There are a TON of notables during this week's E3 Convention, so go ahead and look up all the E3 coverage if you want ALL of them.. these are just the notables I thought were worth mentioning on my blog..
Final Fantasy XIV Announced
Final Fantasy XIV will be coming to the PlayStation 3 exclusively next year, assumedly after Final Fantasy XIII is released. A brief trailer was shown which looked very much like Final Fantasy XI, with the text "A new online epic begins."
So it sounds like an exclusive, massively multiplayer online game for the PlayStation 3. We'll have more as soon as there is more to have!
Final Fantasy XIV is console exclusive to the PlayStation 3, with the PC also getting a version.
PSP Go Introduced..
Sony introduced the PSP Go at today's E3 media briefing, a smaller, pricier alternative to the already available PSP-3000. That new model was available on the E3 show floor, attached to new PSP games. We got to go hands on when the show opened.
The PSP Go is much more narrow than the original, a tiny little device that features the same visual quality, just with a half-inch smaller LCD screen. That smaller hardware footprint means a much tighter control layout, with the analog control nub moved to the right of the digital directional pad, making for a wider reach with the left thumb.
That move to the right will take some getting used to. It doesn't feel natural, but doesn't necessarily feel bad. It's just that my thumb reflexively went for the d-pad. That's no good for a game like SOCOM Navy SEALs Fire Team Bravo 3, which uses the analog for player control.
On the more positive side, the PSP Go's d-pad and face buttons—square, circle, triangle, X—feel more precise, more "digital" than the squishier controls on the original PSP. They feel really tight.
The new shoulder buttons, which now reside behind the slide up screen feel fine. Not particularly good, not particularly bad. Just something that's going to take a little time adjusting to, if you're used to the beefier L and R buttons on the current PSP.
Weight-wise, we really couldn't tell how much lighter the PSP Go was. It was locked down and attached to a bulkier weight, so no feel impressions there. Same for the slider. That was locked down too.
The relocation of the audio and display buttons from the face of the PSP to the top of the device on the PSP Go makes sense. I had expected those two buttons to be replaced with a software adjustment solution, but it appears the PSP OS is identical to what's already available. Tapping the PS (or Home) button launches you into a familiar interface.
HALO 3 ODST (Halo3 Spin-off..)
Here's a list of the included content according to information released by Microsoft to the press today:
-Halo 3 ODST Campaign, which puts the player in control of different characters in New Mombasa during the events leading up to Halo 3.
-Halo 3 ODST "Firefight" mode, "a new cooperative multiplayer* mode where up to four players can assume the role of an ODST squad and fight together to take on increasingly challenging waves of enemies." Also: "As an ODST squad, you will face increasingly challenging waves of enemies together, striving to earn the highest scores possible, while various "Halo 3" "Skulls" are progressively activated." (It sounds to us like Gears of War 2's Horde mode.)
-Three new Halo 3 multiplayer maps on a standalone disc
-The more than 20 downloadable maps previously released for Halo 3 in the Legendary, Heroic and Mythic map packs.
-A key to the forthcoming multiplayer beta for the fall 2010 Bungie game Halo: Reach
(The new game is said to support all of Halo 3's main features, including four-player co-op, campaign scoring, screenshots and Forge multiplayer map editing)
Speaking of Bungie.. they also announced: HALO REACH
It's due for release in Fall 2010. I'd love to tell you more, but that's all that was revealed along with a short trailer showing the destruction of Reach, from before the events of the original Halo.
As a bonus for anyone buying Halo: ODST, if you buy the Halo 3 expansion (out September 22), you'll get an invite to the Reach MP beta.
Other than that.. nothing to mention about this yet..
Guitar Hero 5 Band List!
84 Bands were listed.. here are the ones i'm actually noting..
Bush
Blur
Blink-182
Muse
White Stripes
Jimmy Eat World
Gorillaz
The Raconteurs
AFI
Sublime
My Morning Jacket
antana
A Perfect Circle
Kings of Leon
The Killers
Vampire Weekend
TV on the Radio
No Doubt
Artic Monkeys
Thrice
Vampire Weekend might be one of my faves on this list.. maybe Kings of Leon as well LOL.
Of course DJ Hero... DJ Z-Trip was there to unveil it..
I actually read a little bit more about it.. and it actually could be a decent game.. the fact that you can connect a guitar to add some social aspect and collaboration is kind of cool.. and I found out how the crossfader works.. I have to admit.. pretty sweet.
Trauma Team for Wii
I admit.. this is one of my favorite games on the Wii.. its like Operation on crack.. so fun.
Players can play as a general surgeon, diagnostician, E.M.T., orthopedic surgeon, endoscope technician and medical examiner. The game is slated for Spring 2010, trailer at E3.
Theres a ton of stuff i'm leaving out.. Final Fantasy XIII, Modern Warfare 2, Assassins Creed 2, Super Mario Wii, 360 Price Drops, New Harvest Moon, Metal Gear Rising.. etc etc.. so much stuff.. no time to play..
