Well, it’s been a long week so far, and I’m still finding myself trying to catch up with my E3 related work. The convention was really a blast. I met with all kinds of companies, got my hands on upcoming products, saw footage from projects in development, and even socialized with my game journalist peers. I sat through press conferences and listened to numbers and statistics, but what really mattered was the games and technology itself.

I wasn’t shocked to find that Sony and Microsoft were announcing their entry into the motion sensing market. It turned out that Microsoft indeed had a motion camera in development, though some reports hint to some potential problems with the recognition of certain skin pigmentation. I certainly hope they don’t run into those issues, especially since you’d think they’d test the Project Natal bar before showing off the technology.

While their motion sensing technology seems pretty impressive, Sony’s latest handheld console, the PSP Go, seems to be rather expensive considering it’s cheaper for them to make than the previous models. I’m not the only one to point this out, but you’d think they’d want to save consumers money. They’ve already announced that they’ll be discounting their development kits for potential developers, which is a good first step. Maybe now we’ll expect to see more great titles like Patapon 2, and God of War: Chains of Olympus.

Either way, Nintendo doesn’t seem the least bit worried, and why should they? They really do own that market right now, and they’ve done well at creating an entirely new market with their Wii console. They have a new Zelda in the works, multiple Mario titles, and a brand new Metroid developed by Tecmo, of all people. In short, this is going to be a great year for games.

 [image source: E3 Logo - e3insider.com]

I’ve had the pleasure of playing Rock Band Unplugged, and was present for a short session with one of it’s producers while wandering the booth at E3.  The game is a complete single player experience, somehow packed into a single game with plays via timed button combinations on the PSP console. In order to deal with the lack of controllers shaped like the various instruments, you’re forced to swap between each instrument merely using the PSP to input the various timed commands. Of course the timing is different for each instruments, and while it might not compare to having the full Rock Band controller set, it keeps you engaged in the game. Having to switch between the instruments deals with the lack of multi-player.

Upon questioning the producer, I was able to determine that they were merely focused on getting the Rock Band experience to really translate to the PSP before looking into other possibilities, such as the potential for multi-player. As far as graphics are concerned, we’re talking about some of the cleanest on the console to date. Everything from the band members, to the sets themselves look like they belong in the original game, which considering the limitations of the hardware, is quite impressive. There is also talk of potential for a download plan similar to that you find with Rock Band for the Nintendo Wii. Rock Band Unplugged should be available in stores next week. There is also a PSP bundle featuring the game set for release.

[image source: MTV Games]

Konami held a press conference Wednesday to discuss it’s upcoming projects. Announced were 5 titles, 2 of which had been previously talked about at various conferences over the course of the week. In addition to Metal Gear Peace Keeper, and Metal Gear Rising, Konami went on to announce Metal Gear Arcade, an coin-op title heading to Japanese arcades later this year. This brings the total number of Metal Gear titles in development to 3, which raises concerns of over saturation for the series. While I’m glad that they’re pushing the product into new markets, I’m curious about the quality of these titles.

And if that’s not enough, Kojima also announced his involvement in the new Castlevania game, titled Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. Destructoid has the trailer posted on their site here. I was incredibly impressed with the games visuals and the voice actors they’ve gathered are top notch. In fact, the moment I heard Patrick Stewart’s voice during the trailer, I about died. I don’t know why his voice is so good. As for the gameplay, I’m not too concerned. While previous attempts at a 3d Castlevania have often led to terrible results, I have faith in Kojima Productions. After all, they made Metal Gear, right? I just hope that they can handle all the projects they’ve decided to take on.

Finally, Konami announced a new Dance Dance Revolution title which will take advantage of an 8 sided control scheme. It’s as if they took two DDR pads and layered them instead of placing them side by side. While I’m kind of disappointed that they would use that as the big surprise for the end of their conference, I’m sure someone was excited about… somewhere.   

[Image Source: http://www.konami.jp/kojima_pro/next/]

I’ve finally had time to sit down and actually write something while at E3. It’s been crazy. The big three had their conferences and all of them blew me away. I can’t pick a clear winner, though as far as how they presented the content, Microsoft had an edge. As my friend, Mr.Burlington, pointed out to me earlier, Microsoft’s no nonsense approach was really a breath of fresh air. Instead of boring us with stats and charts, they just came right out with the games. Half an hour in and they made the statement “everything from here on out is exclusive.” I was impressed. That said, the only title they mentioned that I am extremely excited about is Alan Wake.

Nintendo came out strong with a number of announcements, most surprising of which, in my opinion, was Team Ninja’s involvement with the upcoming Metroid game. We were half expecting to see another Zelda or Mario, and while I was kind of hoping they’d let Metroid sit on the shelf for a bit, I can’t say I’m disappointed. They did, however, announce a Mario Galaxy which I’m sure a lot of people will be looking forward to. From what I was told, Nintendo has also been showing art from the next Zelda title to select journalists behind closed doors. I wasn’t fortunate enough to see the art myself, but I’m told it’s impressive as well.

Sony came to the plate with a number of big titles, including a CG movie of Final Fantasy XIV, which they claimed was going to be a PS3 exclusive. Square has made a point, however, to let everyone know that the MMORPG game is also being released on PC, in addition to the PS3, and that the exclusivity is still in the air since they are considering bringing the game to multiple consoles. Perhaps the bigger announcement–though it had been leaked months beforehand–would be the PSP Go, which I had previously touched on. Several reports of hands-on impressions from other journalists seem generally positive.

[Image Source: e3insider.com]

I was recently sent a press release regarding, Pro-Gamer, Justin Wong’s upcoming canned food drive being sponsored by Evil Controllers at E3 next week. The release reads as follows: 

As part of his attempt to set the world record for longest win streak, pro-gamer, Justin Wong and Xbox 360 modded controller creators, Evil Controllers will be holding a canned food drive and raffle at the 2009 E3 convention June 2rd through 4th at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, CA.

“The premise behind the food drive is simple,” says Evil Controller’s Director of Operations, Jonah Coe, “When we realized how many people were expected to attend E3 this year, Justin and I saw this as the perfect opportunity for Evil to do some good in the world.”

Wong will begin entertaining challengers at the Evil Controllers booth on Tuesday morning and will continue playing until the convention starts to wind down on Thursday. For each person who challenges Wong, Evil Controllers has promised to donate 1 can of food to the Saint Mary’s Food Bank Alliance. If a contestant manages to do the unthinkable and beats Wong, Evil will donate 10 cans.

In an attempt to sweeten the deal, Evil has made it free to play, and all contestants will be entered into a raffle drawing to win a Red Elite Xbox 360. The drawing will be held at the Evil Controllers booth at 3:00 pm on Thursday June 5th, the final day of the E3 convention.

A stop by Evil’s booth not only offers visitors face time with one of pro gaming’s fastest rising stars; it will also give them hands on experience with Evil’s newest innovation: the Evil Sticks. The recently introduced ergonomic xbox 360 thumbsticks are already gaining praise from pro gaming’s elite. WGC Ultimate Gamer, Prodigy X says “Precision and Accuracy of this level will make any game better.”

Evil will also be showing off a wide variety of its custom controllers at the convention in Los Angeles this summer. For more information on Evil’s product line and what to expect from them at E3, visit www.evilcontrollers.com.

ABOUT EVIL CONTROLLERS - Evil Controllers is a Tempe, Arizona-based company that specializes in custom modded Xbox 360 controllers designed to enhance game play for a variety of different game genres.

Evil Controller LLC develops modded controllers whose aim is to mitigate a player’s physical limitations while gaming. Through innovative design and ergonomic upgrades tailored for specific types of games, Evil provides gamers with custom controllers that best fit their needs.

Justin is a really sweet guy, and I think it’s wonderful that he’s decided to do this. I have to warn anyone who feels like taking him on though, the guy is a definite shark when it comes to fighting games. I’ve even lost $20 to him over a game of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 years ago, and I consider myself formidable. I don’t believed they mentioned which game he’ll be playing but I can only assume it’ll be Street Fighter 4, MvC2, or a similar title. No doubt he’s cleaned plenty of unsuspecting gamers wallets for them. Thankfully this event is free to all comers, assuming you can get in to E3 in the first place. I suppose that once you’re over that hurdle though, you’re welcome to try your hand. Besides, if a good cause isn’t enough, you can always brag about how you took on the champ and won.

[image source: evilcontrollers.com]

Apparently there is a new camera rumored to be in development for the Xbox 360. It’s said to have full body motion sensing abilities, and might be capable of providing all sorts of new methods to control games. While I have little doubt that any sort of motion sensing would be a successful feature for any console, I’m a little apprehensive as to how the product is going to be used.  If it means potential ports of Wii exclusive titles for next gen systems, that’d be awesome. The only issue there is the pile of shovelware that we see released for that console. I’d rather not see those titles in our Xbox 360 libraries. 

One of the suggested methods of control included punching and kicking, similar to that of the old Activator accessory released in the mid-90’s by Sega. If you ask me though, I’d rather poke my eyes out. A lot of the time, I feel like an idiot while I’m doing the motions with my wiimotes–I can only imagine how terrible it’d be doing it with my entire body.

Still, if this product is in development, we might expect to hear more about it next week as Microsoft gears up for their major press conference. Already I’m hearing mentions of a major AAA titles coming out of their camp, though details have been quite scarce. I suppose we’ll just have to wait to see.

[via destructoid]

While I was invited to the Sony press conference at E3 next week, I felt it’d be wrong for me to not post about the latest bit of news that leaked onto the net just days before the conference itself. Eurogamer.net managed to snag some of the official press photos for Sony’s upcoming handheld console. It apparently slides open, and plays games via download, though  I’m not exactly sold on it myself. Still, it might be a good buy for anyone who hasn’t already bought a PSP slim. You can find out more about the console from this video released on Destructoid back in March.

 That’s right, I said March. Apparently they were the first ones to drop the details about this console, and more astonishingly, they were almost completely on the mark. I’m still in awe that they managed to get this info up as early as GDC, but equally amazed by how nobody else seemed to pick up on it–that is, until 1Up mentioned something about it. That said though, Destructoid had them beat to the punch. If any of my robotic friends are reading this, way to go. You guys deserve the props for being first. 

I’m still looking forward to hearing what Sony has to say at their press conference, as they’ll probably have plenty to talk about in addition to this latest console. Still, why all the secrecy Sony? I don’t think anyone will be able to steal your thunder. After all, the DSi just came out, and I don’t think Nintendo plans on trumping your new console anytime soon.

 [Image Source: http://www.eurogamer.net/]

The teaser site for Kojima Productions upcoming game has finally revealed what appears to be a man who resembles Big Boss.  You may remember as the protagonist of Metal Gear Solid 3 and Portable Ops–however, some of you may have been around to play the original Metal Gear, and recognize him as the final boss of that first game. Magazine scans of what I could only guess is Famitsu, have also been floating around with images of Raiden from Metal Gear Solid 4, complete in his cyberninja outfit. Given that we’re still only able to speculate on what exactly the game could be, I’d feel it’s safe to assume, from Kojima’s GDC presentation, that it’s the next installment of Metal Gear Solid. 

There is also no hint regarding potential console exclusivity, but as always, there are plenty of rumors floating about regarding an Xbox 360 port of the previous title Metal Gear Solid 4. Kojima has always looked to the future of gaming when designing his titles and has expressed, time and time again, that he would prefer his games be able to take advantage of the latest in technology. It became rather obvious that he was displeased when Sony decided to remove the rumble feature from it’s latest console, and many people attribute addition of Dual Shock for the PS3 to Kojima’s scrutiny. Arguably so, Sony wouldn’t want to lose one of it’s biggest supporters, and what could be considered a “system selling”, AAA franchise. While I can’t say for sure, I would say the safe money is on it being yet another PS3 exclusive, at least, for the time being. We’ll see if any of that changes next week.

[Image Source: http://www.konami.jp/kojima_pro/next/]

 After a long wait, it looks as though Capcom has somehow managed to settle the licensing issues that were holding up it’s latest installment of the Vs. series, Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom. According to a post by GoNintendo yesterday afternoon, the upcoming issue of Nintendo Power has an article confirming as much. Shortly after the news broke, screen shots of the article began circulating the net.

The licensing issues stemmed from the multiple licenses involved with the various anime series developed by Tatsunoko Productions overseas, which have been subsequently licensed to various distributors outside Japan. Given the popularity of the Vs. games–as evidenced by the upcoming re-release of Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 on both Playstation Network and Xbox Live Arcade–it’s no wonder that Capcom was anxious to get this title released in North America. The gameplay is heralded as being extremely fun and easy to control, comparable Capcom Vs. Snk 2. The graphics are completely new renderings, instead of rehashed sprites found in previous titles from the Vs. franchise. While there is no reported release date as of yet, Capcom is likely to mention something at E3.

While I’m disappointed that it’s only coming out on the Nintendo Wii, I haven’t given up hope for a multiple console release in the future. That said, I’ll buy it anyways, but can you really blame me for being so concerned about the lack of higher definition graphics and friendlier controls?  Despite the new character renders and the ability to play as Gatchaman–that’s right, from G-Force–the system exclusivity bothers me. What can I say, I like having choices. 

 [Image Source: Shoryuken.com]

Kojima Productions has been hinting at their next big project since GDC in March. With E3 just weeks away, they’ve posted what appears to be a teaser site. I’d like to say that it’s an epic video, guaranteed to blow you away, but it won’t. These teasers are often cryptic, but easy enough that you can discern a meaning. I’d like to think that Kojima isn’t messing with us, but that said, Kojima has always had a very good sense of humor. The April Fools joke they pulled this year certainly gave me a laugh.

As of yesterday, my twitter was buzzing with various journalists speculating as to what Kojima’s E3 announcement might be, and while the odds on favorite would be a follow up to Metal Gear Solid 4, a few seem to be hopeful that it’ll be a new intellectual property, or even another sequel to Zone of the Enders.  The teaser really doesn’t give us an answer, so we’re left guessing and hoping. Either way, I’d keep my eye on the site leading up to and during E3. While I doubt that we’re going to get an answer before the official announcement from Kojima himself, you never know.