E3 2009 - Day 1 - Conference Reviews
Gut reactions to Day 1 action at E3
E3 is officially kicked off! Below is a quick summary of all conferences that took place today, in quick bits and with the focus on PC-related topics.
Microsoft
- Left 4 Dead 2 Announced - Coming November 17th. Features new player characters, daytime maps, melee weapons.
- Splinter Cell: Conviction - Gameplay showcased, as well as trailer.
- Alan Wake - Sam Lake himself makes an appearance. Shows extensive gameplay footage, new trailer. Confirms release to be coming in Spring 2010.
Other Announcements:
- MS Signed a contract with Facebook, twitter to bring these services to Live and seamlessly integrate them into the existing user interface.
- First Metal Gear Solid is coming to 360, not features Solid Snake.
- Natal Experience announced. An EyeToy-like device that captures full body motion without any external peripherals, uses a camera compatible with all 360 consoles. Main focus is casual crowd.
- Steven Spielberg makes an appearance to further promote the Natal project and "interactive entertainment".
- Peter Molyneux reveals his project, Milo. An interactive "boy" that interacts with you and can understand you and respond to feelings and movements. Like an extension to the Natal project. As someone jokingly well-said "My Xbox just became self-aware... is that a good thing?" The technology is amazing, but the presentation given was a bit unsettling.
Electronic Arts
- Dante's Inferno - Trailer showcased
- The Sims 3 - Trailer showcased
- Need for Speed Shift - new trailer. Game now features track racing, customization, point/rivals system. Damage model is present, no cops. Pretty much Grid 2 with some tweaks.
- Dragon Age - Confirmed release on all platforms for October 20th. New CGI trailer shown.
- Mass Effect 2 - Supposed to be emotional, feature new worlds and characters. The first one sold alot, and their goal is to improve on the original in every way. Releases early 2010. New trailer shown w/gameplay.
- The Saboteur - Previously released trailer is shown. Gameplay finally shown - open world, GTA-like. Can climb any building, like Assasin's Creed. Can change clothes, like Hitman. Most of color is washed out to match 1930s
- PGA Tour 10 - The only confirmed PC sports title, but they are changing the technology. Game is now totally browser based, no installs or disks needed.
- Crytek - Crysis 2 developed at the same time on 3 paltforms. All are using CryEngine 3. Very short segment.
- APB - Announcement that EA is now partnered with the developer. Game is described in detail to those who haven't heard of it. A premier of a long trailer is shown.
- Knights of Old Republic - A ton of dressed up dudes come on stage w/lightsabers to start things off. Pitched as a Story-driven MMO. First-ever fully voiced MMO - The most dialog in any game ever, even maybe across all entertainment media. World premier of first cinematic trailer for the game (All CGI, no gameplay).
Other Announcements:
- Fight Night Round 4 - New trailer, no PC version confirmed.
- EA Sports Active - A long demo and marketing pitch, obviously to compete with WiiFit.
- Wii Tennis Game - Announced and demoed. A professional player makes an appearance and tries out his skills.
- Brutal Legend - Characters revealed in detail. New trailer shown. Jack Black video message to the audience shown. No PC Version.
Ubisoft
- Splinter Cell: Conviction - Brings innovation, redefines the genre. Wants to use stealth because its a useful tool, rather than a requirement to survive. Trailer plays (seen during Microsoft presentation). Live demo now going to be played live. Sam Fisher now on personal mission, no constraints, he is brutal and acts without authority. Investigates death of daughter. Mark and Execute system - mark enemies and Sam takes care of them quickly. Interrogation mini-game - use environment to harass the enemy and make them talk. New storyline telling mechanic - projected movies on the environment. Sam uses low-tech gadgets since he acts alone. Broken Mirrors instead of fancy tech, but later in the game he will get help. You are the ultimate predator, you are much quicker and very lethal. Each environment is small sandbox, lets you choose the path. Last known position indicator - you are shown an outline where the enemy saw you last, and you can outflank them as they search your last known position. 360 and PC exclusive confirmed. Fall 2009 release.
- Ruse - The original trailer is shown again to build hype. Not much else is said.
- Assasin's Creed 2 - Confirmed Original sold 8 million units since release. AC2 is coming November 17th 2009 (platforms unspecified). Full new Trailer shown.
Other Announcements:
- UPlay Technology announced - coming to Ubi games such as Assasin's Creed 2, SC Conviction. Has 4 subdivisions: UShare (share saved games, files, etc), UWin (competitive play system), UHelp (join a coop game to help a friend), UShop (buy DLC, additional items).
- Integration with Hollywood - 25 minutes is spent talking about the upcoming Avatar movie and game. Ubisoft collaborated with some big Hollywood names to bring both movie and game to life. Each will be in the same universe, but have their own stories so they do not depend on each other. Future projects with Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg are coming.
- Red Steel 2 - Announced, trailer and demo shown. Exclusively developed for the new WiiMotion Plus tech.
- Shaun White - another game title in the franchise announced. Trailer shown.
- Academy of Champions - Wii Soccer game featuring Pele. The Legend himself makes a lengthy appearance, and addressses the audience regarding the sport and what it means to kids in the young generation.
- Casual Games - a huge profit for the company. "Imagine" brand is best selling on Wii/DS of all third party publishers.
- Your Shape - New fitness game, a bit more advanced. Comes with first ever Wii camera that tracks your body's physical progress as you complete the customized fitness program.
- No More Heroes 2 - Announced
- Eden - Untitled project by developer Q Entertainment, studio behind Lumines.
If you've missed these conferences, be sure to catch them Online at GameTrailers! It's Been quite a start to E3 2009, and we are looking forward to tomorrow!
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