e3-2008
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E308: 'Open Party' system to encourage grouping in Warhammer Online
Our epic-level talk with Josh Drescher and Adam Gershowitz delved into a number of interesting topics. Warhammer Online is essentially feature complete, they said, and will offer players a level of UI customization we haven't seen in most previous MMOs. They also, interestingly, are working to take care of the looking for group problem with a new tactic: the Open Party. We've already learned how they plan to encourage players to collaborate through Public Quests, but this sounds like it's taking the boundary of solo and group play and stretching it to the breaking point ...Adam: Another major feature we wanted to make sure to mention was the Open Party system. It just went into the Beta in the last couple of weeks. The Open Party system is an extension of the Looking For Group system. We have a fully fleshed out LFG system, but the Open Party system is really kind of an easier, casual way to put a group together. What the Open Party does is, say I come into the game and I'm interesting in forming a group. I go ahead and start the system, and it puts me into a party of one. It immediately updates me on the UI to be available for other players. As players are running around the world, they're going to get notification that there are Open Parties with slots in the area. On our Beta server right now, in most areas, there's anywhere from four to something like eighteen Open Parties for any given area. When you look on the UI you'll see it shows how many people are in a group, as well as the exact distance you are from the party.
Miyamoto says Nintendo not targeting core with E3
That niggling feeling in the back of your head that Nintendo wasn't talking to you with their E3 press conference? Good news: It wasn't your imagination! Straight from the mouth of Shigeru Miyamoto, the company says that they're not using E3 to speak to the core gamer anymore. Yeah, thanks Shiggy, we pieced it together.What, you ask, are they using E3 for? Well Miyamoto describes it as "an opportunity for [them] to introduce new concepts and new types of play that [they] intend to bring to the broader audience, particularly because of the media that gathers at E3 now." So, there you have it. Hey ... does that mean that we don't have to go anymore?[Thanks a ton, Ridgecity!]
WRUP: On a flight back from E3 edition
It's still technically Friday, for about a few more minutes. By this time, this blogger will be sound asleep and preparing for an early trip to LAX, to get on a jetplane back to anywhere that isn't E3. What do I have in my DS for the trip? A little bit of Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword. On my second playthrough, the game is still as fun as the first time.Who cares about that, though. In all honesty, I'll probably get 5 minutes in before totally falling asleep in the tiny tin can. What about you all, though? After the craziness of E3, can you even manage to sit still long enough to play a game? I imagine you're all probably far too busy spinning in your chairs with glee.
WRUP: Stuck in a tin can edition
Well, by the time you all are getting your read on here, I'll be pretty close to being back at the home base. Once I get back to my usual blogging grounds, business will resume as normal around here. As it stands right now, E3 may have come and gone, but we still need to know what you all are playing this weekend!So, what will be spinning inside your Wii? What cart will you be rocking in your DS? How are you getting your game on this weekend?
E308: Warhammer Online to feature fully customizable UI
We spoke earlier this week with Josh Drescher and Adam Gershowitz about the latest changes to Warhammer Online, and we were enthused to hear that the game will feature a fully customizable user interface. The developers were very forceful about what they did and didn't want to see from this component of the game - something you may have picked up on in our discussion of the Goblin Shaman earlier this year. Here's Adam Gershowitz talking about the game's custom tweaks:Adam: One thing you didn't see previously is our UI editor. The UI and layout editor we just put this in recently. It's a fully customizable UI and layout editor. It was one of the things we thought was really important to put into the game because one of the things everybody really hates is that mods break down when there is a patch. We're obviously going to support modding, but we want to make sure that even the newest player can come in and simply change their UI without having to get updates from the web. That's really where our UI concept came from. You can see here you can move things around, scale it however I want, we'll start putting rotation tools in pretty soon. Are you going to be interacting with the modding community in sort of an official capacity where you might highlight mods that are really worthwhile?Adam: I don't know what the UI mod team's plans are for sure? I know that's what they're currently doing in Beta and I imagine that relationship is going to continue into release.
Post-E3 DS Fanboy/Joystiq reader meetup in photos
First of all, thanks to everyone that managed to make it out to the party! There were a ridiculous amount of attendees, all of whom enjoyed some Call of Duty 4 on the PS3, Super Smash Bros. Brawl on the Wii and copious amounts of Rock Band and Rock Band 2. It was a blast and, unsurprisingly, the massive piles of swag went fairly quick. It was a wonderful experience and it was a pleasure meeting all of you. Hopefully, we can do this again next year!For those of you who couldn't make it out there, check out the gallery below. Within, you'll even find a picture of our very own Mike Sylvester (of Revolutionary fame!). He's a local, so thanks to him, but mostly to all of you, for making it out!%Gallery-28073%
Post-E3 Wii Fanboy/Joystiq reader meetup in photos
Yeah dude, that's totally Mike Sylvester there at the meetup last night. Other surprise guests showed up, as well as tons and tons of readers (who, in turn, walked away with tons and tons of free swag). Overall, it was a great success. You wouldn't believe how fast pizza goes at a Joystiq meetup!For those of you who had to sit this one out, relive the fun by checking out our photo gallery below.%Gallery-28076%
The Political Game: E3 is dead
Each week Dennis McCauley contributes The Political Game, a column on the collision of politics and video games: For more than a decade the Electronic Entertainment Expo was a must-see event for game retailers and media types. While it's true that in recent years E3 had become an exercise in wretched excess, that was, in fact, a large part of its charm. By day E3 featured massive, massively noisy game displays laid out end to end to end in the cavernous main halls of the Los Angeles Convention Center . By night dozens of game industry parties kept L.A.'s bartenders and sushi makers off the unemployment lines and gave a generation of scruffy game journalists an all-too-brief taste of the good life. In 2006, its final year as an extravaganza, a reported 80,000 people streamed past E3's exhibits.But beyond that, E3 put the modern video game business on the map. You could be certain of national T.V. coverage from all of the major networks. The top newspapers were there as well. The media coverage of the show's bright lights, booth babes and nonstop bells and whistles made mainstream America sit up and take notice of a form of entertainment it had previously held to be child's play, and for geeky children at that. Of course, the gaming press went absolutely nuts during E3 week, pushing screen shots and trailers and interviews and whatever else it could get hold of to millions of eager readers.To paraphrase Mick Jagger, I used to love you, E3, but it's all over now.
E308: Nintendo exec alludes to Wiimote refresh with built-in MotionPlus
Your Wiimotes might be outdated pretty soon, that is if Nintendo's Katsuya Eguchi is to be trusted. During a developer roundtable, he alluded to the possibility of a hardware refresh on the Wii's motion-sensitive controller, one that would include the new MotionPlus functionality, commenting "as to looking at whether or not it will be an attachment or built in - we're always looking at how hardware should evolve and where we should take it." He also added that "it's something we'll be looking at."Of course, there are several things to consider. For one, how much would it drive up the cost of the Wiimote? Secondly, how crappy would it be to have to (eventually) buy all new Wiimotes? Thirdly, until Nintendo shows off a killer app for the thing (as okay as Wii Sports Resort looks, it's definitely not a killer app), does anyone even care?[Via Engadget]
Joystiq eyes-on: Fat Princess
The easiest way to describe Fat Princess for PSN is to say it's Team Fortress 2 populated by demented My Sims. It's a multiplayer "capture the flag" game, except that the flag is a princess who is more difficult to carry back to base the more the opposing team feeds her cake, which magically grows in the forest around the castle.The action takes place in a colorful fantasy land where opposing teams need to reach the other's base, grab their princess and get back to the castle. The princess will lose the weight if she's not constantly fed, so if a team focuses on just combat instead of feeding the princess, the opposing team will have an easier time carrying her away once they inevitably infiltrate the castle.%Gallery-27941%
E308: Wii Fanboy bats-on with Mario Super Sluggers
Seeing as how the game has been out in Japan for quite some time now (and releasing here in little over a month), you've probably seen and heard all their is to Mario Super Sluggers. But, we'd be remiss if we didn't do our duty and sit down with the game and enjoy some time at the ballpark.%Gallery-24326%
Joystiq Podcast E308 - Grown folks edition
After a brief hiatus, we've returned with the grand finale of our E3 2008 podcasts. This one's way better, we promise. First off, we're actually talking about games. Which games, you ask? Well how about Dead Space, Mirror's Edge, Resident Evil 5, Tomb Raider: Underworld and Dark Void for starters? Yeah, we thought so. Oh, and it's not too quiet, there a bunch of embarrassing stories and no one falls asleep. So, yeah, a success all around. Get the podcast: [iTunes] Subscribe to the Joystiq Podcast directly in iTunes (MP3) [RSS] Add the Joystiq Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator [Digg] Like the show? Digg it. [MP3] Download the MP3 directly Hosts: Chris Grant, Ludwig Kietzmann and Justin McElroy For fans: Joystiq Podcast Facebook group
E308: Dress up with Onechanbara
If there's one essential zombie-killing accessory that's often overlooked in survival guides, it's the feather boa. If you don't look good, you won't feel good, and if you don't feel good, you're not kicking a bunch of zombie ass. You can't argue with that; that's science. That's why Onechanbara is awesome: it represents a fusion of high fashion aesthetics and a dedication to efficient killing ... and it's all coming to you at a budget price. There's nothing more you can ask for, except screenshots, and hey! They're right here. %Gallery-28067%
Joystiq E3 hands-on: Killzone 2
How did Killzone come to carry such a burden? I asked myself this as I slogged through an early level in Killzone 2. PlayStation 2 wanted its "Spartan" and the original Killzone was called to task, failing miserably. And then, almost forgotten, Killzone emerged again through a dazzling display of smoke and mirrors at E3 2005. Three years later, we're inching ever closer to Killzone 2's release in February 2009. Now that the smoke is settling we wonder if a true "Halo killer" stands before us.The E3 2008 demo begins with a beach landing (what else?), and continues with a crawl up into the bowels of a hellish place. This is a gray and lonely world, an industrial city of towering steels and concrete. The views are beautiful though. This is a gorgeous game -- Guerrilla has delivered on that promise. Where Halo offers relief from the horror of its subject matter with rich, 'toonish colors, Killzone plunges your senses deep into the despair and grotesqueness of a world at war. The stark environments are enriched by a distinct art design. There's cinema here. But we're not idly watching, are we?%Gallery-28043%
E308: Champions Online gameplay video
It's late in E3 week but we've still got plenty of goodness coming. We've got a fun tidbit from the folks at 2K games (Champions' new publisher), a brand new gameplay video for Champions Online. It doesn't have a lot of guidance as to what we're seeing onscreen, but we do get to see a lot of day-to-day style gameplay. Heroes fighting baddies is really what it's about, right? Join the likes of Sword Guy, Electro Man, and Desctro Dude (these names are guesses) as they take on the forces of VIPER and their multitudinous foes.Check below the cut for the full video, and let us know what you think. The game is about a year away from release and is already looking pretty darn good - are you as pumped as we are?
E308: Lock's Quest strategy goodies attack E3
After getting our hands on Lock's Quest, we've decided that tower defense fans need to take a look at this one (stay tuned for some impressions later!). While the trailer above doesn't do too great of a job of selling the game (sans the phrase "robot invaders"), gameplay clips make Lock's Quest look hectic and fun. Oh, and don't worry if you hated Drawn to Life, since that connection is just being played up by THQ for marketing hype.Check after the break to see what we're talking about in terms of gameplay. Oh, and hey, whaddya know -- there are new screens in the gallery, too. Make sure to give those a look before (or after) feasting your eyes on video goodness.%Gallery-19901%
E308 X3F Sticker Gallery: The final entry
With E3 2008 coming to a welcomed end (it was fun while it lasted), so too comes the end of our official E308 X3F Sticker Gallery. During our stay in LA this week, we were able to tag 35+ industry developers, producers, PR folks and pretty much anyone that was willing to get tagged. It was entertaining, a source of free advertising and, darnit, we had fun doing it. Thanks to all the folks who were willing to play along with the sticker fun, especially those who slapped a sticker on their forehead or mouth. Too cool.Anyway, we just uploaded another batch (the final batch) of X3F sticker photos including Dead Space producer Chuck Beaver, Mirror's Edge's own Nick Channon, the SouthPeak crew as well as the one, Joystiq's only, our main boss guy who keeps us employed ... CHRIS GRANT! Oh, and don't mind the pic quality. We had to use our cell phone camera due to a digital camera going MIA for a bit. Anyhoo, long live the X3F stickering.
E308: Onechanbara ogled
D3 showed off an early version of Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers in their conference room. And by "early version of Bikini Zombie Slayers," I mean "final Japanese version of Onechanbara Revolution." The retail game. Even so, I wasn't allowed to play it! Isn't that weird? And not in the funny, campy way that Onechanbara is usually weird. I did get to watch the game in motion, and found the visual upgrade over the PS2 version impressive. Apparently the price is getting a downgrade from the Japanese release: the D3 rep said that while they had yet to set a price point, it'll be marketed as a budget game. D3 also had the costumes from the Onechanbara movie in their booth -- all four square inches or so of costume. I did geek out a bit.
E308: Castlevania (aka Shanoa the vampire slayer)
Those of you who want to get to know Shanoa a little better should check out the vid up top, which features her kicking some undead butt. She might not bring too many new things to the Castlevania-verse, but she still looks like a pretty badass character. Besides, she "shall become the sword that clears away evil" -- what more do you want? Order of Ecclesia is currently one of our most anticipated DS games, though, so do we really need another reason to convince you to watch this trailer? Just look at the footage.
The Last Remnant roundtable discussion: still no PS3 release date
Don't let the subject line fool you -- while there's still no firm release date set for The Last Remnant on the PS3, it's coming and it's about time we learned a little more about the game. A bunch of press members sat down with the game's producer, Nobuyuki Ueda, then tried to get some information about the game's battle system and storyline. We'll summarize the important bits and let you decide if you want to read the whole thing.The game is supposed to appease both Western and Japanese gamers. English development is ahead of Japanese, so the English dub is proceeding along smoothly, Ueda says. The battles are as large-scale or as small-scale as you'd like. You have control over five "unions" with five members in each union, but it seems like you directly control either one at a time or the leader of each union during battles. Once battle starts, a timer is in place that'll signify when more enemy units will join in the brawl. The greater the number of enemies you choose to encounter, the greater the reward. Think of the DS title The World Ends With You to get an idea what they're going for. The morale meter does not indicate rewards; it helps you see how well other units will pay attention to your orders. While the game sounds like it keeps many traditional RPG elements, it also sounds like it may be more hands-off than expected. We don't know for sure, so we'll not make any judgments until we play it for ourselves.
