(Credit:
James Martin/CNET)
This week's E3 2009 coverage continues as The 404 examines the Nintendo and Sony press conferences!
Each company made plenty of exciting announcements as well as some not-so-exciting ones. Will anyone really ever use a Wii Vitality Sensor? Sony officially debuted the PSP Go, which will be released October 1 for $250. We think that may be a bit much for the redesign, but the 16GB of internal storage sure is tempting.
We were glad to see all the awesome game announcements, including titles even our own Justin Yu has heard of! Yes, Justin, they're still making Super Mario games. Having not even made his way through the first quarter of the original God of War, Justin is still pleased to hear about God of War III coming to the PS3 in March of 2010.
Finally, a big congrats is in order to Blake Stevenson, the winner of our 404 logo design contest.
(Credit:
Blake Stevenson)
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(Credit:
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The Microsoft press conference at E3 2009 offered a detailed glimpse into the Xbox 360's video game line up for the rest of 2009 and into 2010 as well. Things started off with a giant Beatles Rock Band introduction climaxing with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr appearing on stage.
Tony Hawk then helped show off the new skateboard controller to be used with Tony Hawk Ride, a new game that abandons the conventional control scheme. Players can use the board to kick, turn, and do grab tricks.
Next, Infinity Ward premiered a snow-covered level of the highly anticipated Modern Warfare 2 (see: Call of Duty) with dazzling graphics and intense action game play.
A very brief combat scene from Final Fantasy XIII was on display, officially removing console exclusivity from the Sony PlayStation 3. This debut wrapped up the multiplatform games that are going to be available for the Xbox 360. In a refreshing change of pace, it was announced that all games shown off from here on out will be available exclusively on the Xbox 360.
Kicking off these titles was the DLC (downloadable content) game Shadow Complex from developer Epic Games (Gears of War)--an action/exploration game very much in the vein of the original Metroid and Castlevania series.
Joy Ride will allow you to race as your Xbox Live Avatar with friends online. The free DLC title looks a lot like a Mario Kart inspired racer where you'll be able to purchase additional tracks for use with friends as well.
The follow up to the open world over-the-top crime-fighting title Crackdown has gotten a sequel in the form of Crackdown 2. Zombie apocalypse fans will be happy to hear that Left4Dead 2 will see the light of day this November. ... Read more
Wednesday's Nintendo press conference at this year's GDC 2009 shed some light on various details about the company's ambitions. We now know about the Wii storage solution and the pricing structure and details surrounding DSiWare. While we would have liked to see a new Wii title announced, instead we were treated to a taste of a brand-new Zelda title for the Nintendo DS.
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks will be the latest adventure in the Zelda franchise exclusively for the Nintendo DS. There's not much information on the title, but it seems this adventure will have Link as the conductor of a train, traveling from dungeon to dungeon. The game's art style is very similar to 2007's portable hit, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass.
Nintendo says we can expect Spirit Tracks to release by year's end, but for now you can enjoy this fresh new trailer of the game in action.
But where are the franchise games?
(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET News)The Nintendo press conference at E3 2008 just ended and we're left scratching our heads. While we were glad to see the announcement of titles like Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and Rayman Raving Rabbids: TV Party, hardcore gamers loyal to the Nintendo brand were completely left in the dust. There was no talk of any first-party Nintendo games beyond the Wii-branded Wii Sports Resort and Wii Music. There was absolutely no mention of new franchises like Kid Icarus or even anything from the Zelda or Mario camp. This has everyone in the office wondering, "Where are the games?"
Also surprisingly, Nintendo did not address the crucial issue of system storage. With the release of WiiWare, Wii owners are quickly running out of space to download and save games. What most thought was a shoe-in to be announced at the Nintendo press conference went totally unmentioned. Nintendo didn't even tease any upcoming WiiWare games.
While many gamers complain about the Wii online experience, there was no mention of any updates to the system in order to improve online game play and matchmaking. Gamers must still rely on the 16-digit friend code that many find makes for a cumbersome experience.
Besides the accuracy-improving Wii MotionPlus accessory and the announcement of an original Grand Theft Auto game for the DS, we're declaring the Nintendo E3 2008 press conference an overall disappointment. Nintendo stressed the fact that their software is "evergreen," and it seems they're running with that mentality.
Stay tuned for coverage of the Sony E3 2008 press conference, scheduled to take place shortly.
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