e3 2012
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NBA Live not at EA's press conference because 'it deserves its own time'
EA Sports is resurrecting its basketball franchise this fall, yet oddly it is absent from E3. With only months to go until we're in that fall timeframe, the decision was made to hold back NBA Live 13 from E3. "We have some really cool and aggressive stuff we have planned for NBA Live, and we felt it deserved its own time," EA Sports executive vice president Andrew Wilson told me.
Seen@E3: a 'real' Halo Warthog
Okay, so it's not the very real, very drivable Warthog that Weta crafted for Neill Blomkamp's Halo 3 short films, but the life-size Warthog prop in Microsoft's E3 booth is still pretty neat. Check out the video above for a quick tour of Halo's iconic chariot of death.
Epic Mickey 2: Power of Illusion also out November 18
During Nintendo's 3DS showcase, Warren Spector and Dreamrift's Peter Ong showed off Epic Mickey 2: Power of Illusion, and revealed that the 3DS game will join its console counterpart at retail on November 18.
Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon will also launch digitally
Ghost-busting 3DS holiday title Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon will be available for purchase in both retail and digital formats. We were previously told that "in principle" Nintendo's first-party 3DS titles would be available in both, and it appears the company is keeping to it.Paper Mario: Sticker Star will also be available both "physically and digitally" this holiday season, along with New Super Mario Bros. 2.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate now featuring Alucard
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate will launch in fall this year and will include Symphony of the Night alum Alucard in some capacity, Konami announced at an E3 3DS press conference today.Mirror of Fate will be one of developer Mercury Steam's final 3DS titles, along with its console iteration currently in development, Lords of Shadow 2. It will use StreetPass, we learned today.
Halo 4's Spartan Ops content could span more than one season
It looks like Halo 4's weekly, episodic cooperative mode, Spartan Ops, may go further than expected. Spartan Ops serves as a secondary campaign designed to compliment Halo 4's single-player campaign, and will be offered up via weekly episodes across a "season," similar to a television show. During our demonstration of Spartan Ops at E3, 343 Industries franchise development director Frank O'Connor referred to the episodes included with Halo 4 as the "first season" of Spartan Ops content. Does that mean there are more seasons in the works?"Right now we're saying one season, but we're like a TV show, we have to see if people like our TV show." Basically, the possibility of future seasons would seem to hinge on whether people like Halo, so we'll just have to wait to see how that pans out.
Using the power of the people in Wii U's 'Project P-100'
Among the Wii U's minigame collection-heavy E3 lineup was a weird, weird surprise: an original action game by Platinum Games. Project P-100 isn't just an anomaly among Wii U games, it stands out among Platinum's lineup. It's very cartoony and cute, adjectives I won't see applied to Bayonetta or Anarchy Reigns anytime soon. The main character does bear a resemblance to Viewtiful Joe by pre-Platinum Clover Studio, but he's way too tiny on screen to really make the connection.It also abandons the "character action" style most associated with the studio in favor of, well, more characters. Your superhero protagonist can recruit a coterie of random citizens (by drawing a circle around them with the right analog stick) sort of Pikmin-style. However, instead of simply directing them toward the giant robot enemies, you wield your crew as weapons. You can hit a button to do basic "team attacks" that essentially use them as a bludgeon.%Gallery-157137%
Watch Dogs coming to Xbox 360 and PS3 'for sure,' producer says
Ubisoft Montreal producer Dominic Guay feels flattered by the whispers of suspicion surrounding Watch Dogs, a new third-person, open-world action game from Ubisoft. After an impressive debut at Ubisoft's E3 2012 press conference, Watch Dogs left viewers questioning whether its sophisticated environments and lighting (among other things) are a realistic match for current consoles. The official line is that it's coming to PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.Speaking to Joystiq, Guay confirmed that the E3 demo is running on PC, but emphasized that Ubisoft Montreal is interested in getting Watch Dogs on "all the platforms we can." That means Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions "for sure," Guay said. A Wii U version is still up in the air.It's easy to imagine Ubisoft releasing a scaled-down, optimized version of Watch Dogs, positioned to take advantage of the large, established audience on current consoles. It's even easier to envision the futuristic property popping up in Ubisoft's typical barrage of launch games for a new system. Both scenarios could play out by the time Watch Dogs ships, sometime after 2012.
EA has big plans for its UFC game
It's an exciting time at EA Sports for executive VP Andrew Wilson. He's pretty stoked about acquiring the UFC license, the result of the dire financial situation going on at THQ right now, the previous UFC license holder. "Yes, yes it is," Wilson tells me when I say it must be a good time to be in the sports game, uh, game.But how did EA get the license? Who approached who? How did it all go down? How much did EA really pay for the license? While Wilson couldn't go into the specificity I would've liked regarding some of those subjects, he did at least give me some background on how this new deal came together – and just what it means for MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) gaming fans looking forward to the future.
SteelSeries shows off new WoW wireless mouse, cache of corded rodents and a headset at E3
This time last year, SteelSeries showed us a headset and mouse meant for Diablo III, but at E3 2012, the company showed us a bunch of goodies. The highlight is the inaugural SteelSeries cordless offering, aptly named the World of Warcraft wireless mouse, which sports a themed skin and glowing white runes and logo on the palmrest (at least that's the plan, the prototype unit we saw didn't light up). Similarly, the charging base is studded in true Azeroth style and ringed in blue runes to let you know when it's powered up, plus it can be connected to your computer via microUSB if you want to play and charge simultaneously. It's PC and Mac compatible, comes with 11 programmable buttons, and once you've given it 60 minutes to fill its tank, you'll get up to 16 hours of continuous, intensive game play. It's set for a release in the latter half of this year and will cost $129. Along with the WoW model, we also got to see the gunmetal grey MLG edition Sensei and a pair of special-edition Kana mice -- for Dota 2 and CounterStrike: Global Offensive -- each uniquely skinned in the style of their namesake games. To go along with the CS:GO rodent, there's an accompanying headset (a Siberia v2 with a camo paint job) as well. Rounding things out is a GuildWars 2 branded headset and Sensei mouse. The stereo headset is the on-ear variety, and its flexible white frame can be folded down during travel. A 3.5mm input resides at the base of each earcup, and the open jack can be used to connect another set of headphones to share your audio with a friend. The headset's priced at $100, while the mouse will retail for $70 and will land on store shelves when Guildwars 2 is released.%Gallery-157403%
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate will use StreetPass
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate, the 3DS title in development by Mercury Steam, will incorporate Nintendo's StreetPass feature, allowing players to swap game data simply by walking past one another. Mercury Steam and Konami confirmed its integration today at E3.Mercury Steam developed a brand new engine for its 3DS installment and now has 100 people working on Mirror of Fate and its companion console title, Lords of Shadow 2. Both games operate in the same Lords of Shadow universe, at the same time, but Lords of Shadow 2 will conclude Dracula's storyline while Mirror of Fate tells the Belmonts' tale.Mercury Steam will be finished with the Castlevania franchise after these titles launch.
Hatsune Miku not planned for North America, at E3 as 'sneak peek'
Yesterday, when I found Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F for Vita in Sony's E3 booth, I interpreted that as evidence of a North American release. After all, it was a game being shown at E3. However, that isn't actually the case.Today, I went back to the booth and spotted a Sega rep next to the demo. He informed me that the game wasn't actually planned for North America; it was just being shown off at E3 as a demo. A brief image on a big screen inside the booth called it a "sneak peek" of a game coming to Japan. In short, it was at E3, but isn't actually intended for North American release. That's quite unusual.
Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 'dismemberment' feature coming as launch DLC
The follow-up to City Interactive's surprise hit Sniper: Ghost Warrior was meant to include the ability to dismember enemies with well-placed sniper shots at launch; however, the developer now says that the feature will be added to the game as post-launch DLC.Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 producer Michael Sroczynski told Joystiq "dismemberment" was removed in retail copies of the game in order to ensure the title would not be banned in Germany. Sroczynski referred to the additional content as "DLC" and not an update; however, he did promise it would launch free for PC, Xbox 360, and PS3. The intention is to release the content in all regions – save for Germany – as soon as the game launches later this year.
Microsoft's Marc Whitten: SmartGlass is the 'enabling technology' of IE on Xbox 360
We just had an opportunity to sit and chat with Microsoft's Marc Whitten, corporate vice president of Xbox Live, about the history and future of Microsoft's SmartGlass. It's one of the highlights of the show for us and so we were curious about its origin. Namely: was SmartGlass created to allow easy text entry into the upcoming Xbox 360 version of Internet Explorer? It's the opposite, says Marc. Microsoft has toyed with ways to bring IE to the Xbox for years now but always shelved the project due to control issues. It was only when they came up with the idea of SmartGlass 12 months ago -- being able to connect your phone or tablet to your Xbox and use it as a controller, among other things -- that a browser on an Xbox started to make sense. Great controls, he said, were the key to building the "great web experience" they were looking for.
Risky Business: The Injustice: Gods Among Us 'Clash' system
When I first watched the debut trailer for Injustice: Gods Among Us', my initial thoughts were something along the lines of "Okay, last year's Mortal Kombat with DC characters, I can get down with this." I've since discovered, however, that Injustice is not only unlike Mortal Kombat, but also unlike the majority of games in the fighting genre's illustrious and storied history.There are many esoteric and subtle differences between the gameplay mechanics of Injustice and Mortal Kombat (such as the introduction of Street Fighter-style blocking, rather than NetherRealm's traditional block button system), but the main feature that sets the game apart is its fresh take on the combo breaker: The "Clash" system.%Gallery-156647%
Forza Horizon to feature voice-activated Kinect GPS
Forza Horizon's take on Kinect integration will be a bit more utilitarian than the dynamic head tracking seen in Forza 4, allowing players to use voice commands to activate the game's GPS system and find their way through Horizon's open-world version of Colorado."We received two recurring feedback points while we were looking at this game," Playground Games' design director Ralph Fulton told us during E3. "The first one is really simple, people said 'This world so big, I found it really easy to get lost.' The second is kind of related to that, people said 'Sometimes I forget where I'm going, or what I want to do next.'"Forza Horizon's solution to this problem is a voice-activated GPS system that the player can use to find specific locations, such as the game's eponymous Horizon Festival ("GPS, Festival, Autoshow"), as well as ask more generic questions ("Where's my next race? Where's my nearest event?"). Once the Kinect registers the player's request, Forza's familiar line of green arrows extends from the underbelly of the vehicle, guiding the player to their destination.
Dead or Alive 5 brings back tag matches, cuts DOA 4's online lobbies
Friendships have been ruined over Dead or Alive – we'll never forgive you, Frank – but now you and Billy don't even need to consider fighting each other in Dead or Alive 5. Tag matches return, allowing two folks to go up against two other folks in a contest of might, both locally and online.And speaking of online stuff, Team Ninja head Yosuke Hayashi confirmed with Joystiq that the interactive lobbies seen in Dead or Alive 4 would not return in Dead or Alive 5. The reasoning behind omitting the interactive lobbies in Dead or Alive 5 is so that Team Ninja can provide the best, most stable online experience possible. Sure, that's all well and good, but ice-skating crabs.%Gallery-157383%
Bethesda's Todd Howard on Dawnguard, the future of Skyrim, and Steamworks success
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim game director Todd Howard and his team at Bethesda Game Studios are weeks away – if things go according to plan – from releasing the game's first DLC 'Dawnguard.' Speaking with Joystiq, Howard detailed the balance between quality and timing when planning new content for its critically and commercially acclaimed RPG."There's this weird line between – if you do DLC too early everyone's pissed off. We have found, if you wait too long, they're pissed off," Howard laughed. "We have a very smart audience," he continued, noting that Skyrim players deserve content that adds more than just a few extra quests or features. "We do feel the pressure to make sure it fits into the game smoothly."To ensure DLC doesn't remove players from the experience, Dawnguard won't notify players when the additional content has been purchased; players must find it for themselves."One of the potential negatives to like 'Joe Consumer' is they'll buy it, they'll load up Skyrim, they'll be like, 'Where is it?' Well, you gotta go find it," Howard explained. Dawnguard adds a new, detailed quest-line focusing on vampires, new weapons like crossbows, and even a Werewolf perk system.The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim 'Dawnguard' is currently scheduled to arrive on June 26 for the Xbox 360.
NBA Baller Beats adds a real basketball to your Kinect arsenal, we attempt to go hands-on (video)
Forget what your mum told you. Soon, you'll be bouncing a real basketball in your living room in order to strengthen your ball handling skills via your Xbox 360's Kinect. Majesco has developed NBA Baller Beats, a gaming title that will ship with the requisite ball so that you don't have to go searching out in the garage to get started. Don't get too excited, though -- the package won't include any sort of hardwood court-esque add-on for the feel of taking Kobe to the hole at the Staples Center. However, the soundtrack that drives your dribbles and cross-overs (and determines level of difficulty) should be just enough to embarrass you at some point. Think about this way: it's like Guitar Hero for sports fans. Well, we won't stall any longer. Head on past the break to catch a glimpse of a tech editor's best shot at a quick demo of the software here at E3 2012.
E3 2012: SWTOR's Allies patch aims to give back to the players
BioWare's booth at this year's E3 provided to MMO gamers one of the most interesting reveals yet. The crew ushered us into a small room, complete with a gigantic LED screen and fast computers (i7 chips, no doubt) that demonstrated the latest Star Wars: The Old Republic patch. The brief video presentation laid out for all of us what's to be coming soon for SWTOR hardcore players as well as for those who are interested about the game but haven't yet picked it up.
