Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare didn't receive anywhere near as much hype leading up to its release as its sequel has. That's a given considering it was the first in the Modern Warfare franchise and the first Call of Duty game to move onto the modern battlefield. We all knew it was going to be great, taking the series to all new heights with more advanced weapons and a great online experience. But it blew up. It went crazy. Halo 2 may have defined online gaming for consoles, helping make XBOX Live the great online service it is today, but COD4 seemed to redefined it. It was able to attract an all-new market of gamers to not only the genre, but also to online multiplayer gaming.
That's why to this day COD4 is still one of the most played games online, two years after its release. That's pretty amazing considering it's had to go up against the likes of Killzone 2, Grand Theft Auto IV, Gears of War 2, Resistance 2 and Halo 3: ODST in that time-frame, all of which have strong online communities.
What's even more amazing is that even after the release of the next Call of Duty sequel (prequel?) in World at War, COD4 still stayed in the top few games with online activity. As great as WaW has been online, it always seemed to be that little step behind COD4, no matter how much content Activision threw its way.
That's not without saying that WaW has its following, and, especially on XBOX Live, you'll find that many COD4 fanatics often switch between the two because they each offer an outstanding online experience.
But why will Modern Warfare 2 stand out? Why is it so special? If COD4 was so great, why didn't WaW receive as much hype? The obvious answer is because WaW took a "step back" to World War 2, an act many gamers and COD faithful deemed to be an actual step back in quality for the franchise.
It definitely didn't lose any quality and the final product was great, but it's the brilliance of COD4 that ultimately shifts the attention to its direct sequel. Modern Warfare 2's predecessor seemed to bring gamers of all walks together, creating one unified market that has grown substantially over the past two years. The closest thing we've seen to MW2 hype this generation was Grand Theft Auto IV hype, and even that title didn't seem to generate a united front from every specific type of gaming culture.
Reports are coming in that Modern Warfare 2 is breaking pre-order records all around the world. It might be some genius PR spin, something the unified gaming heavyweights in EB Games and GameStop have conjured up to increase product awareness. But that's doubtful. If that's not obvious from the attention this game has gotten on gaming forums around the world, then it's from the fact that pretty much every person you know that owns either a XBOX 360 or Playstation probably has a pre-order for the game somewhere. If you don't believe it, go and ask. Now. We'll wait.
So now the question is put forth to you: Have you pre-ordered Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2? Why? And is this game your most anticipated game ever? Why/Why not?
05/11/2009
So in light of the latest discussions and comparisons, we thought we'd bring you what we think is needed to make a good Indiana Jones game, seeing as though we've never really gotten one. You'd think a game based in amazing landscapes with brilliant stories and memorable characters would be a given, but it just hasn't happened.
And now, in light of Uncharted 2, we see how badly we need a kick ass Indiana Jones adventure.
While we wait, get yourself a copy of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. It's one of the best games this generation.
Make the opening suspenseful
All four Indiana Jones movies had pretty awesome opening sequences. All of them had you on the edge of your seat, introducing you to the character and sometimes the villain. There was a level of suspense that let you know you were in for a wild ride, and even though these sequences often didn't have much to do with the overall plot, it was a fantastic way to start off the adventure. Any Indiana Jones game should be no different, giving you the chance to explore and escape through a mini-adventure before the real adventure finally begins.
Include a love interest
Indiana Jones has a way with the ladies, so take advantage of it. The character is naturally charismatic and seductive, so give him something to feed off. Furthermore, it has to be someone he has to save. It can't be someone with the same love of adventure, but rather someone who initially gets on his nerves before he finally falls for them.
Make the adventure interesting and memorable
Indiana Jones has to be fighting for something special. Something we'll care about and ultimately want him to achieve. Even if it's aliens again, we don't care. Just don't make the focus his whip or fighting moves. That's not what Indiana Jones is about. It's about the adventure as a whole, something we want to take alongside him. The action is all fine and dandy, but if there's no strong reason behind it, then it's hard to even care.
Don't make it ALL about the combat
As mentioned above, action is great, especially in a game, but it's not the be-all and end-all. Exploration is Indiana's best trait, so the level design and direction is absolutely crucial. Indiana doesn't just move from area to area fighting off bad guys. He climbs through dirty passage ways, jumps into forbidden lairs and searches through dark mansions. Then, whenever a bad guy comes his way, he takes them down with his whip. A good Indiana Jones game should be about the exploration, puzzles and adventure, not the combat and his whip.
Make it funny
Indiana hates fighting bad guys, so when he does, make it funny. Make us laugh with his dialogue, and make him seem like an old man that is sick of doing what he's doing. That's what Indiana Jones is about. He hates loving what he does. If that means getting someone besides Harrison Ford to voice Indiana, then so be it. Indiana Jones is rarely serious, or violent for that matter, so make the game like the films: witty, fun and adventurous.
Set it somewhere unique to the Indiana Jones universe
How many times can Indiana end up in underground caves of a mystical city? Set the game somewhere unique, somewhere totally and utterly alien for the Indiana Jones universe. We want a different story. Maybe Prague, with its Bohemian architecture, or Hungary, with its gothic feel. Make the adventure familiar to Indiana, but completely new. Make it memorable and different, with all of the things we love about Indiana.
Have a filthy, dirty villain
It's pretty hard to beat out Nazi Germany as a villain, but any good Indiana Jones adventure comes coupled with an evil and sinister villain. But you've also got to balance out the connection to Indiana. His main objective is the artifact and getting it into the right hands, not necessarily destroying the villain. That's secondary for him. He's an adventurer and a man on a mission, not a man seeking revenge. He has to be in a race against a seemingly unbeatable foe. Furthermore, we don't want the villain to be too sinister, ala Resident Evil villains.
What do you all want in an Indiana Jones game?
16/10/2009
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
We have three copies of Wolfenstein to give away on XBOX 360 and Playstation 3.
All you have to do is visit the official Wolfenstein page and then answer the questions on the competition pages. You can answer as many questions as you like (maximum of four per member).
Competition ends at 5pm on Friday, August 21st. Winners will be announced at 5pm on Monday, 24th of August.
Every member that enters will also get a Wolfenstein medal for their profile!
03/08/2009
Written By Ben Salter
Where is console gaming headed? In 10 years will it essentially be the same as what we play today with advanced technology, or will it be completely different? One answer lies within the advancement, and success, of motion control. It’s been a massive revelation for Nintendo with the Wii, and Microsoft and Sony are preparing to cash in on the phenomenon with their respective motion devices. Is this the beginning of the end of good ol’ fashion console gaming with the standard controller?
Motion control in gaming was the hot topic at E3 this year as Microsoft announced Project Natal and Sony revealed their new Motion control device. To be fair, neither of these are looking to take the place of the traditional controller on their respective consoles, but it would be an understatement to say they are looking to take advantage of the new audience Nintendo has found with the Wii.
Microsoft’s Natal impresses me more than Sony’s Wand as it seriously appears to be taking motion control to another level. In fact, it has forgone the controller all together by using just a camera to scan the player’s movements. It looked impressive on stage, and those who played it behind doors said it played just as well, but I think it’s best only to believe it when we experience it for ourselves. Sony’s Wand on the other hand makes use of both a camera and a remote-like controller. To me it appears to be a blatant rip off of the Wii Remote; however, it does appear to be better than Nintendo’s MotionPlus. Maybe that’s a little harsh; almost every innovation in gaming is quickly copied (and in some cases improved on) by competitors, in saying that it’s normally a little less obvious.
There’s two groups, or perhaps moods, of gamers that are going to strongly oppose motion control. First are the serious gamers who want to have complete control over everything at a touch of a button. A controller is like a key it the city, it gives you access to everything and places a power over everything in the palm of your hand. They want the accurate and complex control that motion control is yet to provide. The second is when we can’t be bothered with all those extravagant movements. That’s not to say we’re lazy, sometimes you play games to relax and moving around hysterically is the last thing you want to do. Other times you want to put in a few solid hours and would much prefer to sit back with a controller. If all three consoles start placing a greater emphasis on motion control gamers feeling these ways are going to become excluded from modern console gaming. In an effort to attract new audiences developers may be driving away their loyal fans.
What about our game genres? First person shooters are the king on the Xbox 360, and very popular on the PlayStation 3. Meanwhile they’re nowhere to be seen on the Wii. Next month’s The Conduit is the first FPS on the Wii since it launched almost 3 years ago that isn’t a port from the PS2 (that I can think of). When I compare the Wii Remote to Natal and Sony’s Wand it appears to be the best of the lot for FPS games with its IR pointer, and yet the genre has been snubbed thus far in the console’s life. Each console has its fair share of shovelware, but it’s more prominent on the Wii due to ‘casual’ games that don’t appeal to ‘core’ gamers, bad core games and bad casual games. I’m not a fan of the whole ‘casual’ or ‘core’ gamer labelling, because I would consider myself to sit somewhere in between; however, there’s a clear distinction between the two types of games and one that is needed to the categorise them. Does this mean we will get more games aimed at a casual audience on future Microsoft or Sony consoles? Will the success of motion control lead to classic franchises, such as God of War and Halo, be made easier and more family friendly so they appeal to a wider audience and to get core gamers to upgrade to motion control?
I don’t think that the standard controller is going anywhere this generation. If anything Microsoft and Sony are throwing their lines into the water to see what they can catch with the lure of motion gaming. If they are anywhere near as successful as Nintendo has been surely they’ll have no choice but to place a greater emphasis on it in the future from a business perspective. It’s that point in time that I’m worried about. Sure maybe developers will offer the option for motion or classic control, but the chance of studios putting effort into two completely different control schemes for one game seems minimal. I don’t mean to sound completely against motion gaming, because I’m not, I’m just weary of promising devices disappointing ala the Wii Remote. I was impressed with Wii MotionPlus in Grand Slam Tennis, and with that being the first game to make use of the device it’s only going to get better. But it took Nintendo two-and-a-half years to rectify their controller, and get it to the level initially promised. The Wii, and motion control, is great for social situations, it’s great for people unfamiliar with videogames, but at the end of the day I think I’ll always prefer to go back to the traditional control pad.
What do you think about the future of motion control? What impact will it have on console gaming? Before anyone says it I realise you could buy a gaming PC to avoid all of this, but there are still those of us out here who deep down are console gamers.
30/06/2009
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
Nintendo E3 2009 Wrap
Nintendo and Sony headlined the busiest day of E3 this year, with back to back keynotes that were sure to keep us entertained on E3 2009 Day 2.
Nintendo started proceedings with a bang. After a slight delay Cammie Dunaway kicked things off with a Mario montage, leading in to the announcement of New Super Mario Bros. Wii. The all new 4 player Super Mario title was demonstrated on stage and will certainly please Nintendo fans of old.
Unfortunately the excitement level dropped directly after as Cammie went on to announce the leaked Pre-E3 Wii Fit Plus - a game that is heading in a 'new direction' and would help people "create a specific workout program that's perfect" for them. Cammie showed off a range of new minigames, including skateboarding and barrel jumping, which finally puts the gamer in Mario's shoes.
Reggie then came on stage to start talking about 'innovation' and went into a promotion for Wii MotionPlus and Wii Sports Resort, two items that were announced at E3 last year. Nintendo's Bill Trinen showed us that Wii Sports Resort will begin with skydiving, and then gave us a look at the very interesting archery and basketball games. Reggie reminded us that third party developers are making use of Wii MotionPlus, including EA with Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 & Grand Slam Tennis and Sega with Virtua Tennis 2009.
Reggie dropped an interesting statistic by claiming that more 3rd party games were sold on the Wii and DS than any other platforms. Wow! He used Square Enix as an example of upcoming RPGs by showing off a trailer for Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearer and Kingdom Hears 358/2 Days. Continuing the RPG trend Reggie discussed how Bowser sucks, and this time he literally means it. In Mario & Luigi RPG: Bowser's Inside Story the famous brothers have been shrunk and find themselves inside their nemesis!
The biggest under the radar announcement was that of Golden Sun DS. After a 6 year absence one of the best RPGs of the GBA era is back, and deserved way more excitement than it got.
Cammie replaced the Nintendo of America President on stage to announce Woman's Murder Club, an interactive book for the Nintendo DS. This is all about 'taking risks' and trying new things. It's definitely an interesting concept, and one we'll see more of if it turns out to be a success. Continuing with the DS content she announced COP: The Recruit. An open-world third-person urban crime game, Cop puts players behind the wheel, and on foot, as a street racer who's faced with the choice of returning to his criminal ways, or helping the police. The action packed trailer looked like GTA meets Driver mixed in with some Anime style cutscenes.
The DSi has some interesting unique features, including the ability to download content and 'applications' from an online store. In keeping with this theme Nintendo announced that it is developing a system for users to be able to share DSi pictures on the World Wide Web. Users will be able to take pictures with their DSi and then directly upload them to their Facebook page straight from their DSi console. WarioWare DIY is another DSi exclusive title and will allow players to create their own microgames, using features such as the DSi camera, then send them to their friends locally via Wi-Fi.
Nintendo President Satoru Iwata came on stage and confused everyone. He gave an extremely long, seemingly unnecessary speech, about Nintendo attempting to increase its audience. He said there are three active groups - those who actively play, those who never play and those who might. If gaming is to grow, it must come from the "maybe" group. There are 295 Million people in Japan, Europe and the US actively playing games. Then there's another 145 Million who say they might be involved in games. He continued to discuss non-gamers for quite a while and it seemed as if he didn't really have a point.
Eventually Iwata announced the Wii Vitality Sensor - a device the plugs into the bottom of your Wii Remote and receives information about your heart rate by being attached to your finger.
Super Mario Galaxy 2 was announced to the surprise of many since a new Mario title was announced at the start of the show. Check out the trailer to see Mario running around the spherical world, this time with the help of Yoshi. 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.
Reggie reads the blogs. He knows we want more mature titles from third party developers. So, he decided to show us three games on the horizon that fit this description, and one of those games was Dead Space Extraction.
Nintendo started the show with a surprise, and ended it with a massive shock, by announcing that they were teaming up with Team Ninja to bring Metroid: Other M to the Nintendo Wii. It's Metroid like you've never seen it before, and as Reggie says, it takes a name you know well and turns it into something new. The game is due out next year and features a mix of 1st and 3rd person gameplay. With that Nintendo concluded their Keynote for E3 2009.
Later in the day, at their roundtable discussion, Shigeru Miyamoto confirmed that a new Wii Zelda title is in development. Don't expect it until 2010 at the very earliest and reports that we won't see it again until next E3 suggest it may be further away than that.
Sony E3 2009 Wrap
The morning continued with Sony's Conference starting at 4am local time. Jack Tretton started proceedings by thanking everyone for coming and stated that they won't be "out done" by anyone. He discussed the success of the PS2 and that Sony was the first company to have 3 successful consoles in the industry at the same time along side the PS3 and PSP. inFamous is just one of 35 titles to come exclusively to the PlayStation 3 in 2009 and looks set to further increase the 13 million PS3 that have already been sold worldwide.
Sony played montages of various upcoming games throughout the entire keynote. Out of all the videos the show early in the piece Heavy Rain received the biggest applause.
The PSP was a major player in the keynote as Sony officially announced "the worst kept secret of E3" the PSP Go. They also confirmed that the new iteration of the handheld wouldn't make the PSP-3000 or UMD obsolete and that they intended to continue to support both in the future, even after the PSP GO is released.
Sony did have a surprise or two in store for us, however, by bringing out Kojima to announce Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker for PSP. It is set 10 years after the events of MGS3: Snake Eater and is said to be a true sequel to that title. The game is set in 1974, where a powerful group takes over Costa Rica.
Gran Turismo PSP kept the good news coming for PSP fans as it was announced along side the PSP Go and showcased with an impressive trailer. There will be over 800 cars, 35 tracks and 60 layouts of those tracks. The game will also run at 60 fps. It will be a launch title along side the PSP Go.
Finally Agent was announced exclusively for the PlayStation 3. "We have always enjoyed making action games, and with Agent we are making what we believe will be the ultimate action game," said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. We didn't get any images or footage but nobody is going to complain about an exclusive game from Rockstar.
Sony dropped a bombshell during their E3 2009 keynote speech when they announced Final Fantasy XIV Online exclusively for the PS3 and PC. A small trailer was shown, although no gameplay was in the trailer. The response to the announcement was one of amazement, as the audience at the keynote didn't quite know how to react to it.
In keeping with the FF theme Sony revealed that Final Fantasy VII is going to be released on the PS Store for download.
The biggest shock of the morning came when Sony announced their new motion controller for the PS3. While the controller was still in the form of an early prototype it worked in a similar way to the Wii Remote. However, with the aid of a camera it appeared to detect movement better than the current Wii Remote. Dr. Richard Marx, creator of the EyeToy, demoed the controller on stage, showing off its real-time movement and how precise it is with the gamer’s swings. We'll post the video of the demonstration shortly.
Sony also announced Mod Nation Racers - a community and creative-focused title from developer United Front Games. The title will be a kart racing title, allowing you to generate your own characters and build your own karts.
Another PS3 exclusive, God of War III will be hitting shelves during March 2010. It just snuck in towards the end of the conference and we're glad it did with a trailer. The gameplay is just as we expect it to be - gory, violent and action-packed! The environments look stunning and the enemies just as massive and aggressive as we remember from the first two mind-blowing titles. And with that Sony Concluded their Keynote.
03/06/2009
Sorry for the lack of a blog last week fight fans but I was pretty flat out working on the exciting new MyFrag website! That's right it's live and it totally kicks ass! Check it out for all your PC/Mac/Linux/Gaming needs, with lots of cool features on the way. Right now I'm working on updating the downloads section of the site, with links to the latest patches for your favourite games!
Skate 2 is still running through my Xbox 360 right now, it's such an organic and living breathing game, it is still blowing my mind. If you haven't made the kickflip of faith yet, check out our full reveiewover here
Burnout Paradise drops into sixth gear this week as we see the launch of The Ultimate Box for the PS3 and Xbox 360 and PC! The Ultimate Box includes the Cagney and Bikes updates that have already been released for free to console goers, and also includes the new Party Pack. Fear not those of you who already have the game, the party pack will be available as DLC from your respective online service, but you will have to pay this time!
My Nintendo DS is getting a work out as I pick up an older game, Yoshi's Island DS. Fantastic little game, don't let the cutesy artwork fool you, it's a deep platformer and is a lot of fun!
Killzone 2 is just around the corner, and the hype is building beyond anything I could possibly imagine. Who is excited for this? Tell me what's been going on for you!
05/02/2009
OMG there was a game release this week! That's right ladies and gentlemen, after a long drought we finally had a significant release, and it just so happened to be one of my most anticipated titles in a long time Skate 2
Needless to say since I picked up this bad boy last night I've been transfixed on it. Skate was one of my favourite games this generation, and while Skate 2 isn't a revolutionary as the first title, it is still a giant leap in the right direction. It offers such a robust experience, whether you want to get stuck into career mode, or just want to cruise the streets with your mates online, the game has a no pressure approach which just sits well with me. I recommend you check it out on PS3 or Xbox 360. I will be completing a featured review which will be uploaded to the sites very soon.
I have also fallen back in love with Burnout Paradise. Another free roaming title that just works on so many levels, and I truly am still blown away by the graphics. If you are racing around on either the PSN or Xbox Live (I have both versions) please PM me so we can hook up!
Shaun White Snowboarding has been getting another run through my Xbox, gee I'm really into the Free Roaming games right now. It's also a fantastic online experience, and pretty much one of it's kind seeing as we haven't seen a snowboarding game with as much scope as Ubisoft have provided!
The new Fighting The Good Fight video has been doing rather well, I have also done a blog as to why I am bothering to create the videos. Please check out the blogs section so you can view it, and give me some feedback. There are a planned 8 episodes in the series, but if you guys aren't loving it, then what is the point?
But the most exciting work this week has been working over at Myfrag.com.au! We are hurrying to get some content on the site before it is launched....4PM TOMORROW. It's been a long time in the making, and everyone on the MyMedia team is super excited to open it up to the masses.
So what have you been playing? What are you looking forward to? Will you be visiting MyFrag?
21/01/2009
First Lost and Damned Trailer
If you've been skeptical up to now, that's got to change your mind!
The trailer doesn't give much away, but it does introduce some of the characters through video and shows off some of the fantastic narrative already highlighted in previous Grand Theft Auto titles.
The first episode of downloadable content for Grand Theft Auto IV, titled The Lost and Damned, will be released on Xbox Live on 17 February 2009. The episode will feature a new central character, Johnny Klebitz, who is a member of Liberty City's biker gang, The Lost. Dan Houser, vice president of creative development at Rockstar Games, claims the episode will show "a different side of Liberty City".
16/12/2008