It's been quite some time since the last article was posted here on Game for a Laugh. I apologise for the lack of content over the last month but i promise i have a really good excuse, and it has nothing to do with the dog eating my laptop (although i swear he did try that once due to a rather fetching Pedigree Chum screen saver). You could say that i've been doing research for the blog, but i don't think that you should have that much fun researching something, unless it's porn or product development at Frankie and Benny's. Nope, the reason that it's been so quiet can be summed up in one word.
Minecraft.
I've heard a fair bit about Minecraft over the last year or so, until recently i just ignored it due to the large number of AAA titles that were on the horizon. Red Dead Redemption, Fallout New Vegas, GT5, Portal 2 and Fight Night Champion, which i'll be writing about later on, all took my attention away from the small game originally developed by one man in the snowy depths of Sweden in May 2009. That is, until i saw a video feature on IGN about the popular indie game scheduled for full release on 11.11.11 (that date sounds familiar).
You'd think i would have learned by now. Games such as the super successful Angry Birds proved that low budget games with reasonable price points can be just as enjoyable and deep as the biggest budget blockbusters. Minecraft cost me just short of £14 and has swallowed literally days of my life in the last month, Angry Birds did just the same thing a few months earlier.
Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself here, let's talk a bit more about what Minecraft actually is.
Minecraft was developed by Swedish game designer Markus Persson after he quit as a developer for King.com to concentrate on his independent work. Partly inspired by Infiniminer, a mining game by Zach Barth, it was initially released on May 17th 2009 and continues to be in Beta to this day. The game is graphically very simple, the environment is rendered in 3d but the textures themselves are extremely reminiscent of Doom. While it won't blow your socks off in the looks department it's great to see a game that is so confident in its game play that it couldn't care less how it looks, and to be fair to it the graphics actually grow on you after a while to the point where it becomes charming. The low res graphics also have a practical purpose however. Persson has been quoted as saying that he wanted to create a game that could be played on anyone's PC. He certainly achieved that since i can play it on my Laptop with very little slow down at all.
Gameplay consists of mining blocks of wood, dirt, cobbles and gravel and then using these resources to craft your shelter, weapons, clothes, tools, torches and even your own bed. The list of items you can craft is truely exhaustative, everything from sheep sheers to garden hoes can be made with the right ingrediants. The real appeal of this game is simple, You create everything. It's like seeing the condensed history of man in video game form.
Make a shelter, form stone tools, mine metals, make better tools, protect yourself from the things that come for you at night... Oh wait i forgot to tell you, there are Zombies in this game too.
While daylight hours are the time when you collect resources and form the world as you want it to be, darkness belongs to the things that go "bump" in the night. This sets out a very rigid structure for how you should proceed. Make a shelter and arm yourself before night falls or you're in serious doo doo! Of course the options allow the player to turn the zombies off or on at any time, giving you the opportunity to build a fortress before you need worry about uninvited guests slathering after your poor overworked brains, but for the hardcore out there you can struggle through your first night with the hoard after you.
It's the shear freedom and creativity in this game that appeals to me. Minecraft is a sandbox game in its truest form, allowing you complete freedom in what you do with it. Form your own kingdom? Go ahead! Make a recreation of Hyrule and have yourself a 3D Zelda adventure? Why not! Make a 1:1 scale model of the Enterprise? Well it's a pretty nerdy thing to do but Yes, indeed you can!
The reason i can't put this game down is simply that it's endless, both in possibilities and in game play. Every day i set off in a new direction and find another strange unexplored island full of caves and resources to be tapped in to. How can i stop when there's so much still to explore?!
Now i know how Sir Walter Rayleigh felt...
Sunday, 24 July 2011
Monday, 27 June 2011
Sony pimping the PSP for all it's worth
In the PSP's dwindling years it was perhaps inevitable that Sony would try to squeeze the last pennies from it's soon to be pensioned off Hand held console. Sony's Playstation blog announced today that the following three dual packs will be released this week in the US for the very competitive price of $14.99.
Syphon Filter Dark Mirror/SOCOM Fire Team Bravo
Syphon Filter Logan's Shadow/Killzone Liberation
Secret Agent Clank/Daxter
Not only will these packs be in stores this week but they will be made available for digital download in the Playstation Network Store. Hopefully, if these dual packs turn out to be successful, we'll see more PSP classics find their way into the bargain bucket.
Sony didn't announce any plans to roll out the Dual Pack concept outside of the US, but of course if they announce any intention to do so you'll read about it here on Game for a laugh.
Syphon Filter Dark Mirror/SOCOM Fire Team Bravo
Syphon Filter Logan's Shadow/Killzone Liberation
Secret Agent Clank/Daxter
Not only will these packs be in stores this week but they will be made available for digital download in the Playstation Network Store. Hopefully, if these dual packs turn out to be successful, we'll see more PSP classics find their way into the bargain bucket.
Sony didn't announce any plans to roll out the Dual Pack concept outside of the US, but of course if they announce any intention to do so you'll read about it here on Game for a laugh.
Why i went back to PSP
Maybe i have the worst timing in the world, but i bought a PSP a couple of weeks ago after seeing a pearl white PSP 3000 on sale for a very decent price at HMV. Yes i know that there is likely very little software left to be released on the console, especially with Vita due out at the end of the year, but i have some good reasons other than "It was an impulse buy, lolz".
First i should say that this isn't the first time i've owned a Playstation Portable. I bought one very soon after launch only to trade it in for a DS after i was left underwhelmed by games like World Soccer Tour and Pursuit Force (the latter was apparently a good game but it just never grabbed me). I was disappointed with the lack of software support for Sony's hand held device, while DS was getting the likes of New Super Mario Bros, Zelda, Proffessor Layton and Mario kart. So, what changed?
Well, during the time i was away the PSP developed a very strong library. Puzzle, action, arcade, racing, RPG and downloadable titles available on the PSP offered More diversity and quality than it's Nintendo rival could hope to. Of course it helps that Sony's machine is much more powerful under the hood, meaning that games like The Third Birthday and Final Fantasy's Dissidia franchise could be played on the move rather than only at home.
Oh and I also bought a PS3 at some point too...
Owning a PS3 makes the PSP experience that little bit better. Being able to browse and download things from the PSN store on my home console just feels better, I can start a download and then leave it running while i do other stuff, no concerns for battery life or losing wifi connection thank you very much. It also helps that using the PSP in conjunction with the PS3 makes you feel like a tech genius when, really, anyone could do it.
I've already downloaded Angry Birds for the PSP, an inspired game that perfectly suits my train ride to work every morning where a larger UMD based game might not. Playstation Mini's in general are of great interest to me while Plans are in motion to download Final Fantasy VII thru IX for more extended play while not at home.
Puzzle games have always been a staple of Hand held gaming, from the first time i played Tetris on the Gameboy i loved to exercise my grey matter. PSP has an embarrassment of riches in that department. Lumines, Echochrome, Mercury, Lemmings, the Go! series of puzzle games to name a few are exactly the games i like to play. They challenge you but reward you at the same time.
When did they put a comic book reader on the PSP? Never mind, because i've already downloaded some free samples and i love the concept. I might very well start downloading some titles from the store front. Skype is a nice little extra to have, but I doubt I'll use it much. Music is still a pain in the ass on PSP, but honestly, i have an iPod so why would i want music on a gaming device?
No, the reason i bought the PSP is very simple. I love games, I want to re-play some PS One classics as well as mini's like Angry Birds. I want to play the Third Parasite Eve game and Dissidia duodecishuckyduckyquackquack. I like Tetris but i prefer Lumines and Mario Golf doesn't have shit on Everybody's Golf. Peace Walker? Yes please.
PSP started off slow, it didn't get the support it needed straight away but after a few years it started to hit its stride. Now as PSP is eased into retirement we can see it has a wonderful library of games available to play. Whether they be on UMD or are downloadable titles on PSN the PSP has plenty to choose from, and i've only just begun to sink my teeth into it all. Now is the time to jump on board if you haven't already. My hands are rubbing together so fast you could start a fire with me.
First i should say that this isn't the first time i've owned a Playstation Portable. I bought one very soon after launch only to trade it in for a DS after i was left underwhelmed by games like World Soccer Tour and Pursuit Force (the latter was apparently a good game but it just never grabbed me). I was disappointed with the lack of software support for Sony's hand held device, while DS was getting the likes of New Super Mario Bros, Zelda, Proffessor Layton and Mario kart. So, what changed?
Well, during the time i was away the PSP developed a very strong library. Puzzle, action, arcade, racing, RPG and downloadable titles available on the PSP offered More diversity and quality than it's Nintendo rival could hope to. Of course it helps that Sony's machine is much more powerful under the hood, meaning that games like The Third Birthday and Final Fantasy's Dissidia franchise could be played on the move rather than only at home.
Oh and I also bought a PS3 at some point too...
Owning a PS3 makes the PSP experience that little bit better. Being able to browse and download things from the PSN store on my home console just feels better, I can start a download and then leave it running while i do other stuff, no concerns for battery life or losing wifi connection thank you very much. It also helps that using the PSP in conjunction with the PS3 makes you feel like a tech genius when, really, anyone could do it.
I've already downloaded Angry Birds for the PSP, an inspired game that perfectly suits my train ride to work every morning where a larger UMD based game might not. Playstation Mini's in general are of great interest to me while Plans are in motion to download Final Fantasy VII thru IX for more extended play while not at home.
Puzzle games have always been a staple of Hand held gaming, from the first time i played Tetris on the Gameboy i loved to exercise my grey matter. PSP has an embarrassment of riches in that department. Lumines, Echochrome, Mercury, Lemmings, the Go! series of puzzle games to name a few are exactly the games i like to play. They challenge you but reward you at the same time.
When did they put a comic book reader on the PSP? Never mind, because i've already downloaded some free samples and i love the concept. I might very well start downloading some titles from the store front. Skype is a nice little extra to have, but I doubt I'll use it much. Music is still a pain in the ass on PSP, but honestly, i have an iPod so why would i want music on a gaming device?
No, the reason i bought the PSP is very simple. I love games, I want to re-play some PS One classics as well as mini's like Angry Birds. I want to play the Third Parasite Eve game and Dissidia duodecishuckyduckyquackquack. I like Tetris but i prefer Lumines and Mario Golf doesn't have shit on Everybody's Golf. Peace Walker? Yes please.
PSP started off slow, it didn't get the support it needed straight away but after a few years it started to hit its stride. Now as PSP is eased into retirement we can see it has a wonderful library of games available to play. Whether they be on UMD or are downloadable titles on PSN the PSP has plenty to choose from, and i've only just begun to sink my teeth into it all. Now is the time to jump on board if you haven't already. My hands are rubbing together so fast you could start a fire with me.
Saturday, 18 June 2011
Wii U and the two player conundrum
It's fair to say that there has been quite some confusion about Nintendo's new console, Wii U, since it was first shown to the press and public at E3 last week. Nintendo themselves admitted that the confusion as to whether the new system was a hand held or a console was their fault, there were precious few shots of the new console leading people to believe that the controller was the Wii U itself. That confusion was cleared up quickly by Nintendo but unfortunately there's one other, rather important, question that has arisen from the E3 conference which Nintendo have as of yet not quashed or confirmed. Is the Wii U a single player console?
Speculation is sometimes a wonderful, if rather pointless thing. All the shots and videos of the Wii U in action last week were of a single Wii U controller being used in conjunction with the console. Does that mean that only one of these touch screen controllers will work with the Wii U at any time? Is there another multi button controller that will be compatible with the Wii U, that Nintendo are yet to announce? Or is it just that they didn't have any multi player games to show off two controllers working at the same time? whatever the reason behind it all Nintendo have confused us all yet again.
Personally the only reason i can see Nintendo only giving you one touch screen controller is simple. Cost. It's common for consoles to only supply one controller as standard these days, and with the high cost of the Wii U controller is it that hard to believe that in order to keep cost down, Nintendo will only supply one with every console? I very rarely play multi player games on the same console any more so why do i need more than one controller anyway?
From a technical point of view there is no reason why the Wii U couldn't support 2 touch screen controllers, Even if both were streaming information to their touch screen displays. PS3 has to process two seperate images at the same time in order for it's 3D games to work properly and the Wii U is as reportedly as powerful if not more so than both the PS3 and the Xbox 360. In theory it could stream both players POV's to their individual controllers, or in some games where you inhabit the same screen, such as FIFA or the upcoming Street Fighter x Tekken, you could have extra control's and information streamed to your screen instead.
Michael Pachter, an analyst for Wedbush Morgan was recently quoted by IGN as saying that Reggie Fils-Amie, Nintendo America's President claimed that Wii U would support two of the touch screen controllers if required.
"They were particularly unclear about whether the console would support more than one of their tablet-like controllers; Mr. Miyamoto said no, but Reggie said yes (to me in a meeting). Obviously, they intend to ship the console with only one of these controllers, so it is unlikely that anyone will develop games that require two, but they were not clear whether the capability exists."
So developers are making two player games for the Wii U but not games that support the use of two touch controllers? Doe's this mean that another controller, sans touch screen, will be available for the console? despite all Wii hardware working on Wii U i wouldn't want to play Tekken using the wii-mote or even the classic controller. Not enough buttons and not anywhere near as comfortable to use as either of it's competitors controllers.
Whatever the answer to this conundrum you'll find the answer here, as long as Nintendo actually know the answer...
Speculation is sometimes a wonderful, if rather pointless thing. All the shots and videos of the Wii U in action last week were of a single Wii U controller being used in conjunction with the console. Does that mean that only one of these touch screen controllers will work with the Wii U at any time? Is there another multi button controller that will be compatible with the Wii U, that Nintendo are yet to announce? Or is it just that they didn't have any multi player games to show off two controllers working at the same time? whatever the reason behind it all Nintendo have confused us all yet again.
Personally the only reason i can see Nintendo only giving you one touch screen controller is simple. Cost. It's common for consoles to only supply one controller as standard these days, and with the high cost of the Wii U controller is it that hard to believe that in order to keep cost down, Nintendo will only supply one with every console? I very rarely play multi player games on the same console any more so why do i need more than one controller anyway?
From a technical point of view there is no reason why the Wii U couldn't support 2 touch screen controllers, Even if both were streaming information to their touch screen displays. PS3 has to process two seperate images at the same time in order for it's 3D games to work properly and the Wii U is as reportedly as powerful if not more so than both the PS3 and the Xbox 360. In theory it could stream both players POV's to their individual controllers, or in some games where you inhabit the same screen, such as FIFA or the upcoming Street Fighter x Tekken, you could have extra control's and information streamed to your screen instead.
Michael Pachter, an analyst for Wedbush Morgan was recently quoted by IGN as saying that Reggie Fils-Amie, Nintendo America's President claimed that Wii U would support two of the touch screen controllers if required.
"They were particularly unclear about whether the console would support more than one of their tablet-like controllers; Mr. Miyamoto said no, but Reggie said yes (to me in a meeting). Obviously, they intend to ship the console with only one of these controllers, so it is unlikely that anyone will develop games that require two, but they were not clear whether the capability exists."
So developers are making two player games for the Wii U but not games that support the use of two touch controllers? Doe's this mean that another controller, sans touch screen, will be available for the console? despite all Wii hardware working on Wii U i wouldn't want to play Tekken using the wii-mote or even the classic controller. Not enough buttons and not anywhere near as comfortable to use as either of it's competitors controllers.
Whatever the answer to this conundrum you'll find the answer here, as long as Nintendo actually know the answer...
Monday, 13 June 2011
I'm beginning to get hacked off with this...
It's been a dodgy few days for the games industry. If we're honest it's been a bad couple of months on the information security side of things.
Since Sony took the Playstation network offline on April 20th the gaming world has been rocked by a series of attacks from hackers, seemingly all with the aim of accessing the details of as many gamers as possible. Whether this is for more malicious reasons than simply to prove they can is unclear, but it's a worrying event that has seemingly spawned several more copycat attacks in the last few days.
The Wall St Journal reported on June 6th that Nintendo had been hacked by LulzSec, although no customer data was taken it was still worrying that someone was able to breach the security of one of Japan's biggest companies
On June 10th it was revealed that British games developer Codemasters had also been hacked by an unknown party. A spokesman for the Dirt series developers told BBC news that no payment details had been taken in the "significant" theft. An email from Codemasters to it's users recommended changing any passwords associated with their accounts. Gamers were also advised to be vigilant against unsolicited phone calls and e-mails requesting information from users who may have had their data stolen.
On the same day that Codemasters was hacked, Epic games also reported an incident in which user details were obtained by hackers. They released the following statement.
"Our Epic Games web sites and forums were recently hacked. We're working on getting them back up and running, and expect everything to be restored in a few days.
The hackers likely obtained the email addresses and encrypted passwords of forum users. Plain text passwords weren't revealed, but short or common passwords could be obtained by brute-force attack. Therefore, we're resetting all passwords. If you have an account on the Epic Games forums, you can request to receive your new password by email it to the address we have on file for you.
The Unreal Developer Network (UDN) has not been compromised. None of our web sites ask for, or store, credit card information or other sensitive customer data.
We're sorry for the inconvenience, and appreciate everyone's patience as we get our servers back under control. "
Finally, today we got the news that Bethesda had been compromised by the same group that had hacked Nintendo in what they described as an "attempted unlawful intrusion". In a post on the official Bethesda blog the company stated that "While no personal financial information or credit card data was obtained, the hackers may have gained access to some user names, email addresses, and/or passwords." Bethesda echoed Codemasters warning that users beware of any unsolicited emails or phone calls.
These are worrying times if you're a gamer, especially if you're signed up to any developers or console makers services. If i can offer any advice it would be the same as Codemasters and Bethesda have offered, please be vigilant, be aware of any emails or phone calls you may receive, and frankly speaking don't sign up for any services with your real details if you don't have to.
Stay safe.
Since Sony took the Playstation network offline on April 20th the gaming world has been rocked by a series of attacks from hackers, seemingly all with the aim of accessing the details of as many gamers as possible. Whether this is for more malicious reasons than simply to prove they can is unclear, but it's a worrying event that has seemingly spawned several more copycat attacks in the last few days.
The Wall St Journal reported on June 6th that Nintendo had been hacked by LulzSec, although no customer data was taken it was still worrying that someone was able to breach the security of one of Japan's biggest companies
On June 10th it was revealed that British games developer Codemasters had also been hacked by an unknown party. A spokesman for the Dirt series developers told BBC news that no payment details had been taken in the "significant" theft. An email from Codemasters to it's users recommended changing any passwords associated with their accounts. Gamers were also advised to be vigilant against unsolicited phone calls and e-mails requesting information from users who may have had their data stolen.
On the same day that Codemasters was hacked, Epic games also reported an incident in which user details were obtained by hackers. They released the following statement.
"Our Epic Games web sites and forums were recently hacked. We're working on getting them back up and running, and expect everything to be restored in a few days.
The hackers likely obtained the email addresses and encrypted passwords of forum users. Plain text passwords weren't revealed, but short or common passwords could be obtained by brute-force attack. Therefore, we're resetting all passwords. If you have an account on the Epic Games forums, you can request to receive your new password by email it to the address we have on file for you.
The Unreal Developer Network (UDN) has not been compromised. None of our web sites ask for, or store, credit card information or other sensitive customer data.
We're sorry for the inconvenience, and appreciate everyone's patience as we get our servers back under control. "
Finally, today we got the news that Bethesda had been compromised by the same group that had hacked Nintendo in what they described as an "attempted unlawful intrusion". In a post on the official Bethesda blog the company stated that "While no personal financial information or credit card data was obtained, the hackers may have gained access to some user names, email addresses, and/or passwords." Bethesda echoed Codemasters warning that users beware of any unsolicited emails or phone calls.
These are worrying times if you're a gamer, especially if you're signed up to any developers or console makers services. If i can offer any advice it would be the same as Codemasters and Bethesda have offered, please be vigilant, be aware of any emails or phone calls you may receive, and frankly speaking don't sign up for any services with your real details if you don't have to.
Stay safe.
Saturday, 11 June 2011
E3 feature - Catherine
Catherine is the latest release from the creators of the Persona series, Atlus games. It's best described as an Erotic Horror Platform Adventure Puzzle Game which may sound like a mouthful but honestly it's too varied to pigeon hole with one genre.
Vincent has been in a relationship with his girlfriend Katherine for five years but is scared by the idea of marriage. He's been hearing about the deaths of young men in the area, all were found in bed with a look of anguish cast across their faces. One night he meets a woman named Catherine in the Stray Sheep bar, instantly falling for the charms of his ideal woman he spends the night with her and is immediately plagued by strange nightmares. In these dreams Vincent as well as other men who appear to him as sheep must escape from different horrifying deaths by climbing a mountain of boxes. Can Vincent figure out what's happening? Which Katherine/Catherine will he choose? Will he even survive the night?
The game is split into two discernible parts when you play the Golden Theatre mode (story mode for those of us who like things made obvious). During the day time you juggle your relationship with two women, talk to friends and other patrons of the Stray Sheep, order a drink, listen to music on the jukebox (which happens to feature a multitude of songs from previous Atlus titles including Persona), and send and receive text messages on your phone (Catherine is fond of sending the odd saucy photo).
The main meat of the game though, is the nightmare world which is set out like a puzzle. You climb a slowly collapsing staircase made of movable blocks, you can push, pull and slide the blocks to navigate your way to the top, and safety. Score multipliers are gained for climbing the boxes quickly but there are multiple traps and sheep in the way to block your progress. You can collect items along the way such as pillows which represent extra lives. Falling off the bottom of the staircase costs you a pillow and when you run out of pillows it's game over. I between stages you can talk to the sheep or learn new techniques that should help you on your way through the nightmare you're enduring.
It's a really smart puzzle design that does what all the best ones do, it keeps the basic concept simple but allows it to become infinitely complicated at the same time.
The game itself is stunning and gives us a fair indication of how the next Persona will look. Animated cut scenes blend seamlessly with the cell shaded graphics of the in game engine while the character animations are smooth and realistic, well, as realistic as they get when you're a Boxer shorts wearing guy with a pair of sheep horns climbing up a pile of boxes to escape a giant fork.
Based on your Decisions Vincent will take a differing route through the story, you can affect small things like the way you compose a text, or how you talk to somebody. Catherine uses a subtle kind of morality system whereby small choices in conversation are taken into account as well as larger choices to give a more rounded summation of your characters personality. The end of the game is also affected by your choices, with multiple endings possible, it's very much like Heavy Rain with it's branching story lines.
Catherine also features two player Babel Mode and a PVP mode called Vs Colosseum.
Catherine is a game unlike anything els you've played on Xbox 360 or PS3, it has intense gameplay, slick presentation and huge potential for multiple replays. The only downside is that unfortunately there's no release scheduled for the UK, although Germany is due to get the game on December 31st. Having said that of course most PS3 games are region free, so you can pick up an imported copy of the US version from July 16th if you so wish.
I'm definitely getting my hands on a copy.
Thursday, 9 June 2011
E3 delivers
So that's very nearly it for another E3, there's been some terrible new names for consoles on the horizon, a slew of great games demo's and even an apology from a certain Japanese electronics firm. With all that went on in LA this year it's difficult to know where to start or who came out on top. here's a run-down of each of the big three's conferences, there are links in the titles to each press conference.
Microsoft Press Conference - E3 2011
Call of Duty - Modern Warfare 3
Tomb Raider
EA Sports announce Kinect support
Mass Effect Kinect support Demo
Ghost Recon - Future Soldier Kinect support Demo
New Xbox Experience with integrated Kinect support
UFC partnership announced
Gears of War 3 Demo
Ryse Trailer
Halo Anniversary Trailer
Forza 4 Trailer
Fable Journey Trailer and Demo
Disneyland Adventures (plus annoying child actors)
Star Wars Kinect Trailer
Sesame Street Once Upon a Monster Demo
Kinect Tech Demo (including full body scan and creepy Avatar creation)
Kinect Fun Labs
Kinect Sports Season 2 Trailer
Minecraft coming to Xbox
Dance Central 2 Demo
Halo 4
Sony Press Conference - E3 2011
Apology for PSN debacle
Uncharted 3 Demo
Resistance 3 Demo
Resistance 3 Sharpshooter bundle priced at $150 due on Sept 6
God of War Origins 3D announced
Team ICO Remastered 3D collection announced
Playstation branded 24" 3D display bundle announced at $499
Playstation 3D glasses announced at $69.99 each
NBA 2K12 Move support Demo
Medieval Moves Demo
inFAMOUS 2 Trailer
Starhawk Demo
PS Move update announced for LBP in Sept
New Sly Cooper Trailer
Dust 514 Trailer
Bioshock Infinite Trailer
Move support announced for Bioshock Infinite
Bioshock to be bundled with Infinite
Exclusive mode available for Saints Row III
Star Trek Trailer
SSX - exclusive Mount Fuji track
NFS The Run - 7 exclusive Supercars
Battlefield 3 will include Battlefield 1943
Playstation Suite presentation
NGP officially named PlayStation Vita
Partnership with AT&T announced
Vita features discussed
Uncharted: Golden Abyss Demo
Ruin Vita to PS3 save share Demo
ModNation Racers Vita Demo
LBP Vita Trailer
SF x Tekken Vita Demo and Trailer
Cole from inFAMOUS will be in the Vita version of SF x Tekken
Vita Show reel
Vita priced at $249.99/$299.99
Nintendo Press Conference - E3 2011
Celebration of Zelda 25th anniversary
Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening available to download now on 3DS store
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D available from 11th June
Legend of Zelda: Four Swords free to download on DSi from September
Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword released this Holiday Season
Gold Wii Remote available on game release
Ocarina OST CD is a free gift with Club Nintendo registration
Mario Kart 3DS Trailer
Starfox 3DS Trailer
Super Mario 3DS Trailer
Kid Icarus 3DS Trailer
Luigi's Mansion 2 3DS Trailer
3DS Show reel
Virtual Console 3DS announced
Pokedex 3D announced as free downloadable game for 3DS
New Console is Officially named Wii U
Wii U Controller revealed
"Wii U in action" presentation video
Smash Brothers in development for Wii U and 3DS
Tech Demo of Wii U's graphical power
Lego City Stories Announced for Wii U and 3DS
Showreel of games coming to Wii U
EA pledges support to ne Wii U System
That's what the three major players in the Video Games industry had to offer this year, and it's left me surprised on two fronts. First I would never have believed that Kinect would appeal to me in any way shape or form, but honestly this voice recognition stuff they implemented in Mass Effect 3 has me interested. One game isn't enough to make me part with the best part of £100 but it's a promising start. Perhaps when Kinect Fun Lab has had some time to work it's magic I'll re-evaluate my position on that.
My second surprise was with the name of Nintendo's new home console. I was honestly convinced they would leave Wii behind them since it has such name recognition as the console that catered for the casual market. With the Wii name attatched to it I think the console may struggle to find the hardcore market it craves, unless they release some heavy hitting software at launch it'll be seen as another casual games machine. Having said that, the controller tech looks very interesting, especially when used as an extension for golf games etc as seen in the Nintendo press conference. I'll be interested to get my hands on it to see what it feels like to hold. It might just be me but it looks a little cumbersome.
Sony, while packing their conference with lots of great games have been slightly hamstrung this year by the fact that most of the software they rolled out was already known about and had been see already. The main appeal this year was the unveiling of the PSVita and seeing games running on the system in real time, it's impressive tech and very reasonably priced given the amount of kit that's been crammed into that tiny hand held machine. Overall the conference was a strong showing, but it failed to surprise or particularly excite me.
Microsoft really pushed Kinect hard this year, and if they can find more inventive ways of making it a worthwhile augmentation to the gaming experience then they may have hit the right balance between the hardcore and casual market. Minecraft is an excellent pick up for the company while Halo 4 is easy money for them. Once again being first to hold their conference has paid dividends with the premier looks at multi platform games like MW3, Tomb Raider and Mass Effect. 360 may not have many exclusive titles this year, but looking at the ones they do have makes you excited. As if Forza 4 didn't look great already I learned today that the Top Gear Test Track is going to feature in the upcoming Turn 10 racer. Gears of War 3 was impressive and as mentioned before there's the console debut of Minecraft too. I just wish they could have found some child actors that didn't make me want to punch my face in, or for that matter someone who could operate the Bing feature of Xbox dashboard without looking like she'd just performed some kind of miracle that no-one else was capable of. I hate that self satisfied look on peoples faces when they've done something that anyone could have. but i digress...
Now I'm not the type of person to claim that one company won E3, and i won't be doing so here. It's clear that from the conferences held this week that all three companies have a strong year ahead (despite the share price drop that Nintendo appear to have suffered since their presentation). I honestly couldn't say that one has the edge over the others. Nintendo and Sony both have great new Hardware to come while 360 looks like it will continue to improve it's Kinect peripheral and has built the entire new Xbox experience around the motion sensor while supporting it with several of it's top titles this year. Best of all, this Kinect support hasn't completely gimped the games in question
If E3 has showed us anything it's that 2011 is going to be a great year for games.
Check back on Saturday for my first feature on the games of E3, the Japanese Puzzle Thriller "Catherine"
Microsoft Press Conference - E3 2011
Call of Duty - Modern Warfare 3
Tomb Raider
EA Sports announce Kinect support
Mass Effect Kinect support Demo
Ghost Recon - Future Soldier Kinect support Demo
New Xbox Experience with integrated Kinect support
UFC partnership announced
Gears of War 3 Demo
Ryse Trailer
Halo Anniversary Trailer
Forza 4 Trailer
Fable Journey Trailer and Demo
Disneyland Adventures (plus annoying child actors)
Star Wars Kinect Trailer
Sesame Street Once Upon a Monster Demo
Kinect Tech Demo (including full body scan and creepy Avatar creation)
Kinect Fun Labs
Kinect Sports Season 2 Trailer
Minecraft coming to Xbox
Dance Central 2 Demo
Halo 4
Sony Press Conference - E3 2011
Apology for PSN debacle
Uncharted 3 Demo
Resistance 3 Demo
Resistance 3 Sharpshooter bundle priced at $150 due on Sept 6
God of War Origins 3D announced
Team ICO Remastered 3D collection announced
Playstation branded 24" 3D display bundle announced at $499
Playstation 3D glasses announced at $69.99 each
NBA 2K12 Move support Demo
Medieval Moves Demo
inFAMOUS 2 Trailer
Starhawk Demo
PS Move update announced for LBP in Sept
New Sly Cooper Trailer
Dust 514 Trailer
Bioshock Infinite Trailer
Move support announced for Bioshock Infinite
Bioshock to be bundled with Infinite
Exclusive mode available for Saints Row III
Star Trek Trailer
SSX - exclusive Mount Fuji track
NFS The Run - 7 exclusive Supercars
Battlefield 3 will include Battlefield 1943
Playstation Suite presentation
NGP officially named PlayStation Vita
Partnership with AT&T announced
Vita features discussed
Uncharted: Golden Abyss Demo
Ruin Vita to PS3 save share Demo
ModNation Racers Vita Demo
LBP Vita Trailer
SF x Tekken Vita Demo and Trailer
Cole from inFAMOUS will be in the Vita version of SF x Tekken
Vita Show reel
Vita priced at $249.99/$299.99
Nintendo Press Conference - E3 2011
Celebration of Zelda 25th anniversary
Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening available to download now on 3DS store
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D available from 11th June
Legend of Zelda: Four Swords free to download on DSi from September
Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword released this Holiday Season
Gold Wii Remote available on game release
Ocarina OST CD is a free gift with Club Nintendo registration
Mario Kart 3DS Trailer
Starfox 3DS Trailer
Super Mario 3DS Trailer
Kid Icarus 3DS Trailer
Luigi's Mansion 2 3DS Trailer
3DS Show reel
Virtual Console 3DS announced
Pokedex 3D announced as free downloadable game for 3DS
New Console is Officially named Wii U
Wii U Controller revealed
"Wii U in action" presentation video
Smash Brothers in development for Wii U and 3DS
Tech Demo of Wii U's graphical power
Lego City Stories Announced for Wii U and 3DS
Showreel of games coming to Wii U
EA pledges support to ne Wii U System
That's what the three major players in the Video Games industry had to offer this year, and it's left me surprised on two fronts. First I would never have believed that Kinect would appeal to me in any way shape or form, but honestly this voice recognition stuff they implemented in Mass Effect 3 has me interested. One game isn't enough to make me part with the best part of £100 but it's a promising start. Perhaps when Kinect Fun Lab has had some time to work it's magic I'll re-evaluate my position on that.
My second surprise was with the name of Nintendo's new home console. I was honestly convinced they would leave Wii behind them since it has such name recognition as the console that catered for the casual market. With the Wii name attatched to it I think the console may struggle to find the hardcore market it craves, unless they release some heavy hitting software at launch it'll be seen as another casual games machine. Having said that, the controller tech looks very interesting, especially when used as an extension for golf games etc as seen in the Nintendo press conference. I'll be interested to get my hands on it to see what it feels like to hold. It might just be me but it looks a little cumbersome.
Sony, while packing their conference with lots of great games have been slightly hamstrung this year by the fact that most of the software they rolled out was already known about and had been see already. The main appeal this year was the unveiling of the PSVita and seeing games running on the system in real time, it's impressive tech and very reasonably priced given the amount of kit that's been crammed into that tiny hand held machine. Overall the conference was a strong showing, but it failed to surprise or particularly excite me.
Microsoft really pushed Kinect hard this year, and if they can find more inventive ways of making it a worthwhile augmentation to the gaming experience then they may have hit the right balance between the hardcore and casual market. Minecraft is an excellent pick up for the company while Halo 4 is easy money for them. Once again being first to hold their conference has paid dividends with the premier looks at multi platform games like MW3, Tomb Raider and Mass Effect. 360 may not have many exclusive titles this year, but looking at the ones they do have makes you excited. As if Forza 4 didn't look great already I learned today that the Top Gear Test Track is going to feature in the upcoming Turn 10 racer. Gears of War 3 was impressive and as mentioned before there's the console debut of Minecraft too. I just wish they could have found some child actors that didn't make me want to punch my face in, or for that matter someone who could operate the Bing feature of Xbox dashboard without looking like she'd just performed some kind of miracle that no-one else was capable of. I hate that self satisfied look on peoples faces when they've done something that anyone could have. but i digress...
Now I'm not the type of person to claim that one company won E3, and i won't be doing so here. It's clear that from the conferences held this week that all three companies have a strong year ahead (despite the share price drop that Nintendo appear to have suffered since their presentation). I honestly couldn't say that one has the edge over the others. Nintendo and Sony both have great new Hardware to come while 360 looks like it will continue to improve it's Kinect peripheral and has built the entire new Xbox experience around the motion sensor while supporting it with several of it's top titles this year. Best of all, this Kinect support hasn't completely gimped the games in question
If E3 has showed us anything it's that 2011 is going to be a great year for games.
Check back on Saturday for my first feature on the games of E3, the Japanese Puzzle Thriller "Catherine"
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