Archive for July 11th, 2007:
E3: Unreal Tournament 3 PS3 Exclusive This Year?
The upcoming multiplayer slaughterhouse Unreal Tournament 3 will be a PS3 exclusive in 2007, according to Sony’s Jack Tretton. He announced that Sony and Epic were in a new partnership, where the Unreal Engine 3 would be optimized particularly for the PS3, and will be distributed to PS3 developers worldwide.
Unreal Tournament 3 to be an exclusive for the PS3 this year sounds rather ridiculous, Tretton must have gotten something wrong during his presentation. He also said a number of other games were “exclusive”, games like Assassin’s Creed and Madden NFL 08. We know those aren’t exclusive, by far.
E3: Sony: 11 Million PS3s To Ship This Year
In a rather bold announcement at the Sony press event, Jack Tretton claims Sony will ship 11 million PlayStation 3s this year. He cites the new 80 GB version and the price cut on the 60 GB version as the big contributors.
Sony has so far sold under 4 million million units and shipped 5 million, 7 months into the year. Reaching 11 million in 5 months will be a tough challenge for them, it will probably result in a lot of PS3s collecting dust on store shelves.
E3: PSN Getting 80 Games Before March 08
There are more than 80 games in development for the PlayStation Network on the PS3. Among the games is Echo Chrome, a very simple 3D puzzle game, way to simple for something like the PS3. Another game is Wipeout HD, which looked pretty sweet, running in 1080p at 60FPS. Warhawk was another game showcased, which will be coming both to the PSN and in retail stores. Socom: Confirmation was also showcased, and will be available on PSN and in stores (on Blu-ray, of course). All 80 games are expected to be released before March 2008, some are PSN exclusive, some will also get a Blu-ray release as well.
Killzone 2 Dev: “What You’re Seeing is Pre-pre Alpha”
The guys at Guerilla Games are having a field day: their game gets publicly unveiled and reaction has been largely positive. Keeping that in mind, a dev from the studio popped up on the NeoGAF forums, saying that the trailer we’re seeing now is from the “pre-pre-alpha” version of the game and that “there will be much more details, effects and so on.”
He also states that half the animations are not in the game and that the final game will match the target render shown at E3 2005, going on to say that it might look “even better in the final game.”
Hope they deliver, because if what he says is true then this “pre-pre-alpha” video becomes even more impressive. Hopefully, the gameplay will stand up, too.
E3: PSP Redesign Coming In September
Sony’s E3 press event is well underway, and CEO Jack Tretton is on the stage, talking about the PSP. There will be more than 140 new games for the handheld this fiscal year (ending March 08). There were quite a few of them showcased, including;
God of War, Wipeout, Socom, Patapon, NBA 08, Syphon Filter, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08, Sonic Rivals 2, The Sims 2: Castaway, SWAT, Final Fantasy Tactics, and Casltevania.
Sony’s Kaz Hirai took the stage to announced a new PSP, which is pretty much like the old one, except that it’s 33% lighter, it’s thinner, and has an improved battery life. The new PSP will be available in September, in multiple colors.
E3: New FEAR Expansion Announced
Sierra Entertainment today announced F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate, an all-new standalone expansion pack for PC and F.E.A.R. Files, a complete standalone expansion pack series for Xbox 360. Both are scheduled for release this Fall.
Perseus Mandate will feature a brand new team that tells the story of the original game through a different perspective. The campaign will reveal a parallel story allowing players to take the role of a different F.E.A.R. soldier and battle new enemies that the original team never saw coming.
Meanwhile, Files will feature the new Perseus Mandate campaign, as well as Extraction Point, offering both expansions as a single package on the console. More details and media will be revealed at the show.
E3: STALKER Prequel Announced
CVG cites the latest edition of PC Zone magazine as announcing S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky, a full-fledged sequel to the original nuclear-shooter. Set for release during the first half of 2008, the game will be a prequel to the original and will flesh out the origin of one of the main characters from the first game. It will also feature a more hostile environment and will be “vastly different” from the previous game.
According to PC Zone, the game world will consist of 50 percent new territory and 50 percent twisted renditions of what we’ve played before. The game will feature interface enhancements, AI improvements, new monsters and a DX10 version.
More information and screenshots are expected from E3.
E3: Halo 3 Single-player Screenshots
Yup, it’s screenshot time again! These shots are from the single-player portion of Halo 3, so enjoy them. More after the jump.
By the way, if you guys want to see more screenshots here at Digitalbattle, please drop a line in the comments.
E3: Check Mii Out Channel Announced
Nintendo has added another Wii channel to the list. Called CheckMiiOut, the channel will be for all those who want to get a bit more social with the Mii. You can submit your Mii to contests, chech out your friends, chat, and all the other basics stuff of a social network.
The service will initially launch in North America, hopefully followed by an international release.
Fatal1ty at E for All
Raining over E3’s parade, IDG World Expo, the organizer of the upcoming E for All Expo, announced that Jonathan ‘Fatal1ty’ Wndel will be present at the show, offering his “fierce competitiveness” and “signature game face” for the event’s premiere this year.
Fatal1ty’s presence embodies the passion and excitement that is E for All. Leading up to the Mecca of video game experiences, a Fatal1ty summer tour is planned to bring fans face-to-face with their favorite gamer, learn about E for All, and possibly win tickets to the event. Fatal1ty’s summer media tour will also include the latest news from E for All. To view tour dates, visit www.fatal1ty.com.
“I couldn’t be more psyched to be associated with the first ever E for All,” said Fatal1ty. “I’m looking forward to seeing thousands of thrilled video game fans, from beginners to those ready to battle me ! It will be an amazing experience for the entire video game community.”
Fatal1ty’s schedule for E for All weekend is loaded with special appearances, competitive gameplay, and fan interaction. On Saturday, October 20, Fatal1ty will give a keynote speech, “Competitive Gaming – From Basement to Big Time,” focusing on the growth of E-Sports and its future. Fatal1ty will participate in game exhibitions and shootouts with lucky fans. Those unwilling to succumb to the wrath of Fatal1ty can meet him personally at his prominent floor booth location.
E For All Expo will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center, the old stomping grounds for E3, and is scheduled for October 18-21. As the name suggests, it will be open for all to enjoy.
E3: Killzone 2 Screenshots
The first screenshots from Killzone 2 are here, and they don’t disappoint! Two more shots after the jump. Additionally, you can view the trailer here.
E3: Nintendo Press Event Recap
This year Nintendo didn’t reveal much new, and what was revealed was rather sparse on details (except Wii Fit). Nintendo’s Reggie Fils-Aime, Satoru Iwata and Shigeru Miyamoto were all speaking at the event, although the first half hour drowned in sales data, demographics, and similar boring stuff.
New game announcements: Mario Kart Wii was the most important game announcement at the event, it will be out in Q1 2008, and will feature online multiplayer and will include a steering wheel. Nintendo also revealed several other Wii games that will support online multiplayer, including Medal of Honor Airborne and FIFA 08.
New hardware: Wii Zapper was revealed, looked a lot better than the one showed at last year’s E3. The Zapper will launch later this year at $19.95, including a game (not including the Wiimote and Nun-chuck, of course).
The other hardware announcement was Wii Fit, a fitness game with a board players stand on (called Wii Balance Board) to perform exercises. Wii Fit certainly has the potential to attract even more non-gamers to the Wii. More details here.
Release dates: Two of the most anticipated games got release dates; Smash Bros. Brawl on December 3rd and Super Mario Galaxy on November 12th.
E3: Super Smash Bros. Brawl Dated
The extremely popular fighting game, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, has finally been given a solid release date. The game will be out on shelves on December 3rd this year, just in time for the holidays. At least the game was not delayed to next year.
E3: Wii Fit Revealed
A brand new Wii game has been revealed, called Wii Fit. It’s not just a game, there is a “platform” that with it, where the player physically stands. You can then do different moves, exercise on the platform. It’s called the “Wii Balance Board” and is able to detect a players weight and shifting. The game can track ones progress over time, including one’s BMI index.
It was showcased by Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto (picture), with there fitness trainers, showcasing the new device by doing different exercises. The game tells the player if he’s doing anything wrong, and tells the where he needs to correct his moves. There are over 40 different activities players can do.
E3: New Wii Online Games
Nintendo is now revealing more and more games with online capabilities; Mario Strikers Charged, Madden NFL 08, FIFA 08, Guitar Hero, and Mario Kart Wii, which will be out in Q1 2008. A few screenshots of Mario Kart Wii and short clips were shown, looked a lot like Double Dash for the GameCube. Mario kart Wii will be bundled with a custom Wii steering wheel, where you place your Wiimote in the center, although it looks a bit more sophisticated than the Ubisoft piece of plastic that was released last year.