E3 On Xbox Live Leads With Lost Planet 28

Next week all 360 owners can look forward to a free week of Xbox Live 'Gold service'. During the E3 events, dozens of pieces of downloadable content will be available via the service. Gamespot reports that this content will include a demo of the Capcom action-shooter Lost Planet. From the article: "One of the most anticipated titles tentatively set to ship for the 360 this year is Epic Games' Gears of War. While no demo for the third-person shooter will be made available, Microsoft will 'debut the first-ever Gears of War high-definition game trailer' on Xbox Live Marketplace. Several movie trailers will also be made available, as well as 'a flood of HD trailers from games that have yet to be announced.'"

Sony's Expected E3 Titles 33

Next-Gen has more details on expected titles we'll see next week at E3. Today they have details on games from Sony and Sony Online Entertainment. From the former article: "God of War II - The apparently big shocker about God of War II was that it's staying resident on the PS2 instead of the PS3, which is supposedly a bad thing. The people who think this maybe are forgetting that God of War, the first one, was a Playstation 2 game; maybe they are even forgetting how that game was a blood-soak masterpiece? It's not entirely clear. What is clear from footage is that God of War II looks to up the ante of the first game in every way."

Nintendo's 'Wii' Just A Marketing Gimmick? 356

An anonymous reader writes "Tom's Hardware has an editorial up on the Nintendo Wii in which the author postulates that the new name may be a bigger PR stunt than it looks. From the article: 'Saying Wii is controversial mainly in the English-speaking world (the Japanese can't even pronounce it); in France, for instance, it's a homonym for oui. But the upcoming E3 Expo plays mostly to an English-speaking crowd, even though it's an international event. It's just over a week to E3, where Sony fans will be all giddy and running around like they have a Blu-ray chasing their tails. Amid all this, Nintendo announces a name change which is not only interesting, but controversial. You can't not notice it. Essentially, Nintendo steals more than a wee bit of Sony's thunder.'"

IGN Claims Halo 3 At E3 78

IGN says that 'sources' have confirmed Halo 3 will be part of Microsoft's E3 Event. From the article: "The video is allegedly two minutes long, although its contents weren't divulged. We're guessing a wild breathtaking battle on Earth. Knowing Microsoft, the publisher will want to show all real, in-game engine footage to counter Sony's fantastical CG videos from E3 2005. When Microsoft was contacted, the company issued its standard reply, 'We don't comment on speculation and rumors.'"

Expected E3 Titles For Konami/LucasArts 31

Next Gen has two more articles featuring titles they're hoping to see from Konami and LucasArts. From the latter article: "Indiana Jones - Talk about secretive - LucasArts has not breathed a word of Indiana Jones to the press since last year's E3. Even then, that announcement was pretty bereft of the typical content you'd expect, without a video, a screenshot, or even a plot point to get the mind racing at the possibilities. Basically, all we know about Indiana Jones as a game coming into E3 2006 is that Indiana Jones will be in it, and that he will probably wear a hat."

EA's E3 Lineup 54

Next Gen continues its rundown on E3 2006 offerings, with a listing of what EA will be bringing to the party. As far as I'm concerned, there's only one game on this list: "Spore - As a contrast to Crysis, consider Spore, a game where design is the be-all and end-all of the buzz surrounding it. Enthusiasts of game mechanics in both the player community and the industry itself have placed this game on an untouchable pedestal: the last great hope for innovation from the last great innovator in the industry, Will Wright. While we can concede that he may not be the 'last great innovator', there's no question that Wright has a long pedigree of thinking so powerfully outside the box that the box implodes from the pressure - The Sims in particular changed the way people thought about how to cater to different players. It also may very well be that Spore represents his most ambitious design yet - the player starts with a single-celled organism and ends up with a space-faring civilization. The whole thing is generated on the fly, meaning every player's race and culture will be different." Update: 04/26 22:14 GMT by Z : Sorry, I should point out these are the games *they* want to see at E3 from EA. I missed the disclaimer at the bottom the first time through.

Game Over's E3 Preview 24

CNN's Game Over column has a preview of what you're likely to see at this year's E3, and what's probably not going to make a showing. From the article: "For the first time in years, Microsoft will shine some of its gaming PR spotlight on the PC as it prepares for the launch of Windows Vista. While we'll almost certainly see a couple of games that take advantage of the system's improvements, we'll probably also hear a fair bit about how Vista gamers will be able to interact with Xbox 360 players."

Oblivion Headed to PSP & PS3 76

errorjustin writes "More Pre-E3 news is coming out - Bethesda's 2006 line-up has been revealed, and on the list is are PS3 and PSP ports of Oblivion. Both are currently slated for a November release, which further backs up Sony's insistence that the PS3 will launch in November. A formal announcement is expected in a couple weeks at E3."

E3 Previews for Capcom, Activision 21

Next Generation is offering up dirt on E3 lineups this week. Today they have offerings on Activision and Capcom. The one that grabs my attention? "Resident Evil 5 - To be perfectly honest, it's really likely that Resident Evil 5 is going to be a prettier Resident Evil 4 with a new plot and only minor alterations. The same could be said of the jump from Resident Evil to Resident Evil 2, however, and nobody can say that that sequel wasn't worthwhile."

Square And Nintendo, E3 Lineup 46

With E3 coming up on us fairly fast now, we're going to start seeing some of the larger company's expected lineups for the event. eToyChest has the titles Square/Enix will be showing off at the event. Gamastura reports on one additional title that didn't make the list; A collaboration between Square/Enix and Nintendo. From that article: "The application in question combines an email application with virtual pet-like interaction abilities, and features various Pokemon characters heavily. Although Nintendo has been relatively reticent to enter the burgeoning mobile content market, which is particularly active in Japan, it has recently started to enter the segment, with the recent licensing of ring tones and animated images for a 'Nintendo Mobile' service on Japanese cellphone providers, and now this announcement of a Square collaboration."

Big Three Confirm Pre-E3 Events 40

In unsurprising news, Gamasutra reports that Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft all have pre-E3 events planned. From the article: "These conferences, which taken place during the two days preceding the three-day expo, have historically laid the groundwork for the entire week's events, revealing key information about the company's plans for the next year. 2005's press conferences revealed many initial details about the upcoming Revolution and PlayStation 3 consoles, as well as the Xbox 360 which launched later that year."

Sony Drops PS2 Price to $129 48

Conradq writes "Effective immediately, consumers can purchase the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system for a suggested retail price (SRP) of $129.99. Previously the console was priced at $149. The company opted for a subtle reduction in price ahead of this years E3, instead of a more dramatic $99 drop."

Square's Next MMOG For PS3/Windows 79

Gamespot reports that Square/Enix's next Massively Multiplayer Online Game will be a PS3/Windows Vista title. From the article: "While talking up Treasures of Aht Urhgan--the game's latest expansion--FFXI producer Hiromichi Tanaka commented that his team is now working on a new massively multiplayer online role-playing game for Windows Vista and the PlayStation 3. He also shared his thoughts on porting games to new hardware, including bringing FFXI to the PS3 as well as the PlayStation Portable." More details are likely at E3. Update: 04/20 14:03 GMT by Z : Link fixed.

Pirates of The Carribean MMOG in 2007 64

Gamasutra reports on an update to the Pirates of the Carribean MMOG currently in the works at Disney. The current plan is for a 2007 release, with some teasers and information upcoming at this year's E3. From the article: "The game will allow players to interact with movie characters such as Jack Sparrow, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann, as well as allowing users to create their own custom pirate avatar, form a crew and captain a ship."

PS2 Price Cut On The Way? 68

GameDailyBiz reports on analyst predictions of an upcoming PS2 price cut. From the article: "Although some analysts have said a price cut to $99 for the aging console would be a possibility, Sebastian believes the cut would be a more moderate $20 drop. 'We now believe a price cut on Sony's PS2 is more than likely ahead of the E3 video game conference. Specifically, our industry checks indicate that Sony is planning to cut the PS2 price to $129 from the current $149 before the end of this month,' he said."

Final Fantasy XIII and Halo 3 at E3 This Year? 53

There are hints floating around already at some of the titles that will be unveiled during this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo. 1up has a short piece saying that Final Fantasy XIII is almost done, and will get a powerful debut at the show in May. IGN, meanwhile, is rumourmongering that Halo 3 will also make an appearance. Not only that, they say, it's slated for a March 2007 release. From the article: "By theoretically shifting Halo to next spring, Microsoft thus allows third-party companies a better chance to shine independently of Bungie's uber shooter during the fall 2006 season. One must wonder, however, why the game wouldn't come out simultaneously with the movie, due in summer 2007. But if Halo 3's alleged March release date is officially confirmed, perhaps the game will leave questions for the movie to answer."

GDC - Sony Keynote 172

In San Jose, the first big keynote finished up delivery about twenty minutes ago. Phil Harrison from Sony laid out some of the future plans the company has for the games industry on the whole. The PS3 featured heavily, of course, but new announcements centered on the PlayStation Network and online functionality. Read on for my take on Sony's chance on the big stage, here at the Game Developer's Conference 2006. Update: 03/22 21:57 GMT by Z : Fixed some typos. I was typing fast and was already late for the Ron Moore Keynote. Additional views on the event can be seen at the Wonderland blog and Joystiq, with Kotaku offering impressions from the Q&A that followed.

Miyamoto Talks Revolution and Zelda 51

1up reports that Shigeru Miyamoto has, almost offhandedly, confirmed that the upcoming Zelda title will utilize the Revolution's wand functionality. From the article: "When asked about Twilight Princess' progress, Miyamoto said everything coming along well, and that 'because Revolution can run GameCube software, when you play Twilight Princess on Revolution you can take advantage of the Revolution controller.' Whoa, whoa, whoa. Stop the train. We already knew Twilight Princess would be playable on GameCube, but it's mighty odd for Miyamoto to simply announce such a feature on a whim - but apparently he has. Not only that, but Miyamoto made sure to underscore that 'almost everything' about Revolution will be revealed at E3 in May."

Review - Full Auto 158

If you look down the line, into the future of Xbox 360 titles, you see some pretty complicated games coming our way. The likes of Elder Scrolls IV and Mistwalker Studios' Lost Odyssey and Blue Dragon are designed to change gamer perceptions of Microsoft's console. Out of the gate, though, Xbox 360 titles have fallen back on the themes that made the original Xbox so popular: sports, FPS games, and racing. The Xbox already has two popular racing franchises to its name. The exclusive Forza Motorsports is a powerful sim, while the multiplatform Burnout series finds its shiniest home on the Xbox. Full Auto, by developer Pseudo Interactive, tries very hard to interest the 360 owner with a brand new way to race. Strapping weapons to cars can only lead to good things, right? Unfortunately this modern title, in the vein of SJ Games classic Car Wars, fails to do much more than explode prettily in the interested gamer's face. Read on for my impressions of this disappointing title.

Games Announced, Dated, and Delayed 77

The year is finally picking up some steam, with new game announcements, ship dates confirmed, and delays expected. Besides the already announced Zelda delay, Nintendo actually has good news to offer. New Super Mario Bros. is slated for a May 7th release here in the states. Fallout 3 will not be at E3 this year, despite the highly anticipated nature of the game. Oblivion, Bethesda's upcoming RPG, doesn't quite have a release date yet. It should be coming out 'soon', though. NCSoft is apparently working on a dungeon crawler themselves, with the City of Heroes publisher announcing Dungeon Runners at the Taipei game show. For those of you who (like me) loved the title, there are sequels to F.E.A.R. on the way. They won't be carrying the stupid name, thankfully. There will also be a sequel to God of War, slated for release next February. Finally, for classic gaming fans, the GameTap service will be offering the Ultima series of games for play in the near future, probably around the same time that Street Fighter 2 will be on the Xbox 360 Arcade. Looks like we've got a 2006 worth looking forward to. Update: 02/22 20:18 GMT by Z : Changed the God of War information link to Gamasutra; Eurogamer pulled the info after legal threats from Sony.

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