Tendo City

Full Conference Video

Summary:

Quote:Accessory Announcements:
-HD-DVD drive will be $199 (UK £129.99) It will be packaged with HD-DVD King Kong and an Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote.

Marketplace:
-Sonic Demo on the marketplace
-GTA4 2 epic download Exclusive

Xbox Live Arcade:
-Doom on XBLA out now
-Sensible Soccer, Contra, Ultimate Mortal Kombat, Small Arms, Gyrus, TotemBall, Defender, Assault Heroes, Heavy Weapon, Settlers of Catan all announced for Xbox Live Arcade.

Game Announcements:
-Halo Wars, a Halo RTS, developed by Age of Empires developer, Ensemble Studio
-Banjo Kazooie announced, teaser shown
-Forza 2 will have 300 cars on-disc.
-Project Gotham Racing 4 CGI trailer shown
-Marvel massively multiplayer online game developed by the developers of City of Heroes.
-Guitar Hero 2 will be on the 360

Announced Exclusives:
-Splinter Cell 5 exclusive
-Kane & Lynch exclusive
-Blue Dragon exclusive
-Lost Odyssey exclusive
-Bioshock Exclusive (360 and Windows)

Miscellaneous:
-Viva Pinata shown again
-Mass Effect shown again
-Assassin's Creed demoed on stage (looked amazing, the detail, omg)
-Alan Wake shown (omg, amazing)
-Forza 2 shown (not playable)
-Gears of War demoed by Cliffy B
-Xbox 360 supports native 1080p via Fall Live update
-Peter Jackson to co-create a new chapter in the Halo series (not Halo 3 or Halo Wars)
-Microsoft helps establish Peter Jackson's Wingnut Interactive games development studio.

Quote:Barcelona, Spain—On the shores of one of the world's most artistic and progressive cities, Microsoft Corp. today thrilled attendees at its annual X06 event by inviting everyone to experience the next generation now on the Xbox 360™ system. The announcements and hands-on gameplay experiences highlight how the world's greatest game creators are pushing the boundaries of what is possible in high definition and online storytelling. Highlights of the announcements included the
following:

• A landmark partnership between Academy Award-winning writer,
director, and producer Peter Jackson, Academy Award-winning screenwriter Fran Walsh, and Microsoft Game Studios will create two new interactive entertainment series exclusively for Xbox 360 and Xbox Live®. The first will be a collaborative effort with Bungie Studios to co-create the next great chapter in the Halo® universe. The second will be an entirely original property targeted at bringing new audiences into the captivating world of interactive entertainment. In addition, Microsoft Game Studios will partner with Jackson and Walsh to establish Wingnut Interactive, a studio dedicated to the creation of world-class interactive entertainment.

• Halo® Wars is an all-new real-time strategy game based on the
legendary Halo universe and designed exclusively for Xbox 360 by Ensemble Studios, creators of the Age of Empires® franchise.

• Rockstar and Take-Two will provide Xbox 360 gamers with exclusive
access to two epic downloadable episodes of Grand Theft Auto IV via Xbox Live, each with hours of new gameplay content, and available only on Xbox 360 just months after the release of the title.

• Ubisoft confirmed that the next Splinter Cell title, the installment
after Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell® Double Agent™, will be exclusive to Xbox 360, a testament to the ability of the powerful next-gen game console to deliver experiences no other console can match.

• 2K Games confirmed that BioShock, a first person shooter that will
revolutionize the genre and forever change the expectations of gamers, will be released exclusively on Xbox 360 and Microsoft® Windows® next spring.

• Project Gotham Racing® 4, was unveiled, the latest addition to
the best-selling franchise, made exclusively for Xbox 360 by Bizarre Creations. PGR4 promises to continue the series' pedigree of innovation by introducing exciting new experiences to racing fans worldwide.

• The beloved Banjo-Kazooie® franchise will breathe new,
high-definition life exclusively on Xbox 360, from famed developer Rare Ltd. Beloved characters Banjo, Kazooie and Gruntilda—among other fan favorites—will new next-gen visuals and presentation as well as their sharp wit and hilarious sense of humor.

• Microsoft Game Studios will release its highly-anticipated new MMO
game, Marvel Universe Online for both Xbox 360 and the Windows Vista™ operating system. MUO was developed by industry luminaries Cryptic Studios, creators of the smash hits City of Heroes and City of Villains.

• Expect two new additions to Xbox Live Arcade: The FPS that pioneered
the network-gaming era, DOOM®, from acclaimed developer id Software and Activision, is available now on Xbox Live Marketplace. The game includes the original four-episode single-player game, four-player split screen action, both co-op and deathmatch, and four player co-op and deathmatch via Xbox Live. Coming soon to Xbox Live Arcade is Sensible World of Soccer from Codemasters. Based on a classic Amiga title from 1994, Sensible World of Soccer will let gamers choose between the original graphics or an updated, high-resolution look and feel—while still capturing the original game's wide world of football.

• Arriving at retailers in North America, the U.K, France and Germany
in mid-November 2006, the Xbox 360 HD DVD Player will retail for
$199.99 in North America (estimated retail price)* and €199.99/£129.99 (estimated retail price)* in the U.K., France and Germany. The Xbox 360 HD DVD Player comes with the Universal Pictures' blockbuster film Peter Jackson's "King Kong" on HD DVD (for a limited time) and the Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote.

"Xbox 360 is changing the way developers are telling stories today — from the industry's most beloved franchises to exciting new properties," said Peter Moore, corporate vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business in the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. "We are inspiring the imaginations of the entertainment industry's best and most creative talent to take their franchises in exciting directions, while also spinning new tales for everyone."

"We are incredibly pleased to be here in Barcelona to talk about the next chapter of Xbox and how Xbox 360 continues to deliver on the promise and potential of the next generation," said Chris Lewis, regional vice president of the Home and Entertainment Division, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), at Microsoft. "As we prepare to launch some of our biggest global titles and best regional content both right now and well into the future, consumers will have much to choose from with a system designed for high-definition and online entertainment. We are the only next-generation experience that seamlessly connects players to their games, friends and entertainment content."

Xbox 360 Stretches Popular Franchises in New Directions Xbox 360 continues to expand the interactive entertainment landscape, enabling industry superstars to take beloved franchises in exciting new directions. Microsoft Game Studios announced its partnership with Peter Jackson to herald in a new age of interactive entertainment that can only be realized on Xbox 360 and Xbox Live. The goal of this partnership is to create new stories and redefine the way they are told. The first part of this long-term relationship is for Jackson, Walsh and team to bring to life two new interactive entertainment experiences exclusively for the Xbox 360 and Xbox Live. The first project is to co-write, co-design and co-produce a completely new and original chapter in the "Halo" universe in collaboration with Bungie Studios. The second project is an entirely original property from the team in New Zealand that will not only bring a whole new interactive story to life, but will also captivate new audiences that have yet to discover the power of interactive entertainment.

More in store for tomorrow. Fable 2 to be demoed.

Sometimes I get the feeling you were specifically hired to worm your way into our little message board and start advertising MS like crazy. I mean, I like my 360 and am looking forward to some games, but mang you just seem a little...

Eh don't worry about it. Maybe I'm just paranoid from all those articles about people who are hired to do exactly that. Maybe... *suspicious unjustified glare*

hahahahahahaha :D:D:D It's true :D

but omg Banjo Kazooie!!! Screens?? movies??

INTERROBANG

Already posted a summary in the "hddvd price rumors" thread. :)

I wish I were getting paid. I'm just excited.

Yeah, zOMG!!1 BANJO IS BACK!!!!!!!!1! It was the first thing announced and I really didn't care about much afterwards...well, the whole Peter Jackson announcement was pretty good as was the Halo Wars game...BANJO!

The teaser was shown this morning, and it was hard to tell if there was any realtime in it or not. It could have been whenever they showed Banjo running towards a really lush green field with some jiggies on top of various peaks...:D

imma d/l

the bad news is that the Banjo team is gone from Rare (They formed a company called Zoonami and have produced diddly squat) but hell, all they have to do is play the N64 games and get a feel of everything. I dont want the collectathon to be at DK64 levels but somewhere between DK64 and Banjo Tooie would be perfect, I think. This is the first REAL mascot MS has ever gotten and become MS's Mario easily. It's really too bad it's not on Wii, just imagine using that controller for all the moves... but with the 360 pad and all its buttons I can imagine B~K will have some uber complicated moves. They should take care not to make it like Kameo as well, since B~K is all about the huge platforming levels, boss fights and objective-based Jiggies of course that involve mini-games and puzzles. Hopefuly the transformations are back like Termite, Washing Machine, etc. Though they should have fun with some of them, like a squierrel transformation with a potty mouth, something that screams Rare.

well krap the trailer stops d/l before he gets through the door

weird, I just now watched the whole thing. They do get through the door.

I believe the main director from the first two games is still at Rare, George Andreas? He commented back in 2005 that he would helm the third installment as well.

Yeah, I'm hoping they cut back on how many moves there are. I didn't care for the transformations in the second game. I felt as though they were a distraction and tacked on. Hopefully they'll show more of it tomorrow.

Cut back on the moves?! BT was like the first sequel I played where they didn't inexplicably scrap the moveset of the character, and I loved that! Megaman, Metroid, Zelda, they all seemed to lose all their toys between games for some inexplicable reason until that game! Well, in the case of Megaman Legends 2 they made fun of that. (I actually did like the Legends games, though I'm glad they are taking time to release the third because while fun they weren't amazing epics like they could be if they really took the time to make a good 3D Megaman.) In MML2, you specifically ask Roll where all your weapons are, and she basically just tells you she sold them all to pay for some new engine parts, to your horror. That little joke has been a popular excuse in my circle of friends ever since. So, we shall see if Banjo sold his moves.

Dark Jaguar Wrote:Cut back on the moves?! BT was like the first sequel I played where they didn't inexplicably scrap the moveset of the character, and I loved that! Megaman, Metroid, Zelda, they all seemed to lose all their toys between games for some inexplicable reason until that game! Well, in the case of Megaman Legends 2 they made fun of that. (I actually did like the Legends games, though I'm glad they are taking time to release the third because while fun they weren't amazing epics like they could be if they really took the time to make a good 3D Megaman.) In MML2, you specifically ask Roll where all your weapons are, and she basically just tells you she sold them all to pay for some new engine parts, to your horror. That little joke has been a popular excuse in my circle of friends ever since. So, we shall see if Banjo sold his moves.

I don't know. My problem likely had something to do with the fact I would play it for a couple hours and put it down for a month or so, pick it back up for a couple days, down for several months, and so on. It's hard to remember some 40 moves all that time.

EDIT: IGN now has the BK3 teaser trailer. Hi-res if you're an insider.

Is there a downloadable version of that Banjo movie? I hate in-browser ones when I have an alternative...

A Black Falcon Wrote:Is there a downloadable version of that Banjo movie? I hate in-browser ones when I have an alternative...

http://media.xbox360.ign.com/media/015/0...ids_1.html

Banjo looks weird! Too much teeth or not enough eye, not sure :D

And why on earth was there an electric guitar playing the ....BANJO... theme? Oh well, trailer kicked ass. It would be sweet if the visuals lived up to that.

btw B~K with less moves is like Samus with fewer powerups.