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morcheeba writes "Retro Redux was a 24-hour video game programming contest held last weekend in New York. Nine teams worked through the night to produce new Atari 2600 compatible games. Awards were given for the most innovative game, best visuals, and best sound. The best game overall was "Ninja Garden," and it will be featured in a future version of the Atari® Flashback(TM) Game Console. The New York Times was there with event coverage."

Though it's being drowned out by the Halo 2 news, Everquest 2 officially launches today. RPG Vault has a review available for perusal, GamerFeed has a hands on look, and if you're looking for crunchy, low fat coverage Gamespy has an interview with Heather Graham about her role in the game. If you're already tripping the light fantastic in Qeynos check out GamerGod's Qeynos Quest feature, or just cut out the middle man and look forward to the first content on Allakhazam. Finally, F13 provides usefully cynical commentary about the beta and launch of the game.

Beginning this weekend is another chance for prospective players to check out Guild Wars, the upcoming free MMOG by ArenaNet and NCSoft. If you're interested you can download the client in preparation for this Friday's event kickoff. Gamerfeed has some details on what to expect in the preview, while Gamespy has details from the first preview and an update since then. Finally, reader Detritus wrote in to tell us about two Stratics guides to prepare you for the event, one on Player vs. Player strategy and the other on Player vs. Environment elements of the game.

Thanks to GamerFeed for their confirmation that a Playstation 2 GITS: SAC game is in the works. It will be released in November to coincide with the series premiere on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim.

Thanks to GamerFeed for its news story discussing compatibility problems with some GameCube titles and the new Nintendo Memory Card 1019. The news story explains: "The [official Nintendo-produced] card has 17 times the memory capacity of the original Memory Card 59", and describes issues, some due to the card's four-digit block size, with a number of more minor third-party games, including Sonic Adventure 2 Battle ("If there are more than 999 free blocks on the Memory Card 1019, the game cannot display the amount of free blocks"), WTA Tour Tennis ("The game does not recognize the Memory Card 1019 properly, and should not be used"), and, disastrously problematic for many memory cards, Mary-Kate And Ashley: Sweet 16 ("Graphics sometimes will not display properly if a file is loaded and restarted after quitting the game.")

Thanks to Yahoo! for reprinting a Microsoft press release revealing its major videogame-related announcements ahead of this year's E3 Expo in Los Angeles. Major among them is Electronic Arts' official support of the online Xbox Live service, long-awaited and previously rumored, so that "by the end of the year, 15 of EA's online-enabled console titles will be playable on Xbox Live." In addition, Bungie's much-anticipated Halo 2 is confirmed for Xbox release on November 9th, just as new hands-on multiplayer previews are appearing online, plus alleged Xbox Gran Turismo-beater, Forza Motorsport is announced, and a multi-person videophone service for Xbox Live is showcased, as well as an Xbox Live Arcade service featuring "casual games people love to play with their families... [including] 'Bejeweled'... and arcade favorites such as Namco's 'Dig Dug' and 'Galaxian'." Update: 05/11 06:26 GMT by S : There are also new Halo 2 screenshots via Bungie.net.

Thanks to IGN PS2 for its review of PlayStation 2 SRPG La Pucelle Tactics, commenting on the "spiritual prequel to Disgaea", as they suggest the Mastiff-published title, previously mentioned for censorship issues, is "very much a powerful gaming experience and serves as a terrific companion piece to Hour of Darkness." Elsewhere, Double Jump Books has released a PDF version of their official Disgaea strategy guide for free (registration/checkout required), and GamerFeed discusses the announcement of Phantom Brave from Disgaea/La Pucelle developer Nippon Ichi and publisher Atlus, which "continues the intriguing game play of Disgaea while adding an immense number of new graphical and game play features."

Thanks to Gigex for its article revealing Sega has announced an OutRun 2 conversion to Xbox, as "handed off to UK-based [developer] Sumo Digital", which will "support network play for 2 to 4 drivers, along with online [Xbox Live] support for an as yet unknown number of players" - Eurogamer has the first screenshots of the conversion. Elsewhere, 1UP has new details on Sega's Shining Force franchise, as the notable RPG series gets extended, including a "completely original Shining Force strategy-RPG for PS2, developed by Amusement Vision", and the freshly previewed spin-off, Shining Tears, a "top-down 2D action-RPG with computer-controller partners to join the fight." Finally, Sega is extensively hyping an unknown E3 announcement which "will surprise the gaming world."

Thanks to GamerFeed for its story noting the Christian Game Developers Conference has announced its third annual gathering, to be held in Portland, Oregon on July 30th-31st. The official CGDC site has more information on the expo, which "officially expands to include card, board and paper game developers alongside interactive electronic entertainment." There's also word from conference organizer Tim Emmerich of GraceWorks Interactive: "We... plan to examine the variety of games currently on the market and successes in other media such as 'The Passion of The Christ' and the 'Left Behind' series, which proved that Bible-based products can do well in the market if they are well made."

Thanks to CNN Money for its column interviewing a Nintendo spokesperson on the company's possible strategy for the rest of 2004. Although not giving much away, the article notes official word that: "Though the company has publicly referred to [their new handheld] system as the DS since announcing it on Jan. 20, the plan was never to use that name at retail", renewing "Internet rumors [that] have suggested that system will be called 'Nitro'." The piece also mentions the company is "already planning a second wave of classic [NES] games for the GBA, with a possible launch date of the 2004 holiday season", and elsewhere, GamerFeed confirm Nintendo has announced a GameCube sequel to Paper Mario, an N64 title which was "an RPG-like game that was based on a unique combination of 2D graphics set against a 3D background." Update: 04/02 16:02 GMT by S : GI.Biz has the U.S. Nintendo release schedule for the rest of the 2004, "with Geist, Mario Tennis, Metroid Prime 2, Paper Mario 2 and Star Fox 2 all down for release between October and December."

Thanks to GamerFeed for its article noting that Square Enix's PlayStation 2 remake of Dragon Quest V has debuted big in Japan, since this previously mentioned SNES remake has already "sold over a million units in just 2 days", additionally helped by "the inclusion of a preview disc of Dragon Quest VIII." The series, known as Dragon Warrior in the States, has never really taken off outside Japan, however: "Dragon Quest VII went on to sell more copies than any other PSOne game in Japan ever. By contrast, Dragon Warrior VII, and the Dragon Warrior series, has never attained more than a small but loyal cult following in the US."

Thanks to GamerFeed for their new story noting that Sony Europe's research, using their 'performance analyzer', on the latest PS2 games. According to the piece: "The secret (or not so secret) way to unleash the PS2's power is to use its vector units (VUs)... of course, the games that used the VUs fared much better, and the game that scored highest did indeed use the VUs the most." An previous AnandTech analysis of the PS2's hardware explains a little further: "The power of the two VUs exists in the proper use of them as serial counterparts in handling the T&L calculations necessary during 3D rendering, but with the PS2 being... dramatically different from what most developers had seen in the past, getting the most out of the host CPU was quite difficult." The original article, in UK magazine PSM, concludes by pointing out: "A lot of the games that don't really use vector units are ports from other systems."

Thanks to VE3D for carrying a statement from Take Two/Rockstar announcing the removal of alleged anti-Haitian content from future copies of Grand Theft Auto:Vice City, after a furore which started last month following a CBS TV segment on the game. The controversy, which even had New York's Mayor Bloomberg weighing in on the game's rival gang-related urgings to "Kill all the Haitians", has ended with Rockstar's press release indicating: "We believe that recent media coverage has taken certain statements made in the game out of context... nevertheless, we are aware of the hurt and anger in the Haitian community... we will remove the objectionable statements from future copies of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City."

Thanks to GamerFeed for its report on UK videogame trade organization ELSPA's poll to find "the 30 most popular games of the past 30 years." In somewhat of a surprise, Sonic The Hedgehog was voted most popular title of all time, and the top 5 were rounded out by Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Pac-Man, Tomb Raider and Space Invaders. Interesting votes further down the list included Elite at No.7, Championship Manager at No.23, and Shenmue at No.26.

Thanks to GamerFeed for the news that Bungie's Xbox FPS, Halo, has dropped in price to $29.99 effective immediately, but "is not a Platinum Hit", one of the many fruitless rumors which started after a fan-made 'TV commercial' and subsequent confusion had sites falsely reporting on Halo 2's early release. Meanwhile, GameSpy has announced a partnership with Microsoft to provide "online matchmaking, community, administrative and networking functionalities" for Microsoft's PC games over multiple years, including the just-released Windows version of Halo.

Thanks to GamerFeed for their news that Midway Arcade Treasures for the PlayStation 2 has shipped, with the "next-generation console offering of more than 20 classic arcade games" also due on November 24th for Xbox and December 17th for GameCube. This budget-priced compilation, previously mentioned on Slashdot and including Gauntlet, Paperboy, Marble Madness and Robotron: 2084 among many others, is basically well-received by IGN PS2, who suggests that "many of the games on the disc retain their fun and addictiveness, even to today's standards", but GameSpot is somewhat less impressed, commenting: "Games that feature analog input feel very loose and are hard to control", although noting that "...almost every game... is completely and totally enjoyable once you get a handle on how they play."

Thanks to GamerFeed for reprinting the press release revealing that Valve's Xbox conversion of team-based tactical FPS Counter-Strike has now gone gold, and will be available in stores on November 18th. The console version boasts "seven never-before-seen multiplayer maps, one new counter-terrorist team, one new terrorist team and downloadable maps via Xbox Live", and GameSpot have a hands-on preview that rates the conversion as "a tight incarnation of the PC shooter", and mentions "subtle tweaks to [level] layout that will force veteran players to learn some new tricks." The Microsoft press release also claims: "The secure environment of Xbox Live ensures that gamers will experience nothing but cheat-free play."

Mirkon writes "After non-specific claims of high sales, Nokia's Ilkka Raiskinen has now stated that the Nokia N-Gage's first two weeks have seen massive success, with sales of over 400,000 units worldwide. Analysts are skeptical, firstly because 400,000 is not an exceptionally great amount, and secondly because the number 'refers to models Nokia has sold to shops and other retail outlets', not the amount sold to consumers." Also, drewqmn writes "I noticed on the GameStop website that they are already selling the N-Gage at $199.99 [GamerFeed has a story on this currently unofficial, store-specific price cut, though there are rumors it may be official soon.] Has any console/platform dropped in price so fast?"

Thanks to IGN Xbox for their hands-on look at Tecmo's Ninja Gaiden for the Xbox, as the eagerly-awaited ninja action title got an updated showing at the Tokyo Game Show. As well as what GameSpy call the "beautiful and frenetic action" of the main game, the developers showed off the NES Ninja Gaiden games that were recently announced as unlockable features, found "...hidden inside of a random chest. After finding it, series creator Tomonobu Itagaki directed us to a rundown arcade cabinet in the corner of the [in-game] room. Suddenly... we were playing the original Ninja Gaiden in all its 8-bit glory." Intriguingly, Itagaki was concerned that the new Ninja Gaiden was too easy, and "...said many Japanese gamers don't really like challenging games, and that he wanted to make sure the American fans were pleased and found the game challenging enough."

Thanks to GamerFeed for the news that Shigeru Miyamoto's remake of Pac-Man for GameCube/GBA will make it to consumers through a variety of bundle deals. The title, shown at E3 this year, has "...one player onto a Game Boy Advance and three players on the GameCube. The GBA player plays as Pac-Man, and he or she has a view of the maze similar to the one featured in the classic arcade maze game. The three GameCube players control the ghosts. The ghosts can see only their immediate surroundings, which makes tracking down Pac-Man a bit of a mystery." It's been announced that the GameCube exclusive "...will be packaged with Namco's upcoming [budget re-release] Pac-Man World 2... [and given] to gamers who pre-order the game I-Ninja... [and given to those who] buy the game R: Racing Evolution."

Thanks to GamerFeed for their impressions of Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga for GameBoy Advance, as they explore the November-due turn-based handheld RPG, suggesting: "Anyone who has played Super Mario RPG or Paper Mario should find themselves right at home with Mario & Luigi", and claiming it's "shaping up to be one of the best RPGs on a Nintendo console to date." Nintendophiles also have hands-on impressions of Mario & Luigi, but also take the opportunity to look back on Super Mario Sunshine, over a year after release. Opinions on this GameCube flagship title range from "Mario Sunshine will not be remembered like other Mario titles on past Nintendo systems", to "It took everything Mario 64 did, and went one step further with it" - but overall, they conclude it's not a 'classic'.

According to a story over at GamerFeed, Square-Enix has said that Final Fantasy XII will appear at the Tokyo Game Show. No further details are given other than the game will be offline, as opposed to the forthcoming Final Fantasy XI. Apparently this is in response to fan pressure. Sounds good to me, too, since I don't really want to pay a monthly fee to play a Final Fantasy game.

According to a story over at GamerFeed, Square-Enix has said that Final Fantasy XII will appear at the Tokyo Game Show. No further details are given other than the game will be offline, as opposed to the forthcoming Final Fantasy XI. Apparently this is in response to fan pressure. Sounds good to me, too, since I don't really want to pay a monthly fee to play a Final Fantasy game.

Thanks to an anonymous reader for pointing to IGN Xbox's coverage of the newly revealed 'secret mode' in Sega's ESPN NFL Football for PS2 and Xbox - a full first-person mode. According to the article, "In first-person mode, you take the snap as the quarterback.. once the ball is thrown, you can either watch the ball sail toward your wideout from the QB's perspective, or quickly switch to control the receiver and attempt to catch the ball while looking through the point of view from players like Moss and T.O." There are also 'Bullet Time'-styled slow motion effects for receivers, as well as a threat meter that shows how close would-be tacklers are to your position. So, not content with just a name change from NFL 2K4, looks like Sega's football franchise is going all-out with new features to overwhelm EA's Madden series after last year's disappointing performance.

Thanks to an anonymous reader for pointing to a GamerFeed article translating an interview with former Nintendo boss Hiroshi Yamauchi about the state of gaming. The legendary Yamauchi is customarily dismissive about Sony's attempts to get into handheld gaming with the PSP ("I don't think [Sony] understand the game business... but software for both machines will be much different, and it would be a mistake to consider them in direct competition."), and also offers a different perspective on slipping GameCube sales ("Sales of GameCube software fell short in North America and Europe last year, and I believe that's due to the popularity of violent games on other consoles. The culture of Japan is much different and less accepting of such titles. Our target market is the entire world, so it's very difficult to develop software that appeals to everyone.")

Thanks to an anonymous reader for pointing to the Gamerfeed report that reveals the full cast for EA's next Bond videogame, James Bond 007 : Everything or Nothing. In keeping with their already-announced casting of the real Shannon Elizabeth as a virtual Bond girl, they've also announced that Pierce Brosnan will again return as Bond, Willem Dafoe will be the virtual bad guy, Heidi Klum the virtual Eastern European bad girl, and John Cleese and Dame Judi Dench will be reprising their regular movie roles. Finally, and best of all, Richard Kiel's metal-toothed bad guy Jaws will be making a re-appearance (after his secret character unlock in the Goldeneye game), something that would be impossible in the real movie series due to Kiel's advancing age.

Thanks to an anonymous reader for pointing to the Gamerfeed report that reveals the full cast for EA's next Bond videogame, James Bond 007 : Everything or Nothing. In keeping with their already-announced casting of the real Shannon Elizabeth as a virtual Bond girl, they've also announced that Pierce Brosnan will again return as Bond, Willem Dafoe will be the virtual bad guy, Heidi Klum the virtual Eastern European bad girl, and John Cleese and Dame Judi Dench will be reprising their regular movie roles. Finally, and best of all, Richard Kiel's metal-toothed bad guy Jaws will be making a re-appearance (after his secret character unlock in the Goldeneye game), something that would be impossible in the real movie series due to Kiel's advancing age.

I noticed a blurb up at GamerFeed that Spider-Man has been inducted into not one, not two, but three different "greatest hits" programs. It's the first game to become a hit on all three of the major consoles, which is a nice feather in the cap of Activision, to be sure. There's also some good comparison of the different hits programs for each platform and what it takes to be eligible for each.

I noticed a blurb up at GamerFeed that Spider-Man has been inducted into not one, not two, but three different "greatest hits" programs. It's the first game to become a hit on all three of the major consoles, which is a nice feather in the cap of Activision, to be sure. There's also some good comparison of the different hits programs for each platform and what it takes to be eligible for each.

Getting close to finishing up our three-day stint at the E3 Expo in Los Angeles, this time we turn our attention to the Namco booth. So read on for info about Spawn, I-Ninja, and the can't-come-out-soon-enough Soul Calibur II.. - Soul Calibur II, already released in Japan for some time, was showing for all 3 consoles, and continues to look amazing. Not having had a chance to see Link as a playable character on the Gamecube version, it was extremely impressive to see his art style blend in so well with the rest of the fighters, while still being recognizable. This is a must-buy for fighter fans when it finally launches in August.

- Kill.Switch for PS2 and Xbox was yet another tactical action shooter type game, with lots of hiding behind columns and ducking out to nail enemies with heavy weaponry. There really was a preponderance of this type of title at E3, and though this one seemed to do it decently, it didn't seem to stand up to title like EA's Freedom.

- Spawn was a somewhat surprise appearance which continues Todd McFarlane's association with Namco (see the Spawn arcade/Dreamcast title, plus Spawn as secret character in Soul Calibur II for Xbox), and was a double-gun, lock-on type action shooter. That's right, another one. It looked decent graphically, and this type of game can be plenty of fun, but we'll have to see what it has to make it stand out.

- I-Ninja was the Argonaut-developed cartoon-like action game, with a super-deformed ninja lead character running around vaguely stylized environments. It had some neat gameplay mechanisms, such as a blatantly borrowed from Metroid Prime 'rolling-ball' mode, and some cool jump and run along walls moves, but the graphics were a little plain in places.

- also being shown, but not immediately obvious on the show floor, were R:Racing Evolution, the latest in the Ridge Racer series, sporting much-improved graphics and a slightly more realistic approach, and Extreme Force, a Dead To Rights semi-sequel focusing more on Splinter Cell-type tactical action.

For further impressions, screenshots, and media try IGN.com, Gamespot, Gamers.com, Gamerfeed, or all the other usual suspects. Plus, watch for a final round-up from the show soon.

Continuing with brief hands-on impressions from the most interesting booths at the E3 Expo in Los Angeles, we turn our attention to Konami. Read on for info about Castlevania, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Gradius, Metal Gear, and more.. - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, showing for multiple platforms, was a delight. With awesome-looking cel-shaded graphics, and Batman-the-TV-series type 'CRASH!' and 'THUMP!' voice balloons accompanying the action, this goes a long way to recreating the fun of the original arcade and SNES games, with multiplayer arcade-styled fun to the fore.

- Bloody Roar 4 was showing for PS2, picked up when Konami bought a controlling interest in developers Hudsonsoft a year or two back. It seemed high on the B-list of fighters - not essential, but hardly Final Fight Revenge either.

- Castlevania:Lament Of Innocence for PS2 is a 3D action title that finally puts to rest those horrid N64 Castlevania games, with somewhat Devil May Cry-styled action gameplay, big bosses, and a camera that behaves most of the time. It's still got that oldschool feel, but some of the rooms felt a bit large and empty in places. Still, promising, though it's easy to think about how the Rygar title for PS2 seems to have made the transition a bit better.

- Gradius V for PS2, the latest sequel to the all-time classic sideways-scrolling shooter, was showing on a single machine round the side of the booth. It looked good, with 2D action but great use of 3D scaling in the background, and the traditional power-up stacking system that's always worked so well. If you're not a fan of this genre, you won't be converted, but it's a worthy successor.

- Cy Girls for PS2, some kind of girl ninja/hacker action title, really didn't look that hot in the playable demo on the booth, but the video trailer there showcased some more interesting action, so it may improve as release date nears.

- Silent Hill 3, which seems to come out as soon as next week in Europe, and in a couple of months in other territories, looked very much like a straight sequel to the previous two titles. Basically, it's very spooky, the gritty lighting still works, there's scary giant rabbit costumes outside deserted amusement parks.. you get the drift.

- Boktai: The Sun Is In Your Hand, the innovative GBA title from Hideo Kojima that will include a light sensor in the cartridge, was difficult to evaluate on the show floor, since there was only a video running and GBAs running the title were only viewable through glass. But the isometric graphics look good, and the presence of a light meter on screen at all times mean you'll either going to be cheating and cupping your hand over the sensor, or running in and out of your cellar a lot when the game is released.

- we dealt with Metal Gear Solid:The Twin Snakes over in our previous Nintendo booth article, and sadly both this title and Metal Gear Solid 3 were only running in trailer form on the E3 show floor. So there's not much more to say about MGS3 right now than 'set in jungle', 'nice graphics', 'mysterious'. Look out for full trailers of both popping up online as E3 winds down.

For further impressions, screenshots, and media try IGN.com, Gamespot, Gamers.com, Gamerfeed, or all the other usual suspects. More hands-on impressions soon.

Getting straight on with our brief E3 Expo hands-on impressions, targeting the major companies and titles to watch at the show, we've made it to the Electronic Arts booth. Read on for info about selected titles featuring James Bond, Gimli, and those pesky Sims.. - The Sims 2 was only being trailed in video form on the show floor, with The Who's My Generation cut up over a smart CG trailer that showed multiple eras of Sims, with whole dynasties growing up, having kids, breathing fire (apparently a hereditary trait in that family!), and generally goofing off. How the game improves on a winning formula remains to be seen, but the DNA-passed-to-descendents angle is clearly the one being pushed to the fore for the sequel.

- 007:Everything Or Nothing, which we mentioned yesterday for its use of real-life actors in virtual roles, was sporting a playable action sequence where Pierce Brosnan ran through a skyscraper and then jumped off the edge, duelling with enemies while running/bungie cording down the side of the building. The action was third-person, darned attractive, and it may be that the improvement in Bond games that started with Nightfire will continue (no more 007 Racing? Phew!)

- Harry Potter:Quidditch World Cup is definitely strange, being an EA Sports-izing of a fictional sport and all. But it looked like it could be reasonably playable, though the size of the pitch looked very small, probably thanks to artistic license in the movies expanding it, and the AI still needed some work.

- Medal Of Honor: Rising Sun was seen in a great-looking CG trailer which, well, didn't have much to do with gameplay, plus some early PS2 gameplay code which was apparently even a little too early to get much of a good impression. The jury has left the building.

- Freedom:The Battle For Liberty Island was the arguably surprise booth stand-out. The developers, IO Interactive, were responsible for the excellent Hitman 2, and this title features crisp graphics and great environmental effects. Sporting frantic shoot-outs on roofs against helicopter gunships, it feels right, more so than most other action shooters at the show - and believe me, there are a lot of those.

- Lord Of The Rings:Return Of The King is being developed in-house at EA this time, so has a different developer from the fun Two Towers. But actually, it looks a spot better than that title, with similar action-based hack 'n slash gameplay, multiplayer co-op action, a ton of enemies onscreen at once, and cave trolls looking about 30 percent uglier than they have any right to be.

For further impressions, screenshots, and media try IGN.com, Gamespot, Gamers.com, Gamerfeed, or all the other usual suspects. More hands-on impressions soon.

Continuing our 'brief impressions'-based look at the major titles and major publishers at E3 in Los Angeles, here's a look at SquareEnix's booth. Read on for info about a cornucopia of Final Fantasies, plus the new Star Ocean and the mysterious Drakangard... - Final Fantasy XI was being shown in the same form as we've already previewed it on the Sony booth. It requiring the PS2 hard disc is a significant expense/hassle, but if you're a Final Fantasy fan or a MMORPG freak, it may be well worth it.

- Star Ocean:The End Of Time was a graphically stunning action strategy game (with real-time combat), including some insanely nice special effects, though there's some very occasional slowdown. You even got to fight enemies like D+D-styled 'eye of the beholder' floating ocular beasts. As far as control goes, you control the main character directly, and the other people in your party follow your lead, but you can stop the action to change priorities or weapons.

- Drakangard for PS2, an unknown quantity until the show, had the player controlling either a warrior on the battlefield, in very Dynasty Warriors-esque hack and slash action, or the same warrior astride a dragon, hovering high above it and swooping down to fire-heat the opposing troops. The graphics looked a little plain from ground level, but being able to see whole groups of enemies from the air and then toast them was neat. Depth of gameplay could be a problem?

- Final Fantasy:Crystal Chronicles was being played by four eager gamers, each using a GBA to control their onscreen character, and we've dealt with this game briefly already in our discussion of the Nintendo booth. It does look like one of the stand-out Gamecube titles at the show, with wicked-looking robot bosses who rotate their body like a windmill, direct action-based controls and plenty of signature Square special effects, but this isn't your standard Final Fantasy title, so it may polarize fans. We heard someone else make the Gauntlet Legends+ comparison while in the booth, so that may be a good way to think of this game.

- Unlimited SaGa for PS2 may be a continuation of a classic series, but it's a decidedly strange one. The use of 2D characters and 3D background mainly works, but it's the opening 2D/3D cinema that really impressed. This definitely comes with an 'only for the hardcore' tag (there's both 'hit points' and 'life points', for example, both of which are important), but if you can get past that, it's a niche title of interest.

- Final Fantasy X-2 can easily be summed up as 'very, very fruity'. From the opening dancing and singing CG, the all-female cast, and the 'Dress-up Sphere' element to combat, with players needing costume changes to power up, it's all very, very Japanese. The game restored the Active Time Battle method for battles, and the graphics surpass even Final Fantasy X, but it's not so much epic as epic kitsch. Still seems to have the gameplay going on, mind you.

For further impressions, screenshots, and media try IGN.com, Gamespot, Gamers.com, Gamerfeed, or all the other usual suspects. More hands-on impressions soon.

Slashdot Games is still camped out at E3 in Los Angeles, and having finished hands-on reports on the Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo booths, we're going on to look at some of the other major exhibitors. Next up is Sega, so read on for more info about new Phantasy Star Online, Sonic, Worms, and Virtual On titles, plus the rather smart Billy Hatcher with his Giant Egg. - Billy Hatcher And The Giant Egg, the newest Sonic Team title for Gamecube, was the surprise game of the stand. Although screenshots had started leaking before the show, it wasn't that clear what was going on, but seeing the game playable made all the difference. Basically, you're a boy called Billy Hatcher who has a rooster hat on (!), and you help out a giant chicken by rolling massive eggs around the levels, down hills, knocking over enemies, and generally causing havoc. The game sports what looks like an updated Sonic Adventure graphics engine, you can pick up floating PacMan-style fruit goodies, and you can even run around on your own and switch to different eggs, which presumably have different properties. The game looks like a whole heap of fun, and we're really looking forward to seeing more of it.

- Worms 3D, the Team 17 multiformat update of their classic multiplayer title, was recently signed by Sega Europe, so was showing on the stand. Although many 3D updates of classic 2D-based titles don't necessarily turn out for the best (anyone remember Lemmings 3D?), this one looks a lot more promising, with great cartoony 3D graphics, cool targeting for overhead airstrikes, and the same super-fun weapons lists.

- Headhunter: Redemption, being shown for PS2, looked like a pretty competent action game, with plenty of stealth elements as well as action, and a heavily tattooed female lead character for at least some of the game. There were also some very Metal Gear Solid moments in the demo, peeking round corners and pivoting to shoot guards at the right moments, and the title looked accomplished, if not breathtaking.

- Otogi for the Xbox was one of the more interesting games on the stand, a really nice looking action beat-em-up featuring ghostly ninja attacks and a 'rush mode' that was somewhat reminiscent of Shinobi. Actually, it also reminds us of Gun Valkyrie, with the frenetic action and deep valleys filled with enemies. But overall, promising.

- Phantasy Star Online Episode III: CARD Revolution was showing for Gamecube with a playable battle demo, and this turn-based card RPG looked very interesting, if very different from previous PSO games. You could play cards like the 'Chain Sawd' weapon for attacks, and there seemed to be block/hex based movement involved, too, but overall, learning the game will take a lot longer than the brief look at it we got. The graphics were neat, though, with PSO's characteristically swaying enemy animations, so if you can stand the change of pace, this title may be worth checking out.

- Sonic Heroes, due out for multiple formats, was looking like the best 3D Sonic game so far, with much bigger and wider-ranging courses, so less of the constrained platform action that played havoc with the camera in earlier Sonic titles. The unique feature of this Sonic game is that you're controlling three Sonic characters at once, and can switch between them to use their different powers - somewhat like Kameo for Xbox in terms of gameplay mechanism. The version we saw had Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails as the three characters, and each was better suited for different challenges - for example, Tails can fly, so he's great for bridging long distances while carrying the other two characters.

- Altered Beast was being shown on video only, sadly, but looked promising. There were a bunch of cool transformation effects shown for this 3D beat-em-up remake of the classic 2D Sega game, and it's clear you can even transform into different beasts, including a fire-breathing one and a flying animal that can unleash a spectacular-looking energy attack.

- as for the other titles, Virtual On Marz for PS2 had some excellent multiplayer action, looking slightly basic graphically but very smooth, Virtua Fighter 4:Evolution looked even better than Virtua Fighter 4, although the gameplay is as involved as ever, and there were other appearances from a Vectorman PS2 demo and a neat Sonic Pinball Gameboy Advance title.

For further impressions, screenshots, and media try IGN.com, Gamespot, Gamers.com, Gamerfeed, or all the other usual suspects. More hands-on impressions soon.

Slashdot Games is continuing its look at the major booths here at the E3 Expo. The last of the major hardware manufacturers to give us a hands-on look at their software is Microsoft, after earlier articles on Nintendo and Sony. Read on for info about all the new Rare titles, Brute Force, Halo 2, and more.. - Kameo, the Rare-developed game that was shown in significantly different form on the Nintendo booth a couple of years back, looked just amazing. The graphics were lush, colorful, and beatiful, possibly the best of any Xbox game so far, including Halo. The third-person action was fun and somewhat innovative, as you could switch swiftly between multiple characters with different powers to solve puzzles and wipe out enemies. The characters included a plant beast, some kind of rock monster, and even Kameo (a fairy lookalike) herself. So, not only does the Xbox lack quality examples of this type of game, Rare seem to have come up with the goods yet again.

- Brute Force, the Digital Anvil-developed third-person team shooter which has been in development for what seems like an age, was looking promising, with a really fun co-op mode, simple but direct controls, and good sniper-zoom effects. It seemed just slightly plain compared to the very best-looking titles like Halo or Kameo, though, and it's a shame it's not supporting Xbox Live, but it's still a game you can look forward to.

- Voodoo Vince, a quirky new Microsoft-published platformer, looked good, with perky graphics and some really nice fire effects. But overall, it wasn't really a spectacular stand-out, although there were some neat ideas about the main character hurting himself in order to damage enemies - he's a voodoo doll, folks.

- Conker:Live And Uncut is Rare's team-based shooter, and it focuses on multiplayer modes to create an intense but cartoony deathmatch title. As you run around the sharp-looking arenas, picking up everything from knives to rocket-launchers, the third-person view seems to work pretty well for fast and fun combat, and Xbox Live support should wrap up the whole deal. Now, if we could only stop thinking about Fur Fighters when we see it..

- Project Gotham Racing 2 is still using the rather innovative 'kudos' system first pioneered by Bizarre Creations in Metropolis Street Racer. It also sports the noticably real-life tracks, with many fenced-off areas and 90-degree turns, something that will either delight or bother you, depending. The graphics are certainly a notch above the first title, but Gran Turismo 4 seems to have a grittier, more exciting feel overall.

- Grabbed By The Ghoulies was the third Rare title on display, and was an somewhat bizarre, almost flat-shaded, semi-cartoony platformer. Kameo seemed to us to look nicer, but this title certainly had some unique stylings, and even some noticably twisted semi-gore. Look what a few years being forced to make insanely cute games like Diddy Kong Racing will do to a bunch of developers?

- it seems Halo 2 is viewable as a real-time demo, though sadly not playable by the public, in a special booth area that's been drawing gigantic queues. The demo has the same layout as that shown at the Microsoft press conference, and it reliably blows everyone away, with amazing attention to detail, double-gun action, spectacular graphics, super-realistic voice interaction, the ability to jump on the Ghost ships and kick the pilot out.. basically, genius. This is definitely one of the games of the show, and may become the Xbox's second killer app, after its predecessor was most definitely the first.

There were a whole bunch of other third-party games on Microsoft's booth, but we'll get to them on Thursday and Friday. In the meantime, be sure to check IGN.com, Gamespot, Gamers.com, Gamerfeed, or all the other usual suspects. Our hands-on impressions will continue on Thursday.

Slashdot Games is continuing to cover events from the show floor at the E3 Expo in Los Angeles. After covering Nintendo's booth, our next subject is Sony, who backed up the information contained in their pre-E3 press conference with a bevy of playable titles. Read on for what we found at Sony, including Gran Turismo 4, Resident Evil Online, and the very cool Eye Toy. - Gran Turismo 4 was looking, overall, pretty spectacular. The in-car view isn't a quantum leap above the kind of visuals GT3 has, but it still looks significantly better. The exterior views and replays are looking insanely good, though, and with new courses like New York (including Times Square), new rally tracks, and the ever-amazing attention to detail, nirvana awaits for car nuts.

- Eye Toy was the stand-out surprise of the booth, since it's infinitely more satisfying in the flesh than if explained or shown in screenshots. It stars a series of almost Point Blank-styled mini-games, such as keeping a soccer ball in the air or chopsocking cartoony ninjas as they swarm from the sides of the screen. The key is that you can see yourself onscreen, courtesy of the USB camera that comes with the games, and can adjust your physical position to hit or interact with the objects that appear on the TV. A boxing mini-game where you dueled a robot, Punch-Out style, was another highlight, one which had attendees ducking and weaving as they landed virtual punches on the poor hunk o'metal. Considering this will all cost about the price of a normal PS2 game, it's a seriously quirky but cool stand-out.

- Final Fantasy XI was available and playable online in a fully translated English version. It's nothing that hasn't been seen before in the already-released Japanese version, but it did impress in the flesh, looking more visually interesting than the Everquest Online titles for PS2, and promising diversity with a truly huge range of spells and attacks.

- Ratchet And Clank:Going Commando and Jak II pretty much defined the 'neat game, better-looking sequel' concept. There's even more weapons of choice for Ratchet And Clank, plus Jak II sporting some pretty amazing-looking graphics, with a large number of vehicles, passers-by, and enemies all on screen as Jak bounded through a city, and no slow-down in the slightest.

- Rise To Honor, the action title starring a virtual Jet Li, was looking promising. Quite reminiscent of titles like Dead To Rights, but minus the random mini-games, RTH showcased both hand-to-hand martial arts goodness and double-gun shootout action. Sporting crisp graphics and some decent-looking moves, though suffering from a few glitches and an oddly emotionless-looking Jet Li, it's definitely worth looking out for.

- Syphon Filter: Omega Strain was running in multiplayer networked deathmatch mode, and was goodlooking and smooth. It had particularly neat rain effects on the dark urban streets of the playable level. Oddly, it wasn't generating a lot of interest, with those attendees playing just standing in one place and raking machine-gun fire aimlessly, but that could say more about the E3 attention span than the game.

- Resident Evil:Outbreak (the former Resident Evil Online) was also running in its networked, collaborative form. Interestingly, it had a 'HDD' info sticker on the front of the booth, presumably meaning it'll only work with the PS2 hard disc. The action looked extremely similar to your average Resident Evil title, but with the ability to go help out your friends elsewhere in the spooky-looking decaying house. Teaming up with your friends is a neat twist, as is a new 'zombie gauge' which may allow the player to eventually turn into a zombie, but still have control over his new form. We didn't see any of that on the show-floor version, though, possibly because it was entirely in Japanese, so a little tricky to understand at points.

- Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater was shown only in video form, in a significantly expanded version from the previously leaked trailer. We'll hopefully have more on this title as E3 continues.

- For those lovely Slashdot Games readers asking about booth babes, we almost got flattened by hordes of attendees coming away from the Dead Or Alive fashion show at the Tecmo booth. No pictures, only the imprints of over-enthusiastic fan-boots in our face.

For further impressions, screenshots, and media try IGN.com, Gamespot, Gamers.com, Gamerfeed, or all the other usual suspects. We'll have further hands-on impressions from other booths later today.

Slashdot Games is here on the show floor at the E3 Expo in Los Angeles, and over the next three days, we'll be doing brief hands-on impressions of the major games in each booth. First up is Nintendo, following up our earlier press conference summary with a chance to see and play the games in detail. Here's what we found at Nintendo, including Mario Kart, Metal Gear, Starfox, and.. Wario insulting us? - F-Zero GX is startlingly fast, both in framerate and vehicle speed. There are great-looking light trails on all your competitors, of which you can see most of the 30 onscreen at once. The background levels included a night-based thunderstorm setting, which looked very smart as you looped around the tracks at near-supersonic speeds. Also, the gameplay seemed similar to previous titles, which is good if you're a F-Zero fan to start with. The 4-player splitscreen ran without slowdown, but dropped the backgrounds.

- Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes showed more clearly that it's a (partial?) remake of the PSX Metal Gear Solid, by demo-ing the first area of the original MGS, but Gamecube-ized. It looks slicker and higher-res, keeping the same stylized color schemes, but the real-time cutscenes slowed down noticably due to the screen-filling snowstorm effects. Still promising, though.

- Starfox, being shown exclusively in multiplayer, is puzzling but interesting at the same time. It seems that you can pick to play Arwing flight-based combat, or Fox and friends in ground-based combat. It's possible to be playing in an Arwing while your opponent is running around on the ground shooting up at you. How this works in gameplay remains to be seen (the two people I saw playing in different modes were having difficulty finding each other), but certainly seems that the over-the-shoulder shooter mode and the flight combat mode are both fun and addictive individually.

- Geist is the mystery new Nintendo title from developers N-Space. It seemed to play and look like a Halo competitor, first-person action to the fore, but with the gameplay possession elements of Messiah in full effect. As a ghost, you can take over people's bodies and then use their weapons and identities as you wish. The concept on its own is appealing if done well, and it's visually impressive, so this is definitely a title to watch.

- Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike looked visually stunning, especially in the forests of Endor, where the player could control AT-STs as they stomped through the dense undergrowth, complete with swinging log traps, Ewoks, and speeder bikes. The great-looking lighting and destructible trees really helps make this one of the stand-outs on the booth. The other stages also look excellent, with the player controlling X-Wings and tauntauns in both air and foot-based levels.

- we may cover Final Fantasy:Crystal Chronicles more when we get to the Square Enix booth, but the action was smooth, fast, 4-player simultaneous, and actually very reminiscent of Diablo or Gauntlet Legends. In other words, this is no conventional FF game, but it looks to have made the genre transition successfully.

- Mario Kart Double Dash was running in networked LAN form, using multiple Gamecubes with the broadband adaptor. It looked smooth, fast, with bright and sharp graphics and an excellent frame-rate, a fitting continuation of the Mario Kart legacy.

- the Mario Kart area was also home to the best gimmick in the Nintendo booth. A CG puppet of Mario was displayed on a monitor above the booth, and a voice actor backstage was responding to events in the booth ,while Mario lipsynced and gestured correctly onscreen. Mario even turned into Wario at one point, so he could plug Wario World and be nasty and evil to E3 attendees. Very neat.

- weird exhibit of the booth was Carrera VRS, some real-life slot cars which you controlled via the Gameboy Advance. They ran round and round a slot track, and the players had their lap times, current position, fuel gauge (!), and other stats displayed on the GBA, as they controlled the cars with the GBA itself. Not quite as strange as the Gameboy sewing machine controller, but getting there.

For further impressions, screenshots, and media try IGN.com, Gamespot, Gamerfeed, or all the other usual suspects. More booth impressions soon, and we'll try to get more GBA titles previewed later in the show also.

Thanks to Gamerfeed for pointing out that renowned film-maker John Woo has established a game development studio, Tiger Hill. The studio will work with Sega of America to co-create new game properties that'll hopefully capture some of the stylised action so many games have 'borrowed' from John Woo movies. What kind of chance does a film-maker have of making a difference in videogames, now films are becoming more game-like and games are becoming more film-like?

Thanks to Gamerfeed for pointing out that renowned film-maker John Woo has established a game development studio, Tiger Hill. The studio will work with Sega of America to co-create new game properties that'll hopefully capture some of the stylised action so many games have 'borrowed' from John Woo movies. What kind of chance does a film-maker have of making a difference in videogames, now films are becoming more game-like and games are becoming more film-like?

Earlier today, Sony's pre-E3 press conference here in Los Angeles announced their PSP handheld console, as we've already covered at Slashdot Games. But there were plenty of other important and interesting announcements in the Sony briefing that we can summarize here, in the same way as we've done for Nintendo's and for Microsoft's pre-E3 press conferences. Read on for info about Gran Turismo 4, Eye Toy, the next Grand Theft Auto, and more.. - all new Playstation 2 consoles sold in the US from June onwards will include a network adaptor. This new bundle will also include an updated version of the console, with DVD-R reading and progressive scan built-in, but will still retail for $199.99. It was later announced that the current PS2 retail box will retail for $179.99, without network adaptor, until they've all been sold.

- this had been coming for a while, especially after EA had expressed their displeasure at Xbox Live, but.. all EA Sports games are only going to be playable online via the PS2. The games will ship for other consoles such as Gamecube or Xbox, but you won't be able to play other people over the Net on those versions. Looks like Sony is upping the ante in the online console war against Microsoft.

- Gran Turismo 4 from Polyphony Digital was extensively previewed. It included some amazing-looking footage, which was often difficult to differentiate from real-life filming. There will be better AI, improved driving, and online capabilities, and the game is looking very, very promising.

- confirmed exclusives for Playstation 2 are both Metal Gear Solid 3:Snake Eater, and the 'next Grand Theft Auto title', although we don't know anything more about the new GTA yet. Any cities want to stand up and volunteer to be the new setting?

- Final Fantasy XI will launch in the US via Sony in early 2004, alongside the PS2 hard disc add-on which will be needed to play it. Interestingly, the PC version will be released by Square Enix in October 2003, significantly ahead of the PS2 version.

- Sony showed the Eye Toy, their digital camera add-on which has been in development for quite some time, and uses clever 'motion capture' style technology to put you in the (often wacky) action. It'll retail for around 40 bucks with mini-games included, and will ship towards Xmas 2003.

If you're looking for screenshots and media info on Sony products, try the usual suspects such as IGN.com, Gamespot, Gamerfeed, or just monitor all the sites with Gametab News.

Slashdot Games will be on the show floor for all 3 days of E3, and will be giving hands-on impressions of the biggest games in all the major booths, including Sony's, so keep checking the page for regular updates.

Nintendo's pre-E3 press conference earlier today in Los Angeles revealed a whole lot more forthcoming goodness for Gamecube and Gameboy Advance, spanning Zelda, Mario, The Sims, Pacman, Metroid, and more - here's a summary. Don't forget to check our previous, briefer story about Microsoft's press conference, and watch out for a round-up of Sony's press event later this evening. - Gamecube and Gameboy Advance connectivity was showcased both with the Pac-Man prototype, produced by Shigeru Miyamoto, as mentioned a couple of days ago, plus a new Miyamoto-designed surprise. This is a Gamecube-based, 2D topdown multiplayer-orientated update of the GBA Legend Of Zelda:Four Swords. The hook? You must connect your Gameboy Advance as a controller, and can then move your character from the Gamecube screen to the GBA screen in order to receive secret messages and commit skullduggery that only you can see.

- there's also a new Gamecube title called Zelda:Tetra's Trackers, in which you need to run around getting stamps from pirates (!) Again, this title seems to rely on private messages being sent to a GBA controller, while in competitive multiplayer modes, for a lot of the strategy.

- Will Wright of Sim City/The Sims fame appeared onstage alongside Miyamoto and announced Gamecube and GBA versions of The Sims, with connectivity between the games. It seems Nintendo are really pushing the GC/GBA interactivity angle this year.

- Hideo Kojima also appeared to talk about Metal Gear:Twin Snakes, which we mentioned a little while back. Interestingly, it's confirmed this Gamecube exclusive is being developed by Silicon Knights, of Eternal Darkness fame.

- the version of Namco's Starfox shown also included ground-based over-the-shoulder multiplayer combat alongside conventional flight-based tussles, a cool but distinctly unexpected development.

- Resident Evil 4 seems to be exclusive to Gamecube, amongst several Capcom exclusives for GC, and there was a short video from its creator.

- Super Mario Advance 4 for GBA was announced, and it'll be a conversion of the much-loved Super Mario Bros 3.

- Factor 5's Rogue Squadron 3 was shown in video form, and it was mentioned they're working on another Nintendo-exclusive title that will be announced soon. Rumors appear to be that it's a Gamecube version of Pilot Wings.

- overlooked game of the press conference? Puzzle freaks will, uhm, freak over the Nintendo Puzzle Collection for Gamecube, including Dr.Mario, Yoshi's Cookie, and Panel De Pon (Pokemon Puzzle League, minus Pokemon), all with simultaneous 4-player modes.

- the ending highlights video included very brief preview footage of Metroid Prime 2, looking very good, as well as many of the other previously-mentioned games, including Advance Wars 2 and Sword Of Mana for Gameboy Advance, plus F-Zero, 1080 Avalanche, and The Hobbit for Gamecube. And we haven't even mentioned Custom Robo, Kirby's Air Ride, Donkey Kong Country GBA, Pokemon Coliseum, Pikmin 2, Geist, Mario Party 5 and more, augh..

If you're looking for screenshots and movies of these titles, recommendations would include Gamerfeed or IGN Cube - other good media-heavy site suggestions welcome, though.

Slashdot Games will be on the show floor for all 3 days of E3, and will be giving hands-on impressions of the biggest games in all the major booths, including Nintendo's, so keep checking the page for regular updates.

Thanks to an anonymous reader for passing on news from Gamerfeed that the Xbox MMORPG True Fantasy Live Online has been confirmed for US release. This Microsoft-published title is being made by Japanese developers Level 5, the developers of Dark Cloud and its sequel for Sony, who are also currently working on Dragon Quest VIII for SquareEnix. Level 5 have a small official product page, albeit mainly in Japanese, with concept art and screenshots available, and there are more screenshots at RPGRadar. This is one of Xbox's rivals to Everquest and Final Fantasy for PS2, and is also interesting because Microsoft have grabbed a prominent Japanese developer to do it for them.

Xs writes "A story over at Gamerfeed.com states that a gamer from Berkeley, California, Henru Wang, has completed Metroid Prime in 1 hour and 46 minutes! Here's the interview with Mr. Wang from Twin Galaxies." Speed records are a slightly bizarre but rather cool corner of gaming nowadays, it seems.

Xs writes "A story over at Gamerfeed.com states that a gamer from Berkeley, California, Henru Wang, has completed Metroid Prime in 1 hour and 46 minutes! Here's the interview with Mr. Wang from Twin Galaxies." Speed records are a slightly bizarre but rather cool corner of gaming nowadays, it seems.

According to Gamerfeed, the latest novel based on the Halo gameworld, called "Halo:The Flood", is a bestseller, cranking it up close to the Top 10 in the 'mass market paperback' category. Do people think that game novelisations, as discussed in this USA Today report, can be worth reading? Marc Laidlaw's CD-ROM novelization, Gadget: The Third Force, is at least one game-related novel I enjoyed a lot.

According to Gamerfeed, the latest novel based on the Halo gameworld, called "Halo:The Flood", is a bestseller, cranking it up close to the Top 10 in the 'mass market paperback' category. Do people think that game novelisations, as discussed in this USA Today report, can be worth reading? Marc Laidlaw's CD-ROM novelization, Gadget: The Third Force, is at least one game-related novel I enjoyed a lot.

Xs writes "As if the first Xbox Live Starter Kit wasn't selling well enough, Microsoft has released a new Starter Kit. This time the kit includes demos of MechAssault and MotoGP. Plus, a complete online version of Tetris Worlds. To make things even better, they are no longer bundling in Whacked! I hope to be picking one of these up soon. Full stories at Xbox IGN and GamerFeed.com."