E3 may be over, but our coverage of it continues! Check out our previews of the games we played.
Today's Top News:
Jade Empire coming to the Xbox Originals line up
A new game joins the Xbox Originals tomorrow, with Jade Empire being made available tomorrow morning for 1,200 Microsoft Points ($15). The game is being made available worldwide.
Bioware's first post-KotOR RPG takes place in a... - Read the full story
Every week on Inside Xbox, Nelson & Natalie recommend a game for you to Pick Up & Play!
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Recent Reviews
Review: Command and Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath
If the title for most charismatic video game villain who just absolutely refuses to die were up for grabs, Kane would definitely be in the running. This smarmy jerk has been defeated by the GDI a gajillion times in Sarajevo, and he keeps on coming back, all the... - Read the full review
Ubisoft's E3 press conference kicks off at 2:30pm Pacific Time on
Tuesday, July 15th from inside the Los Angeles Convention Center. Will
we see a playable build of Beyond Good & Evil 2? Details on the
new Splinter Cell? The first trailer for the new Prince of Persia
movie? With Ubisoft, anything is possible.
Hit the Read More link for up-to-the-minute coverage with our interactive Live Blog.
One of Nintendo's other announcements today was the unveiling of a newparty title, Wii Sports Resort. Yes, it's essentially Wii Sports at the beach. No, there's nothing wrong with that.
Some of the minigames displayed at the press conference were jetskiing, sword fighting, and frisbee. Come on... who doesn't like playing with a frisbee?
More importantly, every copy of Wii Sports Resort will come packaged with a MotionPlus accessory, Nintendo's latest add-on to the Wii Remote that's designed to add hightened accuracy to the system's motion tracking.
At today's Nintendo press conference, it was announced that Rockstar and Take Two would be bringing a new chapter in the Grand Theft Auto series to the Nintendo DS, entitled Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars.
Very few details were highlighted, but we are assured that the game will take place in a modern-day Liberty City. Also, Rockstar is developing a brand new, custom game engine for the title. It was also stated that the game will incorporate brand new characters into the franchise. That means no more Niko Bellic. Darn...
GTA: Chinatown Wars is scheduled to be released this Winter. We'll have to see if that means late 2008, or early 2009.
We're at the Shrine Auditorium in sunny Los Angeles, ready to bring you Sony's big E3 press conference live! Their press conference kicks off at 11:30am Pacific time on Tuesday, July 15th.
Hit the Read More link for up-to-the-minute coverage with our interactive Live Blog.
Possibly the largest section of Nintendo's E3 press conference today was focused around a new title, Wii Music. Developed alongside Wii Sports and Wii Play, it's meant to be yet another exciting party game. Like the other titles, Wii Music looks like it can be loads of fun with the right group of friends.
I know what you're probably thinking: "Another Rock Band rip off." Right? Well think again. Wii Music doesn't look anything like Rock Band. First, there are no peripheral instruments to buy. That means no $180 price tag. The Wii Remote and the Nunchuck act as each instrument. You simply have to hold them differently depending on what you're playing. Second, there are over 60instruments in the game, including drums, guitar, piano, saxophone, and even a violin. And lastly, it plays nothing like Rock Band. You're never trying to hit notes in a certain rhythm. In fact, it seems you're not really being scored at all. Instead, you simply move your body as if you were playing a real instrument and push buttons on the Wii Remote to play notes. The Wii will detect your movements, and make up the notes for you. All you do is decide the rhythm.
The game was designed so those who cannot read music or play an instrument can experience the thrill of performing on stage. The barrier to entry is practically null, although the game doesn't look like it would be much fun playing alone. Get a bunch of friends over, and you can create full bands and kick start a jam session. The game even records your performances, so you can replay your musical prowess to anyone willing to watch.
If you're not up to par on your virtual musical talents, the game can deliver lessons to you, acting as your own private
instructor.
The only downside to what was shown on-stage? The music doesn't sound very good. Everything sounds muddy and inaccurate. Although Wii Music looks like a blast with a group of friends, hardcore musicians (in real life) need not apply.
Expect Wii Music to be released in the US this holiday season.
One of the first announcements to come out of Nintendo's press conference this morning was that of Animal Crossing: City Folk. Slated for release sometime later in 2008. The series' latest installment is putting more focus on interactivity between players around the world via the interwebz.
Graphically, the game looks pretty similar to its GameCube predcessor. The on-stage presentation had quite a few jagged lines, but we'll have to see if that was due to the large projector screen or the game's design.
In the new game, players will be able to visit the City, where they can meet up with other gamers, visit the auction house, and even buy masks that will make their character look like their Mii. Gamers will also be able to send messages to other users, and even upload messages to the Wii message boards straight from the game's interface.
Additionally, Animal Crossing: City Folk will be the first game to utilize the new Wii Speak accessory.
Information on this new title is sure to roll out as we near its release, so keep an eye out in the coming months for updates.
At today's Nintendo press conference, news was announced that we have all been waiting for. Voice chat! Kind of...
What pops into your head when you think of gaming voice communications? A headset, right? Right!? Apparently, Nintendo's minds do not work like ours. But frankly, we've known that for a while, haven't we?
Enter Wii Speak. Rather than a headset, this little puppy sits on top of your TV. It seems it's meant to pick up all the talk and chatter going on in the room. So in case that room full of friends isn't enough companionship for you, you'll be able to chat with another room full of friends.
The first game to utilize the Wii Speak device will be Animal Crossing: City Folk. Although we don't yet know how gamers will be able to get their hands on this communication device, it seems reasonable to expect it to be bundled with the Animal Crossing, but we'll have to wait for any updates from Nintendo before we know for sure.
This could end up being a ton of fun, but it still leaves a bit of a void in the hearts of those searching for a personal chat device. Does this scratch your itch? We'll have to see how this does when it's released.
Just a few minutes ago, the kind folks over at Bethesda were nice enough to roll out a new video for their upcoming post-apocolyptic title, Fallout 3.
Here, you'll find the same pseudo-advertisement that was shown at Microsoft's E3 press conference yesterday morning. But, you'll also be able to catch a glimpse at some of the juicy gameplay (as well as the gorgeous nuclear wasteland). Those body parts sure do blow up nicely, don't they?
Do we really have to wait until Fall to play this game? No fair!
Stay tuned, folks. We're scheduled to have some hands-on time with Fallout 3 tomorrow afternoon.
We're at the Kodak Theater, home of the Academy Awards, to bring you Nintendo's press conference live! Nintendo's press conference kicks off at 9:00 am Pacific time on Tuesday, July 15th.
Hit the Read More link for up-to-the-minute coverage with our interactive Live Blog.
That's right, we're giving away one copy of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots for the PlayStation 3. This limited time giveaway, coinciding with the week of E3, is offering up what is arguably THE best game on the PS3 right now, a hallmark/showcase title that truly exhibits what Sony's black box is capable of.
With this supposedly being Snake's last Metal Gear game, we want to hear what you would do to keep Snake around for another installment in the series. Would you leverage your muscle? Offer more money? Get creative and have fun with this!
You'll have to have your answer submitted by Friday, July 18th at 12:01pm Pacific Time. After that, we'll draw a winner at random and post their name on the front page of the site. You'll have to be a resident of the United States in order to enter, and make sure you read our contest rules before submitting an entry.
The Post Game Report comes to you a little early because we have a lot
to say about this year's E3. This episode is longer than usual, but is
filled with lots of opinions and useful information.
Also, remember to send in your voicemail answers to our new Question of the Week!
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or by leaving a review on iTunes.
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As we wrap up day 1 of E3 2008's festivities, get ready to hit the sack and head out to Nintendo and Sony (and the show floor!!!), let us recap the day. Microsoft wowed [the majority] us with a gaggle of new updates to the 360's user interface, a slew of new "this is for the casual market" experiences and lots of questions. EA fell a little flat by failing to announce anything "new" that we didn't know about, but obviously made Parris' day... if you know what I'm sayin'. You don't eff with Lefty, EA. Good thinking.
Oh, and last but not least. As the above picture states...here's our take on the Big Three's registration process for their press conferences. Microsoft gave us nice 360-branded lanyards on the day of, Nintendo requires nothing but registration, and Sony, for some reason, gave us mandatory...wristbands...the day before. Do not want.See you tomorrow.
While Mirror's Edge may not have "blown away" the folks at EA's press conference, EA continues to release very directed and cool-looking trailers. That's their job, to make the game look as good as possible. However, here's a full-length developer walkthrough of a very early level in the game. Ready?
On a small screen...graphics and gameplay look good. On a small screen or big screen...A.I. needs work. Lots of it. Visually there's lots of nifty tricks like motion blur and complex lighting being woven into the engine (which happens to be Unreal Engine 3, by the way), but it still looks a bit rough around the egdes in real-time. We'll be taking on Faith's journey this week...so time will tell.
Review: Command and Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath
If the title for most charismatic video game villain who just absolutely refuses to die were up for grabs, Kane would definitely be in the running. This smarmy jerk has been defeated by the GDI a gajillion times in Sarajevo, and he keeps on coming back, all the... - Read the full review
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Today's Top News:
Jade Empire coming to the Xbox Originals line up
A new game joins the Xbox Originals tomorrow, with Jade Empire being made available tomorrow morning for 1,200 Microsoft Points ($15). The game is being made available worldwide.
Bioware's first post-KotOR RPG takes place in a... - Read the full story
Episode 27
