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Metal Gear Solid 4, Final Fantasy PS3, Possession, Killzone PS3, Tekken PS3, Warhawk, Gran Turismo Vision. Those are all launch titles as well.

One of the titles on that list is Trauma Center: Second Opinion. Now, initially I thought this was a joke but appearantly you use the Wii remote to operate on patients.

I guess I never thought of the special remote to be a cutting edge. What next? Prison Break: Shank or Be Shanked?

No YOUR analysis is stupid. It's fair to say that DVD was an appropriate format for the last five years. You're suggesting that I forgoe cinematic quality film in a game to compensate for a lack of storage space. Why the fuck would you want a "cutting edge" system that is compromised from the get-go? Next-gen means next gen storage too, sucker.

http://greggman.com/edit/editheadlines/2005-08-17. htm

Analysis:
NES, SMS - carts
SNES, Genesis - carts
N64, Saturn, Playstation - carts, CD's
Dreamcast, PS2, Xbox, Gamecube - GDROM, DVD, MiniDVD
Wii, Xbox360, PS3 - DVD, Blu-Ray

Consistently the consoles with larger storage and dual use (ie. plays something other than games) edge out the other consoles. After that it comes down to game library.

Good for Sony on sneaking in the Blu-Ray - it makes the console more expensive, but it puts an end to this stupid format war. Just like they snuck in DVD to households, every home with a PS3 will be purchasing Blu-Ray films. HDDVD is a DOA product.

Developers name lack of next-gen game storage on 360 number one problem.

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/674/674175p1.html

Have fun with your SegaCD^h^h^h^h^h^hN64^h^h^hXbox360!

Level 5 makes excellent RPGs

http://psp.ign.com/articles/719/719661p1.html

Square continues the FFVII universe

http://psp.ign.com/objects/711/711340.html

Another great remake of a Square classic

http://www.gamestats.com/objects/788/788783/

Level 5 makes excellent RPGs

http://psp.ign.com/articles/719/719661p1.html

Square continues the FFVII universe

http://psp.ign.com/objects/711/711340.html

Another great remake of a Square classic

http://www.gamestats.com/objects/788/788783/

Go watch the video. Then say it doesn't look that bad. I'd say don't watch, since it's pretty damn bad, but what the hell. You earned it. Go wild.

http://xbox360movies.ign.com/xbox360/video/article /706/706895/shadowrungameplay_qtlowwide.mov

The great examples are NASCAR and wrestling games. The typical NASCAR game review is like "well, if you like turning left a lot and you have a lobotomy, you may enjoy this... 3/5." Contrast that with Ivan Sulic's exceptionally well written review of NASCAR 2006: Total Team Control at IGN. Sulic ran down every parameter of the game, even going so far as to explain his play style, while doing the review. He didn't take the piss, and while it's clear he's a NASCAR fan, he delivered enough information to enable hardcore and casual fans to have everything they needed to evaluate the game. He scored it high (8.5) and obviously liked it. But, since it was the only NASCAR game to come out in 2006, according to TFA, it should be normalized to a 3. Retarded. In the end, I decided that NASCAR 2006 wasn't for me, despite its high score (the total team control stuff seemed like too much work), so I bought Flatout instead, but it was a great example of why you need to read the review, not just the score.

Additionally, this notion that the "average" game must score 5 on a 10 point scale is retarded. If you have a 10 question quiz, your average person will probably get 7 right. That's why a 70% is usually a C (average). IGN, GameSpot, Game Informater, etc's scoring system may trend towards scoring 7 - 9, but that's simply in line with the way most people grade things on a 10 point scale. On a 5 point scale, you see a lot more threes, but so what? A 3 doesn't tell you any more than a 7 -- ultimately you need to actually read the review.

The Wii will offer backwords compatibility with the Gamecube through hardware support, and at least the first batch of PS3's will include hardware support before switching to software emulation. So at somepoint you will have a lower price for the PS3, but less reliable backwords compatibility.

I think you just need to see the review of 'new super mario bros' to see the 'state' of what platformers could be.... The sad truth of the matter is that 2D in general costs more due to animated frames and artists having to put their magical touch to the games.... but I dont believe they are dead, unpopular and crap as a whole.

http://uk.ds.ign.com/articles/705/705537p1.html

Admittedly NSMB is partly 3D, but I believe that this game still shares the same foundations and roots as a 'true' platformer. I think developers these days just havent got it into their head that it doesnt matter how many more polygons at an object you cant add gameplay with pretty graphics.

Uhm... on IGN they said Dragon Quest was coming to Wii. http://wii.ign.com/articles/709/709625p1.html

Nah... that's a specious arguement. Some of us still enjoy puzzling out cute little puzzles that make their way into games, but the only games where you find those are RPGs. Puzzle games have become a niche genre, and there are people claiming adventure games are pretty much extinct. So RPGs, themselves pretty rare, are the only place to find good puzzles to boggle the mind for a bit. And sure, I could look up the answers to say, the Korriban puzzles on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, but I could just as easily hit up the interweb for cheats for any other game. Evil demons got you down in Doom? Haitians and Cubans got you on the run? Need help putting those Orcs and Tauren in their place? There's even cheats for sports games, but I don't know why you'd want to cheat those...

The bottom line is that puzzles will be enjoyed by those who like puzzles. You can cheat puzzles as easily as cheating anything else in the game and I'm sure there are plenty who do.

Yet again, irrelevant to the topic at hand. ALSO, my 360 is the most powerful AND least expensive "PC" in the house. For those college students (and recently graduated collegiates, ie: yours truely) that don't want to spend thousands on a machine that they're going to play games on anyway, consoles are the best route. The problem with computers is that there's no standardization outside the basics. A 360 is a 360, cut print that's a wrap. A "PC" is anything with an internal harddrive, processor and basic input/output... Try running Halo on a Pentium III 750mHz computer with 64 megs of ram. Now try running Halo on an Xbox (which isn't too far off, I might add)...tell me which one is "better." Don't believe me? http://gear.ign.com/articles/306/306618p1.html There!

This works pretty well if everyone has a copy of the game. I have done this a lot and had great fun. Since it was made in 2002, the graphics are a bit dated, but that means you can actually run it on some older machines. Luckily it is very affordable now and you can get it to run under Linux and Mac OS X. The Linux version requires having the PC version, then downloading the Linux client here. The mac version is here, but you need to buy both expansions seperately so it's more expensive than the PC version.

Be sure everyone updates to the latest game patches. The new Community Expansion Pack v2 is coming out soon with neat stuff like ridable horses, hundreds of new items, a thousand new monsters, and a couple of thousand placable objects. You can build your own modules in the toolset, or just download some great ones from Neverwinter Vault. Then just serve it from your broadband connected machine either with the stand-alone server or the dm client.

With all that for running table-top like games, plus a good single player game and lots of multi-player persistent world modules it's like three games in one, and the best part is no monthly fees.

Rumors?

The 3D model is an interesting way to put the MRI / CAT data on a computer screen (and far better than the .bmp's of a frog's organs) but what advantage (besides eye-candy) does this offer over looking at the raw MRI or CAT results?

One thing that could make this a great learning tool is an interesting interface that would help one practice a surgery with something more than a mouse or touch screen. Nintendo and Altus have already created a toy that does this, a far more intricate and realisitic version could be of use: http://ds.ign.com/objects/695/695152.html

It's a good test of whether or not you have an addictive personality. I've actually been dusting off my collection lately, playing for fun with my son. I deliberately didn't kill him, just to show a point.

Back in the day, I used to play cutthroat for cards, but these days I get much more enjoyment from making theme decks and killing people in interesting ways. I also haven't bought a card in close to a decade. It's a waste of time.

I did end up making a Neverwinter Nights modification called Demon Cards. It has a pool of 100 cards, you can play against NPCs or other players, and there's no cost beyond the basic NWN game. It's not identical to Magic, but has some of that same deck-building fun.

I bought Neverwinter Nights Saturday, and I'm thoroughly enjoying it.

Be sure to check Neverwinter Vault for fan-made content. While most of the modules are crap, there are some true gems there - I especially liked the Shadowlords -> Dreamcatcher -> Demon -campaign series (altought it starts only getting really good at Dreamcatcher), and the Kunoichi (warning: K-18) ones.

Pity the editor doesn't work on Linux, otherwise I'd propably try to make my own...

When you go and ban booth babes, what's the point of going to E3, anyway?

That sounds like a whole lot more work than was necessary. Nintendo makes a dongle for you to use WiFi if you don't have/don't want a wireless network.

If the Virtual Console is based on a subscription rather than a pay per software model it will blow away XBOX live. I would gladly buy a Wii and $10/month subscription to play any NES/SNES/N64 game ever made. If people have to buy them though it will never take off. Nintendos true power is its huge arsenal of IP, which can be immediately leveraged by its even bigger back catalog of iconic mega hit games. Virtual Console could easily be the device that unites a nostalgic era of 80s gamers and their kids.

"Evidently the study highlighted three different pricing structures. The first was a subscription based package that would enable users to rent and play any game they wanted for $14.99 per month. Meanwhile, NES titles were listed for approximately $2.99 and N64 titles for a more expensive $19.99. These numbers are naturally neither finalized nor confirmed by Nintendo itself. " - http://wii.ign.com/articles/680/680846p1.html

...Red Steel uses canned moved...

Actually, it used to use canned moves. It's not like the game was complete yet.

"Mythic's Mark Jacobs, whose MMO company is being acquired by EA, has commented in detail on why fantasy MMOs sell better as part of an extended interview. I find this article to be rather amusing, in that they chose this moron to discuss MMORGS. The short of it for the slashdot audience is that this guy is is a tool. Not once has anyone in this thread mentioned the Mythic Entertainment flagship product. For those who are interested it "WAS" Dark Ages of Camelot. And if you've read this far along, please take a trip down memory lane, via the VNboards. I can't paraphrase what the thousands have done before me with any degree of justice, but here goes a try. 1. DAOC, the game 2. Lust for money via 2nd accounts 3. profit 4. Timesinks 5. Mackey (on the devteam@mythic) 6. Class imbalance 7. Trials of Atlantis fiasco 8. Cowardice, the lack of customer forum for feedback 9. Spazdic changes to the game, and promises un-kept 10. custering, and downtime 11. Denial and lies 12. Never in the office, on the road pimping vaporware 13. Stupid expansions that destabilize the game 14. Pumping up the gotta-have-items arms race 15. Ignoring game mechanics. "Warlocks, Banshees, Turrets, Casting thru walls" hours of fun with 15, enjoy. 16. Arrogance above all. Taking this guy's opinion at face value would be a mistake. (just so everyone knows, he bought the DAOC game from another company before it went live. Jacobs is a complete tool who just happened to pick up a product that was ready to go live.) Enjoy the link.. http://vnboards.ign.com/daoc_general_board/b5176/p 1

"When's the last time you heard anybody recognized in a game for writing the story?"

Clive Barker's Undying. Hideo Kojima is also well respected for the Metal Gear series which he created and writes.
It's rare but it's not unheard of.

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/711/711242p1.html

Haven't they already made a CGI trailer, showing a giant robot on Mars? It doesn't show very much (you can't identify which TF it is), but it's still CGI.

Here's the direct link. Basically, it appears to be Independence Day 2: Transformers. They're even releasing it on the 4th of July.

I'm looking forward to Portal and Spore:

Portal Info - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal_(Valve_Softwar e)
Portal Preview - http://pc.ign.com/articles/718/718911p1.html

Spore Info - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spore_(video_game)
Spore Preview - http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3138792&did= 1

Here you go

Pre-order lists for games show them at 60 bucks or so.

last-minute half-features (the controller tilt)

Well now that you mention it, there was an interview with the same Warhawk developers that were the ones that stated they got the controllers just a few weeks before E3 - in the interview it said the statement had been misconstrued; Sony in fact had let them know about the tilt feature much earlier but had only delivered physical controllers with the tilt sensors built in a few weeks before E3. The exact words:

Actually, Incognito has secretly been working with Sony on the tilt technology for a while, but it wasn't until the last few weeks before E3 that they received a working controller.

So the combination of a developer talking about what looks to be a pretty good PS3 game (how meany Gears of War stories has Slashdot seen?) along with a debunking of one of the more commonly held myths about the PS3, you'd think would be newsworthy. No mention of that on Slashdot though...

It was widely believed by Microsoft Japan that Dead or Alive 4 would save the system at launch, though really, how naive is that?

And don't forget Dance Dance Revolution Mario Mix, Paper Mario or Super Paper Mario. Who said that milking was dead?

EA

The only one with enough recognition to sell games would be the first war in Iraq, and that'd lose too many sales due to the tastelessness factor brought on by making a game like that while we're over there fighting again.

Conflict: Desert Storm

Conflict: Desert Storm II

The only one with enough recognition to sell games would be the first war in Iraq, and that'd lose too many sales due to the tastelessness factor brought on by making a game like that while we're over there fighting again.

Conflict: Desert Storm

Conflict: Desert Storm II

At e3 Satoru Iwata stated that retiring the Gameboy is indeed a possibility.

http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/708/708063p1.html

Why on Earth would MS be developing games for the DS if it intended to come out with a competing device?

MechAssualt DS - based on the Xbox games
Diddy Kong Racing DS (a port from the N64, via MS-owned Rare)

Nintendo owns the IP for Eternal Darkness. That doesn't prohibit Silicon Knights from working with Nintendo for a sequel. From what I have heard, the split was pretty amicable.

From what Dyack has to say in an interview here, SK learned a lot from Nintendo and here he stated that future games with Nintendo would be a possibility.

They probably have some rough storyline ideas and could even have some Wiimote gameplay ideas. Dyack bringing up Eternal Darkness again means that there could be talks... or not. It could be just speculation. I'm hopeful though, but hey, I'm a long time fan of SK from back when I played Steel Empire.

They better more thought out pillars of bone in the sequel. Fresh human bodies suck for construction work; once they start decomposing, the weight of the structure can cause a collapse. I'm just sayin' is all.

Ya know, it helps if people are familiar with whatever the heck you're talking about, when you mention some sort of sequel.

http://cube.ign.com/articles/363/363071p1.html

"Developer Silicon Knights' psychological thriller Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem [...]travels gamers through the depths of time and challenges them to complete quests using a dozen different characters[...]GameCube"

It's apparently some sort of Alone In The Dark survival horror thing, on the Gamecube.

Uh, please don't base your whole post off of your assumptions and 3 screenshots on their site.

E3 preview of bully
http://ps2.ign.com/articles/611/611166p1.html

excerpt:
"It follows the story of a troublesome schoolboy in reform school as he tries to _stand up to bullies_, gets picked on by teachers, plays pranks, and even tries to get the girl. All of this takes place in the fictional Bullworth Academy."

Emphasis mine.

Don't listen to Jack Thompson, k? He has no clue what he's talking about.

Of course, the big question concerned price. 90.29% of the surveyed feel the PS3 is too pricey, compared to just 9.71% who feel that it's priced just right. One developer commented, "It's more expensive than my rent."

Wow, I need to get a summer home in Japan.

Where is he drawing his conclusions?

Based on past performance? Based on marketing of all the companies?

The PS1 was not expected to be sucessfull. Neither was the DS gameboy over the hyped psp as another poster pointed out.

Personally I think the wii is going to surprise everyone and nintendo once again will rerule the console market. It will cost $225 while the PS3 will be anywhere from $600 to $800 and the games will be $70-80, the xbox360 will have about 8 or 9 games by this christmass and cost $350. Also Nintendo is doing innovative things and will attract a broader range of consumers.

If the slashdot poll we had last month was any indication of consumer preference, I think Sony and MS are in trouble. We are more technically minded and more game savy than the average consumer so the preference %'s for the xbox and PS3 should be much higher than the general public.

Last, for those who say the wii is weak on grahics, please check this out? Also take a look at the new Galaxy Mario? The gamecube right now has the best best graphics out of the ps2 and xbox 1. Go ask any real game developer and dont believe the hype out of sony?

Where is he drawing his conclusions?

Based on past performance? Based on marketing of all the companies?

The PS1 was not expected to be sucessfull. Neither was the DS gameboy over the hyped psp as another poster pointed out.

Personally I think the wii is going to surprise everyone and nintendo once again will rerule the console market. It will cost $225 while the PS3 will be anywhere from $600 to $800 and the games will be $70-80, the xbox360 will have about 8 or 9 games by this christmass and cost $350. Also Nintendo is doing innovative things and will attract a broader range of consumers.

If the slashdot poll we had last month was any indication of consumer preference, I think Sony and MS are in trouble. We are more technically minded and more game savy than the average consumer so the preference %'s for the xbox and PS3 should be much higher than the general public.

Last, for those who say the wii is weak on grahics, please check this out? Also take a look at the new Galaxy Mario? The gamecube right now has the best best graphics out of the ps2 and xbox 1. Go ask any real game developer and dont believe the hype out of sony?

Blue Dragon seems like a good answer to FF series. (Especially since it's made by the company founded by the same person.)

In a slightly off-topic note but which might interest many here, Sonic turned 15 today (born on June 23, 1991) according to IGN.

Currently haptics devices from Sensable http://www.sensable.com/ have extraordinarily accurate force sensations. The problem with these haptics devices are that they cost in the thousands of dollars per device.

However Novint http://www.novint.com/ made a showing at E3 and are claiming they'll be coming out with a device under $100 in a year. Here's a link to an ign review off their website.

http://gear.ign.com/articles/709/709246p1.html

I think it would be neat (and probably in their best interest) if Nintendo kept supports and software hooks in mind for haptics devices in the future.

That actually reminds me of an interview http://wii.ign.com/articles/713/713627p1.html on IGN where Nintendo's leaders basically state that the DS will prove to be a bigger competitor to the Wii than the 360 or PS3, simply because both are similarly innovative and many families can't or won't buy more than one system, portable or no. Personally though, my family has (thankfully) always recognized the distinction between portable and tv-bound systems when allowing systems into the house. I play the DS when I'm out and about, and my home console instead of watching a movie at home during evening family time. The family gets into watching me play almost as much they get into watching a movie.

Unless they're playing Wario Ware Twisted!...

It's only sad that the last commercial games for the DC were created in 2001 or so.

There are still commercial games being produced for the Dreamcast - but only a couple, and only in Japan.

IGN reopened their Dreamcast section at the end of May. Dunno exactly why they reopened it but it's nice to have some Dreamcast news to read, even if it is mostly "funny" retrospectives.

I agree though, the DC absolutely kicks the PS2's ass. The DC games catalogue is better than that of the PS2, imho.. and DC games look better. By all rights the DC should have dominated the PS2, but as everyone knows now the console was too much, too soon.

Are there plans to release it on DS, because that would be PERFECT.

$499 for a PS3 with 1080p support? Get your facts straight. Only the $599 version supports 1080p.

Bzzt. Wrong. Both versions support 1080p. The less expensive version does not support HDMI. Perhaps it is you who needs to get the facts straight. Take a look: http://www.ps3portal.com/sony/article/308.html

There aren't even launch titles for the PS3 yet!

...and the FUD continues. Please look here: http://ps3.ign.com/articles/636/636848p3.html

The PS2, OTOH, is notoriously unreliable

Hmm, that's funny... My first generation PS2 (the older big one) still runs like a charm. And yet, I know a couple people who have had Xbox360s for less than 6 months who have had to already get replacements.

You are either completely clueless, or one of the anti-Sony koolaid drinkers. Careful, or the bandwagon might leave without you.