I'm sitting here with 12 minutes until scheduled start time, listening to some non-descript dance music over Nintendo's stream. I'll be updating this as I go, so long as I haven't died of a heart attack upon actually seeing some games.

Screens of games and mention of some DS titles unannounced at the show are here: http://e3.nintendo.com/

Update: The classic controller can be seen at the bottom of this page.

The show's over, notes are below, summary is right here. Nintendo's show started out strong, with an almost immediate display of footage for multiple Nintendo titles, including Super Mario Galaxy, Pilotwings, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and Red Steel. It was basically the strength of knowing these games exist, coupled with live demonstrations of Red Steel and Zelda using the Wii remote that carried the show.

There was no real surprise about the Wii, just confirmed rumors: The controller will have a built-in speaker (the example they used for it was you could hear the bow in Zelda pulling taut) and rumble, and the nunchuck attachment will have its own motion sensor. Expect to see a lot more about the games in the next few days, as there will be 27 Wii titles on the show floor. Iwata also mentioned a web browser loaded on the Wii's flash memory, which I don't think had been announced before. Also, there will be two versions of Zelda: Twilight Princess released at the same time: the Gamecube version and the Wii version. Both will go on sale the day the Wii launches.

The big news on the DS front was the unveiling of StarFox DS and Yoshi's Island 2, which drew applause from the crowd. Phantom Hourglass was said to "pick up where Wind Waker left off." Osu! Tatakae! Ouedan! was confirmed as coming to the US as Elite Beat Agents.

They also briefly mentioned "Wii Connect 24", some sort of feature where the system can stay connected to the Internet all the time, even when you're not using it. This would allow people to visit your home in Animal Crossing, even when you're asleep. The Wii in this standby mode is said to use as much power as a small light bulb.

No pricing or lauch details beyond "fourth quarter 2006," no major slams on Sony for trying to steal the control scheme. But just on the strength of their franchises alone, Nintendo generated more excitement in their first five minutes than Sony did their entire conference. The one thing that surprised me was that they didn't end with one final surprise announcement, as they usually do. Given that it wasn't shown up until that point, I figured they'd pull out Smash Brothers as their capper for the show. But the game was nowhere to be seen. This is especially odd seeing as how last year they said they were pushing to have it be a launch title.

Continue reading "The Nintendo E3 2006 Press Conference" »

Posted by Ermac at 12:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Ah, the summer doldrums. You know it's time to shift it into idle when the biggest release of the week is a horse racing simulator. Good news for me, because I've got games to catch up on. Here are the, uh.. highlights of what's coming out today and tomorrow.

• Gallop Racer 2006 (PS2) - "Manage your mount to keep a good position while you save your energy for the finish line." Good advice for more than one leisure activity. $39.99 at Amazon.
• Seed (PC) - This space MMORPG touts the fact that it features no combat whatsoever. Not available at retail, only at the official site.
• Paradise (PC) - A point and click adventure set in the heart of Africa. $35.99 at Amazon.
• Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (PC) - It's a PC port for you non-console ne'erdowells. $44.99 at Amazon.
• Dr. Sudoku (GBA) - A cheap cash-in on the Sudoku and Brain Age fads, but worth looking at just for the box art. $19.99 at EB Games.

The only console games coming out this week are a couple handhelds (one of them being Top Gun for God's sake), Gallop Racer, and two sport hunting games on the Xbox. What the hell. Those and lots of piddling PC releases can be found at the full list below.

Source: Gamespot

Posted by Ermac at 03:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Square has released its official list of games they'll be showing at E3. There's nothing really unexpected within -- FFXII, FFIII, Children of Mana, etc. That doesn't mean they couldn't roll out a surprise at the show, but we'll have to wait and see for that.

The one relatively new thing on the list is Dawn of Mana for the PS2, what the press release calls "the first true Mana game in a decade," essentially meaning this is Seiken Densetsu 4. Legend of Mana and Sword of Mana were offshoots of the main series, and thus apparently not "true." Also, Dawn of Mana is what some were earlier mistakenly calling World of Mana; World is actually the name they gave to Dawn and Children of Mana collectively as a two part addition to the Mana series. Yeah, it's confusing.

Dawn of Mana™, the first true Mana sequel in a decade, reveals the origins of the legend behind the Mana Tree and the Sword of Mana™. Breaking the series’ 2D mould, Dawn of Mana brings the world of Mana to three-dimensional life while preserving the atmosphere that fans have come to know and love. Players can see for themselves how vividly characters and monsters move about these new yet familiar surroundings. This instalment of the Mana is a true action-adventure, with sweeping plains and mountains stretching as far as the eye can see. It’s a world ripe for adventure!

A World of Sensation
“Touch” is the theme of Dawn of Mana’s world. You can virtually feel realistically rendered, lifelike objects.

The move to 3D bugs me. The Mana series was one of the last bastions of 2D gaming that wasn't a fighter. But even if that weren't so, the games were simply beautiful. The hand-drawn look of the games up to this point just can't be replicated in 3D, especially not on the aging PS2 hardware. As I dig around, I see that there are screenshots available on Square's Japanese Mana site, and they look about as I figured.

I'm not saying the game is ugly; obviously it's not. But the technology simply isn't capable of achieving the look of 2D art, even when that art was squished to a lower resolution to work with the original Playstation:

That in itself was reason I hoped the series would stay in 3D; to see hand-drawn art on the level of the Mana series freed from the constaints of the PSX. The style has been given even less of a chance on the PS2 than it was on the PSX, almost entirely relegated to fighters and Metal Slug ports. Such is the march of progress, I suppose. Though Sony's infamously harsh stance against 2D games doesn't help either.

One interesting note about the game (undoubtedly related to that "world of sensation" bit in the press release), is that Dawn of Mana will use the Havoc physics engine. Is there a lot of use for phsyics in an RPG, even one with real time battles?

Posted by Ermac at 05:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Here are the highlights of what's coming out today and tomorrow. Also note that Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children comes out tomorrow.

• Black and White 2: Battle of the Gods (PC) - An expansion pack being touted as "darker" than vanilla Black and White 2. $19.99 at Amazon.
• Rampage: Total Destruction (PS2, GC) - A series that should've stayed a novelty of twenty years ago continues to be dragged, kicking and screaming, to new sequels. $19.99 at Amazon for the PS2 and Gamecube.
• 2006 FIFA World Cup (PSP, DS, 360, PS2, GBA, GC, Xbox) - This soccer game is apparently coming to every system except the Atari 5200. Anywhere from $29.99 to $59.99 at Amazon depending on what system you want it on.
• Guilty Gear: Dust Strikers (DS) - Battle across multiple levels on both DS screens, and maybe strike some dust, I dunno. Currently being wonky and unpriced at Amazon.
• Winback 2: Project Poseidon (PS2, Xbox) - The three fans of the original Winback now have something to prolong the period until their ritual suicide. $39.99 at Amazon for the PS2 and Xbox.
• Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny (PS2) - If you liked the first one, chances are you'll like this. Me, I've had the first one sitting on my "to play" stack for the past six months. That's no commentary on the game, just my inability to get anything done. $49.99 at Amazon.

There aren't any real high profile releases this week, but a fairly wide selection of second-tier stuff, so you may want to check out the rest of the releases at Gamespot and Next Generation.

Posted by Ermac at 03:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Today I learned that having water in your ear sucks.

• Instruction Destruction: 1up's feature on the instruction booklets of yesteryear and their paltry modern day replacements.
• N64 emulator for the PSP released.
• The Gameboy Advance is getting its own Player's Choice line.
• Is Captain N coming to DVD?
• LA Weekly has an interview with the author of the book, Video Game Art.
• IGN's Matt suggests we'll be seeing Revolution games before E3.

Posted by Ermac at 04:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Here are the highlights of what's coming out today or tomorrow:

• Burnout Revenge (360) - The 360 version of Burnout 4 is finally here, along with some really torn up cars. $59.99 at Amazon, though for some reason they're claiming a March 14 release date.
• Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (Xbox, 360) - You can call it Ghost Recon 3 to save time, or go up to the counter and shout GRAW! Not to be confused with GWAR. $49.99 at Amazon for the Xbox version, $59.99 for the 360.
• College Hoops 2K6 (360) - Yet another PS2/Xbox game being given a spitshine and thrown back out on the 360 months later for an extra ten bucks. $59.99 at Amazon.
• Tales of Phantasia (GBA) - This is the originator of the Tales series that debuted on the Super Famicom, but never came to the US. Here's your chance to see what you missed out on. $29.99 at Amazon.
• Pokemon Trozei (DS) - It's kind of Columns.. I mean it's kind of Puyo Puyo.. I mean.. Hell. It's a Pokemon puzzle game. There. $34.99 at Amazon.
• Shadow Hearts: From The New World (PS2) - The third title in the Shadow Hearts series marks a change in setting to the new world of the Americas. $39.99 at Amazon.
• Pursuit Force (PSP) - IGN says "it's like stuffing a summer blockbuster in your pants." What does that mean? I don't know! $39.99 at Amazon.
• CSI: 3 Dimensions of Murder (PC) - I have to mention it just because that's the corniest damned title ever. $29.99 at Amazon.

More, almost entirely based on some anime or another, at the link.

Source: Gamespot

Posted by Ermac at 02:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

ExtremeTech has tried to demonstrate why Windows Vista won't suck. I'm not really seeing the added value.

• Unsigned bands can enter a contest to have their song used in the soundtrack to Scarface: The World Is Yours, and Myspace readers vote on the winner. But the real question is: Will the soundtrack have Push It To The Limit on it?
• More Mother 3 shots dribble out.
• Get your Pong clocks here, but do it fast -- Atari has pulled the legal card on the clock makers, and after the original run of 400, production will cease.
• Ever caught yourself thinking "Boy, what I'd really like is to play Tony Hawk against members of rock 'n' roll outfit POD"? Well here's your chance!
• Attention New Yorkers: Demos of Brain Training are now available at the DS kiosks in the NIntendo World Store.
• Telltale Games, producers of the new Sam and Max game, have secured a total $1.5 million in funding.
• An open letter to the occupants of a house in Paperboy.
• The planned third-party PSP keyboard accessory has been canned.
• A warning to all, uh, "Cheese fans" -- Old Sonic Adventure chao keychains are being resold as Cheese keychains. I don't know which is worse, Sega renaming old merchadise that doesn't actually represent the character to shovel it out the door, or people getting genuinely upset about it.
• Article: A look inside EA's motion capture studio.

Posted by Ermac at 04:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

A poster at the Gaming Age forums has compiled a chart showing the relative popularity, measured in sales, of all the major franchises in this generation. Sales figures were provided by the NPD Group.

(click for bigger)

Mario leads the pack, probably thanks to all those sports titles, and just edges out Madden. GTA is a couple million behind that in third, and Star Wars and Tony Hawk round out the top five. It's kind of depressing to see Namco Museum of all things beating out Zelda, but hopefully Twilight Princess will change that.

In other news, Spongebob is bigger than wrestling. Somehow I always knew.

Source: Gaming Age forums

Posted by Ermac at 02:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Congratulations to the Brits for showing some taste. Shadow of the Colossus entered into the UK sales charts at number one this week, knocking Need for Speed: Most Wanted off the top spot, and the re-release of Ico came in at 23.

• Delay rumors and the Merrill Lynch manufacturing report causes Sony stock to sink.
• Nintendo Power reports New Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo DS will ship May 7.
• A Q&A podcast with Pete Hines about Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
• 24 new screenshots of Xenosaga DS.
• Scans reveal the the new Xbox Live camera.
• A reviewer was put under hypnosis and made to believe he was 10 years old to review the Chronicles of Narnia game; results appearing in next month's Official Xbox Magazine.
• The PSP Ghouls 'N Ghosts game confirmed for US release in Q3 2006. Until then, look upon these screenshots of the game and weep at their beauty.
• New Tenchu DS screenshots.
• What, you want even more screenshots? Alright then, here's three more for Mother 3.

Posted by Ermac at 04:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I'm sorry, I can't add anything here. I'm still throwing up from those Bomberman scans.

• Video showcases the cast of characters in Metroid Prime: Hunters and their various abilities.
• Demo released for Loco Mania, a game in which you take on the role of a train dispatcher. Control switches and train directions to get all the trains through the system safely and quickly.
• Can't stop, won't stop: Now the shareholders are suing Take Two.
• Video: Japanese news report showing the DS' web browser and TV tuner in action.
• New screenshots of MechAssault DS.
• A handy five step guide to beating any boss ever.
• Japan's Xbox 360 head has been replaced.
• Does Microsoft want both new disc formats to fail?
• New Pokemon Ranger screens.
• An interview with Yu Suzuki. If you don't know who that is, stop calling yourself a gamer.

Posted by Ermac at 05:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Mother 3 website continues to slowly unveil its goodies, and yesterday's was the first three images of Mother 3, the sequel to Earthbound. It looks like the game is definitely not abandoning the visual style of Earthbound -- whether that's good or bad is up to you, I suppose.

Source: Go Nintendo

Posted by Ermac at 03:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Originally planned way back for the Nintendo 64 but cancelled due to production issues, Mother 3 (Mother 2 was known as Earthbound outside of Japan) was announced to be back in the works some time ago. The plans were to take the ideas and scenarios for the N64 version and to rework them for the Gameboy Advance. Now, after ten years, there is an actual release date for Mother 3. Shigesato Itoi, the producer of the series, announced on his site that the game is now slotted for an April 20, 2006 release in Japan.

What's not clear yet, of course, is whether Nintendo will bring the game to America. Earthbound has a small but rabid following in the States, and that may be enough to convince them. If nothing else, if they decide to pass on it, they'll know they can never walk the streets safely again.

Source: Starmen.net

Posted by Ermac at 07:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Market tracking group NPD has released it's lists for the top ten best selling games in the console and PC markets. First up, the console games:

1 MADDEN NFL 06 PS2
2 POKEMON EMERALD GBA
3 GRAN TURISMO 4 PS2
4 MADDEN NFL 06 XBX
5 NCAA FOOTBALL 06 PS2
6 STAR WARS: BATTLEFRONT II PS2
7 MVP BASEBALL 2005 PS2
8 STAR WARS EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE SITH PS2
9 NBA LIVE 06 PS2
10 LEGO STAR WARS PS2

Do people do anything other than play sports? And in this corner, the PC chart, typed by someone who didn't have their caps lock stuck:

1. World Of Warcraft
2. The Sims 2: University Expansion Pack
3. The Sims 2
4. Guild Wars
5. Roller Coaster Tycoon 3
6. Battlefield 2
7. The Sims 2 Nightlife Expansion Pack
8. Age Of Empires III
9. The Sims Deluxe
10. Call Of Duty 2

I think some people are playing The Sims.

Source: NPD Group 1, 2

Posted by Ermac at 06:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (4)