Written By Ben Salter
The PS3 Slim is finally – officially – here! We’ve known about it for months, and with each rumour came more credibility that the console existed, and was going to be released this year. Even without all of the ‘hints’ that made their way into the media over the course of the year this wouldn’t come as a shock to anyone. By simply looking at Sony’s history with its previous home consoles it’s easy to put two and two together and conclude that a PS3 Slim would emerge eventually. Now it’s less than a month away, but the question remains: is it worth it?
I for one will strongly consider purchasing the slimmer console when it is released on September 3. Not for the smaller size, less noise, lower energy consumption, or new look, but for the $200 price cut. As I don’t already own a PS3, or a Blu-Ray player, the $500 price tag is starting to look a little more affordable, and worthwhile. Yes we are paying more than our fellow gamers in the US. USD $299 works out to be approximately AUD $361 with the current exchange rate, but there’s more to it than that. The price of gaming in Australia will continue to be a long running debate in the future, but Sony (of Australia) should not have the blame placed on them for the price discrepancy here. Being a Pal region our hardware is linked with Europe. As it currently stands the $499.95 PS3 Slim will actually be a little cheaper here than it will be in Europe. I, like many others, was hoping for something closer to the $400 mark, but it’s certainly better than the current $700 asking price (which will be lowered on Monday).
We also have to remember that this is the RRP. If I had to stage a guess I would have thought that the current 80GB PS3 was priced at $650, rather than have a RRP of $699. My point? Bargain shoppers will no doubt find something a little cheaper, or with a free game or two thrown in.
If you already own a PS3 I see absolutely no reason to purchase, or ‘upgrade’ to a PS3 Slim. In saying that, I was a little surprised to see the vast differences in opinion posted on MyPS3. Current PS3 owners seem to either hate it with a passion or love the thing and want to buy it for another room (I’ve never understood the point in owning 2 or more of the same console). I expected more of a ‘meh’ response, as it really isn’t aimed at people who have already entered the PS3 market. It’s a little bit of a generalisation, and to be honest I didn’t go through and read every single response to every article, but I was surprised by these two extremes.
If you haven’t had a chance to see what has actually be changed you may be disappointed to find that it is mainly cosmetic. The PS3 Slim is 1.5 kilos smaller, uses less energy and makes less noise that its counterparts. Besides that it is much the same. There’s still no PS2 backwards compatibility and only 2, rather than 4, USB slots, both things that have been omitted since the original 60GB console. The ability to install other operating systems has also been removed. I’m not entirely sure why, I’m sure it’s around the internet somewhere, but I’d guess it would be to place a greater emphasis on games and Blu-Rays. Finally it’s $200 cheaper than the current PS3, although this will change on Monday. In short that is the difference between the 80GB and slim models of the PS3. With little reason to upgrade, it is clear whom Sony is targeting.
Finally I wonder how Sony Australia will go about marketing the new device? It was revealed last week that Blu-Rays are selling extremely well, but won’t see a price reduction in the near future. New release movies often cost between $10-$30 more on Blu-Ray than the do on DVD. Regardless of how fast people may be taking up the new technology surely this is going to substantially slow things down. After all, are people really willing to pay almost double for a movie in high definition? That’s an issue for another time, as for now we’re discussing how Sony will get the PS3 Slim to fly off shelves. The reduced RRP will be a big help, and is the hook for me, but the free PS3s with Sony Bravia TVs must have had a great impact on getting Blu-Rays into peoples homes. Will they do something similar with the Slim, or have they already accomplished what they set out to do with this? It was marketed more as a BluRay player, than gaming console, in that particular promotion, so is it time to push the PS3 as a gaming platform now that it is closer to the Xbox 360 and Wii in price?
I believe that the year of the PS3 may very well be late 2009 or 2010. Expect the PS3 Slim to sell substantially over the course of the few months and Christmas period; not because it’s shed some unnecessary weight, but because of the price drop. I never bought a PS3 because I couldn’t justify owning one along side a 360 for $700, despite my interest in Blu-Ray. That all looks set to change with the price drop that has been a long time coming.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the PS3 Slim, and its position in the gaming industry. Will you be purchasing one or sticking with the old school model? Do you think it’s the right move for Sony? Or like me are you more interested in the price drop?
19/08/2009
Best of E3
Gaetano
I don’t think anyone could argue that this years E3 conference in LA was better than last years. Even better than 2007’s. E3 lost some of its pizzazz and glamour for a few years before finally getting back to its roots this year. We’ve seen quite a few attending publications make note of how different it was compared to previous years. There has been more on show and more people meaning that companies were putting more effort in.
The three major players had been fairly quiet at E3 before this year, opting to save big announcements for their own conferences at separate times of the year. Nintendo was noticeably shallow at last years E3 and Microsoft and Sony each gave less-than-memorable keynotes. Thankfully, all three showed off the big guns during E3 2009’s keynote presentations as E3 stepped up a gear.
There have been so many great announcements and moments that it’s hard to pick the best of it all. The announcement trailer during Microsoft’s press conference was pretty cool, showing off Crackdown 2 and Left 4 Dead 2. 
Natal was an impressive presentation and Milo blew my socks off! I loved hearing about Gran Turismo PSP and seeing God of War III in action, but the one moment that made my jaw hit the ground was when Uncharted 2 came on screen. I’m amazed at how gorgeous that game looks. It’s tattooed on my mind more so than Milo or Natal, which both impressed me. I’m a big fan of the PSP GO and I really can’t wait to get my hands on it, so that was another memorable part of the conference for me.
Ben (ICC)
E3 this year has trumped 2008 hands down. While it’s not in the same league as past years when new consoles have been announced, every gamer should be happy with the software line-up on show for their particular system. The best thing about E3 this year was that we got big name titles for the Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, DS and PSP that we didn’t previously know about. There’s nothing worse than when E3 just rehashes what we already knew. Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Metroid: Other M are both great, and unexpected, announcements for Nintendo fans of old. Halo Reach & Left 4 Dead 2 will more than satisfy Xbox 360 fans. Meanwhile, PS3 owners should be over the moon with the announcement of Agent. OMG an exclusive Rockstar game, permission to run around screaming hysterically!
On the handheld front the entire PSP announcement library was impressive. To be honest the PSP has been lagging behind other platforms for a while now, but the likes of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker and Resident Evil look set to change that. While it was a quiet year for the DS we did get one major revelation; Golden Sun DS. If you ever played one of the GBA games you’ll know what I regard it so highly.
Worst of E3
Gaetano
Again, it’s hard to really pick one specific moment. I think a lot of people expected Nintendo to blow us away with something new. I hate getting on Nintendo’s back all the time, but they disappointed me once again. The Vitality Sensor does absolutely nothing for me, and going by the posts in the official conference thread on MyWii as it was announced, it didn’t do much for most people. Of the conferences, Nintendo’s was easily the less impressive. Microsoft made a note of “showing” rather than telling and Jack Tretton at Sony gave a really impressive demonstration. But Satoru Iwata of Nintendo almost put me to sleep. Literally. He took forever to get to his point and I actually wanted to nibble at my ankle in anticipation of his point. When he finally announced the Vitality Sensor, I didn’t know what to think. I was overwhelmed by a lack of interest. I didn’t think that was possible, but I was.
While they had plenty of great announcements, like Galaxy 2, a new Metroid title and some nice DS titles, Nintendo only reiterated the direction I think they’re going in – to ditch the core gamer for a non-gaming and overly casual crowd, with titles like Wii Fit Plus and Wii Sports Resort. 
I asked XBOX Australia’s product marketing manager Adam Pollington if Microsoft were ditching the Halo and Call of Duty gaming audience for a more casual audience with the Natal like the Wii has, and he literally baulked at the suggestion. Nintendo continue to tell us what we want, instead of assuming and/or giving us what we want. Sony has been the best at giving gamers what they want, with Microsoft close behind. Nintendo continue to make statements like, “gamers want this” and “this will be fun” instead of “we want to do this” and “we expect this to happen”, which is the direction the other two players go in. Perhaps I think too much, but the more I see of Nintendo, the more I dislike them. And this is coming from someone who backed the Gamecube and N64 more than any other console during those generations.
As much as I don’t mind Microsoft and Sony going in the direction with motion controlling, I didn’t like Sony’s motion-controller presentation. Dr. Richard Marx was overly nervous and struggled to get his words out and the presentation itself was dull and boring. I just wanted to see more PS3 games and thankfully that’s what we ended up getting at the end.
Ben
I don’t have that much to complain about this year, besides a few titles that I had really hoped for, but deep down inside I knew weren’t going to see the light of day this year. I predominately covered Nintendo’s showing at the event this year. Therefore, I’m leaning towards praising and bagging them with a majority of my answers here as I know their announcements inside and out. Fortunately I don’t have to move past them to find the worst thing at E3 this year.
The presentation from Nintendo of Japan President, Satoru Iwata, was terrible. He took to the stage and gave an extremely long, seemingly unnecessary speech, about Nintendo attempting to increase its audience. After this went nowhere, he finally got to a point (I have no idea what ‘the point’ was) by announcing the Wii Vitality Sensor. After speaking for so long about nothing important, or even related to anything, this was the anticlimax of the show. The Wii Vitality Sensor itself looks relatively useless. This man is in charge of Nintendo; that explains a lot.
Best Keynote
Gaetano
I’d go with Microsoft, but only by a nose-hair. If someone asked me to choose one of the two to watch again, I’d probably flip a coin. While there wasn’t a single moment during Microsoft’s press conference that bored me, Sony had some great announcements with Rockstar’s Agent, a great presentation of Uncharted 2 and some amazing gameplay footage of God of War III. They also showed off the PSP GO and finally set a release date for Gran Turismo PSP. Resident Evil on PSP is also a great announcement.
Microsoft win it with me through announcements of another Halo title in Halo: Reach, the revealing of Metal Gear Solid: Rising, the announcement trailer that showed off Crackdown 2 (which looks AMAZING…or maybe I’m just a Crackdown fanboy), and the movie streaming service on XBOX Live. We got confirmation through Adam Pollington that it will be coming to Australia before Christmas, which means we can be streaming Full HD movies through our 360 in a matter of months. Natal was impressive and previews from the show say it’s just as good as the trailer shown during the keynote, and the Milo video gave me goose bumps. Gameplay footage of Alan Wake also blew me away, as this was the one game I wanted to see during the conference.
I really loved both keynote speeches and one barely outdoes the other, but for me personally, Microsoft takes the cake with an overall better presentation that I thought flowed better and showed off a few more surprises through Crackdown 2, Left 4 Dead 2 and Alan Wake.
Ben
It’ll be interesting to see the direction that gaming goes in the next few years. With Sony announcing the PS3 motion controller, Nintendo further pushing Wii MotionPlus and Microsoft announcing Project Natal I hope this isn’t the end of console gaming as we know it. 
It will either produce an array of great games in a way we’ve never seen before, or Sony & Microsoft will go down the path of Nintendo, and sell out in favour of the casual market.
Microsoft takes it home for me. Project Natal looks really interesting and I’m definitely more interested in what no controller can do, rather than another remote, so long as it’s not just a jazzed up version of Eye Toy. Sony’s controller didn’t really interest me; the demo was cool, but it seemed like a cheap attempt to cash in on Nintendo’s success. While I do think it looks more accurate than Nintendo’s Wii Remote, I think that’s all it is, and the wrong direction for Sony. Big name games were on show during all three Keynotes but Microsoft lead the way here again (maybe only just). With games such as Halo Reach, Left 4 Dead 2, Crackdown 2 and Forza 3 now is a great time to be a 360 owner. While there wasn’t anything completely unexpected it was almost all quality, and an even better software line-up than we could have hoped for.
Best Announcement
Gaetano
There are so many! PSP GO, Natal, Milo, Agent, Left 4 Dead 2, Metal Gear Solid: Rising, Super Mario Galaxy 2. For me, it’s easily Crackdown 2. The first game has such a cult following and seems to get more fans by the day. The original developer is working on APB for PC (which looks friggin’ unreal!) and whenever a rumour popped up about a sequel they always seemed to be quickly squashed. But when that announcement trailer began and I could hear the voice-over and see the Crackdown logo, a smile went right across my face.
I understand some of you, especially the PS3 diehards out there, might find it difficult to understand how that can be the best announcement for me, but Crackdown was one of my first games of this generation. While it didn’t get outstanding reviews upon launch, it seems to get better with age, which is normally impossible for a title. It’s gotten more popular as time goes by. It’s without a doubt the Fight Club of this generation – a title that gets decent reviews but then eventually ends up being one of the best of its kind (in reference to the film, not the terrible Fight Club game). Ask any 360 owner what 10 games are a must-have and I think you’ll find that most will include Crackdown in that list. The gameplay is so addictive it’s not even funny and I can’t wait to cause havoc once again.
Ben
The PSP Go looks really cool. I never owned a PSP but I’ll definitely be entering Sony’s handheld market when this bad boy hits shelves. Alright, so technically we already knew about this prior to E3, but it was ‘officially’ announced at Sony’s Keynote so I pretended we didn’t. It was also great news for existing owners to hear that the new iteration of the handheld wouldn't make the PSP-3000 or UMD obsolete and that Sony intends to continue to support both in the future, even after the PSP GO is released.
I think it’s worth giving an honourable mention to Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Left 4 Dead 2 as the biggest sequels this E3. Nobody saw it coming after Nintendo opened their Keynote by revealing New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Super Mario Galaxy 2 is the first true sequel to a 3D Mario title, and the first time two 3D Mario adventures will appear on the same console. To clue in non-Nintendo fans this is massive news. The original title was awarded game of the year by many publications in 2007 (including MyMedia in our Choice Awards as voted by members). It was up against titles such as Call of Duty 4, and yet despite Nintendo 'selling out' we know a masterpiece when we see one. Galaxy 2 heads my list of sequels I’m most interesting in, just above Modern Warfare 2 and Left 4 Dead 2. The latter is the second announcement in the ‘I think I peed a little’ category. Left 4 Dead was one of the biggest games of the year and seemingly came out of know where (or maybe I just wasn’t following it). Either way it was a pleasant surprise and I can’t wait to see more of it!
Announcement no one cares about
Gaetano
Nintendo had a whole bunch of them. There was the Women’s Murder Club on DS, Wii Fit Plus and then the Vitality Sensor, which Iwata seemed to have taken a decade to finally reveal. I can’t imagine anyone who stayed up that late to watch the keynote would have shown much interest in Wii Fit Plus, as the people it’s actually aimed at (people like my mum) probably wouldn’t have been up watching it. I really want to care about the Vitality Sensor, but I just can’t. With Natal and even Sony’s motion-controller being revealed, this debacle by Nintendo just didn’t grab my attention at all. I was expecting something big from Iwata after he spoke for 300 minutes, but then when he brought that out, I felt like stabbing the screen.
Ben
I already said Wii Vitality Sensor, can I say that again? No wait, at least it’s something new, I’m going to go with Wii Fit Plus. Maybe I’m picking on Nintendo a little, but Cammie killed the atmosphere by following up the awesome New Super Mario Bros. Wii with Wii Fit Plus. Noooooo! We don’t care, nobody who’s watching the entire press conference live cares. Wii Fit was a great direction for Nintendo financially; they must have made a bucket load off of the game that’s good for you. It was inevitable that a sequel would come, but frankly it received was it deserved, nothing more than a ‘meh’. We’re sure Wii Fit is doing wonders for fat kids out there, but we don’t care.
Biggest Shock
Gaetano
I think the biggest shock for the crowd in attendance was Final Fantasy XIV Online. When Tretton announced that, you could actually hear people say “what!?”. It was pretty left field. I loved how he said it so calmly as well, with no emotion on his face. He wanted to smile, but he wanted to make out like it wasn’t that big.
For me, it’s the announcement of Resident Evil on PSP. I think of the possibilities of PSP GO, with the 16gb internal memory, and I hope we see something along the lines of RE4. Maybe not quite as advanced, but something along the lines. I’m curious to see how it works without a thumb pad, but Resident Evil is one of my favourite franchises and along with Viewtiful Joe is something I’ve been dying to see on PSP (Red Hot Rumble doesn’t count!)
Crackdown 2 was also a shock, but a small part of me kind of expected it.
Ben
We got two massive bombshells in the software department this E3. Sony announced that Final Fantasy XIV Online will be coming exclusively to PS3 and PC in 2010, and Nintendo concluded their show with Metroid: Other M. I believe Microsoft had the best overall line-up; however, these two were huge, but unexpected, announcements. A trailer was shown for both; the audience didn’t know how to react after watching either and sat in ore of what they had just witnessed. Microsoft may have had the best conference overall, but it was Nintendo and Sony who delivered the biggest shocks. To avoid sitting on the fence yet again I’ll go with Metroid: Other M as the biggest shock, just because the Metroid titles on the GameCube introduced me to the last generation of gaming.
Who you think won E3
Gaetano
It’s been a massive conference. So much on show, so much announced. I could say the gamers won, as Ben has below, but that would be a bit too cliché. If we want to be official, I’d say Sony and Microsoft in a tie, with Nintendo a distant third. If I want to be a fanboy, I’d say Microsoft because of Crackdown 2. But really, we have an amazing year still to come for games. 2009 is going to end incredibly strong and now with Forza 3, MGS: Rising, Crackdown 2, Left 4 Dead 2, Galaxy 2 and Alan Wake on the horizon, the gaming public really did win E3. Kudos to Microsoft and Sony for helping to bring us amazing and conference – one of the best in recent memory!
Ben
You, the gamers! Is that too cliché? Who cares it’s true. Microsoft had the best showing overall. Halo Reach, Project Natal, Left 4 Dead 2, Crackdown 2, Metal Gear Solid Rising, Forza 3, and Splinter Cell: Conviction and the list goes on. Sony fans better start saving some coin as well with the PSP Go, Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker, Final Fantasy XIV Online, Agent and God of War III looking to blow socks off. Nintendo had a weaker showing, but I’m not complaining and neither should you. It was a bazillion times better than last year (yes that’s my very professionally summed up conclusion). Two new Mario titles and Metroid: Other M are more than enough to keep loyal Nintendo fans around for at least another year. Golden Sun DS wins the award for ‘biggest under the radar announcement’. Golden Sun was one of the best RPG’s on the GBA and it’s fantastic to see it back. Whether you’re a fan of Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo or a combination of, something big came out of E3. At the end of the day conference that’s what really matters.
06/06/2009
6:02am - Demo ends. Absolutely unbelievable. Set for release March 2010. Tretton is wrapping up. The keynote is finished.
5:58am - The demo is GOD alright - bloody, gory, violent. Gorgeous!
5:57am - It looks just as stunning as we expected it to. Absolutely amazing!
5:55am - Sony Santa Monica come on stage to show us GOWIII in action.
5:54am - Looks the goods. Very intense. Very fast. Hard house music playing.
5:53am - Amazing trailer. Very impressive. Tretton talking about a new game. Showing a teaser of GT5.
5:48am - The Last Guardian! It's the trailer leaked from a few weeks ago. With a big, cute cat like beast. It's a bit more polished. It looks gorgeous.
5:47am - Demo ends. Tratton back on stage. Giving us a sneak peak at another new game, exclusive for PS3. Team ICO!
5:44am - Track creator actually looks pretty good. Fantastic actually.
5:42am - Track Studio lets you create your own track. Gonna try and do it in under 5 minutes. Use the driving controls to make the track. A functional race track is working within seconds. They start dressing it up a bit. They add dirty etc. It allows you to change the surface type.
5:41am - Showing gameplay trailer. Looks cool. They wanted the most gorgeous racer ever. Weapons are included in the gameplay. It's Mario Kart - on cocaine.
5:40am - They're dressing up a monkey driver. Cool.
5:39am - Elaborating on "play, create and share". Wanted to create a racing title that used this emphasis. A kart racer. Looks like LBP - but a racing spin-off. Showing customization features.
5:38am - Tretton announces new franchise. Willion Ho and James Greeve come on stage to introduce Mod Nation Racers.
5:36am - Talking about LBP. More licensed content. Disney Interactive Studios content coming later this year.
5:35am - Demo is wrapped up. Tretton is back on stage. Motion Controller should be launched in Spring 2009 (our Autumn).
5:34am - Now showing a bow and arrow. We saw that 2 hours ago during Nintendo's keynote.
5:33am - Showing a demo with a sword and shield. Precision looks good. Bashing around a skeleton dummy.
5:32am - Painting now. Can be used to lay out a path of objects. Showing a RTS demo. Circling troops, then drawing a path for them to follow.
5:31am - Showing a whole bunch of demos. What can be done with the controller. Looks OK.
5:29am - controller can be used for a few things and tracks things in real time. Thing the Wii-mote. Exactly the same pretty much.
5:28am - Marx is holding a prototype. Has a glowing globe at the end of it. The PlayStation Eye tracks the controller.
5:27am - Dr. Richard Marx, creator of the EyeToy, comes on stage to talk about Motion Controller.
5:25am - Talking about Playstation Motion Controller.
5:24am - CGI trailer for Final Fantasy XIV Online.
5:22am - Trailer ends. Talks about Final Fantasy XIV. PS3 exclusive. Coming in 2010. Crowd is gobsmacked.
5:21am - This is better than what was shown during the 360 keynote. Far more intense. More character interaction. Awesome trailer.
5:19am - Trailer is starting up. Pretty much what we saw during the 360 keynote. Still looks awesome. More of a trailer than a demo this time round. Still pretty awesome.
5:18am - Tretton back on stage now. Talking about Square Enix and Final Fantasy. Showing a video.
5:17am - Demo ends. It looks really, really great! Very enjoyable. It's "massive in scope". Will be on store shelves this holiday season.
5:16am - Showing enemy AI and new combat. Hiding spots aren't as easy to find anymore. Over 30 different weapons. Ezio takes out his target and has to escape the oncoming enemies.
5:15am - Demo shows Ezio flying through the sky as fireworks go off. It looks amazing!
5:14am - There will be "friends" in the game. Leonardo Da Vinci will be a friend and allow you to use his inventions.
5:13am - Talking about Assassin's Creed 2. Showing a demo. Starts right at the end of AC1. Experience a different time period. The Italian renaissance. Looks great! Beautiful open city. Venice/Florence looks stunning!
5:12am - Agent will take players all around the globe in the shadowy world of late 1970s espionage.
5:11am - Trailer ends. Tretton talks about the PS3 line-up. Starts talking about Rockstar games. A new property coming from R* North. It's called "Agent" and is exclusive to PS3.
5:10am - LOOOOOONG TRAILER!
5:07am - Brutal Legend, White Knight Chronicles, Dirt 2, Ghostbusters, Ninja Gaiden Sigma II: It's Sigma Time, Mafia II, Buzz Quiz World.
5:05am - Trailer ends. "2009 is going to be all about content on the PS3". Impossible to do justice of what is coming. Starts a trailer showing everything that is coming to PS3 in 2009. Uncharted 2, Infamous, Madden, FFXIII, MAG, Batman, Tenacious D (WTF?), GT5, Ghostbusters,
5:03am - Trailer starts up showing the evolution of HOME. Pretty much showing what we already know.
5:02am - Moving onto Playstation HOME. More than 6.5 million people worldwide using HOME, 85% returning to use it. 1.5 Million engagements in one month in EA space in HOME. Ubisoft, Capcom, Namco, Eidos are all on board with HOME.
5:01am - Adding 50 PS1 classics to the PSN, starting TODAY with FFXII.
5:00am - Trailer ends. Finally. Talking about PSN. 24 million registered users in 55 countries. 475 million pieces of content downloaded.
4:57am - Monster Hunter, LBP. Trailer is still going. Nothing we didn't already know about.
4:56am - More PSP stuff. A trailer is being shown, showcasing the new games coming to the handheld in 2009.
4:55am - Tretton comes back on. Talking about Resident Evil. Sold over 40 million games since its debut in 1996. Resident Evil will be coming next year, exclusively to PSP. Awesome! Going through big titles for the PSP.
4:54am - Kaz Hirai comes back on. Wrapping up PSP segment of the keynote.
4:53am - It's a long trailer. Looks good. It's coming in 2010.
4:50am - A trailer is being shown. It looks like old war bomb films. Quotes for anchient war quotes are on screen. Trailer is awesome! It's set in Latin America. Outer Heaven causing trouble in the Caribbean.
4:47am - Talking about the project. It is a PSP MGS game. It is set 10 years after MGS 3. It has Solid Snake. "It's a true sequel for the franchise."
4:46am - Talking about MGS. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker comes up on the screen, as well as the Big Boss picture teased on the Kojima site. Hideo Kojima comes out.
4:45am - October 1st, 2009 comes on the screen. It is launching next to the PSP GO.
4:44am - Trailer is being shown. Looks the goods. Looks amazing actually. This may very well be a system seller.
4:43am - Will be on the show floor.
4:42am - Game is built to foster sharing and co-op play. designed for you to get together with friends to make collecting cars easier.
4:41am - Game will use ad hoc to offer up to four-person races on the go wirelessly. Gran Turismo PSP will also allow the sharing and trading of cars between friends.
4:40am - Single-player modes contain time trials and a mode to improve driving skills.
4:39am - It's a full scale GT title. 60 FPS. Talking more about the game. 800 cars. 35 tracks and 60 layouts of those tracks.
4:38am - Polyphony Digital founder Kazunouri Yamauchi comes on stage and FINALLY confirms Gran Turismo PSP.
4:37am - PSP Video will be available as of today in the US. Showtime is a partner. Over 1,900 TV Shows and 1,400 movies released on the service as of last year.
4:36am - PSP development hardware will be cheaper, making it more attractive for developers.
4:35am - "Media Go" is announced. Meant to make browsing easier. "Sense Me" is announce for PS3 and PSP. It'll automatically generate playlists for you.
4:34am - 50% smaller, 40% lighter than original PSP. 16gb of onboard memory. built in Wi-fi. Slide-out feature. Integrated Blue Tooth
4:33am - SCE CEO Kaz Hirai and is talking about the PSP. Talking about downloadable content. No more hard software. Pulls out the PSP GO! Demo trailer starts up. It's officially called PSP GO. Will not replace the PSP-3000 or the UMD.
4:32am - Talking about PSP. 15 million units sold.
4:30am - The demo shows a charge out of a base. Choppers arrive to bring reinforcements. The demo ends.
4:27am - They are in an oil refinery. Command interface is on display. You can zoom in and out of a 3D map to see the entire landscape. Blue dots are your friends. Lot's of big action.
4:23am - MAG is up now. Massive multiplayer game going to be shown.
4:22am - Demo ends to thunderous applause. It's deserving. It looks sensational. Jack comes back on stage. Says it's the best looking game we've seen. He's not lying. It looks amazing. "Only possible on Playstation."
4:21am - Explosions galour! It looks sensational! Environments are fully destructive. Fire effects look stunning. The environments are incredibly detailed.
4:19am - Nate is moving through an environment. We see the vast draw distance and an amazing village down below. A helicopter comes, starts attacking him. Intense action as he moves from cover to cover, avoiding helicopter fire.
4:17am - Evan Wells from Naughty Dog comes to show Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. BETA online at midnight in the US. starts showing demo. It looks absolutely gorgeous!
4:16am - Talking about inFamous. It's critical acclaim. One of 35 exclusive titles come to PS3 in 2009. Mentions Naughty Dog, original creators of Crash Bandicoot. Talking about Uncharted. Sold 2.6 million units worldwide.
4:15am - 13 million PS3s currently sold. Sackboy shows they are increasing presence in Latin American. Expect retail sales to climb 3 quarters of a billion dollars. PS3 had a monster year in 2008. Registered PSN accounts 24 million+. Numbers are derived from consumer acceptance.
4:13am - Some of the industries biggest titles coming to PS3. Shows some big titles. Heavy Rain gets biggest applause. Says you "need" PS for "ultimate gaming experience." Talking about PS2. Consumer response has been amazing. $99 in the US. Outsold current generation consoles. Committed to the system as long as consumers want it. 9 million more users last year. PS2 "continues to be huge value for consumers". 100 new titles coming.
4:12am - Going to show us why PS will be the "mainstay" of the industry. 2009 will be their best year ever. Only player 3 successful players at once. Every taste, every budget, every need. PS generated a totally of 30% of sales in the industry. Record year of growth.
4:10am - Jack Tretton comes on stage. Thanks everyone for showing up. They won't be "out done" by anyone. Wants to do justice for the 364 games coming on Playstation platforms this year.
4:08am - It's started up. A video presentation showing a whole bunch of games. Great music. Great start.
4:06am - Still hasn't started.
4:04am - Music is dimming. Is it beginning?
4:03am - 2 minutes to go till beginning.
4:01am - Running late it seems.
3:59am - 1 minute to go till megaton!
3:55am - 5 minutes to go!!!
3:45am - It's been a long morning. First Nintendo's average conference (bar a few great announcements) and now Sony's keynote. They better blow us away! 15 minutes to go.
03/06/2009
3:09am - Reggie wraps things up. Keynote ends.
3:07am - Trailer looks awesome. It's called Metroid: Other M. Set to be narrative drive, taking us deeper into Samus' story. It looks spectacular.
3:06am - New trailer starts up for unknown game. It's with developer Team Ninja. It's a third-person Metroid!!!
3:05am - "No opportunity larger than Nintendo" for third-party publishers. Starts talking about Nintendo. New and edgier game coming from them? Yes!
3:04am - Now Dead Space. Dead Space: Extraction answers questions asked from the original on PS3 and 360. Game is exclusive to Wii. Trailer is shown. Looks great.
3:02am - Talking about Resident Evil. Top seller on Wii. Works well as a shooter and as an adventure. Talks about RE: The Darkside Chronicles. Trailer starts up. Nothing we haven't already seen.
3:01am - Reggie "reads the blogs as well". Talking about third-party publishers. Talking about third-party titles. "harder edge" games coming exclusively on Wii before years end. First is The Conduit. Built from the ground up on Wii. Showing trailer. Looks absolutely awesome!!!
3:00am - Confirmed! Super Mario Galaxy 2. Reggie comes back on stage. Talking about what they've shown for the conference.
2:59am - Trailer looks good. It's essentially a sequel to Galaxy by the looks of it. Yoshi aspects looked great fun.
2:58am - Cammie back on stage. More to show us, she says. New Mario game coming. A second full 3D title is coming to Wii. Trailer starts up. It's Galaxy 2 - but with Yoshi.
2:57am - That's it. Iwata leaves the stage. OK then.
2:56am - Talks about how it can be used to relax. It will help us relax - see our physical problems.
2:55am - Talking about Brain Age. Going to show us a new way to "think". Announces Wii Vitality Sensor. Records your pulse. "Visialise something that is otherwise invisible." Talking about how nervous he might be. Saying how it is invisible. The Wii Vitality Sensor will allow us to see the inner world of our body.
2:54am - Talking about how games like Mario Kart Wii, New Super Mario Games are games for everyone, even current non-gamers.
2:53am - Difficult to understand what he is actually getting at.
2:52am - Still talking about non-gamers, gamers, maybe gamers. He really needs to hurry up and get to the point.
2:51am - We still have a long way to expand the gaming audience, according to Iwata. Says Nintendo has erased the thought that those who never play games now, will never play in the future. The gaming population is much larger.
2:50am - Talking about doing research to find out "what's happening". Three active groups - those who actively play, those who never play and those who might. If gaming will grow, it must come from the "maybe" group. 295 Million in Japan, Europe and the US actively playing games. 145 Million who say they might be involved in games.
2:48am - Nintendo President Satoru Iwata comes on stage.
2:47am - Talking about The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks. Playable. Says it's amazing. Don't show any footage.
2:46am - Talking about DSi camera. This summer (our winter), you will be able to take pictures with your DSi and share them to Facebook.
2:45am - Showing WarioWare: DIY. Let's you create your own games from scratch. Showing Japanese trailer in background. Let's you invent the challenge. "Makes experience deeply compelling."
2:44am - Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again will be available for DSi on DSi this coming Monday in the US.
2:43am - Talks about user generate content. Mario vs. Donkey Kong. First in the series to let players make their own levels - set their enemies, power-ups etc. Can upload them to friends locally or via Wii Wi-Fi connection.
2:42am - Elaborating on personalization with the DSi. "People don't just consumer entertain, they create and share."
2:41am - DSi sales in the US have surpassed 1 million units. 400,000 DS Lite's have been sold in that time. Key difference between the two is personalisation.
2:40am - Talking about DSi now. Already "capturing the passion of players". Showing a trailer, interviewing people about how awesome the DSi is. That's cool. /sarcasm.
2:37am - Announces "Cop: The Recruit". About a young cop, forced undercover to investigate the framing of his partner. Open world game set in New York. Looks great. Action packed!
2:35am - Cammie is back on stage. Talking about Wii and DS base. "Developers can take risks". Talks about James Patterson, the writer. "Woman's Murder Club". An interactive book. Trailer comes on. Investigation game. Looks OK.
2:34am - Reggie announces Golden Sun DS. Trailer comes on screen. Looks nice.
2:33am - Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story for DS being shown. Looks pretty cool. Confirmed for release this Fall (Spring for us).
2:32am - Showing Kingdom Hearts trailer. Now talking about how Japanese have released how Bowser "sucks". New Mario game has Mario and Luigi being shrinked and checking out bowser's internal pipes.
2:30am - Talking about Square Enix and Final Fantasy. Showing footage of new FF. Quick trailer. Exclusive version of Kingdom Hearts will be avaiable on September 9th.
2:29am - More third party titles sold on Wii and DS than any other consoles. Really!?
2:27am - Reggie is talking about Wii Sports Resort. Launches in the US on July 26th. Talking about EA's Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 with MotionPlus, which comes bundled, as does EA's new tennis game, as does SEGA's Virtua Tennis 2009. MotionPlus will accurately mimick your actions. Committment with Red Steel 2 is strong. Only playable with Wii MotionPlus.
2:25am - Bill and Reggie trading scripted insults. Looks like All-Star 3 point shoot-out. You shoot as you would in real life. Same movements. Wiimote acts as the ball - just don't throw the remote. Reggie wins with the money ball.
2:24am - 3-point contest with Reggie. Reggie's game is the "inside power game". Reggie is scary. Good aim, flick of the wrist. Just like you shoot a real basketball.
2:23am - The longer the string is held back, the smaller the focus circle becomes. Looks difficult. But kind of fun, in a Wii Sports kind of way.
2:22am - "Welcome to Wii Sports Resort." Now showing archery. You hold the Wii-mote and nunchuck just like a real bow. remote as the main body, and the nunchuck as the bow screen. Panning left to right, up and down, is accurately shown on the screen.
2:20am - Gameplay being shown with Wii Sports Resort. Sky diving is shown. Showing how precise the movement is. Twisting the body around. Looks good. "it's a lot of fun". Let us be the judge of that.
2:19am - Trailer is still going. We get it.
2:17am - Wii MotionPlus trailer on screen. Showing how the controller can be used. Purely examples. Not actual gameplay. Trailer is in slow-motion. Doesn't tell us something we don't already know. Movement is more precise.
2:16am - "Physical reality has become new proving ground". Talking about Wii MotionPlus. Precision control.
2:15am - Talking about how the wii-mote was strange at first. Then the nunchuck. Then the balance board. Wants to explain new improvement in technology. A Wii-mote comes on screen. Looks the same, but apparently we need to feel it to know the difference.
2:14am - Reggie comes on stage. Starts talking about the innovation of Wii. How the Wii has moved deep within mainstream gaming and audiences. Primary weapon is "interface".
2:13am - Wii Fit Plus will arrive this Fall in the US with the Balance Board. Showing a trailer now. Really pushing "innovative." We get it.
2:12am - Announces Wii Fit Plus. Is a more definitive fitness program. Can't be "entirely" about Fitness. What makes it "about" Nintendo is that it's a lot of fun. 15 new balance games. Juggling, skateboarding a new game called perfect 10 where you swing your hips to total numbers to reach 10. "Brain Age for your backside."
2:11am - Talking about Wii Fit now. Says it is the best selling "game" in the world. Funny. It's not a game. Consider it a seperate gaming platform. 15 million sold. Ranks next to other home system based on worldwide installed base. 10s of millions are enjoying Wii Fit. They look at ways to apple Wii Fit easier to life.
2:10am - New Super Mario Bros. Wii will be available this holiday season (Christmas). Calls the game "Mr. Miyamoto's new masterpiece."
2:09am - As soon as one touches the flag poll at the end, the other 3 have 3 seconds to do the same to get extra points. Everything is ranked at the end with each player ranked based on points.
2:08am - Showing balance between single-player and multiplayer. Single-player or co-op with 4 players. You can switch at any point in time. New items, such as the propeller suit. Kind of like the bunny ears from The Six Golden Coins. Co-op gameplay lets you help damaged friends. There's a lot going on on the screen.
2:07am - About "how" many people can play Wii. Looks like Super Mario Bros. with awesome graphics. Co-operatively minded gameplay.
2:06am - New Super Mario Bros. for Wii! Cammie comes on stage to show it off. Talking about how they can make it a "new" New Super Mario Bros. for Wii.
2:05am - Talks about game data. Is now showing a Mario montage. Talking about the evolution of Mario. Admits they haven't been able to move him into the "4th dimension".
2:04am - Conference starts. Cammie Dunaway comes on the stage. Starts talking about "innovation".
2:01am - That doesn't really make a different because it's now 9:01am yesterday in LA and it still hasn't started. Nintendo have already failed E3 with this tardiness.
2:00am - Apparently my clock is fast. It's 9:00am yesterday in LA RIGHT NOW!!!
2:00am - It's 9:00am yesterday in LA. Why hasn't it started yet, damn it!
1:59am - I'm looking forward to lots of Nintendo sales numbers and how the Wii has sold so much. /sarcasm.
1:58am - 2 minutes. Might be the longest 2 minutes in the history of time.
1:56am - 4 minutes. ZOMG!
1:54am - 6 minutes to go! The anticipation is too much too handle.
1:48am - 12 minutes to go!
1:40am - It's way too early in the morning. 20 minutes to go.
03/06/2009
Nintendo was disappointing at E3 last year to say the least. However, a year later Nintendo has promised bigger and better things at the number one gaming conference on the calendar. After ‘downsizing’ in the past two years, the real E3 is back this year. Back to being the specular event it should be, and more importantly what we all want it to be. But will it deliver on the announcement front?
Over the course of the week we’ll be looking at what Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft have in store for us this year. What we expect to see, what has been teased, predicted and what we’d like to see surprise us this year.
What’s Expected
"From Nintendo's perspective, we always go into E3 with a very high bar wanting to satisfy not only the core fans but also ourselves” said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. After a disappointing show last year, fans have a right to be skeptical. However, with the recent release of the DSi, and a lack of big name titles from Nintendo themselves on the Wii, this time around the Big N need to pull out something special. If they don’t I fear many loyal fans may begin to jump ship.
Kid Icarus Wii
Where is it? It should have been announced ages ago! Nintendo need to pull out their big guns this year, making E3 the perfect time to revive Kid Icarus.
We want Kid Icarus on Wii!Resident Evil Archives: Resident Evil & Resident Evil Darkside Chronicles
One is a remake and the other is an on-rails shooter, but one thing is for sure, Resident Evil sells well on Wii. It may not be Resident Evil 5, but if sales of past games are anything to go by Wii fans love the RE series. Both of these Capcom titles will be on show at E3 and can be penciled in to sell over a million copies to the mature Wii audience.
Tatsunoko Vs Capcom
Originally released only in Japan, a western release for Tatsunoko Vs Capcom was recently announced and the game has been confirmed to be on show at E3.
Red Steel 2
The first Red Steel had a great concept; the execution just didn’t match it. Red Steel 2 will be set in a desert-bound, high-tech metropolis. The title will also take full advantage of the Wii MotionPlus peripheral. We expect to see Red Steel 2 on show at E3 and hopefully, with the help of 1:1 motion, it’ll play as it should have the first time around.
Wii MotionPlus
MotionPlus will be released a few days after E3 wraps up. Expect Nintendo to give it one last pre-launch promotion at E3. Wii Sports Resort, Ninty’s first and currently only title to use the device, was announced last year and will launch worldwide in 6 weeks. Expect Nintendo to really push MotionPlus as it is essentially transforming the Wii into the motion controlled beast we all thought it would be 2 years ago. No doubt they’ll have a few big name games in development that make use of the device.
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
Announced at GDC’09, Reggie hinted that we would get a confirmed release date at E3. In fact besides that the Nintendo of America President has been tight lipped regarding what we can expect from E3 (besides an improvement on last year).
Pokemon Heart Gold and Pokemon Soul Silver
It wouldn’t be Nintendo without Pokemon. The remakes of Pokemon Gold and Silver for the DS were recently announced, and we expect Nintendo to show off some more footage at E3.
Wii to DS Connectivity
The DSi has expanded Nintendo’s audience who own both the Wii and DS, making E3 the perfect time to start pushing DS to Wii Connectivity. Perhaps a new Wii Zelda could connect to Spirit Tracks or Mii’s could become transferable to the DSi menu.
Metroid Prime Trilogy
The three Metroid Prime games all on one disc with remastered Wii controls is something to get excited about. Seeing how the game itself has already been announced don’t expect it to be a big feature, but some more info would be nice.
What's been Teased
Two new games from High Voltage Software
The developer of The Conduit teased us by confirming they will announce two new Wii games at E3.The first will be a FPS which they hope to make technically stronger than the very impressive The Conduit. The second is “a different kind of a thing.”
Sadness
The survival horror title was one of the first announced for the Wii; however, we are yet to get a single in-game screenshot or trailer. Developer Nibris has teased that we may finally get a glimpse of the title running at E3.
Coloured Wiis/Wii Remotes
Rumours of coloured Wiis and Wii Remotes have been around since the console launched. There’s nothing more concrete this year to suggest that we’ll see them than in the past, besides the fact that the console has now been out for a few years, and that’s generally when Nintendo decide to get colourful.
Is it time for Nintendo to get colourful?Zelda & Mario Wii
Nintendo have hinted that these are in development, and now is the time to announce at least one of them. Zelda seems like the obvious choice seeing how Zelda: Twilight Princess was released back in 2006, and it was a GameCube port. In saying that, don’t be surprised if Nintendo go big and announce both of them to make up for the lack of software last year.
Capcom Mystery Title
We know that Capcom’s ‘mystery title’ is an action game and will be developed by Capcom Japan. What we don’t know is anything else. At this point in time we don't even know what console it'll be on.
Surprise us! The things we want to see
Pikmin 3
Where is Pikmin 3? I’ve been playing the New Play Control version of Pikmin 2 this week and it seems almost criminal that the Wii hasn’t had an instalment in the franchise. While we’re on the topic a DS version wouldn’t go astray either.
Pikmin and the Wii and/or DS go together so well. Where's Pikmin 3?Donkey Kong
I’d love to see a real Donkey Kong game for either the Wii or DS. We haven’t had one since DK64 (Jungle Beat and what not really don’t count). While it wasn’t the same as the Donkey Kong Country games I thought it was a solid transition from 2D masterpiece into the 3D arena.
Mario Tennis Wii
I wasn’t a fan of the controls in New Play Control Mario Power Tennis, but I’d like to see Nintendo give it another crack. Wii MotionPlus should help with the lack of accuracy which plagued the GCN remake.
GTA Wii
It’s not likely, but that’s what people said last year and seemingly out of nowhere GTA: Chinatown Wars for the DS was announced. It received critical acclaim from game publications and fans despite not selling as well as Rockstar may have liked. It’s really a matter of if they think the market is there on the Wii after what may have been a mature audience experiment on DS.
Super Smash Bros. DS
This almost definitely won’t happen, but we can dream. After doing so well on consoles it seems blatantly obvious to us that the franchise should go portable. Yet Nintendo, who must have their reasons, chose to keep it exclusive to their home console. Maybe one day, but we hope at this year's E3!
02/06/2009