E3 day 1 update

[Acehigh]

Before I get into all the info here all of this can be backed up by hitting g4.com and I'm sure ign, gamespot, and all the other sights that cover this sort of thing will be all over this stuff. 

E3 just got under way and so far there's some very interesting material from all sides.  This could be the first E3 that I've seen lately where there's a genuine buzz from all three sides.  So I'll show things in the order they were on TV. 

MICROSOFT

Bill Gates on Co opened up their press conference with a bang.  The very first thing they showed off was a teaser vid for Halo 3.  This looked amazing and looks like this will be the huge battle we had hoped would happen at the end of Halo 2.  The very end of the video hints that this will be "The Final Battle...........This is how the world ends"

The other big news item from microsoft on the first day was that they plan to release a HD-DVD drive attachment with USB connection in the very near future.  With is announcment I believe that these two news items were the biggest of the day out of the xbox camp. 

Notable game trailers shown:  Forza 2, Too Human, Mass Effect all for the 360

SONY

The biggest news out of sony was that the PS3 will release on Nov 17, 2006 with two configurations.  The first config is the PS3 console with a 20 gb HDD for $499.  The second is the PS3 hardware with a 60 gb HDD for $599.

The second biggest news item from this camp was an actual ingame engine trailer for MGS 4.  This also looked amazing (not my cup of tea but lots of people like this franchise).  And another curious hint that this franchise could also be coming to it's end as the very last frame showed Snake with a gun in his mouth.........

*a curious thing from sony was the controller.  the good thing is that this looks like the loveable dual shock from the PS2.  a questionable move is their "6 degrees of freedom" motion tracking idea.  you can move the controller around in your hand and have it affect the screen.  this idea sounds a bit "Nintendo" to me......*

Noteable Games:  Heavenly Sword, Final Fantasy XIII

NINTENDO

The Wii made it's debut and actually looked more impressive than I had first thought when I heard the design idea.  A couple of demos where shown with the developers playing a sword fighting game, golf, tennis, and baseball.  All of these games seemed to function very well with the "Wiimote".  But all were shown being played by the dev teams....so later in the week we should have more actual feedback from the common gamer.  They also showed off a shooting game (red steel) and had Sessler demo it.............. but the game worked well and Sessler caught on very quickly..........

Notable Games:  Mario Galaxies, Red Steel, and a sword fighting game set in fuedal Japan

*this begs the question though......with all of the movements required to interact with these games, will a players stamina effect gameplay?  This system should quiet all those who say gaming isn't an aerobic activity lol.*

PC

Not alot of things were said about the PC gaming front, but two games received alot of attention.  The first was called Spore.  This game looks really kewl.  Basically you create your own universe from germs on up lol.  Yes you start out microscopic and "evolve" your creatures into intelligent beings.  And the kewlest part is that you can make all your own creatures with the games very own creature editor.  As Will Wright said you can "do in a few mouse clicks what could take a design team a week or longer".  So after you set up your creatures you have to train them how to behave.  They can be passive, aggressive, war like, farmers, architechs ect.  Your goal is to make them a galaxy exploring race.  And if you don't like what you've created....there is a "God complex" mode where you can take a ufo and simply blow them up.  Online is a curious thing with this title too.  The game is single player but you can go online and have your creatures and planets show up on other people's systems.  And they will behave exactly as you have trained them on your system.  Wright said this is "burned" into the game.  That's alot of info and I'm sure I left out some details as this is a very complex, sandbox style game, but also seems very intuitive.  The G4 kids that demoed it caught on very quickly. 

The other PC game that got some air time in the form of a trailer was a shooter called Hell Gates of London.  Not alot of info was talked about here so hopefully more will come up later in the week.  And hopefully some more pc news as well.

[Acehigh]

I think I caught all the major announcments on the first day.  The rest of the week has basically been all of the companies showing off software.  And most of the software is either sequels or games people have been talking about since last e3.  although I have to give props to microsoft and co as the greater majority of titles they are showcasing for the 360 have no numbers after them........that means brand new games and brand new ideas!  Don't get me wrong some of what the big  N and Sony are showing off look impressive but sony is banking on mgs 4 and ff 13, while the big N has Mario Galaxies, Wario Ware next gen, and Red Steel (new title) that they are banking on.  If I see any more earth shattering info I'll make sure I post it here.



*there is some news for us star wars fans and geeks lol.  there is going to be an expansion pack for empire at war coming up soon.  it's called empire at war:  forces of corruption.  the story pics up after yavin IV after the death star blows up.  been having troulbe accessing the lucas arts page with dial up so I don't have all the info.  but I do know this.  there is going to be a new pirate faction called "the underground".  new units include the SSD, b-wings, a new pirate cap ship, star vipers, "playable heroes" luke and yoda, I swear I saw clones and ep 2-3 content, and I swear I saw an eclipse class star destroyer during the e3 vid presentation.  they didn't talk alot about it but I have seen most of these units on the screen shots or the vid presentation on e3.  more info when I get it!* 

[M1A2Tanker]

An SSD would be a lot of fun.  The maps would have to be made a lot bigger for it all to work though.  I wonder if the expansion will do that?

[M1A2Tanker]

Hidden Reporters Update:  The Roving Reporter is correct...there is an expansion pack coming....and he did see a SSD Eclipse.

Straight from the Lucasarts Memo-banks.

"Following the success of Star Wars: Empire at War, the best-selling PC game of Q1 2006, Lucasarts announced an expansion pack titled Star Wars Empire at War: Forces of Corruption.  A widely appealing strategy gaem, Empire at War let gamers play the Light Side or the Dark Side in an epic Galactic Civil War.  Now, for the first time ever, Star Wars Empire at War: Forces of Corruption introduces a unique point of view -- the Corrupt Side.

The Rebels have just destroyed the Death Star, and the galaxy is in turmoil.  As an aspiring underworld figure named Tyber Zann, spread corruption throughout the galaxy using new strategic gameplay elements to influence other factions, steal their funds, slow their production, spy on them and more, all en route to becoming the most notorious criminal leader since Jabba the Hutt.  Exciting new land-tactical options like customizable, upgradeable bases and guerilla warfare allow for innovative battlefield tactics.  Take command of and confront new fighting units for all factions (Rebel B-Wings, Imperial TIE Interceptors, Darth Vader's Executor Super Star Destroyer and more), and take down anyone who stands in your way of ruling the underworld, be they new battlefield heroes Luke Skywalker and Yoda or the forces of your most bitter rival -- Jabba.  Destroy capital ships with the awesome firepower of the Second Death Star, and satiate Tyber's drive for the deadliest capital ship in the galaxy, a devastatingly powerful Super Star Destroyer known as the Eclipse."

Click here to watch the brand-new Forces of Corruption trailer."

And there you have it.   And now...the Hidden Reporter, returns to the darkness...

Curse those stupid batteries from dying in my flashlight...*trips and falls*

[Goku1]

don't suppose there's any PSP news that's worth mentioning, as i just bought one and am still figuring out how to use it.

Apparently, even if you do have the correct chip slot on your computer or printer, you still need the USB cable to download videos into the psp and have it recognize that they're there. Music, data, and images come up just fine as long as you put them into the correct folders on the chip.

[Acehigh]

I didn't see alot of coverage on the psp during the conference.  Most of the hand held stuff I saw as devoted to the DS.  I'll dig around on ign tonight and see if I missed anything.