We came, we saw - we giggled like little school girls. Microsoft kicked off E3 2009 with an incredibly memorable press event that showed off everything from the expected, to the mind blowing. Some highlights:
Game Sequels Galore:
We've all heard the rumors that Crackdown 2 was in development - but did any of us really expect to see it so soon? Much like every other logical gamer watching, I got excited at the prospect of once again playing catch with cars in crowded city streets - but something about the concept of monsters...or zombies...or whatever the hell is infecting the city just turns me off. Part of the allure of the first game was the cops and robbers type gameplay. We've just seen the whole superior human VS monster thing far too much. The key for the team at Ruffian Games will be to find a way to make the core gameplay that made the original Crackdown so enjoyable seem fresh and enjoyable without resting on their foundations too much.
Then, there's Left 4 Dead 2. Seriously? This has to be a new record of some sort for quickest sequel turnaround - not that I'm complaining. Pre-rendered trailers rarely get me excited, but I couldn't help it when watching the first footage of Valve's zombie slashing sequel. I can't tell you how excited I am that much of the gameplay takes place in New Orleans. If there were to ever be a zombie apocalypse, the Big Easy would more than likely be the epicenter. It's no secret that I loved the original (I gave it a nine in my review), and can't wait to cut through another wave of the horde (with Chainsaws!)
The Friggin'- Beatles
Everything and I mean everything is made better when you add a fresh dose of Liverpool's fab-four and it was great to see the two surviving members and the widows of the late John Lennon and George Harrison on stage together with such strong support for the upcoming Beatles: Rock band. As far as new game info - there wasn't much..But come on - it's the friggin' Beatles! We did learn a few of the game's tracks, which were all expected, but we also learned that all proceeds from the Xbox exclusive downloadable "All you need is love" will go directly to "Doctors without Borders." Pretty cool indeed.
Bonus points for Paul McCartney looking at Ringo and asking "Who'd ever thought we'd end up as androids?"
The world's worst kept secret
So did you know that Microsoft was working on a new motion sensitive camera? Yeah, so did everyone. While speculation and rumors ran rampant over the last few months about the details - Project Natal was officially unveiled this afternoon. The big news is that the new system is expected to work with ALL Xbox games. Just think about what that means for the industry if it's anywhere close to accurate. Honestly though - I'm not completely sold on the idea. After the conference Geoff Keighley seemed to echo my feelings by twittering "Would you want to play Rock Band as Air Band?" Don't get me wrong - the technology looks amazing, I'm just...hesitant I guess.
Then we have Milo. Peter Molyneux's latest project looks to take full advantage of Natal's advancements by presenting an intelligent AI in the form of Milo that can interact with users freely. We're not talking anything basic here - Milo can reportedly recognize people, detect emotion and even read emotions. I would be lying if I didn't say that the whole thing feels a bit like the beginning of the Terminator movie but damn is it impressive. The real question will of course be just how in-depth Milo's tech really goes.
A teaser-less Kojima
For the last couple of weeks everyone has been talking about Metal Gear. The site for Kojima productions kept bringing us teaser after teaser, and today we finally got an answer. In one of the most awkward exchanges in recent memory, Kojima popped up (complete with the series' trademark sound effects) to announce Metal Gear Rising which apparently stars Raiden and deals with lightning. I have to say I was a bit disappointed that we're not getting the amazingly brilliant Metal Gear Solid 4 -but at least we're getting our own game - or are we? Word has it that PS3 owners will be playing Rising at the same time as Xbox owners.
Not everything can be a surprise
Some companies made their E3 plans known ahead of time - much ahead of time, and thus we were treated to impressive, expected showings of titles like Alan Wake (which finally got a release window!), Forza 3, Halo ODST/ Reach and Splinter Cell: Conviction. I do have to say though as a diehard Splinter Cell fan - I hated Conviction from the first time I saw it - until today. The completely revamped game seems to be more of a mix between classic series gameplay and franchise changing additions rather than a lame Assassin's Creed knockoff. And best of all? Sam Fisher's emo hair cut is gone!
Xbox Live's Expansion
The biggest announcement of the entire press conference? The amazing amount of new features set to hit Xbox Live. Gold members can now look forward to everything from LastFM to combining their Live account with their Facebook and Twitter pages.
Starting with Tiger Woods 09, gamers will be able to post screenshots of their favorite in-game moments directly to their Facebook accounts. While it may not be an amazing game announcement - these new partnerships open up the Xbox Live Experience to an estimated 20 million people on the Twitter and Facebook networks.
Altogether, an impressive outing with something for everyone. Keep it with Gamepro and Xboxfanforce.com for all of your E3 news!
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