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E308 X3F Sticker Gallery: Left 4 Harmonix
Gather around the E3 X3F Sticker Gallery children, we have a treat for you today. As we scurried from E3 appointment to E3 appointment, event to event and wireless connection to wireless connection today, we obtained a few new sticker pics to add to our ever growing gallery. The X3F love is being spread just as promised, did you doubt us? View the new photograph additions in the gallery below featuring two sticker plastering pics of Valve's Doug Lombardi, a few guys from team Harmonix, a Fallout 3 statue and the crew from over at Sarcastic Gamer. Come on, stick it!%Gallery-27333%
EndWar to brave retail this October
While screaming commands into a headset Joystiq found a moment to extrapolate release information from UbiSoft for the upcoming RTS, Tom Clancy's EndWar. According to the rep EndWar will ship on October 14 in Europe and North America.What? Not familiar with Tom Clancy's EndWar? The upcoming real-time strategy game includes a voice-control option where players can issue commands through a headset rather than use traditional button presses (which you can also use).
E308: Ubisoft reveals 'I Am Alive'
To close its 2008 E3 Press Conference, Ubisoft unveiled the first trailer for I Am Alive. The adventure title places gamers in the center of a ruined Chicago, fighting for survival and forcing players to "think, react and take risks that will directly affect themselves and those around them."The disaster game had been in the news prior to E3 as earlier reports suggested Jade Raymond, producer of Assassin's Creed, was at the helm of the title. Currently the title is scheduled to release on "current generation video game consoles" in Spring 2009. Nothing specific about the game is known but for a taste of what you could expect check our Disaster Report. Actually. Don't -- that game was the definition of mediocre. Gallery: I Am Alive
E3 08 Swag Watch: Nuka Cola, Fallout 3 View-Masters
See that? Yup, it's Fallout 3's Nuka Cola. Yes, it's super awesome and cool. Sitting right next to it is the SimTek 1000 Holographic Archive, which bears a striking resemblance to the common View-Master. So striking, in fact, that it even carries the View-Master name. Contained on the View-Master are 3D screenshots of Fallout 3. Will this delectable swag be given away at the reader meetup in Santa Monica on Thursday? Yes, yes it will.Oh, and we did play Fallout 3. Expect impressions later today.
E308: Prince of Persia support character 'Elika' detailed
During the Ubisoft Press Conference the lead producer of Prince of Persia detailed the Prince's support character, Elika. Using her magical powers, Elika can help the Prince perform longer jumps, double jumps and even in combat where both characters fight in tandem to destroy enemies with stylistic combo moves. In the demo shown, Elika proves she can take care of herself -- thankfully no Ico-style hand holding is required. Each enemy in the game is designed to be a challenge. Gone are the days of introductory baddies sprinkled throughout the world and all that remains are a steady stream of equally difficult adversaries which Ubisoft hopes will make every battle a cinematic and dramatic experience. Ubisoft also promises, because each battle is built to be dramatic, players will never fight more than one enemy at a time. Elika also can support the Prince by pulling him from his death. Anytime the player is about to die a short scene will show Elika pull the Prince out of his fate and back onto a safe place in the world. Essentially this is what replaces the ability to rewind mistakes, but no mention of limitation was mentioned (like running out of sand in The Sands of Time). Prince of Persia also sports an open world structure which allows players to choose the path they take which, according to Ubisoft, will dynamically change the story of the game.Prince of Persia is slated to release this Holiday season.
Harmonix talks RB1 compatability with Rock Band 2
Earlier today, we got a chance to chit chat it up with Rock Band 2's senior designer Dan Teasdale and we confronted him about clarifying how many songs from Rock Band would be transferable over to Rock Band 2. Because we were previously informed that "most" of the tracks would transfer, but we aren't satisfied with "most", we need cold hard numbers.According to Teasdale, the number of tracks from Rock Band being transferred over to Rock Band 2 has yet to be solidified seeing that licensing deals are still pending and we're told Harmonix has to re-license each track. Hence the $5'ish price tag. Another Harmonix source mentioned that the number of Rock Band tracks not making the Rock Band 2 transfer should be quite minimal, possibly around the two to three'ish number of tracks. Not bad, seeing that we were thinking much more. Now that we think of it, Harmonix needs to re-license the tracks and if two tracks don't make it, we have a feeling Aerosmith and Metallica may be holding out. They're friends with other rockin peeps.
E308: Tom Clancy's future is 'more than games'
During the Ubisoft Press Conference, Ubisoft America president Laurent Detoc discussed the future of the Tom Clancy franchise. Citing the recent acquisition of Hybride, the CGI studio behind such films as 300 and Sin City, Detoc stated the future of the Tom Clancy franchise is more than games. Considering Ubisoft owns the Tom Clancy license Detoc says books and television are possibilities. Film is not mentioned but Ubisoft has mentioned the power of movies in the past so we expect it is high on their list of possibilities.Detoc also reminded conference viewers that this is the tenth anniversary of Tom Clancy, which has sold 55 million combined units.More as the conference progresses.
E308: Too Human screens, character art
In development for nearly a decade, Too Human is an action-RPG from Canadian developer Silicon Knights. Its story revolves around an alternate reality where Norse mythology and cybernetics govern the world. As Baldur, son of Odin, players are tasked with fighting off a mechanized horde of invaders hellbent on destroying the human species. Sounds cool right? Well, you don't have to rely on our "back of the box" style description because you can play Too Human right now! The demo, as we've mentioned before, is on Xbox Live right now. Give it a shot. Expect a special X3F Demo Impressions video of the Too Human Demo soon. In the meantime, check out our galleries of screenshots and character art from E3 2008.%Gallery-27736%%Gallery-27737%
E308: Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise screens
We kinda feel bad. When Viva Piñata came up during the Microsoft Press Conference we pretty much skipped over it to report on the new hawtness but we wanted to publicly say that we're excited for the game. If you're put of by the art style of the game -- or just think you're too 1337 to play it -- you might want to take a look at Viva Piñata: Trouble In Paradise. Adding more content to its original vision, Viva Piñata: Trouble In Paradise is a definitive version of sorts. Sporting addictive and fun gameplay and a ton of extras we recommend you take a look at Viva Piñata: TiP when it lands in stores this September. We've added the latest images in the gallery below for your viewing pleasure. %Gallery-27721%
E308: Bots will not replace quitters in GoW2
Coming from our sit down interview with Gears of War 2 producer Rod Fergusson we get further explanation of the game's bots, confirming that (unlike some previously speculated) bots will NOT replace players who drop connection or quit out of games. Fergusson made the argument that there isn't a big disadvantage to losing a teammate mid-game in Gears and that an AI controlled bot taking over just wouldn't be fair due to the differences in player skill and strategies. We did learn though that Gears 2 bots can only be used in social games (makes sense) and must be enabled prior to the game's start via the game setup menu.
First look: Nyko Intercooler TS
Nyko is unveiling a new product at E3 this year, the Intercooler TS. Most X3F readers will remember the Intercooler as a large brick with fans in it that sucks hot air out of Xbox 360s, ostensibly protecting them from the dreaded Red Ring of Death. Whether or not the product actually works, Nyko assured us that it remains the top selling third party accessory for the Xbox 360, so there must be plenty of gamers eager to protect their investment. Enter the Intercooler TS, which boasts two main improvements. First, the unit is powered by its own AC adapter, rather than interfacing with the 360's power port like the original Intercooler. Second, the unit contains a temperature sensor that turns on the fans when a rapid increase in temperature is detected. Nyko informed us that the unit will even cool a 360 after it has been shut down. Once the Xbox 360 is sufficiently cooled, the fans automatically shut off. The Intercooler TS will be available in September for $24.99. The old school Intercooler will remain on the market for $19.99.We also got to take a look at the ChargeBase 360, a new charging station that can charge two Xbox 360 controllers simultaneously in approximately 4 hours (2 hours for a single controller. The ChargeBase 360 includes two special battery packs with contacts on that interface with the charging station. Each battery is supposed to offer up to 25 hours of play. The ChargeBase is available now for $39.99.%Gallery-27693%
Booth Tour: Harmonix and Rock Band 2 at E308
It's time to detour off the E3 floor and take a booth tour with a certain group of developer rockers who actually have carry some real rock cred. We're of course talking about the guys over at Harmonix where they welcomed us into their comfy boot and demoing Rock Band 2, showing off the new instruments including the smoke and light kit and the customizable band swag that you can order (stuff like figures, tshirts, posters, etc.) We had a blast at the Harmonix booth, so we advise re-living our rockin' experience by checking out all the musical gallery pics below.%Gallery-27723%
Ratchet and Clank: Quest for Booty $14.99 this summer
The newest iteration in the terrific Ratchet and Clank series is going for quality over quantity -- Sony has announced that the game will release for $15 on the PSN sometime this summer, and will feature "a shorter game at a lower price." The game will describe what happens to Clank after the end of Ratchet and Clank: Future, and will serve as a "great introduction to what R&C is all about."No official date yet ("just this summer"), but looks like some good and cheap Ratchet and Clank fun.
E308: Lips and Scene It! Box Office Smash screens
You can't blame the day for progressing a little slowly on the news front considering the 'OMG' moments that we brought you yesterday. But there are a few things to discuss.Two of the titles announced yesterday have a strong focus on the casual market. Lips and Scene It! Box Office Smash may not be directed toward our audience but as party titles they both look interesting. Scene It! Lights, Camera, Action doesn't get enough love for how well made it was and with online play Scene It!2 should be a riot. Until you catch a glimpse of your friend checking IMDB.com through his Xbox Live Vision camera, that is. Lips is a singing game. Not much we can do with that on the 'funny' front. Here are the first official screenshots of each.%Gallery-27691%%Gallery-27692%
Gears 2 lobby, playlists and matchmaking detailed
Last night, during the Gears of War 2 multiplayer reception, we got a chance to sit down with Gears producer Rod Fergusson to discuss all things Gears 2, specifically discussing how the online matchmaking system will work and what features we can expect.When we asked how the matchmaking system would be organized and how it compares to Halo 3's system, Fergusson confirmed that Gears 2 will "definitely have playlists", which will be separated into ranked and social / unranked matches comprised of all the different gametypes. When it comes to matching players up in ranked we learn that a player's rank wouldn't be assigned any value or military rank, instead the ranked party would be matched up based on an average of "the rank of the party". When asked about some sort of veto system in matchmaking, we were told that "in the rank system we didn't like the veto system", but they did opt for a friendlier voting system instead. Currently, how it's planned, in all ranked matches there will be two multiplayer maps to vote on then the one that gets the most votes will be played. "If there's a tie or nobody votes," Fergusson continued "we'll just pick a random third one."Finally, as far as stats go on GearsofWar.com, don't expect too much at launch. "It [online stats] isn't something that's critical for us on day one" Fergusson admitted, though confirming that the engine does mine rich data for much more detailed stats options in the future. Rod Fergusson wasn't afraid to admit that they don't have much experience with rich online stats like say, Bungie, admitting that when it comes to the rollout and implementation of a rich online stat service, "we're baby stepping our way in."
Joystiq gets Unleashed with Sonic interview
We've heard it before but Sonic's latest title is the franchise's attempt to return the hedgehog to his roots. Looking for more details? Our friends at Joystiq sat down with US Producer for Sonic Unleashed, Patrick Riley, to talk about the little blue bomber and try to get as much information about the series' reboot as possible. Covering everything from night time stages to Werehog Sonic this is a must read for Sonic fans. Could this finally be the triumphant return of Sonic? So far, the game looks great so we're hoping his time in the mud is over!
Nintendo selling 200k DSs a week, 700k Wiis a month
Nintendo has announced at their press conference this morning that they're still selling 200,000 Wii DS systems a week, and 700,000 systems a month. As a comparison, the Xbox 360 sold 520,000 units during the Halo 3 release last year, when it last beat the Wii. So Wiis are still selling like hotcakes, and Nintendo brags that it's not even a holiday season -- they say they're keeping up these sales all year long.Very impressive. Of course, the games aren't selling quite that well, but in terms of systems, Nintendo just keeps on rolling.Update: It appears we misheard Reggie. Nintendo is selling 200k DS systems a week, not Wiis. But they are still selling 700k Wiis a month, and both system sales figures are pretty astounding.
E308: Avatar clothing could be unlocked using game achievements
Coming straight from Microsoft's Community Briefing yesterday (the same one where we got the chance to nibble on delicious chocolate delights), we learned that an Avatar's wardrobe could not only be comprised of those items offered through normal channels, but could potentially come from the earning of game achievements.Team Microsoft said that the potential is there and developers are showing interest in offering unlockable Avatar content using game achievements. Think of items like a Gears of War 2 tshirt for your Avatar to wear if you earn the Seriously achievement or the unlock of a special ninja mask for completing Ninja Gaiden II on the hardest difficulty. It'd be an extra incentive to go after an achievement IF the achievement itself isn't enough, but the rub here is that you have to actually care about your Avatar's clothing. Us, we're all about forgoing the whole wardrobe unlock thing, sporting a naked Avatar and getting double the game's Gamerscore.
E308: Theories mount on possible Bungie announcement
Update: Corrected the date and time in this post.With no information released during the Microsoft Press Conference yesterday many assumed Bungie's hints at an announcement were teased to the community with no real purpose. However, as we reported earlier, Bungie.Net has been taken over by the mascot dubbed the Superintendent promising to clean up the server. A counter also appeared on the splash page that expires at roughly 7:07AM PT (10 AM EST) on Wednesday, July 16.More teases at an announcement have been discovered since then. The image in Halo 3's Bungie Favorites has been updated with a corrupt file that displays a sadder looking Superintendent and the numbers 12:05:37:14 and a group of lights on the world map on Bungie.net seem to be shaped like the Superintendent logo near the district of Mombasa, Kenya -- a city with ties to the Halo universe.For theories and speculation on the countdown, jump in!
E308: EA's EA'cellent press conference photos
Our homies over at Joystiq were snap happy, posting a pretty nifty photo gallery of all the pics they (some would say obsessivly) took from EA's press conference that went down yesterday afternoon. Among the photo gallery goodies are pictures of Gabe Newell showcasing some Left 4 Dead, some SimAnimals and (of course) Mirror's Edge. Browse a bit, only because we totally know you want to. Gallery: EA E3 Press Conference 2008
