E3 2008 Videos and News

I've only seen Microsoft's and if most think theirs was the best Sony's really had to be a dud. I say that because most of the disc based games seen will be on other platforms. Yahoo thinks Sony had the best show only because MS only has 2 titles that will push sales this year, Fable 2 and of course Gears of War 2. I dont know since I've only seen Microsoft's, their multiplatform games shown does not give them any edge IMO. Just a chance to see the games. Final Fantasy was not as great of news as MS fans may think with its release day being set after the ps3 version is released meaning they will be waiting a long time to play it.
 
Did I miss something or did no one mention God of War III yet? I just saw mention of it on techeblog.com. I haven't really followed the E3 stuff except for what's being posted around the internets. Anyone have an more info on this? God of War is such a kick ass game!
 
Did I miss something or did no one mention God of War III yet? I just saw mention of it on techeblog.com. I haven't really followed the E3 stuff except for what's being posted around the internets. Anyone have an more info on this? God of War is such a kick ass game!
Just the announcement and a trailer, as far as I know. You can get the trailer from the PS Store.
or here:
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/36414.html
 
So there you have it :grumpy:

Sony Switches Up Its Hardware Bundles, Kills Back Compat Dead
LOS ANGELES -- Sony is hoping to sell a few more consoles by offering a beefier PlayStation 3 for the price of the current system, as well as a couple of new kid-friendly bundles timed for the holidays.

In September, a newly announced 80 GB model of the PlayStation 3 will become the new base model, replacing the current 40 GB model, but keeping the same price of $400.

It'll feature the oversized hard drive of the current $500 version, but not the PlayStation 2 backward compatibility -- which will be no more once the current Metal Gear Solid 4 bundles are sold out.

Two new system bundles were also announced today, first a Ratchet and Clank Size Matters PSP Entertainment Pack, priced at $200 and launching in October. It'll be packed with:

* Limited-edition silver PSP
* A copy of the Ratchet game
* National Treasure 2 movie on UMD
* A voucher to download Echochrome from the PSN Store
* 1GB Memory Stick PRO Duo

Let's not forget the PlayStation 2, which gets its own limited-edition Lego Batman: The Videogame PlayStation 2 Pack, priced at $150. It will include:

* PlayStation 2 system
* A copy of the Lego Batman game
* Justice League: The New Frontier movie on DVD

Image: Sony, additional reporting: Chris Kohler
 
Lame, I hate how the gaming industry is getting rid of backwards compatibility and making you buy games (again). I understand PS Classic games from back in the original PS days but PS2 games? Come on! Microsoft is doing the same thing with the Xbox games. Way to be loyal to your fans guys.
 
ya know everyone seems to complain about the backwards combatibility issue but the thing is everyone who is going to be buying a PS3 now most likly is either a first time gamer or anXbox fanboy whos crossing over to PS3 and therefore has no PS2 games. the only other group would be the lil kids group who parents wont buy them a PS3 because they have no clue there PS2 is out dated and yes will eventually buy a PS3 but they will still have a PS2 so they dont really need the backwards compatibility seeing as they still have the PS2. now yes i am expecting someone to bring up the point that having both consoles takes up to much room but then i ask how many people have a 360 PS3 and a wii? obviously room isnt that big of an issue if there so worried about room i tell them to throw out any DVD players they have seeing as they dont need them with the PS2 and PS3.
 
I have a 360, a PS3, and a Wii. I have a PS2 as well for the sole reason there are games that won't play to well on the PS3. I sold my Xbox to my buddy and would like to sell my PS2 to him as well, but I still enjoy playing GT4 every once in a while and the PS3 just doesn't do it justice. I started on the PS franchise with the original PS, the Nintendo franchise with the SNES, and as I've said had the Xbox.

Backwards compatibility wouldn't be an issue foe me but whenever a new console is announced the console's company will assure us that it will play all our old games. I don't want a bunch of systems laying around, I would rather buy the new one and still be able to enjoy my older games. I know 60GB PS3 does this to an extent and for that I'm a grateful.
 
I dont know, I mean backwards compatibility sounds important, and was one of the reasons why I got the 60 gig, but Im way too spoiled by HD graphics now, and have no desire to play any old games anyway.
 
I dont know, I mean backwards compatibility sounds important, and was one of the reasons why I got the 60 gig, but Im way too spoiled by HD graphics now, and have no desire to play any old games anyway.
As I have bought 4 PS2 games since getting my PS3 I find BC important.

I am glad I got a 60GB model, because those games were not ones that I expected to buy when I sold my PS2.
 
I've only seen Microsoft's and if most think theirs was the best Sony's really had to be a dud. I say that because most of the disc based games seen will be on other platforms. Yahoo thinks Sony had the best show only because MS only has 2 titles that will push sales this year, Fable 2 and of course Gears of War 2. I dont know since I've only seen Microsoft's, their multiplatform games shown does not give them any edge IMO. Just a chance to see the games. Final Fantasy was not as great of news as MS fans may think with its release day being set after the ps3 version is released meaning they will be waiting a long time to play it.

I wouldn't say most think Microsoft's was the best, and while I don't think Microsft's presentation was bad, I also don't think they did much to change the opinion that they don't have much in the way of upcoming exclusive titles, hardware, or features that separate them selves from the competition.

Like you said, the only exclusive games they featured in their in-game demos was Fable 2 and Gears of War 2, of which Fable 2 looked very promising (although the whole bird pooping on his head thing was a bit odd!), and we all know Gears of War 2 is going to sell like hot cakes! 👍

They did show clips of a couple new XBL arcade games, and mentioned the upcoming Portal: Still Alive XBL arcade game, which also sounds very promising. 👍

However, overall Sony, more than anyone else emphasized the importance of exclusive games, hardware and features - things that promote their brand more than just multi-platform games. Jack Tretton specifically brought up the importance of exclusive games, and how the PS3 has more exclusive games than any other platform with more than 75 titles in North America alone. he also went on to show how the PS3 continues to expand on it's already broad multi-media support.

Sony made more "announcements", and "reveals" than anyone else, and despite having to split up their limited presentation time to cover three different PlayStation products (PS3, PSP, and PS2), they still managed to cover more ground and even throw in a 4-min in-game demo of a battle against a 300ft leviathan in Resistance 2.

I also thought the way they were able to adapt their business presentation into LittleBigPlanet was not only clever, but effective in raising even more interest in a game that is already possibly the most talked about game among industry analysts and gamers alike.

Besides the many PS3 and PSN games, as well as the many new system features, I was particularly surprised by how much Sony and third party developers are still supporting and promoting the PS2.

Obviously opinions will vary, but based on promoting the brand by covering all three console platforms, covering the most games and the most exclusive games, as well as significant hardware and system feature updates and services. I certainly would say Sony did the best job.

In fact, rather than only show some footage on a screen during the presentation, based on the actual E3 floor coverage, and the allocated space Sony has the most exclusive demos available to actually play at E3 than anyone else.... so when you combine that with their presentation, it seems pretty clear that Sony had the biggest impact on E3 among the three companies.


BTW: E3 is still only on it's second day, and so there is still plenty of stuff going on. Already G4 has broadcasted over 15 hours of live coverage, and you'll find many links in this thread to various sources that offer transcripts of the presentations as well as video clips.

For those interested, I’ll try and put together a synopsis of everything that was covered by Sony and post it here.
 
Heavy Rain Presented at E3 Confirmed (Behind the closed doors)
"Heavy Rain demo next. Alas, it is under NDA, so no identifying details will be tweeted."

"Heavy Rain wowed the crowd. Hate to be a tease, but we can't say more other than if you liked Indigo Prophecy(Fahrenheit), you'll *love* this."


Source

Fahrenheit is one my favorite video game and Heavy Rain is gonna be awesome!
cant wait.
 
That would be greatly appreciated 👍

May take a while... the amount of games and info keeps growing!




100% agreed. In fact I don't think graphical they have shown anything that is spectacular... what is so interesting is the actual gameplay movement. I agree with Rainmaster and Joey, and that even having innovative movement isn’t enough to make a game truly compelling, and that having a story that engages you and makes you feel connected to the player on the screen is what often distinguishes one first person action game over another.

One of the things that really helped create Halo into the franchise that it is today is the connection the players have with Master Chief and many of the side characters.... without that I seriously doubt it would be as successful as it has been.


That said, we know very little about the story and the way that is translated into the final game. All we know right now is what they have shown, and considering so many people say gameplay is very important to them, and complain about how the gameplay in most first person games is practically identical... it's nice to see a game breaking the mold and incorporating a fast growing sport/movement (Parkour) into the mix. How it will all end up, who knows, but I certainly really like what I am seeing so far. 👍

OK... I may have to eat my words, as the new footage from Mirror's Edge looks reallllly good, especially the textures, surface detail, lighting, and water effects! You can download the new E3 trailer off the PSN in HD, but here are some low rez pics I took straight off the TV:

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God, I can't wait for more info on Heavy Rain to be unveiled! Indigo Prophecy was quite entertaining.

Mirror's Edge looks amazing btw. A must-buy for me already.
 
I have to say that this is a pretty classic way of summarizing the show this year:

 
I saw that cartoon a few days ago. I don't agree (or understand) what the artist is trying to portray at all.
 
I guess the conference was pretty much down the toilet, eh?

Based on the fact that more games were announced, shown, and with playable demos than any previous game conference?

Heck, I've been trying to put together a synopsis of all the games and news, and frankly I'm overwhelmed by all the stuff that came out of E3.

Heck, even G4 which broadcasted over 22 hours of live TV coverage as well as countless pages on their website dedicated to E3 coverage still barely scratched the surface. The consensus of many of the people at the show and the commentators was that it was not only the biggest game conference in terms of developers and shear number of games, but one of the best.

GameTrailers already has nearly 700 videos from E3, including videos from nearly 50 new games that were revealed at E3. They have over 150 walkthrough and video interviews with numerous different developers about their games.

Sony has already posted over 12GB (over 2 DVDs worth) of video from E3 on their PSN stores. You'll have to ask YSSMAN about how much E3 content Microsoft has made available for download off XBL.

In addition to what was shown in public, several games were also revealed in closed door sessions with various media in attendance, and the reaction to some of them has lit the Internet a blaze with anticipation.


I'm not even going to try and guess why someone thought E3 was disappointing, but based on all the conferences from last year, this by far had the most new content, the most playable demos, and the most announcements. Throw in some significant system software updates from Microsoft and Sony, and some price drops/upgraded hardware - and they pretty much hit all the marks.





I saw that cartoon a few days ago. I don't agree (or understand) what the artist is trying to portray at all.

I found it funny, although just like most caricatures, it's just a gross exaggeration of the truth for humor sake.


I'll let YSSMAN or someone else explain how the attributed comments to Microsoft's Don Mattrick and Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Amie in that caricature are different from reality, but as far as the one attributed to Sony's Jack Tretton...

Seeing as how the PSP, PS3, and even the PS2 (not combined, but separately!) have all outsold the 360 world wide over the last year, and in fact, unlike the 360, the PS3 is closely following the same sales pace as the PS2. In addition, there are already around 200 games out for the PS3. It also has the most exclusive games than both the Wii and 360, and last year, the vast majority of PS2 versions of the best selling multi-platform games outsold the 360 versions by significant margin as well.

So based on all that, I hardly think Jack Tretton is being pushed to drink and beg for everyone to wait another year for Sony to deliver....

However, the caricature was sort of funny. :)

And at least one thing was pretty spot on... Sony does have the most games and exclusives slated for release through the end of the year, including the game that G4 and many others have said was the best game from E3, LittleBigPlanet, so there is even more to look forward to for those interested. The same is true for 2009... so I guess that is something to consider.
 
Based on the fact that more games were announced, shown, and with playable demos than any previous game conference?
I mean the cartoon. I was saying whoever did it must have had those thoughts.
 
I mean the cartoon. I was saying whoever did it must have had those thoughts.

I agree... or they realized it wouldn't be funny if it was honest, or perhaps they like the added attention they get from being cynical to the extreme... call it if you will the Zero Punctuation Internet mentality... which in an interestingly ironic twist even Ben Croshaw recently made fun of web comics like that. :)


BTW: For the record... I love Zero Punctuation! Extremely entertaining, biting wit and very clever presentations. Brilliant stuff!
 
I mean the cartoon. I was saying whoever did it must have had those thoughts.

I don't think so. They just took some things from the presentations and exaggerated them. And from the conversation in the Nintendo thread, it appears that one may be more spot-on than it appears.
 
I think Penny Arcade is just touting the general asshattery that they have on any subject. They're always going to be a bit negative, but that's their style. I mean, I wasn't all that blown away by the show. Sure, there are a few things that I had been waiting for, but a lot of what had showed up were things that I had been counting on for some time.

I can't really say if there was a "gotta have it" moment demonstrated in the show. Maybe its the economics of the time, but I'm definitely picking and choosing what I can and cannot get as opposed to last year in which I just bought whatever the hell I wanted.

I think if there was anything super-positive, I think its that I've found some new titles for my PC that will put it to good use. I am a fair bit more excited about Red Alert 3 (HUGE FAN of the series) than I was before, and I think I may pick up Far Cry 2 as well (both on the PC).

As for the 360, I think its settled that I'm likely getting Star Wars: Force Unleashed and EndWar, but after that its up in the air. I personally don't have a big killer app this year, as I wasn't a huge fan of GoW, and I still have titles like COD4 and Forza2 keeping me busy.

I think the big switch is going to be that I'm feeling the need to pick up a Wii, finally. With my parents and grandparents starting to bug me about not having one, it may be time to make the investment and grab it. I imagine that Wii Fit and Wii Sports will keep me entertained, but the new Skate-It (?) and Shaun White games look interesting. We'll see... I have to have money first.

As for the PS3, I'm still on the "wait" bus. Without a proper HDTV to take full advantage of 1080p graphics, I'm not having the push for Blu-Ray. Furthermore, there aren't any exclusive titles to make me want to rush out and get it. Sure, GT5 will do it, but I won't get it until the full-game drops.

In the realm of third-party games, its pretty much all about Rock Band 2. I've made good use of the first title, I plan to do well with the second.

===

Its been a good show, but I just haven't been blown away.
 
As for the PS3, I'm still on the "wait" bus. Without a proper HDTV to take full advantage of 1080p graphics, I'm not having the push for Blu-Ray. Furthermore, there aren't any exclusive titles to make me want to rush out and get it. Sure, GT5 will do it, but I won't get it until the full-game drops.

720P will work fine.
 
I saw that cartoon a few days ago. I don't agree (or understand) what the artist is trying to portray at all.
At first I didn't get the Sony part but then I remembered the whole life-cycle speech.

Well, if you take away the big reveals and actual interesting news each company presented you get basically what that cartoon is saying.

Microsoft: Basically started trying to introduce things beyond the hardcore gaming to show their system has multi-functionality too after the HD-DVD format lost.

Flip side: They have a few big titles and the Netflix thing almost made me decide to go ahead and get one. And apparently Bungie was all set for a new announcement, but got cut. Officially for time, unofficial guesses are to not shadow the FFXIII announcement.

Nintendo: Showed up at a hardcore gaming convention where the people paying attention are mostly hardcore gamers and gaming press, but they showcased more casual stuff that focused on gimmick waggle more than intuitive use of motion sensitive controls.

Flip side: Hurm, motion sensitivity is getting an upgrade so that future hardcore games can actually be intuitive? The comic may be dead on with this one. Did I miss something us more hardcore gamers should care about? Oh wait, GTA for the DS.

Sony: Jack Tretton joked about his poor health and then went on about this year being the year of the PS3, ten year life cycle, etc. Backed his statements up by comparing it to the PS2 cycle and how it was years two and three before the truly amazing stuff started rolling out there and that after year five we were getting things like God of War and still innovative titles. He even mentioned focusing on hardware last year and focusing on games this year. And the Henry Ford quote to defend that plan.

Flip side: Video store now, huge technical displays for upcoming games, Resistance 2, Patapon 2, DC Universe Online, LBP, GranTurismo TV, and partnerships with Google that include more future plans. Plus the fact that they do have a successful enough list of games by now to start a Greatest Hits program. And it sounds like they will be deploying Home, just as a beta to everyone. And they had multiple third-party developers talking about how they are just getting to be able to truly utilize the Cell, and that the best is yet to come.


Basically the comic took the spin parts and pointed them out while ignoring the rest. As the goal was humor, it works. I didn't fully get the Sony one until I actually watched their full video. The jokes are in the details.
 
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