The Negative Edge News Report 07.13.07
Posted by Tommy Coloma on 07.13.2007
E3 left me unsatisfied. Find out why!
I went to E3 for the first time this week. Unfortunately, I didn't take the whole event seriously so I ended up only getting into four conferences and events - Microsoft's conference, Nintendo's conference, the Games for Windows party which I skipped, and some other event that I also passed on. But maybe that wasn't a bad thing. Except for three or four mark-out moments, everything was just a load of meh. For the amount that I had to pay out of my own pocket for gas and my hotel room (we're so hardcore that we write on this site for free!), it really wasn't worth it except for the experience. Honestly, without a pass to the floor, the con is pointless unless the intent is to live-blog.
I'm really worn out from the drive so I might miss a few things. I may go into more detail next week, though I really don't think that it's necessary considering how weak the whole thing turned out to be. -
Microsoft's conference
- Microsoft's event was outdoors... and it was cold! It's possible that the lack of enthusiasm from the crowd was due to that. Then again...
- The video montages that they kept showing were boring. I didn't come all that way just to see videos of games I already knew about.
- The biggest disappointment came when Peter Moore went on about how a Japanese developer was going to be bringing its software to the Xbox 360 only to reveal Resident Evil 5. I was so sure that he was alluding to either Square-Enix or Konami. Was there any doubt that RE5 was going to make it onto the 360 eventually? This was a surprise to no one.
- Naruto? It might have been special if the Naruto hadn't been on other systems already. And what took them so long? The show has been around since 2002 and there are already over 200 episodes. How about a violent and bloody Bleach game, hmmm? Now that would be something!
- Did I mention how much I hated the video montages?
- Watching Peter Moore playing Rock Band was priceless, especially when his game ended. It was nice to see him having fun with a game he obviously didn't spend hours practicing on. The pausing was pretty funny too. I hope that the guitar isn't finalized yet. They really need to fix that. To me, this was the highlight of my trip. And that makes me sad...
- The EA guy getting owned at whatever football game they played was nice. The football guy's comments (I'm bad with names) about how Microsoft cheats were great.
- I liked Jade Raymond's reaction when Assassin's Creed glitched out toward the end of the demo. All the male reports were probably too mesmerized by the game's graphics... or Jade's looks... to notice since I didn't hear too much about it. Then again, the game isn't finished yet so why complain?
- The new Call of Duty needs more colors. 8-bit games are more colorful!
- During the video montages, which I did not like, I noticed that people were very quiet whenever a sports title showed up. PR people - we already know that there will be a new version of sport X. Seeing sports footage isn't special. Stop it!
- Seeing games on a huge screen is nice. Really nice!
Nintendo's conference
- More video montages.
- I was sitting next to a financial analyst. When the Wii Fit peripheral was introduced, I believe that I heard him say that it was "lame." I personally see the potential for some really cool things in action and/or driving games when this thing takes off. I believe!
- The new zapper - I liked the shotgun look more, but this'll do.
- The steering wheel - Well... It's free. Don't complain unless you have to buy it.
- Metroid Prime 3 looks fun. I can't wait until the end of August!
- I attended Microsoft's press conference after having been driving for six hours straight and I did not feel tired at all. Conversely, I kept yawning during Nintendo's press conference even though I had plenty of sleep.
- Seeing Iwata, Miyamoto, and Reggie live for the first time made the conference worth going to.
- The audience was pretty reserved. Was it too early in the morning or were they really that bored?
Sony's conference
I didn't attend this personally. Funny story - I sent four requests to four different PR reps and I only got one response which was a rejection. For Nintendo and MS, I sent in one request each and both responded quickly (Nintendo within ten minutes). I'm not bothered that I was rejected, but I am kinda miffed that it took four people to get a response. Their PR really sucks. I'll remember to bother them extra early next time.
- The PSP redesign, while appreciated, should have made the portable look at least a little different. With the DS Lite, you knew that you were getting something different and more portable. I still won't be able to fit the new PSP in my back pocket.
- With Guild Wars 2 on the horizon, the NCSoft announcement could be big. REALLY BIG. If mouse and keyboard support become an option, a GW2 port with PC connectivity would move consoles, guaranteed.
- Killzone 2 looks great. Outclassing the fake trailer from a few years ago isn't realistic but that doesn't take away from the fact that the game looks nice. Now, how about gameplay? This just feels like any other FPS to me.
- The whole Home angle was ok, but the acting was wooden. Seriously!
The wrap-up
Overall, E3 was fun to go to, but it fails as a news resource. I got way more out of GDC. Access to the floor would have helped, but even then, looking at what other sites have reported, there really wasn't much to say except for how cool some of the game demos were. Don't get me wrong - the experience was unforgettable, but I wanted to bring more out of it than just having the ability to say that I was there. Now I know how these things work, so hopefully I'll be able to get more out of the next convention/press conference that I attend.
The Week In Releases
Project Sylpheed (Xbox 360)
The demo was amusing and showed some potential gameplay-wise. Story? Two best friends go their separate ways only to find themselves...
Wait for it!
... on different sides of a war years later. There's also that one female character that may or may not be part of a love triangle that develops later in the game.
But of course, it's all about gameplay, right? I liked the demo, but then again, I used to play stuff like this (minus the story) a lot on my PC back in the day. Definitely give the demo a try - at least until you finish the first mission. The interface takes some getting used to but it might just grow on you...
Mega Man ZX Advent (DS / Japan)
When was the last time fans have been excited about a new Mega Man game? Is this the one that'll bring them back? Who knows? I'll wait for other people to suffer first before I take a look at it. This game comes out in the US in October so if you don't want to wait, just hop on over to your favorite import shop. Don't forget to tell me whether or not it is worthy!
This week's background wallpaper
One of the few items that I was able to bring home with me was a folder from Nintendo's conference that contained a media CD with some nice high-res pics. We've seen these before, but this time they're in glorious hi-res. Fortunately for you, I had some time to upload some of the good stuff.
Warning: The file sizes range from two to five megs. They're worth it though!
The physically impossible pose
There are rumors that Phantom Hourglass will be released in Europe a month or so before its released in the US. I find that hard to believe, but if that does happen, you can be sure that I'll provide you with links to import shops where it can be purchased.
Two or three?
Ok. Did we really need to see three Samuses in one picture? Wait! The visor is a little different. Hmmm... Are we gonna see a third Samus that's ultra powerful and kicks both of their asses? Yeah right.
Note: I had to reduce the file size a little. The original was over 6 MB. Flickr has a 5 MB limit. If you want the original, email me or scour the Internet.
What about Midna?
Let me guess. She'll have very powerful magical spells but her physical attacks will be ultra weak. Am I right? And am I the only one that thinks that Midna should make an appearance in SSBB?
I was looking for an XRGB3 at Play-Asia when I came upon this. The deal lasts until Monday I believe. This game was developed by Q Entertainment, the same ones that brought us Meteos and Lumines. The original freeware version was developed by OMEGA. It can be downloaded here.
This might be a worthy purchase for PSP owners that need another puzzler on the go. Everyone else might want to wait for the Live Arcade version.
To be continued...
Next week will mark the one-year anniversary of this column. I'm pretty unsatisfied with how things have been turning out so I'm thinking about making a few changes to the way I report the news. If things work out as planned, I will start to implement those changes soon.
I'm currently holding a black rod with a rusty star on the end. A cheerful little bird is sitting here singing. If I can capture the bird without dropping the rod, I'll be back next week.
