So, where's the opinion? part 1

E3 2010 has come to a close, and it's time for me to give you, my readers, my opinions on the event.  This year had some really awesome things and some really crappy things, and it's no surprise that this E3 has shifted the so-called "console war" to a completely different direction.  While I am reserving my awards for this year's E3 for next week, I did want to give my general thoughts on the event.  So I'll just go through the big conferences and tell you what I liked and hated, and then tell you what I loved and hated overall.

E3 Day 2 Aftermath Report

The second day of E3 is up and running, and boy, was it a great one.  Let's get to the news.

E3 Day 1 Aftermath Report

Welcome friends to the first of four days of what I'm calling "aftermath reports".  Every day of E3 I listen and write down every single piece of news to deliver it to you, my faithful readers.  One of the goals here is to simplify all of the day's news on one page instead of you having to go to fifty different websites to find out what was the best and worst of the day.  So this post will work like this:  I will list all of the announcements and events of the day in a sentence or two a piece. Then I will provide you with a relevant video or demo video for that news. Because of time constraints and the sheer amount of news, this will not have opinion.  That will be reserved until after the show is over.  This is just for news you might have missed. Let's get this started.

GENERAL
-Fallout: New Vegas will release on October 19th. 

-Microsoft's Summer of Arcade is revealed.  The lineup will consist of Castlevania: Harmony of Despair, Hydro Thunder Hurricane, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, Limbo, and Monday Night Combat.

-SEGA announces a launch title for Kinect called Sonic Free Riders, which will continue the hoverboard racing game from the Gamecube era.

XBOX CONFERENCE
-Call of Duty: Black Ops is given a demo at the MS conference, release date of November 9th.  The demo took place in Vietnam, and had the same shooting mechanics that the Call of Duty franchise is known for.  The demo also showed a new feature, which was the ability to control a helicopter completely. (WATCH DEMO) 

-MS announced they have a deal with Activision to get Call of Duty DLC first before any other console for the next 3 years.

-Metal Gear Solid: Rising is given a proper gameplay trailer detailing some gameplay elements.  These include the new idea of "zan-datsu", which is described as a martial art form which translated means "to cut and take".  Gameplay shows lightning fast gameplay, along with the ability to cut anything, enemies and environments, with Raiden's sword, and with high accuracy. (WATCH TRAILER)

-Gears of War 3 is given a demo.  Along with the same formula of past games, new features expanded include 4-player co-op, the reveal of a new female character, Sam, and the re-introduction of the Berserker, who was last seen in Gears of War 1. This time it is in the form of the new enemy, the Lambent. (WATCH DEMO)

-Fable III is given a gameplay trailer and a release date of October 26th.  The game puts you in the shoes of the king's son who must take back the crown from the antagonist of the game, and then must rule with tyranny or fairness.  (WATCH TRAILER)

-Microsoft announces a new partnership with Crytek with a new game "Codename Kingdom".  A small live action teaser is given which seems to indicate some type of gladiator or sword and sandle theme.  (WATCH TEASER)

-Halo: Reach is given a singleplayer demo trailer.  It shows off many of the games new features, including the exciting return of the Elites.  The demo does end with quite a surprise ending indicating that the campaign will have sections of space combat.  (WATCH GAMEPLAY)

-Project Natal is given an official name: the Xbox Kinect ( a pun of the word "connect" with the word "kinetic"). It will release November 4th. No price was given, but Gamestops around the country have begun listing the peripheral at $149.99. Features include 1:1 recognition of body movement, sound recognition, and many other features. (WATCH DEMO 1) (WATCH DEMO 2)

-ESPN announces a partnership with Microsoft to deliver content through Xbox LIVE.  Features include live games of NCAA football and basketball, NBA, MLB, and MLS Soccer, along with previous game archives.  (WATCH DEMO)

-Several games are shown off for the launch of the Kinect.  These include:
     -Kinectimals, a game similar to Nintendogs or EyePet. (VIDEO)
     -Kinect Sports, a game similar to Wii Sports. (VIDEO)
     -Kinect Adventures, an obstacle course and activity game.  (VIDEO)
     -Joy Ride, a previously announced kart racer with Kinect capability.  (VIDEO)
     -Your Shape: Fitness Evolved, a fitness game. (VIDEO)
     -Star Wars lightsaber game (VIDEO)
     -Forza 2011 (VIDEO)

-A new Xbox 360 is announced.  With a new, smaller, and sleaker design, along with a quite as a whisper processor, built in wi-fi, a 250GB hard drive, and all for $299.99, the new 360 begins shipping out today, and will be available in stores within the week.  (WATCH VIDEO)

EA CONFERENCE-A new Need for Speed game entitled Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit is announced.  The game was given a demo, and shows the old feature of cop vs. racer that brings the series back to its roots. It will release on November 16th. (WATCH DEMO)

-Dead Space 2 is given a demo and a release date of January 25th.  Interestingly enough, the demo is a two part demo, with the second part at the Sony conference tomorrow morning. The demo showed off much of the sequels new features and its new setting, the Sprawl.  (WATCH DEMO)

-Medal of Honor is given an amazing 18 person multiplayer demo on stage at the conference.  It will be released on October 12th, and the multiplayer beta will begin on June 21st on 360, PS3, and PC.  (WATCH DEMO)

-A new service called Gun Club is announced by EA.  It will give features and in game extras for those who sign up for the service and buy EA shooters in the future.

-Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is given a new expansion called "Vietnam".  It will be a multiplayer expansion, released sometime in Winter 2010. (WATCH VIDEO)

-EA Sports shows off three major titles: EA Sports MMA, EA Sports Active 2, and Madden NFL 11 are all given special treatment.

-Crysis 2 is given a major singleplayer demo and a targeted release date of Holiday 2010.  The demo shows the amazing graphics and engine capabilities of the game. (WATCH DEMO)

-Bulletstorm is shown off by Epic Games, and boy does it delight.  The demo shows off the over-the-top gameplay of the game, and the great score system for unique kills.  The game also gets a release date of February 22nd.  (WATCH DEMO)

-The Old Republic closes EA's conference with some great announcemnts and another amazing CGI trailer.  It is revealed that players in the game will get their own unique starships along with their characters as an extension of their character.  The devs also revealed more of the PvP of the game, revealing that Sith and Jedi will face off in warzones.  A live demo will be shown tomorrow afternoon.  (WATCH VIDEO)

UBISOFT CONFERENCE
-A new arcade type game entitled Child of Eden is shown off for the Kinect.  (WATCH VIDEO)

-Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is shown off extensively, with a trailer and a demo, showing off many of the games new features.  A focus on the continuation of Ezio's story and new gameplay types such as improved combat and horse combat are shown off, and the new multiplayer mode is described.  It will be released on November 16th.  (WATCH VIDEO)

-Shaun White Skateboarding is shown off for the first time.  The game is shown to differentiate itself from other boarding games by allowing the player to color the environment as they do tricks and literally change the environment as they skate.  (WATCH VIDEO)

-Another sports title for the Kinect is revealed, called MotionSports. 

-A new Raving Rabbids game is revealed, entitled Raving Rabbids Travel in Time.  It will be a Wii exclusive to be released on November 9th.  (WATCH VIDEO)

-Ghost Recon: Future Soldier is also shown for the first time ever, revealing the new camo system and future warfare technologies of the game.  It is also revealed the game will have 4 player co-op and 3D gameplay when it releases sometime next year.  (WATCH DEMO PART 1) (PART 2)

-Driver: San Francisco is announced.  It will follow the old series of Driver games and bring the game series to the next gen audience. (WATCH VIDEO)


-Project Dust is announced to be in development for a release in Spring 2011.  (WATCH VIDEO)

-A 2D side scroller Rayman game is revealed, called Rayman Origins.  The game is ambitious, and is being developed by only five developers.  (WATCH VIDEO)

-The Ubisoft conference ends with a surprise reveal of some type of Michael Jackson game.  As dancers take to the stage, it can be assumed the game is a dancing game.  (WATCH VIDEO)

Just a few reminders and helpful hints for those who have other priorities and cannot follow E3 as it happens.  Of course, my blog is a great resource.  You won't find a better summary of today than this.  But I also suggest that you use this in a pick and choose style if you don't want to watch every video.  Read the news, and if you're interested, watch the video.  Now, if you like E3 in general and want to watch all of them, I suggest you just watch the entire conferences, or just watch the games you really want to see now, and wait to watch the rest later.  You can catch the full conferences on IGN and GameTrailers.  Secondly, a great way to see some live demos is to go to IGN's live feed here.  There are great demos that you can see over and over and over of all the great games of the show, and you can check out the conferences there to.  I HIGHLY SUGGEST that if you'd like to explore some gameplay and just see what's going on, you go there.  They have a schedule of what they will be showing off on the left side of the page, and you can catch those live or go back and watch them later at any time. 

Enjoy your night/day, and the rest of E3.

P.S.- If any of the links do not work, just go to GameTrailers (gametrailers.com) and do a search for the game.

E3 2010 Predictions, PART 3

And now to the hometown heroes, Nintendo.  Let's face it: Nintendo's E3 presence is less than to be desired most of the time.  For the last couple of years, their media breifings have been filled with numbers and licenced games, things no gamer wants.  However, there are signs of hope.  Can the big N finally give MS and Sony a run for their money, or will they continue in their E3 slump?

I predict that the conference will be MUCH better than last year's and the year before that.  Nintendo is actually in a pretty good position to show off some very interesting stuff this E3.  This is mostly because they will be introducing new hardware at this E3 in the form of the 3DS.  Not much is known about Nintendo's successor the hugely successful DS, but whatever it is will most definitely be quality.  I predict that regardless of what this thing does and the software it has, it will be popular and it will sell well.  Nintendo has always been the master of the portable console, and I would trust them here.  As far as the system goes, it will be glasses-free technology.  A Korean technology that is currently starting to be used in TV's is that of eye manipulation.  Without getting too bogged down in tech speak, this technology caused each of the eyes to focus on different thinks rather than what we are used to, which is focusing with both eyes.  By this sophisticated optical illusion and technology, 3D imagery can occur.  Now, this tech is far from perfect, as TV's with this tech require all sorts of things such as a certain distance from the TV and other things.  But in a small device, such as a portable gaming device, this tech could work very well.

I predict the 3DS will use this technology, and it will be very, VERY cool.  I also predict that the 3DS will be able to turn off this capability, allowing backwards compatibility with DS games.  I also predict that the screens for the device will be widescreen, and the graphics tech will be better (Nintendo just partnered with Nvidia for a micro-graphics card, so this is somewhat of a no-brainer).  Most importantly, I expect many big franchises to be announced for the 3DS.  I expect Mario, maybe Zelda, or any other marketable game.  I wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo also employs some type of minigame assortment also with the system, much like Wii Sports for the Wii.  The 3DS will be the focus of Nintendo's conference I predict, and it will take up most of the time.  The system will also be playable on the show floor.

But by no means will Nintendo leave the Wii out of the conference.  Although the Wii will have little to no major announcements, I wouldn't be surprised if a new channel or two is announced for the console.  Going along with the 3DS theme, it wouldn't surprise me if an announcement has to do with connectivity with the Wii.  The online store may also be expanded somehow to include 3DS games or "apps".  Nintendo could very well take a note from Sony and expand their internet shop to both Wii games and portable games, and because I predict wireless internet will be built into the 3DS, connectivity can be achieved without a wire.  There have been some whispers and rumors on the internet and in the industry that Nintendo may also try to introduce a monetary system to their internet service as I predict Sony will this year.  I predict this WON'T happen.  Nintendo is in no hurry to expand their internet service.  Their strength is not in the internet, and they have made it clear that it isn't their focus, either. 

Now, on to the games.  Nintendo is always tough for me to predict in terms of announcements of software and what.  Their conferences work much differently in that they don't show many third party trailers and demos.  The majority of their conference is taken up by first party titles.  This makes sense because their highest rated and best games are always first-party.  So unlike the previous two posts, I will not be including a list of known games that will be there, as it just isn't smart and worth the effort, nor is it worth the reading time.  However, as far as first party titles go, there is much room for predictions.  Of course, I do want to start off with the 2 ton elephant in the room.

The new Legend of Zelda game, I predict, will be the highlight of not only the Nintendo conference, but of E3 for many people.  This may be the most hyped game I have seen from Nintendo, and that is only from the amount of secrecy behind it.  Literally nothing is known about the new Zelda apart from one piece of artwork released by Nintendo.  That is it.  Nothing is known about this game.  So any prediction I make is should be taken with not only a grain of salt, but with the whole shaker.  I predict that the next Zelda will take a new art-style of some type, but it will not diverge much from the previous designs of Twilight Princess.  The game will be a much darker game, and will explore much darker themes.  Most importantly, I feel some type of major gameplay change is coming for the game.  Not only is this plausible but very likely as WiiMotionPlus has yet to see a flagship title to really sell it other than Red Steel 2.  It seems more and more to me like sword combat may become 1:1 with WiiMotionPlus.

Being more specific though, I feel the new Zelda will also take changes in how the game works.  My gut is telling me that the "controlled free-roam" of Zelda may be broken in favor of more controlled events or maybe even a new and interesting environment.  Hyrule is interesting, but I think it is much more likely that the game will take a new setting and/or a new atmosphere about it, much like Majora's Mask did.  I cannot speculate any more than this, unfortunately.  I have no evidence or facts to back up my predictions, so any I make are at a very high risk of failure.  I'm sure everyone will be watching on Tuesday to see what Nintendo has in store for Link.

Finally, I predict that a couple other major titles will be announced.  As with the already announced Metroid: Project M (which will appear a lot at E3), it's very possible another major title could be announced.  The Wii Kirby project has been under covers for a while, so it's possible that could appear.  As always, a Kid Icarus title is possible.  As for my predictions, I predict a Pikmin sequel, a Star Fox title, and maybe even a new Luigi's Mansion.  

That is all I have for Nintendo, my friends.  And that is also all I have for predictions this year.  Believe me, as random and risky as my predictions are, I have given them a lot of thought.  If you missed or want to go back to my other predictions, you can catch them here (Microsoft) and here (Sony).  As always, comment to your hearts' galore, and enjoy the rest of the weekend.  I'll have a post next week detailing what the coverage will be for E3.  Don't worry.  I've got you covered with all the announcements, action, gameplay, and summarization you can imagine. 

E3 2010 Predictions, PART 2

Let's move on to the great and always surprising Sony, shall we?  If you are interested in my predictions for Microsoft this year, you can check it out here.  Sony offers some interesting things this year.  Much like Microsoft, they will be pushing their new motion device, officially titled the Move.  Sony is in a position that they haven't been in before this year.  Before this year, much of what Sony needed to do at E3 was prove.  They had to prove that the Playstation 3 was a true competitor to Microsoft and Nintendo, and for a good while, that proof didn't come.  But over the last two years, Sony has widely improved and proven that the PS3 does have the power and the talents behind it to succeed.  This year, Sony doesn't need to prove anything.  They had their strongest year ever last year with gigantic blockbuster hits and even a Game of the Year exclusive.

I predict, just like MS, that Sony will focus much of their conference on the Move peripheral.  Notice that I use the word peripheral, and not device.  I believe that Sony is much more likely to say that Move is used as an existing tool with PS3, where as Natal is more of a completely new device.  That said, expect a lot of software announcements, but not as much as Natal.  Move was unveiled completely earlier this year, and much of it's software was shown then.  A lot of the conference is going to be already shown things, although there is no doubt in my mind new games are guaranteed.  Sony is definitely wanting to prove that the Move is a hardcore peripheral, and will most likely have several mainstream titles using Move.  They will have the already shown SOCOM 4, LittleBigPlanet 2, and something else, possibly a franchise sequel (My guess is Resistance 3 will use Move).  That being said, just like Natal, Sony will have a bunch of casual games.

I am a little cautious when saying anything about a new PSP.  Although I'll go ahead and predict something, it's hard for me to say that a PSP2 is on the way.  The PSP Go, announced last year, has done less than desired in terms of sales.  The PSP itself is getting crushed by Nintendo's DS, and as Nintendo will be announcing a new DS this E3, Sony is sure to address this someway.  It's hard to say what Sony might do if they announce a new PSP.  It's possible that they could put more focus on multimedia.  Many reports have stated that Sony has been planning partnerships for a new PSP with their Walkman MP3 technologies and even with Sony Ericson telephones.  It's also possible that PSP takes a larger focus on software, its real weakness.  I predict that something with the PSP will be announced, but other than that, I can't predict anything. 

The biggest thing that I can predict and almost confirm with the amount of news that has jumped out over the last month is the overhaul of the Playstation Network.  I predict a payment service to come for the PSN.  Don't worry, PS3 owners.  I predict that the online features of the existing service will remain free.  PS3 owners will still be able to play all their games without a fee.  But other services that may be announced at E3 will come with a paid service.  This is most likely something like "PSN Gold" or "PSN Premium", and I predict that features such as access to demos ahead of time, certain downloadable content, and other things will only be available on this paid service.  Sony wants to make PSN more like XBL.  Why not?  XBL is the most successful online platform.  Sony only wants to take what works with XBL and add on to that.  Think of this new service as Xbox LIVE Gold memberships versus Silver memberships.  Except Sony offers online play with silver.  I also predict that this service will be around the price of XBL, around $8-10 a month. 

Finally, I have to make probably the funnest prediction I've ever made.  I predict that Kevin Butler will show up to the Sony conference.  It's very likely he could be the MC, too.  His commercials are not only some of the funniest on television, but his activity on social networking sites like Twitter and his overall great image that he brings to Sony has helped Sony SO MUCH.  I wouldn't doubt that he shows up in some way, and I'd love it if he was the host of the conference.  He would bring a great laugh to the conference, and it would definitely help the conference as a whole. 

Now, to the really important stuff: the games.  As I don't have a PS3, I wouldn't trust this list as much as the one I did for MS.  Still, I think it's a pretty good list.  Like last time, I list the known games that I think will be there and in what form, and then I'll talk about some announcements.

• Gran Turismo 5, with a 3D demo, and a release date (FINALLY.)
• LittleBigPlanet 2, with a demo and a release date.
• The Last Guardian, with a demo and maybe a release date. Maybe.
• Batman: Arkham Asylum 2, with a demo and release date. (Like I said, it could be at Sony's or MS's)
• Medal of Honor, with a demo and a release date.
• DC Universe Online
• Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
• Valkyria Chronicles II
• EyePet
• God of War: Ghost of Sparta, with a trailer and release date.
• Killzone 3, with a demo and release date, which will be tentative.
• Move Party, with a demo and release date.
• SOCOM 4, with a demo and a release date.

In terms of announcements, I predict that this will be the year of the sequels for Sony.  With Killzone 3 already announced, I also predict a sequel to Infamous and Resistance, and maybe some other surprise sequels.  These franchise have made the PS3 what it is today, and sequels are only going to strengthen it's position going into this year.  Unfortunately, this is all I see in terms of announcements.  I really can't see any new IP's being announced from Sony directly, and certainly not as an exclusive game for the platform.  Any new IP for the PS3 will be multiplatform.  Sony might show off some of the games that they announced last year that have been quiet since then.  Other than this, I can't really predict much for Sony.  They are really good at keeping secrets.  At least when it comes to software. 

Stay tuned for part 3 where Nintendo's E3 predictions will be, and check back on this post and the previous post for updates.  (P.S.- I actually have an update to the last post at the end of this one.  I felt it would be more convenient to give you the update here rather than on the last post, so you didn't have to post-hop.  Because I care.)

UPDATE 6.2.2010- I seemed to have forgotten some very important titles that will be at the Xbox conference and/or the Sony conference.  Sorry.  Sometimes I forget.  So here are the list of games:

• Metal Gear Solid: Rising, with a demo (Thanks AppleJuiceJones! I don't know how I forgot that one...)
• Civilization V
• Spec Ops: The Line, with a demo and release date
• Enslaved, with a demo.
• Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, with a demo and release date (I cried a bit when I realized I had forgotten this one)

Finally, a note on Portal 2.  First off, I did not forget about this wonderful game.  I didn't include it because initially, Valve was supposed to have a conference dedicated completely to Portal 2.  Was.  Yesterday, Valve creatively announced that the conference has been cancelled.  However, this announcement was delivered by a note from Aperture Science, and it stated that a "surprise" is in store for E3 about Portal 2.  Whatever this is, no one knows, but it certainly is intriguing.  So that's what's up.  Don't worry.  It's one of my most anticipated games of the year.  I would never forget.