Posts Tagged ‘E3’

Halo Reach E3 gameplay is spectacular. Adding a flight sim sequence or two in the campaign isn’t a bad thing either.

The rumor mill for E3 is rife with ’secret releases’ by major game developers.  Sure, we can expect to hear more about Halo: Reach, Gran Turismo V, Zelda and the like, but what about surprises?  Secrets under raps at every E3 are what keep us tantalized.  Were hoping a publisher or developer will announce the next iteration of our favorite game.

Bethesda became my favorite role playing game developer of all time after I played through more than 200 hours of Oblivion.  Elder Scrolls Oblivion captivated me as I became part of a huge living breathing world like none I have ever entered before.  I played the main story line as well as all of the rewarding side quests in the core game and came back for more.  I also love BioWare and their fantastic RPGs too, but Bethesda was able to capture my attention in a way I can’t explain.  I never spend that much time on a single game.

Increasing speculation that Bethesda is ready to drop a ‘nuke’ by announcing the next Elder Scrolls game is growing.  After all, it has been more than 4 years since the release of the last Elder Scrolls game Oblivion.  Four years is enough time to release another game for this generation of consoles.  Bethesda PR person Pete Hines even said back in April the company has no surprises to announce at this years E3.  So why the speculation?  Game journalists, consultants, and investors just don’t believe Bethesda is not working on another Elder Scrolls game.  Of course they are building another award winning Elder Scrolls.  The last game was a huge success, so of course any smart company would wish to duplicate that.  The silence from Bethesda Softworks increases speculation which is great for any game.  Will the next Elder Scrolls use the same successful gameplay mechanic from the last game or will it cross over into an MMO like Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic?  I loved the original Xbox release of KOTOR and am disappointed I can’t play the MMO on the Xbox 360 or PS3.  Maybe the next generation of consoles will be capable of playing the game, but I won’t hold my breath waiting for KOTOR.  I will for Elder Scrolls!

The next Elder Scrolls could be announced at this years E3 2010.  I’m sure Bethesda will talk about new releases like Brink, Hunted, id softwares Rage, and Fallout 3 New Vegas.  Maybe Bethesda has too much on their plate and may think E3 isn’t the right place to announce a new Elder Scrolls game.   If its not announced at this years E3 I will bet it will be announced sometime later this year.  I hope its a single player RPG with improved everything!  Nothing can get me more excited about a new game secret announcment than Elder Scrolls.  Except maybe a Halo 4 announcement from Microsoft for the next Xbox platform.

After the embarrassing PSP Go fail is Sony going to redeem itself with the announcement of the PSP 2 at this years E3 Los Angeles in June or at Gamescon in August?  That’s what industry insiders are saying.  This year may be the year.  A new PSP device with graphics on par with the PS3.  Yeah, a 2011 release!  I really love my PSP 1000 and Sony is such a great hardware designer the PSP 2 will surely be a winner.  I think that the PSP should have been a bigger hit, but Sony had so many problems with PS3 pricing and software the PSP just didn’t get the attention it deserved for marketing or software development.  The PSP wasn’t a failure, it just could have been a bigger success than it was.  Ok, the PSP Go?  What the hell was Sony thinking?  I think that was a device they wish they could have released in the PSP 1000′s place seven years ago to keep pirates away.  A little late don’t you think?

If Sony is smart about its next PSP darling the design better live up to gamer expectations.  First of all a touch screen better be included.  One on par with the quality screen of the iPhone and multi touch sensing.  Next, the device better damn well have two thumb sticks!  The first PSP thumb stick worked half-ass along with the D-pad.  This was one of the biggest complaints among gamers.  Another complaint was the PSP operating system.  The PSP 2 must have better operating software, not the “half baked” system the first PSP had.  Let software designers hack the thing so they can install legal third party software on it.  There is no way around this, but if Sony ever becomes friendly towards third party developers the next PSP should become more popular among the general public.  Embracing outside developers should only increase hardware and eventually software sales for the long term.  Lastly, make it affordable.  The Nintendo DS is affordable and I believe the larger screen 3D version the Nintendo 3Ds will be too.  If Sony wants to beat Nintendo they better make it more affordable for the average consumer.  At least a reasonable price for the hardware components associated with it.

If the “leaked” tech specs for the next PSP are to be believed then this piece of hardware will be truly impressive.  First, a 4-core CPU based on the PS3′s multicore cell processor would be powerful and on par with lower end gaming laptops.  The Power VR multicore graphics chip would only compliment the cell processor.  Power VR also makes the GPU for Apple corporations fantastic iPad.  Power VR specializes in mobile devices so they would definitely be a top choice for that component inside the PSP 2.  The rumors about the addition of a camera and microphone interfaced with 3G mobile networks would make the device a good communications tool with other users of the next PSP, the PS3, or even PC’s.  3G connectivity would compliment the standard Wi-fi  the PSP already possesses.  I wouldn’t worry about battery life for the next PSP if all of this high end tech were to be included.  Battery performance has only improved over the last seven years and the lithium ion battery in the iPad is nothing short of phenomenal.

So, is Sony hungry enough to stay in the handheld mobile device market?  I think so.  They are a smart group and proud of their past hardware.  I think they would like nothing more than to become the leader again in the mobile technology sector.  Nintendo has already claimed victory over Sony in the console and handheld realms and has turned its sights on Apple as its newest threat.  Sony probably feels they would like to enter the fray once again.  After all, the PS3 has lots of growth ahead of it.  At least for the next 5 years in the Dude’s opinion.

Here are the times to watch the major press conferences on Gamespot.com.  Don’t miss it!  Also, be sure to click above on the E3 tab to retrieve the latest Pre-E3 news highlights here at Dude’s Halo Gamer Zone. 

* Microsoft Press Conference: 10:30 a.m. PDT, June 1

* Electronic Arts Press Conference: 2:00 p.m. PDT, June 1

* Ubisoft Press Conference: 5:00 p.m. PDT, June 1

* Nintendo Press Conference: 9:00 a.m. PDT, June 2

* Sony Press Conference: 11:00 a.m. PDT, June 2

The Electronics Entertainment Expo is upon us once again.  I love this time of year.  Gamers all over the world look forward to this thing E3.  Why?  New game announcements and surprises of course!  What are they going to announce this year at the convention?  What does Sony have up its sleeve?  Microsoft??  Nintendo???  I hang on every word.  I really enjoy the reactions to the press conferences and the big video game industry announcements.

During this time of year I continously scan the internet read articles, watch videos, and listen to gaming podcasts about what is going on at the moment with E3.  What is being announced for the first time this year and who is announcing?  I’ll hang on for all three days.  Not all day, but I try to get those days off  from work so I can immerse myself in the expo news.  I believe E3′s of years past were better for the average gamer.  More of an exciting spectacle, like a car crash.  Company booths, flashy displays and sexy girls.  Yes, the sexy girls.  Sex sells and why not!  Why should video games be any different than the car or booze industry in that regard?  Ever heard of the newly announced game “wet”?

Now, the Electronics Entertainment Expo is a huge event for gamers.  What in the hell happened to E3?  I think it seriously shrank and needs to take a vitamin B shot or a couple of Viagra.  First, one needs to know why E3 was created?  E3 is an annual video game convention and conference created by the Entertainment Software Association(ESA) and run by the International Data Group to get the game industry together to discuss business.  Here is a quote from the E3 official website; “The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) is the U.S. association exclusively dedicated to serving the business and public affairs needs of companies that publish computer and video games for video game consoles, personal computers, and the Internet.”  Why isn’t the general public invited?  They said it was too noisy, busy, distracting, and no one could get any work done.  So, they shrank the expo down to a more manageable size and spread the venues to more than one private location in 2007.  I personally beleive the way things were done before was more exciting and helped shine a favorable spotlight on the game software industry.  Any industry nowadays could sure use a favorable spotlight or two to boost interest.  So since 2007 E3 is an invitation only event.  This shrank the ranks from around 60,000 people to only around 8000.  Normal nerd gamers like me were left out in the cold.  Ok, not really the case anymore.

“All Expo” was created as a new venue to replicate E3 for the public but has not been successful.  Well, no duh!  Pay $100 and check out a few booths.  Not me.  People are not interested in E3 only for the game announcements, but for the people involved in the industry who attend the expo.  Top execs and developers at Sony and Microsoft, etc. aren’t going to take time out of their schedules to attend two events.  People who play games are interested in people who make them.  There you go.  You can quote me.  I hope the E3 of old will someday return.  If  IDG can’t handle the sort of a convention where fans can attend and be enthusiatic and company professionals can complete business then ESA should get sombody else.  E4 anyone?

There is still hope for us gamers or game enthusiasts if you prefer.  E3 isn’t as glamorous as in past, but the surprises are still there.  E3 has gone back to the one location venue which is great.  Also, good coverage from credible reporters is present.  Great presentations from different companies are televised over the net that still invokes interest from casual and hard core gamers alike.   This years E3 is again being held in one location, the Los Angeles convention center with G4 as the official E3 broadcaster.  Prepare yourself for another signature E3 and stayed tuned for a Dude’s Halo Gamer Zone Podcast discussing this years event in June.  The Dude may publish a trifecta. 

Don’t get too caught up in the hype and most of all enjoy yourself.  Happy gaming.

-dude