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PC impressions: Crysis
We first got a sneak peek at Crytek's Crysis during Microsoft's keynote address earlier in the week. The demo level looked gorgeous, but on the show floor, I got to see something that almost looked better. Beautiful outdoor scenery was incredibly dynamic and encompassed everything.
Xbox 360 impressions: Shadowrun
Shadowrun is Microsoft's launch pad for Live Anywhere, the game that the company hopes will unite (in comradery and competition) Xbox 360 and PC gamers. It's an online-based game similar to Counter-Strike, only with magic and tech enhancements (e.g. the ability to glide).Since Shadowrun can't be released until Vista is deployed, developer FASA has clearly had -- and will have -- a lot of time to fine tune this title. The weapons, magic, and tech abilities are well balanced, and players will have to pick and choose wisely.Mechanics aside, the demo map we previewed was extremely bland. It did however, highlight some of the unique tactics that must be employed to win, including teleporting through walls and floors, planting health replenishing trees, and using extra-sensory vision. It was a lot to handle in a 10-minute session, which is a sign that Shadowrun has the depth to support Microsoft's vision.
E3 Vox Populi: What are your thoughts on the PS3 prices?
Sitting in long lines an hour deep or more gives a person the opportunity to bond with his fellow gamers pretty easily. That's what the Joystiq crew did while hanging around the show floor yesterday. The big question: What did you really think about the prices for the PlayStation 3?Brandee / PMS Clan: "Unacceptable. Period. Everybody works hard for their money."Ryan / Student: "I paid $499 for a console already so I guess I can't say I won't buy the PS3. I wouldn't trade in my 360 though."Carinda / Gameinatrix.com: "Never, never, never, never."Andra / Gameinatrix.com: "Not at launch, I'll wait for a price drop but will probably get it."CheapyD / CheapAssGamer: "I kept looking for a PS3 game that was worth $600 today and I couldn't find one."
E3 booth tours: Magic the Gathering
These guys were almost hidden in the West Hall near our blogging setup on the show floor. But as you can see, Magic the Gathering has quite an interesting setup. During the time I checked it out, they were having a tournament for their multiplayer game.
Competitive Brain Age: Joystiq pwns
At the Nintendo booth, people have been constantly queueing for Brain Age. Calculating by yourself is fun, but it doesn't come close to the competitive thrill of remembering your times tables faster than the next guy.We're proud to say we won our tournament, coming in with the respectable (for day three of E3) time of 28 seconds. Interestingly, the runner-up (with a very close time) was also a girl, with the two guys taking over twice as long to finish -- draw what conclusions you will from that.
The Question on Everyone's Mind...
Beyond racial skills and available guilds, I know everyone's just dying to know what the new race's dance is. Well, here's one of them - the male blood elf dance. The voice commentary in the video also does a good job of addressing the obvious questions brought to mind...
Sony's PS3 is still $600
In case you've forgotten, Sony's PS3 console will still retail for $600 (60G). Be it old news, whatever, everyone is still talking about it.
Wii stampede crushes Joystiq blogger
Joystiq's Blake Snow lost his media badge Friday morning when he was nearly trampled by hundreds of Wii procrastinaters stampeding towards the Nintendo booth. The assumption that the line would thin out on the final day of the expo was apparently shared by a large number of fans -- fans who were suddenly willing to push, shove and claw their way to a motion sensing controller as the West Hall doors opened. A shaken Blake lost his media badge in the crush, but he was able to...er...trade it for another one that fell to the carpet. He will now be posting as Quang Nguyen.
Joystiq Video: 2006 FIFA World Cup
Tune in as Joystiq takes a look at 2006 FIFA World Cup. Video: 3ivx, Quicktime, 5.38MBs: [link]
E3 booth tours: Atlus
They're not as big as Sony, Nintendo or Microsoft, but Atlus has a cool booth construction definitely worth taking a quick peek at.
E3 booth tours: Sony
In an ongoing attempt to bring E3 as close as possible to you, the reader, here's a brief look into the Sony booth. Enjoy!
Joystiq Video: Resistance Fall of Man
Tune in as Joystiq takes a look at Resistance: Fall of Man. Video: 3ivx, Quicktime, 5.27MBs: [link]
Slickest move at E3
It was like a scene right out of any club on a Saturday night. It's dark, lights are flashing, and two cute girls are dancing with each other. Some guy walks up, watches them for a few seconds, gets all up in the face of one of the girls, and though I didn't hear exactly what he said, it must have been something good because she stopped dancing and started talking to him. In fact, I think they actually exchanged numbers. That guy's got game.
Gamer/pianist makes sweet music at BradyGames
And blindfolded, no less! Apparently they were short on blindfolds though, considering that they had to use a T-shirt. Either way, this brave musician tapped out tunes to Super Mario and many others in front of an audience.
Blizzard's E3 booth tour
The part of Vivendi's booth dedicated to Blizzard and World of Warcraft has constant crowds and lines waiting to try the game. The upcoming Burning Crusade expansion is eagerly awaited by many of the game's six million players, and the booth focuses on the game rather than glitz, with no swag or booth babes.We'll let the pictures do the talking:
Joystiq Video: Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam
Tune in as Joystiq takes a look at Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam. Video: 3ivx, Quicktime, 4.02MBs: [link]
A brief tour of Outland
Outland, the remains of the planet Draenor, is an alien and futuristic place. Entering through the Dark Portal, players encounter a vista with a strong science-fiction feel -- giant planets hang in the sky, highlighting the scorched red earth. Populated by creatures including Hellboards and Stormsnout-style Mutated Clefthoof beasts, it's reminiscent of the Blasted Lands and similar areas of Azeroth.
Rumor: 360 wireless gaming receiver $20; wheel $130; headset $60; camera $40; Halo and Forza faceplates $20 [update 1]
Thanks to a reliable source from Microsoft, we've learned some important details about the new peripherals announced for the Xbox 360, including pricing and a few Halo faceplate (non)specifics. Check out the leaked info and prices below: 360 wireless gaming receiver (which enables wireless 360 controllers, headsets, and wheels on your PC): $20 Wireless racing wheel: $130 Wireless headset: $60 Xbox Live Vision Camera (with headset, one month of Live Gold, and one arcade -- presumably Xbox Live Arcade -- game): $40 New faceplates for Halo (with the Master Chief on 'em, but not Halo 3 specific) and Forza (no word on connections to the sequel): $20 each 256 MB portable memory unit (MU): no official price yet, but definitely not four times the cost of the older 64MB MU Besides acknowledging that the PC is "the biggest gaming device of all," MS appears to be setting an agressive price for its most relevant new PC accessory, the wireless gaming receiver (at least in comparison to the outrageously priced 360 wireless networking adapter). Unfortunately, no price was revealed as of yet for the USB-based HD-DVD add-on.We've speculated in our recent podcasts as to what would happen to the various 360 SKUs when price drops inevitably occur. An interesting theory bandied about by prolific Joystiq Contributor epobirs (on our earlier bump-to-256MB-MU post) was that a $20 price drop for the Core system, coupled with a $20 price drop on the 64MB MU, would finally allow folks to pick up a capable non-Premium bundle for the original $300 Core price point. (Not a bad way to undercut PS2 memory card prices, too.) We hope to get official confirmation on this info in the not-too-distant future.[Update: Sorry, had the camera price wrong in the headline; it now matches the price of the bundle listed in the body of the text below.]See also: 360's Mem Unit getting a bump to 256MB? (Comment from epobirs) Use 360 wireless peripherals with a PC Engadget & Joystiq's live coverage of Microsoft's Xbox 360 E3 event Joystiq / Engadget podcasts from Day One and Day Two of E3 2006
WoW Moviewatch: Naxxramas Trailer from E3
This video, Shadow of the Necropolis, gives us our first glimpse of action in the upcoming Naxxramas instance, included in the 1.11 patch, from the Blizzard previews at E3. Those are some seriously gnarly spiders...
Game immersion and you: TV Fighter
With the Nintendo Wii interface, gamers are beginning to recognize the importance of a this new level of innovation. However we are also beginning to understand that it's going to take some time for developers to bring this type of immersion into a more unambiguous experience for everyone. Tucked away within the bowels of E3 was SDW Games and their TV Fighter. As you can see from the picture, the gamer controls it with boxing gloves. Theoretically, this could have been really fun, but what is it about cheaply made peripherals that seem to completely take away the experience?
