At an after-hours event at the Microsoft Xbox E3 booth, I was allowed in with a group of others to take a look at Halo 4 and play a match of the revamped multiplayer. The presentation was cool; and similar versions of it are available via YouTube. If you haven’t seen those however, it features the UNSC Infinity, which has been decommissioned and is off on some sort of Star Trek-ian “seek out new worlds and civilisations” voyage, and runs afoul of some bad voodoo. More »
Archive for the ‘E3’ Category
Halo 4 at E3 (Hands On WIth Multiplayer)
Tuesday, June 19th, 2012Dead Or Alive 5 Hands On & Interview
Friday, June 8th, 2012
The playable DOA5 demo here at E3 is significantly more than the four characters, single stage of the demo that was released via download code in the collector’s edition of Ninja Gaiden 3. I had told an old acquaintance from the 2006 World Cyber Games in Monza, Italy, Emmanuel “Master” Rodriguez that I would meet him at the booth He’s there thanks to his ridiculous skill and the IGN Pro League. He and his friends there (all with history in the CGS) are clearly excited for DOA5, and it’s hard not to see why. The long coming sequel is dynamic, visually distinctive from previous games, while retaining the pace and feel that the fans love. More »
Sony Press Conference Summary
Tuesday, June 5th, 2012Sony’s history of taking care of the attendees with food continues, as food trucks were awaiting us as we arrived at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. I went with “Tato Tots” and “Cheezy Mac”, as I realised that I hadn’t eaten anything all day. Inside the press conference area there were several games being played on the main stage to help pass the time. Then, suddenly! It was all on with a montage.
Microsoft Press Conference Summary
Monday, June 4th, 2012This morning Microsoft put on a show at the Galen Centre in LA for their annual E3 press conference. I was there taking notes and appreciating Usher’s smooth moves. More »
Rumor: Sony partnering with “leading cloud gaming service” (Gaikai?)
Friday, May 25th, 2012
The rumor-mill is a-churnin’, folks: vg247.com recently posted an E3 2012 prediction article which seems to drop inside knowledge regarding a partnership between Sony and a “leading cloud gaming service”. Sony has a long history of early E3 leaks, and VG247 has a long history of actually getting things right, so we’ll chalk this one up as a solid “possible”.
Leading possibilities here include OnLive, Gaikai, and Steam, but a recent invitation from Gaikai posted by French blog Gameblog.fr translates to: “Gaikai has major announcements for E3, which has the potential to change the future of video games, the game consoles and the way in which we play.” This would put Gaikai as the frontrunner.
What does it mean for gaming? Is this a PS3, PS4, or PS Vita-related announcement? Will Sony shift to a cloud-based gaming model in order to reduce hardware costs and losses in the next generation? Oh, this time of year is just so exciting.
Nintendo Covers All E3 Bases in 2012
Tuesday, May 22nd, 2012
Nintendo has made it clear that it is taking E3 2012 seriously, offering interested gamers the chance to get the latest info from LA via the web, YouTube, FaceBook and Twitter. In a press release, it was announced that:
“Nintendo will be using a mix of online, broadcast and social platforms to provide a steady stream of breaking news and announcements during the video game industry’s biggest annual trade show”. “We don’t want anyone to miss the energy and excitement of this year’s E3 Expo,” said Cindy Gordon, Nintendo of America’s vice president of Corporate Affairs. “By offering different ways to tune in and follow all the Nintendo news, we aim to make fans all over the world feel like they’re right there with us at the show.”
The hub on the web is located at http://e3.nintendo.com, where there will be a live stream of the proceedings (no information about geographical restrictions announced). The US will have access to live TV broadcasts on the Spike TV and MTV2 networks commercial-free, while there will also be updates posted on YouTube, FaceBook, and Twitter. All this should make it easier for New Zealanders to follow the news when E3 kicks off in a couple of weeks.
Rumour: Is this a Photo of the Wii U Controller?
Sunday, May 20th, 2012
A photo has surfaced from a now deleted Twitter account which may show a new version of the controller for the Wii U, which is set to be showcased at next month’s E3 conference. Posted by a game tester at Travellers’ Tales Games (the team behind the Lego series of video games), the subsequently deleted photo shows a controller that has several differences from the original Wii U controller.
Gone are the nub-style analog controllers, with a return to raised dual analog sticks. The photo shows a wider controller than earlier images, and some function buttons have been shifted. Start and select buttons in the alleged controller are now on the right under the XYAB buttons, and a couple of new and unlabelled square buttons feature below the D-pad and next to the power button. There have been rumours of Nintendo considering a name change for Wii U, but Wii U branding appears in the apparently leaked photo.
Click after the break to see the photo, as well as an early stock image released by Nintendo showing the Wii U controller. Is this for real? We will probably find out in a few weeks time.
ButtonMasher Podcast E3 2011 Special Edition
Thursday, June 9th, 2011
E3 stuff. It’s going on. Jason has been representing ButtonMasher pretty hard, and even put together a great concise podcast with his cohort summing up their first hand accounts of the conferences and the miscellaneous sights and sounds of gaming. SPOILER: They pronounce it “Button Masher dot co dot en zee”
ButtonMasher Podcast #130
Wednesday, June 8th, 2011
E3 madness is here and there’s far too much to talk about to allow us to present a cohesive and concise podcast covering it all. So enjoy this one instead!
Hands-on: Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet
Tuesday, June 7th, 2011
We just got back from a lovely party over in downtown Los Angeles, which managed to nearly redeem the rather depressing Microsoft conference earlier that day. One of the Summer of Arcade 2011 titles, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, stood out.
An unbelievably beautiful Metroidvania title, perhaps most reminiscent to the indie title Aquaria (which I love). Michel Gagne (of Iron Giant fame) was there, the most non-jaded developer I’ve ever met; he was incredibly passionate about his title and the gaming industry in general, which he has only recently entered. More »
