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Beginning Tuesday, June 15, and running thru Thursday, June 17, Home Theater Forum will be providing coverage of the premier gaming convention, The Electronic Entertainment Expo, better known as E3, from the Los Angeles Convention Center.
I'll be posting announcements, updates, and photos throughout the day, including a look at RockBand 3 on Wednesday.
Correction to yesterday's post - the RockBand 3 Demo was today, and, time permitting, I will try to get the video highlights posted later this evening.
The convention center is a madhouse, we're all packed in here like sardines.
The light cycle from TRON Legacy was just awesome!!
Correction to yesterday's post - the RockBand 3 Demo was today, and, time permitting, I will try to get the video highlights posted later this evening.
Nintendo easily won this year. In terms of content, Sony wins second place, but say what you will about MS, I wasn't fucking embarrassed for anyone at any point during their presentation, either.
And holy crap, the Metal Gear/Resident Evil 3DS screens are insane. It really isn't far off from a GameCube.
Does anyone else find it interesting that the big launch title is a sequel to an NES game that isn't truly very good, but which a small-but-vocal fanbase supports? It's a pretty fanboy-pandering game to have as your mainstream heavy-hitter. I dunno, I don't really see Liv Tyler and Carrie Underwood in Kid Icarus ads.
Anyone know when the Bethesda conference is? I kinda desperately need to know what the sitrep with Elder Scrolls V is. I keep hearing rumblings that it's another godforsaken MMO.
Just got back from both a 3-D gaming demo at the Sony PS3 booth, and a quick look at the Nintendo 3DS.
The 3D gaming on the PS3 looked pretty good, but the viewing conditions were not quite acceptable. Under those conditions, I saw no ghosting, and game play was pretty decent, adding an extra dimension to play (pun intended). I will say this, though, about Sony's 3D televisions - the glasses are very uncomfortable. I felt them pinching my nose after only 5 minutes of play. Compare that to the double feature 3D marathon at Panasonic last month, and i have to say that Panasonic stil has the best 3D displays and glasses. Sadly, Sony confirmed that the firmware enabling 3D Blu-ray veiwing will not be available until "sometime later this year," but all PS3's are currently 3D game enabled.
The Nintendo 3DS was not impressive. The demo video was full of compression artifacts, but worse, the 3D had a definite "Viewmaster" look to it, as if it were a lenticular display. If you recall, Nintendo's big claim for this console was that no glasses are required. While that is true, I thought the PS3 had the more realistic 3D.
Tomorrow's agenda includes scheduled trips to BeyondBuzz Communications, Nexon America, and a demo presentation of Yoostar 2 (a movie karaoke-style game where you can insert yourself into movies, replacing other actors).
At the end of the day on Tuesday, I stopped by a little booth, tucked away in a dark corner of the South Hall Exhibit Floor that was showcasing front projection 3D screens and projectors, Mocomtech. Their screens appeared fairly bright, even under non-optimal conditions, and the shutter glasses worked quite well. Anyone interested in a front projection system for 3D may want to check them out.
Two photos that I found very disturbing (again, I am not in these photos):
I'll be checking in later today with more highlights and photos, but due to a party this evening, there will be no more video highlights until Friday, at the earliest.
Just met with Darkworks, a company that converts 2-D SDK games into 3D, and the interesting thing is that their code can be "patched" into an existing 2D game to make it 3D at a later date. I was pretty impressed with the results, using a Samsung 3D plasma and active shutter glasses.
This was a demo more suited for game designers, so this isn't something specifically for consumers. However, I can see this as a good marketing tool by the game companies to push 3D to consumers.
Just got back from a presentation by Nexon America regarding their upcoming Free2Play online game lineup. These are pretty intense games from a free, online perspective, very much like a console game.
Dungeon Fighter, from Nexon's Press Release:
Quote:
Dungeon Fighter Online is a 2D, side-scrolling action game, in which players enjoy a trinity of brilliant game play options – brain-bashing PvE adventures, explosive PvP combat, and dynamic RPG excitement.....
Players can download and play the game for free at http://dungeonfighter.nexon.net. Dungeon Fighters are currently uniting at Facebook, and players can see more of the action on YouTube.
Dungeon Fighter Screenshot
Vindictus, from Nexon's Press Release:
Quote:
Vindictus is the first physics-based multiplayer online action role-playing game that combines stunning visuals with high-speed combat. The storyline, inspired by Celtic mythology, is slowly uncovered as players progress in the game. Players join a mercenary unit called, “Crimson Blades” to battle Fomors, or monsters, in the hopes of reaching Erinn, the paradise promised by the goddess Morrighan. Vindictus uses a modified Source Engine™ to enable actions like throwing, shattering, binding with chains, piercing with spears, and more. As characters take more damage in the game, their armor starts to disintegrate and fall off. Redefining free-to-play games, Vindictus is a realistic next generation, physics-based, massively multiplayer role-playing game which offers brutal elegance to the PC gaming space. Vindictus is developed in Korea by NEXON’s devCat Studios and published
by NEXON America.
Vindictus Screenshot
Dragon Nest, from Nexon's Press Release:
Quote:
Dragon Nest is an online action role-playing game. Actual gameplay involves adrenaline-pumping, high-speed combat with visually stunning attack combos. But, at the same time, it also incorporates an epic storyline and role-playing elements of both classic RPGs and MMORPGs alike. You follow the character through a third-person, over-the-shoulder perspective, and when in combat, you engage the enemy in a style reminiscent of first person shooters where many attacks are directed in front of the player through crosshairs.
Dragon Nest Screenshot
Dungeon Fighter Online is available now, Vindictus launches Fall 2010, and Dragon Nest is scheduled to launch sometime on 2011.
Yoostar 2 is to movie lovers as Rock Band or Guitar Hero are to music lovers.
The game is currently only 60% complete, and no launch date has been set, but licensing deals have been struck with many of the major studios for content use, allowing the game to feature clips from such notable films as Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Terminator, Star Trek II, The Blues Brothers, etc.
Yoostar 2 is being developed for use on XBOX 360 with the Kinect controller, and for the Playstation 3 with the Playstation Eye either the Move, DualShock3, or SixAxis controllers.
My final day at E3, with demos for KungFu LIVE and Final Fantasy XIV, and a visit to the O-Games booth on my scheduled agenda.
I'll make a stop at the OnLive booth, a company that wants to be sort of a PlayStation Network or XBOX Live for the PC or MAC, plus a few other stops today.
I'm planning on getting out of Dodge pretty close to closing time, as the convention center is next door to Staples Center, where the Lakers and Celtics are playing Game 7 in the NBA Finals tonight. If the past is any indication, all hell may break loose during and after the game.
OnLive is trying to do more than be a XBL/PSN for PC/Mac. They're making a service where you pay a monthly/annual fee along with a cost per game to play games through the internet. They stream the video of the game, in HD, while your computer streams your control input through the internet. Theoretically, if you have a good enough connection, you could play Crysis in HD on your iPhone with this service.
Almost no announcement meant as much to me as this one, with video:
CIV5 gameplay show = insane win for me. This is still the game that I think of as maybe the greatest game on any platform ever created. I camped for Civ4. I still love the audio CD. I still play. But the announcement that Civ4 will have an open design engine and promote sharing of scenarios, maps, etc. and promote players to built their entire own worlds/etc. with the civ engine and share? Holy crap. I am THERE. The entire moment they start talking about integrating mods... this game shot to 11.
I am back home, sifting through the rest of my photos, notes, video, and other paraphernalia, and will be posting more, including a summary of the show, later today and throughout the weekend.
Coming out of E3, I think Sony's Playstation 3 is well-positioned to overtake Microsoft's XBOX 360 in marketshare this Christmas, making it the number 2 gaming console. The MOVE controller, with the addition of 3D capability, will likely give the PS3 an edge over Nintendo's Wii, but only if Sony can get enough consoles (preferably bundled with the MOVE starter kit) out to retail stores such as WalMart, Target, and Best Buy. The Kinect controller for the XBOX is a great idea, but it only works for avatar-based games. Microsoft has nothing similar to the Wii controllers, and Sony's MOVE are much more precise than the Wii, as evidenced in the demo I participated in of John Daly's ProStroke Golf from O-Games, developed exclusively for the MOVE controller, and scheduled to launch around the same timeframe as the MOVE (mid-September). It is a fairly precise simulation of a golf swing, and will even sense when you twist your wrist. This could set a new standard for a video golf game.
Another game I was fairly excited about is KungFu LIVE, set to launch this Fall on Playstation Network, for the PS3 and requires the Playstation Eye. The game uses the Playstation Eye similar to how the XBOX uses the Kinect, placing you literally in the game and fighting opponents in real time.
I have to say, the marketing folks at Microsoft really try hard to push their products, like renaming their search engine from MSN to BING (which my college instructor pointed out stands for But It's Not Google), using a flying turtle in early promotional materials for Windows 7, and, at E3, using bathroom mirrors to promote the Kinect controller ("Who knew you'd grow up to be the new XBOX controller?").
Casio had their "Mercury Lamp Free" projectors on display, using DLP and a laser/LED hybrid light source with up to 2500 lumens. The projectors are warranted to last 3 years or 6,000 hours, are less than 1.7 inches thick, and weigh less than 5 pounds. Maximum resolution, though, is only 720p, which is why their main focus is on business and gaming.
DXT had a 10-disc changer for the PS3, suitable for games or movies (DVD or Blu-ray), and connects through the USB port. I did not get a demo of the product, but I was intrigued by the idea.
I have so many photos and over an hour of video from the show, but not enough time to post it all. So, I end my E3 coverage with this highlight reel for you to enjoy!!
Microsoft's marketing strategy at E3 for their new Kinect controller, photos taken from Gizmodo and 1Up.com, because I didn't have the guts to take a photo in a public restroom.
Apparently, Microsoft hit hotel room bathrooms, as well.
