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Nintendo press conference highlights: Nintendo classics make a comeback, plus 3DS handheld

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Nintendo’s E3 press conference took place at the Nokia Live theatre.  Are you a fan of classic Ninty titles like Zelda, Donkey Kong, and…Kid Icarus!?  Well read on then.



2010 is ‘year of the remake’ for Nintendo.  The show started off with a bang with the reveal of the next Zelda game called The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.  In it, the Wii-mote and nunchuck control Link’s sword and shield, respectively.  To take out the sword and use it to attack enemies, simply shake the Wii-mote.  The controls are described as being 1:1 thanks to the Wii MotionPlus add-on.  Link will have many weapons at his disposal, including a slingshot, bow-and-arrow, and a whip.  Though the demonstration headed by Bill Trinen and Shigeru Miyamoto fell victim to some glitches by “some technical difficulties”, the new Zelda game looked quite good.  It releases for Wii next year.

These next few games aren’t necessarily “classics” but they were announced so here you go: NBA Jam from EA and Mario Sports Mix.  The Mario game includes sports like beach volleyball, basketball, dodgeball, and ice hockey.  It’s due out sometime in 2011.  Next up, Wii Party!  It’s another Mii-based game that follows in the Wii Sports, Wii Play, and Wii Sports Resort genre.  It’s basically a bunch of mini-games you can place your Miis into.  Then there’s Dance Party 2 and it packs 40 new tracks and allows up to 8 players to get their groove on together.  It comes out sometime this year.  Then things started to bit crazy after Golden Sun: Dark Dawn for DS was announced, which releases this holiday season.

A revamped GoldenEye 007 is coming this holiday exclusively to Wii.  It stars Daniel Craig this time and features eight characters…yes, including Oddjob.  Next it’s Epic Mickey from Disney.  The game is set in a 3D world but there are 2D animated cut scenes abound.  Mickey wields a few tools, namely a paint brush and paint thinner, that expose or remove object from the game.  You are given a choice to find your way around obstacles by either painting around them or using paint thinner and in effect destroying bits of the world.  A side-scrolling Steamboat Willie level is included!  Next another “epic” game was announced, and this one stars not a mouse but a pink puffball; it’s Kirby’s Epic Yarn!  This sidescrolling platformer drops this fall.  Dragon Quest IX for DS, which supports up to four player local multiplayer action, lands in stores July 11.  A new trailer for Metroid: Other M reveals an August 31 release date.  Retro Studios, the developer behind Other M, is making another exciting game for Wii and it’s called Donkey Kong Country Returns!  This new side-scrolling platformer, complete with the soundtrack you know and love, plays very much like the original titles from the SNES and it comes out this holiday season.

Continue reading Nintendo press conference highlights: Nintendo classics make a comeback, plus 3DS handheld →

Microsoft press conference highlights: Kinect, ESPN, Xbox slim

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Microsoft kicked off E3 2010 in unique fashion with their Project Natal for Xbox 360 Experience featuring a Cirque du Soleil crew.  Next they kicked things into high gear with their media briefing at the Wiltern Theatre.  Ready, set…

The press conference began with a number of game trailers and real-time demos.  First up was Treyarch with Call of Duty: Black Ops.  It releases November 9.  It was announced that Microsoft & Activision signed a multi-year agreement pertaining to Call of Duty downloadable content.  Starting with Black Ops in 2010, all Call of Duty add-ons and map packs will launch first on Xbox 360 through 2012.

Next was Kojima Productions with Metal Gear Solid: Rising.  It’s being described as a “sword action game” that’s based on the Japanese terms “zan-datzu” which means “to cut” and “to take.”  A brief trailer revealed that the game will feature protagonist Raiden slicing and dicing his way past enemies (and watermelon).

Then Xbox’s major blockbusters hit the stage.  Epic’s Cliffy B. demonstrated Gears of War 3 which is due out April 5.  A new mode called “Beast” will be detailed soon.  Then Lionhead Studios’ Peter Molyneux showed off a trailer for Fable III; it releases October the 26th.  And things rounded out with a new trailer for Halo: Reach, “the most ambitious game Bungie has ever created.”  The trailer was a mix of gameplay footage and cinematic cut scenes.  Reach drops September 14.  Also thrown into the mix was a new game from Crytek codenamed Kingdoms; it looks like a game based on the move 300.  (*Each game title is linked to their respective E3 trailers/gameplay footage.)

Kinect for Xbox 360, formally known as Project Natal, was detailed.  “Kinect detects both movement and sound in very sophisticated ways.”  An image revealed the guts of the motion-sensing device; it contains two 3D depth sensors, an RGB camera, multi-array mic, and a motorized tilt.  “When you combine the power of Xbox 360, the services of Xbox Live, and the magic of Kinect, the result is not just a revolution for your games, but for all of your entertainment.”  Enter the Kinect Hub.

To get your Xbox 360 to recognize you, simply stand in front of Kinect, wave your hand, and the software will sign you into Xbox Live and bring up your custom avatar.  Wave your hand a second time and you’re brought to a “controller-free menu” designed for Kinect gestures.  The Kinect Hub allows you to interact with your games, friends, Netflix, Zune, Facebook, last.fm, and also customize your avatar.  Thanks to the built-in mic, voice control is also accessible.  Their motto is “if you see it, just say it.”  You must precede all commands with “Xbox.”  So for example, if you say “Xbox, Zune” the Zune hub loads up and now you have access to Zune Video, and now, Zune Music.  Over seven million songs are now available over Xbox Live with Zune Music integration.  With controller-free entertainment that’s “natural and effortless” you can also play/pause movies with your voice and rewind/fast-forward them with your hands.  To select a piece of content simply hover your hand over it for a couple seconds.

Continue reading Microsoft press conference highlights: Kinect, ESPN, Xbox slim →

E3 2010: We’ve arrived

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On June 15 the floodgates open at the Los Angeles Convention Center for E3 2010.  Today the team and I snooped around the perimeter of the convention center to give you a quick teaser before the show officially kicks off tomorrow afternoon.  Enjoy the short clip above and a handful of pictures in the gallery below.

Tomorrow expect full rundowns of the Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo press conferences, plus the first batch of hands-on impressions and developer interviews straight from the show floor!

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Day Zero: Project Natal for Xbox 360 Experience

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On Monday June 14 Microsoft hosted a pre-E3 event called World Premiere Project Natal for Xbox 360 Experience.  It was described as “a spectacular live performance imagined by Cirque du Soleil” and that’s exactly what it was.  Sort of.  Here’s what went down.

So we get there and wait in an enormously long line.  But that didn’t matter much since our tickets guaranteed entrance into the event.  While waiting outside we could hear the faint sound of heavy drums, and as we neared the front doors “Cirque” people were there to greet us with exotic dancing.  People in line received green and purple Xbox-branded wrist bands and we were eventually split up into two lines according to wrist band color.

As we start heading inside the jungle-themed Galen Center at USC we are handed yet another wristband; this time it’s an Xbox 360 USB band.  Inside it’s rather dim when we’re welcomed by Xbox reps who are handing out white ponchos with over-sized shoulder pads (I felt like Lady Gaga).  After bringing fitted with the ponchos, we are instructed to walk towards to large auditorium.  On our way into the auditorium we are startled by an Indian “family” who is sitting in a couch inside a mock living room.  There is a large square cut out in the wall and the family invites us to walk through the wall opening (which symbolized walking out of a TV and into reality).  The two parents and their children said hello to us in some Indian dialect and then directed us into the main auditorium.  You can say we were dazed and confused at this point.

The large auditorium housed all the white poncho-dressed guests; it looked like we were all part of some nerd cult.  Before the main event, we all just stood around and watched a bunch of Cirque people bizarrely dance around us and interact with others.  People with purple bands sat in the seats, those with green bands stood on the center floor.  Around us were large screens populated with Xbox avatars walking around a virtual jungle.

After a bit of a wait the lights went down and the main event began.  Three screens fell from the ceiling and a Cirque man introduced a “Prologue”.  The first part of the show featured a child riding in on Cirque elephant, climbing up on prop rocks, and using an Xbox 360 controller to play through three undisclosed games.  When he reached the top of the rocky structure a curtain was removed from the top rock and a bright green Xbox logo was revealed.  Then our shoulder pads lit up bright green.  Big applause.  When the child turned his back to us the screen projected his avatar that copied his every move.  When an arm was raised, the avatar lifted his arm in the same fashion.  Since there was some lag, you could tell this was all pre-recorded, but the effect was still impressive.  Then the big reveal: Project Natal is now Kinect.

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Continue reading Day Zero: Project Natal for Xbox 360 Experience →

Preview: Project Natal for Xbox 360 Experience

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On Monday June 14 I will be attending the Microsoft pre-E3 event titled World Premiere Project Natal for Xbox 360 Experience.  It’s described as “a spectacular live performance imagined by Cirque du Soleil.”  The LA Times has the scoopt on what to expect at the Natal-themed event.  Microsoft rented out USC’s Galen Center for three weeks so a  cast including 80 performers “supported by a crew of more than 100 designers, set builders, engineers and seamstresses” could properly prepare for what hopes to be a fantastical and visually stunning performance.

But what does Cirque du Soleil have to do with motion-sensing hardware for a video games console?  Though the 45-minute long event is being kept under wraps, show director Michel Laprise had this to say about the theme: “It’s a story about humanity, about a quest and about overcoming obstacles.  In history, there have been discoveries that have made us leap forward as a civilization. But those technologies demanded that we master their language, the language of machines.  This time, it’s the machine that’s adapting.  The human is at the center, doing what comes naturally.  Moving, jumping, talking.  And it’s up to the machine to interpret what that means.”

Microsoft would not disclose how much this secretive spectacular cost them.  Microsoft’s Aaron Greenberg said, “This is a massive investment for Microsoft.  For us, it wasn’t about the money.  It was about creating an experience that would be remembered forever.”

In an FAQ, Microsoft states that “some seating areas of the event are a standing experience” and they “recommend comfortable shoes.”  Whether that means the event is part show/part hands-on Natal, I’m not so sure.  For those of you not attending the event and want to see how it all unfolds, don’t fret!  Check back this space tomorrow evening to read all about what happened at the event.  And if that’s not enough for you, MTV will air a commercial-free condensed program covering the event on Tuesday June 15 at 3:30PM (ET).  It will re-air on Nick at Nite, mtvU, MTV Hits, and Logo Tuesday, June 15 at 9:00PM (ET).  (In related news, SPIKE TV will air an exclusive televised stream of the Microsoft press conference (called “Xbox 360: The Future Revealed”) tomorrow June 14 at 1:30-3:00PM (ET).)

E3 2010: What to expect

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In just two days the Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo press conferences will be over and “the big three” will be showing off their latest innovations in hardware and games on the show floor at their respective booths at E3.  Let’s dive into each company’s plans and dissect what they have in store for us.

Xbox 360: You can expect massive titles like Halo: Reach, Gears of War 3, and Fable III to be demoed in real-time and hyped up during the Microsoft press conference.  But the buzz around Microsoft this year surrounds their gaming without controllers initiative codenamed Project Natal.  With a pre-E3 event called “Project Natal for Xbox 360 Experience imagined by Cirque du Soleil” you can expect the motion-capture accessory to dominate Microsoft’s offerings throughout the week.  With Natal Microsoft is first and foremost targeting the casual gamer, looking to expand to the same market Nintendo captured with the Wii.  Natal’s initial launch lineup will be announced and this first batch of games will likely take advantage of Natal in simplistic ways.  I wouldn’t be surprised if the Richochet and Paint Party games that were previewed last year end up shipping with it.  And there’s always little Milo who may certainly star in his own game.  If you’re the hardcore type, it would be remiss for Microsoft to ignore you after all these years of support.  I’ve seen video of Burnout Paradise being used with Natal and Fable III lead designer Peter Molyneux stated in an interview that the next Fable will incorporate Natal functionality.  Whatever the launch lineup may be, I would hope Microsoft has at least a dozen casual games to entice new gamers to their console and a sprinkle of hardcore experiences to satisfy their longtime users.  Also, I wouldn’t be surprised if a new version of the Xbox 360 dashboard took advantage of Natal with a gesture-based UI.  As of now we know Natal is expected to launch this holiday season; the press conference should make things more clear with not only a definitive release date and a price (fingers-crossed under $100), but also a final name for the hardware (although “Natal” has grown on me over the months).

Enough Natal.  Let’s talk games.  I’ve already hit on the big sequel exclusives like Bungie’s Halo: Reach, Epic’s Gears of War 3, and Microsoft Game Studios’ Fable III.  First person shoot XCOM from 2K Games looks fantastic (also available on PC), Capcom’s Dead Rising: Case Zero brings another compelling zombie shooter, and Microsoft Game Studios’ Avatar-based racing game Joy Ride will likely use Natal in more ways than one.  And you can’t forget about the next Assassin’s Creed game from Ubisoft subtitled Brotherhood.

Read on for PS3 and Wii/DS discussion, plus more about third-party games and some “bizarre predictions”! Continue reading E3 2010: What to expect →

[experience-it-all] @ E3 2010

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It’s that exciting time of year again.  E3, the world’s biggest and baddest video games trade show, is upon us!  From Monday June 14 through Thursday June 17 [experience-it-all] is your destination for the latest coverage from the major E3 press conferences and the show floor.  E3, which stands for Electronic Entertainment Expo, is not open to the public.  In order to gain access into the show, you must be affiliated with the interactive entertainment industry.  It has been a life-long dream of mine to attend E3, and now I’ve finally found my way in.  I want you to live vicariously through me by checking into the site.  Throughout the course of the week I will be reporting from the show floor providing developer interviews and hands-on impressions of the latest and greatest games coming soon to video game consoles, PCs, and mobile devices near you.

E3 brings together thousands of developers who are itching to show off their games to the world.  First there’s “the big three” in Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo.  2010 is the year of motion control; Microsoft will unveil the near-final version Project Natal, Sony will show off its latest foray into the motion scene with Playstation Move, and Nintendo will have to prove why Wii should remain the go-to console for interactive and motion-based gaming against the onslaught of competition.  Then there’s the third-party developers including (but certainly not limited to) 2K Games, Capcom, EA, Konami, Lucas Arts, SEGA, THQ, Ubisoft, and Valve.  The show floor will be packed with lavish company booths (and requisite booth babes) featuring game trailers, demos, and developers ready to answer any and all questions about their upcoming games.  And I will be right there smack in the middle of it all, reporting all the latest news straight to you.

Here’s how it’s all going down.  Things kick off Monday (6/14) morning at 10:30AM (PT) with the Microsoft press conference.  Later that day is the “Project Natal” for Xbox 360 Experience show (read more about that here).  Tuesday (6/15) jam packs the Nintendo press conference at 9:00AM, the Sony press conference at noon, and the opening day of the E3 show floor at the LA Convention Center.  The convention center is stays open through Thursday (6/17).  I will be on the show floor all three days with a broadcast crew, constantly pushing out posts with video and images of hands-on experiences and developer interviews.

[experience-it-all] @ E3 2010.  Tell your friends.

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From June 14 to June 17, your destination for E3 coverage is [experience-it-all].

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