Ben Zackheim
Articles by Ben Zackheim
E3 wrap-ups tread on the same ground until the grass is dead
All the Big Boys have posted their wrap-ups of E3. The well-packaged disaster area is now a thing of the past. While it was a hell of an experience, I thank the Game Gods that it only happens once a year. We'll have our own wrap-up in the next couple of days, as well. Personally, I'm still recovering. IGN E3 wrap-up Gamespot E3 wrap-up GameInformer E3 wrap-up 1up E3 wrap-up E3Expo E3 wrap-up G4 E3 wrap-up There's some multimedia madness in them thar links. And then there was us (make sure you check the "Previously" category): Joystiq and Engadget E3 wrap-up Tell us what other coverage you enjoyed this last week.
The Free Xbox 360 deals begin
Gratis has jumped in head first. They're offering a "Free Xbox 360" if you participate in their plot to grab as much personal information as possible. These deals give me the creeps. They feel far too much like selling your soul for a dream. Having said that, I believe I have enough suckers to sign on for me. Gratis is also the company that offers freeipods.com, freephotoipods.com, free360Xbox.com, freegamingsystems.com, freeminimacs.com, freeipodshuffle.com, freedigitialcameras.com, freepsps.com, freehandbags.com, freeflatscreens.com, freedesktoppc.com, freevideogames.com, freegiftplanet.com, freecds.com, freecondoms.com, and freedvds.com. freecondoms.com?
Ultimate Baseball Online - MMOG sports game in beta
I'm going to say up front that I'm working on this title, but I feel it's newsworthy (and fun) enough to post here. The PC hasn't exactly been the platform of choice for sports games. Consoles have been the go-to platform for all the major American sports, and that won't change. What may change is the character of PC sports games. Ultimate Baseball Online promises to be the first massively multiplayer online sports game. Build your character, manage a team, join a quick pick-up game for some xp, or play in a league game. It's an ambitious project and so far it seems stable and fun. Standing on the field, waiting for the ball to come to you while you talk trash to the base runner is as much fun as being up at bat. But the real appealing part of the game to me is that superstars will be built. Those who play the most will be recognized for it, taking the premise of cyber-athlete into a new direction. UBO is in beta right now, and anyone can join. Just click on the "Read" link. You'll have to become an ESPN.com member, which is also free.
The week in preview: FIRE EMBLEM!
Oh my. This coming week will be sweet. Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones will be accompanying grown men and women on commutes across the globe. Just to sweeten the deal, Wario is popping his head up again. PC: Postal 2: Apocalypse Weekend Area 51 Madagascar Star Wars Galaxies: Episode III Rage of the Wookiees Hidden Stroke II Boiling Point PS2: Madagascar Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana Metal Slug 4 & 5 Xbox: Madagascar Still Life GameCube: Madagascar DS: Madagascar GBA: WarioWare: Twisted! Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones The GBA's titles blow the others away in my book. What say you? For the full list, follow the link.
Serious Sam 2 impressions
There were a bunch of games we didn't get to manhandle at E3 this year. One of the titles I regret missing was Serious Sam 2. Luckily this Internet thing has a bunch of E3 coverage. Seriouszone got their paws on SS2, and, predictably, they loved it. The choice factoid is that Croteam is applying for a world record in number of characters on a game screen. If that doesn't make fans of the original drool, I don't know what will. And for the level designers out there, Croteam also claims they've made an editor that's so easy to use you don't even need to have knowledge of programming or scripting. Maybe morons like me can finally make more than an empty room.
Joystiq and Engadget podcast does E3
It's the first time Joystiq has ever done a podcast. Nerve-wracking stuff at first — but it got easier as we went along. By the end, Vlad and I were a couple of free-talking blabbermouths, shushing Peter and Ryan of Engadget so we could hear ourselves speak. We got to talk about every console, a few games, and even the PC. Remember the PC?
Microsoft takes a look at the Playstation 3
Major Nelson has an exhaustive look at the specs of the PS3 vs. 360. Microsoft engineers sat down and took a look at what Sony placed on the table. Sure, the engineers are biased — they made the 360 after all. But we're sure y'all will call them on any spinning. The four parter breaks down the battle by CPU, GPU and bandwidth. I'll leave it to the pros out there to make heads or tails out of it, but Major's conclusion wraps it up with a well-mannered glove in Sony's face. "When you break down the numbers, Xbox 360 has provably more performance than PS3. Keep in mind that Sony has a track record of over promising and under delivering on technical performance. The truth is that both systems pack a lot of power for high definition games and entertainment." Microsoft seems to be comfortable with where they are hardware-wise. The one thing I can say for sure is they don't have anything to fear on the services side. Xbox Live! is alone at the top, and no one seems interested in trying to take them down. Yeah, everyone's trying to throw in multimedia thingies, too. But unless those thingies make my games more fun…bah!
Live from E3: Day Four - killing us with bass and strobes
Just in case you missed any of our E3 coverage yesterday, allow us to make it as easy as jacking a station wagon in Liberty. General: Wedding bells are ringing at E3 E3: Nintendo part two E3: Nintendo booth has a lot of content E3: More pics from the floor Software: E3: Yay, snow, flake, blow, rails, nose candy, toot, white, co-co puff, powder, fluff, sniff… Xbox 360 - Final Fantasy XI details Star Wars Battlefront 2 announced for PSP Viewtiful Joe DS - E3 impressions Next-gen Indiana Jones in the works Spore Site Open E3: More on Civ IV E3: Odama turns strategy on its head Tabula Rasa at E3 E3: Enemy Territory - Quake Wars is a sight to behold Hardware: Sony @ E3 - Live PlayStation 3 shots Nintendo Revolution prototype has no working disc-loading mechanism Xbox 360 faceplate trading on eBay Nyko @ E3 - Theater Experience Aerosoft @ E3 - The train simulator Game Boy Micro vs. Game Boy Advance SP eMagin @ E3 - Z800 3D Visor Previously: Live from E3: Day Three Live from E3: Day Two Live from E3: Day One
Live from E3: Day Four - killing us with bass and strobes
Just in case you missed any of our E3 coverage yesterday, allow us to make it as easy as jacking a station wagon in Liberty. General: Wedding bells are ringing at E3 E3: Nintendo part two E3: Nintendo booth has a lot of content E3: More pics from the floor Software: E3: Yay, snow, flake, blow, rails, nose candy, toot, white, co-co puff, powder, fluff, sniff… Xbox 360 - Final Fantasy XI details Star Wars Battlefront 2 announced for PSP Viewtiful Joe DS - E3 impressions Next-gen Indiana Jones in the works Spore Site Open E3: More on Civ IV E3: Odama turns strategy on its head Tabula Rasa at E3 E3: Enemy Territory - Quake Wars is a sight to behold Hardware: Sony @ E3 - Live PlayStation 3 shots Nintendo Revolution prototype has no working disc-loading mechanism Xbox 360 faceplate trading on eBay Nyko @ E3 - Theater Experience Aerosoft @ E3 - The train simulator Game Boy Micro vs. Game Boy Advance SP eMagin @ E3 - Z800 3D Visor Previously: Live from E3: Day Three Live from E3: Day Two Live from E3: Day One
E3: Black & White 2 peek makes me want to play god (again)
A lot of us have been looking forward to Black & White 2 for a long time. The original was a love-it-or-hate-it affair. Lovers loved the open-endedness and sandbox feeling. Haters hated the open-endedness and sandbox feeling. Around 2 years ago, a truce was drafted between the two camps. It's held since. Black & White 2 looks to be an improvement in every way, so the peace may last. Yes, it looks better. It probably sounds better too, but I haven't heard a damn thing for three days straight on that expo floor. Most importanly, BW2 plays better. There's no question about it. The original control scheme was known for being elegant, simple. All you needed was the hand and some glowing symbols and you were set to play. This time around that simplicity has been preserved, but with additional feedback.
E3: Walk down memory lane
With all the hype around the big consoles, there's one attraction that stands out. If you go to the lower level expo floor at E3 you'll find some of the smaller companies. CD cleaners, accessory designers, and a mini museum of the classics. Here are some pics, courtesy of Jason C.
E3: Odama turns strategy on its head
This thing better come out for the DS, or I'll whine more than usual. Odama is a pinball strategy war game. That's right. Mountains are bumpers, buildings are power-ups and two massive flippers protect your troops until you give the marching orders. The point of the level I played was to get the soldiers to the top of the screen where a big wooden door protects the enemy's fort. The enemy troops are trying to push a marker down the screen and into your territory. You need to do everything you can to stop them. Use the flippers to roll the ball over them (but be careful of your own troops) or use your forces (at strategic times) to outfight the bad guys. You get a mic for the controller that allows you to bark orders like "March!" or "Stop!" and the troops will dutifully follow them. If you manage to break the opponent's door down with your Odama, and slip your troops through, you win.
Wedding bells are ringing at E3
We just witnessed a proposal gone right in the press room. Why anyone would propose in the press room is a mystery, but to each his own. The guy just barked out "Hey guys, she said yes!" and the room applauded. Hey, press have heart too. Apparently, someone else had a successful go at it earlier today at the Nintendo booth. It may actually be a good strategy. Bring the woman to E3, tire her out with two days of bumping up against her other options, and spring the question.
E3: Nintendo part two
Nintendo's booth also has a lineup of DS consoles where people can play multiplayer Metroid. If you've played the demo you've seen it all, but it is cool to be able to just sit down and bash heads. On the tech side they're showing off DSpeak, an IP phone tech that seems to work really well. If you want, you can sit down and talk to pretty people via a vid conference setup (the voice is done with the DS). Fast and clear are the words of the day, but there's no way I'm sitting down and talking to these people. I overheard one of the models say "Nintendo will continue to change peoples' lives." Hey, it's okay for gamers to say that, but it just doesn't sound right coming from the mouth of an N employee.
E3: Nintendo booth has a lot of content
There are two things that stand out about the Nintendo booth. One, it's the best booth of the three consolers. The lineup of digital signs looks good from every angle, and the layout lets you see everything quick and easy. Two, there are a lot of new titles coming out for the DS. At long last. Yeah, we hear about the big flood of titles. It's always just around the corner. But when you see it, you have to believe it. People may have been a little disappointed about the sparse Revolution details, but they're delivering on DS content. I counted two dozen titles that are not on the shelves yet, at least in the US.
E3: More pics from the floor
Batman! While it's great to see the Batmobile, it would be even better to see a fine Batman game. Hopefully I'll find the latest BM effort somewhere in this maze. The E3 floor is as crazy today as it was yesterday. Don't these people get tired? Here are some shots of our tireless peers in their seventh heaven. We just can't get over the EA booth. Okay, okay, no more shots. Promise.
E3: Enemy Territory - Quake Wars is a sight to behold
Every developer makes their in-development game look better to the public than it actually is. The Killzone 2 discussion going on in the community right now is that the "gameplay" footage is questionable. Is the hardware really able to deliver that kind of gaming quality? If not, is it it false advertising? My bottom line is that all three consolers had a chance to put their best foot forward and Sony's stride was stronger. Even compared to MS' best cutscenes, Killzone is a killer. But there are other titles wowing the crowd now. Enemy Territory is one of them. The game clip is, once again, playing on an obscenely beautiful screen the size of my apartment. It stops you in your tracks in a room where everyone is trying to get you to stop in your tracks. The Quake spin-off is being developed by Splash Damage, using id's MegaTexture engine. It's a tactical shooter with 40 vehicles and enough character classes to kill your buds seven ways to Sunday. Details are a little sketchy right now. We all know that means it's early in development. Of course, that didn't keep them from releasing one of the true must-see clips of E3 2005.
E3: The stuff that catches our eye on the floor
I have a bet that I can get through one day without posting a pic of any booth babes. It's been tough, but I'm going to win that five bucks if it kills me. Just to make things harder, may we present to you some of the eye-catchers on the floor. No booth babe shots allowed. For now… Watching Ghost Recon 3. Those seats are worth their weight in gold. Uncomfortable men.
E3: Call of Duty 2 for Xbox 360 duly impresses
Underneath the Xbox 360 booth are actual 360 games, including a Call of Duty 2 demo, being played by a trained professional. No one else can touch the egg-white controller, lest Jon, the mild mannered security guy gets on their butt. I had just pulled out my camera when he pointed to the "No pictures" sign. Oh well, this is what it looks like on the 360 though. Yeah, it's a press pic. Yeah, it really looks like that. If you can imagine a camera view that shakes with every round of fire, and wisps of smoke that randomly flash past your view, then you get the idea. You can look at the game clips online, but you won't get the full effect (sorry, but it's true). If you have an HDTV you will NOT be disappointed by the look of the 360's titles. I'll give you a nickel if you're not satisfied. Okay, not really.
Xbox 360 booth looks like Obi Wan hut
Microsoft's Xbox 360 booth is huge. The design is so central to the whole room that it feels like all other booths were built around it. The pseudo-building is a swanky affair, with a long walkway to a second story where invite-only folks get to eat free food and get the same press packets everyone else does.