Posts Tagged ‘E3’
Sony: “We’re Not Copying The Wii”
At E3 both Sony and Microsoft unveiled their own offerings in the grand world of motion sensing controllers. Microsoft’s Project Natal goes a different route than the Wii, utilizing a camera to track players movements and translate them into control inputs while Sony uses a wand device similar to the Wiimote. It didn’t exactly catch on, but Sony in some ways was first to the hit the motion sensing gameplay market with their Eyetoy.
Since their newest motion control device bears a striking similarity to Nintendo’s, they’ve come out to insist that they’ve been working on a wand device sine the original EyeToy. They released a video on Youtube of a tech demo made with the original EyeToy where they showcase some of the features that are now integrated into their new wand.
E3 ‘09: Project Natal with Milo
You all saw Microsoft’s amazing demonstration with Project Natal, right? Well I don’t think anyone could have predicted the scale of advancement Project Natal was going to bring to the gaming world.
Introducing Milo, a virtual boy who you can literally interact and talk to utilizing Microsoft’s Natal technology. Now let’s pretend for a moment the video isn’t staged and ponder the possibilities of Project Natal coupled with this revolutionary artificial intelligence.
Considering Peter Molyneux is behind Milo just imagine an RPG that uses this same kind of technology with you as the main character, instead of picking from a predetermined list of NPC responses you actually respond with voice. Sure it may be a ways off but just knowing that this technology is coming is very exciting.
E3: Bayonetta trailer
Sega has released the E3 trailer for their upcoming action game Bayonetta. The game is being directed by the creator of the Devil May Cry series, Hideki Kamiya, so fans of the genre might want to keep their eyes peeled for this one.
Bayonetta will be shapeshifting its way onto stores later this year for the PlaySation 3 and Xbox 360.
E3 ‘09: 41,000 attendees, E3 ‘10 confirmed
As the final day of E3 is underway today, the ESA announced that the event has indeed been a success, with over 41,000 attendees and 216 exhibitors, including developers, publishers, media exhibitors, hardware makers and many other. Although this is still a far cry from the golden days, where over 50,000 people would show up (in 2006 over 60,000 attended), and where the show was open to the general public.
The ESA also announced next year’s E3 would take place from June 15 to 17 at the LA Convention Center.
Super Mario Galaxy 2 E3 debut trailer
We learned just yesterday that a continuation of the Mario Galaxy series was in the pipeline and now comes to us the above trailer showcasing said game; Super Mario Galaxy 2.
This trailer does a really good job showing off the beautiful visuals that will be featured in Super Mario Galaxy 2 when it drops for the Nintendo Wii in 2010.
If you were a fan of the first game or even of Super Mario 64 you are sure to love Super Mario Galaxy 2. Because really, what’s not to love about a Mario game?
New Super Mario Bros. Coming To Wii
Though many have decried Nintendo’s Wii as a mere toy or gimmick with its motion sensing controller the fact that both Microsoft and Sony unveiled their own motion-sensing devices at E3 means that at least in some facet a more hands-on style of gaming is here to stay.
Nintendo is once again changing the industry and pushing things in a new direction, but they’re still showing their love for those of us who cling to older, more simple styles of game play. Along with Super Mario Galaxy 2 they’ve unveiled another Mario game, one that allows players to do something rather unusual: play together.
In theory many of the Mario games have been two player, but not in a true cooperative sense. You’d simply take turns going through levels, sitting back and watching when it wasn’t your turn. New Super Mario Bros. Wii as it’s called changes all that. Now you and up to three friends can be jumping, smashing and stomping on screen simultaneously. Two players will control the plumber duo of Mario and Luigi with the other two playing as Toads.
Things won’t be all fun and games though, because at the end of every level the players are ranked by number of coins collected, their score and how many enemies they defeated so as you can imagine it’ll be possible to take a more aggressive approach. Players can pick each other up to save them from danger or hurl them into a nearby bottomless pit. In certain portions of the game you’ll use your Wiimote’s motion controls to manipulate the environment, which could certainly be used to hinder other players.
As always there’ll be power-ups to help you including a propeller suit which allows you to fly with a flick of the wiimote and Mario will be able to turn into Penguin Mario, which will probably offer some much needed traction on the annoying ice levels. Yoshi will of course be coming back and all four characters can ride one, but watch out- competitive players can swallow their teammates as easily as enemies. The game will be out for the holidays this year.
Dead Rising 2 Details
With every video game company releasing gobs and gobs of information at E3 there’s dozens of games to look at, but one title that has hardcore gamers excited is Dead Rising 2. The original had a compelling storyline that offered a lot of challenge balanced by a lot of fun using anything and everything on hand to dispatch hordes of slavering undead. We already knew that despite Frank West’s heroic attempts to stop the impending zombie apocalypse the outbreak wasn’t contained to the Midwestern town, with continued outbreaks of zombies across the USA.
One of the outbreaks strikes in Fortune City, essentially a fictionalized version of Las Vegas. The protagonist is Chuck Greene, former Motocross champion and single father who dotes on his daughter Katey. Since her mother is dead, this is likely to be the main plot hook of the game, with Greene working his way through the city in an attempt to rescue his daughter and then help her escape.
As before you’ll be utilizing anything and everything to slaughter your way through hordes of zombies, hordes that promise to be even greater than the original due to upgrades in the engine that’ll allow huge numbers of undead to be on the screen with very little frame drop.
Red Steel 2 To Be Bundled With Wii Motion Plus
Red Steel was one of the earliest hardcore games for the Wii and though it emphasized the sword-fighting that part of the gameplay was disappointing due to its gesture-based controls while the gun controls were much more realistic. With the sequel the developers are hoping to deliver on the original promise by utilizing Wii MotionPlus controls.
It’s been demoed at E3 and sounds like it’s a far superior version to the original, with creative director Jason Vandenberge squaring off against a hammer-wielding opponent. Ubisoft has confirmed that the game will be bundled with the controller peripheral since it’s now mandatory for the game. Chance are many will already have the Wii MotionPlus before then since it’ll be bundled along with several sports games and
Xbox Live to get full retail games for download
Finally a reason to shell out the extra cash for the 120GB harddrive, full games on demand. Yes, Microsoft has recently announced at E3 that they will begin offering full, retail Xbox 360 games for download over their Xbox Live service.
Don’t get too excited yet because the new service isn’t set to go live until August but make note that you’ll be buying the virtual titles with a credit card instead of Microsoft Points.
Unfortunately, Engadget reports that Microsoft will not allow full titles to be rented but that it “sounds great for the future”.
Sony Says “Shockers” Still Coming
Sure, the PSP Go has been one of the worst-kept secrets in the gaming industry for the last few months, but until yesterday there hadn’t been real confirmation of its look, design or features. Pictures of it leaked, along with a list of features and the news that new Gran Turismo, Little Big Planet and Metal Gear Solid titles were being developed for the handheld.
Sony PR representative Jake Osuwah is assuring both E3 attendees and the general public that their bag of tricks is far from empty. After the pictures and details of the new device were leaked onto the internet Osuwah twittered: “Pre-E3 announcements or not! There’s still lots of shockers planned for you guys @ E3, stay tuned…”
Of course the real question is how many of these pre-E3 leaks are actually leaks and how many are deliberate releases masquerading as slip-ups in confidentiality.
Sega shows off their E3 lineup
With just over a day away from E3, Sega has finally revealed their entire lineup of games for showcase this year. Included in the lineup is The Conduit, one of the first titles to utilize Wii Speak, a microphone accessory. The list of games is quite diverse, with an FPS, RPG, and sports titles all in the same lot:
- Vancouver 2010
- The Conduit
- Planet 51
- Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
- BAYONETTA
- Alpha Protocol
- Aliens vs. Predator
New Mass Effect 2 Details
So far there haven’t been many concrete details about what’s happening for the Mass Effect sequel. Promises of revamped gameplay and a stirring storyline are far from actual news about what we’ll be seeing and whether or not Shepard survived the events of the original. Though all the biggest game announcements are waiting for E3, Bioware is drumming up attendees for their booth and general buzz about the game.
Despite the many RPG stylings of the original it remained quite heavily combat focused and the developers are promising a lot more content in this area. There’ll be more variety of weapons, including some heavier weapons systems and the ability to hinder your opponents by blowing off limbs. There’ll also be a new vehicle which they say controls better than the Mako.
There will of course be even more planets, locations and alien species to further flesh out the already detailed universe. Players will travel to a Krogan planet, an Asari planet which is compared to Coruscant from the Star Wars series and even an ‘anti-citadel’. Apparently you will play as Shepard, though it isn’t specified for how long. There’ll be familiar faces, places and items although depending on your choices major supporting characters can and will die.
The story still involves Shepard’s quest to destroy the Reapers, but additional events will involve the Cerebus corporation and its enigmatic leader. Bioware will reveal several things at E3, including the fate of Shepard, how the new travel/exploration systems will work and who you ultimately play is, meaning that even if Shepard is alive he’s not going to be your main character.
Atari pulls out of this year’s E3
With only a few weeks to got until E3, Atari has announced that the publisher has pulled out of the show. They will still be attending the show, but not exhibiting. An Atari rep told Joystiq that it will look into other marketing initiatives in order to promote upcoming games such as Ghostbusters.
It’s not a surprise that a publisher should pull out of an expensive show like E3, especially during these tough economic times.
Cooking Mama 3 to appear at E3 09
Majesco has recently released word that they willbe holding a special Cooking Mama 3 event at this year’s E3.
As you can see from the above invitiation that Joystiq recieved, attendees will be treated to free food, free drinks, and of course Cooking Mama 3 playtime.
There’s really no details on what console this game will be released for or when but we have a hunch you’ll be seeing it on the Nintendo DS.
New PSP Rumored To Debut At E3
Sony has been tight lipped on the existence of plans to create a UMD-less PSP so far but dribs and drabs of information made it through the cracks and kept the rumors going. The download-only nature of Patapon 2 threw gasoline on the fire, since if Sony is testing the potential for the PSP to adopt a digital distribution scheme it means they’ve got some time and money invested in it.
1Up is coming forward with information from sources directly working on the project. According to their report the new PSP is set to be revealed to the public this year at E3 in June. Several of the rumors about its redesign features are said to be correct, including a sliding screen that slides up to reveal the face buttons and a lack of a UMD slot, but no second analog nubbin. The sources claim that the new PSP will have a subtitle rather than a numerical designation and the existence of ‘Go!’ branded peripherals suggest it might be called the PSP Go!.
The new PSP will be launching in September in Japan, October or November in the USA. Over a hundred PSP titles are planned to be available for download at launch, with two SKU’s available, one with eight gigabytes of flash memory and the other with sixteen. (Note: the picture above is not an actual image of it, simply a mock-up from 1Up)