Drink This Show

I wasn’t that excited waiting for the Song Press Conference to start, seeing as I don’t have a PS3, or PSP; but I still was curious what surprises Sony would throw on the table, and how they would top off Microsoft’s conference.  I went into it opened minded, and was pretty pleased by the time it ended.

Sony opened up the presentation with showing a short gameplay video of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.  I haven’t played the original, but what they showed looked very cinematic, and pushed me a little bit closer to buying a PS3.  If that wasn’t enough, then they showed MAG, a FPS game that allows up to 256 players to play together at once.  I’ve heard about PS3 games that allowed a lot of people to play simultaneously, but MAG really makes me want a PS3 as opposed to 8 player games I’m used to.  I’m not sure why, but after Sony finished showing off MAG, they announced a Hannah Montana bundle coming, alongside a lilac PSP, the crowd went crazy, as if something like Resistance 3 was announced.  Am I missing something?

Sony also revealed it’s new PSP Go(SURPRISE, huh?)  That’s half the size of the normal PSP.  While I like how it’s a lot smaller, and more portable, that added $80 onto the price of what the normal PSP is, would be the only reason I wouldn’t buy it.  And no real surprise, Kojima revealed a new MGS game exclusive to the PSP.  Personally, I just think it’s done to help relieve the fact that MGS is being brought to 360.  There was also some racing game shown on the PSP Go by some nervous Asian guy that needed a translator; I wasn’t that interested in it.

OH WOW, is there some middle man that goes between Microsoft and Sony and tips off ideas?  Both of them showed off a new motion controller(Or lack thereof) pretty similar in concept.  Between the two, I’m leaning more towards the one Sony showed off more than Microsoft.  I may have a 360, but I see less limitations with actually being able to hold a “controller” with what Sony showed.  Really, how am I supposed to move forward, and turn around in games with Natal?  I think(correct me if I’m wrong) Sony’s had directional pads on the controller they had, and could move around in the tech demo they showed.

There was something shown quickly about a new Resident Evil game coming to the PSP for the first time, but nothing other than an announcement.  Same goes for a new game called Agent from Rockstar, and Sony says it’ll have the same impact at GTA had.

We got a trailer of Assassins Creed II from Ubisofts press conference last night, that looked great, and was shown again today, during Sonys conference, but followed by actual gameplay.  I’m loving the way AC II plays, it’s more fluid than the original, and hopefully I won’t have to trek 10thousand miles from the start of the mission, to my target again.

Sony also showed a trailer for Final Fantasy XIII, but I’m still not THAT interested in it, I didn’t like the combat system from XII, but I think, from the way it looks, they changed it back to how it used to be, turn based.  Hopefully.  OH WAIT, SURPRISE, same thing that they did with MGS, Sony revealed Final Fantasy XIV exclusive to the PS3, trying to get back at Microsoft for making XIII go multiplatform.  Downside, it’s just another Final Fantasy online game; I heard bad reviews of XI(was that the online one?) so we’ll just have to wait and see how it plays out. CHOCOBOS CHOCOBOS CHOCOBOS

So Project Trico was finally given a name, The Last Guardian, and they showed a trailer of it that was scene by scene identical to the one they showed a few years ago at the GDC, only that they updated everything, and made it look prettier.  I never played Ico, or Shadow of the Colossus, but I everyone who has played it, loves it apparently, so I’ll keep my mind open about this game.  Looks cute at least.

And Gran Turismo 5 was revealed, but again, I don’t care for racing games, so moving on.

God of War III gameplay was shown, and I’m pretty interested in it; I never played a God of What game before, but it looks pretty good.

Aaaaand that wraps up the Sony Press Conference.  It was better than last year, at least we’re actually getting games now, and no more of this, “Just give us one more year guys”.  There weren’t that many surprises, but that’s coming from a 360 user, so I don’t guess my opinion carries any weight.  The motion controller probably would have been more of a surprise, if we hadn’t seen Microsoft do something similar the day before.  Well, now that the press conferences are out of the way, time to watch E3.

And maybe actually see something of I Am Alive.
:(

This year at E3, Nintendo showed their deep love for their core gamers that have been with them for years. With a whole set of new Mario games, a Metroid game, and Wii Motion plus games, they have given a little something for everyone. The following is some of the things I thought really stood out during the Nintendo Presentation. If you thought something else was really outstanding, leave a comment below!

Mario:

• New Super Mario Bros. for Wii – With the Co-Op Multiplayer, it really brings a new feeling of teamwork to the game, and the bubbles are a great way to bring back friends. The many new items, such as the propeller suit also look like a lot of fun. The rankings looked good, but I think they should look into online multiplayer, if they haven’t already.
• Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story – I loved the original Mario & Luigi, and the story of this new game seems just as thrilling. Mario and pals becoming micro sized and going inside the big bad guy himself just sounds like a great Mario game. Can’t wait for this one.
• Mario vs. Donkey Kong – Allowing players to create their own levels should be awesome in this game, and it should bring a lot of new gameplay strategies.
• Super Mario Galaxy 2 – Yoshi looks like a great addition to the game, and all the techniques and strategies he adds looked awesome. The original was a great game, and this looks like it will continue to be great.

Wii Fit and Motion Plus:

• Wii Fit plus – I really wanted to be able to just put together a routine in Wii Fit, and not have to worry about going through menus. So I am very happy that Nintendo will be adding it to Wii Fit Plus. Also, adding useful information such as total calories burned will give Wii Fit a lot more use. Even the new games look outstanding.
• Wii Sports Resort – The variety of new games looks awesome, and the welcome scenario/tutorial Skydive looked great. The other games showcased, archery and basketball, looked amazing with the Wii Motion Plus.
• Other Wii Motion Plus Games – Nintendo and other Third Party developers are bringing a lot of new games that take advantage of the Wii Motion plus, and they are looking awesome.

Nintendo DSi:

• Nintendo DSi Software – Similiar to Microsoft, Nintendo is going to allow users to share pictures they take and manipulate on the DSi straight to Facebook.
• Wario Ware DIY – Again, allowing the players to create their own Wario Ware Mini-games is an awesome idea.
• RPG’s Galore – From Final Fantasy, to Golden Sun, a tun of RPG’s are coming out for the DSi soon! Even a few mystery games. All this quality content and hours of game time will really bring the DSi into the commutes of many people.

Shooters:

• Metroid: Other M – Nintendo made a huge splash by announcing their partnership with Team Ninja on the new Metroid game, and it looks awesome.
• Third Party Shooters – The Conduit, Resident Evil, and Dead Space all look like very fast pace and action packed games with great potential to be incredible games. Being on the Wii will allow these games to bring the players into the story and action very effectively.

Overall:
I think Nintendo made a great presentation this year, and am very glad they made so many games for the core players. I really wanted to see a Kid Icarus game, or a new Pikmin, but with all the Mario games, I think I can find something great to play.

What did you think of the Nintendo Presentation this year? And what do you think about the Vitality Sensor? Leave a comment below and tell us what you think!

I’m gonna run down my top 5 favorite things that Microsoft unveiled this year at E3.

5: Halo 3: ODST- Some people think that they need to stop sapping as much as they can from the Halo franchise but I am looking forward to this game. From what I saw it looks pretty epic and it will most likely be a buy on my list.

4: Facebook/Twitter- There were speculations that this would happen and it did. I think this is a big step and it will be really cool to post screen shots right onto Facebook as soon as you take it.

3: The Beatles Rockband- If you don’t know me then you don’t know how much I love The Beatles. I already have this game pre-ordered at Gamestop. The instruments look really good and the most realistic that have been made so far. I am really excited about being able to download the entire Abbey Road album and various other albums in full.

2: Modern Warfare 2- I have been with the franchise since Call of Duty 2: Big Red One came out on Gamecube. It is one of my favorite games to play and I spend hours of time playing online. So much time that I haven’t even finished Cod5. I have a feeling that this will be an epic game. I am glad that they are once again letting us drive vehicles as you could see on E3 with the snowmobile. I have not pre-ordered it yet but I will next time I am able to go to Gamestop. I look forward to playing all of you on XboxLive

1: NATAL- When I saw the trailer for that I could not stop smiling. Mebibyte here at Drinkthisshow probably thinks that it is a rip-off of the Wii but I beg to differ. Microsoft took the idea from the Wii but then they added tons of awesome to it and made it like the best thing ever. I had my doubts to begin with but from what I hear it will work. I still like my controller but I think it would be really fun to be in the game instead of using pre-written moves like the Wii uses. It is a must have for any Xbox 360 owner.

To Mebibyte:

3: They could sell there old controllers or trade them in at Gamestop.

2: Why should they quit making something that players love? They are milking out Halo too, so what is the difference between that and Call of Duty games?

1: Apparently you did not listen to what Peter Molyneux had to say. He totally burned the Wii console.

I got really excited when I saw this. It does sort of suck that the characters are changing but I am looking forward to the melee attack feature. Chainsaws will be epic!

How do you teach kids that texting while driving is dangerous? One school thinks using Mario Kart Wii is the answer. Colorado’s Vail Christian High School has introduced the “distracted and drowsy driving program,” in which kids play Mario Kart Wii while answering and sending text messages, in order to see how phone use adversely affects driving skill. As a bonus, the program teaches awareness of hazards like banana peels and turtle shells!

The program, which also includes deterrents like a chair that simulates a 5MPH collision and a golf cart that simulates drunk driving, is part of Vail Christian’s entry in a National Organization for Youth Safety contest. The school stands to win a $10,000 award if its program wins.

Thanks joystiq.com!