Archive for the 'E3' Category
Battlefield 1943 Deploys This Week!
Deploy into World War II combat! “Battlefield 1943™” arrives on Xbox LIVE® Arcade
Attention! Get armed and ready to enter the World War II Pacific Theater of Operations. The fully-featured, action-packed “Battlefield 1943™” is available for quick and convenient download on your premier destination for digitally distributed games, Xbox LIVE Arcade this Wednesday, July 8.
Build your rank as a fierce fighter pilot, a steel-fisted tank commander, or even a skilled rifleman. Log on to Xbox LIVE where you and up to a whopping 24 players can engage in historic battle between the US Marine Corps and Japanese Imperial, whether it´s in the sky, on land or across the sea.
Published by Electronic Arts and developed by EA Dice, “Battlefield 1943™” will be available for 1200 Microsoft Points worldwide, excluding Korea. The game is rated T for Teen by the ESRB. For more details, go here.
*Xbox LIVE Gold membership required for online multiplayer
Game on!
No commentsYou’re Going To Hell!
At this year’s E3 convention in Los Angeles, there was a protest group calling EA the ‘Electronic Anti-Christ’. Why? Aparently, the religios are upset over EA’s upcoming (and great looking!) title, Dante’s Iferno; and especially it’s tag-line: Go To Hell!
Say the protestors:
“We are on a crusade to stop the blasphemous glorification of HELL and its minions as presented by Dante’s Inferno. The ever decaying youth and slovenly adults who engage with Dante’s Inferno are a victim of our society’s pointless need to flirt with Satan and his lustful campaign to corrupt human souls…We say NO. We say inferNO.”
The glorification of Hell, huh? Yeah, Hell will be my next vacation spot; unbaptized babies, eveil demons to battle left and right, and an epic quest to save your love from Lucifer himself all await you. Glory indeed!
Gamers, familiar with the game’s concept and underlying literary influences, passed by the protestors all day long, snickering at their ignorance. I guess they didn’t have anything more important to ‘crusade’ against this week.
Ready to trade in your PlayStation for PrayStation? Yeah. Me neither.
And the total number of people they managed to sawy away from the evil that is Dante’s Inferno and the Electronic Anti-Christ? Zero.
Those poor gamers. They have not heeded the call of the lord and rejected gaming. I guess we’re all just going to hell. See you there. I’ll bring the beer.
EDIT: It turns out EA hired these guys to stage the protest, in order to draw more attention to the game. Sneaky, EA. Sneaky!
Game on!
1 commentE3 Trailers
Here are some of the game trailers shown earlier today, at MS’ press briefing:
Lionhead Studios ‘Milo’ project (Natal demonstration)
Game on!
No commentsMS’ E3 Press Conference - Minute-By-Minute
E3 is here and the MS press conference & briefing will be taking place today at approximately 10:30AM. 360 Rant Rave will be watching the live feed of the press conference & will be updating this post with all the details of MS’ big announcements this year.
Here’s a shot of the stage, where the press briefing will be taking place:
Here come the announcements…
10:32 - Rock Band Beatles - you can use up to 3 mics.
10:33 - Includes fully remastered songs, backstage discussions, etc.
10:34 - First game trailer shown.
10:37 - Abbey Road will be the first full Beatles ablum ready for download.
10:37 - All You Need Is Love is a 360 DLC exclusive.
It looks/sounds good & Beatles fans will enjoy it, but IMO, they’re starting to ‘over-milk’ the Guitar Hero franchise.
10:38 - Yoko, Paul, Ringo & Olivia give their opinion of the game.
10:41 - John Schappert takes the stage.
10:43 - Tony Hawk takes the stage to discuss Tony Hawk Ride & show the final design of the new controller.
-Some cool footage shown - the controller is a big part of it - will recognize grabs, etc. Included short testimonials from some who have tried it. It looks like real-world skating skills may actually help you in this game.
-Users at E3 will get to try the game/controller.
10:48 - Modern Warfare 2 trailer shown - impressive.
10:49 - Jason & Vince take the stage & show live play of Modern Warfare 2 - looking pretty darn good so far!
-Ice/Snowstorm battlefield - infiltrating a bass & taking over communiations.
Not bad looking so far, but it took a while to get to the ‘action’. They’ve done another great job of giving you that ‘on the battlefield’ feeling. Everyhing is hectic all around. The snow drifts make it difficult to see enemies at a distance.
The snowmobiles look fun to ride - great snomobile/shooting section shown.
10:57 - 2 DLC map packs coming to Xbox Live first.
10:58 - Into for Final Fantasy XIII
I’ve never been big into the Final Fantasy series (first FF release in 1987), but I know many 360 gamers are eager for this.
10:59 - 1st Trailer (running on 360) shown. Very nice graphics - but this has always been true of the FF series. Giant ‘megabot’ boss battle shown.
-Spring 2010 release date.
11:02 - EVERYTHING FROM HERE ON IS 360 ONLY
11:02 - Donald Mustard & Cliffy B take the stage & announce a new arcade title: Shadow Complex. Donald takes the game for a spin…
It’s a bit of a surprise that Epic’s next ‘big’ 360 game is an arcade title. I must say, however, that it looks great - especially for an arcade title. Cliffy claims 10+ hours of gameplay & some great boss battles.
-Coming this summer.
11:05 - Gears 2 Dark Corners content shown at E3 (not in this press conference).
11:06 - ‘Joy Ride’ announced - new racing game using our Xbox 360 avatars.
-FREE TO DOWNLOAD & PLAY (Buy cars, upgrades, etc.)
-Coming winter 2009
11: 07 - Crackdown 2 trailer shown!
11:09 - Left 4 Dead 2 trailer shown (360 & PC) (Coming November 17th)
11:10 - Splinter Cell Conviction trailer shown.
-Sam no longer ‘plays by the rules’. This is a ‘new’ Sam Fisher (in attitude - same look). He’s more brutal/lethal & has a new ‘Mark & Execute’ move. As always, darkness is Sam’s friend. He can hide & prepare sneak attacks.
-E3 playable demo shown live. Looks to have the same high quality graphics/gameplay most Splinter Cell games have had. The game/gameplay is definitely ‘grittier’ than previous SC titles.
-Shown more in-depth than any other title announced so far. Looking great. I’ve been a fan of the SC series since the start & I’m sure I’ll pick this one up too.
-Coming fall 2008.
11:18 - Turn 10 Studios takes the stage to announce - Forza Motorsport 3 (Dan Greenwalt)
-Teaser intro video looks amazing.
-They’re calling it ‘The Definitive Racing Game Of This Generation’
Holy crap! The in-game play looks JUST as good as the teaser did.
-New graphics engine (60FPS) - best looking racing game on any console.
-Biggest racing game of the gen (cars/tracks/etc.)
-Player created content features/community features expanded, including an HD video editor.
-Coming October 2009
11:24 - Joe Staten (Bungie) takes the state to announce Halo 3: ODST & show a preview video.
-Game timeline starts weeks before the Halo 3 timeline. You start out as rookie who has been seprated from your drop team.
-ODST troops have access to silenced weapons & a low-light visor mode.
-The ODST pistol is very similar to the original Halo pistol we all loved.
-You’ll play as different OSDT troopers, working to solve the ‘mystery’ of New Mombasa.
-New game mode - Firefight.
-Coming September 22nd
11:30 - New Bungie project announced…watching intro now…..
11:31 - HALO REACH! (Coming 2010)
-You’ll get a beta invite in Halo 3: ODST
11:32 - Sam Lake takes the state to introduce ALAN WAKE!
-In game playable demo shown. Looking good - lots of flashlight use shown in demo.
-Some slo-mo combat effects shown as Alan is being attacked.
-Coming spring 2010 - geez! More waiting.
11:38 - Last FM coming to 360.
-Coming later in 2009 for no additional charge to Gold members.
11:40 - Netflix upgrade - browse available movies right from your 360
-UK & Ireland getting live SkyTV starting this Fall. This is BIG news. LIVE TV on a game console /w no additional hardware needed.
11:42 - Zune video will replace the video marketplace
-HD library being upgraded to full 1080P
-All movies/TV shows can be watched instantly (no download first - they will stream)
-Doubling (to 18) the number of countries where it’s available.
-Coming Fall 2009.
11:43 - Movies/TV/Music Live Party will finally be lauching this Fall as well (2009).
11:44 - Facebook partnership w/ 360 - Felicia Day announced to discuss.
-Facebook w/ custom console/living room design right on your 360
-See all your friends
-Friend ‘lnker’ shows Xbox Live frinds & facebook friends together.
-View your photos & your friend’s photos.
-Post/check status updates right from your 360.
-Facebook Connect - Post screenshots & even text from your 360 directly to your facebook page in real time!
-Twitter coming as well! Tweet right from your Xbox & follow your friends.
-Facebook & Twitter coming to 360 this Fall (2009).
11:49 - Don Mattrick takes the stage (w/ Kojima) to announce that METAL GEAR SOLID IS COMING TO THE 360! (Metal Gear Assault Rising - currently in development.)
-Preview trailer shown - graphics look awsome.
-NO solid Snake!? Very few details given.
NATAL:
11:54 - Making YOU the controller…. (Full body motion capture & voice recognition).
-Shows a controller-free interface that mimics your moves on-screen (errily like the movie preview of ‘Gamer’ - see earlier posts on 360 Rant Rave for details).
The video shown looks very impressive, but I’m sure there are still serveral techinical issues to work out.
-Codenamed Project Natal.
-Using a ‘breakthrough’ 3D sensor & voice recognition software to facilitate control.
-Will work with every 360 already sold.
12:00 - Steven Spileberg takes the stage! (MS partner w/ Natal).
-Idea born from the ‘intimidation’ most ‘regular’ people have in picking up a game controller (60% of homes still don’t own a video game console).
12:02 - Kudo Tsunoda introduced to discuss Natal further.
-Early prototype/demos shown
-Will ’recognize’ you by face & auto sign you in!
-Your avatar/game character will move as you do.
-Simple hand swipes will let you control the menus.
-’Ricochet’ launched to show full body control (like 3D breakout - where your body controls the paddle/ball). Move in 3D space (move closer to/further from screen).
-Can track/recognize multiple people for multiplayer.
12:06 - ‘Paint Party’ shown (paint using Natal controls).
Natal is obviously MS’ ploy to pull ‘non-gamers’ into the fray even moreso than the Wii, by removing the need for a controller.
12:11 - Peter Molyneux introduced to talk even more about Natal.
-Shows experimentation w/ Natal at Lionhead studios. An interactive on-screen character that can recognize you & converse with you, etc.
Natal seems quite innovative, but I can also see limitations in games that require more ‘complex’ controls (swithing weapons, making spell selections in RPG’s, etc.)
-Will be shown to a selected audience at E3 this year.
12:17 - Press Conference conclusion.
Wow! MS kept saying they had a few surprises they’d held back for E3 and they were right. The games, the new features, the features like Natal on the horizon, etc. I’m impressed! I think it was a VERY successful press conference for E3. I’m looking forward to almost everything they showed.
Game on!
No commentsMicrosoft’s E3 Press Conference Analysis
Microsoft made some big announcements yesterday at E3. Among them were the 360 dashboard update, the addition of avatars and a new partnership with Netflix. That’s not all though. Let’s take a look at what they announced and what it all means to us as gamers.
First came the game announcements for the titles MS knows we’ve all been waiting for. Preview videos were shown for Fallout 3, Resident Evil 5 and Gears or War 2 (all of these videos are available on your Xbox 360 in the marketplace). Personally, I’ve never been that into the Resident Evil series (though the video was nice), but I’m really looking forward to Fallout 3 and especially Gears of War 2. I loved the retro look to the Fallout 3 trailer and they seem to have upped the gore factor even further for Gears 2 - and chainsaw dueling looks like a lot of fun. We’ll certainly have plenty to keep us busy this fall.
While all big companies like to tout their numbers, it was still impressive to hear MS announce that Xbox Live now has over 12 million members. It’s a testament to the fact that plenty of gamers out there still feel that the pay service that is Xbox Live is worth the money. Granted, not all 12 million of those members are gold members, but it’s still impressive.
Since the news of the dashboard update hit, there have been strong feelings on both sides. Some love it, while others truly detest it. Why all the controversy? (Video about the new dash HERE.)
Many feel that MS’ introduction of 3D ‘Avatars’ is too blatant a copy of Nintendo’s Mii characters for the Wii system. On the surface I tend to agree with that view, but I still really do like the overall look of the new dash, and I understand that some of the other new features would be far more difficult to implement without an avatar to represent your presence in the virtual world.
The new avatars will work in conjunction with the new ‘Community Channel’, where you can see what your friends are up to, and the new ‘Primetime Channel’, where we’ll see new and massive games like 1 vs. 100, and playing for actual, real-life prizes.
Many fear that the dashboard themes and gamer pictures they’ve spent so much money on will become worthless once the new dash design arrives. Fear not. MS may be a bit money grubbing, but they aren’t about to screw over millions of gamers like that. The new dash will still allow you to use the themes and gamer pictures you’ve purchased over the past few years. They simply didn’t have the time to demo this fact on stage.
The other big announcement, that we’ve known has been coming for a while, is MS’ exclusive partnership with Netflix. Now, if you have an Xbox Live subscription and a Netflix account, you can access Netflix’s library of ‘watch it now’ movies from your Xbox 360. This gives you an easy way to watch your Netflix movies on your TV rather than having to watch them on your PC, which can really be a pain.
The Netflix setup is even integrated with the new community features of the dash, so you and up to seven other friends can all join up to enjoy a Netflix movie together (An Xbox Live Gold subscription & a Netflix account are required for each party member). I cancelled my Netflix account about a year ago but if they have improved their watch it now offerings (which have traditionally offered far fewer choices than their mailed films), I may seriously consider signing up again.
The last main announcement is something that Xbox fans have been waiting for (and that PlayStation fans have probably been dreading), Final Fantasy XIII has been confirmed for the Xbox 360. This was a big announcement, as the FF series has traditionally been joined at the hip with the PlayStation. Some die hard FF fans are really up in arms about it.
Other announcements included:
-Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 (Coming August 6th – See our feature on it HERE).
-Portal: Still Alive is coming to the arcade with all new levels 7 achievements.
-There will be a South Park arcade title.
-The first GTA IV downloadable episode will be out later this year.
-Viva Pinata 2: Trouble in Paradise
-Scene it 2: Box office Smash
-You’re in the movies
-Guitar Hero: World Tour
-Rock Band 2 (360 Exclusive - over 500 songs by year end)
-Infinite Undiscovery (360 Exclusive)
-The Last Remnant (360 timed exclusive - then PC)
It was an impressive press conference and it looks like the Xbox 360 is in for an amazing fall season. Watch 360 Rant Rave for more info on the Xbox 360’s new features and titles as more info becomes available.
Game on!
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