Alright, the time is upon us. E3 is in full effect. Booth babes scattered about, video game characters ready to pose for a pic, and of course the latest and greatest video games. If you have read my previous entry about my E3 history, you could see why I have been so apprehensive about this years “revamp”. Well, I will be honest and say I am completely satisfied. Read on and you will see why.

This blog post will be broken up into 3 parts. The BIG announcements will fill up most of the first part. The 2nd will involve my impressions on the games I managed to see and play. As well as anything I may have missed in the 1st post. The 3rd will be an overall review of this years show. So sit back, get your reading glasses on, and enjoy.

The first thing I will mention has been a PS3 vs. 360 battle for quite a while now. At least a year. Kojima and Konami’s newest Metal Gear game. Kojima’s announcements are almost ALWAYS the biggest ones of the show. This year did not disappoint. If you have been following gaming sites lately, you would have been lead to a teaser site. A stormy plain with flashes of lightning every so often revealing a new number or letter. That is until you were lead to countdown after countdown. Finally, the moment came. Every attendee was on the edge of their seats, waiting for that special moment. Metal Gear Rising will be available for the Xbox 360. There was a quick moment of silence, almost coming off as confusion as if we were waiting for them to say, “Ha Ha, just kidding.” However, they were completely serious. PS3 owners were furious and 360 owners had something to gloat about. Or did they?

Later on details emerged that MGR was also coming out on the PS3 and PC. It only fanned the flames of debate. 360 owners feel their version will be better due to processing power among other things. PS3 owners say it will be better due to the blu-ray capability and how 360 owners will have to play on multiple discs. At this point, none of that was talked about. Only time will tell up until the release date. The game will be following Raiden’s entry into the MGS universe. That honestly excites me. It has always been a story I know I have been interested in. The story has yet to be fully addressed beyond that. If you would like to view the trailer for the game you can view it here.

On top of the MGR mania that went on. Kojima had another trick up his sleeve. To some, even BIGGER than MGR. Kojima’s studio will be lending a hand to Mercurystream Studios to make the next console version of Castlevania. The official title, Castlevania: Lords of Shadows will be released sometime in 2010. From what I was able to gather, the feelings are mixed about another 3D version of the franchise. I don’t think I need to go into the N64 and PS2 details. The game will be released on both the Ps3 and 360. To view the trailer, it can be viewed here.

Sony’s big announcement, for many, was the official unveiling of Team ICO’s new game for the PS3, The Last Guardian. For those of you who don’t know Team ICO. They’ve made two of the most awe inspiring and artistically spectacular games Shadow of the Colossus and of course, Ico. If you haven’t played them, go out and get yourself a copy right now. They are games that were completely underrated and should be enjoyed by all. Rather than type ou the entire break down of the game check out this article posted on IGN’s website to get an idea. Also, the debut trailer is located here.

Next up, God Of War 3. What can I say, this game looks amazing. In game graphics are some of the best I have seen so far on the PS3. From the demo I was looking at, there was VERY little to no frame rate dips. Some of the enemies are simply huge and very detailed. The environments are lush and colorful given the surroundings. Control came off very solid. There will be a demo available at some point before the games release in early 2010. There are numerous gameplay videos on IGN and Gametrailers.com. I will link you to IGN’s for now. Check it out here.

Along with the showing of God of War 3, people flocked to check out Uncharted 2. Which looks amazing and plays very well. My only issue is it seems to come across a little more run and gun that I would like to have it. Seeing as in the first Uncharted you would be wiped out if you played like that. Either way, it looks amazing, easy to control, and very engaging. This will definitely be a must buy for all PS3 owners.

When it comes to Microsoft there was only one title on every one’s lips. ALAN WAKE! Finally, after years of waiting, we have gameplay footage, information, and a release date. Remedy has given a Spring 2010 window. I know it seems like a long time to wait. However, you have to take that compared to their old answer of, “It will be ready when it is ready.” If you are unfamiliar with this title, basically, it is about a horror writer whose stories begin to become a reality all while trying to find his wife who had strangely disappeared. Yes, this is a survival horror game with a promise of something new. We will have to see. It’s just nice to have something to go on.

Microsoft also released their new motion camera. It had been only a rumor for a while. Basically, it is similar to the PS3′s PSEye. At first I wasn’t really sold on “Natal” at all. I felt like it had all been done before. It’s just another camera to hook up to the 360. I already have one of those. Well, I had a chance to experience Milo. I will say, it was great. While standing in front of the camera, I was able to speak with him. I told him my name and he responded to me, repeating my name back to me and asking how I was doing. It was also able to understand the tone of my voice. As well as clothing colors. While he did this for other people checking it out, we were all wearing different colors. It almost reminded me of the Stitch attraction at Disneyland where you could talk to him. I was looking around for a guy with a microphone somewhere. Obviously there wasn’t. It was reacting to me. He didn’t understand everything I said, but he understood enough to peak my interest. Maybe I was wrong about this new motion camera.

As for Nintendo, they really pushed their conference with the unveiling of a new Mario game and showing off the Motion Plus controller. Super Mario Brothers Wii seems to also include the Koopa kids from SMB3. Yoshi seems to also make a comeback here as well. It is a 2D game. Just like New Super Mario Brothers was. Not much else has been revealed at this point. It will however release at the end of 2009. Most likely closer to November in time for the holidays.

The big Nintendo offering for me was the re-imagining of Silent Hill. This is a completely different take on the PSOne version of Silent Hill. Instead of the combat you experienced in the original, you use the Wiimote to explore as your flashlight. There are still plenty of scares are every corner. You are still searching for clues as well as trying to solve those brain bending puzzles you had originally. If you are a SH fan, you will definitely want to pick up Silent Hill: Shattered Memories when it comes out later this year.

Alright guys, that is all for Part 1 of this blog post. I’ve seen a lot more and am looking to see what you are interested in reading about. Let me know what you are interested in and I will post about it if I have seen it. That is what the comment section is for. I hope you enjoyed it.

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One time when we were revisiting the OnLive interface it was noted by an attendee that there was a ‘friends’ options. A member of OnLiveFans.com immediately had their interest piqued at the thought of OnLive having a real community aspect to it. Just as flawlessly as using any of OnLive’s other fantastic features we were whisked away to view Steve’s list of friends. From here we were able to see recent brag clips that his friends had made, and what game they were currently playing. After a few clicks we were spectating one of Steve’s OnLive friends who was involved in a stunning gun battle right off the shore of some beach. I couldn’t help but noticed how the water splashed up as the bullets hit the water, as well as how gorgeous the water was as small waves of water slid up the sandy shores. I was quickly brought back from my daydreaming when I noticed that Steve’s unfortunate friend had been killed by “Yomamma”. There was a burst of laughter in the room directly following the demise of this poor OnLive gamer. I could see many gamers in the future enjoying these same moments, either cheering their friends on or taking joy in the comedic value they might bring to the gaming world.

Now navigating the extremely smooth interface with a controller, we moved around to see what else OnLive had to offer. Of course we just had to check out what all of the buzz was about surrounding the ‘Arena’. Two taps of a button later we were all watching as another OnLive player stealthily hid using invisibility while awaiting their unsuspecting victim. There was no delay or loading time to bring up this live streaming video where we watched through another player’s eyes, giving a few of us (including the VP of Games and Mdeia John Spinale) the chance to accusingly cough “Camper,” under our breath. There was much discussion about how far this arena feature could go, and how perhaps in the future you one might hear thousands of gamers cheering through their Bluetooth headsets while watching a virtual game of football. There was a certain energy in the room, and I believe it was the hope that we were all witnessing something that could have a significant positive change for the future of gaming.

I’ll write more on this very soon. In my next blog(s) I’ll discuss what else happened during this demonstration and delve further into what it was like spending time with the OnLive employees, as well as future plans for OnLiveFans.com. Thank you for reading, and if you haven’t already please register for OnLiveFans.com!

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