E3 features new products, the near future for the video gaming industry
“E3,” or the Electronic Entertaiment Expo, was a few weeks ago. E3 is a showcasing event, where all of the console companies and software developers come to show off what they have been working on for the past year. All of the major developers were there, including “the big three.” Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony each held press conferences displaying what they were bringing to the table in the future.
Microsoft showed a ton of new games, starting with “Rock Band Beatles.” While this game will be available on all of the platforms, Microsoft announced that they will have exclusive downloadable content (DLC) soon after the initial launch.
They also showed off “Halo 3: ODST,” which is coming out this September. This marks the first time you will play as someone other than Master Chief in this series. With new weapons and an immersing storyline, this is one of the most anticipated games coming out on the 360 this holiday season.
There was also a quick teaser trailer for the next “Halo” game. “Halo Reach” was announced for 2010, but if you buy “ODST,” you get access to the “Halo Reach” multiplayer beta (test version).
While all of these games looked great, Microsoft had one more big announcement. “Project Natal” is Microsoft’s new motion-control system. Natal is a camera that is set in front of your TV. It allows for complete controller-free playing. Besides being a motion-controller, Natal is also capable of voice recognition, allowing you to do everything on your 360 with just your voice. Natal will also have facial recognition software, so there will be no need to sign on to your Xbox Live account, as Natal will take care of this for you once it “sees” you.
Nintendo came next, and while they didn’t have quite as flashy a presentation as Microsoft, they do have a lot of new games and equipment coming out this year.
One of the big things shown off was “Wii Sports Resort.” This game, available July 26, features not only a slew of new mini-games, but the “Wii Motion Plus,” designed to make the Wii Remote far more responsive and bring a new level of realism to the gameplay.
A slew of new Mario games for the Wii and the DSi was also shown. “Super Mario Brothers Wii” will, for the first time in the series, allow for four players to play at the same time. Mario and Luigi will shrink down and find their way into Bowser’s body on the DS later this year in “Mario and Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story.” The big news, however, was the announcement that Team Ninja was developing the next “Metroid” game. Team Ninja developed the “Ninja Gaiden” games and promised to make a “Metroid” game like has never been seen before. And, from the trailer, I believe it.
Finally, Sony showed us what they had to offer for the future. They started with some sales figures and flow charts. I was about to give up hope when they floored me with an amazing amount of upcoming games. “Uncharted 2: Among Thieves” was shown, and I was actually unable to tell the difference between the game play and the cut screens. This game promises to be amazing.
Sony was also able to show “MAG” in all its glory. “MAG” is a massive multiplayer shooter. It supports 256 players at the same time, and the game play was seamless and looked amazing. The big game announcement was “God of War 3.” This is the game that PS3 owners have been waiting for. With amazing graphics and killer gameplay, this game promises to be a must-have in 2010.
Sony also showed off its motion-control system, as well. The new system will turn the PlayStation eye into a motion controller. With the addition of a wand controller, the camera is able to mimic your every move. The degree of control shown with the system was impressive, and I am hopeful that this will translate well when it is actually used in a game, instead of just a quick demonstration.
While there were tons of amazing games and announcements, not all of them were cause for celebration. Microsoft showed a skateboard controller for the new “Tony Hawk” game. “The Tony Hawk” brand has been steadily declining over the years, and I can’t place too much faith that a controller is going to make everything better again.
Nintendo showed the “Wii Vitality Sensor,” a device that attaches to the Wii Remote and measures your pulse. The company gave no detail on how this will work at all, and can only make me go, “huh?” Sony’s big announcement of the “PSP Go,” the completely digital hand-held system, was marginalized by pictures being leaked to the public right before E3.
This year’s E3 shows a lot of promise, with developers hitting their stride programing and using the PS3, Wii and Xbox 360 to thier fullest potentials. I know that 2009 and 2010 are going to be great years for gamers.
James Treacy is a lifelong gamer, across all platforms of the gaming community. His opinion is in no way the opinion of this paper, and is instead offered to give its readers more information on games and trends available in today’s market. To contact him with any questions about the gaming world, e-mail jtreacy@phillynews.com.
Microsoft showed a ton of new games, starting with “Rock Band Beatles.” While this game will be available on all of the platforms, Microsoft announced that they will have exclusive downloadable content (DLC) soon after the initial launch.
They also showed off “Halo 3: ODST,” which is coming out this September. This marks the first time you will play as someone other than Master Chief in this series. With new weapons and an immersing storyline, this is one of the most anticipated games coming out on the 360 this holiday season.
There was also a quick teaser trailer for the next “Halo” game. “Halo Reach” was announced for 2010, but if you buy “ODST,” you get access to the “Halo Reach” multiplayer beta (test version).
While all of these games looked great, Microsoft had one more big announcement. “Project Natal” is Microsoft’s new motion-control system. Natal is a camera that is set in front of your TV. It allows for complete controller-free playing. Besides being a motion-controller, Natal is also capable of voice recognition, allowing you to do everything on your 360 with just your voice. Natal will also have facial recognition software, so there will be no need to sign on to your Xbox Live account, as Natal will take care of this for you once it “sees” you.
Nintendo came next, and while they didn’t have quite as flashy a presentation as Microsoft, they do have a lot of new games and equipment coming out this year.
One of the big things shown off was “Wii Sports Resort.” This game, available July 26, features not only a slew of new mini-games, but the “Wii Motion Plus,” designed to make the Wii Remote far more responsive and bring a new level of realism to the gameplay.
A slew of new Mario games for the Wii and the DSi was also shown. “Super Mario Brothers Wii” will, for the first time in the series, allow for four players to play at the same time. Mario and Luigi will shrink down and find their way into Bowser’s body on the DS later this year in “Mario and Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story.” The big news, however, was the announcement that Team Ninja was developing the next “Metroid” game. Team Ninja developed the “Ninja Gaiden” games and promised to make a “Metroid” game like has never been seen before. And, from the trailer, I believe it.
Finally, Sony showed us what they had to offer for the future. They started with some sales figures and flow charts. I was about to give up hope when they floored me with an amazing amount of upcoming games. “Uncharted 2: Among Thieves” was shown, and I was actually unable to tell the difference between the game play and the cut screens. This game promises to be amazing.
Sony was also able to show “MAG” in all its glory. “MAG” is a massive multiplayer shooter. It supports 256 players at the same time, and the game play was seamless and looked amazing. The big game announcement was “God of War 3.” This is the game that PS3 owners have been waiting for. With amazing graphics and killer gameplay, this game promises to be a must-have in 2010.
Sony also showed off its motion-control system, as well. The new system will turn the PlayStation eye into a motion controller. With the addition of a wand controller, the camera is able to mimic your every move. The degree of control shown with the system was impressive, and I am hopeful that this will translate well when it is actually used in a game, instead of just a quick demonstration.
While there were tons of amazing games and announcements, not all of them were cause for celebration. Microsoft showed a skateboard controller for the new “Tony Hawk” game. “The Tony Hawk” brand has been steadily declining over the years, and I can’t place too much faith that a controller is going to make everything better again.
Nintendo showed the “Wii Vitality Sensor,” a device that attaches to the Wii Remote and measures your pulse. The company gave no detail on how this will work at all, and can only make me go, “huh?” Sony’s big announcement of the “PSP Go,” the completely digital hand-held system, was marginalized by pictures being leaked to the public right before E3.
This year’s E3 shows a lot of promise, with developers hitting their stride programing and using the PS3, Wii and Xbox 360 to thier fullest potentials. I know that 2009 and 2010 are going to be great years for gamers.
James Treacy is a lifelong gamer, across all platforms of the gaming community. His opinion is in no way the opinion of this paper, and is instead offered to give its readers more information on games and trends available in today’s market. To contact him with any questions about the gaming world, e-mail jtreacy@phillynews.com.
