Here we have another one of Coin-Op TV’s installments of some E3 coverage with Hailey Bright (Busy Gamer’s Gamette of the Year 2009). Hailey talks with Toys For Bob’s executive producer Jeff Poffenbarger about Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure. Check it out!
Thanks to Coin-Op TV for sharing this video from E3 with us, you can check out more of their E3 coverage here at www.coin-op.tv.
Wii U? Wii Me. Well it’s pronounced (Wii-Yoo), and it’s the first peek at the impressive new hardware going along with Nintendo’s new Wii U game system. The console is not nearly as impressive looking as the controller, but this bad boy above clearly makes up for it. Looks like we have a nice view screen for ‘game inventory’ type stuff along with the regular buttons and whatnots. Wonder if we will be able to play mini games on it too? Who knows, maybe even with the console powered off. More on this as we get it!
E3 UPDATE: June 08, 2011
(Gamespot) – As with the Wii, the controller is the heart of the Wii U. And it’s large–think somewhat smaller than an iPad and considerably bigger than the original Sony PSP. The reps on hand noted that the controller was designed to offer a new way for players to interact with the console, games, and other players. They understood that, much like the first time we saw the Wii Remote, the only way to really understand was to show us.
On the face of the controller you’ll find a 6.2-inch touch screen (Nintendo declined to say whether it was multitouch capable). A stylus slides out of the controller for use on the touch screen (which makes us think it’s based on resistive touch technology). During the E3 2011 press conference, Nintendo showed the stylus being used for fairly complex sketching, which shows us how detailed the touch screen will be. The matte screen has great viewing angles and offers vivid colors and brightness, making it ideal for use by two people at the same time at very off angles. The pixel density seems to be high enough to put it on par with modern smartphones. Nintendo stated that it’s not high definition, but the resolution appears to be substantially higher than the 3DS screen. We’re guessing the screen is under 1280×720 and above 640×480.
Nintendo eschewed a complex controller with the Wii by limiting the number of buttons. By contrast, the Wii U controller practically bristles with them. Two circle pads, similar to those found on the portable Nintendo 3DS, flank either side of the screen. A D pad resides on the left; A, B, X, and Y buttons are on the right; two shoulder buttons are on the top; two trigger-like buttons are on the bottom; and the usual array of start, select, and home buttons line the bottom. But it doesn’t end there.
Like the Wii, the Wii U controller also features motion controls that should be on par with the Wii MotionPlus. Although you won’t be using it like a Wii Remote, as its bulk and unwieldiness prevent it from mimicking sports equipment like bats and rackets.
A front-facing camera sits at the top of the controller, ostensibly for use in taking pictures and possibly for augmented-reality capabilities. At its E3 2011 press conference, Nintendo revealed that the controller will have video chat capabilities. Built-in speakers also play back sound, and the controller also features a headphone jack.
The controller is capable of playing games even if the TV is being used at the moment for something else, like watching shows. It’s portable in a sense, but only within wireless reach of the main console, because all of the controller’s visuals are generated by the console and then streamed to the controller.
One of the key features of Wii U is its backward compatibility with Wii controllers (remotes, nunchuks, and more). Many of the cases we saw involved anywhere from two to four remotes, with and without nunchuks, and one player on the Wii U controller. Players on Wii Remotes would generally get split-screen gameplay on the TV, while the player on the Wii U controller would primarily use the screen on the controller. Most of the games we saw would give the player on the Wii U controller extra information, or an entirely different perspective paired with vastly different controls. In general, the player with the Wii U controller was pit against the players with Wii Remotes.
We get uber delighted when our past Gamettes are out covering gaming events, especially the major ones like this interview over at E3 this year in Los Angeles. Take a peek at Coin-Op Tv’s Hailey Bright (our Gamette of the Year 2009) interviewing Radical Entertainment’s Chris Ansell for Prototype 2. Good stuff, and keep your eye out for the return of the BG Crew at SDCC in July 2011. Pending court dates of course (just kidding, we’ve been good this year).
Thanks to Coin-Op TV for sharing this video from E3 with us, you can check out more of their E3 coverage here at www.coin-op.tv.
. . . Don't take the babes away!
‘ChinaJoy’, China’s country’s premiere gaming show, has been rolling out the girls in skimpy outfits to promote games for years. But lately it seems the game’s sections continue to move farther into the background, and the ChinaJoy booth ladies are moving more and more to the forefront (but hey were ok with that, arn’t we?).
This 2011 ChinaJoy event is going to be tightening regulations regarding booth babes and game companies. Reports from event organizers say things will be stricter about the ‘booth companions’ outfits and the booths themselves. ChinaJoy is actually not the first gaming show to toughen up over the amount of skin on display.
Los Angeles E3 cracked down on their “booth babes”, totally banning them from the event in 2007. E3 2006 was sporting rock bands, fire juggling, and ladies in skimpy clothes. Although booth babes did return to E3 in 2009, somewhat in a tamer display of power.
China has also recently cracked down on sex in online game advertisements, issuing notices that allows officials to force game companies to ‘delete content in online game promotions that is deemed inappropriate’ (what what what??). This not only bans the use of sex, but also gambling and violence in game promotion.
[Source]
(Kotaku.com) – In an interview with Japan’s Nikkei, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata has hinted that the company’s next home console may, like the freshly-unveiled 3DS, go 3D.
“If you display a 3D image, the image quality becomes extremely bad, so we’d probably do it with the next system”, he said. “We’re thinking that the timing should be once the 3D television adoption rates crosses the 30% mark. We’re looking at the adoption trends.”
This is a curious comment, as it seems to go against everything Nintendo has stood for over the past decade. The company lagged behind on disc-based media despite “adoption trends”. It has twice passed on true surround sound. It even said “no thank you” to the high definition generation with the lo-fi Wii.
We call this the 'poop shoot'.
At Nintendo’s 2010 Electronic Entertainment Expo media briefing this morning, Reggie Fils-Aime announced that Goldeneye 007 will arrive exclusively for the Wii this November.
(Gamespot) – A two-minute trailer for the game was shown, revealing that the remake will include updated visuals, four-player split-screen multiplayer, and new game modes. Although the original GoldenEye 007 featured Pierce Brosnan in the leading role, today’s trailer revealed current Quantum of Solace actor Daniel Craig as the leading man.
Goldeneye 007 for the Wii will also include online multiplayer, a functionality its N64 cousin could not offer. In addition, players will be able to take part in 16 game modes, including GoldenEye 007 N64 favorites Paintball, Melee Only, and You Only Live Twice. On top of that, players can square off against each other in the game’s adversarial modes, with the roster including eight characters from the revered Bond classic, as well as 40 other unnamed virtual soldiers.
The game is currently in development at Eurocom under the banner of Activision, the publisher that currently holds the license to create James Bond titles.
Alan Wake
(IGN) Alan Wake has been a game that has been coming out for about 4 years now. At E3 2009, the first gameplay trailer was released for the game however the brightness of that world has become a grim and dark place. In a foot race, Alan’s story passes through a dark police chase that includes some mysterious car accidents that seem to have been caused by nature.
With Alan being his own narrator to this story, it feels truly for the first time that a book and video game could merge into one new and innovative gameplay experience. In different trailers before, Alan has manipulated lights to use them as weapons against this unknown force but it seems in this trailer that the tides have turned as police and government are using the lights against him. Wake’s imagination seems to pass between his mind and reality.
Watch the gameplay video below:
Get to practicing your cuts and pokes.
(Live Science) – The popular Nintendo Wii console offers video games that venture into the world of exercise, but scientists now are taking it further, to help doctors heal the body.
The key behind the Wii is its motion-sensitive wireless controller, the Wii Remote, or the “Wiimote,” with which players control actions on screen. Players can swing the controller to simulate countless realistic motions, such as swatting a baseball for a home run. Such technology is becoming increasingly popular — at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Sony and Microsoft both revealed motion-sensitive game controllers.
Playing with the Wii could help surgeons in training improve their fine motor skills and performance in a surgical simulator. Eight trainees were asked to play the Wii for an hour before performing virtual laparoscopic surgery with a tool that simulates a patient’s body and tracks the surgeon’s movements as he or she operates.
The Wii-playing residents scored 48 percent higher than others without the warm-up with the Wii, working faster and more accurately.
Although the researchers first relied on off-the-shelf Wii games, they will soon release a complete surgical training system they designed for the Wii, where trainees can practice suturing and other procedures.
“There’s really no accurate way to train surgeons in the operating room, so it’s virtually all the on-the-job training, which is very time-inefficient,” explained researcher Mark Smith, an endoscopic surgeon at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center in Arizona. “There are surgery simulators out there, but these are still very expensive. With the Wii, we have a very easy and inexpensive platform where surgery residents can learn and develop their skills.”
“You can even have the surgeons train at home,” added researcher Kanav Kahol, a biomedical informatician at Arizona State University. Although the Wii could help surgeons train in virtually any surgical specialty, the researchers are especially interested in using the console to teach robotic surgery, where surgeons can use robots for precise, minimally invasive procedures or to help patients at remote locations.
Tim Curry gets to play big baddy in Brutal Legend
(Gamespot) – Earlier this month, Brutal Legend made its presence felt at the Electronic Entertainment Expo courtesy of a massive banner across the front of the Los Angeles Convention Center. As the show ended, it also made headlines for being the subject of a legal spat between current publisher EA and Activision Blizzard, which claims it retains publishing rights to the game.
Now, Brutal Legend is in the news again. First, EA sought to drum up publicity for the game by having its fans set a Guinness World Record for largest number of people playing Air Guitar at once. During the Download Festival in the UK, some 440 people and one official Guinness adjudicator assembled at the EA trailer to virtually and simultaneously play the classic Motorhead song, “Ace of Spades.” The previous record was 318 air guitarists, set in 2008.
In other Brutal Legend news Double Fine chief Tim Schafer has confirmed a major change in the game’s voice cast. “Ronnie James Dio is an amazing singer and truly one of the great figures of Metal, but as the character of Doviculus evolved, we realized that [actor] Tim Curry was a better fit for the part,” he told GameSpot. “Anyone who has seen his amazing performance as the Lord of Darkness in the movie Legend knows why we cast him in the role of Doviculus, Emperor of the Tainted Coil.” Curry (pictured in Legend) is also famous for playing the transvestite mad scientist Dr. Frank N. Furter in the cult musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Barring any legal delays, Brutal Legend WILL SHIP in October for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. A Wii version of the game is also rumored to be in the works.
At last week’s E3, Electronic Arts announced that the popular PC game Crysis (which is known to put your graphics card to the test) would arrive in stores for the Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 as part of Crytek’s EA Partners program.
CEO Cevat Yerli explained “It’s a question of more than economics, at the end of the day we’re paying salaries and we all have to live, but that’s one side of this job. But most importantly and a bit more tangible to us are the families, the nephews, and sons who ask, ‘Why aren’t you going to consoles?’ It’s kind of like bothering people. We’ve been asked a lot in the last three or four years now, ‘When consoles? When consoles? When consoles?’ It was literally inevitable that we would bring it.”
“There was 2 to 3 years of technical research and development into consoles before development on Crysis 2 started,” Yerli said. “We had to make a technological breakthrough before we could commit to those quality bars. We had to make a technical base before we could get into great gameplay, story, settings, etc.”
General Manager David DeMartini said “It would be almost like a filmmaker making a film, but it doesn’t get to show on 2,000 screens,” DeMartini said. “You only get to show it on 600 screens, and Europe doesn’t get to see it. This is game making, and we’re trying to make money, but their creative souls is what they put into these products and to have other groups of the audience that can’t enjoy what they spent so long to create is frustrating.”
Crytek is still facing a number of obstacles before Crysis 2 launches, not the least of which will be taking full advantage of the hardware and features on three different platforms. Also neither of the two represenatives of Crytek would discuss specific differences between the PC and console versions of the game.
No official release date was noted for Crysis to hit consoles just yet – we’re guessing an early 2010.
[Source]
-BG Crew
