nothing short footage from Final Fantasy XIII. It seems that the much speculated possibility of the game coming to the Xbox is, in fact, a reality.
Read full article
Mr. Mattrick opens with a talk about having the biggest and best hits, listing games like Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty. He then comments on the Xbox360 providing for everyone with games like Guitar Hero. He promises to "kick off the next series of blockbuster games" and also promises "games guaranteed to welcome everyone to the fun." Fallout 3, Resident Evil 5, Fable 2, and Gears of War 2, are listed as games "not for the faint of heart," but sure to show support for hardcore fans.
The first video shown is a 50's-esque commercial that leads into footage from Fallout 3.
Todd Howard, of Bethesda, takes the stage to provide us with information about Fallout 3, stating that a lot was learned in Oblivion's development. He immediately provides us with live-footage of the game. Taking place in Washington DC in the 2200s. The game is shown to have ridiculous and comical stylings. Combat is shown to be real-time, but it allows for scripting attacks ahead of time, leading to a cinematic playing out of the battle. Players can be good or evil, high powered or stealthy, and they are pretty much able to do whatever they want, however they want. The game looks beautiful. Mr. Howard announces that Xbox Live Marketplace will be used for downloadable content.
Jun Takeuchi, of Capcom, now takes the stage with a translator to reveal Resident Evil 5. The RE5 director begins to play a demo of the game. The game takes place in Africa. Story details are revealed. Online co-op is revealed and a new protagonist is revealed. Combat, and stage interaction, looks to take place in a way similar to that of RE4. Visually, the game is looking beautiful. An in-game cinematic is shown, showing a new variation of the chainsaw wielding enemies of RE4.
Capcom would like to tell us one more thing: RE5 will be available worldwide on Friday the 13th, March 2009.
Lionhead Studios makes a showing. Peter Molyneux steps on stage to share with us that Fable 2 is finished. He reminds us that Fable is an RPG, and that Fable 2 takes place 500 years after the first game. A cinematic is shown, and it looks beautiful. A snow-covered realm is shown, leading to a fortified city. Co-op over Live is revealed. Heroes are unique to the player, as well as the game world itself, providing motive for others to come and visit in co-op. Life-sim elements seem present in the form of being able to go to a bar to getting married. October 2008 is the set release date.
A video for Gears of War 2 plays. Cinematic and dramatic in nature, the video looks great. Epic Games' Cliff Bleszinsky takes the stage. He readies to show a co-op video. The gameplay looks very intense and bloody. Graphically, the game manages to look even better than the first Gears of War. The action-packed video concludes. A new mode is revealed, a five-player co-op mode. Gears of War 2 is coming Worldwide on October 7th.
Mr. Mattrick takes the stage again. He takes a moment for nostalgia, taking us back to that first moment of being absorbed into a game. He declares that "our industry belongs to everyone." He gives sales stats on the financial aspects of the industry, and shares how it is that Xbox is leading the market. He makes the bold claim that this generation of gaming system will have more 360s sold than PS3s. He shifts gears to detailing the strengths of Xbox Live, declaring that more than 12 million subscribers exist. More than 500 million pieces of content have been downloaded through Xbox Live since 2005. He explains that Xbox Live pushes more on-demand high definition content than any other group. A new TV and movie partner are announced; NBC and Universal Studios will be bringing content to Xbox Live. This content lauches today. MGM International and Constantine are offering new content as of today, too.
Asking how it is Microsoft continues to fuel innovation, he asks John Schappert to come on stage to explain things. He begins by declaring that online is where innovation will continue to grow. He announces that a new software update is on the way, bringing a "new Xbox experience." This fall, a new interface and Dashboard will hit. The new "My Xbox" channel provides instant access to everything on the console. Gamercards will now contain Mii-like avatars. A video explaining the design of the avatars begins with a Rare logo. Avatars are going to be integrated across the system.
A new community channel replaces the friends list of before with visual representations of friends' avatars. Live Parties are a new innovation, allowing for group chats (of up to 8 people). A new photo-sharing tool. Xbox Live Primetime is a new channel coming this fall, that puts players into Live variations of game shows. After a brief comment about video content on Live, viewers are taken to the games channel. Here, Uno Tour, a new game, is revealed. With the click of a button, the entire party begins playing Uno Tour.
Geometry Wars has a Live-exclusive sequel that is officially announced today. Another Live Arcade game is revealed, sure to touch nostalgic gamers' hearts: A true sequel to Galaga. Galaga Legions will be available next month exclusively on XBLA. Portal Still Alive is announced as an Xbox Live Arcade exclusive, coming this fall. In 2009, a Live-exclusive game based on South park is coming. A video showing off some titles from community created Xbox Live games said to hit this fall.
An exclusive partnership with Netflix is announced. With Netflix connectivity, a queue (similar to that of Netflix) is available for immediate viewing. With the emphasis on Xbox party support, it is possible to watch Netflix movies with friends who are on their own consles.
Shane Kim takes the stage. Prince of Persia, Call of Duty, Tomb Raider, and other games show third-party support. An Xbox Live-exclusive new episode for Grand Theft Auto is said to be soon released. A trailer for the new Banjo-Kazooie is revealed. It looks similar to older games in the series at first, but gameplay implies that "some assembly may be required" to progress. A video for the colorful Viva Pinata sequel begins playing, showing off a usage of the Live camera. The camera scans cards to introduce new characters into the game. Both games are set to come this holiday season.
Two new "games for everyone" are revealed. The first is a live-action advertisement for a Scene It? game. New controllers are a part of the game. Downloads for new questions are possible. Playing on Live is also included. The next game revealed is You're In The Movies. The game has brief improvisations that are "immediately turned into movies." Minigames in varied forms are shown with players acting out in front of a camera. The mini-games look fairly simple, but the game then compiles the footage captured into a comical B-movie. A director's mode allows editing to take place. You're In The Movies will include an Xbox Live Camera in the packaging.
Next, music games are revealed. On average, 3.5 million songs are downloaded from XBLA. Kai Huang of Activision comes out stage to talk about the next Guitar Hero game. He promises that On Tour will take music gaming to a whole new level. New features include a wireless drum kit and eight player battle of the bands. He then details Guitar Hero's new music creation tool. Two new announcements show that World Tour will have three songs from R.E.M.'s next album before anyone else. Metallica's next album will be released in full at the same time as the actual album on Guitar Hero III, then on World Tour.
The next Xbox exclusive is a new karaoke game, Lips. Keiichi Yano, creator of Lips, takes the stage. The game lets you sing from your own music collection. The wireless mics light up with the performances and have motion sensitivity. Duffy takes the stage to provide a live performance of one of her songs, "Mercy," using the Lips game. The game is set to come out this holiday season.
Rock Band is now introduced as being huge last year. Rock Band 2 is said to be exclusively released on Xbox 360 in September. A spokesman comes on stage to reveal the entire Rock Band 2 soundtrack, made of 84 tracks (all of which are master tracks). Tracks of focus are Guns 'N Roses first single in 14 years, Bob Dylan's "Tangled Up in Blue" is announced, and AC/DC will be appearing exclusively in Rock Band 2 by means of "Let There Be Rock." Metallica, Pearl Jam, Devo, Megadeth, Paramore, Modest Mouse, Interpol, and many, many more are mentioned to be on the game. 20 bonus tracks will be released later in the fall. All Rock Band tracks are compatible with Rock Band 2. Most all of the Rock Band's original setlist will also work with Rock Band 2. More than 500 songs will be available for the game in time.
Mr. Mattrick returns to the stage to present Yoishi Wada, president of Square-Enix, as the last guest of the day. Wada-san mentions three major titles, Infinite Undiscovery, Star Ocean, and the Last Remnant. Infinite Undiscovery is set for a September release. Star Ocean is set for a spring 2009 release. The first real-time trailer for the game is available on Live Marketplace today. The Last Remnant will be available on the Xbox this holiday season. Footage for the game plays, revealing a cinematic setting and an impressive art direction. The game is announced to also come to Games for Windows.
Mr. Mattrick retakes the stage. He provides a conclusion and recap to the conference. But Wada-san returns to the stage with a new announcement: he asks viewers to "take a look at this movie." The movie is nothing short footage from Final Fantasy XIII. It seems that the much speculated possibility of the game coming to the Xbox is, in fact, a reality.
Read full article
Labels:
Gaming - News
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