Singularity: Raven Software releases new details and video

New multiplatform game news finally released

by XboxOZ360:

©2009 Grant Smythe:

It was in July 08 at E3 that Raven Software announced their new IP called Singularity, alongside a very small glimpse of the games visuals. Not to be confused with their confirmed Wolfenstien IP, as they are still busy working away on that title for our hot little hands to play, when it arrives. A new IP is always welcomed by gamers.

Designed around a Russian facility the game plays out around a scientist’s warnings of trouble during a cold war period. It has to do with a fracture in time. The debut trailer shows a well detailed industrial seaside location, slipping between various time periods, giving a very errie and unsettling effect.

The scene changes from moment to moment. From clean pristine bridges and city scape, to ruined and desolate in the exact same location.

Well Raven have released new footage of the game under the headings: Lighting, Tech, Storyboard and Cut Scenes.

GameInformer has a solid 10 page article on the game, and some detailed videos, so click the following:

Source: GameInformer

Activision have taken up the publisher’s role and this should prove to be a half decent game. And yes, there’s a Russian accent, so get over it. It is after all based in Russia . .

More on the game as it comes to hand.

• Singularity: The Game E3 debut trailer

Share your thoughts on the game and Raven’s new IP?

©2009 Grant Smythe:

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GAMING

Gaming confab E3 is returning to its big bash roots inviting hardcore gaming fans back into the fold for next year’s event, scheduled at the LA Convention Center for June 2-4. The Electronic Software Association made the decision to close E3 to fans in 2007 and has since seen much of enthusiasm around the event dissipate. (Cynopsis 10/24)

Al fin podremos tener el control rojo entre nuestras manos cuando hagamos uno de esos duelos con sierra eléctrica mientras jugamos Gears of War 2.

Ya que al parecer, este control de “edición limitada” que Microsoft mostró en su conferencia en el pasado E3 (BTW, un evento hecho 100% de FAIL) ya está a la venta al menos en Estados Unidos, aunque Microsoft confirmó que estará disponible en todo el mundo (menos en Europa).

Esperemos que este control ya traiga la mejora de sensibilidad del D-Pad.

Fuente: Kotaku.com

"Don't Look Down!" - NOTE: CONCEPT ART NOT A SCREENSHOT

Probably the best kept video game secret so far this year is Mirror’s Edge. A new IP, something rare in the industry these days that looks extremely promising. As promising as it looks, we still don’t know all that much about it, thanks to the talented minds at Sweden’s DICE studio keeping their mouth shut.

Lucky for you all, my obsession to learn more about the game has taken me all across the web, and I can share what I have found so far.

The City - In Game Screenshot

Story

Well, the story has been written by Rhianna Pratchett, and what DICE is willing to talk about can been seen in the trailer below.

So, things you can’t see in the trailer that I have found elsewhere.

The back story to the game is very interesting, kinda V for Vendetta-ish actually. You are the Faith, the main character. As a little girl who doesn’t understand much, something major happens causing riots in the streets of the city. With the government responding with massive amounts of riot police, things only intensify. As Faith attends a massive riot with her parents and her sister all hell breaks loose (sounds like Tiananmen Square). Faith’s Father winds up being arrested, and her Mother gets killed after being trampled on as the crowd begins running away. Leaving Faith and her sister orphans. After this specific incident things don’t improve, in fact they get worse to the point where the city practically becomes a dump (Stalingrad-ish). Moving forward a few years, the government begins to regain control of the city and monitor all communication through means of “The Eye”, in hopes to prevent another outbreak. The government also rebuild the city (sort of looks like a Hong Kong) with all white skyscrapers and limited color.

Moving forward to the game story. Faith’s sister (sorry, still don’t have a name) is arrested and framed for a crime. As she begins to investigate, the police start to chase after her… To be continued…

I do expect there to be something about the government in the game as in screenshots, there are political posters everywhere. For instance, look at the screenshot above and notice the blue sign, mid-way up on the left, saying “Vote Pope” with some kind of calligraphy below.

Gameplay

The basic idea and principle of the game are all based on Parkour (pronounced Par-kuooer), French for “art of movement”. In English the idea is known as Free Running. For those of you not familiar with the idea, I recommend watching the Madagascar scene in the last James Bond movie Casino Royale. The video below should also give you a good idea.

There are some shooting elements in the game, but they are optional, and up to the player to decide, as the use of a weapon will hinder some abilities. In fact, there is said to be achievements at individual levels as well as one for the entire game for pacifism, much like everyone’s favorite XBLA game Geometry Wars.

"Chuck Norris doesn't have a chin beneath his beard, just another fist." - Same principle applies here

Here is a little in game gameplay footage.

Sound

The sound design for this game has been getting major praise. In one of their trailers, DICE noted hiring Swedish electronic/ambient artist Solar Fields. I will update this page later with the theme of Mirror’s Edge, which is done by a different artist but give the mood of the title.

Technology

For all you game guru’s like me, you want know what’s cooking underneath the hood. Well this title is a little bit interesting to say DICE used Unreal Engine 3 instead of it’s own in-house Frostbite engine. Frostbite was not yet completed at the time development began. This is important information! Now I couldn’t find a date for when the Frostbite Engine began in development, nor when it was finished, but it does provide information suggesting that Mirror’s Edge has been in development for some time.

Now looking under the hood at the Unreal 3 Engine. The engine has the following features:

• PhysX – like all games since Half-Life 2, physics have become a big part in video games
• FaceFX – provide realistic facial features and animation, provide diversity in characters
• Bink/Divx – cut-scenes etc – not new
• Quazal Technologies’s Rendez-Vous and Spark- network systems
• Fonix Speech’s VoiceIn and DecTalk – voice regocnition, text to speech, etc.
• Artificial Intelligence – acting in realistic manner, not predictable patterns
• IDV’s SpeedTree – generates foliage
• Diskmask – anti-piracy matters
• MoCap – motion capture

Pretty cool toys, to make a bad-ass game.

Concern

While the game does look awesome beyond belief, I have one extreme concern for the title. Length. Now again, I can’t tell when development on the game started, though I do have a feeling DICE was working on both Battlefield: Bad Company and Mirror’s Edge simultaneously, at one point or another. Considering the title wasn’t announced until early this year, I have a few concerns that releasing in November may be a rush job, that or that they did a fantastic job keeping a secret. Also one major concern, for at least 360 owners, is disc space. Again going back to the length, graphics eat disc space like no other. I am concerned again that this may shorten the overall length of the game, but then again, look at Oblivion, long game (great graphics for the time), and the sound/dialog for the title took up more than half of the disc.

Overall Impression

FANTASTIC! Great graphics finally look like they might match great gameplay. One tends to fall short of the other, this time it looks like DICE nailed it. My only complaint is the release date, the same day as the title I am personally looking forward to for the rest of the year, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. Forgot to mention how awesome the bag for reserving is, I can’t wait to receive it.

Most of the information compiled for this post is from the following:

• On Mirror’s Edge
• Mirror’s Edge
• Kotaku
• Gamespot

So, after a couple of days of countdown timer – much the same as the timer that was cancelled just before E3 by Microsoft – we finally have our big reveal from Bungie regarding their next project.

The timer followed a string of tease forum posts and articles posted by the Superintendent. And the big reveal? A trailer that hints at an expansion pack for Halo 3, featuring everybody’s favorite leathernecks, the ODST’s. Full video and discussion after the jump (readers on Facebook – click here to see the video)

So what does this all mean? Other than it is the most bizarre teaser campaign ever known? Teasers to a countdown clock, that is s teaser to a trailer, which is a teaser. Wait…what?

Way back when, posts on Bungie’s forums began to appear from an enigmatic poster later to be known as the Superintendent. Similar to posts by the AI Adjutant Reflex that appeared prior to Halo 3’s launch, these posts were instantly recognised as part of something in-house. Speculation ran rife about whether there was another ARG like Iris or I Love Bees about to surface. Then a countdown timer replaced Bungie.net’s front page, and the clock was ticking down to E3. Everyone realised that something was going to happen, most likely during the Microsoft E3 presser. Wouldn’t be the first time.

And gamers of the world watched. And watched. And watched. And nothing happened. Later, it would be revealed that there was to be an announcement from Bungie, but that it had been pulled at the last minute by Microsoft, to be given a venue all its own. It was apparently too big to be lumped in with all the other stuff. And, as Microsoft said at the time, they already had shown an “emabarrassment of riches” (which is certainly true, they utterly pwned the weak and desperate presser thrown by Sony, and the utter cringeworthy patronising shitey bollocks that was the Nintendo presser).

Bungie pulled a special podcast at the last minute. Harold Ryan, sudio producer, posted an apologetic (and somewhat fucked-off sounding) note on the Bungie.net front page. And everything went quiet.

Until last week, when a post suddenly appeared on the site, from the Superintendent. The post featured a captured transmission between the Superintendent and the ONI Prowler ship, “Tokyo Rules“:

<\\> UNSC OFFICE OF NAVAL INTELLIGENCE

<\\> CLASSIFIED SIGNALS ARCHIVE [ONI.SEC.PRTCL-1A]                

<\ OPENED PER OFFICIAL REQUEST [DARE.V.500341(S1)]  

\ SOURCE: URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE A.I. [SUPERINTENDENT]

\ RECIPIENT: PROWLER “TOKYO RULES” [COMM.DUTY.OFFICER]                                                                
>> NOTATION KEYWORD SEARCH: “EMERGENCY” “DATA” “CORRUPTION”                                
>> (…) ~ QUERY RUNNING                                
>> (..)                                
>> (.)   \ VTT TRANSCRIPT AS FOLLOWS…                   

            [SUPERINTENDENT]: “METROPOLITAN EMERGENCY!”                 
            [SUPERINTENDENT]: “METROPOLITAN EMERGENCY!”                 
            [SUPERINTENDENT]: “METROPOLITAN EMER–!”                 
            [COMM.DUTY.OFFICER]: “We know. Personnel are en route. Can you–”                 
            [SUPERINTENDENT]: “DETOUR! PROCEED WITH CAUTION!”                 
            [COMM.DUTY.OFFICER]: “–put Kinsler on the line?”                 
            [SUPERINTENDENT]: [UNITELLIGIBLE > DOG GROWLING(?)]                 
            [COMM.DUTY.OFFICER]: “Sorry, what?”                 
            [SUPERINTENDENT]: “BE A HERO! REPORT VIOLATORS!” 
            [COMM.DUTY.OFFICER]: “Oh, come on… ”                 
            [SUPERINTENDENT]: “METROPOLITAN EMER–!”                 
            [COMM.DUTY.OFFICER]: “Listen. We have a report of core data corruption.”                 
            [COMM.DUTY.OFFICER]: “I need you to upload your–”                 
            [SUPERINTENDENT]: “PARDON OUR DUST!”                 
            [SUPERINTENDENT]: “YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK!”                 
            [COMM.DUTY.OFFICER] “–logs for the last twenty-four hours!”                 
            [SUPERINTENDENT]: “KEEP IT CLEAN!”                 
            [SUPERINTENDENT]: “KEEP IT CLEAN!”                 
            [SUPERINTENDENT]: “KEEP IT CLEAN!”                 
            [COMM.DUTY.OFFICER]: [UNINTELLIGIBLE > PROFANITY (?)]                 
            [COMM.DUTY.OFFICER]: “We’re sending a team, alright?”                 
            [COMM.DUTY.OFFICER]: “Until they arrive, all additional comm needs to route through me.”                 
            [COMM.DUTY.OFFICER]: “Repeat and acknowledge.”                 
            [SUPERINTENDENT]: “OBEY POSTED LIMITS!”                 
            [SUPERINTENDENT]: “YIELD TO UPHILL TRAFFIC!”                 
            [COMM.DUTY.OFFICER]: “I’ll take that as a ‘yes’…”                 
            [SUPERINTENDENT]: “PLEASE REMAIN CALM!”  

\ ~ QUERY COMPLETE

\ ARCHIVE CLOSED \>

This was dissected by the typically rabid and inquisitive Bungie followers, and it was understood that the Superintendent seemed to be a mertopolitan AI – a program that effectively runs a city, and communicates with the populace. It is assumed that due to corruption, the AI can no longer correctly communicate with the authorities, and has resorted to using phrases normally reserved for public signage to get its message across. Some have interpreted the message to mean that disaster has fallen the city, that the city should be avoided, has been occupied and that significant damage has been done to the infrastructure. It was also assumed – incorrectly – that the Prowler name “Tokyo Rules” was a suggestion that something was to be revealed at TGS in Japan next month. I say incorrect, as it seems we didn’t have to wait that long after all.

Then, a week later, another transcript appeared, this time between an ONI (Office of Naval Intelligence) Section One Lieutenant and an un-named Admiral aboard the heavy cruiser “Say My Name“:

<\\> UNSC OFFICE OF NAVAL INTELLIGENCE
<\\> TAC-OPS LOGISTICS DATABASE [ONI.SEC.PRTCL-1A]              

<\ * PRIORITY! * RESOURCE RE-ALLOCATION REQUEST

>> SENT: [DARE.V.500341(S1)]
>> RECEIVED: HEAVY CRUISER “SAY MY NAME” [SMN.ACTUAL]                                                                

\ PARTIAL VTT TRANSCRIPT AS FOLLOWS…                  

[SMN.ACTUAL]: “The situation on the ground isn’t my concern.”                
[DARE.V.500341(S1)]: “I understand, Admiral. But I need –”
[EXPLOSION (4.0098s)]
[SMN.UNKNOWN]:[UNINTELLIGIBLE > PANIC(?)]
[SMN.ACTUAL]: “Empty archer pods six through twelve!”
[SMN.ACTUAL]: “Ready the MAC, and come about!”
[SMN.UNKNOWN]:[UNINTELLIGIBLE > INSUBORDINATION(?)]
[SMN.ACTUAL]: “It may have passed us, Lieutenant, but it’s still in range.”
[SMN.ACTUAL]: “Come about. And shoot it in the ass.”
[EXPLOSION (2.3482s)]
[STATIC (3.8761s)]
[SMN.UNKNOWN]:[UNINTELLIGIBLE > COMPLIANCE(?)]
[DARE.V.500341(S1)]: “Admiral, about my squad?”
[DARE.V.500341(S1)]: “I’ve forwarded their NCO’s name to your –”
[SMN.ACTUAL]: “Enough, Captain!”
[SMN.ACTUAL]: “If I survive this attack…”
[SMN.ACTUAL]: “I will deploy per my orders from Fleet HQ!”
[DARE.V.500341(S1)]: “Sir. I don’t report to Fleet.”
[DARE.V.500341(S1)]: “And the men I want? Now they don’t either.”
[DARE.V.500341(S1)]: “Please. Read my request.”
[STATIC (2.8179s)]
[EXPLOSION (3.0194s)]
[STATIC (7.4501s)]
[SMN.ACTUAL]: “Didn’t think you S1 types ever left your cave.”
[DARE.V.500341(S1)]: “Desperate times…”
[SMN.ACTUAL]: “Alright, Captain. You’ve got your squad.”
[SMN.ACTUAL]: “If I survive the attack.”
[EXPLOSION (2.9016s)]
[SMN.ACTUAL]: “And right now? That’ll take a genuine act of God.”
[DARE.V.500341(S1)]: “I’ll see what I can do.”

\ ~ REQUEST COMPLETE
\ DATABASE CLOSED \>

• Signage within the film and the presence of the Space Tether elevator tower suggests that New Mombasa and surrounding cities are the source of the CCTV footage.
• It is assumed after comparisons that *some* of the pods seen hurtling towards the ground are ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Trooper) pods. However, some are seen veering off in a different direction, and it is not known if these are Covenant or other UNSC forces. This lends a lot of weight to the rumors about the nature of the game.
• A Covenant heavy cruiser – similar to to the Prophet Regret’s ship that loomed over New Mombasa in Halo 2 – can be glimpsed off in the distance.  
• The white flash – that the CCTV text describes as EMP - is seen, and knocks out the camera. But it is not clear if this is the blast that struck New Mombasa after Regret’s ship jumped to slipspace in Halo 2, as the post-flash damage seems far less.
• The phrase “POP: 0″ on the camera text suggests that the city has already been evacuated successfully.
• Signage for “AMG” (the company that makes the Warthog) and “Traxus” (the shipping company prevalent in the Halo Universe) can be seen on buildings.
• Familiar phrases from the Superintendent – the city AI – appear in flashes, including “Pardon Our Dust“, “Please Remain Calm” and  the ironic “Danger: Flood Zone“. It is unclear what the phrase “Maddie, Where Are You?” means, although Brian Jarrard at Bungie has explained that it has nothing to do with missing child Madeleine McCann and is a coincidence (although why anyone should think of that I have no idea. I grew bored of that media circus and story months ago and have long relegated it to a distant and forgotten memory).
• The date 01/06/09 appears within garbled text, but it is unclear as to the relevance or significance of this date. That is, whether it is a release date or, alternatively, simply a date for a new teaser or trailer. Also, there is no way to know if this means January 6th or June 1st, 2009 (personally, I hope January 6th, because, well, that’s like, much closer to NOW).
• The trailer is now available on Xbox Live with the following item descriptor: “Action and deep mystery await players in this new Halo 3 Campaign experience. Prepare to drop!“. This suggests that the new “game” is in fact perhaps an add-on to the Halo 3 campaign, and puts you in the role of an ODST. Which would kick ass. Like, serious ass. Due to the vague nature of the teaser video, it is unclear whether this expansion (if that is what it is, and not a standalone game) will take place before the events in Halo 2, alongside the New Mombasa missions that we played through as the Master Chief, or AFTER the blast caused by Regret’s ship jumping to slipspace.

So, watch, pick apart, and study the frames. After all, if you are still reading, you are obviously a Halo geek like me, and will undoubtedly do so anyway. Find something interesting? Let me know and I’ll add it.

 I can has new game now plz? Kthxbai!

Monday night, Bungie Studios posted a teaser countdown clock on their official site, Bungie.net. As has been the case in the past, it reflected the studio’s obsession with the number 7. As the clock counted down to 7:07 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time, it flashed a series of cryptic messages, including “Obey Posted Limits,” “Pardon Our Dust,” “Proceed with Caution,” and “Expect Delays.” When the hour was nigh, the site flashed an agonizingly long “rebooting” message, and then posted a brief teaser trailer for one of Bungie’s “current projects.” The trailer doesn’t divulge much to the untrained eye. After showing a futuristic urban landscape, the camera, apparently one of a metropolitan artificial intelligence’s video feeds, switches to show a series of what appears to be small capsules re-entering the atmosphere. After cutting to several shots of abandoned streets with gunfire in the background, the camera switches to a low-angle shot of hundreds of the capsules streaking through the sky above the city, which is suddenly wracked by a massive shockwave. After several seconds of a black screen, a brief screen flashes for what appears to be an emergency service transmission, urging the viewer to “Please remain calm.” A reboot screen then warns of “Metropolitan disaster!” and cuts to scenes of the same streets, now strewn with smoldering wreckage. A brief “Halo 3″ screen pops up, followed by a ground-level shot of one of one of the capsules hurtling at, and then shattering, the camera. The trailer ends with the words “Prepare to drop” and the Xbox 360 and Xbox Live logos. While of little significance to the casual observer, the word “drop” will have Halo fans’ ears tingling. That’s because the capsules belong to the Orbital Shock Drop Troopers, better known as the feared futuristic paratroopers used by the United Nations Space Command (UNSC), the human alliance in the Halo franchise. The ODSTs also starred in a series of gritty live-action shorts directed by Neil Blomkamp, would-be director of the in-limbo Halo feature film. A side-by-side comparison of screenshots from the trailer and from prior Halo games clearly show the capsules have the angular silhouette and signature drag chute of the Human Entry Vehicles (HEVs) used by the ODSTs in prior Halo games. Further examination of a close-up of the capsules (third) and Halopedia’s schematic of the HEVs confirms it is indeed the so-called “Hell-jumpers” that are raining down on the city, called “Lumumba” in one of the camera shots. Before he was assassinated in 1961, Patrice Lumumba was the first prime minister of the Congo, indicating the city in question may be on Earth in Africa, most likely the spaceport of New Mombasa featured in Halo 2 and 3. Bungie reps declined to comment further on the trailer, responding to GameSpot inquires with a curt “neg[ative].” However, the project appears to be the same game which Microsoft senior vice president of interactive entertainment Don Mattrick previously stated was set to be revealed at Microsoft’s E3 2008 press conference before being abruptly pulled. Described as “a game” by Mattrick, the project was accompanied by the exact same countdown teaser and exact same reveal time of 7:07 a.m. Though nothing is official yet, the title in question appears to be the “Halo Recon” project that has been rumored for months. A source told GameSpot in July the project will be “a cross between Ghost Recon and Gears of War.” Instead of following the Halo franchise’s usual protagonist, the SPARTAN super-soldier Master Chief, it will supposedly follow the exploits of a squad of colonial marines in a “less cartoony” and “more bloody, violent, and grim” tale of a battle between UNSC forces and the pan-racial religious empire known as the Covenant. An advertisement for the trailer on Xbox Live describes the cinematic thusly: “High action and deep mystery await players in this new Halo 3 campaign experience. Prepare to drop.” Halopedia’s editors believe the shockwave in the city is from the Prophet’s ship going warp above New Mombasa in Halo 3, raising the possibility that the project could be a Crysis Warhead-style expansion which shows the game’s campaign from a different perspective. However, nothing has been officially confirmed as of press time.

[Update} A Joystiq tipster “Kyle C” has appearntly found a date inside the teaser video that Bungie released. The date in question is Tuesday January 6, 2009.

Interesting.

Image Metrics show off their latest version.

You will not believe your eyes from this moment on.

byXboxOZ360

©2008 Grant Smythe:

We can usually pick the difference in various animations used for computer images, but as technology advances, so does the ability to fool the human eye. What was once termed The Uncanny Valley by the graphics industry is perhaps drawing to a close. Image Metrics latest version shows just how real something can be.

Click for full sized view then check the video out.

Only for the fact we’ve already clued you up on the fact, it would be hard, actually, almost impossible to pick up the fact that Emily is in fact “not real”. The entire footage is done with computer drive proprietary software, no “real” people or situation is involved in the scene, other than the pre-production assets used to capture the scene and the actress.

•• Latest release version of Image Metrics which will be used in Codemasters Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising. Note the HUGE difference in quality and life like features and animation between the current version, and the one below which is less than a year old. The Uncanny Valley is almost no-existent in the later one.<

Earlier version of Image Metrics:

Their first attempts did look great, but you could pick that there was a distinct difference in facial tone and movements. However, this iterations leaves very little to the imagination, and has you ask yourself, what IS real out there. And is the news and items we see on the net and TV actually real, or has it been doctored to appear real  . . .

Codemasters and Image Metrics have teamed up to use the software in their upcoming title Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising.

“Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising will take players closer to war then they’ve ever come before,” said Brant Nicholas, Senior Producer, Codemasters Studios. “To achieve that end, we turned to Image Metrics’ facial animation solutions because of their unique ability to perfectly capture the range of emotions that soldiers experience in combat.”

“With Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising, Codemasters has set out to capture the gritty reality and human drama of warfare,” said Mike Starkenburg, Image Metrics’ chief operating officer. “We’re honored that Codemasters has chosen our facial animation technology to help achieve that realism and to further immerse players in the gameplay experience.”

Now with this level of detail within a game, it will make games like Bad Company, which was bloody great actually, appear to be animated cartoons in comparison. I’ve been looking at previews of Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising, and it looks every bit as real as you can get for a video game, and then some.

With this level of detail, and the use of just camera software, developers can now use far less memory and assets than ever before, allowing even more detailed information, persistent destruction and gameplay to be placed on single DVD9 disc. Many gamers say that “DVD9 is dead, long live Blu-Ray” – “you can’t store shitte on DVD9’s any more, Blu-Ray rules” . . . . . bahh . .

If you could see (well you do actually) what developers are stuffing into a standard DVD9 now, when 1 -2 yrs ago they said it was impossible (ie PGR4 and Bad Company) you’ll start to wonder what else they can fit onto a single disc.

So expect more of this type of imaging in games from now on.

Alternative source: ThreeSpeech.

©2008 Grant Smythe:

Well, I know it has been a while, but better late than never. E3 2008 was a big turnout and I saw all of the conferences on the internet, in case you missed out, here is what to expect. Now, this is just a brief rundown version…

Microsoft:

- Great games coming out (Fallout 3, Gears of War 2, Fable 2, Mercenaries 2)
- Introduction of the New XBL Interface
- Introduction of Avatars
- Introduction to more party game functionality (lot like the Wii if you ask me)

Nintendo:

- Wii Music
- Wii Motion Plus
- New Wii and DS games

Sony

- Great games coming out (Little Big Planet, Resistance 2)
- Playstation Home is coming…we hope…

Other:

- Other games to look out for: Dead Space, Mirror’s Edge, Beyond Good and Evil 2, and many more

Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty isn’t even released yet, and they’re already teasing us with the sequel. This downloadable follow up to Tools of Destruction was just announced one month ago at E3, and now it’s almost available to the public. Sites like 1UP have already played through the game and were greeted by a cryptic message. “The quest continues in fall 2009…” What could it possibly mean? I’ve got a hunch, but it’s just rude for Insomniac to be teasing us so soon. What can I say? I’m psyched.

via Kotaku

God PLEASE BE TRUE AGAIN!

Many people, And I mean MANY PEOPLE believe that the title will be Pikmin 3. I for one hope that. You see Miyamoto said “We’re making Pikmin” and nothing much more. Sure Pikmin 3 was MENTIONED at E3 but WASN’T shown off. We don’t know how long Pikmin 3 might have been developed. It could be ready for a holiday release for all we know!
Well, we’ll find out soon enough.

Game Critics Awards es la encargada de dar oficialmente los premios del E3. Que no sirve para otra cosa que vacilar un poco. Nosotros ya dimos los premios de Legend SK, pero para quien le interese, estos son los oficiales:

Mejor juego del Evento.
Fallout 3.

Mejor juego original.
Mirror’s Edge.

Mejor juego de PC.
Spore.

Mejor juego de consola.
LittleBigPlanet.

Mejor juego de portátil.
Resistance Retribution.

Mejor hardware.
Rock Band 2 Ion Drum Rocker Set.

Mejor juego de acción.
Gears of War 2.

Mejor juego de acción/aventura.
Dead Space.

Mejor juego de rol.
Fallout 3.

Mejor juego de carreras.
Pure.

Mejor juego de lucha.
Street Fighter IV.

Mejor juego de deportes.
Madden NFL 09.

Mejor juego de estrategia.
Tom Clancy’s Endwar .

Mejor juego social/puzzle/casual.
LittleBigPlanet.

Mejor multijugador.
Left 4 Dead.

La cosa está así: Xbox 360 ha recibido 8 premios, PS3 y PC 7, PSP 2 y Wii 1.

Game Critics Awards es la encargada de dar oficialmente los premios del E3. Que no sirve para otra cosa que vacilar un poco. Nosotros ya dimos los premios de Legend SK, pero para quien le interese, estos son los oficiales:

Mejor juego del Evento.
Fallout 3.

Mejor juego original.
Mirror’s Edge.

Mejor juego de PC.
Spore.

Mejor juego de consola.
LittleBigPlanet.

Mejor juego de portátil.
Resistance Retribution.

Mejor hardware.
Rock Band 2 Ion Drum Rocker Set.

Mejor juego de acción.
Gears of War 2.

Mejor juego de acción/aventura.
Dead Space.

Mejor juego de rol.
Fallout 3.

Mejor juego de carreras.
Pure.

Mejor juego de lucha.
Street Fighter IV.

Mejor juego de deportes.
Madden NFL 09.

Mejor juego de estrategia.
Tom Clancy’s Endwar .

Mejor juego social/puzzle/casual.
LittleBigPlanet.

Mejor multijugador.
Left 4 Dead.

La cosa está así: Xbox 360 ha recibido 8 premios, PS3 y PC 7, PSP 2 y Wii 1.

E3 2008 has come and gone, and the overall sentiment throughout the video game community is a feeling of disappointment. Since changing from a large convention and media spectacle to a more intimate and industry-only affair last year, there have been accusations that E3 has lost its soul and excitement. Despite this, the final results are in for the winners of Best of E3 as decided by an independent group of journalists from 36 leading North American media outlets that cover the video game industry. Called the Game Critic Awards, they choose winners for The Best of E3 and Game of the Year. After being narrowed it down to a list of nominees in each category, I’m going to highlight the awards for the Best of Show, Best Original Game, Best Console Game, Best PC Game, and Best Handheld Game.

The Game Critics judges have representatives from each of these independent media outlets.

It’s no wonder that Fallout 3 managed to snag not only Best of Show, but Best Role Playing Game as well. A post-apocalyptic action RPG, the series and its spin-offs have largely been known as a PC property. Originally developed by Interplay Entertainment, the next installment is being taken over by Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion developer, Bethesda Softworks. The Elder Scrolls series have heralded for their massive scope, size, and immersion, creating a fantasy action RPG with endless replayability. Bethesda are big fans of the Fallout franchise and are looking to stay very faithful while adding their own touches. One of the most interesting aspects of Fallout 3 is its deep story and universe. Taking place in a post-apocalyptic United States, the population lives in fallout shelters where growth, development, and living parameters are closely monitored and engineered for survival. As the main character ventures out into the upper wasteland in search of his father, various organizations and enemy factions will play a role in the bigger story and gameplay. Fallout 3 feels like an FPS but plays like a turn-based/real-time hybrid. Action points are utilized and players can target specific body parts. Add to that a robust skill system called “SPECIAL” and a karma system that affects the game’s outcome based upon good or bad choices, and Fallout 3 is shaping up to be even better than Oblivion. The game will utilize its Mature rating to the fullest, showcasing the gore, carnage, and devastation in the nuclear wasteland. Scheduled to release this year for the PC, Xbox 360, and PS3, exclusive downloadable content will be released on both the PC and 360.

The Best Original Game category is one of the more important awards given at E3, as it shows off games that are trying to innovate and add new things to the gameplay experience. There was some pretty stiff competition, but first-person action-adventure game Mirror’s Edge managed to pull ahead. Developed by Electronic Arts Digital Illusions CE (DICE), this new IP is much different from their FPS Battlefield franchise. What makes this game unique is not only the first-person perspective, but the amount of freedom and mobility available. Rather than traditional first-person controls, Mirror’s Edge offers a wide range of actions and shows arms, legs, and torso in active movement or combat. Set amidst a conformist dystopia and totalitarian regime, the strict laws on communication has created a team of runners to relay messages while avoiding government interference. Main character Faith is one of these runners, as you see the game through her eyes as she interacts with the environment and goes through various obstacles in the city. Movement, momentum, and camera angles are closely tied to the character, with a focus on chaining moves together. “Runner Vision” aids in finding escape routes and alternate paths with “Reaction Time” a sort of slowed-down bullet time view that allows strategic planning without losing momentum. The lack of a HUD creates an even more immersive experience. Look for the game this November on the PC, Xbox 360, and PS3.

The category for Best PC Game seemed a little unfair, as many PC developers pulled out of E3 to avoid being overshadowed by their console brethren. But EA and Will Wright’s Spore isn’t new to E3, as it has been winning E3 awards since its debut in 2005. From the creator that brought the Sim games, Spore looks to bridge the gap between the casual and hardcore gamer in the self-proclaimed “massive single-player online game”. Gameplay follows the evolution of a user-created species as it starts as a tiny organism all the way through civilization and space warfare. There are five phases in the game which Wright relates to a specific game type: cell (Pac-Man), creature (Diablo), tribal (Populous), civilization (SimCity), and space (Star Trek). After such a long wait, the creature creator has already been released in anticipation for its September 2008 release date on both Mac and PC. Handheld software has also been slowing down recently, with both the PSP and DS offering very limited selection in playable form. The PSP managed to pull out a win with its surprise announcement of Resistance: Retribution. While both Resistance 1 and 2 are both PS3 FPS games, Retribution is a third-person shooter that is looking to show off innovative controls that compensate for the lack of a second analog nub. An improved aiming and cover system will be implemented as well as a robust online system that features team deathmatch, capture the flag, and more. With new weapons and content not found in the console games, this may be the next must-have PSP title. While Resistance 2 is launching this year, Retribution won’t release until Spring 2009.

LittleBigPlanet is a title that keeps on improving after each showing. Taking the crown of Best Console Game and Best Social/Casual/Puzzle Game, this PS3 exclusive title is being developed by Media Molecule. As the studio’s first title, it’s an impressive debut. First making its appearance at the Game Developer’s Conference 2007, the game boasts its tagline, “Play. Create. Share.” You create a personalized Sackboy or Sackgirl and traverse immense obstacle courses alone or with friends. The controls are very intuitive, utilizing the SIXAXIS motion sensing to move different parts of Sackboy and solve different puzzles and other goals. The Sackboys themselves are also very customizable, exuding tons of personality with a wide set of emotives at the user’s disposal. There is a big focus on community and user-created content, as players can create their own stages and share them with others in a very robust stage creator. There is so much in the game and yet Media Molecule is still announcing innovative modes and features leading up to the public beta stage opening up in October 2008. While it sounds simple on paper, the charm and execution can be only explained by watching. This game definitely deserves to be watched.

E3 2008 didn’t have that many surprises, but most everything shown was pretty solid. A lot of great games were looking even better, and this Holiday season looks to be packed with must-have titles. Most every company seemed to have something good to show off, while others had people scratching their heads. With a few game conventions still left to go this year, let’s hope that it gets better than E3.

Prince of Persia

After taking nearly three years off from any home console (save for the Wii’s Rival Swords), Ubisoft is bringing back the renowned franchise and making a few cosmetic changes. Ubisoft has been tight lipped about the new Prince of Persia, but the few things we do know is that it’ll be running off of an enhanced version of the Assassins Creed engine, it will still have the platforming puzzle-solving gameplay style, and that combat is being tweaked to work specifically towards fighting fewer enemies at once. It’s also completely cell shaded as we saw from the trailer, and we expect it to be a very different take on what the series has been thus far.

Mercenaries 2: World in Flames

It’s a game that’s been publicly criticized by well known game enthusiasts Venezuela (yes, the whole country) who claimed that Mercenaries 2 was done by Pandemic studios in conjunction with the US government to support the American people to want to overthrow Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. That’s a mouthful. We’ve heard very little about the game, but the story seems pretty simple: the Merc’s get a job, get screwed over, and it’s payback time. Sounds good to us, and with completely destructible environments (to the effect that starting fires on leaves in the jungle is possible), a barrage of weapons and vehicles, it looks like we’ll be blowing stuff up very soon.

Mirror’s Edge

It’s the mysterious things that intrigue us most. All we know about Mirror’s Edge is that it’s a first person action-adventure title where players have the ability to fly through the city on foot, jumping buildings. The short trailer and pictures we’ve seen look too good to be in-game, but with the current day hardware, maybe…without knowing more, we can’t say it’s good or bad. We can hope though, which is more than enough to get any gamer itching to see more.

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Бухахах. Този път Yahtzee е решил да се гаври с трейлърите показани ни на таз годишното E3. Да прекалява, и да УЖАСНО ЗАБАВНО Е!

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