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The Internet Entertainment Games

E3 - Pre-Show Announcements Overwhelm, Entertain 81

Posted by simoniker from the too-many-news-stories dept.
Thanks to GameSpot for its massive E3 update list, GameSpy for a similar E3 index, IGN for its latest E3 news, and 1UP for its E3 dispatches, as the major gaming sites update on "hundreds of new games" revealed leading up to the E3 Expo in Los Angeles. New highlights include an "epic three-hour press conference" revealing Konami's new games, including screenshots of Metal Gear Acid for PSP, and elsewhere, screenshots and a preview of Metroid Prime Hunters for Nintendo DS, the announcement and screenshots of "unique armband"-toting EyeToy: AntiGrav for PS2, preview and screenshots of Mario 64x4 for Nintendo DS, and much, much more. What's been your favorite hardware or software revelation so far?
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E3 - Pre-Show Announcements Overwhelm, Entertain More

E3 - Pre-Show Announcements Overwhelm, Entertain

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  • Nintendo DS looks most impressive (Score:4, Interesting)

    by tttonyyy ( 726776 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @08:02AM (#9125317) Homepage Journal
    Given the choice I'd go for the Ninty DS. That optical drive on the PSP is bound to cause battery life issues, and I quite like the dual-screen arrangement over the PSP single screen (even though it's a good size). Is it just me, or are the titles announced for the PSP not very exciting compared to the DS? At least Nintendo have got some innovation in there rather than churning out the usual sports muck.
    • Metal Gear looks good to me, but you're right-- there doesn't seem to be a whole lot on the PSP that excites the average player. I'm sure everyone has one game that looks to be the best of the lot, and this varies-- for me, it's Metal Gear; for others, it might be Gran Turismo or something else-- but I don't think there's anyone out there who isn't at least a little intrigued by some of the possibilites of the DS.

    • Re:Nintendo DS looks most impressive (Score:3, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Yeah Sony is saying 2-2.5 hours when the screen is active and 10 with just music. Compared to Nintendo's claim of 10 hours for the DS...
    • At least Nintendo have got some innovation in there rather than churning out the usual sports muck.

      Yes, they really innovated the hell out of: Animal Crossing DS, Mario Kart DS, Metroid Prime: Hunters, an unnamed Super Mario Bros game, Super Mario 64X4, and WarioWare Inc.

      This certainly looks a lot fresher than the PSP offerings!

      • PSP offerings:

        "Gran Turismo, Ridge Racer, Wipeout, Dynasty Warriors, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, Medievil, Ape Escape, Spider-Man, Metal Gear Solid, and a Capcom fighting game", "NBA Street, NFL Street, Need for Speed Underground, and a Tiger Woods PGA golf game"

        Wow! Those ARE like nothing I've ever seen before! Ass.
        • I think if you had read my post, you would understand that I was replying to someone who said the DS was more innovative in its offerings than the PSP. As it turns out, they both are just rehashing old hits.

          Oh, and please stop checking out my ass.

      • Re:Nintendo DS looks most impressive (Score:4, Insightful)

        by metroid composite ( 710698 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @10:48AM (#9126543) Homepage Journal
        I'll agree that most of those look like rehashes. The big exception I've seen is Warioware, where the gameplay is largely through the touch screen which changes the dynamic dramatically from the first one allowing for several different gameplay options.

        Then again, name means little; tell me Super Mario Bros 2 is just a Super Mario Bros 1 rehash. (Given that it wasn't even a Mario game to start with, but repackaged as one...).

        There's also that little fact where guess which games make headlines in the previews? The big name stuff--cheap sequels to games that turned out really popular. You have to sift through the garbage if you want to find anything. PSP games people are excited about are Metal Gear, Gran Turismo, Viewtiful Joe, and Devil May Cry. XBox games people are excited about are Halo 2, Half Life 2, and Doom 3. GC games people are excited about include various things with Zelda, Resident Evil, Metroid, and Mario in the title.

      • "This certainly looks a lot fresher than the PSP offerings! "

        The second touch screen, wireless connectivity, and built in microphone didn't freshen things up compared to the "almost as good as a PS2" PSP which also has familiar games?

    • Re:Nintendo DS looks most impressive (Score:4, Interesting)

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @10:27AM (#9126346)
      The DS seems to be solidly designed and delivers on all fronts. Backlit, SNES-style four button pad, larger for larger kids, wireless 16-player multiplayer (sooo convenient), microphone and headphone jacks, full GBA compatability, and all while managing a respectable 10-hour battery life. As far as new software goes it's almost too good to be true the number of games they have coming out. Sure, that's all what you should expect, but when you get it and it delivers it's something else than just expecting.

      I'm looking forward to Animal Crossing DS myself. Could you imaging having people (up to 16, I hope) wander into your town by just turning on their DS wireless from ~100 feet away. Imagine how many people you'll just bump into playing ACDS waiting in the airport or on a train. And the pen-based typing system is a godsend compared to the original Gamecube version. I'd venture to say it's easily superior.

      If 10% of the DS games can surprise me like Animal Crossing DS I won't need any other system.
    • For the PSP, they really don't seem to be designing games with the system in mind, it seems. At least, not the ones they've shown. Wipeout on a small screen? Gran Turismo with no analog stick? Blech.
    • I'm guessing the big difference in battery life is the mechanism behind spinning an optical disk. Solid state is cheaper on battery life.

      I'll probably get both, but the PSP may have shock & vibe problems. Also, I now have nephews that are into these games and the biggest problem are optical disks. They DON'T put them away and they get scratched into uselessness. They're getting cartridge players like GBA or the "DS" until they show a little care.
      • Don't forget the laser, and the fact that the screen is a big backlit TFT.

        The UMD media comes in protective sleeves(as all Optical media should DARN IT) like old Videodiscs did.

        So, don't let that stop you from getting one for your nephews. I think the low battery life is the main major mark against the PSP right now.

    • I agree, the DS is pretty damn amazing. I'm hoping they release some kind of free developers kits, maybe a Java 2 Mobile VM or something. Hell, anything would be cool.

      I have to agree with one of the other posters. Sony knows what's they're doing with that Metal Gear Acid title. They should call it Metal Gear Heroine, that series of titles is damn addictive, ; worse than cigarettes.

      In either case, Nintendo DS will be released this year, maybe 1 year before Sony's PSP. So everyone who wants the *new* p

      • Actually, from what I've heard/read Square-Enix isn't on board with Sony's PSP yet. They are waiting to see how Sony's system pans out. (Not 100% sure on this)

        What we all do know is that Square-Enix has already confirmed that they will be developing for the DS, so if anything, the DS will be getting a Final Fantasy game before the PSP does.

  • Big Wow For Next-Gen Portable Graphics (Score:4, Informative)

    by Babbster ( 107076 ) <aaronbabb&gmail,com> on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @08:05AM (#9125334) Homepage
    After looking at the Metroid Prime: Hunters and Metal Gear Acid screenshots, I'm stunned. Small screen or not, we're talking about an incredible graphical improvement in portables. The lighting (or texturing?) in the Metal Gear Acid pics is incredible, and the Metroid pics are beautiful if still a bit jaggy (mainly because the DS resolution per screen is lower than that of the PSP. Obviously, graphics don't make for fun but they sure can enhance it a great deal, as well as providing more of the modern gameplay options with the switch to 3D. Playability is still a question mark with the small screen, but I'm sure jazzed about seeing true portable 3D.

    One other thought. Nintendo should give Gamespot the "business" over that screenshot index for Metroid Prime: Hunters. It had me wondering if the pics were a joke until clicking and finding out the index was populated with the low-detail map screen instead of the main game. :)

    • Nintendo should give Gamespot the "business" over that screenshot index for Metroid Prime: Hunters. It had me wondering if the pics were a joke until clicking and finding out the index was populated with the low-detail map screen instead of the main game.

      I'm guessing you're not a programmer. With the number of screenshots that a site like that is generating, especially during the week of E3, it'd be absolutely impossible to generate an "ideal" thumbnail for each screenshot that they get by selecting the
      • You're right. I'm not a programmer. Of course, that doesn't mean that I'm stupid, either, in that I'm aware they're using a program to generate the thumbnails automatically. It might be convenient to simply drop a bunch of pictures in a directory and then let a program/script create the thumbnails, but if those thumbnails are useless then the purpose is defeated (and someone should probably at least glance at pages before they're published). I expect that it's simply an issue of pre-defined dimensions o

    • Re:Big Wow For Next-Gen Portable Graphics (Score:1, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward
      "Obviously, graphics don't make for fun but they sure can enhance it a great deal"?

      Obviously you haven't been paying attention to the lessons of the modern game market. Gameplay comes 2nd or 3rd to graphics. Cool, not good, is what is important now.

      Lord I sound like such a curmudgeon...
      • Yeah, people keep saying that. But can you honestly name one game, that has been widely considered good (and/or has been successful), and doesn't have good gameplay?
        • Anything having to do with DOA? It's a subpar fighting game, whose only REAL redeeming value is destructible environments, which is now commonplace in a fighting game. And don't get me starting on DOA:XBV.
          • Well, at first i hated DOA3(was it 3 on XBox?). But it just needed some readjustment from Virtua Fighter 2 & Soul Calibur veteran. But after i got into it it was really great; especially when playing with four players. One thing that needed improvement was dodging, after too many hours of playing this all of us could dodge most of the attacks.. well i don't know how it could be improved.

  • PSP vs DS (Score:3, Informative)

    by bludstone ( 103539 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @09:01AM (#9125640)
    An interesting development.

    PSP has around 100 signed development houses making games for the system. Now, so does nintendo, but this will be a unique situation.

    Personally, Im rooting for nintendo, but I think the PSP will "win," for the same reason the ps1 "won" over the n64. The storage medium.

    We shall see. We shall see.

    • Re:PSP vs DS (Score:3, Insightful)

      by fr0dicus ( 641320 )
      I'm not convinced by that. CD was an established media in the first place, and the PS1 was not portable. I wonder if it'll take the punishment.

      Although at the price that people are estimating I wonder if it would even succeed without competition. It's too similar to the Game Gear/Lynx for comfort, in terms of price and potentially poor battery life.

    • Re:PSP vs DS (Score:3, Insightful)

      by wickedj ( 652189 )
      I agree in that storage medium was a big factor in the Playstation vs. N64 battle but in portables, this will be a little different.

      In a portable, I would think that moving parts would cause serious battery drain. Cart vs. Optical, the cart is going to produce a longer battery life and will have faster access. Plus, they are much more durable than optical. Now, the optical will most likely have a much larger storage capacity. It'll be interesting to see what consumers choose in the long run.

      In the end

      • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

        by account_deleted ( 4530225 )
        Comment removed based on user account deletion

        • Re:PSP vs DS (Score:1, Insightful)

          by Anonymous Coward
          The other AC above me makes some good points.

          I want to stress that portable CD players have very simple playback logic compared to the program logic in games machines, have much simpler display screens (and therefore graphics logic), have simpler interfaces, and do a lot less seeking than optical-disc-based game systems do. That's because a portable CD player is basically a drive plugged into a DAC, plugged into an amp, connected to a headphone jack. Buttons, and interface are simple and connected drictl
    • If there is any winning involved in having 2 great portable devices, the winner in the category "storage medium" is clearly Nintendo, because cartridges don`t drain battery power from the device and so the DS most probably will have a much longer playtime/charge than the PSP which has to do constant disc-spinnning.

    • Re:PSP vs DS (Score:4, Insightful)

      by nicky_d ( 92174 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @10:58AM (#9126626) Homepage
      It wasn't just the storage system that helped the PS 'beat' the N64, though; Sony's marketing and the focus of its games played a large part - specifically titles like Wipeout, which roped in a huge casual market while Nintendo at launch were wowing the longtime gamers with Mario 64, but hardly attracting the man in the street. Sony continued this trend with titles like Gran Turismo, and generally created the casual gaming market.

      That isn't to say Nintendo didn't produce some cracking games, but their market for them was always limited more by their image than by the choice of cartridge technology. Obviously the expense of cartridges didn't help (when Turok came out in the UK, it cost almost twice as much as a new PS game), but games like Resident Evil 2 (admittedly a late entry) showed that the cartridge could compete with the CD, and games from the outset like Mario 64 and Pilotwings proved that Nintendo could deliver the goods regardless of format.

      Anyway, the handhelds? Well, being the owner of a NES and SNES, and therefore familiar with the original Mario Kart, Metroid and Mario games. the Game Boy Advance hasn't done much to wow me beyond Advance Wars and Wario Ware. I'm sure it's a fantastic system for someone who's playing Mario Kart or Super Mario World on it for the first time, but I'm clearly a jaded old fart. The link-up options and touch screen sound like they could be promising, if used well. At the same time, the inclusion of an analogue controller on the PSP is important and sadly missing from the DS - though it would probably boost the price and maybe raise the vulnerability of the unit.

      The PSP software lineup also feels very familiar, of course, but there is the saving grace that many of these titles are seeing their first handheld iteration, and might gain some novelty points that way. A portable Metal Gear sounds and looks wonderful, if a little antisocial...

      At the end of the day, I'll probably get 'em both just out of curiosity and hope. And I'm sure both will have a few great games and a lot of dross. So why on earth I've been wittering on like this, I've no idea. Go Nintendo! Go Sony! Give us hell!
      • The PSP software lineup also feels very familiar, of course, but there is the saving grace that many of these titles are seeing their first handheld iteration, and might gain some novelty points that way. A portable Metal Gear sounds and looks wonderful, if a little antisocial...

        Oh but we have seen a portable Metal Gear already (on the Gameboy Colour I believe). Sure, not a fully 3D one, but we haven't seen a portable 3D Mario or portable 3D Metroid either.

        • Yeah, good point - obviously the PSP MGS will be on a different level to the GBA one, but as you say, a portable 3D Metroid will also be new. Shame about the control options on the DS, but I do trust Nintendo to work out the best control method for the hardware.

          Really, I hope Nintendo produce some great stuff for the DS - and that Sony do the same for the PSP. It all works out well for me that way. But I'd still rather see progress that updates (from both camps). Now in terms of handheld gaming, the DS has
    • "Personally, Im rooting for nintendo, but I think the PSP will "win," for the same reason the ps1 "won" over the n64. The storage medium."

      The Nintendo DS will, on day one, have a library of over a thousand games. The PSP will only have a handful of launch titles. The reason why the N64 didn't win (didn't lose either, I dunno why 30 million systems sold is considered a defeat) is because it didn't flood the shelves with games. The catridge format made that so much harder to do compared to Sony's CD fo
  • But all this coverage of halo 2 has me going nuts. This game looks so amazingly awesome. The addition of weilding two different weapons at the same time is going to add so many different strategies it hurts just to think about. It was so awsome to see the warthog blow up and the tire come rolling down the hit - you could even shoot off the individual hubcaps , and I just can't wait to carjack people GTA style in good game of capture the flag. I lookforward to Doom 3 and Half Life 2 and all, but for my m

  • No Contest... (Score:1, Funny)

    by jromz03 ( 686423 )
    N-Gage rules E3!!! Go Nokia, show them how portable gaming really is!

  • My Favorite? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Undefined Parameter ( 726857 ) <.moc.oohay. .ta. .modeerf4leuf.> on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @09:42AM (#9125935)
    That one's easy--Halo 2. I wasn't able to be physically present at E3, but I'd still gone into it with little enthusiasm and nominal expectations. I expected some more progress from Halflife 2, maybe another movie from the Doom 3 folks, and, if lucky, something from Blizzard, as well. I knew that Bungie was going to be at E3, but all I expected from them was, at the most, another teaser or demo video. They pretty much "submarined" their way into the conference, with just about nothing coming out of them as to whether or not they were even going to be there until last Thursday.

    So they showed up, and I wasn't there for it, off studying for a more-important Final Exam. I get back, check a website or two, and WHAM! Halo news sites have gone bonkers. So I get curious and start checking things out... couple of interviews, ok, nothing too awful special, damn spiffy new screenshots, and... sweet jeebus, they had a playable demo and there's already a shakey-cam version of the presentation they gave before they allowed folks to have at it. I watch the presentation, of course, expecting something along the lines of Halo's multiplayer action in look and feel.

    Nope, I'm most pleasantly surprised. Even through the really crappy compression and resolution, I'm blown away. Customizable this, that, and another thing, new weapons that look, sound, and work better than anything I've seen in a video game, before, and... destructable environments AND intelligently-designed destructable vehicles!? Woah, momma!

    So, yeah... definately going with Halo 2, there, and I'm rather unsure why it hasn't been covered here.

    ~UP
    • Not wanting to raise a flame war or anything.

      I'm more looking forward to Halo 2 as well. Reading the interviews and multiplayer mode just left me with a sadness that I don't live in USA and can't attend E3 myself.

      In fact, it might be the first game where I'll actually, gasp, pre-order.

      On the PC front, I'm never much of a half-life fan, perhaps because my PC was really slow at the time and the game didn't play very well, by the time I had a good PC the game was already over a year old and the chunky mode

  • A mixture (Score:3, Insightful)

    by metroid composite ( 710698 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @10:22AM (#9126294) Homepage Journal
    In terms of "ooh pretty" it'd be the Zelda pictures. I was also impressed by the overal quality of handheld graphivs.

    In terms of gameplay quite clearly Warioware DS. After the innovation with the original, I wasn't sure what more they could add (the GC Warioware didn't seem worth it) but the kind of stuff I'm reading about Warioware with a touch screen...yeah, that's going to be totally new gameplay.

    • The GCN WarioWare is almost complete different, granted you're playing it in multiplayer mode. Sure, you play the same games (maybe 10 more than on the GBA version), but there are completely different strategies depending on the multiplayer game.

      Playing the balloon burst, you might not want to win the first time, to give your opponent a chance to blow up the balloon, or you might not want to pump the balloon so your opponent can't blow it on you.

      Playing the doctor game, gameplay doesn't even matter. Whoev

  • Nintendo DS (Score:2, Interesting)

    by clu76 ( 620823 )
    The DS looks like it's gonna be "Da Sheeit!" I was skeptical at first. But now the details are out, I can't wait to get my hands on one of these. Favorite features are the stylus and the wireless.

    Also looking forward to Zelda, Doom III, Super Mario DS and Tron Killer App.
  • Whoop-dee-doo... we get to see the OVERHEAD MAP SYSTEM. Why do these sites bother posting screenshots if they don't even show the game itself?

    Do they expect someone to say, "Holy shit, those are the best damn map screens I've ever seen! This game will kick ASS!!"?

    *roll eyes*
  • I know IGN and GameSpot and GameSpy have lots of coverage, but unless they're paying you off, why not mention a few of the more smaller (and in my opinion more interesting) sites?

    My (current) personal favorite is Games Are Fun. [gamesarefun.com] I consider them to be the spirtual successors to the GIA. The _actual_ successor to the GIA, GameForms, [gameforms.com] has a decent amount of E3 stuff, but normally they're glacially slow on updates.

    The Magic Box [the-magicbox.com] is also pretty good. They're sometimes a little slow to update, but they've got a

  • I keep reading comments about how there are no new franchises on the systems, but at least the PSP has a few (Death Jr., Joe, etc...). What's new with the DS?
    • THis is an asinine question. The concepts of franchises and innovation are unrelated. Mario 64 is a part of the Mario franchise, but it was innovative. In this case, every early DS title will be somewhat innovative. It will use features of the console that have simply never existed before. Gameplay and setting/characters are not related. The PSP seems to just be getting nearly straight ports.
  • That's what's really missing from E3. I'd like to see some of this innovation everyone is throwing at their hardware rechanneled into software development. What's the use of having a rockin new Nintendo or Sony portable if all I have to play on it are rehashes of rehashes of games? Not that I don't like sequels, but I'd like something fresh from time to time.
  • are you people new to the console gaming scene?

    Every time a new system comes out the first games are usually "rehashes" of games from the previous systems. The test is how original the games are that come out afterwards. Of course you're going to hear about Mario, Metroid, Animal Crossing, etc. for an initial lineup, just link Sony has theirs.

    The nice thing about Nintendo is they will have the technology (wireless, 2 screens, etc.) to allow them to be way more innovative in the long run than Sony. Whic
  • A couple weeks ago, Sega announced that they had a big announcement to make at E3 [1up.com] that would rock us all. Dreamcast 2? Dreamcast portable?

    So what is it? Here's all I could rake up about Sega so far:

    So I guess it's the Matrix Online announcement. Is anybody else underwhelmed? I'm a self professed Sega fanboy, but with the incredible PSP and DS announcements, and even the FPS barrage of Halo 2 / Half-Life 2 / Doom 3, it's hard to ge

  • From the text of the page with the armband pics:
    "We do fear that they'll make people look silly, and thus put some off from playing it, though."

    That sure doesn't seem to stop people from playing DDR.......in public.....

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