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E3 Wrapup Documented
mindless4210 writes "The new Nokia N-Gage, shown at E3, looks promising, but Nokia better be prepared to compete with Sony and Nintendo. Nokia is betting the N-Gage's wireless communication abilities will set it apart and allow multiplayer gaming to move away from computers and living-room consoles and into consumers' pockets." Reader harikiri writes "According to the BBC, the much-maligned Infinium Labs has showcased their Phantom console at E3. Apparently Infinium have made agreements with AMD and Nvidia to provide the processor and graphics controller. The specs seem very respectable: a 2.5GHz AMD processor, 256MB RAM and a 40GB HDD." Reader Ipingforpong writes "E3, probably the most well known video game trade show was assaulted by the U.S. Army in a promotion for America's Army. Soldiers rappelled out of a real Blackhawk helicopter with real rifles and rushed the show."
Though everyone mocks Phantom and Infinium Labs's aggressive attitude toward internet users, if Infinium Labs can persuade some notable PC developers to join in its camp, it may be nice competition to Xbox, as "better Xbox without Live". Or is it supposed to have reasonable network support? If it has network multiplay, it's almost like Xbox 1.5.
Emphasis mine. No sane army in the world would use real weapons with real live ammo in a non-combat situation. Doing so pretty much breaches every protocol, regulation and whatever else there is regarding safety. Maybe they used training rifles ( You know, often seen on Discovery... M16 variants with tiny orange thingy at the end of the barrel ) that fired blanks, perhaps. I doubt that in a non-combat situation even blanks would be allowed, loaded in rifles.
So less hype and more common sense, please.
Hate me!
It's kinda both.
Anything mainstream in the US gets glitz like you just don't want. That Army stunt is a great promo, more cool than most, but it is still just a promo.
However, the issue with game quality isn't so much that it is decreasing, as that it isn't increasing. The problem is, games are replayable. If a game this year is the same as a game from last year, plus arm-hair on the models, nobody cares. The game is As Good, but not better.
It's the same problem a lot of industries run into: all the best stuff comes out quick. The first video game was revolutionary, even if it had nothing. For a long while, everything moved in leaps and bounds. Now, most of the leaping and bounding is done, and at the same time there is tons more attention from those who are not technologically adept.
As such, they resort to glitz and psuedo-fraud.
Max Hoberman, multiplayer lead developer at Bungie Studios, told BBC News Online: "When we made Halo we never realised that the multiplayer element of the game would be so popular.
Now this is, ladies and gentlemen, what I call a silly tit. Who would have guessed? Multiplayer? Popular? And this is supposed to be a spokesman of Bungie, of all companies -- apparently he hasn't noticed how wildly successful their previous multiplayer games were, from Minotaur (with no singleplayer option!) to Marathon to Myth.
"I seem to have mastered a certain amount of control over physical reality."
When was the games industy 'underground'? exactly?
This stuff sounds like typical tradeshow biz to me.
My sig is blank, I typed this by hand.
Or hardly anyone bought them in the first place.
AAO has nailed it. it's all about the "Honor" system that they created - it's an implicit anti-idiot feature which all but eliminates the morons that show up online when you are playing.
BF1942 would be a great game, if it weren't for all the tards that show up. they need the honor system - AFAIK AAO is the first and only online game that uses it. here is why this is important.
the gaming industry is HUGE - it is bigger than the theaterical movie theater industry (ie. revenue from ALL movies in ALL theaters in the US doesn't even come close to touching the revenue from GAMES.)
in fact, if you combine all the money made by LOTR it's about the same as Madden Football (and that game didnt cost a zillion dollars to make)
anyway - so dis the US army all you want, but they are paving the way for serious anti-idiot game play.
w00t.
Yet, think about it. Play these games, have a lot of fun, then realize "Hey...if that had been real, I wouldn't have been able to respawn those 20 times I died...do I really want to do that kind of thing in real life???" and then run at warp 10 away from the recruiter. That's what I'd do, anyway.
Doesn't seem like it should be a good recruiting tool at all.
I don't think anyone had a problem with the idea of combining a cell phone with a gaming system. Convergence of electronics is certainly nothing new, and for handheld electronics, where portability is a big issue, there's an even bigger convergence push. People just didn't like it because it was a BAD gaming system (remove batteries to change games) combined with a WORSE phone (Sidetalkin', anyone?). These are problems which can be fixed with a hardware redesign.
"The question of whether a computer can think is no more interesting than that of whether a submarine can swim" -EWD
Good to see the phantom is a real company after all. but...
a 2.5GHz AMD processor, 256MB RAM and a 40GB HDD. and It comes free only if customers sign up for a two-year subscription - it costs $199 without a subscription.
That's a lot of system for $199. How long until it gets hacked and turned into a l33t gaming box. I can't imagine making a profit on the system with a price scheme like that, so watch for Phantom related DMCA lawsuits about a month after launch. If it can be done on an Xbox, which was nice at 300, it will be done twice as fast on this 200 dollar system. Also, a few of these will most likely end up at garage sales for 20 bucks once the suburban kids want the next gamer-toy, which is a nice price for just the RAM.
SAILING MISHAP
Don't want people to realize they are buying the same thing they bought with Vice City. Regular GTA3 with some new looks and tunes.
But it's not like people disliked Vice City after playing GTA3. Yes, interaction with the environment is pretty similar (running, jumping, carjacking). And sure, random acts of violence were more satisfying in the sequel.. but there was a whole new story to experience and - perhaps more importantly - a whole new city to explore.
Its also about the smaller, low profile suprises.
While the big games were crowded, E3 is also the place where you can get early word of mouth about your game in the most darwinian envronment.
I was at the show, and saw a handfull of suprises that caught my attention. As an example, Pariah (on the PC, and developed by Digital Extreemes Toronto) and Odama (Game cube RTS Pinball) were both very well spoken of by everyone who played them that I spoke to. Also, chronicles of Riddick is getting alot of good word of mouth.
While E3 may get alot of upfront coverage from the big 3, the show lasts for 3 days, and you have plenty of time to see everything. And the lower profile games are less crowded then the big ones.
While the top 4 games on a top 10 lists will likely be no brainers (Half life 2, Doom 3, Metroid Echos), E3 is where the gaming media figures out what the other 6 games on that top 10 list will be.
Its also where developers get a chance to get their eyes and their hands on the competition, and can figure out if their game is able to compete. Its better to see and implement a good idea from a competitor that you saw at E3 then it is to discover a killer feature when your competition hits retail.
While the press conferences may cover everything in advance for the public, the show is not for the public. Its for the game media, and the developers. Thats why you and the rest of the general public arent invited.
END COMMUNICATION
don't you mean rape a male prisoner? or will this version not allow you to play as a female soldier