May 31, 2006
Gaming in the Olympics?
Believe it. The head of the Global Gaming League, Ted Owen, is talking to the Chinese government about bringing competitive gaming to the 2008 Beijing Olympics as an exhibition sport.
If you want more examination on the subject, you can read more about it on CNNMoney.com.
All jokes and wink-winks aside, I've got a few questions. First off, what would happen if the IOC and China signed off on it, and it eventually became an Olympic sport? Would events be broken down into genre -- can you get an FPS medal or a fighting game medal? Can you medal for excelling at sports games?
Who would be the favorites? Can Fata1ity be the U.S. team captain? Would any nation's teams even have a coach?
And what about the established corporate game teams? Would we be able to send the entire Frag Dolls roster, or just a few of them?
You know what this means, right? Gold controllers. Michael Johnson did it with his shoes, so why can't gamers do it with controllers? I'm being serious, especially about the question of who we would send.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 2:54 PM | Comments (0)
The people's gamer talks
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson spoke with Yahoo! Games about the film version of "Spy Hunter" as well as the game "Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run."
If you don't know what "Spy Hunter" is, it was a racing/action game that had the player use the ultimate superagent sports car that was pimped out with all kinds of villain-fighting weapons. Tire slashers, machine guns, oil slick -- it had it all. And if that wasn't enough, the car could transform into other vehicles, like a speedboat.
Apparently the script is finally done and the movie could be released in July 2007.
The last time we (well, some of us) saw The Rock, he was playing the role of Sarge in the movie version of "Doom." I'll say this about "Doom" -- it wasn't that bad until it started doing the first-person stuff. Then there was none chance.
"Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run" will feature on-foot action sequences along wth the driving, so players will be able to lay some smack down on enemies. The Rock went all out for both the game AND movie, putting in voicework and mocap sessions in addition to lending his likeness.
The game is expected to be released in September.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 2:29 PM | Comments (0)
May 30, 2006
Nintendo's non-Wii lineup
We know the Wii is coming out in Q4 of this year, but that doesn't mean Nintentdo has stopped making games. They sent this list out:
Nintendo DS:
June 5: Big Brain Academy
June 5: Magnetica
June 11: Nintendo DS Lite
June 26: Sudoku Gridmaster
Aug. 28: Star Fox DS
Sept. 18: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team
Sept. 25: Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis
Oct. 9: Clubhouse Games
TBA: Pokemon Ranger
Oct. 30: Children of Mana
Nintendo GameCube
Sept. 25: Baten Kaitos Origins
Oct. 9: Super Paper Mario
Game Boy Advance SP
Sept. 18: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team
I just got done railing about the cliche of freeform gaming violence today, so it's nice to see a list of happy titles. Next up for review, "Hitman: Blood Money."
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 6:05 PM | Comments (0)
May 25, 2006
Study gives props to gamer doctors
You're in good hands with a gamer doctor.
According to a story from Reuters, a study found that doctors who "warmed up" with the game "Super Monkey Ball" for about 20 minutes right before doing surgery drill made less mistakes and worked more quickly than non-gaming doctors.
The study concentrated on laparoscopic surgery, which uses really small cameras and elongated tools -- think of those medical shows where you get a camera view moving through someone's body.
Dr. James Rosser is the point man on this study, and he describes this kind of surgery as "trying to tie your shoe laces with three-foot-long chopsticks while watching on a TV screen." So, it would help to practice.
I actually got to talk to Rosser at last year's E3 for a story on exertainment. The dude is funny.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 6:25 PM | Comments (0)
Lunch break with 'Jaws'
After putting a few hours into 'Jaws Unleashed' it's official: The concept of killing innocent people in a video game -- just because you can -- is tired. Stop doing it. I keep waiting for some feeling of entertainment to come out of chewing a random diver into pieces, and it hasn't happened. Which means I'm over the whole "random violence" thing. You can even hear the screaming of people underwater -- while that certainly shows detail, it's still doesn't entertain me.
I've got two feelings about this game: One is guilt -- I've always needed a cause, or a reason to do bad things, like Jack Bauer or the guy from "The Shield." Or even Kratos, who killed his own family, for crying out loud.
When it comes to characters like Kratos or Agent 47, there's a reason they are the way they are. 'Jaws' is built on the premise that it is simply fun to kill people and destroy things, forget the reasons. Nowadays, that isn't enough. You need a story. This is why games like "State of Emergency" and "Postal 2" stunk. Gamers want substance, not cheap thrills. I'll expound more about this in the actual review.
The other feeling I have about the game is boredom. Perhaps I'm still spoiled by E3 and the 360 I have at home, but I simply am not enjoying playing this. THIS is what some people are excited about? Whatever. The camera acts nutso and the game overall feels a little sloppy. Controlling Jaws is a chore.
Other than that, it's outstanding. Writing the review should be fun. It's a good thing I'm reviewing "New Super Mario Bros." as well.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 2:08 PM | Comments (0)
Venezuela vs. 'Mercenaries 2'
Another country is mad at a game. This time it's Venezuela, where lawmakers and backers of President Hugo Chavez are ticked about "Mercenaries 2: World in Flames," where you assume the role of a merc squad and tear things up in Venezuela.
The game isn't out yet -- it's slated for release on the PS3. While it wasn't on display on the show floor, it's closed-door showings left a good impression and generated some positive buzz.
The Associated Press story on CNN.com has one Chavez backer essentially calling the game a campaign of "psychological terror so they can make things happen later."
In other words, the U.S. and Pandemic (who makes the game) are trying to get people to rail against Chavez using "Mercs 2" as its vehicle of propaganda. How did they find out? Who are they working for? There's no time!!!! (Sorry -- Jack Bauer moment).
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 8:27 AM | Comments (0)
Nintendo: Wii won't cost more than $250
Nintendo announced today that it's Wii console isn't going to cost more than $250 bucks, making it by far the least expensive next-gen system that will be available. For those keeping score, the Xbox 360 costs between $300-$400, and the PS3 resides in the $500-$600 range.
There's still no exact launch date (Nintendo only says "4th quarter of 2006") but Nintendo is aiming to ship about 6 million Wiis between launch time and March 31, 2007, the end of its fiscal year.
The price really shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. The Wii is expected to be the least powerful of the three next-gen systems, with Nintendo instead focusing on the innovative new Remote/Nunchuk controllers.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 7:22 AM | Comments (0)
May 24, 2006
Schilling on the mound for 'Everquest II'
Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling is going to become a villain in EverQuest, as part of a partnership with Sony Online Entertainment to battle against Lou Gehrig's disease.
During the Yankees-Red Sox series from June 5-7, online EQII players get to take a crack at Schilling's evil alter ego. Every time someone takes him out, SOE donates $5 to the ALS Association, which fights the disease. The max is $10K. The press release says players can type /ALS to donate money to the cause.
And apparently, evil Curt is going to stay in the game after the series as a powerful character best faced by high-level players. This reeks of awesomeness. This'll probably be the best shot Yankees fans have at Schilling all year. He should leave behind a virtual bloody sock to complete the effect.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 6:57 PM | Comments (0)
No pre-owned PS3 games allowed? What?
This is interesting ...
According to GamesRadar, Sony has told retailers not to have any pre-owned PS3 sections in their stores, as it could be illegal for people to sell back any PS3 games they've bought.
The story on the site mentions that Sony could use a licensing system that essentially says paying the cash for a game doesn't mean you actually OWN the game. In reality, you would just be buying the license to play the game, but the actual software would still belong to Sony.
I don't know -- forgive me for not wanting to hop on the expletive-loaded rant bandwagon, but this sounds almost too ridiculous, so I'm going to reserve judgement until I hear or see something more concrete.
Rumor or not, it still hurts -- this comes after the griping about the price, the rumble-less gyroscopic controller that some developers didn't even know existed, the missing elements in the "low-end" system (like WiFi), and we're still not 100 percent sure on what games will actually be available at launch.
But if this IS true, Sony is going to get the Fredo treatment from a lot of people, probably even the diehard fans.
The only thing I can be certain of is that this Bataan death march of negative stuff about Sony isn't going to end soon. It's not even summer yet.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 12:33 PM | Comments (0)
ESA supports Maryland game bill
The Entertainment Software Association, which usually fires back at gaming restriction legislation, is backing a gaming bill that was passed in Maryland. Why, you may ask?
From what I can tell, the bill (called HB707) prevents "displaying or exhibiting" video games with obscene material. In this case, "obscene" means "sexual conduct" and not violence, which has been covered in past gaming bills that were shot down by the courts.
Well, it probably wouldn't look too good for the industry if the ESA stood up and said it should be OK for kids to get games loaded with sexual content. Plus, as the posting on GamePolitics points out, the shield of the First Amendment doesn't quite extend to obscene material. So, no legal battle.
The Gamasutra posting on the same bill has a comment of support from ESA head man Doug Lowenstein:
"The ESA has always been supportive of the inclusion of video games to 'harmful to minor' statues that meet the Supreme Courts obscenity standards. We believe that video games should be treated in the same way that books and movies are treated under the law."
Remember, the key is violence in games. That's when the ESA mixes it up with legislators.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 10:53 AM | Comments (0)
May 23, 2006
Microsoft VP dings PS3 controller
GamePro has a story about Peter Moore of Microsoft laying down some verbal smack about the gyroscopic PS3 controller. Moore said that Microsoft tried something similar six years ago, but there was a "collective yawn" about the motion-sensing technology.
Moore sounded off about the controller in an interview with Eurogamer TV .
It's not even summer yet, and there's already so much love in the gaming air.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 4:19 PM | Comments (0)
Jeeps rollin' out in 'Medal of Honor Airborne'
EA and Jeep announced a partnership today, which means players will get to hop behind the wheel of the Willys Jeep from WWII in "Medal of Honor Airborne." Here's a picture they sent:
Of course, the Jeep is no Warthog, but being able to drive something feels like an essential dimension in FPS games. Nice to see it finally happening with the MOH franchise.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 3:57 PM | Comments (0)
'Bloodrayne': The DVD
I actually didn't see this movie, based on my finely tuned instincts (and some sorry-looking trailers) that it would be a steaming pile of garbage. From what I've heard, I was right. It's available for purchase, just in case you wanted to punish someone "Clockwork Orange"-style.
What is Ben Kingsley doing in this? Isn't he a knight or something? How do you go from "House of Sand and Fog" to "Bloodrayne"? I don't even want to know anymore.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 3:35 PM | Comments (0)
Tennessee game bill falls
GamePolitics reports that Tennessee state senator Tommy Kilby, a Democrat, has pulled his SB3891 game bill from the legistlative calendar -- so for all intents and purposes, it's toast.
What made this bill noteworthy from all other game bills is that it wanted to ban violent games entirely, regardless of a gamer's age. Or as Gary Oldman might say, "EEEEVERYONNNE!" GamePolitics also notes that Kilby ended bill himself, instead of trying to fruitlessly ram it through the First Amendment wall.
Nice try, though. Actually, no it wasn't.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 3:14 PM | Comments (0)
'Jaws Unleashed' coming this week
The reviews for "X-Men: The Official Game" and "The Da Vinci Code" should be in tomorrow's paper. Two stars ... combined.
Next up should be "Jaws Unleashed," where players take control of the monster Great White shark and choose to either follow missions or cause general mayhem, a la "Grand Theft Auto." You can do stuff like capsize boats and chew on divers and swimmers to your black heart's delight. The most intriguing (or disturbing) feature of the game is the "dismemberment engine," which basically means you can realistically tear things -- and people -- apart, piece by piece. Not one for the children.
The game was put together by the same people who created the old "Ecco the Dolphin" series, so I'm geeked about seeing some well-done underwater environments and shark movement.
And not to sound morbid, but I want to see the dismemberment engine in action. Given the fact that shark attacks and maulings really do happen (there was a bear mauling in Ohio today), this game mechanic is bound to make a few people angry. We'll have to wait and see.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 12:49 PM | Comments (0)
May 22, 2006
Ubisoft gets 'Lost'
Why not? Of course there's going to be a game about "Lost," the TV uber-series. Ubisoft's Montreal studios is going to assemble the title, which means there's a decent chance it's not going to be completely horrible. For all the flak that movie games get for being steaming piles, I'd have to say games based on TV shows aren't THAT much better. Other than "Simpsons: Hit and Run," I can't think of anything I would call great. Nope.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 4:03 PM | Comments (0)
PS3 launch titles: Wait 'till next year
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe CEO David Reeves told Computer and Video Games that PS3 titles like "Heavenly Sword" aren't going to be coming out until after the Nov. 17 system launch.
Reeves also said Sony is setting a few of its sights on the non-hardcore gamer market, which seems like a wise move since both Xbox and Nintendo earned a lot of goodwill points with Live Anywhere and the Wii, respectively.
We still don't have a concrete launch lineup for the PS3, even though I keep reading that "Resistance: Fall of Man" will be one of the first games people will see come November. Um ... woo. I need more than that to convince me to think about forking over $700 bucks I don't have. Right now, all I'm really looking forward to is "God of War II." Is that good?
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 3:43 PM | Comments (0)
May 18, 2006
'Hitman: Blood Money' is golden
Everyone's favorite bald contract killer, Agent 47, makes his return to the gaming front on May 30 in "Hitman: Blood Money." The game has officially gone gold and is coming out for the 360, regular Xbox, PS2 and PC. The namesake "Blood Money" comes from how characters react to Agent 47 depending on how ninja-style he was in the previous mission.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 11:25 AM | Comments (0)
Victim's dad upset over 'Columbine' game
If you haven't heard about this game yet, check out this AP story on CNN.com about "Super Columbine Massacre RPG," which can be found online. Obviously, this has people in an uproar, and usually creators of hot-button games keep their mouths shut with issued statements. That's not quite the case here. Brian Crescente of Kotaku and the Rocky Mountain News actually talked to the person who created the game. Heavy stuff. I'd like to know what people think about this.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 11:04 AM | Comments (0)
May 17, 2006
Gamers getting older?
The Entertainment Software Association released their 2006 edition of "Essential Facts About the Video Game Industry," and it seems that the so-called typical American gamer has gotten older. Joe Average Gamer is now 33 years old, which would be considered over-the-hill in pro athlete circles. Unless they're on 'roids -- which you don't need to excel at gaming.
Now this is interesting -- the man who directed "Supercop" with Jackie Chan is apparently going to try and create a movie version of the PSOne game "Fear Effect". If you're not familiar with the game, it's about three mercs (Hana, Deke and Glass) who are trying to rescue a young girl. The stylish, "Blade Runner"-like title earned every inch of its M rating, especially when it game to the concept of death -- in one scene, a third of Glass' head gets blasted off by machine gun fire.
The game's success helped launch "Fear Effect 2: Double Helix," a prequel/sequel that brilliantly merged several gameplay elements, and also featured a female character with a lesbian love interest. There was even some buzz about the magazine ad for the game, which featured both half-naked characters lying next to each other. And no, I will not link to it.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 4:45 PM | Comments (0)
A morning of movie games
Nothing like starting off the week after E3 with not one, but TWO movie-based games. I miss it already.
I'm in the first stages of "X-Men: The Official Game," and I'm not in love with what I'm seeing so far. Instead of animated cinema sequences, I'm getting still illustrations with voices accompanying the images. I guess it's supposed to give me a comic book feel. I guess.
I'm also checking out the "Da Vinci Code" today as well. No Tom Hanks (or anyone else from the movie, I think). This could be the first time I get the play the movie/book treatment under my belt. Well, at least the movies won't stink.
If you're a Wall Streeter who plays, check out the GameSpot story about the injured stocks of a few game companies. The biggest black eye can be found at Electronic Arts, which hit a 52-week low.
Speaking of stocks, I just saw on CNNMoney.com that Timothy Roberts, ex-major domo of Infinium Labs has been accused by the SEC in a pump-and-dump scheme. Allegedly, the dude inflated the company's stock and then sold personal shares at a higher price.
Much of the mess centers around the Phantom game console. If you don't know what that is, trust me -- you don't care.
And just because, here's a screenshot of Eidos' upcoming "Rogue Trooper":
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 8:43 AM | Comments (0)
May 16, 2006
'America's Army' used for war protest
Game Politics mentions a story about how a University of Nevada-Reno professor, Joseph LaLappe, is logging onto "America's Army" as a way to post the names of every service member who died in Iraq. He's doesn't play -- he logs in, gets killed, respawns and then starts typing more names. At last count, he was up to roughly 250 names.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 4:38 PM | Comments (0)
May 15, 2006
Sony making more friends
I'm catching up on some news, and it turns out that not only are some developers irritated about the gyroscopic PS3 controller that was suddenly unveiled E3 week, but the site Games Radar had to actually tell one developer that the controller doesn't have a vibrate feature.
What ... What is going on? Is there any developer who DOES know about the controller, aside from the people who made "Warhawk"?
A friend of mine phrased it this way: "Did the ex-FEMA director find a job there and we just didn't know about it? How else do you explain the lack of communication?"
I like Sony. I really do. Which is why I find it a little disturbing that a company that excelled at making some pretty innovative titles appears to be doing such a poor job of talking to its supporting brethren. I know it's early -- but it's not THAT early.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 7:05 PM | Comments (0)
May 13, 2006
The morning after E3
Some lasting impressions and random thoughts about the week that was E3:
I would seriously consider getting the Nintendo Wii if I absolutely needed a new system. It was the biggest hit of the show, and it had people talking about Nintendo with the same reverance and wonder it had years ago. The Wii owned the West Hall floor.
The gyroscopic PS3 controller could have been a hit, but since developers just found out about it themselves, there weren't many games that showed it off, save for "Warhawk." I've heard that some companies weren't very happy about the surprise unveiling.
N-Gage had a huge booth, comparable in size to EA's booth. No one really knew why, and I'm not sure that was a good idea putting it RIGHT NEXT to the EA camp. What a choice: Hmm ... "Spore" or the N-Gage? Not even President Logan would have to think hard about this one.
I'm not sure how anyone else feels, but hands-on time with "Gears of War" was the most enjoyable 25-30 minutes I had at the show. That game is no joke. Perhaps I'm still feeling the high from chainsaw usage. As podcaster Gamer Andy told me after he saw the footage first, "Blood. Everywhere!"
Bobby Blackwolf had an E3 roundtable last night, capping off the show with everyone airing any regrets they had about the show. Mine was not being able to see "Assassin's Creed" from Ubisoft. I also didn't get to play "Red Steel" on the Wii, so no swinging a sword for me.
This was one of the more enjoyable shows I've been to. Hopefully, I'm doing this again next year. The next post you see is going to deal with my take on general tech and games stuff. Until then, enjoy yourselves.
By the way, check out our photo galleries from the show. Look down the right side of the page.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 10:11 AM | Comments (0)
May 12, 2006
Closing time
The best third day ever.
Finally got my hands on "Gears of War" for the 360. This game is mine. I joined a small crowd of others in a few quick multiplayer games (with yours truly securing one win for his team, bringing honor to the LANG house), and I picked up the controls surprisingly quickly. The most important thing is taking cover -- otherwise you'll probably get your face shot off. The camera has a handheld "jiggle" that you see in war movies, and it adds a cool sense of tense drama. I used a little bit of my "GRAW" training in finding cover, so I didn't look like a complete rookie out there.
Then there's the chainsaw at the end of the assault rifle, which you can use to saw alien enemies in half. Perhaps the most single satisfying gaming act of my day. Believe it.
Also took in "Viva Pinata," which finds a way to turn gardening into an act of gaming innovation. The best way I can explain it is that you are charged with creating a garden from scratch. The better the garden, the more chance you have of attract animated pinata animals to it. As your garden improves, you bring in different pinatas, each with candy names and varying behavior. It's being launched in conjunction with a TV show, and it's definitely one of those games that wants to invite non-gamers to try it out. For what it's worth, it was the cutest game I saw at the show.
To end the day, checked out the antithesis of cute, "Mercenaries 2: World in Flames," in a closed-door meeting with Pandemic Studios. This edition of the game takes place in Venezuela, where there's plenty of stuff to destroy. One of the new wrinkles is the concept of fire -- essentially, if it explodes or can be lit on fire, you can burn it. The demo showed off how one can shoot an oil tanker and light the oil that spills out of it. You can also get creative and use fire to box in enemies. You're also able to recruit other mercenaries and create your own company. But the game also aims to be very open-ended.
"We tell you what to do, but not how to do it. It's totally up to the player," said Andrew Goldman, co-founder of Pandemic.
That was evident aboard a oil rig, where the main character blew up the supports and had to dodge debris as it slowly sunk into the water. The way of escape? A friend in a helicopter. Pandemic has answered the prayers of many by adding co-op multiplayer in the game. Outstanding.
I'm about to evacuate the media room, but I'll have one more post with final words on the day as well as the show. Until then, peace to all.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 3:24 PM | Comments (0)
Thoughts from 2K
Good stuff coming out of 2K games. Checked out "Bioshock" and "The Darkness," two first-person shooters that thankfully provide a lot more than just shooting the enemy.
"The Darkness" is made by Starbreeze, the wizards who put together "The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay" -- perhaps the only truly great movie-based game in recent memory. "Darkness" features a mob hitman possessed by an evil force, which gives him wicked powers every time he steps into dark areas. The demo features our mob hero summoning creatures from the floor, using dark tentacle to throw things and conjuring up a mini black hole to suck in enemies.
Sweetness personified. It's based on a comic of the same name.
"Bioshock" rocked as well, showing off an world trapped underwater that doesn't follow the usual tenets of first-person shooting -- it's not going to be linear, you start out with nothing for weapons, and you rely more on guile than reflexes. The demo showed off how instead of wiping out the creature guarding a door, you can get it into a fight with another creatures as a distraction. One lasting memory is a little girl injecting a giant needle -- twice -- into a dead body to collect a form of currency. Not disturbing at all.
I also took a look at the "Civilization IV: Warlords" expansion which gives props to great minds like Alexander the Great and Winston Churchill (a new addition), and well as "Railroads," which showed off a very easy system for laying down your own personal business empire.
That's all I can muster right now -- I'm headed off to see "Gears of War" and "Viva Pinata." Then it's "Mercenaries 2," which I hear is a must-see.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 12:11 PM | Comments (0)
Day Three: Seeing green
After the 2K meeting, it's off to Microsoft. I played the Wii, saw much of what the PS3 had to offer -- now it's time to see the stuff from the company that has gotten to concentrate on just the games for more than a year. The plate of meetings includes "Gears of War," "Viva Pinata," "Too Human" and "Mass Effect." This is especially nice because a chunk of the crowd has thinned out, and whoever's left is still in recovery mode from festivities the night before.
Be back in a few hours ... I'm off to 2K Games.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 10:06 AM | Comments (0)
May 11, 2006
The epitaph of Day Two
Closed out the day by killing an army in "Ninety-Nine Nights." I really don't see what the big deal is. I know there's some joy to be taken in killing a legion of onscreen enemies, but it gets old for me quickly. It's "Dynasty Warriors" with better effects. I also got to check out "Saints Row," but found it hard to play because it reminded me a lot of "GTA." Too much, actually. Sure, you can intricately create your own gangbanger, but is that really enough?
Tomorrow is the last day, and I plan to stop by 2K Games to see "Family Guy," "Bioshock," and of course, "Prey."
That's it for today. Now I'm going to stop my ears from being blown out at the Arena Lounge, where there's a post-E3 bash.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 7:48 PM | Comments (0)
More Day Two
I thought getting in to see the Wii was going to take all day, so I had time to peruse more wares from the show floor.
I witnessed a demo for "John Woo's Stranglehold," starring Chow Yun-Fat, master of the double-fisted gun technique. It's a giant Hong Kong action shootout that unleashes all of Woo's directing trademarks: slow motion, lots of bullets and the hero doing things for the sake of cool. You can slide across tables, run up bannisters and swing on hanging lights. One sequence features Chow gliding down a bannister and diving onto a roll cart, shooting thugs as he trucks across a room. The game takes a page out of the "Black" playbook, as practically everything in the virtual background was destroyed at the
end of the shootout.
Also went to the Ubisoft booth to see "Splinter Cell: Double Agent," in which Sam Fisher goes undercover to infiltrate a terror group. to earn their trust, he's asked to make some chilling decisions, such as whether or not to kill a captured chopper pilot. The game also takes a step outside, taking Sam away from the confined spaces he's used to. One mission puts him in Africa during a civil war. Also new to the franchise are underwater swimming sequences.
Invested some time into "Lost Planet." It didn't grab me at first glance, but it plays pretty well. You can find the demo on Xbox Live
and see for yourself. The game focuses on extreme temperature conditions -- you start off the demo on a frozen landscape reminiscent of Hoth. I spent a lot of time blasting bug creatures large and small into pieces. Good times.
I'll return in a few hours with some more stuff from today.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 3:28 PM | Comments (0)
A Wii taste
Nintendo Wii is kind of tight. Yeah, I said it.
Spent a chunk of the day waiting in line, which looked like it was going to snake around and outside the building (I didn't check to see the end of it). I managed to get my hands on "Super Mario Galaxy," "Madden '07" and "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess."
For me, the learning curve for the remote/nunchuk controller combo depended on the game I played. "Madden '07" was an enriching experience, seeing as how the person who played before and after me admittedly didn't play Madden -- or sports games -- that much, and they had a BLAST. I laid an egg when trying to kick, since I apparently have a natural curve in my upward wrist-flicking motion.
Passing was another story. I really did start feeling like quarterback. You make a throwing motion with the remote after picking a receiver with the D-Pad. It ended up feeling very intuitive near the end of the session.
I also blew through a few minutes of "Mario," which was the most natrual-feeling game as far as the Wii controllers were concerned. Wiggling the remote made Mario spin, and I also held down the right trigger and swept the remote "pointer" on the screen to collect star shards that were littering the landscape. I moved Mario around with the thumbstick on the Nunchuk -- it was also the first time I noticed that both controllers don't favor either right-handed or left-handed players. Inclusion indeed.
Then, after a VERY long wait, came "Zelda." This was a little harder to dive into. The Remote controlled item selection, firing the bow and arrow and swinging the sword, while the Nunchuk handled movement and a spin attack. The camera felt a little nutty at times, and aiming the bow and arrow with the Remote felt too sensitive, even for some of the more trained players.
However, the demo still showed off a nifty wind puzzle (where you have to use the wind boomerang), a giant magnet that carried you when you wore iron boots, and a multifaceted boss battle that asks you to:
1) Shoot the giant creature in the eye.
2) Grab onto a chain that's hanging around his feet.
3) Slapping on the iron boots (which make you heavy), and tripping the giant so it falls face first.
4) Introduce your sword to the giant's head.
Overall, the Wii seemed like a hit. I heard people rave about the golf and tennis games as well, and more people are lining up to play it -- sadly, some of them might not even see it today. I think it's worth the wait.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 12:30 PM | Comments (0)
May 10, 2006
Done with Day One
Ended the first round of E3 with two games that feature plenty of carnage.
First was the demo for "Heavenly Sword," which will be one of the early titles for the PS3. It features a redheaded warrior maiden who uses a sword that can either split in two or become a chain weapon reminiscent of Kratos' "Blades of Chaos." There's other "God of War" influence as well, namely the timed-button sequences that finish off boss enemies. The weapon is called the Heavenly Sword, and the redhead belongs to a clan sworn to protect the weapon. No mortal can wield the weapon without giving up their soul, so our heroine is living on borrowed time.
Then, it was onto "God of War II" for the good ol' PS2. Didn't think it was possible, but Kratos might be even more of a killing machine than before. He's got more angry grab moves, such as ripping off some troll's arm and beating him with it. Perhaps the ultimate was against a three-headed hound -- he tore off one head and used it to "slap" another one. That's just hard.
Kratos also showed off more of his strength, as the demo features him lifting and tipping over a leftover chunk of a temple ruin. It's early, but I'm not too worried about a letdown anymore.
It's back to the battle tomorrow. I'm not leaving Day 2 without a dose of the Wii.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 8:07 PM | Comments (0)
A short jaunt through 360 land
Spent a chunk of time on "Crackdown" for the Xbox 360, where you play an agent (who looks like an evil Jerome Bettis) assigned to essentially eliminate gangs from the city. It's got the expected guns and gore, as you earn points for targeting various body parts. Stuff flies HIGH and FAR in this game -- one grenade blast and it was literally raining dead men. Evil Bettis can also pick up vehicles and has the hops of the Hulk. Control was a little quirky for me.
"Timeshift" for the 360 played OK. I dig the concept of using time as a weapon in a first-person shooter (I stopped time to get past some flames), but I want to see how it carries over the whole course of the game. Wanted to play "Prey," but haven't gotten the chance, as many others had the same idea. I also saw a little bit of "Huxley," "Lost Planet" and "99 Nights," as well as "Too Human." None of them really screamed out at me, but perhaps I need more time.
Messed around with "Destroy All Human 2: Make War not Love," which, as you might guess, takes place in the era of the hippies. I noticed a few people took special joy in firing anal probes at our peace-loving friends, snapping them out of their purple haze.
I'm off to swing by the West Hall and see if I can squeeze in some PS3 and Wii time. See you in the evening.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 3:43 PM | Comments (1)
Checking out Konami and 'Spore'
Took a quick tour of the Konami booth. It was heavy on the portable stuff, but "Lunar Knights" stood out a little. It's similar to "Boktai," where the time of day makes a difference in the gameplay. This time, there are two characters, one each for the day and night. Also wanted to make sure the "Metal Gear Solid 4" trailer still rocked. It does. I forgot to mention in the last post that Snake has six months to live -- so he's old AND dying.
Also doubled back to EA to stare at "Spore," where you can essentially build creatures in a universe from scratch -- even from a cellular level. The six levels in the game are cell, creature, tribe, city, civilization and space. You can literally go from "primordial ooze to galactic god," as Virginia McArthur, one of "Spore's" designers, puts it. The creature editor looked very simple to use -- McArthur called it a mix "between Silly Putty and Mr. Potato Head." You can customize absolutely EVERYTHING. Pimp your creature. No word on a release, yet.
I'm off to Microsoft to see the next wave of 360 games. See you when I see you, which will be in a few hours.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 1:32 PM | Comments (1)
E3 Day One
Nothing like being late for the first E3 appointment -- media was held at bay for about 20 minutes after the doors were supposed to open. Ah, at least I wasn't alone in my lateness.
I stopped by EA, and finally got a good look at EA's "Army of Two," which puts a premium on two-player cooperation (either with a friend or AI/voice controlled partner.) It's not the first game to implement the buddy system, but the execution holds some promise. Your partner carries some authority issues -- he'll tell you to perform an unclean act on yourself if he thinks your voice commands don't make sense. You can work together to take out enemies and negotiate obstacles, but there's also two-man action when you have to revive your partner. One guys does chest compressions, while the other has to run away from a tunnel of light. Made me chuckle.
Also saw "Madden 07" for the Wii. You can pass, kick and stiff arm with the Wii Remote, and the Nunchuk controller serves as the way to juke past tacklers. I imagine the learning curve could be a little steep. On the 360 and PSP, I saw "Madden's" new features in running game. This time, you can become a blocker and help clear a path for the tailback (whom you can control after a block). David Ortiz of EA (not Big Papi of the Red Sox) said it was about "making that 4-yard run fun." I played a little, and running the ball inside did feel a little more intuitive. But it's early.
I also saw a little bit of "Superman Returns." There was flying, there was picking up big objects and hurling them across about 80 square miles of territory. It's not coming out until the fall (when the DVD is released). But I've already decided that it's at least better than past "Superman" games by principle -- people actually want to play this one.
I'll be back in a few hours with more stuff. I have the rest of the EA booth to see, namely "Spore." Then, I truly dive in.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 11:41 AM | Comments (23)
May 9, 2006
Live from the Konami conference
I've heard I'm going to see a 15-minute trailer for "Metal Gear Solid 4." It's around 4:30, and the only thing I can think of, again, is -- Snake? SNAAAKE? OK, lights are darkening.
4:33 - Konami's CEO introduced some of the VIPs in the room, with Hideo Kojima getting the biggest cheers. Wonder why. The lineup is going to include "Winning Eleven" going next-gen, new music games, even a dating simulator for the PSP.
4:40 - Opening video. See some mobile games. "Track and Field," "DDR" mobile and even "Contra." Then we move onto the other consoles. We get a look at some more new DDR games and some cute stuff for the DS.
4:46 - Ooh, "Silent Hill Origins." Quivering pieces of beef and weird monsters in the video montage -- all in the mind of this truck driver, apparently. It's a prequel, illuminating the history of Silent Hill and how it became the nexus of hell. You play the truck driver, trying to find his way back to his truck after getting lost in the town. It's coming out for the PSP.
4:52 - "Coded Arms Assault" for the PS3 is up. It's based on the "Unreal" engine, and it looks decent. You play a hacker trying to destroy a corporation via a virtual cyberworld. Lots of guns, and at the end, a babe with a big cannon essentially telling us we're going to die. Uplifting.
4:59 - Igarashi of "Castlevania" fame shows off "Portrait of Ruin" for the DS. We get two interchangeable characters. It looks like there's a guy with a whip (outstanding), and a witch. It takes place in the '40s, just after WWII. You can use the two characters for co-op attacks.
5:06 - First look at Konami's first game for the Nintendo Wii called "Elebits." I see little bouncy creatures that remind me of Teletubbies on the screen. Kind of cute. Very cute. Too cute. Elebits are energy-bringing creatures that you have to track down and "put back to work." Yep ... oppression on the Wii.
5:12 - More "Death Jr." games on the way for both the PSP and DS: "Root of Evil" and "Science Fair of Doom." We also get a look at "Brooktown High Senior Year," which is a first-person dating sim that takes place in high school. So if you stink at the game, does that make you a loser on many levels?
5:18 - Video of "Hellboy," which is coming to the 360 and PS3 in 2007. It's a brawler game, and we're told that Hellboy's creator and the director of the movie are helping out. Then we saw a trading card game with Marvel comic characters. Not as exciting for me.
5:25 - Ah, the music games. "DDR Universe" for the 360 is easier on new players. The arcade game "DDR Supernova" is also en route to the PS2. And now I'm looking at "Karaoke Revolution: American Idol" -- it was only a matter of time. It's got EyeToy compatibility, so you can see for yourself how bad a dancer you are.
5:31 - It's Kojima Productions time. "Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel." It blends artwork with some animated game elements to make for what looks like a very cool digital comic experience.
We also see "MGS: Portable Ops" for the PSP, which lets you recruit squad members and battle via WiFi.
5:50 - Battery running low. No MGS4 trailer yet ...
5:53 - Boom, here it is. It starts off looking a lot like the one at the Sony conference, with and old and grey Snake talking about how war has changed. But then we learn that Snake has about six months to live, and that he's humanity's only hope. Again. It's a lengthy trailer, close to 15 minutes, and it's looks fantastic. It has two high points -- one is when Snake puts a gun in his mouths and says "This is my final mission." The other is a breathtaking sequence that involves a wicked-looking Raiden slashing a group of mechanical beasts to ribbons. Apparently, he's a little ticked about the Jar-Jar treatment he got after "MGS 2." Wow. The trailer is almost enough for someone to entertain the thought of dropping $600 on a console. Then you return to Earth.
If you want to see photos from the conference and show, check out http://www.dailybulletin.com.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 4:22 PM | Comments (1)
Wii will get "Zelda"
Now we know where "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess" went. Instead of a last valiant gasp for the GameCube, it's now going to be one of the flagship titles for the Wii. (Fear not, Nintendo faithful -- there's a GameCube version still coming out.) The Wii Remote can be used for sword attacks, of course, as well as a way to target enemies with the bow and arrow. Intriguing, considering the game's visuals didn't look quite as good as anything we've seen from the 360 or the PS3.
The thing is, I don't think it matters to Nintendo. They're very entrenched in changing the way people play, and they want non-gamers to join in. Some of the people in the crowd cheered for first looks at "Metroid Prime 3: Corruption" and of course, Mario, in "Super Mario Galaxy."
Nintendo also whipped out "Wii Sports" (perhaps it can join "Maad Sports" in some sort of double-letter hour of power), which definitely falls into the "fun for the whole non-gaming family" category. Tennis, baseball and golf all make use of the Wii remote. Cute.
Next up for me is the Konami press conference, which for me means two words: Snake? SNAAAAKE?! That should soften the fact that I couldn't get into the Microsoft conference, which means I missed seeing the "Halo 3" announcement/teaser at the end. Inside, I am cursing. However, I and others can catch up by downloading the trailer on the Xbox Live Marketplace.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 12:46 PM | Comments (0)
Thoughts from the Nintendo briefing
Nintendo might not have had the best briefing, but it was certainly the most joyful. When Miyamoto starts things off with a virtual symphony using a controller, it makes the heart smile.
There's no price point or definite release date yet for Nintendo's new system known as the Wii , but we're told playable demos will be available on the E3 show floor. They're aiming for a 4th-quarter release, and it will most likely cost less than the funds-eating PS3.
Much time was spent on showing off the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, the unique controller combo that has earned the Wii a lot of its buzz. The demos involved people swinging the Wii remote like a sword or a tennis racket. You can get a lowdown on the controllers here.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 12:12 PM | Comments (0)
May 8, 2006
Answers from the Sony briefing -- sort of
Let's get the important stuff out of the way first.
The release date for the long-awaited PlayStation 3 is Nov. 17, just in time for the stressful holiday shopping rush, where we will probably be treated to more news footage of people trampling each other like soccer hooligans.
Or not ... Sony finally annouced a price for the system; actually, two of them. One version comes with a 20-gigabyte hard drive, which Sony says will go for $499. Then there's a 60-gigabyte hard drive edition that will evaporate $599 from the wallets of Gamer Nation (or their parents). The sad thing is, I actually thought it would be higher.
Sony also announced the capabilities of the PS3 controller, which looks almost exactly like the PS2 controller. The funky controller from a year ago is gone.
BUT WAIT! You can "steer" the PS3 controller, which has a gyroscope in it, so simply moving it around now manipulates whatever is on the screen, such as a fighter jet. Dylan Jobe of Warhawk came on stage and demonstrated as much to some muffled oohs and aahs. I've actually seen people try to steer controllers before, so there's a part of me that hopes it's well-received by the non-gamers. Otherwise, I can't say I'm kicking myself for spending the money on a 360. I'm OK.
The rest of the conference was a little flat. Of course, there were plenty of demos, especially a really long Gran Turismo demo that garnered some light cheers from the crowd. It was nice to hear that there will be some playable PS3 titles on the E3 show floor -- although at this point, there better be.
There was also a virtual Tiger Woods demonstration to show off facial emotion and detail, much like the Alfred Molina face demo of a year ago. It was cool to see in person, but something nagged at me -- such as the hearing the phrase "this is in REAL time" over and over again.
We also saw a demo of a brand new game called "Eight Nights," but we wondered on All Games Interactive as to how "real" it actually was. We also had some chatters bring up the possibility that the $499 version of the PS3 is missing a few features we thought would be standard, like built-in WiFi. If that's even remotely true, we've reached a new level of lame.
On a lighter note, next up is the Nintendo press conference, which means a steady dose of Wii. Check back in the afternoon for my impressions. Then, I'm off to the Konami press event to hopefully see more of "MGS 4," which I'll post about in the evening.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 7:46 PM | Comments (1)
Sony answers wanted
We're but a few hours away from the Sony pre-E3 press conference and hopefully, some answers to questions that have been burning in the heads of many since the PS3 was introduced last year.
First off, we need to finally know how much the thing is. As in right now, especially if many of us are going to have to factor it into our holiday budget. Will it be a $500 hit to the finances or something like a $1,000 bomb? I think that will be more important than anything the system can do.
Then, we also need to know how many of them will actually be available at launch, which is something Ron Rosenberg (the owner of the Arena Interactive Lounge in West L.A.) is keeping an eye on.
"With the PSP, (Sony) made it sound like there weren't many available, but if you knew where to look, you could find one," he said.
I'd also like to hear about a definite launch lineup. Hard to get excited about any game system if you don't know what games are going to be there when you drop the cash. A concrete release date wouldn't damage my calm, either.
Enough speculation ... later on, I hope to have some answers. I'll be back with some post-conference impressions.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 12:19 PM | Comments (0)
May 4, 2006
'Reservoir Dogs' coming to E3
To the thousands of Mr. Whites and Mr. Blues of the gaming community, Eidos will be showing off the "Reservoir Dogs" game at E3. Pegged for release on the PS2, XBox and PC for the fall, the game aims to answer some of the questions left over from the movie, such as "Do people still care?" OK, that one's mine. If EA can do it with "The Godfather," then perhaps Eidos can do the same. But please, no more "you get to play the movie!!!" hype. Just ... stop.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 11:09 AM | Comments (0)
May 3, 2006
Pandemic announces next-gen 'Mercenaries' sequel
Pandemic, the good people who brought us "Destroy All Humans," has decreed their intentions to unleash "Mercenaries 2: World in Flames" on the crowds at E3. In the first game, players used a group of mercs to blow things up. This time ... you blow more things up. But it'll be prettier.
No clue what the story is, but Pandemic is using a photo gallery to drop hints like:
If you cycle through the images, you'll get the idea. Do it fast enough, and you might feel more aggressive.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 5:59 PM | Comments (1)