Namco’s co-operative action game Enslaved: Odyssey to the West has a firm release date in Europe. The game will be out on October 8.
While Enslaved isn’t exactly the most high-profile game, it’s made by the company that made Heavenly Sword, and its showing at E3 was very, very impressive. Check out Jake Gaskill’s preview…and while you’re at it, look at this video, too.
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Sony has yet to reveal any official details about its next iteration of PlayStation Portable, but there’s at least one feature that the PSP2 will not include: 3D support.
Speaking with Industry Gamers during E3 2010, Sony Worldwide Studios vice president Scott Rohde asserted, “No, no plans for that,” in reference to the PSP2 including support for 3D.
Nintendo was the big winner of E3 2010 (and our Best of E3 list confirms it) thanks in large part to its unveiling of the Nintendo 3DS. Despite the continued skepticism towards the viability and practicality of 3D gaming, the 3DS managed to make a believer out of a fair amount of people who were lucky enough to get their eyes on it. And yet, Sony was demoing all manner of gamers in 3D, but didn’t receive near the level of attention that Nintendo received. The “wow factor” of glasses-less 3D no doubt contributed to this quite a bit, but still. In the end, it’s all 3D gaming.
Considering what Sony has done/is doing with its Move motion controls, it’s clear that they have no problem “expanding upon” concepts introduced by Nintendo, so clearly there are some serious concerns about incorporating 3D into the PSP2 that go beyond simple/hugely complicated technical logistics or limitations. I have no idea what those could be, but my guess is all will be revealed at this year’s Tokyo Game Show in a few months.
Source: Industry Gamers
Should the need arise, feel free to E-Mail me your tips, suggestions, and/or personal philosophies, or follow me on Twitter.
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The last time Virgin was associated with video games, we were popping 7UP Cool Spot cartridges into our consoles, but the company is taking a different approach this around time with Virgin Gaming, a gaming tournament-focused social network that could send you into outerspace — no joke.
There are a variety of ways to participate in gaming tournaments, but Virgin Gaming argues too much is focused on intensely competitive professional leagues. Even though part of my job is to play video games for a living, none of that qualifies me to join a professional gaming league. Combine that with the fact that most non-sports games don’t feature tournament structures and there’s an opportunity for someone to come in and do something interesting. Virgin Gaming wants to level the playing field a bit and provide a place where gamers can be regularly matched together on a similar level.
Virgin Gaming will support Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 games at launch, but only select games. On Xbox 360: Halo 3, Madden NFL 10, FIFA 10, NHL 10 and NCAA Football 10. On PlayStation 3: Fight Night Round 4, Madden 10, FIFA 10, NHL 10, NCAA Football 10, ModNation Racers and UFC Undisputed 2010. Gamers will be able to influence which games are added once it all launches.
To actually compete requires making a free account at http://www.virgingaming.com. Besides having regular organized tournaments simply for fun, a major hook of Virgin Gaming is going to be the luxurious prizes. Seriously. Virgin Gaming will be giving away $1 million over the next year. It’s not all in a lump sum, but Virgin Gaming tournament prizes will range anywhere from $500 to $50,000. Not bad.
It could get much cooler, though. While it’s not officially on the docket yet, Virgin Gaming reps told me there’s nothing really preventing them from eventually offering someone the chance to hitch a ride on Virgin Galactic, Virgin’s flight initiative to allow space travel to the (rich) everyman.
To the parents who told you games would never get you anywhere, how about going to space?
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If you can’t afford a full-fledged Lamborghini (and who can, really?), there’s always this 801-piece Lego Polizia version, complete with a 5.2-liter V-10 engine and onboard defibrillator, for just $60.
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If there was any doubt that the Electronic Entertainment Expo was back in full force, Microsoft’s kickoff event Sunday night, dubbed the Project Natal Experience, erased it. Wired.com was there, and while photos were not allowed, we have some exclusive illustrations that capture the magic.
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It’s a wrap for EA at the Orpheum Theatre. Ideally, you’ve just watched what I’ve seen, and I’m sure you’ve got your own take on the event. Here’s the highs and lows of the show for me:
Highs:
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit: It’s been eight years since the last Hot Pursuit hit shelves and Criterion needed a fresh start post-Burnout Paradise. I’m exceptionally interested in how the team will integrate online features and future content, since Criterion did an outstanding job keeping Burnout fresh with a variety of new (and more importantly, several free) updates. This immediately has become one of my games to watch at the show.
Dead Space 2. The first Dead Space was a sleeper hit, but expectations are much higher for Visceral’s sequel. Everything from the character design — Isaac resembled Raiden more than a Space Miner — to the weapons screams sleek and streamlined. I’m definitely interested in crashing EA’s booth to get a look at this one.
Medal of Honor. How do you launch a full-on assault on your rival’s top-selling series? Like this. Sure, the 24-player demo was impressive, but I’m intrigued by the summer launch of a game beta just as many gamers are souring on Modern Warfare 2 and looking for something new. Smart, smart move.
Loyalty Programs. As I’ve been reading lately, publishers aren’t just pushing games, they’re pushing loyalty a la mileage programs. Building product loyalty alongside content like betas (especially betas you’re dropping during summertime) is a very smart move. I expect Gun Club to catch on.
Star Wars: The Old Republic Trailer. Bioware is drip-feeding information for now, but damned if they aren’t handing out tasty morsels for us. I’m not even an MMO fan and I’m excited to see more from them. This is how you do great trailers that keep people talking.
Crysis 2. Crytek’s gameplay and grandiose setpieces looked very impressive — seriously, destroying the MetLife building is a great way to get my attention. Plus, the 3D trailer was quite good. It wasn’t quite on par with what you’ve seen in movies like Avatar, but it did the job of whetting your appetite. Hopefully there will be more 3D action to check out at the show.
Lows:
Madden NFL 11. Although Peter Moore promises a more accessible Madden, how can you convey it onstage? I understand the sentiment behind the revamps, but the only thing I felt like I got from the presentation was that you’ll waste less of your free time when someone pulls the plug during your 49-7 rout over Xbox Live.
EA Sports Active 2. I love what they’re trying to do with the tech, and the potential with Kinect is great, but the software still looks like it’s lagging behind the ambition. I’m sure that the Wii version will be strongest (since the team should’ve ironed out those wrinkles by the third release), but despite word that the game has 1:1 movement, I didn’t see it on display today. Both HD versions seemed to lag a bit. This game needs some tweaks to live up to its potential.
Audience Plants. Seriously, guys, if your games are impressive, you won’t need to have people whooping and hollering at stuff at every interval. If the games deliver, people will applaud accordingly. Knock it off. It was old two years ago, older last year, and annoying now.
Being Totally Wrong. I was hoping for more EA Partners information, such as Grasshopper’s project — going in, Insomniac and Respawn confirmed they’d have nothing to show — but alas, empty-handed.
What were EA’s highs and lows for you? What are you most excited about?
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On G4’s live coverage today, we got our hands on Hunted: The Demon Forge, a game that has been described as a cross bewtween Gears of War and World of Warcraft. Those are some pretty heavy games to be compared to, no?
It will be out on the PS3 and 360. Check out the game in-action in the trailer below:
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When it comes to football, there’s no comparison between pro and college ball. Those pros are weak; coddled millionaires in it for the money, where the college ball players have heart. We got our hands on NCAA Football 11 recently and put the game through its paces. Here’s a taste of the preview:
“The game feels a lot like NCAA Football 10, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but the locomotion change is a welcome addition to the ground game, and makes things seen a lot more natural. With ESPN now involved, it’s feeling more and more like Saturday afternoons when you’re in the middle of a game.”
Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Read our entire NCAA Football 11 preview.
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Join the elite teams in the NBA as EA Sports releases NBA Elite 2011 for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 on October 5, 2010. Shoot some hoops as your favorite NBA teams go head-to-head — who needs to watch basketball games and get all stressed out when you have the NBA in your control?
Check out this exclusive E3 2010 Trailer of NBA Elite 2011.
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EA has concluded their festivities, and our mobile crew is headed a few blocks up the street to the Ubisoft E3 2010 press conference. Last year featured an unexpected long-winded speech from James Cameron, the debut of Splinter Cell: Conviction, God of Soccer Pele, and special emcee Joel McHale. What’s in store this year?
Pfister’s Pfive Pforecasts
1. Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood will be the hardcore anchor of the show. In order to explain how it works, they would be best off showing a live demo, not unlike what Cliff did with Gears 3 this morning, and what DICE just did with Medal of Honor multiplayer. Showing is always better than telling.
2. Your Self Fitness will again be featured, just like it was this morning as a Kinect casual showcase. Most likely the same exact demo, because really, how much more do you need to show?
3. Ghost Recon: Future Soldier will get a new trailer. I would hope it’s gameplay, but I have a nagging suspicion it’ll be more on the CG side.
4. Driver: San Francisco will actually look pretty cool, and revitalize interest in the stangnat Driver franchise. As long as you heavily play up the cultural San Francisco connection to classic driving movies, people will be interested.
5. Beyond Good & Evil 2 is not going to be present. I hate myself for typing this, and I’d like to be wrong, but I don’t have high hopes.
Of course, you can watch for yourself on our live stream of the show, and I’ll have a post-show wrap-up later tonight. Enjoy, or as a French visitor to America would say, “Enjoy.”
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