The Potential of Onlive

I actually remember briefly hearing about Onlive a long time ago, however, very recently I've begun to hear more and more about it, and with good reason to. Onlive actually has the potential to compete with current gen systems. I mean, just going through this system, I can point out several things this game has going for it.

1) Price
Possibly one of the biggest things going for Onlive is the price. While searching through their list of games, I've found that a lot of games were cheaper then their 360/PS3/Wii counterparts. Sometimes even upwards of $15-20 cheaper, and if you're like me, if you can find a cheaper option, odds are you're gonna go ahead and pay for the cheaper option. The other cool thing about this system is it has two ways you can play. There's a flat, monthly rate you can pay, which gives you unlimited access to any game in the library. Or, if you feel like you probably wouldn't play that often, or if you have a select group of games you want to buy, you can purchase them on a game by game basis. Onlive itself is free, however if you want to have the controller and the system that allows you to to connect that controller, it's gonna run you about $100, which, you may or may not need, depending on what sort of game you're looking to play. Something like Assassin's Creed, you'd probably want the controller, however, you might not need it as much if you were playing say, Borderlands.

2) Portablility
Obviously this is the biggest selling point of the Onlive system. If you have a laptop and wifi somewhere nearby, you can play any game in your library in that location. Starbucks, the library, anywhere with a wifi connection. And from what it seems, your wifi connection doesn't need to be particularly powerful, nor do you need an up to date system like you would if you bought the hard pc version of a lot of these games, simply because rather than downloading anything to your computer like a disc or Steam would, this system streams the game to your computer. Which again, you'd probably want a reliable wifi, but you don't need a particularly powerful one. And with the system coming to iPads and Android tablet devices, WITH a universal controller that is going to connect to these devices, the portability just gets better and better

3) Convenience
Although this may not be the biggest attraction, it is a big deal in itself. In case you've been living under a rock, you may have noticed stores like Blockbuster and Hollywood Video going out of business, which for some, REALLY puts a hamper on renting videos for some people, and a lot of you probably liked to rent games before you committed to buying them, right? Well this system takes that a step forward. I'm sure back when you did rent games, you probably didn't like the idea of paying $10 for a game, then $50 more if you ended up liking the game, right? Well this system allows you demo a game for up to 30 minutes FOR FREE. Plus there is a rental system for some games, if maybe you wanted to play a game, and you figured you could probably get all you wanted out of it in just a few days, so you didn't wanna buy the game. It has all of these options there that are really really convenient to it's users.


4) Built in Spectating
I know you've had moments yourself when you probably didn't really feel like actually playing, but maybe watching a friend play instead. Well, this system has a built in spectator mode, where you can watch anyone play any game they may be playing. Of course, if you don't want people watching, this may actually translate to a bad thing, and I'm not 100% if there is an option to turn this off. However, for those who are bold enough to let people watch, and those who like to chill out and watch someone play, here is your ultimate spectator sport.

The Bad:

1 (and only)) Trade ins
Yeah, I'll be honest with you, about the only actually bad thing I could actually think of that I consider a negative was the fact that there really is no trade in system. This is a problem, of course, with any downloaded game. Once you buy it, thats it. There is no return value at all. Which, again, if you're like me, sometimes getting new games for you depends on trading in old ones that you're done with. All in all though, it's a small gripe.

Suggestions:

Honestly, there were only two things I could think of as suggestions. And one isn't really a suggestion, but really rather a given. So I guess, the given:

1) More games.
That's really about the biggest thing holding this system back, is the small list of games. Looking at the list of games, there's not a whole lot that really interests me, and those that do interest me, quite a few of them I've owned already. Of course, I'll probably buy them due to the reasons I posted above, but what would make this system SO MUCH more of a contender is if they could get more supporters behind this system. They've already gotten a few, like Ubisoft and Epic on board, just to name a few, but if they could get ALL the thrid party developers on board, that would be great

2) Better online
This is about the biggest thing I would miss, should i have to give up my X-Box 360 to play Onlive (not saying I will, mind you), is the ability to have parties, and chat with friends while playing games. To be honest, I really think that any system that has online play should be adapting to the idea of friends and parties, but this rings especially true for Onlive, and it's spectating ability. If I'm gonna watch a friend (or even a random stranger) play a game, I'd like to be able to taunt/advice/talk to that individual through something simmilar to my X-Box headset. And of course too, if one was playing online multiplayer, this would be nice too.

Final verdict:
There's been talk for a while of simply developing ONE system, and having everyone be a sort of third party developer for that ONE system. And if we were going to get to that point, in some ways, I would like this to be that ONE system. The ability to play anywhere is nice, and the simple convience of how the games work, backed by all of the video game companies, would be amazing. But then, on the other hand, I wouldn't, because then, for one, gaming becomes EVEN MORE tied to an internet connection, plus, if gaming wasn't expensive before, now it gets REALLY expensive, as that would probably eliminate the "cheaper games" factor, and eliminate the idea of trading in games to get other ones. However, for what it's worth, it does seem like a nice system that, when the iPad version and universal controller comes out, and quite frankly, I'd reccomend to others as well.

My Perscription: Check it out. Maybe try some of the free demos before you commit to using the system.
-Dr. Buck

E3 Day 2: Nintendo

I actually filmed this ages ago. But, Windows Movie Maker FINALLY decided to let me properly edit it. So I bring you what ended up being the last bit of e3 response I ended up doing, the Nintendo Conference.

Part 1:


Part 2:


Part 3:

EA 2011: Ubisoft and Sony

So after the EA conference, following soon behind was arguably two of the most anticipated companies at this year’s convention, and in their own ways, neither one disappointed. Though, I'd wager you're probably more excited to hear about Sony than you Are Ubisoft, however, Ubisoft went first, so we're gonna talk about them first. Sad? Irritated? Well that's just TOO DAMN BAD.

Ubisoft:
So of course the first person you see is the president of Ubisoft. Now I don't really blame him, as it's not really his fault, but him and his French accent was really difficult to understand. Fortunately, however, he wasn't on stage for too long.

They started off with a new Rayman game, titled Rayman: Origins. The game had a very cartoon-y look, and co-op sidescrolling platforming, that seemed to borrow quite a bit from New Super Mario Bros. Wii, which, let's be honest, is not a bad thing. Personally, I think if you weren't a Rayman fan before, this one might generate a little interest. The presentation then ended with a throwback to all the Ubisoft characters, which was a nice gesture and a really fun way to kick off their conference.

From there, however, it was all downhill from here. They then brought out a man who I simply remember being nicknamed "Mr. Caffeine", and trust me, he earned that title. This man was all over the stage, with wild, over-the-top antics, which wouldn't be that bad, if these antics weren't combined with Mr. Caffeine's really bad Charlie Sheen, Dick, and Gaming jokes (yeah, this guy swore a LOT. G4 had a really hard time censoring this guy, with his random curse words. He even managed to get the word dick passed their censors).

He then talked about how gaming fell into three categories: Gaming is Adventure, Gaming is Sharing, and Gaming is Life. To kick off "Gaming is Adventure", they started with a retro looking trailer, depicting what Driver, San Francisco might look like if it were made several years ago. Following this, they then jumped into what Driver: San Fran was meant to look like in real time. Driver was quite a popular franchise back in the day, but in this day and age, it's going to have to compete a little bit with Grand Theft Auto, but more importantly, it's going to have to compete with Saints Row 3, and unfortunately, this trailer didn't really show me anything that would make me want to play it over any of the other sandbox games out there already.

Following Driver San Francisco, they jumped into a very beautiful trailer of Farcry 3. One distracting thing however, is that the first half of the trailer depicts the player having been captured by this man, who goes on this speech about insanity, which would have been cool enough, if it weren't for the fact that the speech was littered with so many swear words, at least half of his talking was bleeped out. Aside from this, however, the demo for Farcry 3 was really impressive, and is definitely a game I am looking forward to playing in the future. Not to spoil anything, but for me, this was the best trailer Ubisoft had to offer.

Following Farcry 3, they brought out a Gearbox rep to talk about a new Brothers in Arms games, this one being called Brothers in Arms: Furious Four, which promises to bring a fresh look at the WW2 FPS games. Though they didn't actually show off any gameplay, though the game does look really funny, and may actually bring a fresh look to the WW2 genre. I do hope that the game does the obvious and includes co-op online play. I do hope to find out more about this soon.

They then played a passable movie based game, The Adventure of Tin Tin. It didn't really look like it stood out any more than any other game, so I’m not really gonna focus too much on it.

So after that ultimately forgettable game, they presented us with yet another retro looking trailer, this time for Ghost Recon. This was easily the best of the retro trailers, though even it wasn't all that cool. Of course you know, however, that the next trailer they jumped into an actual teaser for Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. Unlike when Microsoft showed off the game, this teaser actually focused on the basic gameplay, rather than what the Kinect can do. Definitely, this game will not be for those who are used to the more fast paced experience of Call of Duty may not enjoy this games more strategic and methodical gameplay. I think Microsoft did a better job of showing it a lot, although, this one actually did show of the core gameplay.

They then jumped into the second category, "Gaming is Sharing", and starting off this category was Trackmania, and perhaps it's because I'm already a pretty huge fan of Trackmania, but I was really excited about this game. For those who do not know, Trackmania is a PC racing game. The racing is pretty standard in comparison with any other racing game, but what sets this one apart from most other games is the in depth track editor, that allows players to create, customize, fine tune, and share their own tracks. Though not much was shown in the way of gameplay, they did talk about the addition of Maniaplanet, which would allow up to 200 people playing on one track at a time, and it would introduce a brand new way of sharing tracks.

Then came a new Raving Rabbits game, titled Raving Rabbits: Alive and Kicking. The man they brought out was, uh, intriguing looking to put it nicely. But aside from him, his demonstration was actually rather amusing. Alive and Kicking, to me at least, really reminded me of Wario Ware, only for the Kinect rather than a Nintendo system, which again, is not a bad thing by any means. Again, not really gonna sell anyone on the Kinect who was questioning getting one, however, if you do own a Kinect or were planning on getting one, this one looks as though it would be a great title to get, provided you have, you know, friends.

(If this is you though, then pass)

The final category, was "Gaming is Life", which led into Just Dance 3, which is pretty much Dance Central, but with different songs (probably), and it's coming out for all three systems (Kinect, Move, and Wii). Personally, it reminds me a little bit of Rock Band vs. Guitar Hero, in the sense that whichever game you get, if you get either, will probably come down to preference, though I suppose it also depends on what systems you have available (Dance Central is a Kinect exclusive).

Speaking of Rock Band and Guitar Hero, you know that guy at every party where either game is present, sits in the back with his rocker shades, and is cool, poser persona, and tells everyone who picks up the game that they should go out and learn to play a real guitar (despite the fact that, 90% of the time, this individual doesn't know how to play it themselves)? Well Ubisoft is working on a game to shut him up. That game is called Rock Smith. Little was actually told about the game itself, however, we did find out that the game is supposed to support real instruments, and may act as a tool to teach people how to actually play guitar.

Breezing past You Shape (because I mean, let's be honest, who really gives a f*ck?), Ubisoft closed out their conference with, of course, their big game, Assassin's Creed: Revelations. Of course, they first had to retro-tize it, showing a Windwaker-esque trailer of the first Assassin's Creed. The actual trailer itself, however, was very beautiful looking. I found myself wishing the entire time that I could see it in HD. Personally, not really being a fan of the Assassin's Creed series, I wasn't too excited, but I understand why die-hard fans probably lost their minds when this trailer played. The gameplay itself was fairly action packed, highlighted by Altair operating a hand cranking flamethrower.

Overall: Aside from Farcry 3 and Assassin's Creed, nothing was really all that epic to me. I mean, several games sparked interest, but either little was shown/told about them to *really* stick out, or they just weren't THAT interesting. Combined with the fact that the guy that got most of the stage time was REALLY obnoxious and distractingly over-the-top, I didn't care much for Ubisoft's conference at all. However, we've definitely seen worse conferences, so...

My Grade: C

Sony:

So of course, closing out the first day was none other than Sony, who arguably had the most pressure on them following their massive network outage/hack. Now, if you've been reading for a while, you'll know that I've been really critical of Sony, and definitely could not be called their number one fan by any stretch of the imagination. However, you might be pleasantly surprised that I actually liked quite a bit of Sony's press conference. However, don't think this means I don't have my criticisms, either.

Starting off, Sony played a cool video montage showcasing future and current PlayStation 3/PSP titles, though I really felt like this presentation lasted far longer than it should have.

Following this, the first thing they addressed naturally was the PSN outage. The man told the press you're welcome for giving you something to talk about, in what I felt was a surprisingly bold move. He then went on to thank the 3rd party developers who stuck with them through the outage (Valve and Warner Bros. come to mind), and then apologized to and thanked the Sony fans as well. He then talked about a lot of the things the network was capable of, like Netflix, Hulu, ect, which, I think was smart, but the problem was he didn't really point out anything that the 360 couldn't do as well.

Gameplay-wise, Sony started off strong with one of their best exclusives, Uncharted 3, showing that they were definitely not playing around this time. I thought it was really wise for them to first talk about such a popular title. Needless to say, the teaser itself looked really good, and did a great job of not only showing off Uncharted 3's style of gameplay, but the graphical power backing the PlayStation 3, even if the underwater portion looked a little too murky to see, and the person actually playing sucked at the game (You don't throw grenades at your enemy, then proceed to shoot them as well).

(Yeah, I think you got him)

They went even further, however, to show yet another trailer for the game, this time, in 3D (of course, this was only to the benefit of those actually there), letting folks know that this was going to be one of many games that were going to be 3D capable.

Right after that, out came an Insomniac rep to talk about Resistance 3, and played another 3D trailer. The demo did a really good job of pointing out what Insomniac does better that arguably anyone else, and that’s coming up with really unique weaponry. At the end, they announced a Move bundle for Resistance 3 coming out at a later date.

They then briefly talked about 3D capable, HD re-releases of the two God of War games that came out on the PSP, and a Ico/Shadow of the Colossus package. I just want to take a moment to point out that this is AWESOME. If you haven't seen either Ico of Shadow of the Colossus, you don't know that they are both absolutely gorgeous looking games, so the ability to see them in HD might be too much for your brain to handle.

They then announced a 3D display/television that is supposed to dismiss the idea of split screen and give two gamers playing in the same room their own full screen. This bundle is set to come with the display, obviously, a pair of the 3D glasses, hdmi cable, and a copy of Resistance 3, all for $500, which, for what it is, is actually a pretty decent price.

Next up, they decided to step away from 3D, and focus on their motion control based add on, the PlayStation move. Here's where they really fell flat, however. They decided to start off with a demonstration of how the Move will work with NBA 2K12, which ultimately just boiled down to pointing and clicking to perform different actions, and didn't really feature much "movement" at all. They brought out Kobe Bryant to demonstrate how anyone could play using the move, and well, he actually ended up not doing too great at the game. Unlike what Microsoft did with the Kinect, showing it off in a unique and exciting fashion, this demo really made me realize how gimmicky the Move really was, and only seemed to confirm that Sony did this in an attempt to fight the Wii.

They then followed up with a new game called Medieval Move, this time in the first 3D PlayStation Move demo. This one did a FAR better job than showing off the capabilities of the PlayStation Move, and actually looked like a slightly interesting game, however again, I couldn't help but feel that this game was supposed to be their answer to Legend of Zelda.

They then talked about InFamous 2, which is easily my favorite of the PlayStation 3 exclusives, however, I was a little confused as to why they even chose to talk about this game, considering that InFamous 2 is set to be released before e3 is even over. They also talked about Little Big Planet 2, a game that was already out, and mentioned that they were going to add more Move control to the game in the future.

They then played an unfairly short teaser for Starhawk game, which looks REALLY cool, however, seeing as they didn't even talk about the game, I can’t really say much about it.

The quickly moved on to the return of Sly Cooper, in a very cartoon-y looking teaser, which was jam packed with that special charm that only Sly Cooper can bring to the table. However, once more, they didn't actually speak on Sly Cooper, so I can't really talk much about it.

Next up was a FPS called Dust, which was created by, and is supposed to be able to connect to PC MMO Eve Online, though, whether this connection is only in story or actual gameplay was not talked about. The also talked about Move capability and NGP connectability, though the extent of this wasn't really talked about either. Overall, not being a fan of Eve Online, I simply dismissed this one as, "okay". I am interested in learning more about it at a later date, especially in finding out how this game is going to connect to Eve Online, but aside from that, it looked like just another Sci Fi FPS.

Following this, they moved on to Bioshock: Infinite. Right off the bat, the first thing you'll notice is that the art style is a huge departure from the previous two games more gritty look. A 2K rep who previously had many negative things to say about the Move came out to talk about how he was inspired to create a new Bioshock game featuring Move controls (mimicking last year, when the man behind Portal 2, who had previously called the PS3 a total failure, came out and praised the PS3). He also talked briefly about a new Bioshock game in development, and ended by stating how everyone who buys the PS3 version of Bioshock: Infinite will also receive a copy of Bioshock 1.

After briefly talking about Saints Row 3 (a game I’m personally really excited for), a new Star Wars games, a couple of PS3 exclusive tracks for SSX and Need for Speed: The Run, and how the PS3 version of Battlefield 3 would come with a free copy of Battlefield 1943, they then talked about a new system called PlayStation Suite, which is supposed to bring PlayStation content to certified phones and tablet device (which, I'm only going to assume that the iPad and iPhone will be among those that are certified). They stated they would have more details in the future, and didn't go too in depth on this either.

But of course, after this, they had to finally address what a lot of people tuned into the Sony press conference to see, and that is their brand new handheld system. First order of business was, to, of course, give the system an actual name, which they settled on the PlayStation Vita (Vita translating to Life). Now while the things they do show of later that I will talk about in a moment are impressive, i do have to stop a moment.

What he bragged about for the Vita was a touch screen and dual cameras for augmented reality. Already sounds familiar, doesn't it? Well, if you're like me, you instantly pictured competing portable gaming device, the 3DS. And this is what seriously irritates me about Sony. As I've talked about before, why is it that they simply CANNOT come up with their own original ideas? I mean, they created the Move to compete with the Wii, and the Move's controllers look fairly identical to Wii controllers. In fact, everything they did with the move looked like things that the Wii itself could do, albeit, not as good looking. But digressing from this, they jumped onto 3D, conveniently enough right after the launch of the 3DS, and now even their handheld system is taking a page from the 3DS's book. I really really would like to see, just once, Sony come up with their own original idea.

He also bragged about the Vita having dual analog sticks and sixaxis control, which is nice, but once again as previously stated, these are things that SHOULD have been on the PSP already, so I wasn't very impressed. He then announced 3G support, which sounded interesting, until he announced that it would be supported by AT&T (which actually drew a few boos from the audience. Verizon baby). He also talked about party support, just like the 360's chat parties, which is cool, and Sony does need something like that, but this just made me wonder why they didn't put that on the PS3 first, which, arguably, demands it far more than the new Vita. He closed out talking about a new system called Near, which was, in other words, the 3DS's Street Pass, except on, you know, the Vita.

All criticism aside, however, they started off strong with an Uncharted: Golden Abyss for the Vita. Here is what did impress me about the Vita. This game looks just as good as it's PlayStation 3 counterpart, letting us know that Sony was going to step it up in the handheld realm as well. They showed off different control options which included touch, tilting, and traditional button control.

From this, they jumped into a game called Ruin, a unique action RPG. Since it was on a handheld system, the demo itself was a little hard to make out, however, the did announce that the game would have social network capability, and a unique rival system that almost creates an MMO like feel. They also showed off how you could take your game, and connect it to the PlayStation 3, allowing you to seamlessly jump from the Vita to the PlayStation 3.

They then jumped into Mod Nation Racers, which featured a stage creation system, which was similar to, but far superior to Diddy Kong Racing DS. They also showed a teaser for Little Big Planet for the Vita, featuring new touch based minigames and new control elements.

They then brought out a Capcom rep to talk about Street Fighter x Tekken, or rather, specifically the Vita version. He announced that that the Vita version of the game would feature Cole from Infamous, which, while I do like this character, really baffles me. I mean, first of all, why Cole? Cole really doesn’t have the feel of either a Street Fighter or Tekken character. In fact, he kind of reminded me of Star Wars characters in a Soul Caliber game, though not quite THAT out of place. At least when they shoved Kratos on to Soul Caliber and Mortal Kombat, he felt a little more at home. But I also have to wonder, why include a guest character in a crossover game? I mean, the big attraction here is Street Fighter and Tekken characters meeting; characters from two of the biggest fighting game franchises. Why throw a third party in there? That’s kinda like Marvel vs. Capcom 3 featuring Master Chief. Just... why?

After that, they wrapped up by announcing a price for their new system, $249 for the Wi-Fi only version, and $299 for the 3G version. Both prices being a very smart move for this new handheld, and broke the recent trend of Sony WAY overcharging for their systems in recent years.

Overall: Again as a reader of this blog would know, Sony would have to push and push hard to really impress me, but I'm happy to admit that they did. While I'm still not impressed with the Move, nor convinced that the Move will be able to out-do the Kinect, and I am still considerably irritated with how much Sony seems to simply copy their competitors, I was impressed. I think this time around, they actually managed to create a handheld system that I think will give Nintendo a run for its money (though, I don't think it will ultimately do better than the 3DS). They weren't ridiculously over-the-top or overly gimmicky with their presentation, which was also a plus. At the end of the day, Sony went in, and hit hard. They addressed their outage, and showed us that they were already working to overcome this blunder. Unlike Microsoft, Sony focused on the exclusives that were going to bring them to the table, and gave several significant reasons in an attempt to get people to purchase the PS3 version of cross-platform releases. I definitely think Sony has a strong year ahead of them, and both Microsoft and Nintendo want to take note. Easily the most impressive conference day 1.

My Grade: A

E3 2011 Day 1: Microsoft and EA

So of course, the long awaited date has finally arrived. The first day of e3 is here (and by the time you read this, it will probably already have passed), and it was a very very interesting setup. We marched over to a friends house who actually had g4 to watch the coverage they had on tv, and had laptops ready to watch the confrences that took place online, and an iPad to take notes on. And man have i been taking a lot of notes. I've been pounding away at the virtual keyboard jotting down my opinions on all of the different cofrences and games I've seen thus far.

Now there's a lot of e3 to discuss, and even I would have to admit there's probably quite a bit that I haven't even seen yet, so for the most part, this is going to mostly cover the confrences. I want to break them down from presentation, to the actual games themselves, and then combine it into an overall ranking. Of course, we can't actually pick a winner yet, since we still have Nintendo to tomorrow morning, and we know they will have quite a bit to contribute to the entire event.

Either way, if you were paying enough attention and new to look online or watch on Spike, you watched Microsoft kick off the entire event. If you're strictly watching the G4 television coverage, than you probably missed Microsoft, and will have to wait until tomorrow in order to see their confrence. Also, if you weren't paying attention, you probably missed the EA confrence too, but more on that later.

Microsoft:
With Microsoft kicking of the entire event, you knew they had to go big. Really big. So it actually makes perfect sense that they would kick things off with Modern Warfare 3. While there have been several parties complaining about the frequent releases of Call of Duty games and how they hardly seem to change between game to game, there is no denying that there are several people out there who are very excited for Modern Warfare 3. One thing I do want to adress before going into the demo itself is a question that many people have asked "Why start off with a multi-console game?". Simply put, while it is true that Modern Warfare 3 is not console exclusive, it is true that the Call of Duty series seems to favor the 360 over the Playstation 3, which is why, for example, the DLC for such games always appears on the 360 quite a while before the Playstation 3 gets, so it makes sense that Microsoft would begin with Modern Warfare 3.

As far as the presentation goes, it was pretty standard, aside from a humorous moment at the begin where the the player's controller disconnects. It started off slow with the underwater portion, but then after skipping ahead (which SERIOUSLY irritated me. I mean, really? You literally programed a message "In the interest of time" into your demo?) it jumped into an actually quite interesting looking battle in downtown Manhattan.

(Yeah, it was something akin to that, actually, though, less furry)

I personally am really interested in the campaign of this one. I really do like the idea of a World War 3 game. Aside from that however, I think if you're a fan of Call of Duty, you'll get this game, but if you're not, you won't. I doubt this game will really bring a lot of new fans to the series, but will really appeal to existing fans.

Up next from Microsoft was the new Tomb Raider reboot. Right off the bat, I do have to say that this was one of my favorite demos that we saw the first day. With the Uncharted franchise dominating this sort of adventure games the last few years, when Tomb Raider came back, they really had to go big to compete with Uncharted, and I think they are going to do just that. From opening to finish, the Tomb Raider trailer was dynamic, intense, and exciting. I do really like Lara Croft's new look, as well. It's not nearly as "sexy" as her previous appearances, but I appreciate the grittier, more realistic look about her.

About the only thing I really could complain about as far as this trailer goes, was meerly the fact that Lara Croft talked a LOT throughout this trailer. It didn't ruin the entire thing, but it was really really distracting to hear her narrate all of her entire escapate, from when she had to escape her bonds at the begining to just escaping the cave. By the end, you were just really really hoping she'd stfu. However, all negatives aside, (and this coming from someone who definitely was NOT a Tomb Raider fan over the years, I'm really excited to get my hands on this game.

After that, an EA rep came out to talk about EA games (mostly their sports games), and talk briefly how future EA games will utilize the Kinect. He specifically mentioned that Tiger Woods, FIFA, Madden, and another mystery game to be announced at a later time would all have Kinect support. He also announced near the end, without going into specific details, that a future Sims game would have Kinect support.

Next up was then a Bioware rep, to talk about Mass Effect and confirm rumors floating around that Mass Effect 3 was going to have Kinect support. From what we saw, the Kinect isn't going to allow you to step into Shepard's shoes yourself and allow YOU to be the controller. Insteand, the Kinect simply adds on voice control abilities, allowing you to simply speak dialogue options rather than cycling through them, and allowing you to command your squad through voice commands in game. It is pretty cool, especially since commanding your squad, which should allow you to command them in a far easier fashion. Odds are, it's not gonna make you rush out and buy the Kinect if you're already getting the game, nor is it going to make you rush out and buy the game if you already own a Kinect, however, if you do own a Kinect, and you are planning on getting the game, it should be a nice little function. Of course, we'll talk about Mass Effect itself more during the EA portion of the blog.

Then came what was, argueably the best use of the Kinect tonight, and that was Ghost Recon Future Soldier. The Ubisoft rep was really hard to understand (more on him later), however, the demonstration ROCKED. Gun smithing looked amazing, not to mention actually playing and shooting with the Kinect. Hopefully this game isn't all hype, but should it live up to the demonstration, this may just very well be the first Ghost Recon game I play.

A few things I caught in between here was the Gears 3 demo, and a few Kinect dashboard capabilities. Admitabley, I somewhat missed this part due to a family issue.

The first full thing I came back for was a teaser for a new Kinect game called Ryse. At first I thought it was a teaser for God of War on the 360, however, what it did actually turn out to be was a nice little surprise. It looks like it may turn out to be a very nice adventure game on the Kinect. I was really sad however that nobody actually took the time to stop and talk about the game (a problem I'd end up having a few more times later in the night). I really would have liked details for this game. It's one of the few games that actually made me really interested in getting a Kinect.

Folowing that unfortunately brief teaser, we were treated to a voice that all hardcore Xbox fans should recognize, and that's the announcer for the Halo franchise, He talked us through a trailer for the remake of the original Halo: Combat Evolved, and from what they showed us, it looks like a really decent visual revamp of the original game. If you've never played the original game (like me), this might be a good time to get into it if you're interested. This revamp is not only bringing back the single player campaign, but the multiplayer aspects as well, so there will be PLENTY of game here.

They followed this with, what else? One of the most boring teasers of the day, the Forza Motorsport teaser. Now while I do have to give them a thumbs of for using one of my favorite songs of last year (Power - Kanye West), ultimately, I felt the same way I did about Modern Warfare 3: I dont think this teaser is going to bring any new fans to the series.

Then out walked a man I love and hate all at the same time, Peter Molyneux, to talk about Fable, naturally. Now we all know his track record at e3, he ALWAYS talks about things the game is going to have in it, and only half of what he says actually end up in the game. This time however, he didn't really talk about the game, but instead let the game speak for itself. This game, much like most of the other games we've mentioned so far, has Kinect support, however, I do believe that Fable: The Journey, may be controlled entirely through Kinect, which looks like it will bring an interesting experience to the game. The teaser saw the player driving a horse carriage and casting spells in combat all using the Kinect. This game looks, very very interesting. The opening of the game had Theresa speak about the imminent destruction of Albion, and how heros were no longer being born, so they must be made. If nothing else, the story to this game will be one that will shake the history of the Fable franchise.

They then quickly talked about how Minecraft is coming exlusively to the Xbox, and would also have Kinect support as well, before jumping over to Kinect: Disneyland Adventures. This game is supposed to bring the entire Disneyland park to you, you know, just in case you could never actually make it to Disneyland yourself

(If you don't come to him, he will come to you)

There are different worlds based on different Disney properties (specifically the showed off Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland), which looked cool enough, though they looked very simmilar as well. All in all, it looks like it would be a cool looking game for kids, especially for those that can't make it to the actual Disneyland.

Next up was Kinect for Star Wars, which yes, finally allows you to unleash your inner Star Wars kid. Though the demo didn't quite work as smoothly as they might have hoped, it did look cool enough. However, I do believe it is based on the animated Clone Wars series, so if you're not a fan, you might be a little disappointed.

Following this was probably my biggest wtf moment of the day. This was another Kinect game known as Once Upon a Monster, based on Sesame Street. The whole game was looked fun for the kids, but the entire demo was simply silly looking, though, innocent enough. You got to see Cookie Monster and Elmo shake around like they were in an earthquake, tangle with a Galoof, and watch puffalopes walk by. All in all, its a pretty innocent game.

Next was the Kinect Fun Labs, which was ultimately just a fun tool for Kinect owners to really experiment with their Kinect. Fun Labs is really three games in one, including first, people scanner, which allows the Kinect to scan your, and make an avatar that looks just like you, right down to the clothing you are wearing. The face recognition is pretty simmilar to the Mii creator on the 3DS, and appeared to be about as accurate. Finger Tracking was easily the coolest of the three, which allows one to create 3D drawings, which was pretty amazing looking, especially if one actually had a 3D tv. The last one, object scanner allows you to scan an object, like, a teddy bear for example, and then play as them in game. They really didnt show of this one outside of simply moving around the object they brought into the game, so hopefully there will be more to it then that. In the end, it was cool but still didnt really make me want to rush out and buy a Kinect.

They then played a short teaser for Kinect Sports Season 2. They claim its going to be "more realistic" than ever, with voice suppoer and new full body gestures. Looks pretty passable, though I will admit I'm even curious to see how Kinect Football will play out.

Harmonix then came out to talk about Dance Central 2, which finally announced multiplayer dance, and a campaign mode, and new songs, plus carry over from the last game. Overall, it looked really epic!

And of course, how else would Microsoft end their confrence than with a teaser for Halo 4, which of course, would have been a lot cooler had the news not been leaked already before the confrence. Regardless of this fact, it was pretty intelligent for them to close out on Halo 4, argueably the most anticipated possible Microsoft teaser.

Overall, I don't think Microsoft disappointed. I think i would have liked to see less Kinect based demos for those of us who have not purchased a Kinect yet, though it does make sense that they would focus heavily on this system that they poured a ton of money into. I also would have liked to see more than the obvious, meaning a new, original game, and not just a bunch of games that were connected to pre-existing franchises; something new, fresh and original, but then again, I supppose that job goes to the third party developers. Their presentation was fairly simplistic, not really gimmicky or over the top, which I think worked in their favor, but at the same time, didn't really quite work in their favor.

My grade: B-.

Following Microsoft, for those who bothered to check online, found out that EA was also having a confrence. After looking down a place that had already archived the confrence since I had missed the live presentation, I actually found one of the most enjoyable presentations we saw on the first day.

EA:

EA started off strong with a trailer for one of their two biggest games this year, Mass Effect 3. One of the earliest things they talked about was how new players would be able to jump into this one without having played the previous two games, while at the same time, those who have been playing the last two and carrying over the same character from each game would have all the choices they made in the previous two come to a dramatic point in this game. They then proceeded to jump into an actual gameplay demo. Graphically, it doesnt look much better than the previous two Mass Effect games, however, even within simply the demo alone, you could feel everything coming to a dramatic climax that *really* makes you want to play this game, especially if you've been keeping up with the series.

Second EA game on the list was the next Need for Speed game called, The Run (no, not The Runs. Thats a totally different game). The first thing they made sure to mention was how the Auto Log system would now track ones entire career, and not just portions of it. They also spoke and then showed off different action sequences where you actually stepped out of your car, and had some rather epic on foot action sequences. However, while this teaser may have won over some new fans, ultimately it did feel like yet another Need for Speed game that would mostly tailor to pre-existing fans.

The next teaser was, at least graphically, the single BEST looking trailer I saw today. I'm not quite sure if it will be the way actual gameplay looks but if the cutscenes for The Old Republic look just as good as the teaser did, I will be a very happy individual. I am very much interested in this game, and I am neither a Star Wars or Old Republic fan.

They then moved into a nearly equally as beatiful SSX teaser. This one was another one that got me interested in a series that i was never really a fan of before. Through satalite technology, EA promises to bring realistic recreations of actual mountains for one to snowboard down, in three different play modes.

Following this was the two biggest sports games in the EA library, FIFA and Madden. Fifa adds several different aspects to the gameplay including tactical defending and a player impact engine. They also announced a new FiFA football club, which promises to connect fans to the real soccer world, and different fans. It'll come with challenges based off of real live soccer games as well.

Madden however, looked largely the same. Despite the fact that the president of EA talked about not having random celebrities, they brought out three football players to promote the game. These three players were supposed to be representative of new features that were only actually talked, and not actually shown off.

The next two games included a new Sims social that looks as though it will allow you to bring your Facebook friends into your Sims world. A very interesting project that i have to say, I'm quite intrigued in seeing how it actually works. They also talked briefly about Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, which didnt really seem to stand out from any other fantasy RPG, though it looked impressive for what it was.

Following this, they brought out an Insomniac rep to talk about a new game titled Overstrike. This was yet another very crisp, detailed, beautiful looking trailer for a very interesting, Borderlands-esque squad based FPS. I am very very interested to see this title, not only due to this trailer, but due to the fact that it's an Insomniac game, which, as we all very well know, is the creative masterminds behind the Ratchet and Clank series.

EA then decided to close out with their other big title, the "Call of Duty Killer", Battlefield 3. And I personally, think that it very well may earn that self-proclaimed title. Needless to say, as far as FPS's go, Battlefield 3 looks simply AMAZING, with its brand new engine, Frostbite 2, which boastsfully destructable environments, and a very realisitc an cinematic visual feel. The trailer they played did seem to drag along slightly longer than I feel it needed to be, but at the end of the day, it looks like it wil be a steady competitor with Modern Warfare 3.

Overall: EA was VERY impressive in their comfrence. Minus Madden, everything they showed off today was incredibley beautiful and impressive looking. Personally, I think EA is going to have a really good year this year, and is definitely a company to keep your eyes on. Much like Microsoft, they werent overly flashy, or over the top, and simply let the games speak for themselves. However, this tatic DEFINITELY worked better for EA than it did for Microsoft, leading to one of the best presentations thus far.

My Grade: A

But as you probably already know yourself, this was in fact, NOT all that happened within the first day. We still have Ubisoft and Sony to cover. So check back very soon for my opinon on these two powerhouse company presentations.