E 3 has arrived

[Acehigh]

that's right folks just got done with the microsoft press conference and they didn't disappoint.  but I'll hold the details till tomorrow when I see what the other two companies are up to.  just wanted to let ya know that finally the roving reporter has been awakened once more!!  :-X

[Goku1]

good hunting

[Acehigh]

¤§¤  alright boys and girls it's time to bust out some news!  from what I have seen so far it looks like a good year for games and lots of them.  so sit back and relax as brother aceidocious get's ya learned. 

Microsoft

games games games.  that's the line coming out of the big M this year.  halo 3, bio shock, pgr 4, mass effect, blue dragon, and a couple other japanese games that I don't remember are all exclusive and all due out by the holiday season.  along with these exclusives are the multiplat titles like call of duty 4, rock band, guitar hero 3, assassins creed, smackdown vs raw 2008, all the ea sports games, all pro football, mercs 2, and a ton of new games for the live arcade *so many I can't remember them all LOL*  but all of these titles are expected by xmas as well.  that's pretty much the major news from this camp

  Sony

games again was the focus here but more focus seems to be on making the psp actually worth buying.  a ton of new games are coming out for this handheld *again to many to remember* so if that's your thing could be worth checking out.  the ps3 has a couple games in the works aiming for the holiday season.  a new ratchet and klank game, and kill zone 2 are the highest profile "exclusive" games.  that is quoted because sony stated they don't like exclusive titles and want more first party stuff.....well to each his own LOL.  aside from those two they are getting all the cross plats listed above and all the sports games listed above. 

more time is spent here because they did talk about some other things.  one thing is they discussed a "price drop" for the 60 gb version.  basically the 60 gb version is now on sale for the bargain price of $500, but an 80gb version will be coming out for $600 so is that really a price drop lol?  the other big knock on this system so far is that there just aren't many games.  that is kinda being addressed but very few are exclusives to move the system.  and it's not being kept secret that the cross plat games are running at 2 times the frame rate as their ps3 counter parts...............will be interesting to see if they can climb out of the whole.

Nintendo

now these guys did a balanced presentation with some games and some hardware announced.  I'll do games first.  metroid prime 3, super mario galaxies, and smash bros are all expected by xmas.  there's also some cross plat sports games and a couple of the other cross plats from above but they will have special things just for the wii.  a huge knock here is also lack of games.  but the system is selling well with the mini game collections so who knows. 

these guys also had some new hardware to show off.  a new version of the light gun shall be seeing the light of day and was shown off with a resident evil game.  the light gun might be a sticky subject though as these things usually don't get alot of support from devs as it's usually considered a gimick.  they also showed off a "pad" that can read bio signs to use with a fitness game.  the fitness game focuses on yoga style workouts with light aerobics mixed in.  another target to the mass market/non gamers.  but how much longer can this train keep rolling with the severe lack of games for gamers?

PC

not much was talked about in the pc world so far.  two games that look kewl and should be out this year are hell gate london, and gears of war pc.  that's about it

my concerns, comments, ect

ok while I applaud the focus on gaming and software this year I don't see how N can keep competing with the lack of games for the wii.  eventually the mini games will get old and the train will slow down.  sony's lack of exclusives will be a huge problem for them down the road.  exclusives move systems off store shelves.  and frankly with the cross plat games out performing them on the 360, sony needs a bunch of exclusives to appear out of thin air.  my main concern in the big M's camp is that they seem to be focusing way to much on live and multiplayer experiences.  don't get me wrong that is fun, but you can't ignore single player experiences to help move games too.  the hardware issues used to be a concern but they have been addressed with the 3 yr warranty extension. 

now I'm very disappointed that some major software is missing once again.  kotor 3 dissed again...........there was a hint in business world around xmas where lucas arts said the franchise wouldn't be left behind........well.......where is it lol?  there was no mention of force unleashed as of yet either......this might be shown off later in the week but could have made a huge splash at the press events.  infact I'm concerned with the lack of star wars titles period.  only one mentioned was battlefront for the psp......nuff said lol.  and I'm very concerned that microsoft is forgetting about some of their other major franchises.  sure halo and forza are the top dawgs but where's the next gen crimson skies?  mech assault?  kotor? jade empire?  psyconauts?  I understand that there's gonna be new chises too with new hardeware but N has mario and samus again, sony is bringing back rachet and klank, and jack and daxter..................microsoft has quite a few chises that can leap systems with them too......

ok that's all the news I have so far.  will check back if I hear anything new. 

Ace out

[Man53]

Sony's got a few key exclusives that SHOULD be coming soon, but there's not a 100% fan-base to support it.

Metal Gear 4 should be coming soon, but with its constant push-backs, who knows.

God of War 3 is currently in the makes, but with the games in the series being so short, I wonder how they're going to continue the rampage. (God of War 2 ended way too quickly with very little closure, and not everybody likes open endings! Even when we know it means another game is in the works.)

Sony's rescue! - Final Fantasy XIII. I'm not a huge fan of the FF series myself, but it seems to have one of the biggest followings ever. Final Fantasy XIII has been confirmed for release, which means Sony has a "rescue me" game for the PS3.

Now for some surprising data and info:
Another rescue title for the PS3?
        - There was a demo video of a PS3 Final Fantasy VII at the 2005 E3 Presentations, this started a huge online rampage of Final Fantasy VII remake fandom.
While SquareEnix has not confirmed this, they have not denied it either, and though they are working on Final Fantasy XIII, there's no way I could imagine they'd turn down the        opportunity to gain another bucket-load of money from a re-release of FF7. (For those of you not familiar with the Final Fantasy series, Final Fantasy VII has been rated and reviewed and remembered as one of the best Final Fantasy games ever made. You can still buy this game Used, in poor condition, for $55.00+ and new for $130.00+ (U.S.D.)

PS3 in the hole?
      - There's a lot of debate about how the PlayStation 3 made a huge flop when it was put on the market in 2006. The arguments are that there aren't enough exclusive games, most of the cross-platformers run better on Xbox 360, and the backward compatible issues.
Well. Low and behold - PS3 Vs. Xbox 360 Release sales: PS3 sold over 1 million units in the first 6 weeks after console launch. Xbox 360 sold 600,000 in the first 3 months after console launch.


I've got more info, but I've got to go for now, keep truckin' with news Ace!

[Acehigh]

well what Man has stated might eventually help sony....but those things shall be down the road.  right now microsoft has an install base of 10 million units, nintendo has around 5 million, and sony has around 2 million.  what's really hurting sony right now is the lack of exclusives mentioned above and the frame rate issues of the third party cross platform titles.  hopefully they get things figured out because competition is always a good thing.  right now people just aren't buying the ps3 whether it's for the reasons above or the massive price point.  on the other hand nintendo has a ton of momentum.  personally not my cup of tea, but the casual and brand new gamers love it.  they could sneak up and take the lead by this time next year.  I just hope the wii doesn't turn everyone's focus to casual games.  we need love for the experienced hardcore gamers too lol

E3 day 2

ok not much new info to talk about today.  alot of demos of cross platform titles were shown off.  games like call of duty 4, rock band, burn out paradise, and tiger woods golf looking the best right now.  and of course in the sports world madden is looking good.  we'll see how it does with all pro football coming out against it.  only knock on all pro is no franchise type mode and since it has no license there's fake teams and stadiums *which is minor I know*. 

microsoft showed off some exclusive demos and footage of bioshock, mass effect, and halo 3.  if you don't know what these titles are about I'll give a brief update.  bioshock is set in an underwater city that has gone way way wrong.  basically the goal is to survive at all costs.  mass effect is an action rpg set in an epic space universe.  basically it's humanities first foray into the galactic community.  all of your actions in the game will determine how aliens view you and the human race.  halo 3 is the continuation and finality of this story arc for the franchise.  chief finally gets to attempt to save earth.  all of these titles are worth checking out if you own a 360.

sony has a couple games that look worth checking out if you can shell out that $600 for the system.  heavely sword, kill zone 2, and rachet and klank were all demoed and look kewl.  heavenly sword places you as a female lead character who inherits a "magical super sword" from her families legacy.  set in a mythological world your task is to explore the gaming world in an epic adventure to uncover the secrets and mysteries of the sword.  lots of sword fighting action and crazy action abound here.  kill zone 2 is a sequel to kill zone.  a militaristic shooter set in a futuristic setting.  looks promising with lots of good explosions.  rachet and klank is the next game in that series and will explore rachets past and history.  klank accompanies him on this epic adventure that promises lots of action and hilarity to please gamers.  these titles are expected by xmas. 

nintendo demoed super mario galaxies, wii fit, metroid prime 3.  I don't think mario galaxies will be out till early 08 but it's mario in outer space.  platforming at it's finest.  if you like the mario style this is for you.  wii fit is an attempt to lure in even more casual and new gamers.  this game uses the new balance board to guide you through fitness exercises and challenges.  metroid prime 3 looks very good.  billed as the best metroid to date by the dev team.  there is a corruption element that I didn't hear alot about, but sounds like the good/evil conflict.  shooting looks crazy and is supposed to have a natural feel with the wii mote. 

ok that's all I have for today.  basically it's games games games this year.  not many surprises at all.  at least not so far.  the games I highlighted for each system are looking the best so far.  the cross plats will come down to what system you prefer so I'm not mentioning alot of stuff about those on purpose lol.  alrighty class is over for today

¤§¤  Ace out

[M1A2Tanker]

Maybe LucasArts is using other venues to get details out?

For example:  http://starwars.yahoo.com/

[Man53]

The game looks good, but who knows. Lucas has been known to let people down before.

[Acehigh]

day 3 of the e3 coverage was a huge letdown.  not much new stuff.  just bs discussion and only a couple new things.  they did show a new trailer for force unleashed and it looked amazing.  was kinda disappointed that they didn't do a status check with lucas arts, ea sports *showed off madden only*, and alot of the other major devs that had booths..........the coverage was just kinda meh overall.