E3 - Pre-Show Announcements Overwhelm, Entertain

Thanks to GameSpot for its massive E3 update list, GameSpy for a similar E3 index, IGN for its latest E3 news, and 1UP for its E3 dispatches, as the major gaming sites update on "hundreds of new games" revealed leading up to the E3 Expo in Los Angeles. New highlights include an "epic three-hour press conference" revealing Konami's new games, including screenshots of Metal Gear Acid for PSP, and elsewhere, screenshots and a preview of Metroid Prime Hunters for Nintendo DS, the announcement and screenshots of "unique armband"-toting EyeToy: AntiGrav for PS2, preview and screenshots of Mario 64x4 for Nintendo DS, and much, much more. What's been your favorite hardware or software revelation so far?

Comments

No

[veganopolis]

Not yet...

Nintendo DS looks most impressive

[tttonyyy]

Given the choice I'd go for the Ninty DS. That optical drive on the PSP is bound to cause battery life issues, and I quite like the dual-screen arrangement over the PSP single screen (even though it's a good size). Is it just me, or are the titles announced for the PSP not very exciting compared to the DS? At least Nintendo have got some innovation in there rather than churning out the usual sports muck.

Re:Nintendo DS looks most impressive

[shadowcabbit]

Metal Gear looks good to me, but you're right-- there doesn't seem to be a whole lot on the PSP that excites the average player. I'm sure everyone has one game that looks to be the best of the lot, and this varies-- for me, it's Metal Gear; for others, it might be Gran Turismo or something else-- but I don't think there's anyone out there who isn't at least a little intrigued by some of the possibilites of the DS.

Re:Nintendo DS looks most impressive

[dewc]

Sony seems to be pretty good with their battery life on optical drives. Look at their portable CD players and MD players. The battery life is incredible. Granted, it might be because it might not read off the CD that often.

Re:Nintendo DS looks most impressive

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah Sony is saying 2-2.5 hours when the screen is active and 10 with just music. Compared to Nintendo's claim of 10 hours for the DS...

Re:Nintendo DS looks most impressive

[*weasel]

2.5 hours of gameplay?

If that's true, Sony already lost.

Re:Nintendo DS looks most impressive

[hambonewilkins]

At least Nintendo have got some innovation in there rather than churning out the usual sports muck.

Yes, they really innovated the hell out of: Animal Crossing DS, Mario Kart DS, Metroid Prime: Hunters, an unnamed Super Mario Bros game, Super Mario 64X4, and WarioWare Inc.

This certainly looks a lot fresher than the PSP offerings!

Re:Nintendo DS looks most impressive

[Anonymous Coward]

The DS seems to be solidly designed and delivers on all fronts. Backlit, SNES-style four button pad, larger for larger kids, wireless 16-player multiplayer (sooo convenient), microphone and headphone jacks, full GBA compatability, and all while managing a respectable 10-hour battery life. As far as new software goes it's almost too good to be true the number of games they have coming out. Sure, that's all what you should expect, but when you get it and it delivers it's something else than just expecting.

I'm looking forward to Animal Crossing DS myself. Could you imaging having people (up to 16, I hope) wander into your town by just turning on their DS wireless from ~100 feet away. Imagine how many people you'll just bump into playing ACDS waiting in the airport or on a train. And the pen-based typing system is a godsend compared to the original Gamecube version. I'd venture to say it's easily superior.

If 10% of the DS games can surprise me like Animal Crossing DS I won't need any other system.

Re:Nintendo DS looks most impressive

[Rallion]

PSP offerings:

"Gran Turismo, Ridge Racer, Wipeout, Dynasty Warriors, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, Medievil, Ape Escape, Spider-Man, Metal Gear Solid, and a Capcom fighting game", "NBA Street, NFL Street, Need for Speed Underground, and a Tiger Woods PGA golf game"

Wow! Those ARE like nothing I've ever seen before! Ass.

Re:Nintendo DS looks most impressive

[Rallion]

For the PSP, they really don't seem to be designing games with the system in mind, it seems. At least, not the ones they've shown. Wipeout on a small screen? Gran Turismo with no analog stick? Blech.

Re:Nintendo DS looks most impressive

[metroid composite]

I'll agree that most of those look like rehashes. The big exception I've seen is Warioware, where the gameplay is largely through the touch screen which changes the dynamic dramatically from the first one allowing for several different gameplay options.

Then again, name means little; tell me Super Mario Bros 2 is just a Super Mario Bros 1 rehash. (Given that it wasn't even a Mario game to start with, but repackaged as one...).

There's also that little fact where guess which games make headlines in the previews? The big name stuff--cheap sequels to games that turned out really popular. You have to sift through the garbage if you want to find anything. PSP games people are excited about are Metal Gear, Gran Turismo, Viewtiful Joe, and Devil May Cry. XBox games people are excited about are Halo 2, Half Life 2, and Doom 3. GC games people are excited about include various things with Zelda, Resident Evil, Metroid, and Mario in the title.

Re:Nintendo DS looks most impressive

[NanoGator]

"This certainly looks a lot fresher than the PSP offerings! "

The second touch screen, wireless connectivity, and built in microphone didn't freshen things up compared to the "almost as good as a PS2" PSP which also has familiar games?

Re:Nintendo DS looks most impressive

[robbway]

I'm guessing the big difference in battery life is the mechanism behind spinning an optical disk. Solid state is cheaper on battery life.

I'll probably get both, but the PSP may have shock & vibe problems. Also, I now have nephews that are into these games and the biggest problem are optical disks. They DON'T put them away and they get scratched into uselessness. They're getting cartridge players like GBA or the "DS" until they show a little care.

Re:Nintendo DS looks most impressive

[Brother Grifter]

I agree, the DS is pretty damn amazing. I'm hoping they release some kind of free developers kits, maybe a Java 2 Mobile VM or something. Hell, anything would be cool.

I have to agree with one of the other posters. Sony knows what's they're doing with that Metal Gear Acid title. They should call it Metal Gear Heroine, that series of titles is damn addictive, ; worse than cigarettes.

In either case, Nintendo DS will be released this year, maybe 1 year before Sony's PSP. So everyone who wants the *new* portable player, will go for the DS first. Sony will run their "wait for next year" propaganda, Nintendo needs to beat them down with their marketing strategy.

Initially, I thought the Sony PSP would have some serious damn horsepower, like the power of something a tad less than a PS2. From what I've read on DS though it has more power then a Nintendo 64, so I think both of them are gonna be pushing some serious power.

It's gonna come down to games, but Sony has those nice Metal Gear titles that comes out for it first, plus Final Fantasy; both are severely addictive series. But the DS is going to have an edge regarding online multiplayer games. Its going to have more online games than PSP when it debuts. Its weird that Nintendo is pushing online games for portable systems instead of home systems, but we've yet to see their new home console, so I should probably not criticize Nintendo on their progression to multi-play games.

Re:Nintendo DS looks most impressive

[hambonewilkins]

I think if you had read my post, you would understand that I was replying to someone who said the DS was more innovative in its offerings than the PSP. As it turns out, they both are just rehashing old hits.

Oh, and please stop checking out my ass.

Re:Nintendo DS looks most impressive

[Anonymous Coward]

They are quoting 2.5 hours of movie play.
If you are playing Metal Gear I doubt you'll even come close to 2 hours as it takes a lot more power to render polygons then it does to decode a movie. If you turn on wireless forget about it, unless you plan on bringing a generator with you. I'll say this, Sony has put up one impresive piece of hardware but I think its going to go the way of Nomad. Too expensive, shitty battery life. If they had given it PS1 quality graphics with 4x the battery life they would have had a better chance.

Re:Nintendo DS looks most impressive

[SleazyC]

Actually, from what I've heard/read Square-Enix isn't on board with Sony's PSP yet. They are waiting to see how Sony's system pans out. (Not 100% sure on this)

What we all do know is that Square-Enix has already confirmed that they will be developing for the DS, so if anything, the DS will be getting a Final Fantasy game before the PSP does.

Re:Nintendo DS looks most impressive

[aliens]

Just a note on Battery life. If you play without sound battery life is insane.

I've been playing Zelda: LTP on my GBA:SP backlit all the time, without sound and I don't know how far over the 10hours I've gone, but I seriously cannot remember the last time I had to dig out my charger.

Re:Nintendo DS looks most impressive

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, the thing is, Square-Enix is iffy on the PSP. They're releasing one game, plus FF: Advent Children, which is a movie. Other games are in the works, but they are waiting to see how the system does before allocating alot of resources to development. On the other hand, they have already confirmed major support for the DS, including a FF: Crystal Chronicles game, some game with an egg, and a Dragon Warrior Monsters game.

Re:Nintendo DS looks most impressive

[Anonymous Coward]

Interesting. What about the two screens (one being touch-sensitive) makes the Nintendo DS as conventional as the PSP?

The PSP provides nothing that can't be had, better, on the PS2. Games? Check. Movies? Check. Music? Check. Nintendo DS games offer features that you can't pull off on current console games hardware to good effect. That, on top of all the other features it has (not to mention the much more attractive game lineup, price, and battery life), is the reason why people are now much more excited about the Nintendo DS than the PSP.

The hardware, backed by the software seen so far, has proven the Nintendo DS to be quite innovative. The PSP may be a fine product when it is released for whatever price Sony decides on, but there is no question that the Nintendo DS is the less conventional / more innovative of the two systems.

Re:Nintendo DS looks most impressive

[Anonymous Coward]

Sigh.

This new fanboy-hunting expedition you've started has, in the span of one day, gotten old. Brush the chip off your shoulder; the only thing more annoying about fanboyism is people who willingly try to combat fanboyism - as if it can be done.

In smaller words, STFU. I'd rather read the blubbering posts of how awesome the Ngage is than read more of your stick-up-your-ass bullshit.

Re:Nintendo DS looks most impressive

[buffer-overflowed]

Don't forget the laser, and the fact that the screen is a big backlit TFT.

The UMD media comes in protective sleeves(as all Optical media should DARN IT) like old Videodiscs did.

So, don't let that stop you from getting one for your nephews. I think the low battery life is the main major mark against the PSP right now.

Re:Nintendo DS looks most impressive

[Anonymous Coward]

Good point. I haven't thought of it, or read it anywhere before, but it does seem that Sony is just trying to treat the PSP like PS2-on-a-rope, which is the wrong way to do portable gaming.

Nintendo's DS games so far look like they make very good use of the second screen, and I'm looking forward to seeing what third parties can do with it (to see which games I'll be buying for the DS, because the deal is sealed - I'm getting one on launch day).

Re:Nintendo DS looks most impressive

[Anonymous Coward]

Let's just say that I find your posts "offensive to the senses."

And if there were an option for ACs to treat your posts as if they were a permanent -10, I'd have set that option yesterday. I'm not going to setup an account just to put you on a fucking foes list. I just want you to shut up when it comes to stupid things that are useless to discuss and off-topic too. Or do you find that difficult?

Big Wow For Next-Gen Portable Graphics

[Babbster]

After looking at the Metroid Prime: Hunters and Metal Gear Acid screenshots, I'm stunned. Small screen or not, we're talking about an incredible graphical improvement in portables. The lighting (or texturing?) in the Metal Gear Acid pics is incredible, and the Metroid pics are beautiful if still a bit jaggy (mainly because the DS resolution per screen is lower than that of the PSP. Obviously, graphics don't make for fun but they sure can enhance it a great deal, as well as providing more of the modern gameplay options with the switch to 3D. Playability is still a question mark with the small screen, but I'm sure jazzed about seeing true portable 3D.

One other thought. Nintendo should give Gamespot the "business" over that screenshot index for Metroid Prime: Hunters. It had me wondering if the pics were a joke until clicking and finding out the index was populated with the low-detail map screen instead of the main game. :)

Re:Big Wow For Next-Gen Portable Graphics

[erasmus_]

Nintendo should give Gamespot the "business" over that screenshot index for Metroid Prime: Hunters. It had me wondering if the pics were a joke until clicking and finding out the index was populated with the low-detail map screen instead of the main game.

I'm guessing you're not a programmer. With the number of screenshots that a site like that is generating, especially during the week of E3, it'd be absolutely impossible to generate an "ideal" thumbnail for each screenshot that they get by selecting the small area that represents each picture best. So in order to get a nice looking thumbnail index page, they surely have software that reduces images to a specific small width, and then cuts them off after a specific height. This makes the index page look good instead of uneven. Simply resizing each shot to fit that small box would distort most of them, so this is the best solution.

And anyway, if you look carefully, you can see a bit of the bottom non-map screen on each thumbnail. It's not Gamespot's fault that Nintendo chose to put the map on the top screen of the DS instead of on the bottom. BTW, 1-up's thumbnails look exactly the same.

Re:Big Wow For Next-Gen Portable Graphics

[Anonymous Coward]

"Obviously, graphics don't make for fun but they sure can enhance it a great deal"?

Obviously you haven't been paying attention to the lessons of the modern game market. Gameplay comes 2nd or 3rd to graphics. Cool, not good, is what is important now.

Lord I sound like such a curmudgeon...

Re:Big Wow For Next-Gen Portable Graphics

[wheany]

Yeah, people keep saying that. But can you honestly name one game, that has been widely considered good (and/or has been successful), and doesn't have good gameplay?

Re:Big Wow For Next-Gen Portable Graphics

[chrismcdirty]

Anything having to do with DOA? It's a subpar fighting game, whose only REAL redeeming value is destructible environments, which is now commonplace in a fighting game. And don't get me starting on DOA:XBV.

Re:Big Wow For Next-Gen Portable Graphics

[Kaali]

Well, at first i hated DOA3(was it 3 on XBox?). But it just needed some readjustment from Virtua Fighter 2 & Soul Calibur veteran. But after i got into it it was really great; especially when playing with four players. One thing that needed improvement was dodging, after too many hours of playing this all of us could dodge most of the attacks.. well i don't know how it could be improved.

Re:Big Wow For Next-Gen Portable Graphics

[Babbster]

You're right. I'm not a programmer. Of course, that doesn't mean that I'm stupid, either, in that I'm aware they're using a program to generate the thumbnails automatically. It might be convenient to simply drop a bunch of pictures in a directory and then let a program/script create the thumbnails, but if those thumbnails are useless then the purpose is defeated (and someone should probably at least glance at pages before they're published). I expect that it's simply an issue of pre-defined dimensions on the thumbnail page being thrown by the double-height images. If so, then they need to take a look at the way they generate thumbnails or create a separate generator for DS screenshots. After all, there are going to be more DS games, and screenshots, in the future.

I was joking about Nintendo getting involved, but the fact remains that it's a mistake that should probably be fixed. Thumbnail pages should theoretically save bandwidth and useless ones don't accomplish that goal.

smoke.

[Anonymous Coward]

Metal Gear Acid

How about Incredible Crisis: Crackhead Edition?

It starts with a Z...

[Andrea_from_Arg]

Can you guess? :) The realistic Zelda, of course...

PSP vs DS

[bludstone]

An interesting development.

PSP has around 100 signed development houses making games for the system. Now, so does nintendo, but this will be a unique situation.

Personally, Im rooting for nintendo, but I think the PSP will "win," for the same reason the ps1 "won" over the n64. The storage medium.

We shall see. We shall see.

Re:PSP vs DS

[fr0dicus]

I'm not convinced by that. CD was an established media in the first place, and the PS1 was not portable. I wonder if it'll take the punishment.

Although at the price that people are estimating I wonder if it would even succeed without competition. It's too similar to the Game Gear/Lynx for comfort, in terms of price and potentially poor battery life.

Re:PSP vs DS

[wickedj]

I agree in that storage medium was a big factor in the Playstation vs. N64 battle but in portables, this will be a little different.

In a portable, I would think that moving parts would cause serious battery drain. Cart vs. Optical, the cart is going to produce a longer battery life and will have faster access. Plus, they are much more durable than optical. Now, the optical will most likely have a much larger storage capacity. It'll be interesting to see what consumers choose in the long run.

In the end, it will still be about one thing. Games. Consumers will follow where their games lead them. And right now, it's a tough call. PSP has Metal Gear and Gran Turismo. DS has Mario and Metroid. With both having more to come. Mind the fact that the DS is supposedly backwards compatible where the PSP has no previous library.

Re:PSP vs DS

[aycaramba]

If there is any winning involved in having 2 great portable devices, the winner in the category "storage medium" is clearly Nintendo, because cartridges don`t drain battery power from the device and so the DS most probably will have a much longer playtime/charge than the PSP which has to do constant disc-spinnning.

Re:PSP vs DS

[nicky_d]

It wasn't just the storage system that helped the PS 'beat' the N64, though; Sony's marketing and the focus of its games played a large part - specifically titles like Wipeout, which roped in a huge casual market while Nintendo at launch were wowing the longtime gamers with Mario 64, but hardly attracting the man in the street. Sony continued this trend with titles like Gran Turismo, and generally created the casual gaming market.

That isn't to say Nintendo didn't produce some cracking games, but their market for them was always limited more by their image than by the choice of cartridge technology. Obviously the expense of cartridges didn't help (when Turok came out in the UK, it cost almost twice as much as a new PS game), but games like Resident Evil 2 (admittedly a late entry) showed that the cartridge could compete with the CD, and games from the outset like Mario 64 and Pilotwings proved that Nintendo could deliver the goods regardless of format.

Anyway, the handhelds? Well, being the owner of a NES and SNES, and therefore familiar with the original Mario Kart, Metroid and Mario games. the Game Boy Advance hasn't done much to wow me beyond Advance Wars and Wario Ware. I'm sure it's a fantastic system for someone who's playing Mario Kart or Super Mario World on it for the first time, but I'm clearly a jaded old fart. The link-up options and touch screen sound like they could be promising, if used well. At the same time, the inclusion of an analogue controller on the PSP is important and sadly missing from the DS - though it would probably boost the price and maybe raise the vulnerability of the unit.

The PSP software lineup also feels very familiar, of course, but there is the saving grace that many of these titles are seeing their first handheld iteration, and might gain some novelty points that way. A portable Metal Gear sounds and looks wonderful, if a little antisocial...

At the end of the day, I'll probably get 'em both just out of curiosity and hope. And I'm sure both will have a few great games and a lot of dross. So why on earth I've been wittering on like this, I've no idea. Go Nintendo! Go Sony! Give us hell!

Re:PSP vs DS

[metroid composite]

The PSP software lineup also feels very familiar, of course, but there is the saving grace that many of these titles are seeing their first handheld iteration, and might gain some novelty points that way. A portable Metal Gear sounds and looks wonderful, if a little antisocial...

Oh but we have seen a portable Metal Gear already (on the Gameboy Colour I believe). Sure, not a fully 3D one, but we haven't seen a portable 3D Mario or portable 3D Metroid either.

Re:PSP vs DS

[NanoGator]

"Personally, Im rooting for nintendo, but I think the PSP will "win," for the same reason the ps1 "won" over the n64. The storage medium."

The Nintendo DS will, on day one, have a library of over a thousand games. The PSP will only have a handful of launch titles. The reason why the N64 didn't win (didn't lose either, I dunno why 30 million systems sold is considered a defeat) is because it didn't flood the shelves with games. The catridge format made that so much harder to do compared to Sony's CD format where a kid on an allowance could publish a game. This condition won't exist in this battle, the DS plays GBA games. (Additionally, new GBA games are being made.. W00t!)

Frankly, I think the DS is virtually a guaranteed success. It's the PSP that is in the corner. The launch titles will be few, the system's going to be in the $200 range, and early reports suggest that it has only 2.5 gaming hours to it. If the graphics are better, it'll be difficult to tell on those small screens.

Man I had no idea the DS was going to blow me away this much. I think it was the wireless connectivity that did me in. Sorry, Sony.

Re:PSP vs DS

[nicky_d]

Yeah, good point - obviously the PSP MGS will be on a different level to the GBA one, but as you say, a portable 3D Metroid will also be new. Shame about the control options on the DS, but I do trust Nintendo to work out the best control method for the hardware.

Really, I hope Nintendo produce some great stuff for the DS - and that Sony do the same for the PSP. It all works out well for me that way. But I'd still rather see progress that updates (from both camps). Now in terms of handheld gaming, the DS has the touch screen, the PSP has the analogue controller, and they both have wireless. These seem to me to be the most promising developments, and here's hoping they lead to something good.

Nintendo has given us great stuff like Animal Crossing and Boktai recently. Sony has produced the Eye Toy and the PS2 has a good record of original titles (among the piles of slush). Both are capable of providing great gaming. Whether they will, or whether they'll take the path of least resistance / most dollar, we can only wait and see.

Re:PSP vs DS

[JFMulder]

You can get a discman with 20 hour battery life now, so it's not as if spinning a disc is such a power hungry task these days. Maybe the PSP will cut that by half, which would be alright since the GBA SP has a 10 hour life with light enabled. (Sure, 18 without, but who plays with the light turned off on that thing, except when you're sitting right next by the sun so you have enough light reaching the screen?)

Re:PSP vs DS

[Anonymous Coward]

Interesting you pointed out the storage medium. I can understand this for the console, but for a portable where battery life is key, I don't agree.

It's rumored that the PSP will avg 2-2.5 hours battery life. If that's true, it's pathetic in terms of a gaming system, even with rechargable batteries.

Nintendo has stated 10hours of battery life with their handheld, which is roughly what the current models run for.

Console market might've been a big deal with medium but the portable market is all about battery life and price. And those points Nintendo's king.

Re:PSP vs DS

[Anonymous Coward]

They are already quoting 10 playing music and 2.5 for playing movies. I seriously doubt that most games are going to last longer then 2.5 hours (since it take more processing power to render graphics then it does to decode a movie). If you turn on wireless I expect battery life to tank. 802.11 was not designed for low power apps and its a serious battery hog.

Re:PSP vs DS

[Anonymous Coward]

This picture shows that the PSP does NOT, in fact, have analog control. So there's that advantage gone. Also, I find it weird that some news sites are making a big deal about the PSP being Wi-Fi but mostly saying the DS is "wireless capable", despite the DS being Wi-Fi too...

http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2004/news/0 5/ 11/psp/psp_screen009.jpg

And the cartridges are said to be up to 1GB and slightly smaller than GCN memory cards (keep in mind the GCN has 1.5 GB disks), and considering the DS doesn't need as much space to hold the games as the PSP does (less movies, less data), I'd say there's no advantage that Sony has in regards to trying to fit their games on the medium, except maybe that PSP games have the option of being multi-disk for even more movies.

Basically, the only options Sony offers that Nintendo doesn't is better graphics and mp3 playing. Nintendo's whole E3 show is designed to prove that developers don't need PS2 quality graphics to make games different than anything that's been done before. And noone is going to carry something as big as a PSP (see the pic again) to play MP3s.

Re:PSP vs DS

[Anonymous Coward]

The other AC above me makes some good points.

I want to stress that portable CD players have very simple playback logic compared to the program logic in games machines, have much simpler display screens (and therefore graphics logic), have simpler interfaces, and do a lot less seeking than optical-disc-based game systems do. That's because a portable CD player is basically a drive plugged into a DAC, plugged into an amp, connected to a headphone jack. Buttons, and interface are simple and connected drictly to the drive. But in the PSP, all those extra game-, graphics-, and movie-specific chips need even more power, as does (especially) the super-pronounced color LCD that seems to be the main attraction to the thing.

Taking all those component design decisions into consideration, I'd bet that Sony is including more advanced power logic in the PSP than they do in their Discman players, but are stil hitting power limits because of the functionality they're trying to cram into the thing. Given a 2.5 Hour movie playback time, I'm guessing this is NOT the system that die-hard RPG players (for one example) are going to want. 20 hours is not going to be in the PSP's vocabulary; it's barely doable on GBA (but yes, it's doable).

Re:PSP vs DS

[KDR_11k]

Slight correction there, it's "over 1 Gigabit" (128MB) in the official specs, not Gigabyte.

Re:PSP vs DS

[nicky_d]

Well, that picture won't display for me, but check out any of the spec reports since E3 or indeed Sony's news site: the PSP does have an analog pad, which was once though to be a speaker. And that pad is going to make a difference to the quality and scope of games. Now, the DS' touchpad will also offer a lot of control potential, just to keep things balanced. And you're right that the DS is going to be more portable - I can see the PSP being more of a "take it to your friend's" kind of portable, an easy alternative to lugging your PS2 around and organising extra TVs/displays. The DS looks like more of a pocket portable. But that's fine, both have their place, and I hope they're both great.

I know it's not exactly a new revelation ...

[MarkPNeyer]

But all this coverage of halo 2 has me going nuts. This game looks so amazingly awesome. The addition of weilding two different weapons at the same time is going to add so many different strategies it hurts just to think about. It was so awsome to see the warthog blow up and the tire come rolling down the hit - you could even shoot off the individual hubcaps , and I just can't wait to carjack people GTA style in good game of capture the flag. I lookforward to Doom 3 and Half Life 2 and all, but for my money, Halo 2 is the "Long-Awaited-Sequel-To-A-Great-Game" of the year.

No Contest...

[jromz03]

N-Gage rules E3!!! Go Nokia, show them how portable gaming really is!

My Favorite?

[Undefined Parameter]

That one's easy--Halo 2. I wasn't able to be physically present at E3, but I'd still gone into it with little enthusiasm and nominal expectations. I expected some more progress from Halflife 2, maybe another movie from the Doom 3 folks, and, if lucky, something from Blizzard, as well. I knew that Bungie was going to be at E3, but all I expected from them was, at the most, another teaser or demo video. They pretty much "submarined" their way into the conference, with just about nothing coming out of them as to whether or not they were even going to be there until last Thursday.

So they showed up, and I wasn't there for it, off studying for a more-important Final Exam. I get back, check a website or two, and WHAM! Halo news sites have gone bonkers. So I get curious and start checking things out... couple of interviews, ok, nothing too awful special, damn spiffy new screenshots, and... sweet jeebus, they had a playable demo and there's already a shakey-cam version of the presentation they gave before they allowed folks to have at it. I watch the presentation, of course, expecting something along the lines of Halo's multiplayer action in look and feel.

Nope, I'm most pleasantly surprised. Even through the really crappy compression and resolution, I'm blown away. Customizable this, that, and another thing, new weapons that look, sound, and work better than anything I've seen in a video game, before, and... destructable environments AND intelligently-designed destructable vehicles!? Woah, momma!

So, yeah... definately going with Halo 2, there, and I'm rather unsure why it hasn't been covered here.

~UP

Re:My Favorite?

[johnnliu]

Not wanting to raise a flame war or anything.

I'm more looking forward to Halo 2 as well. Reading the interviews and multiplayer mode just left me with a sadness that I don't live in USA and can't attend E3 myself.

In fact, it might be the first game where I'll actually, gasp, pre-order.

On the PC front, I'm never much of a half-life fan, perhaps because my PC was really slow at the time and the game didn't play very well, by the time I had a good PC the game was already over a year old and the chunky models were just too unrealistic. (Quake 3 / UT both looked a lot better)

None the less, I looked forward to Doom 3 and HL2 with much anticipation (tho less than halo). HL2's reviews so far hasn't been all good. It left me wondering whether the game could really deliver. Perhaps if it had come out a year ago like some poeple promised, it would have blown us all away, even if they can release it this year, it may already be too late.

I'm sure the mod community will quickly adapt to it anyway, so it's not like it's going to fail or anything. But, it just doesn't give me the wow feeling anymore.

A mixture

[metroid composite]

In terms of "ooh pretty" it'd be the Zelda pictures. I was also impressed by the overal quality of handheld graphivs.

In terms of gameplay quite clearly Warioware DS. After the innovation with the original, I wasn't sure what more they could add (the GC Warioware didn't seem worth it) but the kind of stuff I'm reading about Warioware with a touch screen...yeah, that's going to be totally new gameplay.

Re:A mixture

[chrismcdirty]

The GCN WarioWare is almost complete different, granted you're playing it in multiplayer mode. Sure, you play the same games (maybe 10 more than on the GBA version), but there are completely different strategies depending on the multiplayer game.

Playing the balloon burst, you might not want to win the first time, to give your opponent a chance to blow up the balloon, or you might not want to pump the balloon so your opponent can't blow it on you.

Playing the doctor game, gameplay doesn't even matter. Whoever gets the most claps from his/her opponents wins, despite how many games were won or lost.

Nintendo DS

[clu76]

The DS looks like it's gonna be "Da Sheeit!" I was skeptical at first. But now the details are out, I can't wait to get my hands on one of these. Favorite features are the stylus and the wireless.

Also looking forward to Zelda, Doom III, Super Mario DS and Tron Killer App.

PSP already doomed...

[Anonymous Coward]

Sony has already admitted that battery life will be short on the PSP.. And that would be in the best case, given that is Sony we are talking about, and Sony always tries to "embelish" their future specs.

The Nintendo DS will ahve battery life "similar" to the GBA SP. I think it will be a little lower, around 8 hours with backlight on.

I don't want a "portable" that I have to recharge every 2 hours!

(Ninty?)

PSP + Nippon Ichi

[Tezkah]

A strategy game from Nippon Ichi on the go? A SRPG from the creators of Disgaea, portable!. I'll definitely be picking up Makai Wars, even if I know nothing about it. Here's hoping it comes out here.

Some MP: Hunters screenshots...

[DroopyStonx]

Whoop-dee-doo... we get to see the OVERHEAD MAP SYSTEM. Why do these sites bother posting screenshots if they don't even show the game itself?

Do they expect someone to say, "Holy shit, those are the best damn map screens I've ever seen! This game will kick ASS!!"?

*roll eyes*

Re:Some MP: Hunters screenshots...

[Anonymous Coward]

the screenshot thumbnails are a bit off. click on the actual picture and you'll see the whole thing. the map screen is the top, but the game itself is the bottom.

don't worry, though, it looks crappy as hell. you aren't missing much.

Re:Some MP: Hunters screenshots...

[Anonymous Coward]

Click on the pictures, dork. The game screenshots are UNDER the maps that you saw.

A bit focused on the big corporate sites?

[Daetrin]

I know IGN and GameSpot and GameSpy have lots of coverage, but unless they're paying you off, why not mention a few of the more smaller (and in my opinion more interesting) sites?

My (current) personal favorite is Games Are Fun. I consider them to be the spirtual successors to the GIA. The _actual_ successor to the GIA, GameForms, has a decent amount of E3 stuff, but normally they're glacially slow on updates.

The Magic Box is also pretty good. They're sometimes a little slow to update, but they've got a fair bit of E3 stuff up now.

What other smaller and mostly independent game websites do people like to visit, both for E3 news and normal day to day happenings?

Innovation?

[quecojones]

I keep reading comments about how there are no new franchises on the systems, but at least the PSP has a few (Death Jr., Joe, etc...). What's new with the DS?

Re:Innovation?

[Rallion]

THis is an asinine question. The concepts of franchises and innovation are unrelated. Mario 64 is a part of the Mario franchise, but it was innovative. In this case, every early DS title will be somewhat innovative. It will use features of the console that have simply never existed before. Gameplay and setting/characters are not related. The PSP seems to just be getting nearly straight ports.

Re:Innovation?

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, two screens instead of one. Anything else? Besides, it's not like they haven't been doing similar things with the GC/GBA hook up. The only innovation is to have both screens on one unit. BFD...

I may have used the wrong term here, but everybody just keeps saying that the PSP only has ports/sequels... at least a few are new (maybe not truly original ideas, but at least new franchises). I as again, what's new with the DS (specifically with games/characters/franchises since you seem to be getting way too worked up/anal about it)?

Dude, just relax. It's not like either of our opinions will make or break either system/company. This is Slashdot you know. ;)

Re:Innovation?

[quecojones]

Sorry, didn't mean to post as AC, the parent was my reply to yours.

Re:Innovation?

[Anonymous Coward]

touch screen, anyone?

Re:Innovation?

[Anonymous Coward]

From what I've heard Viewtiful Joe will be on the DS as well.

How about a new TYPE of game?

[hal2814]

That's what's really missing from E3. I'd like to see some of this innovation everyone is throwing at their hardware rechanneled into software development. What's the use of having a rockin new Nintendo or Sony portable if all I have to play on it are rehashes of rehashes of games? Not that I don't like sequels, but I'd like something fresh from time to time.

Re:How about a new TYPE of game?

[Anonymous Coward]

Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat, it is n-philes favorite nintendo game...you control donkey kong with the DK Bongo controller....right drum to move right, left drum to move left, both to jump, you clap to attack...you can also wall jump back and forth, swing on vines, all in purdy 2d environments...i'd call this inovation in software development...

Re:How about a new TYPE of game?

[hal2814]

So you're telling me that a Donkey Kong sequel with a new type of controller is software innovation? That's not software innovation. It's hardware innovation. It's Donkey Kong Country 12 with a special bongo conroller. The only innovation in your example is the bongo controller HARDWARE. It does look interesting, but it's not a new TYPE of game. It's a 2D side scrolling action game.

Re:How about a new TYPE of game?

[Anonymous Coward]

Please name the last innovative game (software innovation) you played. I'm curious about your frame of reference.

Re:How about a new TYPE of game?

[hal2814]

The last innovative game I played from a software point of view was Goldeneye. FPS games were nothing new when Goldeneye came out, but Goldeneye provided a playable 4-person FPS that could be played from a single TV and Nintendo. Goldeneye is a work of software genius and truly an innovation among its peers.

Another good example of software innovation would be Street Fighter 2. There were 1-on-1 fighting games before SF2 but SF2 did something truly remarkable. They made a fighting engine that was truly usable and not too terribly frustrating. SF2 used the same joysticks and buttons that every other arcade game of the time used and breathed about 5 or 6 extra years into the life of most arcades.

The thing that SF2 and Goldeneye have in common is that they didn't need some congo drum gimmick just to get people to play the game. The software stood on its own.

What about the Phantom?

[Anonymous Coward]

Realy, I wanna know if Infinium Labs is showing some realistic results at this point. As crazy as they sound, it would still be neat to see a new console out on the market.

Re:What about the Phantom?

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually, the Phantom was shown. Basically it's a PC game distribution console... or something...

You get the console for free, and then bay $30/month to access the network, letting you purchase or rent PC games. All the installing and patching is done for you, so you just click and play. No storage medium outside the 40GB hard drive, and the guy in charge of making it un-moddable is the guy who first cracked the X-Box. So piracy is almost out of the question. The market niche is basically people who want to try out new PC games and buy them without having to go to the store or borrow from a friend. However, it looks like there arent many developers signed on yet.

List of DS games @ E3 - Not all rehashes!

[Anonymous Coward]

Here is a full list of all games announced for the DS:

Activision -- Spiderman 2
Atari -- Project TBA
Bandai -- One Piece, Yu Gi Oh - Nightmare Troubador, Mobile Suit Gundam
Banpresto -- Dragon Ball Z
Capcom -- Megaman Battle Network, Viewtiful Joe DS, Gyakuten Saiban
Electronic Arts -- Need for Speed
From Software -- Project TBA
Hudson -- Bomberman, other projects TBA
Koei -- Dynasty Warriors
Konami -- Frogger 2005, Yu-Gi-Oh: Nightmare Troubadour
Majesco -- Project TBA
Namco -- Mr. Driller, TBA RPG
Sega -- Project Rub
Square Enix -- Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, Egg Monster Hero, Dragon Quest Monsters
Tecmo -- Monster Rancher
THQ -- Spongebob Squarepants
Ubisoft -- Rayman
Vivendi -- Project TBA

And Nintendo showed off these:

Animal Crossing DS
Mario Kart DS
Metroid Prime: Hunters
NEW Super Mario Bros.
PictoChat
WarioWare Inc. DS
Nintendogs

And these are the tech demos that companies have made for E3, that may or may not end up being games:

Sega - Sonic DS
Nintendo - Balloon Trip, Carving, Mario's Face, DS Pikachu, Special Effects Demo, Submarine, Table Hockey, Super Mario 64x4
Namco - Pac Pix, Pac n' Roll

Re:I used to LOVE to play

[rabbot]

are you people new to the console gaming scene?

Every time a new system comes out the first games are usually "rehashes" of games from the previous systems. The test is how original the games are that come out afterwards. Of course you're going to hear about Mario, Metroid, Animal Crossing, etc. for an initial lineup, just link Sony has theirs.

The nice thing about Nintendo is they will have the technology (wireless, 2 screens, etc.) to allow them to be way more innovative in the long run than Sony. Which is usually the case anyways.

Sega, what's the big announcement?

[the_riaa]

A couple weeks ago, Sega announced that they had a big announcement to make at E3 that would rock us all. Dreamcast 2? Dreamcast portable?

So what is it? Here's all I could rake up about Sega so far:

• Sega to Co-Publish Matrix Online
• Sega pledges support for DS and PSP

So I guess it's the Matrix Online announcement. Is anybody else underwhelmed? I'm a self professed Sega fanboy, but with the incredible PSP and DS announcements, and even the FPS barrage of Halo 2 / Half-Life 2 / Doom 3, it's hard to get too excited about Sega's announcement. A lot of us are still washing the bad taste of Enter The Matrix out of our mouths, and it'll take a great game to redeem the Matrix license. Sega can do it, hopefully.

Armband?

[Lord_Dweomer]

From the text of the page with the armband pics:
"We do fear that they'll make people look silly, and thus put some off from playing it, though."

That sure doesn't seem to stop people from playing DDR.......in public.....

MODS, WAKE UP

[Anonymous Coward]

how's this a troll?

i thought the same thing. the site needs to fix their screenshots.