Quote:-Grand Theft Auto 4 coming to the 360 October of 2007. There's some confusion as to whether it's exclusive or just a timed exclusive. I'm betting on the later.

Quote:This E3 is proving what a great service LIVE really is. All these new trailers and demo's are just the beginning. This is what I envisioned LIVE to be...and the conference showcased alot of new stuff coming.
1) New Arcade Games: Games like Contra, Frogger, Pac-Man, Galaga, Dig Dug, Paperboy, Mortal Kombat, Ms. Pac-Man, Sonic The Hedgehog...etc...
Great stuff...I envisioned LIVE to be the new MAME...and it's starting to happen.
2) Lumines LIVE...I will be getting this on day one. The idea of downloading music videos(and I'm sure other content if you desire) and having them play in the background sounds interesting.
3) Actual TV show like content...starting with the Gears Of War special. No longer are we just treated to an occasional music video or movie trailer. I envision this to become a regular occurence on LIVE...actual shows to watch.
4) Demos of games are now coming out at a regular pace(with some of games that aren't out yet). This will only get better with time.
5) Unified gamertag across platforms. You will be able to use your gamertag on 360, Windows Vista, and Mobile devices...and if you buy a game like Zuma on the 360...you will be able to play it on your PC or mobile device...if the game is available on those platforms.(and many of those games are simple enough to be available on Mobile).
6) MSN Messenger integration was announced...so that means you will be able to freely communicate with people online on the PC...even if you are just on the 360...and even with mobile users.

Quote:Who is "winning" E3 so far? 42 Thumbs
Microsoft.

Wow. Who would have thought we'd be thinking like that a few years ago?

Yeah, yeah, I know - the show hasn't technically started yet, but the battle of the press conferences is over, and the victor is certainly quite apparent. There's a good chance there'll be some heated debate on the subject on the Podcast later, but in terms of strategy, games, and making you feel good for owning/wanting to own a 360 (or a PC!) you've got to hand it to Peter and his crew. Gears of War looked absolutely incredible (and it was particularly smart to open the conference with Cliffy playing it rather than showing a video, the Grand Theft Auto 4 anouncement was a genuine jaw-dropper, and of course Halo 3 was exactly the kind of fanboygasmic experience we were all hoping it would be.

Throw in the whole Live Anywhere thing, and the renewed vigor in pushing Games for Windows, and they were looking very strong indeed. When Microsoft first announced the 360, they were quietly positioning it as being something to "close the gap" between themselves and Sony in terms of market share, but now if you consider the rate at which the 360 is growing, and the PC side of the business as well, it starts to become clear what the Redmond boys are up to. By the end of 2007, they could very well be in the dominant position in the industry; calling the shots on two platforms, and shaping the way things are done that affect all of our expectations from games. I spoke to a number of people today who believe that this generation will shake down as a 40-40-20 split across the big three (Nintendo holding on to 20 per cent of the market with Wii) but when you factor the PC side of things too, that means that Microsoft is the dominant player in the big-budget, blockbuster games market.

What about Nintendo though? They certainly put on an impressive show, with Miyamoto conducting his virtual orchestra, Reggie prowling the stage as only he can, and Iwata providing yet another inspiring vision of what games should be about. But can they succeed? Yes. But they're probably not going to "win," much as we'd all like to see that. Nintendo's "job" now is to keep everyone honest. They're the voice that the industry needs.They're the conscience, and the guy at the back of the room reminding everyone why we got into this stuff in the first place. They're reminding everyone that it's supposed to be about fun, and fun isn't something that should be limited to 18-34 year old guys with some free time (and cash) on their hands. Reggie's questions, "how many people do you know that have never seen a movie, or watched TV, or read a book?" and "how many people do you know that have never played a videogame?" are important examples of what Nintendo is doing, and thank **** someone is thinking about "mainstream" gaming with their heads screwed on right. This is exactly the kind of thinking the games industry needs right now, and it needs Iwata, and Miyamoto saying it loudly and clearly at every available opportunity. Without that, we're going to be stuck with all the car chases and shoot-outs that Sony kept ramming down our throats yesterday, and we're going to be stuck with expensive hardware and games that scare people off, rather than draw them in.

Which I guess brings me nicely to PS3. As of right now, pre-show, and without having got my hands on it properly - it scares the **** out of me. So much of the games industry is based on the foundation laid down by the PlayStation brand, and the assumptions that publishers make about selling (lots of) games on Sony's platform. To see them roll out an absurdly expensive system that's not discernably that much more impressive than the 360, with a bunch of derivative-looking, mostly adult-themed games is giving me some cause for concern right now. Perhaps I'll feel better once I've got my hands on Resistance or Warhawk but that's not going to do anything for my doubts about the gimped 20GB pack and its missing HDMI ports, memory stick slots, and Wi-Fi connectivity. I dunno...I still need convincing. First order of tomorrow is to try and play as much PS3 stuff as possible, and perhaps I'll be convinced.

We're off to do today's Podcast now. Plenty to talk about...I'm not sure how we're going to squeeze it all into 30 minutes!

in the meantime, check out the Halo 3 vid if you haven't already;