e3-2009
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Video: Xbox 360 Games on Demand service
Curious how the Xbox 360's recently announced "Games on Demand" service is going to look in your Dashboard? Microsoft made this helpful video, walking you through the entire process. First off: Buying Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga, for $19.99 (note: no Microsoft Points here, folks). Next: Booting up the already purchased BioShock. Simple as pie, no disc needed. And the cherry on top: Quick Launching Mass Effect from inside BioShock. Looks like a great feature ... ... now, let's talk about those hard drive prices.
45 Second Booth Tour: Microsoft
We're privileged enough to get the chance to walk around and view the numerous multi-million dollar E3 booths, so we figured we'd share the experience. Albeit, condensed into 45 seconds. View Microsoft's E3 booth in the 45 Second Booth Tour vid that's embedded above and click through the photos below. If you can spot Cliff Bleszinski, we award you a (virtual) scrumptious brownie.%Gallery-64888%
Endless Ocean 2 trailer: More endless than ever
How is it possible to make an experience as truly expansive as 2007's Endless Ocean any more ... erm, endless? Crocodiles! It's the trailer for Endless Ocean 2, folks. No joke. So here's the thing -- we're not absolutely sure there weren't crocodiles in the first Endless Ocean, due to it's, ya know, endlessness, but we don't recall any swamps or bayous in the game. If you spent the requisite forever with former of the series, let us know what new stuff you spot in the trailer.
E3 2009: A look at APB's extensive character customization
There's been a lot of speculation about All Points Bulletin, the upcoming game from Crackdown developer Realtime Worlds, but at a closed-door demonstration at E3, we were finally able to take a good look at the game with lead designer EJ Moreland. And while many MMOs have detailed character customization, we've never seen anything quite like this.During the video presentation of the game, Moreland said that the developers were focused on "the three C's" -- creativity, conflict and celebrity. The heart of APB is giving players the maximum flexibility to create what they want. Using the same customization tool that the developers use to make the thousands of NPCs in the game, players can modify their characters in a myriad of ways.%Gallery-64700%
Video comparison: 'Trico' leak and 'The Last Guardian' debut
When we first saw the year-old leaked footage for Team ICO's third game – then known only as "Trico" – we had only one thought: we really want a kitty dragon. Okay, fine. We had two thoughts. First: we really want a kitty dragon; and second: we wonder what the game looks like now. Lucky for us, Sony's E3 keynote answered the latter, with a fresh dose of video footage of the game, newly dubbed The Last Guardian. Here's the thing though: the first three and a half minutes of the trailer were shot-for-shot identical to the leak, with obvious visual enhancements and that got us thinking: a video comparison! Our very own Richard Mitchell painstakingly stitched the two videos together above for your enjoyment. On the left: The Last Guardian. On the right: Trico. Bon appétit!
Hands-on: The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass was a solid game with a few disruptive flaws -- the most memorable of which being the oft-repeated Temple of the Ocean King that left many players frustrated enough to return the title to the GameStop from whence it came. It came close, but possessed no cigar. Now, Nintendo's hoping to get it right with the next DS iteration of the triforce-filled franchise, The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks.If you're familiar with Hourglass, transitioning into Tracks shouldn't be too difficult a task. It uses the same love-it-or-hate-it stylus control scheme, and features the same visuals that have been adapted over from the Gamecube seafaring sim Wind Waker. What is different is the game's introduction of a hulking dungeon delving partner and, of course, the locomotive method of transportation that rides upon the game's titular rails.%Gallery-48535%
Joystiq's Best of E3 2009
It's hard if not impossible for Team Joystiq to decide on a place to eat dinner, so choosing the coolest thing we saw at E3 was all but unthinkable. Instead, we asked each member of the team to pick the best thing they saw at the show, with very few restrictions. And here are the results:
Interview: Nouredine Abboud: The Producer on C.O.P.: The Recruit
Just a few hours after Nintendo unveiled Ubisoft's sandbox DS game C.O.P.: The Recruit at its press conference, we found producer Nouredine Abboud at the Nintendo booth and spoke to him about the new game. A rather animated Abboud was only too happy to talk with us about cramming what amounts to a full 3D sandbox game into the DS, releasing said game on the system in a post-Chinatown Wars world, and the recent trend of DS cop games. He started by giving us some insight into the game's title.%Gallery-65282%
E3 2009: Massively's day 4 roundup
Wait a minute, day 4 of E3 2009? Remedial math skills? E3 was only a three-day event, but our own coverage of Electronic Entertainment Expo 2009 is going to last a bit longer. We've still got a number of interviews and previews lined up for you in the coming days, today included, so we hope you'll keep reading this weekend. In the meantime, here are a few highlights of Massively's coverage of E3 2009 from yesterday: Champions Online interview with Bill Roper on character customization Torchlight, from creators of Mythos, to morph from single player to MMO Rohan: Blood Feud to get crafting system in June Massively's Dragonica Online Impressions If you'd like to see more, we've got some eye candy after the jump, with galleries for Champions Online, Torchlight, Rohan: Blood Feud, and Dragonica Online.
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is ... mom-friendly?
Not even Silent Hill is afraid of the Wii's casual audience. Speaking to Joystiq during E3 2009, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories producer Tomm Hulett described the game as being very much a true franchise entry (and we can attest to that!), but one that would enjoy the benefits of a wider audience and an intuitive control system on the Wii."For the casual gamer, we say this like it's strange, but casual gamers go to horror movies," he explained. "There's a reason that we all started playing survival horror -- it was new and different and, 'Oh, it's like a scary movie that I play.'" According to Hulett the game's control system, which thrusts the Wiimote into the role of a flashlight, is intuitive enough to accommodate ... your mom. "I've had my mom try it out and she only plays Animal Crossing, but she can walk around as Harry Mason and run from creatures. It's really easy to pick up and play. If there's a casual gamer who enjoys going to the movies and seeing The Ring, they can go to the store afterward and buy Silent Hill and have a horror experience at home."Well, as long as they don't pick up The Room. That's a different kind of horror experience at home.%Gallery-49995% %Gallery-65287%
PSP Go and buy all-new accessories
click to enlarge Sony had a spot in its press-only booth area reserved for showing off the various accessories that will be available for PSP Go when it hits US shelves on October 1. There were cases, wrist straps, Sony-branded screen protectors ... and wait, what was that? Since the handheld doesn't have a standard mini USB port like the PSP-3000, we'll have to buy all new accessories? Sad, but true.The PSP Go has a new multifunction port on its base (check out the video!) that is used for everything from data transfer to charging to video output. While asking owners of the older model to change a USB cable is not really a big deal, the fact that more expensive existing accessories -- such as component A/V cables, voice headsets and pretty much anything made to work with the 3000 -- are completely incompatible is cringe-worthy. That's not even taking into account third-party add-ons, or things like Sony's own GPS module.We know Sony is planning a trade-in program for UMD games; somehow we think the company won't be extending the same offer to include cables, peripherals and other accessories.
Turn 10 on Forza 3: 'No game competes with us'
Forza Motorsport 3 game director Dan Greenwalt is proud of his game. More specifically, he believes that Forza 3 has surpassed all of the competition, most notably Gran Turismo. When asked how Forza is positioned against other racing stalwarts like Need for Speed and Gran Turismo, Greenwalt did not mince words. "I'm in this industry because of Gran Turismo, let's just be frank," said Greenwalt. He then explained that Gran Turismo inspired his first "stressful" car purchase, a Mitsubishi 3000GT, saying that is was "a great car in that game, and I thought 'Oh my God, if I'm ever going to have a car, that's the car that I want.'" Then things got ugly."So, props to Kazunori Yamauchi-san and the PS1 team," said Greenwalt. "That said," he continued, "I feel that he's passed us the baton. Perhaps he hasn't meant to, but we have taken the genre to new levels and they've stopped evolving the genre. So again, tremendous respect to him, but I'd say the differentiator is they're old school." He conclued, "The emperor's naked, and I don't want to, you know, I don't want to slap him around, but no game competes [with] us right now."A bold claim to make, especially considering that neither Forza 3 nor Gran Turismo 5 have actually released yet. Whenever they do, we're hoping for a good rumble, Sharks vs Jets style.
Overheard@E3: STUNNED!
While toiling away in the press room on Wednesday, entrenched and blogging the scoops, we heard a couple of other game journos discuss the sheer magnificence of one Square Enix. Apparently, these guys were big fans.Game Journo #1: "Did you see Final Fantasy XIV?"Game Journo #2: "Yes, and I was stunned. STUNNED!"Game Journo #1: "That company is amazing. Playing their PS2 games, they looked like PS3 games."
Section 8 brings user-created dedicated servers to Xbox 360
We got a chance to see Section 8 at E3 this year. Summing things up, our experience was pretty much in line with what we played at GDC earlier this year. So, let's just skip that and get to the news, shall we? Section 8 will be the very first Xbox 360 game to allow users to set up their own dedicated servers, according to producer Robert Siwiak.Players will be able to download an application on their PC that will allow them to turn it into a dedicated server for the game. When playing on a dedicated server -- developer TimeGate will be hosting some as well, incidentally -- Section 8 will support multiplayer matches of up to 32 players. This a significant boost over the standard 16-player offered by regular servers. Sporting some very impressive sci-fi inspired gameplay bolstered by this extra online support, Section 8 is shaping up to be quite a game. Expect it to drop (from 15,000 feet) this fall.%Gallery-4522%
E3 2009, as told by Jason Sudeikis
While Joystiq sends bloggers to E3 for teh newz, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon sends Jason Sudeikis for teh lawls, as the latest episode of the late-night program shows. Available to watch right now on Hulu, highlights include Jason's brief stop by the Bayonetta area at Sega's booth, and a rather hilarious exchange with Infinity Ward about Modern Warfare 2. It's quality entertainment, and Sudeikis does a good job of making lighthearted fun of a show that we worked so hard to cover super seriously this week. Enjoy.[Thanks, Wesley!]
Scribblenauts passes our ten-word challenge with flying colors
We were extremely impressed with our time with Scribblenauts on the E3 show floor, but in a weird way, we felt this primal desire to conquer it. After an evening of brainstorming, we developed ten words we were certain would stump the game's seemingly infinite vocabulary -- the surprising results of our little experiment are posted after the jump!
Hands-on with Southpeak's FPS/RTS hybrid, Raven Squad
click to enter full-screen mode SouthPeak's Raven Squad -- which has dropped the Operation Hidden Dagger subtitle since last year -- has a very interesting concept. Raven Squad, you see, employs a combination of real-time strategy and first-person shooter gameplay. Players take control of two different three-man squads -- two players can also command one squad each when playing online -- as they fight their way through an enemy-infested jungle. The game can be switched from an overhead RTS view to a first-person view at any time, making the game very different from other shooters on the market.
Impressions: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and old flings
Elena Fisher, shrewdly describing herself as "last year's model," is back in Uncharted 2, breaking with the standard serial adventure ethos that values the one-and-done romantic interest over long-term attachment. It may have taken Marion two decades to make her way back to Indy's side, but Elena has swiftly staked a claim as Nathan Drake's true sidekick. The two reunite in Naughty Dog's sequel with the sassy Chloe spicing up the between-the-sheets melodrama. It's a diversion, at least, from the requisite mass murdering that seems to accompany Drake's carefree treasure hunts.Naughty Dog most certainly has not scaled back any of the elements that made the first Uncharted a blast to play but, upon reflection, posed some serious questions about Drake's psychological condition. The man single-handedly committed pirate genocide, after all (well, Elena did peg a few, too). Fitting, then, that Uncharted 2's antagonist is a Serbian war criminal, who might share more in common with Drake than the surface story leads us to believe.%Gallery-43006%
Impressions: Gladiator A.D. (Wii)
The second title that High Voltage showed off behind closed doors at this year's E3 was none other than Gladiator A.D., its aptly titled gladiatorial combat game. We were able to witness several battles take place across two different stages. The High Voltage rep that demoed the game for us said the company was really going for that stylized 300 look and feel. While we can't comment on the latter, we will say the former was pretty evident.
Hands-on: Scribblenauts
There's a growing sect of Joystiq writers who are walking away from E3 2009 with the same title constituting their Game of the Show. Surprisingly, it's not a big-budget blockbuster, or a groundbreaking advancement in storytelling, or a bold new method of how we interact with our video games. It's Scribblenauts, an unassuming DS puzzler with a massive lexicon, charming gameplay and, as far as we can tell, a large infusion of impossible technowizardry. The premise of the game is simple -- you play as Maxwell, who must solve various puzzles to obtain Starites spread across 220 different levels. To execute the aforementioned solving, you write words to create objects in the world that your cartoonish hero can interact with. It's a simple concept that's bolstered by one astounding accomplishment from developer 5th Cell: Anything you can think of is in this game. (Yes, that. Yes, that too.)
