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The PS3 controller that might have been
Gimmicky controllers are all the rage at this year's E3, so Fanatec's German-made PS2 Speedster fit right in. In fact, I consider it a sufficiently odd alternative for eccentrics disappointed by the miscarriage of Sony's PS3 boomerang design. The controller has a hinge that basically replaces left/right axis of the left analog stick, best used for driving games. Get the company to slap some motion sensing crap in it and it could have been the PS3 controller of Kutaragi's dreams.
In the back of the bus with Shane Kim
I had a chance to chat with Microsoft Game Studios GM Shane Kim in the back of Microsoft's well-appointed Xbox 360 Blogger Bus. After three days locked in a PR room doing the same routine, Kim's answers are pretty standardized, so he didn't really reveal anything not covered in Joystiq's previous sit-down. (Then again, it's hard to ask clever questions when your mouth is stuffed with Red Vines). However, his mere presence in the backseat is evidence of Microsoft's commitment to building their online community via the blogosphere -- a commitment easily measured in the amount of Peanut M&Ms, sodas and pizza they shoveled our way during the course of E3. I asked Shane why Sony and Nintendo would risk alienating alternative media, and he said I'd have to ask them. I told him I surely would, as soon as I finished the Red Vines. Will MS's transparent, yet tasty, attempt to influence blogs pay off, or is this post evidence that it already has?
NCsoft's E3 booth tour
NCsoft's booth was mostly about the games, with banks of PC stations set up for passers-by to play at. There were plenty of knowledgeable staff on hand, and plenty of t-shirt giveaways. However, the booth's main attraction was its stage -- when we visited, The Mutaytor was helping to create the post-apocalyptic atmosphere appropriate to Tabula Rasa. At other times in the day, Guild Wars tournaments took centre stage, with large crowds gathering to watch top PvP teams face off. Between this and the pyrotechnic dancing, we really managed to get a feel for the atmosphere of NCsoft's game offerings, something which few other booths managed to convey.
PS3 impressions: Resistance Fall of Man
What is this Resistance: Fall of Man? It's not fun. We want Killzone back. Where's that game?We asked a Resistance developer what made his game unique. He stared at us blankly for a moment, fumbling for an answer, and then he told us that we would have to figure that out for ourselves. Not a good sign.What we figured out were a number of winding hallways, stretching through an abandoned medical facility. Every few feet alien creatures would appear. Sometimes they attacked, and sometimes they just stood around. Either way, we filled them with hot lead and continued on. Rinse. And repeat.Resistance is a derivative FPS. It's got no backbone. But with no Killzone in sight, Resistance looks to be one of the few -- if not the only -- option shooters fans will have on their shiny $600 (you're not really gonna buy the "core" system, are you?) unit come launch day.
Joystiq @ E3: May 12, 2006
Well, it's finally over, and right now the entire Joystiq team is packing up and heading home -- be it Philly or Atlanta, Britain or South Africa. We're exhausted, and we still have a lot to write up from the show floor. But for now, while we enjoy some in-flight snacking and bad films, here are the highlights for the final day of E3:Best of the BestVideo: Shigeru Miyamoto InterviewNewsBaten Kaitos Origins release notesFrame City Killer killed; RPG to replace it in lineupRumorsXbox 360 accessory pricingVideoDK King of SwingResistance Fall of Man2006 FIFA World CupTony Hawk's Downhill JamJoystiq Booth Babe TourBooth ToursSonyBlizzardAtlusMagic the GatheringOverheard"Teamkilling is fun""We're your props""Why no DS Lites?""That @!#$! in the Yoshi shirt cut in line"Spore > WoWVox Populi: What are your thoughts on the PS3 prices?A trumpet fade outWe've saved the best for last -- click "Continued" to check out our coverage of the convention culture:
Wiimote: Colors for all
We almost missed these beauties at Nintendo's booth, but thankfully we were able to stop swaying our hips with Wario Ware just long enough to snap a picture. We didn't see a single black or blue Wii console anywhere on the show floor, but we're hoping that those colors will be available on store shelves as soon as the system launches. [Insert Bondi Blue joke here.]
PC impressions: Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising
Games like Rome have gained some following, so a Roman-themed MMO doesn't seem too surprising a concept. Marking a departure from the elves-and-orcs staple of so many MMOs, Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising takes place in a stylised Roman setting of approximately 300BC.The game's setting assumes that Roman mythology was more-or-less fact, so players can attain favour with various gods and battle a range of mythological creatures. The focus of play is a cross between hack-and-slash combat and squad-based strategy -- execute combo moves and fight hand-to hand, or deploy a squad of soldiers to do your dirty work for you.
PSP camera spotted at Sony booth
It sure do look purdy nifty ... but will it work?
The Engadget & Joystiq Interview: Microsoft's Peter Moore
This morning, Vlad Cole and I had an opportunity to chat with Microsoft's Peter Moore, the man responsible for marketing the Xbox 360. When we last pinned him down at CES, there were still so many unanswered questions about the competition. After Sony and Nintendo's keynotes at E3, not to mention their own, the time was ripe to ask him about a portable Xbox, the Nintendo Wii complementing the Xbox 360, the Sony Dual Shake controller, and where he got that ink on his arm. Forgive me if I interrupt you, if I hear something that I already heard at the press briefing, I might cut your answer short a little bit. Congratulations on Gears of War. Everyone is saying it looks and plays awesome. It actually appears to be head and shoulders above everything we're seeing on the show floor. Is that a conscious choice to keep it off the floor itself, so that the comparison gap doesn't pop?No, not really. I think the idea is that the game deserves hands-on. We're trying to show it to as many people as we can up here. The team at Epic is really so conscious of the quality of what they're doing and presenting that bringing them up here, we'll get thousands of people through in the end, they churn people through pretty quickly, there was no conscious effort, no.So where are the rest of the games that look this good?Here? That depends on your ... you tell me. What is it that you think is missing?There does appear to be a gap in quality between that and everything else. It's just head and shoulders above. We're wondering if there are other titles that will match that by the time they come out. Quality of gameplay, graphics, depth, immersion? It's all subjective. I'm biased on all of them. Games like Crackdown: different visual style, different genre. But, it's coming together really well. Mass Effect. I was on some blogs last night where people are spending some time on it and are really impressed with it. Dave Perry and a few other people wrote some really strong stories about Mass Effect. That's a weird question ... I mean, which of my children do I love more?
Introducing the Joystiq Luchador
How to be cool: Be the first person to bring 7 Joystiq business cards and win a T-shirt. Bring an authentic Luchador mask and wear it for a picture while flashing the Wii gang sign. We had a surprising number of people show up, and we ran out of Joystiq T-shirts. Thanks to everyone who came by to pick up a shirt and say hello, you guys rocks!
Waiting for Wii: the wait
This is the beginning of the E3 Wii line. This is the end:Let's follow the journey...
Joystiq Video: Shigeru Miyamoto Interview
If you haven't already read the transcript of our interview with the inimitable Shigeru Miyamoto, we've gone to all the trouble of putting video of it online. Get his thoughts on everything from the Wii to the PS3's new controller, why the HD-era isn't quite here yet, and why the interface is where innovation is coming from. Unfortunately, we're wrapping things up, preparing for the trip home from E3, so we didn't have time to cut this video up into bitesized chunks for you as of yet, however, we are working on a bittorrent feed of it and will be adding the bits and pieces soon. Until then, right-click and save the 542.2MB file. Our very large video: 542.2MBs, 25:25 long, 480x360 3ivx Quicktime [link] Make sure you also check out AOL Games' video interview with Miyamoto.
Joystiq Video: Joystiq Booth Babe Tour
Our very own Adams Briscoe toured around the E3 digs and grabbed a few interviews with some of the booth babes working the floor. Check the video out here. (3 minutes, 16.7MBs, iPod-compatible).
Meet the guy at the end of the Wii line
Meet the unlucky soul at the very end of the three mile long Nintendo Wii line, at least until somebody stands behind him. He was too ashamed to give his name.See also:Waiting for Wii: When box babes attackWaiting for Wii: Bring your DS
Overheard at E3: A trumpet fade out
At approximately 3:59PM PST (7:00PM EST), a noise entered the show floor that trumped all other soundwave. It was a trumpet, signaling the end of E3. A woman's voice comes on, telling us to exit the premises and to come back next year.We're gone, it's over, but we still have much to write up. Stay tuned over the weekend and next week as we continue to post our impressions and experiences at E3, and give you our picks for the best of show.
Waiting for Wii: When box babes attack
In an effort to keep the people waiting (and waiting) to enter the Wii area somewhat occupied, Nintendo have put up a couple of large video displays on the walls nearby their booth, each one depicting an attractive woman staring out of a cold, white prison. That alone would normally be enough to satisfy most E3 attendees, but Nintendo has gone the extra mile and made the displays fully interactive. A small camera and microphone situated above the screen allow people to engage in some inane banter with these boxed babes, hopefully helping them to pass the time and touch the Wii that much quicker.
E3: Free furniture for fastest reader [update 1]
Thanks to the folks at the Microsoft blogger bus, we've an unusual E3 swag giveaway. The first reader to come to the bus -- parked outside the West Hall -- can take away this collection of garden furniture. Simply come along and mention Joystiq to get your very own beige chair, table, or the entire lot; good luck fitting that in your suitcase.Note: the bus will only be here for a few hours, so get here quick!
Overheard at E3: "That @!#$! in the Yoshi shirt cut in line"
Overheard in section 324B of the the Nintendo Wii line:"That @!#$! in the Yoshi shirt cut in line"
Waiting for Wii: And I'll form the head!
The sight of billions of people waiting in line to touch Nintendo's elusive Wii is hardly something unusual at this year's E3, but men with robot heads are considerably less common. I cautiously approached the frightening man-machine hybrid and was relieved to find that underneath the metallic shine and pulsing red eyes was a passionate gamer eager to get his hands on Nintendo's new games. Yanier Gonzalez decided several months ago that, in order to get into E3, he would have to create a distinctive gaming website. The result was Destructoid, a nifty independent blog that has since become a real passion for Yanier. He told me that he was eager to try out The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and would gladly spend hours in line to give "average Joes" a glimpse at what goes on at E3. Kudos to Destructoid, and thanks for letting me borrow your home-made robot head!
Overheard at E3: Why no DS Lites?
Since the Atlus USA booth is host to some pretty interesting DS games this year, it seemed somewhat odd that all the units in the booth were of the Phat variety."So, why no DS Lites?""Oh, we wanted to order a bunch of them from Japan.""You couldn't get them?""Uh, no. We couldn't get the little stands for them."To be undone by such a minor issue illustrates that behind the scenes, E3 must be a logistical nightmare.[Game pictured is Atlus' Touch Detective.]
