An Xbox E3 Roundup

OK, so this one is going to have to be a bit more abridged, but here are some of the highlights from Microsoft.

Xbox 360

- Assassin's Creed 2 gets a November 17 release date. Trailer.
- The Beatles Rock Band is looking amazing. Harmonizing vocals, downloadable Abbey Road, awesome plastic instruments and an awesome intro video.
- Brutal Legend still looks great. Jack Black gets electrocuted and Ozzy Osbourne joins the line-up (meanwhile, Dio mysteriously disappears from it). Trailer.
- DJ Hero exists. Trailer.
- Final Fantasy XIII looking at a 2010 release date. Trailer.
- Halo 3: ODST gets September 22 release, will feature four-player co-op. Trailer.
- Left 4 Dead 2 is luckily not titled Left 4 Dead Again and will hit stores on November 17 (alongside its assassin brother listed above). Four new characters will be featured in gameplay. Extremely violent trailer.
- LEGO Rock Band looks charming, totally unnecessary. Trailer.
- Metal Gear Solid Rising is coming to the Xbox 360. Teaser trailer.
- Project Natal is revealed - it's like a Wiimote for the 360. Cool?
- Tony Hawk Ride to be played with a skateboard peripheral controller. Great Yeah Yeah Yeahs-laden trailer.
- XBLA Summer of Arcade to feature TMNT: Turtles In Time Re-shelled, 'Splosion Man, Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 and Monkey Island Special Edition.
- Oh, and Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm, and a special Games On Demand service were all announced for Xbox Live. Again, cool?

OK, so that's the bulk of it, folks. Any notable omissions? I ran through this really fast.

A Nintendo E3 Round-up

Hey gang, it's E3! No, I'm not in L.A., but there's something I can do. That's right, condense the information for your reading pleasure! I'll start here with the Nintendo announcements.


Wii/DS

- Super Mario Galaxy 2 is announced, but won't be released until 2010. The big difference between this one and the original? You get to ride Yoshi. Tie yourself over with this trailer.
- Metroid: Other M will launch in 2010 and is being developed by Team Ninja, the guys behind the Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive games. Check it out.
- New Super Mario Bros. Wii looks charming as can be. You've got a four-player co-op mode, which can be played from what it looks like by Mario, Luigi and a couple of Toads. Otherwise, it looks like the original Super Mario Bros., except with more modes. Check out the trailer.
- Dance Dance Revolution is announced for the Wii. It's going to utilize the Wii Balance Board and be primarily fitness based. Otherwise, doesn't look too different.
- Professor Layton and The Diabolical Box for the DS gets a release date (August 24) and brand new trailer.
- Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story is an RPG for the DS, which releases this fall. Here's a look at it. - Zelda Wii (which is the tentative title, I'm sure) didn't get a lot of attention, but good old Shigeru Miyamoto tells us that we can expect it by 2010 at the earliest.
- Golden Sun is announced for the DS - the first game of the series in six years. Want a trailer? Of course you do.
- Cooking Mama 3 is announced for the DS.
- Wii Sports Resort and Wii Fit Plus get shown off. They're exactly what you'd expect.
- Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days will be released on September 29.
- In case you don't feel like you've gotten your Mario fix, Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again will be released on June 8 for DSiWare. Check out the press conference demonstration here.
- TMNT: Smash Up heads your way on September 22.

OK, so that's all of the big stuff. We'll talk about Sony, Microsoft and all of the multiplatformers (can you say The Beatles Rock Band?) quite soon. Happy E3, everybody!

E3: More Trailers, Everybody

Did you think you were done looking at all the exciting new developments in gaming? Think again. Trailers!

The Sims 3



That's right, you're not done with The Sims. They'll never stop. Soon enough, you're going to have a pet Sim that speaks a different language and is mostly interested in making sure his bladder bar is low.

Gravity



Ah, a simple puzzle-type game. Hey everybody, ever hear of Crayon Physics Deluxe? When's that going to happen? It looks like somebody is just carpetbaggin' that creative wave.

Singularity



Hmm...a mysterious shooter, eh? We shall see.

Fatal Frame (Japanese trailer)



Ooh, a horror game for the Wii! And it's not Resident Evil? I'm liking the sound of that. Let's just hope the gameplay can rival what Capcom has set in order.

PixelJunk Eden



Finally, cute and artsy comes to the PlayStation 3. Maybe with this and Little Big Planet they can get an edge on the Wii.

There's also a great trailer for Afro Samurai, the video game based on the epic cartoon starring Samuel L. Jackson, but since it's in HD, you should probably just check it out here.

Street Fighter IV



Wow. That's awesome.

Wolfenstein



Takin' care of goose-steppers never went out of style. Let 'em hear it, ya howlers! WAH-HOOO!

Oh, and here's a much better trailer for Sonic Unleashed.



De Blob



Colors! The Wii! Fun!

Oh, and about Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. There were a lot of gameplay trailers for the game. There are so many that I don't know where to start. You should watch all of them here.

WWE: Legends of Wrestlemania (and I'll skip the other wrestling games)



Castlevania Judgment



Eh. By the way, what villain actually yells, "Submit!" Nobody does that! They yell much more scary things. I know. I've fought them.

That's all for now. Enjoy!

"I Am Alive" Trailer is Chilling

There's no doubt about it. There were way too many awesome trailers that emerged from E3. One of the most impressive things was the trailer for a game called I Am Alive, the latest project from Ubisoft and Jade Raymond, the developer of Assassin's Creed.

There are a few things that get me about this trailer. For one thing, the game isn't a sequel, which is a huge relief. Yes, Mega Man 9 and Street Fighter IV and the other dozens of sequels do look pretty good. But my biggest complaint (especially for Nintendo's conference) is the lack of new, original ideas.

I Am Alive takes place in Chicago after a natural disaster of tears the city apart. Frankly, I think the scariest part of the trailer is how realistic the city of Chicago looks while it's being ripped apart. When I watched it, I said "Oh man, isn't that right near where I go to pick up my friends?" It's absolutely chilling. Check it out.

E3: Some Wii Trailers

The trailers just don't stop. Have some more - Wii style, babies!

Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels



This looks like it could be fun. Of course, like most Wii games, you'll look like a fool playing it, but perhaps it'll be a good lightsaber outlet.

Animal Crossing: City Folk



And now I give my lecture about the last Animal Crossing. I didn't like playing it. It made me feel obligated to get on and play it every day. When I didn't get on and play Animal Crossing in a few months, I got a lecture from everyone in my village. No thanks. I like playing games for fun, not computer-generated friendships (and the friends are needy).

Shaun White Snowboarding



Huh. Didn't they have a snowboarding game in arcades that let you, oh, stand on an actual board? I don't know. I'm not thrilled with what Nintendo has to offer. They need to come up with some new ideas that don't involve peripherals or overused characters. Fast.

E3: Trailers!

There are so many new trailers to go over. Here are a few that I'm pretty excited about.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game



Final Fantasy XIII



Sonic Unleashed



Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts



LEGO Batman



Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise



Resident Evil 5



Fable 2



Gears of War 2



Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 Fusion



Prince of Persia: Next Gen

E3: The Netflix News

I've mentioned a few times the hush-hush word about a possible Xbox/Netflix fusion plan. Well it has finally been officially announced. Some clever hackers had already come up with a way to do this, but now it has been made completely user friendly. Check it out.

This comes on the heels of other things that are all a part of the new Xbox experience. Translation: I need to buy one for my new apartment.

So Much...Happening...In Gaming News Today...

Today is day two of E3. The biggest gamer's conference in the country. There are so many new trailers, game announcements, and cool things going on today that I can't promise comprehensive coverage. But I'll try my best to give you what I feel merits some worthy attention.

Sonic Unleashed(?)

Looks a lot like the original Sonic platforms for the Genesis, right?


So there isn't an official announcement, but there has been a slew of rumors over the weekend. Sonic Unleashed is possibly making it to Xbox 360, PS3, and the Wii. From the sound of it, no official announcement will be made until E3 or May. It looks like a cross between a next-gen Sonic the Hedgehog and a follow-up to Sonic and the Secret Rings. Either way, it looks intriguing.

Messin' With the Kid

Rumors have been reeling about a new Kid Icarus game for the Wii. Seriously, you can't swing a cat in a video game blog without hitting some more speculation.

Personally, I never played the original game. I'm honestly only interested in the prospect of a new Kid Icarus installment because of how awesome Pit is in Super Smash Bros.

If there are any official announcements, I'll hit you with them - especially if anything arises from E3. But is anybody else hoping for this thing?