I’m a bit late to the party, and since it’s not really news anymore, I’m not going to go into the details. In short, id Software, developer of such titles as Doom, Quake, and the cult classic Commander Keen, was purchased by ZeniMax media–the parent company of Elder Scrolls developer, Bethesda Softworks. It’s not entirely a shock as id Software has been without a major triple A title for quite some time. With the way the industry has been going, many companies have found themselves in the midst of mergers, and acquisitions. It’s a shame that id Software had to fall into the later category, especially since the game had maintained its status as an independent developer for so long.

So what does this mean for us fans of their classic shooters? Well, it’s hard to say. ZeniMax is a larger company and while I hope that id Software is allowed to finish the projects they have in production, I can’t help but feel that they might be reorganized. Bethesda has been rather fond of creating first person, action based, role-playing games, and while their latest titles such as Rogue Warrior and Wet are a breath of fresh air, you can’t help but realize that Bethesda will be making sequels to both Elder Scrolls and Fallout at some point. Until then, I can only hope that titles such as Doom 4, and Rage see the light of day. Of course, they are still hiring according to their website, and from the sound of the press release they have on their front page, nobody should be worried. That said, you never know what might happen. Let’s just hope for the best.

 [Image Source - id Software]

The following titles were released for Xbox 360 this week. Almost all of these games, with the exception of the Live Arcade title, are headed to Ps3 this week, so in the future, I might consolidate these posts a bit more. I’m still testing the waters with these release features, so if I can limit the number of posts about them, I’ll probably see fit doing so. I’ll also make sure to note PSN and Xbox Live! exclusives.

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While I personally feel that I’ve posted a bit too much on the subject, I figure that you might really care about the potential for a new Xbox 360 console in the near future. That said, our previous two stories regarding this matter seem to contradict, without outright denying any of the claims made by either party–namely Steve Ballmer, and Major Nelson. Thankfully, Ballmer, chief executive officer at Microsoft,  has apparently issued a brief statement to IGN in order to clear any confusion in regards to his prior statements about the Natal Xbox 360. Ballmer noted “I confused the issue with my poorly chosen words. There is no news in my comments. Things are as reported after E3. Sorry.”

So there you have it, there is no new console as we may have been led to believe. I have to wonder if I was alone in wishing that Microsoft kept things in the current generation for just a bit longer. For me it was just a bit too soon, and I’m happy to hear that I won’t be spending any money on a new 360 model–though I’ll likely be suckered into purchasing the Natal camera once it’s complete. If that means more hours of me sitting infront of my TV looking like an idiot while trying to play games, then so be it.

[Image Source: Microsoft]

Easily the best looking SNK fighting game developed prior to the announcement of King of Fighters XII, Garou: Mark of the Wolves was the ninth and final title in the Fatal Fury series. For some time, it was considered the best looking 2d fighter, only rivaled by the likes of Capcom’s Street Fighter 3. There were several announcements over the years regarding a potential sequel in development, though it seems that the series has taken a back seat to the more popular King of Fighters.

I was pretty sad when they failed to bring over the PS2 port that was released in Japan the other year–especially since I never got a chance to buy them game when it came out here for the Dreamcast. Thankfully, 1Up reported that Garou will be headed to Xbox Live Arcade on June 24th in Japan. While there’s no word yet on if the title is heading to America as well, Siliconera noted that the only Xbox Live Arcade game to be released in Japan before hitting the US market would be a Shogi game (a Japanese version of Chess).  Garou: Mark of the Wolves also comes with worldwide online play, so it would be quite a shame to see that go to waste.  I guess all I can do is cross my fingers.

[Image Source - Racketboy.com]

Larry Hryb, Microsoft’s Director of Programming, aka Major Nelson, posted on his popular blog in order to clarify the statements made by Steve Ballmer regarding the “new Xbox 360″ coming next year. While Nelson didn’t deny any claims regarding the new console being developed, he went on to note that the Xbox 360 is not even halfway through it’s current lifecycle, in reference to the statements Microsoft made at their press conference during E3 the other week.

Nelson also mentioned Natal in his post, stating that it will play an important role in expanding the lifecycle well into the next decade, but also stated that there was no word on when the motion controller will be officially released. Despite that, Ballmer’s statements give me the distinct impression that we’ll be seeing a 2010 release for the camera.

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Microsoft’s Chief Executive Office, Steve Ballmer, has confirmed that a new Xbox 360 will be available sometime in 2010. Ballmer went on to note that the new system will come with technology that will bring games close to reality, and will include a ‘natural interface’, as well as a camera that can recognize movement and voice. I can only speculate that he means the recently announced Project Natal.

Rumors can be confirmed, as Ballmer stated openly during a speech on the recession to those in attendance at the Executives Club in Chicago, a new Xbox 360 will hit the store shelves in 2010.

The new device will be equipped with technology that is “really, really, close” to an actuality. The console, which was described as having a “natural interface,” will have a built in camera with the ability to recognize movement and voice.

In my honest opinion, Ballmer’s statements are pretty vague, so while he does say a “new Xbox 360,” it could merely mean a new SKU, or a bundle, complete with a camera add-on. It could also mean the camera will be built into the system itself, but again, this remains to be seen. Microsoft also recently announced that they’ve added more ram to the existing consoles currently in production, as if the console actually needed it.

[via - TGdaily]

Electronic Arts has confirmed that a small team at the Swedish developer, DICE, is currently at work on a sequel to the first person action-adventure, Mirror’s Edge. EA’s European Vice-President, Patrick Soderlund, told gaming news site VideoGamer at E3 that “we have a small team on it and I’m excited about what we do.” While he didn’t state it directly, he implied that the game may still be in the early stages of development, stating that “you will see another Mirror’s Edge for sure. It’s just a matter of when that time is and what we do with it.”

DICE is also currently at work on the next Battlefield title, and while there is no news regarding which product will see the light of day first, the smart money is on Battlefield 3. EA had previously over-estimated the sales of the original Mirror’s Edge, and sunk quite a bit of money into the marketing and development of the game only to be met with mixed reviews. Having played it myself, I could easily see why they’d be hesitant to back a sequel despite that I enjoyed it–call it a guilty pleasure. The game played like the first 15 minutes of The Matrix, spread out over 5 to 10 hours worth of gameplay. It was fun but short, and these days, you can get the game for pretty cheap. Thankfully, the replay value has been extended thanks to new downloadable content, which provides several new levels.

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]

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 had the opportunity to sit down and play the latest addition to the King of Fighters series, aptly titled King of Fighters 12. The gameplay was incredibly smooth, though some classic King of Fighters players might be in for a surprise as several characters have completely revamped movesets. Their designs seem to be quite larger, taking up a good portion of the screen, but this doesn’t really distract you from the gameplay itself.  You’ll also find the backgrounds incredibly detailed, not to mention full of color.

Samurai Showdown: Edge of Destiny was actually pretty impressive–which is more than I can say about their previous attempts with 3d–and despite the slower feel of the gameplay, I enjoyed the brutality of the visuals. While playing as Genjuro, I managed to get my had sliced off, which I’d say isn’t a pretty sight. On the other hand, I’ve been on the internet long enough to be completely desensitized, and frankly the excessive blood spraying was pretty neat. The only major gripe I had was that the loading times were a bit long, and while I wasn’t sure if it was a final product they were showing, that’s something I tend to loathe.

Finally Muramasa: The Demon Blade was an absolutely stunning game for the Nintendo Wii. The graphics are easily the best thing I’ve seen on the console, and for a 2d title, I’d say the colors were extremely vibrant, and the animations were top notch. After getting a good glimpse of it, I decided this 2d side scrolling action RPG is on my “do want” list, for sure. Of course, this is easily explained by the fact that the developer who worked on the title also did Odin Sphere–which I suggest you play if you haven’t yet. Any ways, look forward to more impressions from the show floor.

[Image source: Ignition Entertainment]