EDG Podcast Special: E3 2011 – Day One
Listen in as Patrick Adams and Jordan de Boer talk about all things Nintendo! We discuss the 3DS as well as the newly announced Wii U.
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E3 2011: Sony Press Conference
With all of the controversy towards Sony over the past month, there is no doubt everyone was looking at Jack Tretton for some sort of apology over the PSN outage nightmare. It’s no surprise that this is where the show would begin. I felt that Tretton seemed very apologetic and understands what he has put, not only the consumers through, but game publishers and developers as well. It’s an unfortunate event, but guess what people, it’s over with and all we can do from here is move on, and hope that we have an amazing finish to the 2011 year from Sony.
After the PSN talk things got right down to business. Showing off one of the most amazing franchises of this generation, Uncharted 3. I have been a huge Uncharted fan ever since the first game, and the series just keeps getting better and better. The demo that was shown by Naughty Dog looked absolutely gorgeous. The water effects and cinematic gameplay was like no other. I don’t know about you, but I honestly can’t wait for this title, and I’ll be surprised if it doesn’t take Game of the Year for 2011, just like Uncharted 2 did back in 2009 when it won a handful of awards.
Then things moved quickly to Sony’s next big exclusive title, Resistance 3. I’ve never been a big fan of the Resistance series. Their not terrible games, I feel like their just missing something. Whether or not the 3rd installment will bring that “something” I’m looking for remains to be seen. But after the demo that was shown I wasn’t impressed at all. Hopefully the full game will be much better. Time will tell.
What I also thought was interesting was the 24 inch 3D monitor that was packaged with Resistance 3 and the 3D glasses all for 499.99$, Not bad. I’ll skip though, I’m still not completely sold on the whole 3D thing yet. I don’t want to have a seizure while I’m playing a game.
One thing that I was very satisfied with about Sony’s presser was the fact that we didn’t really get a lot of Move talk. Sure they did some, but not nearly to the extent of Microsoft did with Kinect in my opinion. They showed off NBA 2k11 with Move support, along with a few other titles I quickly forgot the names of. What I didn’t forget was Dust 514, a Sony exclusive First-Person Shooter which seems to be set in the future. We didn’t get a whole lot to look at it, but from what I saw I was pretty excited.
The end of the show is the thing we’ve all been waiting for. We finally know the new name of the NGP, the PSVita. Stupid name, but who cares, I thought the games on it looked very impressive for a handheld. Also, with the $250 price tag on it, it will give some competition with the 3DS. I really don’t think anyone saw that coming from Sony. What a great move on their part. I thought Uncharted: Golden Abyss was definitely some eye candy,although I could do without the gimmicky touch screen functionality on the front of the screen. But to each their own, they don’t force you to play the game that way if you don’t want too. Ruin also caught my eye. I like the fact that you can start a game on the go with your PSVita, and continue right where you left off, at home on your Playstation 3. I can see a lot of games taking advantage of that, and it’s a great idea.
Overall, I really was pleased with the Sony Press Conference. Not much Move talk, and the fact that you can get the PSVita for $249.99 stole the show for me. Uncharted 3 is going to be huge for them this year, and I think that game is finally a system seller. Everyone knows Sony has had a rough first half of 2011, and it remains to be seen how the second half of the year is for them. But I think they are definitely heading in the right direction.
EDG Podcast Special: E3 2011 – Day Zero
Listen in as Patrick Adams and Jordan de Boer talk about Day Zero of E3 2011. Our discussion includes all things from the Microsoft and Sony press conferences as well as the EA and Ubisoft press conferences. Check back tomorrow for Day One of our E3 wrap-up where we talk about the Nintendo Press conference.
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E3 2011: Microsoft Press Conference
Well folks, yesterday kicked off another year of E3 and things have been really heating up so far. First up, was Microsoft who started the show off with Modern Warfare 3. Is anyone really surprised? I have to admit, what I saw I thought was impressive. But honestly it really just looks more like Call of Duty. Where is the innovation? Where is the change? year after year we keep getting an almost identical game from the year before. In all honesty, I can’t really talk because I’ve bought every Call of Duty game from Modern Warfare 1 and up. There’s no doubt that it’s a great franchise and a stellar title. But having a new one every year is just getting old too me at this point. I need something new, I want something different. Maybe Battlefield 3 can fill that void. We will see.
After the Modern Warfare 3 showing, we got to see the new Tomb Raider title that’s coming out in 2012. I have to say It looked very interesting. I was never a huge Tomb Raider fan, but it seems like this game is going in the right direction. It definitely gave me an Uncharted kind of feel, although the QTE’s could kill it for some people if there is a lot of them. Only time will tell, but so far the game looks promising.
Following the showing of those two titles, it quickly turned into a Kinect press event! I have to admit, I’ am not a fan of motion gaming. Playstation Move, Kinect, Wii, never has done it for me. I would rather play my games and not talk to them. Besides, what If I have guests over at the house and I’m downstairs and they hear me talking to my T.V.? it would be pretty uncomfortable. Anyway, while the Kinect may not be for me, I see why so many people enjoy it. The technology behind it is really quite impressive, and we haven’t really seen anything yet. It is nice to see some of the “core” titles like Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, Mass Effect 3 and Ryse offering Kinect support. Even if players don’t want to play that way, they can always pick up a controller.
Another game that we all know would make a big splash was Gears of War 3. I mean, lets face it, this is Microsoft’s bread and butter for 2011. It looked like Gears of War. nothing too fancy, just Epic playing things safe and giving fans what they want. Let’s hope they have that Multiplayer down to a science this time around. I have faith that the game will most definitely deliver come this September.
We also got to see what new touches they are adding to the dashboard. The Kinect capabilities were very sweet. Sadly, telling my 360 too put a movie on for me doesn’t justify the $200 price tag. I could really take it or leave it when it comes to adding YouTube and Bing, but the Live TV has me pretty interested. Being able to watch live television on my 360 is something I’ve wanted and hoped it would happen sooner rather than later. Grant it, it’s not going to force me to cancel my cable just yet, but it’s definitely heading towards that direction.
One of the last big surprises we got to see was the announcement of Halo 4, coming Holiday 2012. I can’t say I was totally shocked, but at the same time I didn’t see it coming until all the news before the presser started breaking out with “rumors” of a Halo 4 announcement. Is it really a rumor at that point? Anyway, I’m sure just like the rest of Halo franchise, they will sell ridiculous amount of copies and it will be the game that everyone wants that Holiday.
Overall, because Kinect doesn’t really do it for me, I came away unimpressed with the Microsoft Press Conference. If you are a fan of the Kinect, then you probably enjoyed it more than I did. Besides, Microsoft is doing a great job at trying to accommodate to every kind of gamer, and why wouldn’t they? that’s where the real money lies.
Check back tomorrow when I give my thoughts on the Sony Press Conference.
*Updated* Everyday Gamers E3 2011 Coverage Hub
This is the Everyday Gamers E3 2011 coverage hub where you can find our daily E3 podcasts and news updates all in one place. Check back often!
EDG E3 2011 Special Podcasts:
E3 2011: Day Zero with Patrick Adams and Jordan de Boer
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E3 2010 Podcast Ep. #5 – That’s All Folks
Listen in as Eric Bouchard shares his thoughts on the final day of E3.
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E3 2010 Podcast Ep. #4 – The Little Guy
Listen in as Eric Bouchard talks a little about some of the smaller publishers and companies at E3 that have impressed him.
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E3 2010: Brink Character Customization Trailer
Check out the insane character customization for Bethesda’s upcoming Brink game.
E3 2010: Silent Hill 8 Announced For 2011
Konami announced today that it will be bringing a new Silent Hill game to the Xbox 360 and Ps3 in 2011.
“Staying true to the franchise’s original roots; says Konami, the game returns with another third person horror experience, and an all new thought provoking storyline.
The soundtrack will be done by ‘Dexter’ & ‘Hellraiser: Bloodline’ composer Daniel Licht.
E3 2010 Podcast Ep. #3 – Now It Really Begins
Listen in as Eric Bouchard shares his viewpoint of the first official day of E3, along with his impressions of Nintendo’s and Sony’s press conferences.
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