Alan Wake (the game with the really great tornado from last year's E3) has been reconfirmed as an exclusive title for Microsoft platforms. Via Wired's Game|Life blog, the news comes from the awesomely named Helsingin Sanomat website. Remedy (makers of the Max Payne titles) had this game slated as a 360/PC exclusive back in their E3 2006 trailers, but news of Microsoft's new 'mentoring' role for the company appears to have renewed interest in the game. It's unclear why Microsoft isn't following their general pattern of purchasing the company outright, but the 30-employee strong company is staying independent. Microsoft's resources still back the company, though: "Microsoft has huge machinery for games production. If a team of 80 voice actors are needed from the States, they can provide it. Their test laboratory is also fantastic."

Though it would be hard to judge by past reviews, I really do like simple games. The straightforward nature of Burnout Revenge is, in my mind, one of the best ways you can present a game. It's with a decided note of frustration, then, that I have to report my distaste for Capcom's latest offering - Lost Planet: Extreme Condition. Demos for this title have been downloaded endlessly since last year's E3, and in the format of a one-level demo there's a lot to like. How can you go wrong with the formula of a devastated Earth, giant bugs, and mechs? By fronting the game with an unlikable protagonist and following up with AI that alternates between mindless and cheap, Capcom fails to deliver on the promise of any of those concepts. Read on for my impressions of another simple game that I really wanted to like ... and don't.

Ars Technica's Opposable Thumbs blog links to a piece chock full of gaming history. The StarCraft Legacy site offers up a historical record of the evolution of StarCraft . Written back in 2004, it is still relevant today. A game title that, lo these many years later, not only has an avid cult following but may be the most popular sport in South Korea is something you want to keep in mind. We may even hear word of a sequel this year. The piece runs down the numerous changes the game underwent, from the ugly alpha days through to the upheaval of Brood War (damned Lurkers). Tidbits like this make the article well worth checking out: "The game made a weak first impression at [E3], and it received much criticism. There were many remarks that the game looked too much like 'Orcs in space.' When Blizzard came back from E3 that year, they decided to scrap the idea. Their decision? 'Let's step it up a little more, let's revamp the engine, let's do more than what we're showing. We can't do Orcs in space.' Thus, StarCraft was reborn. The basics of the Warcraft II engine were still used, but more work was being put into the design and programming."

The official GenCon website is hosting the official press release with the news: the West coast GenCon is no more. Citing 'competing shows' in the Southern California area, the RPG convention is closing up shop so that staff can focus on the Midwestern/East Coast Flagship event GenCon Indy. In an open letter from Peter Adkinson, he states how much he regrets this decision, and describes the four years of the event as well as the decision-making that led to this state of affairs. In his long discussion of the event, he downplays the attempt to merge with the IDG event and the inclusion of videogames into the GenCon formula. Though it's not listed as a root cause, the death of E3 would seem to be having a ripple effect here as well. He makes sure to point out that GenCon Indy isn't going anywhere, and that this year's 40th anniversary should be an interesting one.

The Penny Arcade Expo has moved to a new venue and plans to double in size over the 2006 show. The Washington State Convention center is the new home of PAX for the forseeable future, boasting 200,000 square feet of usable space. Organizers of the convention, started by the duo behind the Penny Arcade comic in 2005, are conservatively expecting 30,000 people to attend the three-day long event. Information about this year's show: "In addition to a show floor filled with contests, tournaments, and unreleased games, PAX 2007 will play host to the annual Omegathon three-day gaming competition, as well as a number of musical acts. Penny Arcade writer Jerry Holkins told GameSpot today that Jonathan Coulton ('Code Monkey,' 'Re: Your Brains') and Freezepop (whose music can be heard in games like Amplitude and Guitar Hero) will be performing at PAX 07."

1up reports that XBLA's 50MB size limit is no more. Microsoft has upped that to a whopping 250 MB, just a week after it was revealed that the upcoming Symphony of the Night would be almost double that in size. While this is great for the possibilities of the service, games, and gamers, it does mean that 'Core Pack' owners are now even more 'out in the cold' when it comes to downloadable content. Unless a HDD is purchased for the system, Core Packers are reduced to using the 64MB memory cards, which are clearly not large enough for even one 'expanded' game title. From the article: "However, how many folks are out there downloading Live Arcade games without an HDD? It probably works out to a small percentage. We asked Microsoft about those users and the memory card issues that the console will face with this new expanded size for Live Arcade titles. Microsoft said 'There is already one possible solution in the works for this category of gamer should we decide to increase the Xbox Live Arcade game file size from its current 50 MB limit. As announced at E3 last May, a larger Memory Unit is being developed which will allow gamers who do not own a hard drive to store and easily transport several Xbox Live Arcade games at a time. We have no further details to announce at this time.'"

jasoncart writes "Traditionally, gaming's calendar year of expos, conventions, and trade shows doesn't generally kick off in earnest until March's fanfare arrival of the Game Developer's Conference (GDC) in San Francisco, which thus opens the floodgates for a host of industry platform events. However, before July's new-fangled E3 Media and Business Summit (the now scaled back, renamed, and invitation-only E3 of legend) shifts into view alongside August's Penny Arcade Expo (PAX), September's Tokyo Game Show (TGS), and the newly announced and ESA-endorsed Entertainment for All Expo in October (previously known as the Gamepro Expo), it falls to January's annual Consumer Electronics Show to whet our collective appetites-at least where related hardware is concerned."

This Sunday's political column on Joystiq gets into the economics of games, and why Canada's encouragement of game developing may have a very positive impact on the industry of the future. In the same vein as France's declaration of games as art, the 'Great Canadian Videogame Competition' may just mean more great games for gamers, more jobs for game makers, and the chance for a new EA or Ubisoft to emerge. From the article: "While the nanny staters trip over one another in their rush to legislate games, they are missing an opportunity to embrace an industry that grows bigger every year, one that could brings jobs and educational opportunities to their constituents. ESA boss Doug Lowenstein talked about the economic benefits of the video game industry at this year's E3, pointing out that U.S. sales of games for all platforms surpassed the $10 billion mark in 2004. But more importantly, the game industry stimulates another $7.7 billion in related spending, bringing its net effect to $18 billion."

Next Generation has word of the GamePro Expo's official announcement by IDG. The show will essentially be a companion to the summer E3 show, though the ESA will only be involved in advertising for the event. Consumers will enjoy games at the GamePro event, while a very select media group will attend the E3 event. From the article: "Similarities between the two events have been primarily drawn from the fact that IDG's expo will take place at the 'old' E3's former stomping grounds at the L.A.C.C., and it's expected to host tens of thousands of attendees. According to initial reports, the event was to be called the 'GamePro Expo,' although IDG has now launched a contest in which anyone 13 and over can submit an idea for the expo's name." Thank goodness.

GameSpot is reporting on the announcement from IDG that they'll be putting on a new L.A.-area games expo, with the ESA's blessing. With that nod of the head, the "GamePro Expo" becomes the 'official successor' to the glitz and glamor of E3. From the article: "According to Michael Krouse, vice president of convention sales for the LA Convention and Visitors Bureau, IDG is estimating that the event will draw 30,000 attendees, and that long term, those numbers could grow. 'I am absolutely convinced this show will be as big as [the old] E3,' Krouse told GameSpot. The new show will be endorsed by the ESA — 'a very important element to the partnership,' says the memo, which goes on to say the event will take place at E3's former digs, the Los Angeles Convention Center, on October 18, 19, and 20, 2007." Given that GDC, Gen Con, and the rest have already planned for larger spaces IDG is going to have a fight on its hands next year. Should be interesting.

Roger Helgeson at eToyChest has up a multi-part look at this past weekend's DigitalLife Summit. A consumer games event thrown by Ziff Davis, his write-ups include general impressions from the hall, and commentary on the public's perspective of the gaming world. From the article: "My assumption was verified when I arrived Saturday afternoon. The same booths existed with the same games and gadgetry, but the show floor was now jam packed with people. Now, there were lines almost everywhere. The PlayStation 3 and HD-DVD areas reminded me of Nintendo's deathtrap Wii booth back at E3, with people lined up in square perimeters. There were also more shows and public speeches and, it seemed, more contests. Additionally, the tournament I had previously attempted to qualify for was now filled to the brim with potential contestants. This time around, family-oriented gadgets were being promoted in full force, especially mobile phone and camera/camcorder technology. There was no spot on the main concourse in which someone would be out of earshot of one of the various camcorder booths. Additionally, there was much more swag on Saturday than on Thursday, though 'much more' didn't really amount to that much: a few extra pens, Verizon was handing out a few game packs on CD, and so forth."

One of Microsoft's happy announcements at this year's E3 was exclusive content for Grand Theft Auto IV on the Xbox 360. Eurogamer is now reporting that the PS3 will get its own exclusive content for Rockstar's next chapter in the GTA series. From the article: "How many additional areas or episodes Rockstar is planning is anyone's guess at this juncture, but it seems the game is at least being structured to accommodate a number of expansive new content releases in the weeks and months after release, while also satisfying platform holder - and console owner - demand for exclusive material. Though with 'exclusive' being a somewhat elastic term these days, especially where Grand Theft Auto is concerned, we wouldn't be remotely surprised if you end up playing 'exclusive' 360 episodes on your PS3, and vice versa. One thing's for sure - there's nothing more certain to piss off the fanboys than a level playing field. "

fiorenza writes "The ESA has announced the date and venue for the new E3 show, which is to be renamed the E3 Media and Business Summit. The show has move moved from May to July, and next year will take place on July 11-13 in Santa Monica, California. Doug Lowenstein, the president of the ESA, said that past attendees wanted a smaller more formal show that would be oriented to the media instead of the consumer, so it will now be invitation-only and many of the 'events' will actually take place in hotel suites. It looks like other gaming shows will need to step in if the glitz and glitter of E3 is to be saved."

Next Generation reports that recent rumours about the exclusivity of Resident Evil 5 are incorrect. So says Capcom, anyway, trying clear up its relationship with Microsoft. The two companies have become increasingly 'friendly', with titles like Dead Rising and Lost Planet given the 360 some popular exclusive titles already. From the article: "'Just to be clear, this is a multiplatform simultaneous launch on PS3 and Xbox 360.' ... The status of Resident Evil 5 has been clouded in mystery over the past several months. The game was featured at Microsoft's X05 event and at E3 2005, but it didn't make an appearance at this year's E3 in May, or at Tokyo Game Show 2006 this month."

Yahoo! is reporting that, in the race to claim E3's crown, the Game Developer's Conference has announced there will be more than twice the space on the show floor next year. From the article: "When GDC was last in San Francisco in 2005, the show occupied the three floors of Moscone West. For GDC 07, the organizers reserved both Moscone West and Moscone North. With the Moscone West show floor virtually sold out, the organizers have now additionally secured the keynote hall in Moscone South in order to convert Moscone North into a second dedicated show floor. This will allow the GDC to accommodate the voluminous requests coming in for exhibition space and to include fresh exhibitor opportunities, such as the all-new Game Demo Theater." With PAX, GDC, GenCon, Leipzig, and others all lining up to be 'the next E3', is it too early to place bets? Will one event reign supreme, or is the E3 cake going to be shared by all these groups from now on?

The site PlayNintendo has up a list of possible launch titles for the Wii Virtual Console. Nothing on the list is particularly surprising, with classics like Sonic, various Mario titles, Metroid, and Castlevania filling out the roster. The article author goes on to discuss his source for the information, sharing additional tidbits he's learned. "I have received info from them before that has turned out true, including a tip back before E3 that Wii could ship as early as September with 20 titles. With the fact that Broadway has been in Nintendo's hands for some time, the console could, in fact, ship late September. However, they also stated that October is much more likely and if Nintendo did decide to wait, there would be more like 30 titles for launch. With the launch list continuously growing, that one has all but been confirmed as true too." With Nintendo's big announcement due later this week, we shouldn't have long to wait before this is confirmed or disproven.

IGN has the news that the Wii version of Twilight Princess has been retooled to allow you to swing Link's sword. The bow and arrow has been moved to the 'B' button, alleviating one of the big complaints hands-on users had at E3. From the article: "Miyamoto felt that that shooting the arrow with the D-pad was too difficult, and the B button allows for quicker and easier shooting. It's unclear if the game will require the new control scheme or if players will be able to chose between different methods of control. Nintendo Dream closed off by asking Miyamoto to name the version of Zelda he personally prefers. The master game maker said that he'd play the Wii version, but added that both versions will be fun."

dowlingw writes "With the recent announcement that E3 has been downsized, a similar high-profile event, GO3 Electronic Entertainment Expo 2007 is being held in Perth, Western Australia and promises to showcase products and services from vendors worldwide, especially those in the South-East Asia region. It also looks like everyone might get a similar event closer to home."

Chris Kohler, over at Wired's Game|Life, had the chance to see an in-production PS3 game in action. He said that, for the most part everything looked great. The one thing that concerned him was the motion-sensing controller that Sony is pushing on developers. From the article: "The developers told us that although we'd be using real PS3 controllers, they didn't yet have the motion-sensing functionality built in. And not only that, although they referred to the build as 'feature-complete,' they did admit that the one feature that was not yet included was (wait for it) motion-sensing, although they did 'have some cool ideas.' There was plenty of speculation after Sony's E3 conference that the motion-sensing functionality was jammed into the controller at the last minute as a reaction to Nintendo's strategy. This was backed up by the Warhawk developers' offhand remarks that they'd implemented motion sensing 'in just a couple weeks'."

Another year, another trip into the heart of dorkness. Gen Con Indy 2006 was marked, not so much by the big releases (because there weren't that many this year), but by changes in the wind. Several newer systems were in their second year, garnering praise for their continued quality. Some games that we saw last year weren't even around this year. Others were just not doing as well as their creators would have hoped. The focus, though, was entirely on the games ... and next year's convention. The talk in the halls and on the exhibit hall floor, when not about dice and mechanics, surrounded what Gen Con will be like next year and the changes that videogames will bring to the event. Read on for my comments about what I saw this year, what worked, what didn't, and a few words on what might result from next year's changes.