Episode 3 is ready for your consumption.
In this episode, we cover:
-Heavenly Sword
-Bioshock
-Metroid Prime 3
-And a lot of talk about DVDs and entertainment centers and stuff.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Monday, July 30, 2007
Beautiful Septembari
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Rockstar Games to Develop A New Exclusive For PlayStation 3
So, um, Jack Tretton talked to Spike TV/GameTrailers.com's "Game Head" show and said this:
No, it's not L.A. Noire. It's something totally different, although it appears LA Noire (whenever it comes out, if it does) will be a PS3 exclusive, too. How strange. I guess this is why Rockstar took the $50 million from Microsoft. Actually, here's what I figured what happened: Rockstar decided that, since Microsoft hadn't really gotten a day-and-date release with the game, and since Rockstar hadn't used Xbox Live yet for something other than multiplayer table tennis, they decided to give the 360 exclusive downloadable content. For free. They see that the PSN is awful for patches and upgrades without the game having a specific bit built for it (see: Motorstorm's simplicity vs. Oblivion's "Game Of The Year" package instead of DLC). Might as well put the extra stuff on a simple, workable online platform, right?
Cut to a year later, Microsoft panics that since Rockstar's so close with Sony, they offer $50 million to make sure it's exclusive DLC. While Rockstar was probably negotiating for whatever this new franchise is.
I'll give Microsoft an A for effort in trying to be the #1 console in this generation, even though they won't be simply because of the Wii; however, I've got to give them an F for business plans on achieving that. I mean, the weird exclusives (Ace Combat? Really? THAT'S a huge exclusive?), the expected multiplatformness of most of their third-party developers who produced early hits like Dead Rising and Gears of War, and the tossing of money like it's confetti is getting to be a bit ridiculous and unwieldy. They just threw a billion dollars into the hole for something that they could still get into a lawsuit over, and probably should have been looked into when it started happening at more than the normal level. J Allard is a smart guy, so who the fuck is middle-managing this system into oblivion? Someone is cockblocking the 360 at Microsoft.
I'm glad to see that I managed to turn a quick and simple news article about Sony getting a new franchise as a PS3 exclusive (without paying for it, mind you - or at least not letting people know they did) into a "who is fucking shit up at the Microsoft compound?" rant.
I'm thinking of writing an editorial about a couple of things in the games business. I'll probably put that up after the podcast (yes, it got recorded, don't worry).
As part of our long standing relationship with Rockstar, and the incredible success for both companies with the cultural icon that is Grand Theft Auto, we've agreed to the PlayStation exclusive rights of the next great franchise from the Rockstar studios.
No, it's not L.A. Noire. It's something totally different, although it appears LA Noire (whenever it comes out, if it does) will be a PS3 exclusive, too. How strange. I guess this is why Rockstar took the $50 million from Microsoft. Actually, here's what I figured what happened: Rockstar decided that, since Microsoft hadn't really gotten a day-and-date release with the game, and since Rockstar hadn't used Xbox Live yet for something other than multiplayer table tennis, they decided to give the 360 exclusive downloadable content. For free. They see that the PSN is awful for patches and upgrades without the game having a specific bit built for it (see: Motorstorm's simplicity vs. Oblivion's "Game Of The Year" package instead of DLC). Might as well put the extra stuff on a simple, workable online platform, right?
Cut to a year later, Microsoft panics that since Rockstar's so close with Sony, they offer $50 million to make sure it's exclusive DLC. While Rockstar was probably negotiating for whatever this new franchise is.
I'll give Microsoft an A for effort in trying to be the #1 console in this generation, even though they won't be simply because of the Wii; however, I've got to give them an F for business plans on achieving that. I mean, the weird exclusives (Ace Combat? Really? THAT'S a huge exclusive?), the expected multiplatformness of most of their third-party developers who produced early hits like Dead Rising and Gears of War, and the tossing of money like it's confetti is getting to be a bit ridiculous and unwieldy. They just threw a billion dollars into the hole for something that they could still get into a lawsuit over, and probably should have been looked into when it started happening at more than the normal level. J Allard is a smart guy, so who the fuck is middle-managing this system into oblivion? Someone is cockblocking the 360 at Microsoft.
I'm glad to see that I managed to turn a quick and simple news article about Sony getting a new franchise as a PS3 exclusive (without paying for it, mind you - or at least not letting people know they did) into a "who is fucking shit up at the Microsoft compound?" rant.
I'm thinking of writing an editorial about a couple of things in the games business. I'll probably put that up after the podcast (yes, it got recorded, don't worry).
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
THIS GAME WILL BE FUCKING AWESOME
I would like to say that this may be old news to some, even me, but I must re-iterate in light of the new trailer, This is BOLD.
The first trailer is for game-play and is a bit old, but it gives you an idea of how truly cool this game is going to be. I'm pretty sure from what I can ascertain, that it works kind of like a real-time gambit system. Meaning, the actions are pre-rendered, however, the sheer flexibility of the combat situation allows you to change your action midway through, thus spawning one of the best combat systems I think I've ever seen. It's like controlling a movie. The cut-scenes flow in with each battle meaning that, yes if thats the way it goes, then you play the same EXACT game every time because the battles have to be somewhat scripted. But man, that first time through...
Check it out.
It also looks like you can create combos of some sort. Maybe in the selection screen thats where you add new parts to your combo? Or different gambits? It's not in English so I'm out of luck. Either way, that coupled with this bad-ass looking storyline makes me all warm inside. It could go cheesy but something (the last 15 seconds of the trailer before it goes dark) tells me this will be the game I've been waiting for. Only thing I don't like are the eyes. Too big. Oh well...
Thank you Level 5!
Yes to epic enemies. Yes to giant armor thingies. Yes to ridiculous walking cities and exploding islands.
Just Yes.
-Ian P.
Got this from Gametrailers
and Youtube Yay Youtube...
The first trailer is for game-play and is a bit old, but it gives you an idea of how truly cool this game is going to be. I'm pretty sure from what I can ascertain, that it works kind of like a real-time gambit system. Meaning, the actions are pre-rendered, however, the sheer flexibility of the combat situation allows you to change your action midway through, thus spawning one of the best combat systems I think I've ever seen. It's like controlling a movie. The cut-scenes flow in with each battle meaning that, yes if thats the way it goes, then you play the same EXACT game every time because the battles have to be somewhat scripted. But man, that first time through...
Check it out.
It also looks like you can create combos of some sort. Maybe in the selection screen thats where you add new parts to your combo? Or different gambits? It's not in English so I'm out of luck. Either way, that coupled with this bad-ass looking storyline makes me all warm inside. It could go cheesy but something (the last 15 seconds of the trailer before it goes dark) tells me this will be the game I've been waiting for. Only thing I don't like are the eyes. Too big. Oh well...
Thank you Level 5!
Yes to epic enemies. Yes to giant armor thingies. Yes to ridiculous walking cities and exploding islands.
Just Yes.
-Ian P.
Got this from Gametrailers
and Youtube Yay Youtube...
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Metal Gear Solid 4: Blowout Of The Awesome-its
So, um, in whatever weird time zone that Japan exists in, there was this thing called a Metal Gear Party. And at this Metal Gear Party, a ton of stuff was shown off, including the Metal Gear 20th Anniversary Collection:
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus:
Metal Gear Online:
Metal Gear Solid 2: Bande Dessinee:
and, this little thing we call actual gameplay in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of The Patriots.
Yeah. It was awesome.
And, oh yeah, for you people who play games on cell phones, you won't be able to play Metal Gear Solid Mobile. This one is Japan-only.
-K
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus:
Metal Gear Online:
Metal Gear Solid 2: Bande Dessinee:
and, this little thing we call actual gameplay in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of The Patriots.
Yeah. It was awesome.
And, oh yeah, for you people who play games on cell phones, you won't be able to play Metal Gear Solid Mobile. This one is Japan-only.
-K
Monday, July 23, 2007
PS3 Firmware Update 1.9 + Heavenly Sword Demo This Week
Hoo-yeah! Playstation.blog is saying there'll be a firmware update sometime this week.
It took forever, but one of those few cool features from the PSP -- wallpaper -- is finally hitting the PS3.
Plus, the lovely useless remote eject ability. Seeing as you still have to get up and slip the thing from it's spot in the PS slit. (oh, dirty)
Not only that, but it's been officially announced: Heavenly Sword's Gamer's Day Demo will be available on all the PlayStation Stores as a part of the regular Thursday (for US and JP)/Friday (for EU) update. The demo itself is pretty hot. Don't believe me?
The only problem is going to be that the damned thing is too short. I'm going to be spending two months playing what equals like .0005% of the game.
-K
Customization is one new feature: you can now personalize the wallpaper on your XMB with a photo. This was one of the top three requests we received via the blog’s contact form. When viewing a photo, simply bring up the options screen by pressing the triangle button and selecting “set as wallpaper” from the options displayed. Additionally, you can now change the order of the games displayed under the game icon on the XMB.
Another new feature focuses on added communication elements: When you’re sending messages to friends on PLAYSTATION Network, you can now use emoticons. We’ve added a bunch of emoticons that can be easily accessed from the virtual keyboard. Also, another cool addition is, when an avatar is displayed during voice/video chat, the avatar will move in response to audio.
Finally, on the more technical side, you can now play AVCHD videos saved on a Memory Stick or digital video camera, and we’ve added the ability to upscale audio CD output from your PS3. Now, there are two requirements for this feature: the device you’re outputting to must support a sampling frequency of 88.2 kHz or 176.4 kHz, and your PS3 must be connected to that device with an HDMI cable or digital optical cable.
Oh, and one more thing: you can now eject discs using your controller by selecting “Eject Disc” in the options menu after you push the PS button.
Several other minor options will be included in 1.90 including a few new display options that will allow you to adjust your display while playing PlayStation, PlayStation2 and Blu-ray movies. More info on these options as well as detailed info on the rest of the 1.90 additions will be available later this week. We’ll update this post with a link to that info when it’s available.
It took forever, but one of those few cool features from the PSP -- wallpaper -- is finally hitting the PS3.
Plus, the lovely useless remote eject ability. Seeing as you still have to get up and slip the thing from it's spot in the PS slit. (oh, dirty)
Not only that, but it's been officially announced: Heavenly Sword's Gamer's Day Demo will be available on all the PlayStation Stores as a part of the regular Thursday (for US and JP)/Friday (for EU) update. The demo itself is pretty hot. Don't believe me?
The only problem is going to be that the damned thing is too short. I'm going to be spending two months playing what equals like .0005% of the game.
-K
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Nothing New to Report, so... Here's A Game Informer Interview With Phil Harrison.
Not a whole lot is going on in the gaming world right now, as you could guess by looking at every game site around the place either reporting on lawsuits or keeping their heads way back in e3-land.
Meanwhilst, us here at D-Pad are supporting our dorkiness by burying our heads in the final Harry Potter book. What can we say -- we're nerds in more than one corner of this big nerdy world.
So, anyway, here's probably the last interesting thing that's come up in recent days. I'd cover a game coming up like Ian has, but there's a podcast coming where we'll be spending like ten minutes espousing three must-have games that may have been lost in the dust (well, maybe just two) of other games in recent weeks and months.
So, for the moment, here's a Game Informer interview with Phil Harrison.
And, for fun, here's the e3 2007 Gameplay trailer for that other weird game at Sony's conference, Patapon.
-K
Meanwhilst, us here at D-Pad are supporting our dorkiness by burying our heads in the final Harry Potter book. What can we say -- we're nerds in more than one corner of this big nerdy world.
So, anyway, here's probably the last interesting thing that's come up in recent days. I'd cover a game coming up like Ian has, but there's a podcast coming where we'll be spending like ten minutes espousing three must-have games that may have been lost in the dust (well, maybe just two) of other games in recent weeks and months.
So, for the moment, here's a Game Informer interview with Phil Harrison.
And, for fun, here's the e3 2007 Gameplay trailer for that other weird game at Sony's conference, Patapon.
-K
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
It's...So...Beautiful!
Another Katamari game? I thought that the creator left after We <3 Katamari (that's right I used the less-than-three.)? Oh well, can't really screw up a Katamari design can you? Add one part crazy soundtrack, one part King of the Cosmos, seven parts cock-piece, and another part of screaming balls of rolled up people...and you get a strangely addicting game. Seems like that's what they've done over at Namco.
This one is headed by Me & My Katamari designer Jun Moriwaki. Hopefully it will be a decent seque...l...tri-quell? Post Sequel?
Never-mind.
I am still a bit apprehensive of the offset stick control for a Katamari game. The PS2 controls, however frustrating they were at first, fit very nicely when you actually got your hands coordinated. Still, a 360 exclusive? I dunno about that...
According to Newsweek,
The title was bought out due to uncertainty in the PS3's sales. Pity. The Namco-Bandai-Microsoft relationship has been growing anyways, I just hope it doesn't leave us feeling all rolled up in the end. *Dies from bad punning.*
Biggest concern? The Xbox effect on games.*
I hope there isn't too much focus on multiplayer and visuals and not enough on the single player craziness. This is not a game that fratboy's and harcore FPS fans will oogle over if it has great online! Watch the trailer. You'll see what I mean.
Ian P.
*The Xbox effect is when a conceivably good game gets buried beneath screams of fag and pwn3d and leaves those less... extroverted screaming 'you goddamn cretins, I'm here to play with myself! I don't care that it's pretty so you can go on a message board and go 'it's the best game ever cuz it looks like awesome and I can pwn n00bs with my l33t Gamerscore skills online!' Fuck you guys, and fuck the Xbox effect. Kay?* -K
Thanks to Newsweek for this one.
This one is headed by Me & My Katamari designer Jun Moriwaki. Hopefully it will be a decent seque...l...tri-quell? Post Sequel?
Never-mind.
I am still a bit apprehensive of the offset stick control for a Katamari game. The PS2 controls, however frustrating they were at first, fit very nicely when you actually got your hands coordinated. Still, a 360 exclusive? I dunno about that...
According to Newsweek,
The title was bought out due to uncertainty in the PS3's sales. Pity. The Namco-Bandai-Microsoft relationship has been growing anyways, I just hope it doesn't leave us feeling all rolled up in the end. *Dies from bad punning.*
Biggest concern? The Xbox effect on games.*
I hope there isn't too much focus on multiplayer and visuals and not enough on the single player craziness. This is not a game that fratboy's and harcore FPS fans will oogle over if it has great online! Watch the trailer. You'll see what I mean.
Ian P.
*The Xbox effect is when a conceivably good game gets buried beneath screams of fag and pwn3d and leaves those less... extroverted screaming 'you goddamn cretins, I'm here to play with myself! I don't care that it's pretty so you can go on a message board and go 'it's the best game ever cuz it looks like awesome and I can pwn n00bs with my l33t Gamerscore skills online!' Fuck you guys, and fuck the Xbox effect. Kay?* -K
Thanks to Newsweek for this one.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Peter Moore Leaving Microsoft Position to Head Up EA Sports
Well, this made me do a double-take. Microsoft's ultra-dedicated (and, to me, ultra-annoying) "Corporate VP of Interactive Entertainment Business, Entertainment And Devices Division", Peter Moore, is leaving the company to join the newly-restructured Electronic Arts, specifically heading up the Sports "brand", one of many between Games, Casual, and -- wait for it -- The Sims. Yes. There's a large portion of this company dedicated to The Sims. Moore, the former President & COO of Sega of America, helped launch the Dreamcast in America in 1999, before moving on in 2003 to Microsoft to help with the creation and launch of the Xbox 360. Prior to his gaming career, he was Senior VP of Marketing at Reebok International, and was also President of Patrick USA, a subsidiary of a French sportswear company. Which I guess makes him qualified to run a Sports "brand".
I suppose this explains why he was less antagonistic this year at e3. Seeing as he'll be heading up a department of a company that'll design for the consoles he's been competing against for three-plus years.
Or this explains the 60fps/360 and 30fps/PS3 decision EA came to. No, wait, that's laziness.
-K
Other News from the "PlayStation Premier" event
- Toshihiro Nagoshi, the guy who did both Super Monkey Ball and Yakuza, announced two titles to be coming to PS3, one of which he got dressed up for.
- A Loco Roco sequel (!) was announced for the PlayStation Network, and it'll apparently work as both a game and a screensaver. Yeah.
- Elefunk, a title that apparently asks the question: "how do you get elephants across things when they weigh over a ton?" was shown off with perhaps the most bizarre screenshot until they showed Nobi Nobi Boy:
- Some new screens were shown off for White Knight Story, and it was announced as being playable at the Tokyo Game Show in September.
- Disgaea 3 for PS3 was announced.
- And, last but not least, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue will be available for download in October of this year at the Japanese store.
If you're wondering why all these links go to IGN, they're the only major site that seems to be covering it.
-K
- A Loco Roco sequel (!) was announced for the PlayStation Network, and it'll apparently work as both a game and a screensaver. Yeah.
- Elefunk, a title that apparently asks the question: "how do you get elephants across things when they weigh over a ton?" was shown off with perhaps the most bizarre screenshot until they showed Nobi Nobi Boy:
- Some new screens were shown off for White Knight Story, and it was announced as being playable at the Tokyo Game Show in September.
- Disgaea 3 for PS3 was announced.
- And, last but not least, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue will be available for download in October of this year at the Japanese store.
If you're wondering why all these links go to IGN, they're the only major site that seems to be covering it.
-K
Introducing Nobi Nobi Boy
Keita Takahashi, creator of Katamari Damacy and lover of playgrounds, has unveiled his next piece of work, and it centers around that little dude above this paragraph. For those not versed in Japanese, one of the meanings of "Nobi" is "to stretch". And it is coming to PlayStation 3 only, it appears.
Play.tm: Nobi Nobi Boy revealed
-K
Monday, July 16, 2007
D-Pad, Episode 2: The Aftermath of E3 And Some 'Arry 'Otter
Click here to hear about:
- E3, Our thoughts on
- Harry Potter, Donald's review of
- Hardcore gamers, Nintendo's abandonment of
- Jokes, of the gay variety
- And much more!
- E3, Our thoughts on
- Harry Potter, Donald's review of
- Hardcore gamers, Nintendo's abandonment of
- Jokes, of the gay variety
- And much more!
Rock Band Titles Thus far
WOW I've had a few weird days. But, this is not a personal blog. So I'll just say hello and hope I don't get shot by Kevin early this morning.
ANYWAY, in case you haven't seen the entire Rock Band list thus far, here's the lineup with more to follow:
* "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" - Blue Öyster Cult
* "Enter Sandman" - Metallica
* "Go with the Flow" - Queens of the Stone Age
* "In Bloom" - Nirvana
* "Last Train Home" - Lostprophets
* "Learn To Fly" - Foo Fighters
* "Main Offender" - The Hives
* "Mississippi Queen" - Mountain
* "Paranoid" - Black Sabbath
* "Reptilia" - The Strokes
* "Rockaway Beach" - The Ramones
* "Say It Ain't So" - Weezer
* "Suffragette City" - David Bowie
* "Tom Sawyer" - Rush
* "Vasoline" - Stone Temple Pilots
* "Wanted Dead or Alive" - Bon Jovi
* "Welcome To The Jungle" - Guns N’ Roses
* "Won't Get Fooled Again" - The Who
* Unknown track - Queens of the Stone Age (Era Vulgaris)
The Who's "Who's Next" will be the first fully download-able ALBUM. Sweet Deal. Probably going to be download-able day one.
I want to see some Dillinger Escape Plan and Meshuggah, but for now this list looks spectacular with something for everyone...except the bassist. No offense bassists, but most of the time your parts are pretty simple.
Predictions? I expect at least one Incubus and Red Hot Chili Peppers song will make it on there. Probably going to have a Strokes album as well. I also assume *COUGH COUGH* that download-able albums will not cost more than their I-tunes counterparts. *AHEM* At least not too much more.
Here, check out this screaming mob of monkeys playing Bon Jovi.
See? Monkeys.
Game of the year on its way.
-Ian P.
Straight From Wikipedia
ANYWAY, in case you haven't seen the entire Rock Band list thus far, here's the lineup with more to follow:
* "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" - Blue Öyster Cult
* "Enter Sandman" - Metallica
* "Go with the Flow" - Queens of the Stone Age
* "In Bloom" - Nirvana
* "Last Train Home" - Lostprophets
* "Learn To Fly" - Foo Fighters
* "Main Offender" - The Hives
* "Mississippi Queen" - Mountain
* "Paranoid" - Black Sabbath
* "Reptilia" - The Strokes
* "Rockaway Beach" - The Ramones
* "Say It Ain't So" - Weezer
* "Suffragette City" - David Bowie
* "Tom Sawyer" - Rush
* "Vasoline" - Stone Temple Pilots
* "Wanted Dead or Alive" - Bon Jovi
* "Welcome To The Jungle" - Guns N’ Roses
* "Won't Get Fooled Again" - The Who
* Unknown track - Queens of the Stone Age (Era Vulgaris)
The Who's "Who's Next" will be the first fully download-able ALBUM. Sweet Deal. Probably going to be download-able day one.
I want to see some Dillinger Escape Plan and Meshuggah, but for now this list looks spectacular with something for everyone...except the bassist. No offense bassists, but most of the time your parts are pretty simple.
Predictions? I expect at least one Incubus and Red Hot Chili Peppers song will make it on there. Probably going to have a Strokes album as well. I also assume *COUGH COUGH* that download-able albums will not cost more than their I-tunes counterparts. *AHEM* At least not too much more.
Here, check out this screaming mob of monkeys playing Bon Jovi.
See? Monkeys.
Game of the year on its way.
-Ian P.
Straight From Wikipedia
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Super Mario Galaxy: 40 Levels, 120 Stars, And... Suits.
As e3 went on, of course, details rolled out about many games: some of the coolest facts that came out were on the evolution of the Super Mario franchise, Super Mario Galaxy.
Little did we know what they meant by evolution. Super Mario Galaxy will contain 40 levels and 120 stars, according to 1up.com squeezing some info from Shigeru Miyamoto himself. Not only that, but there's going to be suits: particularly, there'll be a Bee Suit!
Yeah. There's no way anyone's stopping me from playing this game the moment it comes out. November 12th, folks. November 12th. It'll probably be the first day I use the Wii for something other than some Virtual Console Mario 64 or Sonic.
I mean, c'mon. It's Mario in a bee suit. If you don't think that's awesome, I refuse to know you as a human being. You're dead to me.
-K
Little did we know what they meant by evolution. Super Mario Galaxy will contain 40 levels and 120 stars, according to 1up.com squeezing some info from Shigeru Miyamoto himself. Not only that, but there's going to be suits: particularly, there'll be a Bee Suit!
Yeah. There's no way anyone's stopping me from playing this game the moment it comes out. November 12th, folks. November 12th. It'll probably be the first day I use the Wii for something other than some Virtual Console Mario 64 or Sonic.
I mean, c'mon. It's Mario in a bee suit. If you don't think that's awesome, I refuse to know you as a human being. You're dead to me.
-K
Friday, July 13, 2007
Heavenly Sword Demo Actually Hitting This Month?
So, remember how Mat Hart of Ninja Theory said there'd be a demo very soon for the rapidly-arriving, hugely-anticipated Heavenly Sword (scroll down to a comment from "NinjaMat" to see the proof)?
Well, according to PS3 Fanboy, it is coming, along with a bunch of PS1 games for the European store. You may recall that you can sign up for the European store just the same as you can sign up for the US one. In fact, it's much easier than the Japanese store. Just say you're from England, make up a street address, Google a zip code, and make up your username and stuff. Simple. Of course, chances are that if they're getting it over there, we'll get it over here beforehand.
But, just in case, sign up.
-K
PS3 Fanboy: July's European Store Offerings
Well, according to PS3 Fanboy, it is coming, along with a bunch of PS1 games for the European store. You may recall that you can sign up for the European store just the same as you can sign up for the US one. In fact, it's much easier than the Japanese store. Just say you're from England, make up a street address, Google a zip code, and make up your username and stuff. Simple. Of course, chances are that if they're getting it over there, we'll get it over here beforehand.
But, just in case, sign up.
-K
PS3 Fanboy: July's European Store Offerings
Sony Gets Back To Screwing Up
After a balls-out awesome e3 presentation, Sony immediately finds itself rolling around in PR woes.
From GamesIndustry.biz, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe boss Dave Reeves states:
So the Internet blows up with this news. Sony Computer Entertainment America responds:
Well, that goodwill lasted long. Chances are that when 60GB versions are all gone, the 80GB will go down to $499 and lose the packed-in game. After all, the 80GB is cheaper for Sony to produce, even if it doesn't run as many games as the hardware-emulation enabled 60GBs in stores right now.
Oh well. It could be worse. They could've made a PS3 that looked like this:
Seriously. I'm sure the game'll be great, if not able to live up to monumental hype. But that is the single ugliest game console since the Jaguar.
All they had to do was make it transluscent and more of a lime-green, and it would've looked awesome. Okay, so maybe not transluscent, because who wants to watch their processor pop off the motherboard?
But, c'mon. With decisions and screw-ups in management like these, it's no wonder Nintendo is pulling ahead even without much of a plan in place.
-K
From GamesIndustry.biz, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe boss Dave Reeves states:
How concerned are you about possible criticisms that you should have given European consumers what SCEA has given US consumers, i.e. the option to pay a lower price?
Well, they're not really are they, because what the US are offering from the 1st of August is a USD 599 version with one game. All they're doing is taking their stock in trade that they've got at the moment of the 60GB model, marking the price down and it will all be gone by the end of July.
So once the 60GB is gone, that will be the end of the 60GB then?
In America, yes.
So the Internet blows up with this news. Sony Computer Entertainment America responds:
SCEA has denied 'inaccurate' reports that its $100 price cut on the 60Gig PS3 is simply a move to clear stock before offering solely the higher priced 80Gig version.
A spokesperson for Sony in the US told Next-Gen, “"As announced this week, SCEA's product offering in North America consists of a 80GB PS3 available in August at $599 and a 60GB PS3 available now for $499. We have will have ample supplies of both models to meet the needs of our consumers for the foreseeable future."
Officials at Sony Computer entertainment Europe – including president David Reeves – had said that the US price would still be $599 because that would be the only model on offer once 60Gig stocks ran out. If true, this would have rendered the $100 price cut a virtually pointless gesture, meaning that PS3 had not been cut in price, but was simply being offered with extra memory and a bundled game.
SCEA has reacted with puzzlement to the European perspective, suggesting that there may have been an incorrect interpretation. The spokesperson said, “Those quotes [published by a UK-based game industry website] from David Reeves are not accurate. He said that if they had lowered the price in Europe, that territory would have run out of their current inventory by the end of July.”
Previously, a senior PR at Sony in London had backed Reeves statement, confirming that he had been talking about the US market, though the PR later distanced London from the remarks, telling Next-Gen, “I believe that is the plan, but SCEA has not formally made an announcement on any timeframe. As it affects the US you should confirm with SCEA. ”
SCEA subsequently denied the story entirely. However, questions will now be raised about the company's long term plans for the 60Gig version and for its $599 / $499 pricing strategy.
Well, that goodwill lasted long. Chances are that when 60GB versions are all gone, the 80GB will go down to $499 and lose the packed-in game. After all, the 80GB is cheaper for Sony to produce, even if it doesn't run as many games as the hardware-emulation enabled 60GBs in stores right now.
Oh well. It could be worse. They could've made a PS3 that looked like this:
Seriously. I'm sure the game'll be great, if not able to live up to monumental hype. But that is the single ugliest game console since the Jaguar.
All they had to do was make it transluscent and more of a lime-green, and it would've looked awesome. Okay, so maybe not transluscent, because who wants to watch their processor pop off the motherboard?
But, c'mon. With decisions and screw-ups in management like these, it's no wonder Nintendo is pulling ahead even without much of a plan in place.
-K
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Rumbly Tumbly Sixaxis By September?
Kotaku's Brian Ashcraft is stating so. According to him, he asked a Sony employee while tooling around the hotels and assorted areas that e3 is taking place in, and the man confirmed that the Sixaxis with rumble is coming.
Not just that, but 1up.com says Immersion recently licensed the use of "Touchsense" technology to be instituted in third-party products this September -- specifically to Hori and Katana, with Katana saying they'll be producing PlayStation controllers with the "Touchsense" logo on it (computerandvideogames.com).
Now, one plus one plus one = 3 with rumble, if you figure this all together correctly. I'd expect an announcement around the Tokyo Game Show.
-K
Not just that, but 1up.com says Immersion recently licensed the use of "Touchsense" technology to be instituted in third-party products this September -- specifically to Hori and Katana, with Katana saying they'll be producing PlayStation controllers with the "Touchsense" logo on it (computerandvideogames.com).
Now, one plus one plus one = 3 with rumble, if you figure this all together correctly. I'd expect an announcement around the Tokyo Game Show.
-K
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Sony Conference Liveblogging
2:29 - Well, one minute to go.
2:30 - And... they're late.
2:31 - See?
2:32 - Can someone check their... here we go! Crazy visuals! Whoo! ACID TRIP!
2:33 - Jack Tretton! In Home!
2:36 - And Jack's pointing out the new prices.
2:37 - 50 games. This is funny. It's Jack, not Kaz, not Phil. That's new.
2:38 - "PlayStation 2. (the one that's got a lot of systems sold.)"
2:40 - PSP. BOOOOOO.
2:41 - Let's see them ports! SOCOM!
2:41 - WipeOut, bitches! Hells yes!
2:42 - Syphon Filter = downgraded when they realized the PS2 ones sucked.
2:42 - God of War of 333Mhz.
2:43 - Potapon? WTF?
2:44 - More ports. And Sonic Rivals -- which at least seems to be side-scrolling. What the hell is this Sims game?
2:45 - This is a lot of games.
2:45 - Just so everyone knows, Ian's computer is being a bitch, so I'm doing this from the laptop.
2:46 - AND... buffering.
2:47 - That was a lot of games. A lot of -- more Jack Tretton Home version!
2:47 - ... Best use of a faux pas from last year ever. "Riiiidge Racer!"
2:48 - I'm loving this.
2:48 - Kaz!
2:49 - My feed! NOOOOO!
2:49 - A slight PSP redesign. Thing Done Right #1.
2:50 - Wow. This feed sucks.
2:51 - What the fuck, they figured out how to make UMDs worth something.
2:53 - Handoff! Back to Jack.
2:54 - PlayStation Pee.
3:00 - Some minor troubles with logging in...boo. Echa-what? -Ian P.
3:01 - This is one fucked up puzzle game. OH GOD FIRE? No. Just,,, strangeness. -K
3:02 - My head just exploded, I never thought they'd make an M.C. Escher game. -Ian P.
3:02 - Wipeout? Wipeout? YES. YESSSSS. -K
3:03 - I really like the fact that they just announce 30 new games never heard of before. Oh god loud trailer. This looks awesome. I want wipout now. -Ian P.
3:04 - I think we can already call the conference winner to be Sony right now. PAIN! PAIN is awesome. -K
3:04 - You know, for all the masochists or sadists out there, PAIN. -Ian P.
3:05 - I never got into the WARHAWK beta. It makes me sad. Now show off the controls and prove they don't suck. No? Dammit. -K
3:06 - David Seymor is the new WARHAWK contoller. You just beat him with your Sixaxis. -Ian P.
3:06 - I love the PSN more than I like disc-based games right now. Jesus. -K
3:07 - OPEN BETA? OPEN BETA? HOME, C'MON. -K
3:07 - God damnit he's tall. -Ian P.
3:07 - ON A PHONE? What the Jesus on a cross whipping his dick across Virgin Mary's ass fuck. -K
3:08 - "Yes...yes you are a sexy man...so sexy...just like that *click*." Well thats cool, it's a plug for gimmicks but still, the choice is there, and I like that. -Ian P.
3:09 - This is so making up for last year's gigantic fuckup. Phil looks ugly in a snowsuit. -K
3:11 - The fact that they are showing this off THROUGH Home is pretty damn kickass. I don't really enjoy singstar but oh well. -Ian P.
3:12 - Clapping Phil! ^_^ ... What the blue fuck, Sony. Networking between phones and PS3? That's ridiculous. -K
3:13 - EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED, send your photo to your Sony toaster! It burns the image onto your toast, then share it with your friends. -Ian P.
3:14 - Wow. Sony listened. And now, for the long load times of Motorstorm. -K
3:15 - I hope this is how Phil drives to work. Eat shit Phil. On a rock. -Ian P.
3:16 - Unlike the Microsoft expo, this has new product after new product with no silly, YEA we can do Remotes too. Thanks Microsoft. -Ian P.
3:17 - Time for the IPTV announcement? Maybe? Maybe? C'monnnnn... aw, Circuit City. -K
3:19 - 25 Gig Lair? That's about as much as all of my music I have on my computer...TOTAL. ever... Ian P.
3:20 - Here comes some third-party exclusives, methinks. -K
3:21 - Lin-I-age. -Ian P.
3:22 - Timed exclusive Haze official. -K
3:22 - Thats creepy looking. I hate it when my face pulses. Well this gameplay certainly looks smooth. Playing Dead? WEIRD. -Ian P.
3:24 - That looks awesome. -K
3:25 - Unreal Tournament... is... EXCLUSIVE? Well? GET TO IT, JACK. YES. And... YES, USER-CREATED MODS. Sony: "This year, don't fuck with us." Officially timed exclusive on PS3. -K
3:26 - Is it just me or are all the good games looking at Microsoft and going, well..you know..the PS3 does kinda have..you know...more power and space...so umm...well...BYE! -Ian P.
3:28 - LOOK! ENEMIES! -K/Ian P.
3:28 - Pssh. Old AC trailer. -K
3:29 - I'm not sure what it is but I'm just not that interested in Kane and Lynch. RES EVIL though, that a different story. - Ian P.
3:30 - Burnout: Paradise, being developed on PS3 SDKs. Madden: only running at 30fps. EA can both rock and suck at the same time. -K
3:31 - Hahaha, our roomate played through the whole Harry Potter game for some godawful reason. -Ian P.
3:32 - Such a bad title for Guitar Hero 3. -K
3:32 - Medal of Honor: delayed for... Sixaxis parachuting. I shit you not. Way to go, EA. -K
3:33 - ROCKBAND! -Ian P.
3:34 - METAL GEAR?! EXCLUSIVE! KOJIMA!!!!!!!! *orgasm* -K
3:34 - I think Kevin just turned into a little fanboy puddle. h/o I have to scoop him up maybe put him in a jar or something. -Ian P.
3:35 - Kojima: effortlessly cool. -K
3:37 - I wish I was as cool as Kojima, new MGS4 trailer!? -Ian P.
3:37 - ENGLISH! HAYTER! WOOP WOOP! -K
3:38 - That woman had bush head. -Ian P.
3:38 - MERYL! -K
3:39 - OH FUCK GEKKOS -K
3:40 - IT'S A SLOBBERKNOCKER -K
3:41 - VAMP!! -K
3:43 - SHADOW KICK -K
3:43 - WHAT THE FUCK -K
3:44 - DAMMIT 2008 -K
3:44 - Well that was just the most kickass thing I have ever seen. And a demo to demonstrate? Neato! -Ian P.
3:45 - ... Um... oh, I get it. Ratchet. -K
3:45 - Dress in a rubber Ratchet and Clank suit and do a flamenco dance? FURRY. -Ian P.
3:46 - Everything they've shown has been games (minus the Wookie). This is so good. -K
3:48 - FOLKLORE YES -K
3:49 - HEAVENLY SWORD YES YES -K
3:49 - Please announce the demo is going on the store right now. Please. Please. -K
3:50 - I hope Heavenly Sword lives up to the original Devil May Cry, I really want it to soo badly. Not so into the sports games. -Ian P.
3:51 - NBA 08: still -- FUCK IT'S LITTLEBIGPLANET YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY -K
3:52 - No demo's yet, a little upset about that. But Little Big Planet makes up for it! -Ian P.
3:53 - I want my sunflower with sunglasses and that was way too short. -Ian P.
3:55 - SUCKER PUNCH GAME?! -K
3:56 - This is certainly... different. -K
3:57 - I...damn. THAT was fuckin' cool. -Ian P.
3:58 - Gran Turismo 5!! Have you noticed my sentences have collapsed into ... GOOOOOOOOOOO. -K
3:59 - This is so overdramatic for a car game. BUM....car....BAH....another car....but jesus that at least LOOKs amazing. -Ian P.
4:00 - KILLZONE RIDICULOUS OVERBLOWN APPEARANCE -K
4:01 - I've seen it, but upon watching the Killzone trailer again I'm realising how much detail is in this. If the gameplay is great then we have a truely new experience here. Damn loud trailer. -Ian P.
4:04 - Sony, to rest of world: "Believe us now?" -K
4:04 - They had better have their unique rumble by this game. -Ian P.
4:05 - He's holding a controller... -K/Ian P.
4:06 - Please have one last announcement... -K
4:06 - I want a demo. -Ian P.
4:07 - No rumble, no demos on the Store? Poo. -K
Well that was MUCH better than the Microsoft expo. Poop on you Peter. You've got Halo and that's it. and...and...Bioshock, which WILL be ridiculous but those 2 games dont hold a candle to the sheer number of NEW things sony announced. At leats Kev has a PS3. -Ian P.
METAL GEAR?! -K
2:30 - And... they're late.
2:31 - See?
2:32 - Can someone check their... here we go! Crazy visuals! Whoo! ACID TRIP!
2:33 - Jack Tretton! In Home!
2:36 - And Jack's pointing out the new prices.
2:37 - 50 games. This is funny. It's Jack, not Kaz, not Phil. That's new.
2:38 - "PlayStation 2. (the one that's got a lot of systems sold.)"
2:40 - PSP. BOOOOOO.
2:41 - Let's see them ports! SOCOM!
2:41 - WipeOut, bitches! Hells yes!
2:42 - Syphon Filter = downgraded when they realized the PS2 ones sucked.
2:42 - God of War of 333Mhz.
2:43 - Potapon? WTF?
2:44 - More ports. And Sonic Rivals -- which at least seems to be side-scrolling. What the hell is this Sims game?
2:45 - This is a lot of games.
2:45 - Just so everyone knows, Ian's computer is being a bitch, so I'm doing this from the laptop.
2:46 - AND... buffering.
2:47 - That was a lot of games. A lot of -- more Jack Tretton Home version!
2:47 - ... Best use of a faux pas from last year ever. "Riiiidge Racer!"
2:48 - I'm loving this.
2:48 - Kaz!
2:49 - My feed! NOOOOO!
2:49 - A slight PSP redesign. Thing Done Right #1.
2:50 - Wow. This feed sucks.
2:51 - What the fuck, they figured out how to make UMDs worth something.
2:53 - Handoff! Back to Jack.
2:54 - PlayStation Pee.
3:00 - Some minor troubles with logging in...boo. Echa-what? -Ian P.
3:01 - This is one fucked up puzzle game. OH GOD FIRE? No. Just,,, strangeness. -K
3:02 - My head just exploded, I never thought they'd make an M.C. Escher game. -Ian P.
3:02 - Wipeout? Wipeout? YES. YESSSSS. -K
3:03 - I really like the fact that they just announce 30 new games never heard of before. Oh god loud trailer. This looks awesome. I want wipout now. -Ian P.
3:04 - I think we can already call the conference winner to be Sony right now. PAIN! PAIN is awesome. -K
3:04 - You know, for all the masochists or sadists out there, PAIN. -Ian P.
3:05 - I never got into the WARHAWK beta. It makes me sad. Now show off the controls and prove they don't suck. No? Dammit. -K
3:06 - David Seymor is the new WARHAWK contoller. You just beat him with your Sixaxis. -Ian P.
3:06 - I love the PSN more than I like disc-based games right now. Jesus. -K
3:07 - OPEN BETA? OPEN BETA? HOME, C'MON. -K
3:07 - God damnit he's tall. -Ian P.
3:07 - ON A PHONE? What the Jesus on a cross whipping his dick across Virgin Mary's ass fuck. -K
3:08 - "Yes...yes you are a sexy man...so sexy...just like that *click*." Well thats cool, it's a plug for gimmicks but still, the choice is there, and I like that. -Ian P.
3:09 - This is so making up for last year's gigantic fuckup. Phil looks ugly in a snowsuit. -K
3:11 - The fact that they are showing this off THROUGH Home is pretty damn kickass. I don't really enjoy singstar but oh well. -Ian P.
3:12 - Clapping Phil! ^_^ ... What the blue fuck, Sony. Networking between phones and PS3? That's ridiculous. -K
3:13 - EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED, send your photo to your Sony toaster! It burns the image onto your toast, then share it with your friends. -Ian P.
3:14 - Wow. Sony listened. And now, for the long load times of Motorstorm. -K
3:15 - I hope this is how Phil drives to work. Eat shit Phil. On a rock. -Ian P.
3:16 - Unlike the Microsoft expo, this has new product after new product with no silly, YEA we can do Remotes too. Thanks Microsoft. -Ian P.
3:17 - Time for the IPTV announcement? Maybe? Maybe? C'monnnnn... aw, Circuit City. -K
3:19 - 25 Gig Lair? That's about as much as all of my music I have on my computer...TOTAL. ever... Ian P.
3:20 - Here comes some third-party exclusives, methinks. -K
3:21 - Lin-I-age. -Ian P.
3:22 - Timed exclusive Haze official. -K
3:22 - Thats creepy looking. I hate it when my face pulses. Well this gameplay certainly looks smooth. Playing Dead? WEIRD. -Ian P.
3:24 - That looks awesome. -K
3:25 - Unreal Tournament... is... EXCLUSIVE? Well? GET TO IT, JACK. YES. And... YES, USER-CREATED MODS. Sony: "This year, don't fuck with us." Officially timed exclusive on PS3. -K
3:26 - Is it just me or are all the good games looking at Microsoft and going, well..you know..the PS3 does kinda have..you know...more power and space...so umm...well...BYE! -Ian P.
3:28 - LOOK! ENEMIES! -K/Ian P.
3:28 - Pssh. Old AC trailer. -K
3:29 - I'm not sure what it is but I'm just not that interested in Kane and Lynch. RES EVIL though, that a different story. - Ian P.
3:30 - Burnout: Paradise, being developed on PS3 SDKs. Madden: only running at 30fps. EA can both rock and suck at the same time. -K
3:31 - Hahaha, our roomate played through the whole Harry Potter game for some godawful reason. -Ian P.
3:32 - Such a bad title for Guitar Hero 3. -K
3:32 - Medal of Honor: delayed for... Sixaxis parachuting. I shit you not. Way to go, EA. -K
3:33 - ROCKBAND! -Ian P.
3:34 - METAL GEAR?! EXCLUSIVE! KOJIMA!!!!!!!! *orgasm* -K
3:34 - I think Kevin just turned into a little fanboy puddle. h/o I have to scoop him up maybe put him in a jar or something. -Ian P.
3:35 - Kojima: effortlessly cool. -K
3:37 - I wish I was as cool as Kojima, new MGS4 trailer!? -Ian P.
3:37 - ENGLISH! HAYTER! WOOP WOOP! -K
3:38 - That woman had bush head. -Ian P.
3:38 - MERYL! -K
3:39 - OH FUCK GEKKOS -K
3:40 - IT'S A SLOBBERKNOCKER -K
3:41 - VAMP!! -K
3:43 - SHADOW KICK -K
3:43 - WHAT THE FUCK -K
3:44 - DAMMIT 2008 -K
3:44 - Well that was just the most kickass thing I have ever seen. And a demo to demonstrate? Neato! -Ian P.
3:45 - ... Um... oh, I get it. Ratchet. -K
3:45 - Dress in a rubber Ratchet and Clank suit and do a flamenco dance? FURRY. -Ian P.
3:46 - Everything they've shown has been games (minus the Wookie). This is so good. -K
3:48 - FOLKLORE YES -K
3:49 - HEAVENLY SWORD YES YES -K
3:49 - Please announce the demo is going on the store right now. Please. Please. -K
3:50 - I hope Heavenly Sword lives up to the original Devil May Cry, I really want it to soo badly. Not so into the sports games. -Ian P.
3:51 - NBA 08: still -- FUCK IT'S LITTLEBIGPLANET YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY -K
3:52 - No demo's yet, a little upset about that. But Little Big Planet makes up for it! -Ian P.
3:53 - I want my sunflower with sunglasses and that was way too short. -Ian P.
3:55 - SUCKER PUNCH GAME?! -K
3:56 - This is certainly... different. -K
3:57 - I...damn. THAT was fuckin' cool. -Ian P.
3:58 - Gran Turismo 5!! Have you noticed my sentences have collapsed into ... GOOOOOOOOOOO. -K
3:59 - This is so overdramatic for a car game. BUM....car....BAH....another car....but jesus that at least LOOKs amazing. -Ian P.
4:00 - KILLZONE RIDICULOUS OVERBLOWN APPEARANCE -K
4:01 - I've seen it, but upon watching the Killzone trailer again I'm realising how much detail is in this. If the gameplay is great then we have a truely new experience here. Damn loud trailer. -Ian P.
4:04 - Sony, to rest of world: "Believe us now?" -K
4:04 - They had better have their unique rumble by this game. -Ian P.
4:05 - He's holding a controller... -K/Ian P.
4:06 - Please have one last announcement... -K
4:06 - I want a demo. -Ian P.
4:07 - No rumble, no demos on the Store? Poo. -K
Well that was MUCH better than the Microsoft expo. Poop on you Peter. You've got Halo and that's it. and...and...Bioshock, which WILL be ridiculous but those 2 games dont hold a candle to the sheer number of NEW things sony announced. At leats Kev has a PS3. -Ian P.
METAL GEAR?! -K
Nintendo Press Conference Liveblog
12:02 - Gotta love when streams are being stabbed by a thousand users going to it at once.
12:14 - Found a workable stream. Finally. Reggie's yakking about games being satellites, and... numbers.
12:15 - We know. Yes, we know, #1 worldwide in probably August. Now how about increasing shipments?
12:16 - How many of those 140 are going to be crap, and how many of those extra 60 are going to be shovelware, Reggie?
12:16 - Not "everyone is a gamer". A bunch of people playing Wii Sports and not buying another game are not players.
12:17 - This video package is fucked up.
12:18 - Wii Zapper? Awesome. Hey, you hold it like a Super Scope!
12:20 - "Zap a zombie." Somewhere, Mina's exploding.
12:20 - 32 soldiers?! Damn.
12:21 - Wii Zapper with... what? What? Oh. It'll be $20. Good deal.
12:21 - Sword attachment? No sword attachment? :-(
12:22 - "Maybe you're 'deep'." What the hell does that mean?
12:23 - How can Mario run that fast?
12:23 - BRAWL. BRAWL. BRAWL. BRAWL.
12:24 - Introduce someone new... trailer... roll 'em! Now! Release date? ... SMASH BROS BRAWL December 3rd!
12:25 - Nintendo = blue-balling bastards.
12:26 - Can't we just say "I like this game because it kicks ass?"
12:26 - Mike's Mii has lady-lips. Please tell me it's going to be something interest... ooh, Phantom Hourglass! This Nintendo rep sounds like Jimmy Fallon.
12:27 - That's pretty damn cool. I might have to buy a DS.
12:28 - Damn you, Japan! Having that game already, you! I shake my fist in anger.
12:29 - It's a Nintendo game. Of course the hardcore love it, because it's good.
12:30 - Metroid Prime 3!
12:31 - Lock-on free-aiming. Odd name for it. Go into Hyper Mode? Oh, I get it. How the term "Corruption" comes into play.
12:33 - Oh boy, online. I think the guy you were talking to, Reggie, was talking about a good online multiplayer setup. Not Friend Codes. Friend Codes suck.
12:35 - Dammit, now I've got "I've Got The Whole World in My Hands" stuck in my head.
12:35 - Another Mii Channel - "Check Me Out" Channel. "Am I Hot/Not?" for Miis.
12:36 - If you like Pokemon, Reggie. What if you don't? Does that make you not a complete Wii player?
12:37 - Man, Level 5 really got the look down right on the DS for Dragon Quest, didn't they?
12:38 - Did they really have to add the "Legends" to the Guitar Hero III name?
12:39 - Mario Kart Wii! MARIO KART WII!! Actual online multiplayer! Battle mode! ... Wii Wheel? They're really going to throw crazy gimmick crap on the Wii-mote for a couple of years. At least unlike Scene-It on 360, the games will be good.
12:41 - Can we got to the Smash trailer now, Reggie? Please? Oh, dammit. AARP card members like Wii Bowling and Wii Golf. We know. Now get them to play something else.
12:43 - Dammit, the feed died! Come back, Nintendo!
12:45 - I come back to bizarre cookbook software for DS. Oh, Nintendo.
12:46 - My first day as a gamer? It was on Atari. And I was born the year the original Nintendo came out. Think about that.
12:47 - I've seen more announcements and interesting things in the last fifteen minutes than I did at last night's Microsoft conference in its entirety.
12:50 - Miyamoto in the house! Did they say he's bringing a new game with him?
12:51 - Hold on, some family in Texas got to play Galaxy? DAMN YOU.
12:52 - Huh? Deliberately lose at Rock, Paper, Scissors?
12:54 - Galaxy... November 12th, 2007! Woop.
12:55 - Picross for DS. Meh. MySims. Meh.
12:55 - Oh no, High School Musical! AHHHHH!
12:56 - Raving Rabbids 2! Score.
12:57 - My Life Coach? Huh?
12:58 - Wii Sports 2 announcement, maybe? I'm getting kind of sick of the constant videos about their media coverage.
12:59 - Wii Fit? A steppad? What is this nonsense? If they end it on this note... boo.
1:01 - "It's so real, I got a concussion from a nonexistant soccer ball!"
1:02 - That balancing game looks cool.
1:03 - MIYAMOTO! He's so happy.
1:03 - Like all the time.
1:03 - He's showing off Wii Fit? -_-
1:04 - Aw, I want to watch Miyamoto exercise.
1:05 - "So you can actually enjoy your exercise." Heh.
1:07 - Of course they chose the chick with a bust to do the bending over exercise. Naughty, Nintendo. Naughty.
1:09 - Reggie getting some exercise.
1:10 - Ho ho. I love it when they do things like this.
1:11 - This is a nice setup, I admit.
1:13 - Shigeru's word in English for the day? "excuse." At Reggie. Awesome.
1:14 - Do not fuck with Reggie. That looked great.
1:16 - Nintendo: Time Thiefs!
1:18 - Well, final thoughts: Nintendo continued a solid run, but the concentration on the casual market kind of bothers me. And no third-party announcements? Just games we already knew about. Oh well. The big question: um, Smash trailer? Where was it? I wants it. I wants it now.
-K
12:14 - Found a workable stream. Finally. Reggie's yakking about games being satellites, and... numbers.
12:15 - We know. Yes, we know, #1 worldwide in probably August. Now how about increasing shipments?
12:16 - How many of those 140 are going to be crap, and how many of those extra 60 are going to be shovelware, Reggie?
12:16 - Not "everyone is a gamer". A bunch of people playing Wii Sports and not buying another game are not players.
12:17 - This video package is fucked up.
12:18 - Wii Zapper? Awesome. Hey, you hold it like a Super Scope!
12:20 - "Zap a zombie." Somewhere, Mina's exploding.
12:20 - 32 soldiers?! Damn.
12:21 - Wii Zapper with... what? What? Oh. It'll be $20. Good deal.
12:21 - Sword attachment? No sword attachment? :-(
12:22 - "Maybe you're 'deep'." What the hell does that mean?
12:23 - How can Mario run that fast?
12:23 - BRAWL. BRAWL. BRAWL. BRAWL.
12:24 - Introduce someone new... trailer... roll 'em! Now! Release date? ... SMASH BROS BRAWL December 3rd!
12:25 - Nintendo = blue-balling bastards.
12:26 - Can't we just say "I like this game because it kicks ass?"
12:26 - Mike's Mii has lady-lips. Please tell me it's going to be something interest... ooh, Phantom Hourglass! This Nintendo rep sounds like Jimmy Fallon.
12:27 - That's pretty damn cool. I might have to buy a DS.
12:28 - Damn you, Japan! Having that game already, you! I shake my fist in anger.
12:29 - It's a Nintendo game. Of course the hardcore love it, because it's good.
12:30 - Metroid Prime 3!
12:31 - Lock-on free-aiming. Odd name for it. Go into Hyper Mode? Oh, I get it. How the term "Corruption" comes into play.
12:33 - Oh boy, online. I think the guy you were talking to, Reggie, was talking about a good online multiplayer setup. Not Friend Codes. Friend Codes suck.
12:35 - Dammit, now I've got "I've Got The Whole World in My Hands" stuck in my head.
12:35 - Another Mii Channel - "Check Me Out" Channel. "Am I Hot/Not?" for Miis.
12:36 - If you like Pokemon, Reggie. What if you don't? Does that make you not a complete Wii player?
12:37 - Man, Level 5 really got the look down right on the DS for Dragon Quest, didn't they?
12:38 - Did they really have to add the "Legends" to the Guitar Hero III name?
12:39 - Mario Kart Wii! MARIO KART WII!! Actual online multiplayer! Battle mode! ... Wii Wheel? They're really going to throw crazy gimmick crap on the Wii-mote for a couple of years. At least unlike Scene-It on 360, the games will be good.
12:41 - Can we got to the Smash trailer now, Reggie? Please? Oh, dammit. AARP card members like Wii Bowling and Wii Golf. We know. Now get them to play something else.
12:43 - Dammit, the feed died! Come back, Nintendo!
12:45 - I come back to bizarre cookbook software for DS. Oh, Nintendo.
12:46 - My first day as a gamer? It was on Atari. And I was born the year the original Nintendo came out. Think about that.
12:47 - I've seen more announcements and interesting things in the last fifteen minutes than I did at last night's Microsoft conference in its entirety.
12:50 - Miyamoto in the house! Did they say he's bringing a new game with him?
12:51 - Hold on, some family in Texas got to play Galaxy? DAMN YOU.
12:52 - Huh? Deliberately lose at Rock, Paper, Scissors?
12:54 - Galaxy... November 12th, 2007! Woop.
12:55 - Picross for DS. Meh. MySims. Meh.
12:55 - Oh no, High School Musical! AHHHHH!
12:56 - Raving Rabbids 2! Score.
12:57 - My Life Coach? Huh?
12:58 - Wii Sports 2 announcement, maybe? I'm getting kind of sick of the constant videos about their media coverage.
12:59 - Wii Fit? A steppad? What is this nonsense? If they end it on this note... boo.
1:01 - "It's so real, I got a concussion from a nonexistant soccer ball!"
1:02 - That balancing game looks cool.
1:03 - MIYAMOTO! He's so happy.
1:03 - Like all the time.
1:03 - He's showing off Wii Fit? -_-
1:04 - Aw, I want to watch Miyamoto exercise.
1:05 - "So you can actually enjoy your exercise." Heh.
1:07 - Of course they chose the chick with a bust to do the bending over exercise. Naughty, Nintendo. Naughty.
1:09 - Reggie getting some exercise.
1:10 - Ho ho. I love it when they do things like this.
1:11 - This is a nice setup, I admit.
1:13 - Shigeru's word in English for the day? "excuse." At Reggie. Awesome.
1:14 - Do not fuck with Reggie. That looked great.
1:16 - Nintendo: Time Thiefs!
1:18 - Well, final thoughts: Nintendo continued a solid run, but the concentration on the casual market kind of bothers me. And no third-party announcements? Just games we already knew about. Oh well. The big question: um, Smash trailer? Where was it? I wants it. I wants it now.
-K
Guerilla Games Pulls Off A Miracle. An Honest-To-God Miracle.
Remember at e3 2005, when we all saw the Killzone trailer? The blast of negativity that went right through press and message boards at the same time when it was revealed that it wasn't a real-time piece of the game?
Well, fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice... aw, hell. Just look at these images that 1up.com has just put up, and look through the websites and their coverage. It's an actual "this is really, really, really goddamn closer than we could've expected" response.
A trailer's also rolling up on the PlayStation Store at 3 PM PST today, right alongside a nice MGS4, english-language HD/5.1 trailer, and surely lots of others.
Well? Here they are:
JUST IN: HOLY SHIT
-K
Well, fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice... aw, hell. Just look at these images that 1up.com has just put up, and look through the websites and their coverage. It's an actual "this is really, really, really goddamn closer than we could've expected" response.
A trailer's also rolling up on the PlayStation Store at 3 PM PST today, right alongside a nice MGS4, english-language HD/5.1 trailer, and surely lots of others.
Well? Here they are:
JUST IN: HOLY SHIT
-K
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Smash...the Wright way?
What? Well I guess they mean it when they say that anyone can appear in the game. This is just akward though. 60 year old green haired mayor of Sim City? He fought with the good side loong before Fox even flew his first Arwing. Still...this is weird.
In all his green-headedness.
Taking his bow or...?
Oh. Of course. He's the (note: assistant to the... -K) mayor of a city so he fights by making BUILDINGS APPEAR OUT OF THIN AIR. Ok.
This game is going to be awesome.
-Ian P.
The Dojo strikes again
In all his green-headedness.
Taking his bow or...?
Oh. Of course. He's the (note: assistant to the... -K) mayor of a city so he fights by making BUILDINGS APPEAR OUT OF THIN AIR. Ok.
This game is going to be awesome.
-Ian P.
The Dojo strikes again
Microsoft Press Conference Liveblogging
Technical problems forced us to miss the first 15 minutes or so. Apparently we missed a violin version of the "Halo" theme.
11:45 - Mass effect? Awesome.
11:48 - Peter jibba-jabbas about the games the system sells. Of course, how many of that is Cars and other crap licensed games.
11:49 - of course it's half. You've had a year longer than your competition "this generation". Duh.
11:51 - Dude, Pete? "Here it Goes Again" was so two years ago.
11:55 - Wow. This guy sucks.
11:56 - Scene It (HD Live)? That's fuckin' retarded.
11:56 - ... No, never mind, that controller is retarded.
11:58 - NARUTO, big deal. No dice on those controllers. Those are not wiimotes. -Ian P.
11:59 - Ian joins me! Yeah. Woo. Naruto exclusive. THAT'LL sell systems. - K
12:01 - Yeah, yeah. We all know that EA's giving the 360... OH GOD THAT'S REGGIE... who cares. It ain't Fils-Aime, I don't care.
12:02 - ... "The D". Please bring back Moore and his ugly shirt. - K
12:02 - Kevin rooting for Moore? What has this world come to. Ian P.
12:02 - Apparently this was the guy calling me "fag" on Halo 2 last week. -K
12:04 - Lookit that akward man hug. Aw Yea. This is professional....oh boy more numbers. Ian P.
12:05 - Let's see what rehashes Live Arcade is pulling out. Well, Undertow is original. HEY, SONIC. That was last year. Mech game? PSP game? WING COMMANDER? Ooh, Puzzle Fighter! ... Also coming to PSN. Switchball=nice. Tetris Splash = not so much. -K/ Ian P.
12:08 - Woo. Sonic. IT'S ALREADY ON OUR WII. -K/Ian P.
12:09 - Movie/TV show downloads only on 360? Not for lonnnnnnnnnnng... -K
12:10 - The Lion King is my daddy. This isn't so bad. Not so sure if it's going to hit well but... -Ian P.
12:11 - COYOTE FUCKING UGLY? No. Just... no. -K
12:12 - Hold on a sec. Those are all on... THE ITUNES STORE. And I didn't see Pixar there. -K
12:13 - And your systems will continue to explode. -Ian P.
12:13 - Can we get to the Halo 3/Peter Moore's bad tattoo? -K
12:13 - He's an Xbox Live download! -Ian P.
12:13 - Well at least they're talking about games I want. Improvement? -Ian P.
12:14 - Are you ready for raindrops that don't hit your car, but are already there? PGR4 IN DA HOUSE. Feel the complete lack of realism. (I want mechs and gundams next to my cars too. -Ian P.) -K
12:15 - This makes me wish for tomorrow's conferences... today! -K
12:17 - I still don't want any PGR. Period. -Ian P.
12:18 - BRING BACK PETER. BRING BACK PETER. Or better... J! J Allard, the badass! -K
12:19 - Oh, look. Lost Oddysey. I'll let Ian take over. -K
12:20 - Honestly this game looks like a beefed up Final Fantasy but...for some reason I still want it. Kev says he's emo. I bet he's tried to slit his wrists to no avail cause you know...he's immortal. -Ian P.
12:22 - Woo. Games For Windows. "Hey, kids, PAY US TO DO WHAT YOU DID BEFORE FOR FREE". -K
12:23 - Gears on PC. Wow. What about Gears 2? or maybe something compelling. Like a PB& J. In fact that sounds good. Be Back. -Ian P.
12:24 - Y'know, for the "centralized functionality" that Games For Windows Live offers, I can only think of something... oh, right. Xfire. -K
12:25 - I wonder if we'll be seeing Cliffy B at the Sony conference showing off UT 3? -K
12:26 - Yay... Peter's back. You'll never hear me say THAT again. -K
12:26 - I caved. I made a PB & Fluff. MMN. I wonder if maybe Pete got his teeth scrimshawed this year? -Ian P.
12:27 - And 10 million gamers can't play Counterstrike because of it. - Mina (actially K)
12:28 - At least Bioshock will be amazing. If they screw that up... -Ian P.
12:30 - So, um. how about a Bioshock demo being available? C'mon, c'mon... FUCK YOU PETER. -K
12:31 - Didn't I just show this trailer to you guys? Peter says let me show you my gamez. My gamez, let me show you them. -Ian P.
12:33 - So, yeah. Hey, gameplay! Sweet. Anyway, I was saying that Microsoft really isn't lighting this crowd on fire tonight. -K
12:34 - Well, that's fucking ridiculously cool. Purdy, too. If only I liked Call of Duty... -K
12:35 - Agreed. Although I really like the camo feature, if it turns out to be a feature. Very smooth, where are the enemies? -Ian P.
12:37 - Well, the focus looks good. Better than CoD 3. However, THERE WERE NO ENEMIES. I want proof that this thing can actually handle throwing enemies and the looks. -K
12:39 - Splinter's Creed! -Ian P.
12:40 - He completely skipped over Splinter Cell. Unless they have MGS4, then that was really gay. -K
12:41 - I am completely blown away. And by blown I mean bored. And by away I mean stiff. AND not like erection stiff. Like dead stiff. -Ian P.
12:42 - Like rigor mortis stiff. Seriously. I'm not getting a pulse from him. Anyway, SPEAKING OF RIGOR MORTIS, another trailer for Res. Evil 5. ANYWAY, like I was saying, Microsoft must be betting on Sony having an even worse E3 this year. Or Nintendo spontaneously combusting. Which won't get rid of Shigeru Miyamoto's head. It lives on it's own. Seriously.
12:45 - Still not an exclusive. But this looks so amazing. Not to get all fanboy but I've been waiting too long for Assassin's Creed. WHAT? Distance guard-smiting. Yay. -Ian P.
12:48 - Well, the voice acting is on par with Prince of Persia. And by par, I mean crap. Otherwise, looks damn good! -K
12:48 - This realistic combat system is based on enemies dropping from the sky. And going into an animation every 3 seconds. Just like real life! -K/Ian P.
12:50 - Everything besides the voice acting and that one combat scene looks amazing. Hopefully they fix that. -K/Ian P.
12:51 - Force Unleashed. Coming out after every other game using the technology they developed. Where is this... WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS? A live-action representation for a video game? This just went Sony '06 for the time being. -K (Hey at least it's the director that did Alive in Joburg. If this was for the movie or in game footage then our heads would explode. -Ian P.)
12:54 - ANOTHER SKU. Thanks, Microsoft! Tards. That's 4 fucking different SKUs on one system. And they probably all are just as poor in terms of dependability. -K
12:56 - I think his voice has broken about 17 times now. Just a side note. -Ian P.
12:57 - This is how NOT to do a Halo 3 trailer. Unless there's a shock at the end...
... Nope. -K
...
...
...?
...
12:58 - WOW. Well, no real major fuckups, just really...really...really...REALLY boring. Ok so maybe the 360 is powerful and all but I am just as excited now for it as I was about an hour and a half ago. Maybe even less. 4 systems and Halo. Woo.
WAIT OH YEA! ...nope.. I've got nothing. All I have to say is Mass Effect, Bioshock, and Lost Oddysey at least look good to me. But I can only imagine Sony kicking them straight to their tiny anglo-saxon balls. They try to focus on beating their competition when they should focus on making good games. You make good games you get people buying your system. Way to go Microsoft. -Ian P.
1:00 AM - Well, one good thing about it: no noticable red rings. Unless it happened before fifteen minutes in. -K
See you guys tomorrow for the Nintendo/Sony press conference FUNATHON!
11:45 - Mass effect? Awesome.
11:48 - Peter jibba-jabbas about the games the system sells. Of course, how many of that is Cars and other crap licensed games.
11:49 - of course it's half. You've had a year longer than your competition "this generation". Duh.
11:51 - Dude, Pete? "Here it Goes Again" was so two years ago.
11:55 - Wow. This guy sucks.
11:56 - Scene It (HD Live)? That's fuckin' retarded.
11:56 - ... No, never mind, that controller is retarded.
11:58 - NARUTO, big deal. No dice on those controllers. Those are not wiimotes. -Ian P.
11:59 - Ian joins me! Yeah. Woo. Naruto exclusive. THAT'LL sell systems. - K
12:01 - Yeah, yeah. We all know that EA's giving the 360... OH GOD THAT'S REGGIE... who cares. It ain't Fils-Aime, I don't care.
12:02 - ... "The D". Please bring back Moore and his ugly shirt. - K
12:02 - Kevin rooting for Moore? What has this world come to. Ian P.
12:02 - Apparently this was the guy calling me "fag" on Halo 2 last week. -K
12:04 - Lookit that akward man hug. Aw Yea. This is professional....oh boy more numbers. Ian P.
12:05 - Let's see what rehashes Live Arcade is pulling out. Well, Undertow is original. HEY, SONIC. That was last year. Mech game? PSP game? WING COMMANDER? Ooh, Puzzle Fighter! ... Also coming to PSN. Switchball=nice. Tetris Splash = not so much. -K/ Ian P.
12:08 - Woo. Sonic. IT'S ALREADY ON OUR WII. -K/Ian P.
12:09 - Movie/TV show downloads only on 360? Not for lonnnnnnnnnnng... -K
12:10 - The Lion King is my daddy. This isn't so bad. Not so sure if it's going to hit well but... -Ian P.
12:11 - COYOTE FUCKING UGLY? No. Just... no. -K
12:12 - Hold on a sec. Those are all on... THE ITUNES STORE. And I didn't see Pixar there. -K
12:13 - And your systems will continue to explode. -Ian P.
12:13 - Can we get to the Halo 3/Peter Moore's bad tattoo? -K
12:13 - He's an Xbox Live download! -Ian P.
12:13 - Well at least they're talking about games I want. Improvement? -Ian P.
12:14 - Are you ready for raindrops that don't hit your car, but are already there? PGR4 IN DA HOUSE. Feel the complete lack of realism. (I want mechs and gundams next to my cars too. -Ian P.) -K
12:15 - This makes me wish for tomorrow's conferences... today! -K
12:17 - I still don't want any PGR. Period. -Ian P.
12:18 - BRING BACK PETER. BRING BACK PETER. Or better... J! J Allard, the badass! -K
12:19 - Oh, look. Lost Oddysey. I'll let Ian take over. -K
12:20 - Honestly this game looks like a beefed up Final Fantasy but...for some reason I still want it. Kev says he's emo. I bet he's tried to slit his wrists to no avail cause you know...he's immortal. -Ian P.
12:22 - Woo. Games For Windows. "Hey, kids, PAY US TO DO WHAT YOU DID BEFORE FOR FREE". -K
12:23 - Gears on PC. Wow. What about Gears 2? or maybe something compelling. Like a PB& J. In fact that sounds good. Be Back. -Ian P.
12:24 - Y'know, for the "centralized functionality" that Games For Windows Live offers, I can only think of something... oh, right. Xfire. -K
12:25 - I wonder if we'll be seeing Cliffy B at the Sony conference showing off UT 3? -K
12:26 - Yay... Peter's back. You'll never hear me say THAT again. -K
12:26 - I caved. I made a PB & Fluff. MMN. I wonder if maybe Pete got his teeth scrimshawed this year? -Ian P.
12:27 - And 10 million gamers can't play Counterstrike because of it. - Mina (actially K)
12:28 - At least Bioshock will be amazing. If they screw that up... -Ian P.
12:30 - So, um. how about a Bioshock demo being available? C'mon, c'mon... FUCK YOU PETER. -K
12:31 - Didn't I just show this trailer to you guys? Peter says let me show you my gamez. My gamez, let me show you them. -Ian P.
12:33 - So, yeah. Hey, gameplay! Sweet. Anyway, I was saying that Microsoft really isn't lighting this crowd on fire tonight. -K
12:34 - Well, that's fucking ridiculously cool. Purdy, too. If only I liked Call of Duty... -K
12:35 - Agreed. Although I really like the camo feature, if it turns out to be a feature. Very smooth, where are the enemies? -Ian P.
12:37 - Well, the focus looks good. Better than CoD 3. However, THERE WERE NO ENEMIES. I want proof that this thing can actually handle throwing enemies and the looks. -K
12:39 - Splinter's Creed! -Ian P.
12:40 - He completely skipped over Splinter Cell. Unless they have MGS4, then that was really gay. -K
12:41 - I am completely blown away. And by blown I mean bored. And by away I mean stiff. AND not like erection stiff. Like dead stiff. -Ian P.
12:42 - Like rigor mortis stiff. Seriously. I'm not getting a pulse from him. Anyway, SPEAKING OF RIGOR MORTIS, another trailer for Res. Evil 5. ANYWAY, like I was saying, Microsoft must be betting on Sony having an even worse E3 this year. Or Nintendo spontaneously combusting. Which won't get rid of Shigeru Miyamoto's head. It lives on it's own. Seriously.
12:45 - Still not an exclusive. But this looks so amazing. Not to get all fanboy but I've been waiting too long for Assassin's Creed. WHAT? Distance guard-smiting. Yay. -Ian P.
12:48 - Well, the voice acting is on par with Prince of Persia. And by par, I mean crap. Otherwise, looks damn good! -K
12:48 - This realistic combat system is based on enemies dropping from the sky. And going into an animation every 3 seconds. Just like real life! -K/Ian P.
12:50 - Everything besides the voice acting and that one combat scene looks amazing. Hopefully they fix that. -K/Ian P.
12:51 - Force Unleashed. Coming out after every other game using the technology they developed. Where is this... WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS? A live-action representation for a video game? This just went Sony '06 for the time being. -K (Hey at least it's the director that did Alive in Joburg. If this was for the movie or in game footage then our heads would explode. -Ian P.)
12:54 - ANOTHER SKU. Thanks, Microsoft! Tards. That's 4 fucking different SKUs on one system. And they probably all are just as poor in terms of dependability. -K
12:56 - I think his voice has broken about 17 times now. Just a side note. -Ian P.
12:57 - This is how NOT to do a Halo 3 trailer. Unless there's a shock at the end...
... Nope. -K
...
...
...?
...
12:58 - WOW. Well, no real major fuckups, just really...really...really...REALLY boring. Ok so maybe the 360 is powerful and all but I am just as excited now for it as I was about an hour and a half ago. Maybe even less. 4 systems and Halo. Woo.
WAIT OH YEA! ...nope.. I've got nothing. All I have to say is Mass Effect, Bioshock, and Lost Oddysey at least look good to me. But I can only imagine Sony kicking them straight to their tiny anglo-saxon balls. They try to focus on beating their competition when they should focus on making good games. You make good games you get people buying your system. Way to go Microsoft. -Ian P.
1:00 AM - Well, one good thing about it: no noticable red rings. Unless it happened before fifteen minutes in. -K
See you guys tomorrow for the Nintendo/Sony press conference FUNATHON!
MS Conference T-Minus One Hour
Right now, PS3Forums has some 26 shots of the Microsoft press conference auditorium (which is part of a public high school -- I wish my high school had that kind of auditorium) and stage setup. It's looking sexy.
Let's just hope none of the Xboxes get red rings o' doom. Actually, let's hope. It'll be funny to watch Peter Moore get flustered for once.
I'll be doing the old manual live blog as I watch a stream like the rest of you. Most of you.
-K
Let's just hope none of the Xboxes get red rings o' doom. Actually, let's hope. It'll be funny to watch Peter Moore get flustered for once.
I'll be doing the old manual live blog as I watch a stream like the rest of you. Most of you.
-K
Xbox 360 "Dammit, Misspelled" Keyboard Coming
"If it hangs low like that, it means it's a boy."
The due date is September 9th. The cost of carrying this fetus to term? $30. Cheaper than a real baby.
Xbox.com shows it off like a proud daddy would.
-K
Gamespot Talks With Neil Young
Not that one, the one that runs EALA, the division of the uber-publisher that is working on Steven Spielberg's two new games, LMNO (for 360/PS3) and PQRS (for Wii).
-K
E3 Q&A: EALA on Spielberg's PQRS, LMNO
-K
E3 Q&A: EALA on Spielberg's PQRS, LMNO
Monday, July 9, 2007
Finally... SMASH NEWS
Got this straight from The Dojo.
We've got combos. Single button that is.
Fox ponders whether his newly equipped one-button arm freakout dance is a good thing or a bad thing.
Personally, if you have played Smash before you'll probably agree that this is a good turn of events. Multiple button combos for quick attacks are great and all, however I'm sure most of you found yourselves using Kirby's rocket-punches and Fox's leg kicks only every now and then. The combo trapped your opponent for all but a second while your thumb fell off, giving you little payoff. I personally used the yellow c-stick quick smash much more.
Plus, remember that there are now 4 different contollers that can be used to play. A multiple button combo could get confusing on the different formats.
The action required now to unleash certain attacks is to press and hold the button, giving a certain amount of time and then it automatically unleashes combo doom. The button layout is as follows.
Yep, A. Or B or 2. Otherwise, you can still button mash it just releases a slightly different event. If you repeatedly hit your opponent, then the kicks automatically start. Pretty neat.
Next...new levels. This is slightly old, but this page is new anyway. Here's a brandy new shiny pic of the Bridge of Eldin.
And, as an added bonus, just like in the game we get a cameo from King Bulbin, riding high on his hog.
Yes the bridge does get taken out too, and gets repaired from the portal (Thanks Midna!), because as they announced ALL or at least most of the stages will move in some way.
The bridge being repaired...
Makes you wonder about the whereabouts of Link as the bridge gets fixed. What if you play him?
WHAT IF?
Ian P.
Again, I got this from the Dojo.
We've got combos. Single button that is.
Fox ponders whether his newly equipped one-button arm freakout dance is a good thing or a bad thing.
Personally, if you have played Smash before you'll probably agree that this is a good turn of events. Multiple button combos for quick attacks are great and all, however I'm sure most of you found yourselves using Kirby's rocket-punches and Fox's leg kicks only every now and then. The combo trapped your opponent for all but a second while your thumb fell off, giving you little payoff. I personally used the yellow c-stick quick smash much more.
Plus, remember that there are now 4 different contollers that can be used to play. A multiple button combo could get confusing on the different formats.
The action required now to unleash certain attacks is to press and hold the button, giving a certain amount of time and then it automatically unleashes combo doom. The button layout is as follows.
Yep, A. Or B or 2. Otherwise, you can still button mash it just releases a slightly different event. If you repeatedly hit your opponent, then the kicks automatically start. Pretty neat.
Next...new levels. This is slightly old, but this page is new anyway. Here's a brandy new shiny pic of the Bridge of Eldin.
And, as an added bonus, just like in the game we get a cameo from King Bulbin, riding high on his hog.
Yes the bridge does get taken out too, and gets repaired from the portal (Thanks Midna!), because as they announced ALL or at least most of the stages will move in some way.
The bridge being repaired...
Makes you wonder about the whereabouts of Link as the bridge gets fixed. What if you play him?
WHAT IF?
Ian P.
Again, I got this from the Dojo.
Guitar Hero 3 Guitars: Pretty
The Xbox 360 one:
The PlayStation 3 one:
The Wii one:
The PS2 one:
I don't know why I posted both the 360/PS3 ones -- they're exactly the same.
-K
The PlayStation 3 one:
The Wii one:
The PS2 one:
I don't know why I posted both the 360/PS3 ones -- they're exactly the same.
-K
A Snowball In July...
... That keeps on rolling, getting bigger and bigger. This is how the new E3 appears to be going. The show doesn't start really until just about 24 hours from now, but we've already got "E3" trailers hitting places like GameTrailers, announcements like the PS3 price drop/new SKU with Motorstorm and an 80GB hard drive included, and lots and lots of rampant speculation.
Just like old times.
Here's what GameTrailers has thrown up for trailers so far:
And, to give you even more value, here's a list of the announced games thus far:
Just like old times.
Here's what GameTrailers has thrown up for trailers so far:
And, to give you even more value, here's a list of the announced games thus far:
Activision
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PS3, Xbox 360)
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
Guitar Hero III (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, DS)
Tony Hawk's Proving Ground (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, DS)
Spiderman: Friend or Foe
Bee Movie
Atari
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 (Wii, PS2)
Godzilla: Unleashed (Wii, DS, PSP)
Jenga (Wii)
The Witcher (PC)
Bethesda Softworks
Fallout 3
Capcom
Ace Attorney 3
MotoGP 2007 (PS2)
Devil May Cry 4 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
Rocketmen: Axis of Evil (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
Talisman (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
Zack and Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure (Wii)
Codemasters
Cliver Barker's Jericho (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
HEI$T (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
Rise of the Argonauts (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
Turning Point: Fall of Liberty (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
Eidos
Age of Conan (PC, Xbox 360)
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
Electronic Arts
Army of Two (PS3, Xbox 360)
Boogie (Wii)
Burnout Paradise (PS3, Xbox 360)
Crysis (PC)
EA Playground (Wii, DS)
FIFA 08 (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, PC, PSP, DS)
Half-Life 2: The Orange Box (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
Hellgate: London (PC)
Steven Spielberg's LMNO (PS3, Xbox 360)
Madden NFL 08 (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, PC, PSP, DS)
Medal of Honor Airborne (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames (PS3, Xbox 360)
MySims (Wii, DS)
NASCAR 08 (PS3, Xbox 360, PS2)
Need For Speed: ProStreet (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, PC, PSP, DS)
Steven Speilberg's PQRS (Wii)
Rock Band (PS3, Xbox 360)
The Simpsons (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, PSP, DS)
Skate (PS3, Xbox 360)
SimCity Societies (PC)
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, PC)
Foundation 9
Super Puzzle Figher II Turbo HD Remix
Gamecock
Dementium: The Ward (DS)
Dungeon Hero (PC, Xbox 360)
Fury (PC)
Hail to the Chimp (PS3, Xbox 360)
Mushroom Men (Wii, DS)
Unannounced title (possibly Section 8)
Unannounced title (TBC)
Konami
Metal Gear Solid 4
LucasArts
Fracture
Majesco
Blast Works: Build, Fuse & Destroy (Wii)
Holly Hobbie & Friends (DS)
Kengo: Legend of the 9 (Xbox 360)
Nancy Drew and the Deadly Secret of Olde World Park (DS)
Operation: Vietnam (DS)
Turn It Around (DS)
The Wild West (DS)
Zoo Hospital (DS)
Microsoft
Blue Dragon (Xbox 360)
Fable 2 (xbox 360)
Halo 3 (Xbox 360)
Halo Wars (Xbox 360)
Lost Odyssey (Xbox 360)
Mass Effect (Xbox 360)
Project Gotham Racing 4 (Xbox 360)
XBLA titles (Xbox 360)
Midway
Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Zombie Ninja Pro-Am
Blacksite (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
John Woo's Stranglehold (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar
Unreal Tournament 3 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
Nintendo
Super Smash Bros (Wii)
Namco Bandai
Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation (Xbox 360)
Beautiful Katamari (Xbox 360)
Culdcept SAGA (Xbox 360)
Digimon World: Dawn/ Digimon World: Dusk (DS)
Digimon World Data Squad (PS2)
Dynasty Warriors:GUNDAM (PS3)
Eternal Sonata (Xbox 360)
.hack //G.U. Vol. 3: Redemption (PS2)
Namco Museum DS (DS)
Namco Museum REMIX (Wii)
Naruto Ultimate Ninja Heroes (PSP)
NARUTO: Uzumaki Chronicles 2 (PS2)
Smash Court Tennis 3 (PSP)
Soulcalibur Legends (Wii)
Space Station Tycoon (Wii)
Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology (PSP)
Time Crisis 4 (PS3)
NCsoft
Aion (PC)
Dungeon Runners (PC)
Guild Wars: Eye of the North (PC)
Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa (PC)
SEGA
Condemned 2 (PS3, Xbox 360)
The Club (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
The Golden Compass (PS3, PS2, PC, Wii, PSP, DS)
Gas Powered Games' RPG (PC)
Iron Man (TBC)
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii, DS)
NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams (Wii)
SEGA Rally (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
Universe At War: Earth Assault (PC, Xbox 360)
Sierra
Crash of the Titans (Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, PSP, DS, GBA)
Empire Earth 3 (PC)
Geometry Wars: Galaxies (Wii, DS)
The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night (Wii)
SWAT: Target Liberty (PSP)
TimeShift (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
Unannounced title (TBC)
World in Conflict (PC)
Sierra Online
Switchball (XBLA)
Commanders: Attack! (XBLA)
Battlestar Galactica (XBLA)
Square Enix
DRAGON QUEST MONSTERS (DS)
DRAGON QUEST SWORDS: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors (Wii)
FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: Ring of Fates (DS)
FINAL FANTASY TACTICS: THE WAR OF THE LIONS (PSP)
FINAL FANTASY II (PSP)
FINAL FANTASY XI: WINGS OF THE GODDESS (PS2, PC, Xbox 360)
FINAL FANTASY XII: REVENANT WINGS (DS)
FRONT MISSION (DS)
HEROES of MANA (DS)
Sony Computer Entertainment
Eye of Judgement (PS3)
Folklore (PS3)
God of War: Chains of Olympus (PSP)
Heavenly Sword (PS3)
Killzone 2 (PS3)
LittleBigPlanet (PS3)
Ratchet & Clank (PS3)
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PS3)
Sony Online Entertainment
Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising
Pirates of the Burning Sea
The Agency
Take-Two
BioShock (PC, Xbox 360)
NBA 2K8 (PS3, Xbox 360)
NHL 2K8 (PS3, Xbox 360)
Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution ("next generation consoles and handhelds")
THQ
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 (PS3, Xbox 360, PS2, PSP, DS)
Destroy All Humans 3
De Blob
Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts
Ubisoft
Assassin's Creed (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
Warner Bros. Interactive
FEAR sequel (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
-K
Kotaku's List of Announced e3 GamesNintendo is the tough boyfriend...wait that's wrong.
Apparently stealing product from Nintendo does not benefit you.
Contrary to popular belief, the act of counterfeiting is frowned upon. With very thick, frown weathered brows; That have frowned upon some of the best moments in history. Some say they have even pointed a finger once, whilst frowning. Looks like this time it's a 2.5 million dollar finger thrust from Nintendo's side at a Uruguayan counterfeiter, whomever that may be...
Let's just put it this way, taking someone else's ideas is a bad thing, and making fake wiimotes and other accesories is just the same. Making 30,000 wiimotes and other stuff and keeping them in a warehouse... thats just plain dumb.
How pissed is Nintendo? Well...
30,000 wiimotes x $40 each = $1,200,000 + $11.5 or something for the hour it took to pay the guy to release this info + an extra $1,299,988.5 for image damages.
Wow.
I wish I could sue anyone who ever slandered my buisness image for that much.
Anyway, I want to see Reggie beat this guy up personally at the E3 press conference while announcing Super Smash Bros. Brawl. That would just be badass.
He's gonna kick some serious counterfeitter butt.
Just give me my Galaxy already.
Ian P.
Nintendo's press release
Contrary to popular belief, the act of counterfeiting is frowned upon. With very thick, frown weathered brows; That have frowned upon some of the best moments in history. Some say they have even pointed a finger once, whilst frowning. Looks like this time it's a 2.5 million dollar finger thrust from Nintendo's side at a Uruguayan counterfeiter, whomever that may be...
Let's just put it this way, taking someone else's ideas is a bad thing, and making fake wiimotes and other accesories is just the same. Making 30,000 wiimotes and other stuff and keeping them in a warehouse... thats just plain dumb.
How pissed is Nintendo? Well...
30,000 wiimotes x $40 each = $1,200,000 + $11.5 or something for the hour it took to pay the guy to release this info + an extra $1,299,988.5 for image damages.
Wow.
I wish I could sue anyone who ever slandered my buisness image for that much.
Anyway, I want to see Reggie beat this guy up personally at the E3 press conference while announcing Super Smash Bros. Brawl. That would just be badass.
He's gonna kick some serious counterfeitter butt.
Just give me my Galaxy already.
Ian P.
Nintendo's press release
D-Pad, The Podcast: Episode 1 - Past, Future... PRESENTS!
We here at D-Pad are proud to introduce our other feature, besides random inane talk: our podcast. Which is filled with... random, inane talk. You can't win 'em all. Don't even bother. Trust on this; we're not experts or anything, but who else can you trust?
Download it directly to your hard drive by doing the 'ol "right-click and save" here.
Expect us to do more, whether you listen or not. So just listen. You'll feel better about it.
Trust us. On this episode, we introduce ourselves, state our experience, talk up the pros and cons of each console, and look into this fuzzy crystal ball-shaped thing (read: TAKE WILD GUESSES) at the upcoming E3 Business And Media Summit's big surprises.
Now, just click the link.
Do it.
We have punch and pie available for those that do listen.*
*note: only we may have the punch and pie. No p&p for you. Philistines.**
**note: sorry about that "philistines" comment. Sometimes we just get too full of ourselves.***
***note: Well, just Kevin. ****
****note: He's a real jerk, don't you think?
Download it directly to your hard drive by doing the 'ol "right-click and save" here.
Expect us to do more, whether you listen or not. So just listen. You'll feel better about it.
Trust us. On this episode, we introduce ourselves, state our experience, talk up the pros and cons of each console, and look into this fuzzy crystal ball-shaped thing (read: TAKE WILD GUESSES) at the upcoming E3 Business And Media Summit's big surprises.
Now, just click the link.
Do it.
We have punch and pie available for those that do listen.*
*note: only we may have the punch and pie. No p&p for you. Philistines.**
**note: sorry about that "philistines" comment. Sometimes we just get too full of ourselves.***
***note: Well, just Kevin. ****
****note: He's a real jerk, don't you think?
Sunday, July 8, 2007
In Your Best Interests...
Hey all! It's the one-and-only IAN P. (going by your first grade moniker is in style again.) Since this is my first post here , I'll explain a little bit about the current condition of gaming. I have summed up the view most people share simply.
Let me show you my map.
Got it?
Good.
Now onto more important topics, like Call of Duty 4.
Looks like the new team is stepping it up, yes it's not WWII, but honestly after a trailer like that I couldn't care less. I wasn't much for the 30's-40's anyways. Not my favorite time in my life. Or...pre-life?
Keep your eyes out for this one though. I imagine it will finally open up a franchise that was dead to me before it started, and even if you are the die hard that was alienated by this sudden shift, take a closer look. Who can pass up nuclear explosions, crumbling buildings, gas masks, and an angry russian? Oh yea, anyone that lived with communism.
Happy pre-e3!
Let me show you my map.
Got it?
Good.
Now onto more important topics, like Call of Duty 4.
Looks like the new team is stepping it up, yes it's not WWII, but honestly after a trailer like that I couldn't care less. I wasn't much for the 30's-40's anyways. Not my favorite time in my life. Or...pre-life?
Keep your eyes out for this one though. I imagine it will finally open up a franchise that was dead to me before it started, and even if you are the die hard that was alienated by this sudden shift, take a closer look. Who can pass up nuclear explosions, crumbling buildings, gas masks, and an angry russian? Oh yea, anyone that lived with communism.
Happy pre-e3!
Looking Back: The Rises (And Fall) Of e3 2006
Hey all. Kevin here; with e3 coming up, and the three console manufacturer press conferences rolling out one right after another, I figured I'd give everyone a quick step down memory lane to last year's press conferences, where we saw giants fall and a nearly-forgotten company bounce back.
Microsoft's:
Nintendo's:
And... *sigh* Sony's excuse for one:
Microsoft's going to have to contend with some thunder-stealing as the makers of the PlayStation will be showing off Killzone for the PS3 no more than a half-hour following that press conference, and Nintendo is the first conference of the next day, at 10 AM. It's gonna be interesting to see what Peter Moore (literally) will have up his sleeve to beat away the chomps of their competition. Could this year prove to be an unravelling of Microsoft's confidence as market leader thanks to the stampeding sales of Wii consoles? Will Sony actually get things right this year? Will Nintendo... be Nintendo?
The more things change, the more they stay the same. I'd be expecting updates regularly through the press conferences this week, and as more and more news comes out. See you then.
- K
Microsoft's:
Nintendo's:
And... *sigh* Sony's excuse for one:
Microsoft's going to have to contend with some thunder-stealing as the makers of the PlayStation will be showing off Killzone for the PS3 no more than a half-hour following that press conference, and Nintendo is the first conference of the next day, at 10 AM. It's gonna be interesting to see what Peter Moore (literally) will have up his sleeve to beat away the chomps of their competition. Could this year prove to be an unravelling of Microsoft's confidence as market leader thanks to the stampeding sales of Wii consoles? Will Sony actually get things right this year? Will Nintendo... be Nintendo?
The more things change, the more they stay the same. I'd be expecting updates regularly through the press conferences this week, and as more and more news comes out. See you then.
- K
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Welcome!
This is the home of D-Pad, the latest gaming podcast/blog to hit the internet. There are three of us: myself (Kevin), Ian, and Mina. Yes, we have a girl. It's crazy, right?
Anyway, what you can expect from the three of us, besides a regular amount of banter and re-posted gaming news tweaked with our own personalities, is pretty much opinion. Much like everything else on the Internet, our opinions are going to butt into everything we do. And the three of us have severely different opinions, and enjoy three totally different systems. I expect fireworks, and not the pretty ones that make you go "ooh" on July 4th.
I'll lead off with an editorial I posted to a personal blog I kept up until about four or five months ago. Despite the age, it still actually applies. Written the night before the release of PlayStation 3:
Anyway, what you can expect from the three of us, besides a regular amount of banter and re-posted gaming news tweaked with our own personalities, is pretty much opinion. Much like everything else on the Internet, our opinions are going to butt into everything we do. And the three of us have severely different opinions, and enjoy three totally different systems. I expect fireworks, and not the pretty ones that make you go "ooh" on July 4th.
I'll lead off with an editorial I posted to a personal blog I kept up until about four or five months ago. Despite the age, it still actually applies. Written the night before the release of PlayStation 3:
Nerd post:
I've been thinking recently about the game systems. Specifically whether or not the Wii, in the end, is worthwhile. Because, yes, it's going to change the way to interact with games, but what about the games themselves? The system is launching with Twilight Princess. Yes, this is awesome. But it also might be Nintendo inadvertantly shooting themselves in the foot. If it is the game that its been made out to be (which, with a four year development cycle, and a credo that the game has to be "120%", it should be), then how do you follow it up?
Aye, that's the rub. If you launch with what might be the system's best game, then three years down the line, you're going to obviously notice that the system really won't be getting the use that you'd hope for. There's going to be nothing to look forward to. Nintendo's got a short term plan here -- impress 'em early. Blow 'em away with something new. But in the aftermath, what will there be? More of the same shit from before, only slightly prettier, and I see the system's control getting gimmicky as things become more even between the consoles, with shared ports and whatnot. Will it be worth it to pick up the Wii's version of a Splinter Cell game just because you'll have to physically "throw" an item to a corner to distract a guard? Or will it be easier to pick up a 360 or PS3 version of the game, playing with sharper graphics, an online component, and more, for the same price? It's a problem everyone will face.
Meanwhile, Nintendo's not exactly looking so hot in 2007. You'll get another Mario game or two, yes, and something kooky -- but otherwise, things like Gears of War, Lair, MGS 4, GTA IV, and a lot of original properties will be looking at the systems with a bigger playground for them to mess around in, rather than a system that is barely a marginal upgrade processing-wise with a control scheme that is very specific. Nintendo is going to be in the same boat that the other two are quickly heading towards -- their first-party output is going to be their lifejacket in shark-infested waters. And while Mario LOOKS fun, they've been riding the same style of platforming for him since the N64. At some point, people are going to get tired of it. Zelda's going to be a monster game, but following it up is going to either require the type of ingenuity that made Majora's Mask worthwhile (and even that essentially split fans down the middle) or be yet another, just-as-big jump in the series.
Anyway, enough Nintendo. Moving onto Sony, and perhaps the most blunder-filled launch since the PlayStation 2, the PlayStation 3. This is a company that can't launch a system correctly -- but the important part, the year after period, still looks strong for them. Yes, the hardware's wonky right now -- 1080i isn't supported by their big first-party game, Resistance, meaning the game will downgrade to 480p if your HDTV doesn't do 720p, the native resolution. But oddly enough, the biggest knock on the system is Blu-Ray. I honestly think, while discs are still the main delivery format we're getting our games on, it is a smart choice to go with the best they can give us. What most people are pissed about is the lack of choice over things. Which I don't get. As Lair is quickly getting to the 25-gig single-layer limit, it seems like there is no other choice that would work. 1080p resolution requires larger size files, right? And even with compression and optimization, the files are still quite substantial. It's not a bad thing to have some cutting-edge technology. Remember, the first games on PS2 were CD, but the switch to DVD-based gaming came within months of the launch, because the developers needed the space. The claim of "its just for movies" was a knock against DVDs back in the PS2 launch period, too.
Look at it as though you're an architect. You'd rather have a larger plot of land to build on, because then you can fit more of your designs and add as ideas come along. Smaller plots may force you to be innovative, yes, but you'd still need to cut some stuff out. Innovation is nice for an architect, and if you prefer the smaller area, go for it. But you'd still say, "if I only had another 50 feet of space, I could put a really nice piece of work that would go perfectly for this place."
So what's the problem with the PS3? Half a grand for a low-end system IS ridiculous on too many levels. And given the amount of money poured into this thing, it'll be two years before a price drop is even close to negotiable with the bean counters. And for a game system that has lost a good 70% of their third-party exclusives, that makes the price point more a burden than anything else.
Finally, the Xbox 360. I see a couple major problems with it: the system is perhaps TOO American. It aims right towards the perfect demographic, yes, but it really only touches that demographic. While a lot of college students may love having a big selection of FPS, sports, and Tom Clancy games, they've managed to fault on most every other genre of games. RPGs for the system invariably suck; Fable was a hugely ambitious... failure. They have no real flagships outside of the Halo (and now, Gears of War) franchises, while both Sony and Nintendo can at least lay claim to games in several genres as "flagship" titles (RPGs like Final Fantasy and Zelda, platformers like Ratchet And Clank and Mario, racers like Gran Turismo and Mario Kart). Yes, there's Lost Oddysey and Blue Dragon coming to the 360, but something tells me the hype will be more than the final output. I really doubt the creator of Final Fantasy is the sole reason the games turned out continuously well. And 90% of his team's still at Square. Microsoft has made a lot of individual grabs in the last few years, but they don't have the whole reason why these games turn out so well -- the whole team. The last truly complete team they grabbed was Bungie, which you could label as gaming's Pixar... if they only made something other than Halo.
Maybe Bill should look at Steve Jobs' business style a little more than his operating system. Might pay off better for everyone involved in the company.
Anyway, it's too early to see for sure who's made the biggest mistakes. That'll be next Christmas. Sony could pull it out and prove they were right; Microsoft could actually surprise and prove to be more than a niche system for frat boys; or Nintendo's gamble could have more staying power than it looks. It'll be interesting to observe, that's for sure.
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