MICROSOFT E3 2007: BRINGING IT HOME CONTENT – DAY THREE

Here’s a list of the final batch of E3 2007 Xbox 360 trailers available in the Xbox Live Marketplace;

• Mercenaries 2: World in Flames™ – E3 2007 Trailer (HD)
• Stranglehold: The E3 Trailer (HD)
• Fatal Inertia (HD)
• Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground (HD)
• The Last Remnant (HD)
• Dynasty Warriors: Gundam (HD)
• Spider-man: Friend or Foe (HD)
• Half Life 2: The Orange Box – E3 2007 (HD)
• Fracture (HD)
• NHL 08 (HD)
• Skate

MICROSOFT E3 2007: BRINGING IT HOME CONTENT – DAY TWO

Here’s a list of the second batch of E3 2007 Xbox 360 trailers available in the Xbox Live Marketplace;

• BlackSite – E3 2007 Trailer (HD)
• The Bourne Conspiracy Trailer (HD)
• Assassin’s Creed (HD)
• Eternal Sonata (HD)
• Frontlines: Fuel of War (HD)
• Bee Movie (HD)
• Two Worlds (HD)
• Army of Two (HD)
• NCAA 08 (HD)
• E3 2007 Press Conference part 1 Video (HD)
• E3 2007 Press Conference part 2 Video (HD)
• E3 2007 Press Conference part 3 Video (HD)
• E3 2007 Press Conference part 4 Video (HD)
• E3 2007 Press Conference part 5 Video (HD)
• E3 2007 Press Conference part 6 Video (HD)

SONY E3 2007 PRESS CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENTS

Allow me to repeat myself… I’d like to preface this post by saying that I normally hate reporting on anything I haven’t seen in person. Since I had to work today, I was unable to catch the Sony press conference, so instead I followed along with Kotaku’s liveblog of the event. While I trust Kotaku’s take on things, keep in mind that I could be wrong about a lot of the below information as I didn’t have the perspective of actually seeing the same thing the folks at Kotaku were seeing, nor did I have the luxury of following the transcript uninterrupted.

Based on what I read, here are the more important bits of information that came out of the briefing. If you’re looking for a more complete breakdown of Sony’s conference, check out the full text of Kotaku’s liveblog here.

• 160 games coming to PS2 over the next year
• PSP has seen a 90% sales increase since the last price drop.
• They hope to ship 9 million PSPs’s this fiscal year.
• 140 new games coming for PSP.
• New model PSP announced – will offer come kind of PSP to HDTV function.
• New PSP is 33% lighter, 19% slimmer than current PSP.
• You can now upload PSP video to TV via a cable.
• New PSP comes out this September.
• New PSP will come in black and ice silver.
• Ice silver model will be a sold in a $199 bundle including a 1gb memory stick duo, Jak & Daxter and the Family Guy Friggin Sweet Pack UMD.
• Another bundle – a Star Wars Battlefront Renegade Squadron branded PSP (White with Darth Vader’s image on the back) and the Renegade Squadron game – $199.99.
• Wipeout HD shown.
• PlayStation Home to be released this fall.
• Tretton claims PS3 sales have doubled since the price drop.
• NCSoft making a game for PS3.
• Haze to release on PS3 this holiday season – since they’re saying “you can only play it this holiday on PS3″, I’m assuming that means the PC/360 versions will be coming a bit later.
• Unreal Tournament 3 will be a PS3 exclusive for this year (again, PC/360 versions to follow later)
• UT3 will allow the use of PC Umods via the PlayStation Network.
• Midway & Epic have signed a deal to help optimize their engine (Do they mean Unreal Engine 3?) for the PS3
• UT3 comes out this November
• Rock Band confirmed as coming to the PS3 (there were rumors about a 360 exclusive deal)
• Metal Gear Solid 4 announced as a PlayStation 3 exclusive.
• Hideo Kojima comes out to demonstrate the game and announces this is the end of the current series, Snake and his (Kojima’s) involvement with the franchise.
• MGS4 to have a worldwide release… “very soon”
• Infamous announced – a super hero game where you can play as a hero or villain. (I’m assuming like a comic book version of Fable)
• Gran Turismo 5 Prologue coming to the PlayStation Network this holiday – with online support.
• Killzone 2 trailer shown – this time with real gameplay footage.

I think I’ll have to make sure that I schedule a vacation day for at least the first day of E3 next year – because I’m really not pleased with these last two posts.

• Liveblogging the Sony Press Conference – Kotaku

NINTENDO E3 2007 PRESS CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENTS

I’d like to preface this post by saying that I normally hate reporting on anything I haven’t seen in person. Since I had to work today, I was unable to catch the Nintendo press conference, so instead I followed along with Kotaku’s liveblog of the event. While I trust Kotaku’s take on things, keep in mind that I could be wrong about a lot of the below information as I didn’t have the perspective of actually seeing the same thing the folks at Kotaku were seeing, nor did I have the luxury of following the transcript uninterrupted.

Based on what I read, here are the more important bits of information that came out of the briefing. If you’re looking for a more complete breakdown of Nintendo’s conference, check out the full text of Kotaku’s liveblog here.

• DS market share is almost 25% of U.S. hardware sales
• Typically 80 percent of gamers are male – on DS it’s only 67% – Looks like the DS is crossing traditional borders
• DS has now sold over 40 million units – #1 handheld in the world
• They expect the Wii to take #1 console shortly
• Wii Zapper unveiled (new housing for Wiimote and Nunchuck) – available this year for $19.99
• Wii Zapper “approved” for RE: Umbrella Chronicles
• Games: Medal of Honor (Wii – 32 player mp), Smackdown vs Raw (Wii), Soul Calibur Legends(Wii), Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword (DS), Dragon Quest: Swords (Wii)
• Super Smash Bros Brawl coming Dec 3rd.
• Metroid will have 3 sensitivity modes and a lock-on mode.
• 5.6 million downloads via Wii shop so far
• “Check Mii Out” channel announced (You can enter your Mii in online popularity contests)
• Mario Kart Wii will be online in the first quarter of next year
• Custom Wii wheel will be available for Mario Kart (Another housing for the Wiimote)
• Super Mario Galaxy coming Nov 12
• Brain Age 2 coming Aug 20
• Flash Focus (DS Observation training) coming to the US
• WiiFit coming – aerobics, weight training, yoga and balance exercises. Will include a weight sensing footpad.

As you can imagine, Nintendo is pretty thrilled with how things are going for them at the moment – hell, who wouldn’t be?

• Liveblogging the Nintendo Presser – Kotaku

MICROSOFT E3 2007: BRINGING IT HOME CONTENT – DAY ONE

Here’s a list of the first batch of E3 2007 Xbox 360 trailers available in the Xbox Live Marketplace;

• Naruto: Rise of a Ninja (HD)
• Xbox Live Arcade Montage (HD)
• Xbox 360 Games Montage (HD)
• Civilization Revolution (HD)
• Games For Windows Montage (HD)
• Too Human (HD)
• Project Gotham Racing 4 (HD)
• Xbox LIVE Marketplace Montage (HD)
• Lost Odyssey (HD)
• Viva Pinata Party Animals (HD)
• Mass Effect (HD)
• Bomberman LIVE (HD)
• NBA Live ’08 (HD)
• Beautiful Katamari (HD)
• Crash of the Titans (HD)
• Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (HD)
• Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (HD)
• Halo 3 (HD)
• Halo Arms Race (HD)

FIRST BATCH OF E3 CONTENT HITS PLAYSTATION STORE

The first batch of E3 2007 trailers for the PlayStation 3 are now available for download via the PlayStation Store. Here’s a list of what you can expect to find;

• Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
• Killzone 2 First Look
• PS3 E3’07 “Sizzle” video montage
• Lair
• Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
• Unreal Tournament 3
• High Velocity Bowling
• Warhawk
• LittleBigPlanet
• Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune
• PAIN
• Folklore
• Blacksite: Area 51
• Go Sports Ski
• Blast Factor: Advanced Research
• Everyday Shooter
• Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice
• E3’07 Closing video

There’s still no sign of the rumored Heavenly Sword demo, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

MICROSOFT E3 2007 PRESS CONFERENCE LIVEBLOG

Well, it’s still a few hours away, so as you can imagine, there’s not much to report right now. The big question on everyone’s mind is whether Microsoft will have some surprise up it’s sleeve for tonight’s address. Will the Xbox 360 see a price cut? Will Peter Moore unveil a tattoo of Metal Gear Solid 4? Will anyone actual read this while I’m liveblogging it? All those questions and more should be answered tonight.

In case you’re wondering about the whole “E3Outsider.com” deal… Back when the site went to it’s daily gaming news format last year, I took out the address as a joke of sorts – you see, the old official E3 website was located at http://www.e3insider.com and since I sure as hell wasn’t going to be invited, I thought it would be a great idea to cover the show from an outsiders perspective – hence the name. While that specialized coverage of E3 never really surfaced, it’s still something that’s on the drawing board here at nylatenite.com, and I figured I should at least get some usage out of my domain registration fee.

That said, we’re now in the holding pattern for the start of our show. Here’s to hoping the comment system actually works.

11:21pm – We’re just a few minutes away from the start – according to G4, there’s a rumor that MS will have a special guest during the presentation…

11:34pm – And here we go – a live band from Illinois is playing the Halo theme music

11:38pm – The band has been going on so long, I think Moore must have gotten lost on his way to the conference.

11:39pm – Peter Moore has taken the stage.

11:40pm -According to Moore, every demo shown tonight will be from a game released this year.

11:40pm – The folks from Harmonix have taken the stage with Moore and it looks like they’re going to demo Rock Band with Moore.

11:41pm – Wow, out of tune singing and missed notes – it’s just like Karaoke night at most bars.

11:41pm – Please, make it stop. This isn’t the kind of game that you can really get a feel for by watching others play, and this “exhibition” is just painful. I envy the deaf.

11:43pm – Thankfully, G4 has cut to a commercial. I guess the press conference has been designed with commercials in mind this year since G4 is exclusively carrying the video feed.

11:44pm – Since I’m watching a commercial for it, I’ve got to ask – does anybody use PeoplePC online?

11:45pm – Some bald guy is trying to sell me his hints on becoming a millionaire. I’m thinking if he knew, he sure wouldn’t be hawking a crappy money-making scheme on G4 – am I right?

11:47pm – A trailer for Mass Effect is now showing – and guess what – we missed it during the commercial break. Moore has announced Mass Effect will be available this November.

11:48pm – This year, people will spend more money on games than music according to Moore.

11:49pm – 2/3 of all third party games are on the Xbox 360. Moore also showed some install figures that didn’t look quite right.

11:50pm – Moore is continuing to push the Xbox 360’s catalog of games as compared to the competition.

11:52pm – Madden, Halo & Grand Theft Auto sold 75 million units in 2004 when they released near each other. Moore drives home the point that you can only play all 3 on the 360.

11:53pm – Video montage of games – PGR4, Dynasty Warriors Gundam, Half Life 2: The Orange Box, Call of Duty 4, Stranglehold, GH3, Beautiful Katamari, Lost Odyssey, NBA Live ’08, Mass Effect, Fatal Inertia, Medal of Honor: Airborne, Tiger Woods PGA 08, Ace Combat6, NHL 08, Assassin’s Creed, Spider-Man: Friend or Foe, The Simpsons Game, Splinter Cell: Conviction, NASCAR ’08, Eternal Sonata, BioShock, Madden NFL’08, Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground, Crash of the Titans (Crash Bandicoot Game), Harry Potter: Order of the Phoenix, Bee Movie, Rock Band & Naruto: Rise of a Ninja.

11:55pm – Microsoft’s Marketing Man Jeff Bell takes the stage and announces Scene it! will be coming to the 360 exclusively.

12:00am – Bell is now talking about Xbox Live and Electronic Arts. I noticed they didn’t mention APF2K8 earlier…

12:00am – Bell just confirmed that EA’s sports games (NCAA Football & Madden) will run at 60fps on the 360 while only running at 30fps on PS3.

12:01am – Reggie Bush is brought out to play Madden NFL’08.

12:02am – Bush vs. Bell at Madden. Wow, compared to last year’s conference, there’s a whole lot of fluff going on.

12:02am – Reggie Bush runs one all the way on a hand off.

12:03am – Back to Bell talking about Live. They predicted last year that they would have 6 million members by now – according to Bell, the number is actually 7 million. No word on if they mean Gold members only or both gold and silver. They now predict 10 million by next year.

12:04am – More than 100 games on Xbox Live Arcade by end of the year. Montage of Xbox Live Arcade games coming soon – Bomberman Live, Sonic The Hedgehog, War World, Sensible World Soccer, Every Extend Extra Extreme, Geono, Wing Commander : Arena, Feeding Frenzy 2, Track & Field, Spyglass Board Games, Golden Axe, Space Giraffe, Super Puzzle Fighter 2: Turbo HD, Word Puzzles, Marathon: Durundal, Poker Smash, Switchball, Tetris Splash, Puzzle Quest & Boku Soduku.

12:08am – Sonic The Hedgehog and Golden Axe will be available today as Xbox Live Arcade games.

12:10am – Xbox Live Marketplace has generated $125 million in sales via downloadable content.

12:11am – Microsoft has signed a deal with Disney where many of their movies will be available immediately on Xbox Live in HD. (Disney, Touchstone, etc)

12:12am – Xbox 360 Elite will go on sale in Europe on 8/24.

12:13am – Shane Kim (Microsoft Game Studios) takes the stage.

12:14am – Kim is talking about Microsoft Game Studios high level of quality. He predicts Forza 2 will break 1 million units by the end of the month.

12:15am – 2 guys from Bizarre Creations have come out to show off PGR4 – and this time, the game includes motorcycles!

12:16am – PGR4 wil feature over 120 cars in addition to the bikes.

12:16am – I hate G4. I really do. They keep cutting away to commercials whenever things get good. They suck.

12:17am – I’ve switched to the smaller feed over at Xbox.com – at least they don’t cut away when the going gets good.

12:18am – PGR4 video ends. Bell is the only one clapping. PGR 4 will be out in September.

12:19am – He’s talking about upcoming games – Fable 2, Halo Wars, Too Human and a new Halo branded game from Peter Jackson (since they aren’t showing them, they won’t be out this year)

12:20am – Here comes footage of Lost Odyssey.

12:21am – Lost Odyssey trailer plays, G4 is still showing commercials. This proves my, “G4 sucks” theory.

12:22am – Trailer ends. no one claps – I guess this is a no clapping area. Upcoming RPG’s – Lost Odyssey, Mass Effect & Blue Dragon.

12:22am – Now on to PC games – Viva Pinata is coming to PC. Kim also confirms Gears of War will be coming to Windows.

12:22am – CliffyB takes the stage – uses Windows Live to connect to a friend.

12:23am – CliffyB has just said Gears PC will have 5 new single player chapters!!!!

12:23am – Gears has a new multiplayer mode (deathmatch?) and new multiplayer maps.

12:24am – Remember the Brumak from the early Gears trailers? (The big creature with the rocket launcher attached to it) – Well, it’s in one of the chapters in the PC version of Gears. I so hope this content comes to the 360 as well…

12:25am – The level they’re fighting the Brumak in looks a little empty – almost like they’re fighting it in a school yard. Maybe they should rename it “The Gooch”

12:26am – Well, at least CliffyB stated that Gears will be available on XP and Vista. None of that Vista only crap.

12:27am – Moore retakes the stage.

12:28am – Sega, Eidos and THQ have signed on for Games for Windows Live.

12:28am – Moore has stated that Epic will be making Games for Windows Live support part of Unreal Engine 3

12:29am – …and naturally, G4 cuts away to a commercial. Back to the internet feed.

12:30am – Games for Windows montage – Gears of War, Universe at War, Blacksite: Area 51, Crysis, BioShock, World in Conflict, Age of Conan, Spider-Man: Friend or Foe, Lost Planet, Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts, Zoo Tycoon 2: Extinct Animals, Juiced 2 & Viva Pinata.

12:32am – Call of Duty 4 trailer is shown. (One we’ve all alreay seen) – oh look, G4 is still in a commercial break.

12:33am – Some folks from Infinity Ward are coming to the stage to show off Call of Duty 4. New gameplay footage!

12:35am – I think they also showed Earth Defense force in that last montage as JG from Gamer’s Lounge just mentioned it in an IM to me. See what you miss when you watch the G4 feed and switch back and forth?

12:36am – The sniper mission being shown in CoD4 seems to be pretty cool, but it doesn’t seem very free-form. One of those “you have to do this, then that, then that other thing” kind of feeling.

12:39am – Then again, I’d assume that’s what being a sniper is really all about.

12:39am – Damn, no one in this place ever claps.

12:40am – Multilplayer Xbox 360 beta for CoD4 coming. Check www.charlieoscardelta.com for more details!

12:41am – Splinter Cell: Conviction mentioned shortly as an Xbox 360 exclusive.

12:41am – Grand Theft Auto IV trailer plays. According to Moore, both GTA4 trailers were made with the Xbox 360 version.

12:42am – Yeah, it’s official. No one in the audience knows how to clap.

12:43am – Moore confirms two exclusive episodes for GTA4 will be on the 360 by Spring ’08.

12:44am – Ace Combat 6 and Eternal Sonata will be 360 exclusives.

12:45am – Moore is about to show a game that WILL NOT be available on the 360 this year – he figures he can break his promise for this one…. it’s Resident Evil 5.

12:46am – Hey, it got applause!

12:46am – Jade Raymond & company come out to show off Assassin’s Creed.

12:47am – Okay, the jump from a very high building into a cart of hay that they just showed looks like crap. Beyond that, it’s looking very good – especially the crowd interactions.

12:50am – Combat looks good, but the multiple enemy fights seem to fall into the “only one or two guys will attack you at a time” trap.

12:52am – Jade Raymond. I’d hit it. I’d hit it like the fist of an angry god.

12:54am – Halo 3 time…

12:54am – Halo 3 video shown. No new game footage, just an “arm ’em up” scene with the USNC marines.

12:56am – New model Xbox 360 – Halo 3 Special Edition console (no specific details) and accessories.

12:57am – Moore seems to be wrapping this up. He’s talking about the strength of the 360 lineup again.

12:58am – Are we going to see a new tattoo?

12:58am – Looks like there won’t be a bombshell announcement – but they are showing a new Halo 3 trailer – with gameplay footage!

12:59am – Of course, on G4 – Adam Sessler interrupts it AND they cut away in the middle to a commercial. Yes, you heard me, they cut away to a commercial DURING the Halo 3 trailer…

1:00am – And that, as they say, is that.

1:10am – Fixed some typos.

E3 OUTSIDER: LIVEBLOGGING THE E3 2007 MICROSOFT PRESS BRIEFING

As usual, Microsoft kicks off E3 with it’s traditional pre-E3 press briefing, and this year I’m going to be liveblogging it for those of you who can’t or don’t want to watch the whole thing.

Because the standard format of this website is not conducive to a rapidly updating format (as you should know from my frequent griping about the subject), I’m going to open up the still unfinished blog based version of the site for one night via E3Outsider.com, so if you’re up to it, head on over around 11:30pm EST and join in the fun – after all, the comment system should work just fine.

On a somewhat sadder note, this will probably be the only live blog of the big three’s press conferences that we’ll be doing. Unfortunately, both Nintendo & Sony will be holding their talks tomorrow morning – a time when I’ll be sitting behind my desk out in the desert of the real. (a place also called my “real” job – you know, the one that pays the bills.) Don’t worry though, I’ll be sure to post anything of interest from those two events just as soon as possible. See? It’s not the end of the world.

I’ve got some last minute details to take care of, so I’ll sign off right now. It’s E3 2007… can you feel the excitement?

• E3Outsider.com – Home of the nylatenite.com liveblog of the Microsoft E3 2007 press conference.
• Microsoft E3 2007 Press Conference  liveblog – E3outsider.com

PLAYSTATION NETWORK TO FEATURE E3 VIDEO CONTENT

Just a quick note here – Sony has announced that they will be putting many of the trailers and videos of upcoming PlayStation 3 games on the PlayStation Network over the course of the coming week. There is no word on whether they’ll be throwing playable demos into the mix as well, but we can all hope.

• PlayStation Network – Information page at PlayStation.com

MICROSOFT ONCE AGAIN BRINGING E3 HOME VIA XBOX LIVE

While the format of E3 may have changed, the desire of gamers to get an early peek at upcoming games – and more importantly, take them for a test drive – is just as strong as ever. Fortunately for Xbox 360 owners, Microsoft plans to once again host “E3: Bringing it Home” on Xbox Live.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the “Bringing it Home” promotion, last year Microsoft decided that one of the best ways they could utilize Xbox Live during E3 was to present members with many of the same trailers and demos that were available on the show floor. It was a great use of the service and, in many ways, really did help to bring the experience home for those of us who couldn’t attend.

According to Gamerscore Blog, the promo will run alongside the show from Tuesday, July 10th 2007 through Friday, July 13th. Xbox Live members can expect to see content for the following games during this timer period. Please note that according to Gamerscore Blog, these are not the only titles we’ll be seeing content for – so there should be some surprises as well.

• Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation (Namco Bandai)
• Assassin’s Creed (Ubisoft)
• BioShock (2K)
• Blue Dragon (Microsoft Game Studios)
• Burnout Paradise (Electronic Arts Inc.)
• Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision)
• FIFA Soccer 08 (Electronic Arts)
• Guitar Hero III (Activision/RedOctane)
• Lost Odyssey (Microsoft Game Studios)
• “Madden NFL 08” (Electronic Arts)
• NCAA Football 08 (Electronic Arts)
• Need for Speed: ProStreet (Electronic Arts)
• Project Gotham Racing 4 (Microsoft Game Studios)
• The Simpsons Game (Electronic Arts)
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 (Electronic Arts)
• WWE® SmackDown® vs. Raw® 2008 (THQ)

While Microsoft has made no announcements about which games will have playable demos released during the promotion, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we’ll get treated to playable demos of Assassin’s Creed and Bioshock.

If the promotion is anything like last year’s event, you’re going to want to make sure to download any content you want as soon as possible – last year much of the content was taken down after the show – so start making room on that hard drive now – You have been warned. (Here’s a tip – if you haven’t removed the Halo 3 beta from your hard drive yet, now is the time to do it – it will free up a little over a gigabyte of space.)

• Xbox LIVE Bringing E3 Home – Gamerscore Blog
• Microsoft Once Again Bringing E3 Home to Xbox 360 Owners Around the Globe – Official Microsoft press release
• E3 Media & Business Summit – Official website

SONY PLEASED WITH THEIR E3 PERFORMANCE

In an interview with TheStreet.com, Jack Tretton, co-chief operating officer of Sony Computer Entertainment America showed that Sony’s recent insanity isn’t just restricted to Europe and Japan. When asked about the poor perception of Sony’s E3 presentation, Tretton stated that Sony was very pleased with their performance and that they accomplished everything they set out to do at the show;

“If we were trying to do a PR blitz on our announcements, we would have perceived it a little bit differently. But we really saw this as an opportunity to announce some very important details to the trade. And I think if you ask the trade, meaning the retail constituency and the third parties, they came away pretty pleased with how everything went.” -Jack Tretton

When pressed on the fact that the general public came away with an apparently different opinion than Sony, Tretton stated that Sony is now in the process of trying to explain to consumers why the system is right for them;

“We are in the process of reaching out to the consumers to try to explain what our platform’s all about and why they’re going to want one between that May and November time frame. But I think six months out of any platform launch, it’s a little bit early in terms of being able to roll out all the details.” -Jack Tretton

On the price difference between the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360;

“Well, I guess if price is the only consideration, then we’ve won the war, because we’ve got a $129 PlayStation 2 that outsells the Xbox 360 today.

If you look at the cost of the components and more importantly, the value to consumers, you have everything in the box at $399 on the Xbox 360; and it still falls well short of what the PlayStation 3 offers at $499. “ -Jack Tretton

On Microsoft’s early lead in units sold;

“It ultimately came down to the system and what consumers preferred. At the end of the day, what you do in the first year, and whether you do 6 or 10 million units does not determine whether you’re successful or not. We’re looking to sell 100 million-plus worldwide. We’re looking to sell 50 million plus in North America.” – Jack Tretton

On Microsoft’s ability to compete financially with Sony;

“There’s no question they have a higher pain tolerance. I think most companies, if they’d lost the billions that Microsoft has lost on the Xbox, would question whether or not they belong in the business. Obviously, they have a different standard of success.” -Jack Tretton

And finally, on the impact of Grand Theft Auto IV releasing simultaneously on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3;

“There’s no question that having the Grand Theft Auto franchise helped us a lot and helped us sell some units, but I don’t think the battle would be any different with or without Grand Theft Auto.

If you look at our first-party library and the franchises that we’ve brought to market over the course of PlayStation 2, we have a very formidable first-party library of exclusive software that will help define us. ” – Jack Tretton

Well you certainly wouldn’t expect him to have anything negative to say about his own company, would you? Still, regarding the comments about public perception of the PS3, you have to wonder just what exactly they’re putting in the coffee over at Sony. Check out the full TheStreet.com interview here and judge for yourself.

BEHIND THE SCENES: THE HALO 3 E3 TRAILER

Bungie has released a short behind the scenes video about the making of the Halo 3 E3’06 trailer which includes both comment and impressions from the Bungie staff as well as alternate angle footage of the trailer itself. It’s a nice, short look at what Bungie was trying to convey in the presentation and serves as a bit of proof that the trailer was rendered in game and wasn’t simply a CGI render. I might also add, it may be the only time you hear the term “Monkey Shit-Fight” in an official company video. That alone should be worth your download time.

It’s definitely worth a look if you’re a Halo junkie, though I would advise against the full HD (720p) version of the video unless you have a somewhat uber PC. Bungie has also stated that the video will be appearing in all it’s HD glory in the Xbox Live Marketplace within a few weeks. Check it out here and join me in hoping this time you won’t have to play as the damned Covenant too.

GAME CRITICS AWARDS: BEST OF E3 2006 ANNOUNCED

37 news organizations got together following E3, as they do every year, and collectively voted for what they felt were the best “hands-on” experiences from the current year’s E3 demonstrations. We’ve taken the liberty of listing both the nominees as well as the winners in each category. Check out the lists below – the winner is the game listed in bold with an attached link.

Best of Show
– Assassin’s Creed (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft for PlayStation 3)
– Bioshock (Irrational Games/2K Games for PC and Xbox 360)
– Gears of War (Epic Games/Microsoft Games Studio for Xbox 360)
– Spore (Electronic Arts for PC)
– Wii (Nintendo)

Best Original Game
– Assassin’s Creed (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft for PlayStation 3)
– Bioshock (Irrational Games/2K Games for PC/Xbox 360)
– Gears of War (Epic Games/Microsoft Games Studio for Xbox 360)
– LocoRoco (SCEJ/Sony Computer Entertainment for PSP)
– Spore (Electronic Arts for PC)
– Wii Sports (Nintendo for Wii)

Best PC Game
– Crysis (Crytek/Electronic Arts for PC)
– Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (Splash Damage/id/Activision for PC)
– Hellgate: London (Flagship Studios/Namco Bandai Games for PC)
– Supreme Commander (Gas Powered Games/THQ for PC)
– Spore (Electronic Arts for PC)

Best Console Game
– Assassin’s Creed (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft for PlayStation 3)
– Bioshock (Irrational Games/2K Games for PC and Xbox 360)
– Gears of War (Epic Games/Microsoft Games Studios for Xbox 360)
– Mass Effect (BioWare/Microsoft Games Studio for Xbox 360)
– Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo for Wii)

Best Handheld Game
– Elite Beat Agents (Inis/Nintendo for Nintendo DS)
– Killzone: Liberation (Guerrilla/Sony Computer Entertainment for PSP)
– LocoRoco (SCEJ/Sony Computer Entertainment for PSP)
– Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (Kojima Productions/Konami for PSP)
– The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (Nintendo for Nintendo DS)

Best Hardware
– DS Lite (Nintendo)
– Logitech G25 Racing Wheel (Logitech for PC)
– PlayStation 3 (Sony Computer Entertainment)
– Wii (Nintendo)
– Xbox 360 Wireless Headset (Microsoft for Xbox 360)

Best Action Game
– Crysis (Crytek/Electronic Arts for PC)
– Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (Splash Damage/id/Activision for PC)
– Gears of War (Epic Games/Microsoft Games Studios for Xbox 360)
– Lost Planet: Extreme Condition (Capcom for Xbox 360)
– Resistance: Fall of Man (Insomniac/SCEA for PlayStation 3)

Best Action/Adventure Game
– Assassin’s Creed (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft for PlayStation 3)
– Bioshock (Irrational Games/2K Games for PC and Xbox 360)
– God of War 2 (Sony Santa Monica/SCEA for PlayStation 2)
– Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo for Wii)
– The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess  (Nintendo for GameCube/Wii)

Best Fighting Game
– Heavenly Sword (Ninja Theory/Sony for PS3)
– Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (Midway Games for PlayStation 2/Xbox)
– Tekken: Dark Resurrection (Namco Bandai Games for PSP)
– Virtua Fighter 5 (Sega for Arcade/PlayStation 3)
– WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2007 (Yuke’s/THQ for 360/PS3/PS2/PSP)

Best Role Playing Game
– Final Fantasy XII (Square Enix for PlayStation 2)
– Hellgate: London (Flagship Studios/Namco Bandai Games for PC)
– Mass Effect (BioWare/Microsoft Games Studio for Xbox 360)
– Neverwinter Nights 2 (Obsidian/Atari for PC)
– World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (Blizzard for PC)

Best Racing Game
– Excite Truck (Nintendo for Wii)
– Formula One 06 (Studio Liverpool/SCEE for PlayStation 3)
– Gran Turismo HD (Polyphony Digital/Sony Computer Entertainment for PS3)
– MotoGP 06 (Climax/THQ for Xbox 360)
– Test Drive Unlimited (Eden Studios/Atari for Xbox 360, PC, PS2, PSP)

Best Simulation Game
– Microsoft Flight Simulator X (Microsoft Games Studio for PC)
– Sid Meier’s Railroads! (Firaxis Games/2K Games for PC)
– Spore (Electronic Arts for PC)
– The Movies: Stunts and Effects (Lionhead Studios/Activision for PC)
– Wii Music Orchestra (Nintendo for Wii)

Best Sports Game
– Madden NFL 07 (Tiburon/EA for PS3 / Xbox 360)
– Madden NFL 07 (Tiburon/EA for Nintendo Wii)
– NBA 2K7 (Visual Concepts/2K Sports for Xbox 360)
– NCAA Football 07 (EA Tiburon/Electronic Arts for X360/PS2/Xbox/PSP)
– Wii Sports (Nintendo for Wii)

Best Strategy Game
– Company of Heroes (Relic/THQ for PC)
– Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle Earth II (EA for X360)
– Medieval 2: Total War (Creative Assembly/Sega for PC)
– Supreme Commander (Gas Powered Games/THQ for PC)
– World in Conflict (Massive Entertainment/Sierra for PC)

Best Puzzle/Trivia/Parlor Game
– Elite Beat Agents (Inis/Nintendo for Nintendo DS)
– Guitar Hero 2 (Harmonix/Red Octane for PlayStation 2)
– LocoRoco (SCEJ/Sony Computer Entertainment for PSP)
– Lumines II (Q Entertainment/Buena Vista Games for PSP)
– WarioWare: Smooth Moves (Nintendo for Wii)

Best Online Multiplayer Game
– Battlefield 2142 (Digital Illusions/Electronic Arts for PC)
– Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (Splash Damage/id/ATVI for PC)
– Gears of War (Epic Games/Microsoft Games Studio for Xbox 360)
– Huxley (Webzen for PC/Xbox 360)
– World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (Blizzard for PC)

For those wondering just who those 37 organizations were, here’s the rundown;

TIME, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, Business 2.0, Wired, Giant, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Gannett News Service, San Jose Mercury News, Comcast Games.net, Computer Gaming World, Electronic Gaming Monthly, Game Informer, Game Informer Online, Gamepro, GameSpot, GameSpy, Comcast GamesNet, Hollywood Reporter, 1UP.com, GamesRadar, IGN, Official PlayStation Magazine, Official Xbox Magazine, PC Gamer, Playboy, PSM, UGO.com, Yahoo! Video Games, Sympatico.ca, Game-Revolution, CNN/Money, G4TV, MTV & Electric Playground

So there you have it, congratulations to all the nominees and winners, glad to see Gears of War brought in a few awards and here’s to hoping someday this site is legitimate enough that we can add our hats to that panel. Check out the homepage for the Game Critics Awards here.

ROBIN WILLIAMS PLAYS SPORE AT E3

Normally, I try to stay away from all the fluff news a lot of sites carry, because I figure you can get that anywhere and one of the benefits of actually coming to a smaller site like this is that it’s easier to find the big news of the day. Well, I’m breaking with that tradition for today, for two reasons. First, it’s been slow on the news front and I figure I need to add something to make you keep coming back, and secondly, not only is the video a riot, but it gives a very nice look at the character creation process in Will Wright‘s upcoming game “Spore“.

So without further delay, click here and head on over to Devil Ducky to see the video and be sure to hang around for the end of it when Mr. Williams talks gaming in general, and unlike so many other celebrities, comes off as knowing what he’s talking about.

MICROSOFT E3 2006 PRESS CONFERENCE SUMMARY NOW ONLINE

I finally finished breaking down Microsoft’s E3 2006 press conference and getting it up on the site. Hopefully I’ll have the write ups for the Sony & Nintendo conferences up on the site by the end of this week or early next week.

Overall, it was a pretty solid conference for Microsoft. They highlighted their successes with the 360 and indicated the direction they plan to take both with their consoles and the PC industry over the coming year.

One thing I definitely took away from the conference is that it seems like Microsoft plans to become much more involved in the realm of Windows software, as shown with both the “Games for Windows” rebranding and Live Anywhere. I would almost go so far as to say they want to take it to the point of making the PC another MS branded console.

Click here for our full write up of the conference along with our full impressions on the presentation.

ATARI TO LOWER PRICES ON ENTIRE “CURRENT GEN” LIBRARY

Gamespot is reporting that while at E3, Atari announced that effective June 1st, they will be lowering the price of all their games for current generation games (Playstation 2, Xbox, Gamecube and Gameboy Advance) to $19.99. In addition, all of Atari’s current PC titles, with the exception of Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach, to $19.99 as well. Check out the full Gamespot article here for more information.

SLOW POST-E3 WEEK? – NOT A CHANCE

While it’s sure to be a somewhat quiet “official” news week with E3 having just ended, it’s the perfect time to play catch up. During the coming week, we’ll bring you information on what we outsiders got to see of the show, what we thought of what we saw and where we think it’s going to lead. We’ll also bring you the best news we find as everyone else sorts through all their E3 experiences. Finally, we’ll also be trying to find out more on the rumors regarding the lower end Playstation 3 and wireless controller support, so stay tuned.

WHICH WAS MORE POPULAR AT E3… THE PS3 OR THE WII?

Well, Kotaku decided to try and find out. They set up a camera over one of the entrances to the exposition floor and filmed what happened when the doors opened that morning. For reference, the Nintendo booth is on the right, the Sony booth is on the left. Hilarity ensues. Watch the video over at Kotaku at this link.

XBOX LIVE MARKETPLACE E3 CONTENT – THURSDAY EDITION

Xbox Live’s Major Nelson is reporting in his blog that more E3 content is now available in the Xbox Live Marketplace. According to the list, here’s whats up for download currently;

Demos

MotoGP ’06

Trailers & Videos

Rainbow Six: Vegas
Behind the Scenes: Splinter Cell: Double Agent

Gamer Pictures & Themes

Addidas +10 Theme
X3 Gamer Picture Pack
X3 Theme #2
Xbox Live Silver Theme
Xbox Live Gold Theme

SONY SHOWS OFF 2 MORE UNANNOUNCED GAMES

Gamespot is reporting that Sony has 2 previously unannounced games showing in their booths on E3’s floor. The games are;

WarDevil Enigma: According to Gamespot, this game appears to be virtually the same as the WarDevil game coming to the Xbox 360. I haven’t heard much about WarDevil: Unleash the Beast Within for the 360, but based on the trailer for it, it seems to be set sometime in the far future and could possibly be a third person action game or a RPG done in the KoTOR style. Either way, there seemed to be lots of robots shooting at each other.

Heavy Rain: The Casting: Gamespot noted that this one appeared to be a prequel to Indigo Prophecy, which if you don’t know much about, you should be ashamed of yourself. Check out this link to go to Atari’s page for Indigo Prophecy if you really need the details.

Click here for the Gamespot article

XBOX LIVE MARKETPLACE E3 CONTENT – WEDNESDAY EDITION

Xbox Live’s Major Nelson is reporting in his blog that more E3 content is now available in the Xbox Live Marketplace. According to the list, here’s whats up for download currently;

Demos

None Listed

Trailers

Enchanted Arms
Games For Windows Montage
MotoGP ’06
Prey
Call of Duty 3
World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions
Xbox 360 Games Montage
Xbox Live Arcade Montage
X-Men: The Official Game
Dead or Alive® Xtreme 2
Ninety-Nine Nights
WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2007

Gamer Pictures & Themes

X-Men: The Last Stand Theme (FREE)
Gold Picture Pack (FREE)
Silver Picture Pack (FREE)

Game Content

Call of Duty 2 Bonus Map Pack (FREE)
Call of Duty 2
Skirmish Map Pack (400 Points – $5)

Kind of disappointing to not see any new demos today, but something is always better than nothing.

Update 1: Some last minute additions

Trailers

Spider-Man 3 (The Game)
Shadowrun Backstage Pass
E3 2006 Microsoft Press Briefing
E3 2006 Showfloor: Behind the scenes

Comment on this article here

 

 

 

PLAYSTATION 3 INFORMATION UPDATES

Just a recap of what we know so far about the Playstation 3;

• The U.S. launch date: November 17th, 2006
• The price of admission: two versions of the console will be released; one with a 20 gigabyte hard drive priced at $499.99 and one with a 60 gigabyte hard drive priced at $599.99.
• Wireless Controller – Bluetooth capable… and it will have some form of motion sensor, akin to the Nintendo Wii concept. The controller apparently looks like a silver Dual-Shock 2 with a Playstation logo guide button in the center… much like the 360 controller guide button. (I haven’t seen the controller yet, but this is how it’s being described)
• Sony’s online PS3 community will have many features in common with Xbox Live, but will be free of charge for all.
• The console will initially ship in a "clear-black" color.
• The controllers do not feature any form of vibration feedback.
• The 20 gigabyte ($499) version of the PS3 does not include a Memory Stick/SD/Compact Flash reader, WiFi connectability or a HDMI Output.
• Gran Turismo HD announced for the Playstation 3
• Genji 2 announced for the Playstation 3
• Resistance: Fall of Man announced for the Playstation 3
• Two different Final Fantasy XIII games announced for the Playstation 3
• Grand Theft Auto IV announced for the Playstation 3

Update 1: I’m hearing that the statement I’m basing the "PS3 online – free of charge" bit on could be taken either as I took it, or as something akin to Xbox Live Silver. As such, ignore that part for now as I wouldn’t want to be passing out bad info. Thanks for the tip HCF.

Update 2: Added some more games that were announced to the Playstation 3 list.

Stay with us for more information as it breaks!

MICROSOFT PRESS CONFERENCE DETAILS

Ok, it’s just easier to break down all the stuff announced at the press conference here rather than putting up a truckload of articles, so here we go;

Fable 2 announced

Forza Motorsports 2 announced

Halo 3 announced

Grand Theft Auto IV announced – will be coming to the Xbox 360 “first”

Microsoft signs Rockstar for exclusive episodic content for Grand Theft Auto IV

Shadowrun to be multiplayer compatible between the Xbox 360 and Windows

HD-DVD Add-on player scheduled for holiday 2006 release – no price given

Viva Pinata to allow players to trade items via the Xbox Marketplace

“Live Anywhere” to merge Xbox Live friends list with new Windows Vista and mobile phone friends list

Lumines Live to appear in Live Arcade

Live Arcade classic game additions announced

Pac-Man
Contra
Frogger
Galaga
Sonic The Hedgehog
Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting
Defender
Time Pilot
Scramble
Ultimate MK3
Rally-X
Dig Dug
MS Pac-Man
Root Beer Tapper
Paperboy

NINTENDO PRESS CONFERENCE WII INFORMATION

Just a very brief recap of what was revealed about the Nintendo Wii at today’s press conference. We’ll have more on this later once we’ve gotten a chance to review the video of the conference.;

• No specific launch date was given. Nintendo did confirm the Wii would launch this year though.
• No price information was revealed.
• The Remote controller will include a built in speaker to add more realism to games.
• Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess will be released for both the Gamecube and Wii. The Wii version will be enhanced to take advantage of the Wii controller.
• Sonic the Hedgehog game announced for Nintendo Wii
• Metroid Prime 3 announced for Wii
• Super Mario Galaxy announced for Wii
• Diddy Kong Racing announced for the Nintendo DS
• DK: King of Swing announced for the Nintendo DS
• DS Air flight simulator announced for the Nintendo DS
• Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass announced for the Nintendo DS
• Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2 announced for the Nintendo DS
• Starfox DS announced for the Nintendo DS

Update 1: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess will be released on both the Gamecube and Wii. The Wii version will take full advantage of the possibilities enabled by the Wii controller.

Update 2: Images on the Nintendo press website show a standard type gamepad for the Wii that would apparently be used for games played via the Wii’s backwards compatibility.

Update 3: Added a large number of titles that were announced for the Wii and DS to the list. Sorry for the delay on that Nintendo fans.

Stay with us for more information as it breaks!

NEXT UP: NINTENDO AND MICROSOFT PRE-E3 PRESS CONFERENCES TODAY

Well, if yesterdays Sony excitement wasn’t enough for you, today Nintendo and Microsoft will be holding their press conferences to let everyone in on their plans for the upcoming year. While I don’t expect any huge surprises from Microsoft, Nintendo should still have an ace or two up their sleeves. The Nintendo conference begins at 12:30pm EST and Microsoft’s conference begins at 3:00pm EST. Be with us as we’ll be updating you as often as we can on the revelations both bring to light.

XBOX LIVE MARKETPLACE E3 CONTENT BEGINS TO APPEAR

Xbox Live’s Major Nelson is reporting in his blog that the first bits of E3 content are now available in the Xbox Live Marketplace. According to the list, here’s whats up for download currently;

Demos
Test Drive: Unlimited

Trailers
BattleStation: Midway (Ubisoft)
Brother In Arms Hell’s Highway (Ubisoft)
Bullet Witch (AQ Interactive/Cavia)
College Hoops (2K7 2KSports)
Dance Dance Revolution Universe (Konami)
Dead Rising (Capcom)
John Woo Presents Stranglehold (Midway)
NCAA Football 07 (Electronic Arts)
Rain (AQ Interactive/Cavia)
Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega)
Test Drive Unlimited (Atari)
The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-Earth II (Electronic Arts)

Gamer Pictures
X3 Gamer Pictures
Adidas Gamer Pictures

E3 Week Begins

Well boys and girls, E3 week has officially begun, let the festivities commence. I’m sure as we work up to the pre expo press conferences the news will be coming fast and furious. For those keeping score at home, here are the official links for the big 3 and the E3 Insider page, which is the expo’s official website

Microsoft E3 2006 Page

Sony E3 2006 Page

Nintendo E3 2006 Page

E3 Insider Website

E3 2006 ALMOST UPON US

This is it folks, the last weekend before E3 begins. In just a few days, we’ll all be drooling over the games we’ll be playing later this year and talking about the Playstation 3 and Wii announcements. Get some rest, fire up the grill and prepare yourself, because come monday, it’s all about information overload. Stay tuned!

OVER 60 PIECES OF CONTENT COMING TO LIVE MARKETPLACE DURING E3

The good news? There will be tons of new content hitting Live during E3, including a demo of Lost Planet: Extreme Condition from Capcom. The bad news? Microsoft has apparently announced there will be no playable Gears of War demo at E3, just a high-definition trailer. Check out the Gamespot article for more details!
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I can’t even begin to tell you how bummed I am about there not being a playable demo of Gears of War. Just utterly depressing after the last week or two of rumors.

NINTENDO LAUNCHES THEIR E3 WEBSITE

Nintendo has finally launched their E3 website, bringing the final member of the Big 3 online for the upcoming Expo. No news has been posted there yet, but we’ll keep you updated as Nintendo starts adding content.

The Road to E3 2006

Yes, it’s that time of year again. E3 is right around the corner and everyone is lining up to show you what they’ll be bringing you later this year. During E3, we’ll be presenting you with daily updates on all the goings on. Before you ask, nope – I don’t have tickets to E3, so I’ll be getting my news the same way as everyone else.

Sony should have some big news about the Playstation 3 to report as well as the PS2 and PSP. Head on over to Sony’s E3 2006 page to get an early look at how they’ll be running things.

While Microsoft won’t have a new console to present, they do plan on going all out during E3. To start off, for the entire week of E3, May 8th through the 14th, Live Gold service will be completely free. Also check out the interview with MS Corporate VP Peter Moore where he lets us in on some of the other goodies we can expect during E3. Most exciting of all, he states that the marketplace will be keeping up with E3 and that many of the demos playable on the floor will be presented on Live for download. I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a dream come true. Would it be asking too much to hope that Gears of War turns out to be one of those playable demos? Head on over to Microsoft’s E3 2006 page for more!

No specific page from Nintendo yet, but there’s sure to be one soon as the Revolution should be making it’s public debut at E3 as well.

You know, with all this coverage and the ability to play the demos that are on the floor, it’s like having a little slice of E3 in your living room. Now I just have to go out and hire some booth babes!
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Now I don’t know about you, but I love E3 week – and I’ve never even gone in person. It’s that one week where you can check gaming news and constantly see something new about cool game or item that’s just around the corner. More importantly, it’s that one time of year when all the companies are dying to get information out about their products. Sure, they keep a tight lip on things for most of the year, but during E3 it’s a whole different game. All the games that have been under wraps suddenly appear like Cinderella at the ball and try to capture our hearts (and wallets).

The news about how Microsoft plans on using Live to try and bring the E3 experience home by way of demos and trailers has got to be one of the bext Live marketing ideas I’ve heard in a long time. Add in the giveaways and contests that will be going on during the free weekend, and it’s certainly going to be a good time to be a 360 owner.

Don’t get me wrong though, it’s not all about Microsoft though – E3 is going to be our first real look at both the Playstation 3 (hopefully) and the Revolution – and if you’re not excited about either of them, then you’re either a fanboy or lying.

So here we go, the road to E3 is now open, let’s all hop on and enjoy the ride!