Liverpool FC Forum

by **neil** » Mon May 08, 2006 12:33 pm

I am ranked 9th in the world at 8 ball pool on xbox live. :buttrock

by **The Ace1983** » Mon May 08, 2006 6:03 pm

Cogratulations! I didn't know seven other people had it!

Only kidding. Well done.

by **The Ace1983** » Mon May 08, 2006 10:12 pm

Less than 2 hours before Sony's press conference. I'll be watching it anyway, so I'll post any news I get. I may as well do the same for the 360 and the Wii.

by **The Ace1983** » Tue May 09, 2006 2:25 am

Oh, my God. If there was ever a cure for insomnia, it's a Sony press conference. E3's offering of everything Playstation was no different, and was even more effective as an aid to snooze as everyone had to hang around for half an hour before it began (probably because another unit decided to commit suicide and explode in a dazzling display of sparks and the ghosts of long forgotten programmers). So after the wait, what did we get? Twaddle, rubbish and extra helpings of ego stroking. "Oooh look at us, aren't we fantastic" seemed to be what their spokesman was saying for the first fifteen minutes which had everyone reaching for their inflatable pillows and slumber masks.

After an introduction that would make a party political broadcast look riveting, which moaned on about flexability and how they didn't want any gimmicks (which was obviously aimed at Nintendo from the people who brought us the Eye-Toy) we actually got some facts. Yes, the PS3 would be able to work with the PSP, and yes they had over spent by billions, and yes, the PS2 would be staying around for a while yet with another 216 titles confirmed for it.

Then came all the stuff about the PSP and how wonderful it was doing (except they refused to name a % of the market which is an obvious indication of Nintendo's continued dominance). It sounded like some new models may be brought out and definately some new peripherals including cameras and the like. 155 new titles have been confirmed and a Greatest Hits series has been commisioned which will start with titles including Wipeout Pure and Ape Escape. The most exciting news was probably about the confirmed PSP release of a new Metal Gear Solid game, but the striking thing was the lack of applause and enthusiasm surrounding the handheld console.

We were then subjected to one of those awful adverts where "normal" people from around the world go on about how wonderful Sony is and why they'll all be rushing out to buy the PS3. The only good thing about this was that it meant we would get our first real glimpses of the PS3 in action.

When the advert finished, everyone put on their safety goggles and tried to hide behind the person in front of them as the PS3 was switched on. It worked. It didn't blow up. And what's more, all the rumours about it being light-years behind schedule were washed away with playable titles at E3 and a confirmed global release in November. Very pleasant indeed. Then the usual Sony list of bits and bobs was recited which included some very high end stuff including the Billion Dollar "Cell" chip which will run the machine and "BlueRay" storage system. It will have networking, a removable hard-drive (which was considerately included in the basic package) and the rest of the everyday next gen stuff. It was also revealed that Sony basically want the PS3 to become a miniature PC with Internet and over time programs will be added to it to make it more grown up and of a higher quality.

Then came the bit that everyone was REALLY waiting for. Launch titles. It was a mixed bag overall, with the star of the show so far being GT4 which looked stunning considering it's quite a way from complete. Every form of road transport will be represented and it will move at 60/fps, but more importantly, it's loading time is nil. The one concern is that when they were talking about it's networking options the creator said that they only had plans to do this in te US and Japan which either means he forgot us today, or they forgot us entirely. It should be a launch title. They think...

Final Fantasy...er... well, the new one (I've given up on the numbers) is looking pretty smart too and though they seemed a bit vague over the date, it looks like it is going to be a real flagship game. And then came the inevitable dissapointment. Eye Of Judgement looks like a cheap version of Yu-Gi-Oh with no real originality or longevity, so in other words it's another dime-a-dozen PS title which will sell a few units and then everyone will forget about it. NBA Live, Virtua Fighter, Tiger Woods, The Getaway and Ridge Racer all looked good too and the graphics will certainly give the 360 a run for it's money. Other games came and went but I was starting to nod off as it seemed the excitement was now over.

The biggest excitement suddenly comes from nowhere as MGS4 comes onto the screen with an elderly Snake heading on his "Final mission". It looks spectacular and it seems to be really atmospheric and as crisp as you like. Everyone was shouting, and I have to say that it woke me up.

Sony will do well, they always do. It won't have as much dominance this time round, but it will still outsell the 360 and the Wii and developers will always want to work for Sony first and the others second. It won't be pretty, it won't be the best, but it'll be popular, so it's an undoubted success.

It seems to be all over when they unveil the new controller with it's bluetooth, motion sensor, super light controller which looks like an over-complicated accident waiting to happen, but impressive none the less. Then comes the prices. If you want the basic 20GB hard-drive you'll be looking at $499, and $599 for the 60GB model, and this does seem a little steep and will be jacked up for the British market I'm sure.

It's been a very good, PR exercise for Sony this, even if it was overwhelming to the point of narcolepsy. But there were no real shocks or surprises which means Nintendo and Microft can really steal the show if they get it right in just a few hours time. On a ten out of ten scale, I'd give it 6.5, maybe 7.

Nintendo and Microsoft both give their press-conferences within the next 24 hours, so hopefully I won't need any pro-plus for those.

by **Red @ Heart** » Tue May 09, 2006 3:06 am

Whats E3?

by **anti-hero** » Tue May 09, 2006 6:46 am

Red wrote:Whats E3?

I havent really been to one, but I think its one, if not the biggest videogame related conventions around.

Every "gamer" definately has to make a pilgrimage at least once.

by **The Ace1983** » Tue May 09, 2006 10:36 am

E3 stands for Electronic Entertainment Expo and this is where the big three companies whip 'em out and see who's bigger. All the new games, new machines and everything else Video Game is revealed at E3.

by **The Ace1983** » Tue May 09, 2006 7:46 pm

If you're going to open a press conference at E3 for a machine that may well revlutionise game play, you can't do it much better than this. The Nintendo conference was opened by Mr Miyamato (the living God of gaming) who walked onto the stage holding the Wii Wand and he then stared to conduct a virtual orchestra on the giant screen behind him. Gimmicky yes, but impressive never the less.

Then walks on Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo US's President and the man just oozes charisma and confidence. As the applause dies down he begins to talk about Nintendo's vision and how it sees the world of gaming developing over the next-gen and beyond, and how today we will get a peak of the future. He illustrates the feel of gaming and how everyone should be able to enjoy it, and how playing is believing. The screen lights up and the Wii video appears followed by game trailers, but I'll tell you about those in a bit.

The whole place errupts with "whoo!"s as the video finishes with a glimpse of an astoundingly beautiful graphic of an in-game Zelda, with the hero fishing by a pool. It takes a whole minute at least for the noise to die and even when it has everyone's slobbering over what they've just seen. Reggie comes on again and starts talking about why they wanted the Wii to be so different, but after that shot of Link, you do get the impression that no-one cares anymore. But he goes on about changing convention and how much the gaming world benefitted when Mario 64 appeared with it's revolutionary 3D. He explains that along with Nintendo's tradition of a pure gaming heritage, they want to be entirely new.

So when's it coming out? How much will it cost? Reggie, you have to tell us!! But with a smirk, knowing that everyone is hooked already he calmly states that the Big N will be keeping that to themselves for just a little while longer (which could mean an announcement at the end of the week), but he reiterates that it will be considerably nicer to your bank balance than the other two. But we will definitely be playing it by November. Change is good, change is the future is their new motto, which seems like corporate BS to me. But who cares? Especially when he tells the auditorium that The Legend Of Zelda: The Twighlight Princess will be available at the launch! More screams of delight and even better, the shots we've seen are the vastly inferior ones that will come out on the NGC in it's own version.

Then a couple of ober-nerdy games developers turn up and show us how to use the controller and play this game full of luxuriant textures, crisp sounds and perfect characters. Link even sounds like a man for the first time ever! You can tell that the amount of thought that has gone into the controller is astounding. Motion sensors target things for your bow and boomerang (there is a motion sensor in both the wand and the Nunchuka) and because of a speaker in the wand, when you fire the bow, the sounds of the arrow and string start there and end up coming out of the TV depending on how far away te arrow travels. After they've waffled a bit about stuff concerning games development, everyone is still hooked and glued to the screen.

Reggie comes back and drops another bombshell. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is als ready to be played and shots of it look as good as Zelda and with even more atmosphere than the NGC versions. He follows this up with revelations of playable versions of Super Mario Galaxy, known for the last few years as the fabled Mario 128. Mini games will also come on the console, most of which surround sports like Tennis, Baseball and Golf.

He also expads on some of the new franchises that Nintendo have come up with, though these look like stocking fillers more than anything else. Excite Truck is a new driving game (guess what mode of transport is used) and it looks dull as dishwater after yesterday's GT4 on the PS3. It's followed up by Project Hammer (a beat 'em up) and an action game called Disaster ( both of which are not likely to set the gaming world alight).

3rd party releases are confirmed in the impressive forms of Sonic, Final Fantasy, Madden (especially designed version which will utilise the controller), Tony Hawks: Downhill Jam and then the less than impressive Rayman and Spongebob which are the one's obviously designed for the kiddies. Out of all of these, Reggie once again refused to say how many were going to be launch titles, but 27 games would have playable demos at E3, and there would be videos of many, many more.

Everything seems to be coming up roses and then Red Steel is introduced by two Frenchmen from Ubisoft. While you get the impression that the gun/sword play was a great idea and that the environemts have been maticulously designed, the characters look very PS2 and "blobby". Hopefully this will be sorted out because it really detracts from a very well thought out game in which you can freeze time to assess your situation, spare or kill assailents and use the wand like a real sword.

The part of the show featurng the Wii seems to be over when everyone starts going on about the DS. The DS "lite" has been introduced in Japan and has done really well with it's reduced size and weight and soon it will be available in the west. The sales figures seem to show that it is still outselling the PSP by millions and that it's Wi-Fi system is the most successful in the hole word (with 40,000,000 users so far). The game of the moment is brain age (now that Nintendogs is a renouned and surprising success) and in it's first 3 weeks it shipped 120,000 copies in the US alone. In it's quest to attract older gamers (which appears to be working) Sudoku and Bridge will both get their own titles, but what franchises will get a run out over the next 7 months? Mario (in his old side scrolling form, though this time he can race against Luigi on the Wi-Fi network), Yoshi (lots of applause for this one), Starfox and Diddy Kong racing will all be getting new games, but they have saved the best for last. Yep, he's back again, Link will be featuring in the new Zelda: Phantom Hour Glass on the DS which looks like a better version of some of the older games. And Final Fantasy 3 will come out with improved graphics and gameplay, among the 100 titles set for lanch before 2007.

If Reggie Fils-Aime is the charismatic side of Nintendo, Mr Iwata (CEO) is the spiritual side. Listening to him is like listening to a wise old master, or even Yoda himself. He explains the Nintendo philosophy of attracting older gamers as well as the younger generations. He wants games to make people feel comfortable and he praises the idea of the virtual console (the bit where you can download all your old faves). He then speaks of his hatred for loading screens so he has banished them from Nintendo all together (very nice). He then reveals in a slightly sinister, slightly cheeky way that the Wii will never sleep, and will be working away even when ithas been turned off. On the electricity needed to power a single fairy light, the Wii will keep downloading, keep maintaining and keep working on your projects, like in a game such as Animal Crossing, if someone calls on your villiage, they will be free to roam around and leave you little notes (sounds impressive but a bit sissy with that example). It will never be offline and the basic package will include all the networking software that you will ever need. Very Jedi indeed.

After the Buddha of consoles has left the stage, Reggie and Shigeru Miyamoto return to annouce the name of a competition winner that will be the first person to play the Wii. The kid comes up and starts playing tennis with Miyamoto who then becons Iwata and Reggie to join him. Now they're playing doubles. Four people stood in front of a giant screen swinging virtual tennis rackets, and the strange thing is, it doesn't look that stupid. It looks fun. It looks like a laugh. And that's how it ended, with everyone still talking about Zelda.

You get a real sense of confidence from Nintendo here, which is a surprise after the relative failure of the NGC in the West. They're all smiling in a way that says "I know where the aces are" and you actually feel like Wii is really going to change gaming forever. The DS is ok and it remains to see how successful titles will be ported to the Wii from other consoles, but it looks damn good, and it can only get better. As for Zelda, well... what can one say, except that it is easy to see why it's the most anticipated game of the last two years. The Wii will definitely do better here than the NGC did and anyone who takes the chance with one will not be dissapointed.

by **Feeney** » Fri May 12, 2006 8:33 pm

Has anyone seen the 15 minute trailer for MGS4 yet? If not...

http://www.konami.jp/kojima_pro/e3_2006/

The much maligned Raiden has gone up ten-fold in my estimation! :buttrock

by **The Ace1983** » Fri May 12, 2006 9:47 pm

It is looking very crisp and a lot darker then previous MG games. And to add to it, Snake's going to be in the new Super Smash Bros: Brawl!!

by **kingofthegreen** » Sun May 14, 2006 10:03 am

Lovin the look of this - Resistance - Fall of Man

Enjoyed Halo but loved COD1/2 even more! This game looks like it's thrown both games into a blender!

Gameplay Movie is looking pretty Tight!

Fall of Man Movie

by **The Ace1983** » Mon May 15, 2006 7:26 pm

Check it out. The Wii Zapper which combines both parts of the Wii controller and can be used like a gun.

by **Gaunt** » Fri May 19, 2006 8:28 pm

kingofthegreen wrote:Lovin the look of this - Resistance - Fall of Man

Enjoyed Halo but loved COD1/2 even more! This game looks like it's thrown both games into a blender!

Gameplay Movie is looking pretty Tight!

Fall of Man Movie

Were you in any CoD1 or CoD2 clans?

by **Cool Hand Luke** » Sat May 20, 2006 2:08 pm

I want to get all three GTA games for my PC: Grand Theft Auto 3, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

What is the best way for me to get this?

Is there a box set?

Is it possible to get them free from the Internet?

by **Cool Hand Luke** » Sat May 20, 2006 5:10 pm

Just bought GTA 3(£1.20, plus £1.80 for P+P) and Vice City (£2.40, plus £2.40 for P+P), cost me £7.80 in total, but because it is from the same seller he might do me a little discount on the postage and packaging. They are second hand but all the packaging and manuals come with it and it looks in excellent condition.

Just need to get San Andreas now.

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