The E3 2003 Thread

Asher · May 13, 2003, 19:09

So post all your E3 2003 stuff in this thread.

Last night, of course, was the spectacular MS press conference which showed no less than 8 minutes of in-game Halo 2 footage (which looks so unbelievably kickass), to a cheering press corps. Gamespot and IGN are both carrying the footage. Strongly suggest you check it out -- this is the best looking game, ever.

It beats DOOM III, IMHO, because of the scale. In DOOM III, everything's so closed quarters.

From IGN:

Quote:

E3 2003: Xbox Press Briefing
The games, the technology and the announcements about the future of Xbox.

May 12, 2003 - It's the stuff cutting edge business and technology articles were made of in the mid 1990s. The battle for the all powerful set-top box that will give consumers all the entertainment they could ever want has been underway for sometime. At Microsoft's E3 2003 Press Briefing for Xbox, some of the loftier, technology driven ideas we'd been promised so many years ago began to take shape with the announcement of several new Xbox initiatives.
The Xbox is now a lifestyle machine. Actually it has been all along according to Chief Xbox Officer Robbie Bach. We just didn't know it until he told us about Xbox Live Now. Instant alerts and game invites via email, instant message or even mobile phone from our Xboxes will keep those in the Xbox lifestyle aware of any tournaments they're in or what their current rankings might be. A comprehensive lobby where Xbox Live gamers can congregate before hopping into a session and manage their friends list, their pending game invites and any downloadable content that might be available will be one major component of Xbox Live Now. In the presentation it appeared that Xbox Live games will come with a built-in dashboard to facilitate easy management and navigation. You may not even need to have a specific Xbox Live game in your system to be able to manage downloads as long as you have a save file on your hard drive for the particular game in question. Another crucial element of Xbox Live Now will be Live Web, an Xbox Live specific website that looks incredibly similar to IGN's design and functionality that will exist separately from xbox.com to provide all kinds of specific online gaming information to Xbox Live gamers.

The Xbox will be doing a lot more purposeful interacting with our PCs thanks to the upcoming Music Mixer software that will allow gamers to move music and photo files from the PC to the Xbox for all sorts of purposes like karaoke and slide presentations. You can read all about it here.

The ways in which Microsoft would be inviting themselves into our living rooms --the games fool!-- were also on display and there were quite a few surprises for all in attendance. Even those of us who do this professionally were caught off guard by a surprise announcement for an Xbox exclusive LucasArts title (Star Wars:Republic Commando) so we're sure the civilians (non gaming journalists) were absolutely floored by the revelations of Conker: Live and Uncut and Grabbed by the Ghoulies from Rare. Conker: Live and Uncut will be an Xbox Live title but was only presented in video form. The "Saving Private Ryan" theme from the original N64 Conker game was revisited in the brief 8-10 second snippet we saw. A whole group of high resolution cartoon squirrels with army helmets and giant guns scampering about blasting each other.

Grabbed by the Ghoulies
Grabbed by the Ghoulies is a 3D third person action title with a pronounced cartoony look that didn't appear to be cel-shading. From what we witnessed in the brief video clip, the focus appears to be on frantic melee combat. The blonde main character, who appeared to be a pre-teen boy, was shown beating skeletons with his bear fists until they crumbled, reacting in fear to frightening green ghouls jumping out at him and grabbing and smashing objects in the environment like chairs, tables and bookcases. Throwing a piece of furniture at enemies appears to be fair play in GbtG, as does using a super water gun to splash enemies until they go away. The Rare magic that's fueled so many big franchises on the N64 wasn't apparent in the footage that we saw.

Star Wars: Republic Commando
In 2004, LucasArts plans to release a new Star Wars game exclusively for Xbox and Xbox Live. The trailer for Star Wars: Republic Commando almost seems like it's fromt a different universe at first. A mixture of squad-based combat and survival horror, the game does not occur during the original trilogy's timeline, that much is certain. The trailer shows a couple of Republican guards chasing after a three-foot tall wall-crawling nasty. When they finally corner him, they see to their horror the entire room is filled with their buggers. Visually, the cut-scene is marvelous, but who knows what in-game visuals will look like. It definitely got the crowd roaring early.

Breakdown
Breakdown was a mystery to us not too long ago. A first-person action game promising lots of hand-to-hand combat seemed a bit strange. And the screenshots were all nicely rendered pieces that surely couldn't represent actual in-game footage. Whoops, we were wrong. The long trailer gave us a little insight into the game. A scientific experiment goes wrong, endowing out hero with a strange glowing hand. He then proceeds to kick the crap out of everything and everyone with the help of a female companion, whom you can also control. The first-person fighting actually looks quite cool, but a hands-on is definitely needed. This one is certainly climbing our interest chart.

Doom III
Doom III was the first game highlighted at the presentation with a dramatic trailer. A martian base was shown as a shuttle craft approaches while a voiceover indicates that there's trouble brewing at the facility. Evil skull spirits escaping from the bodies of soldiers, monsters crashing into the facility from all directions including the floor showed off the desperation of the situation in Doom III. We were able to observe the one-shot killing power of the shotgun, the rapid fire automatic rifle and the wimpy pistol. Strangely enough the Xbox Live logo didn't appear after Doom III finished running, just the standard Xbox logo.

Also unveiled, with a little help from Indianapolis Colts quarterback and NFL Fever cover boy Peyton Manning was the XSN Sports program. Essentially an online sports game management system, XSN will allow Xbox Live users to organize themselves into leagues, setup custom tournaments and other sorts of structures without having to worry about a thing once you've got it up and running. The 2004 editions of NFL Fever, Inside Drive and NHL Rivals will be joined by TopSpin and Amped 2 as charter members of the XSN Sports club. XSN will function the same as Xbox Live Now and will even come with its own sports game-specific website designed for Xbox Live sports gamers. Real time updates to the site will keep rankings and standings in your league or tournament current for all the world to see.

Also see:
Conker Live and Uncut details: http://xbox.ign.com/articles/402/402134p1.html
Star Wars: Republic Commando (Xbox exclusive SW games by Lucasarts): http://insider.ign.com/videos/articl.../402153p1.html
Fable details: http://xbox.ign.com/articles/402/402233p1.html
Ninja Gaiden details: http://xbox.ign.com/articles/401/401828p1.html
Dead or Alive Online details: http://xbox.ign.com/articles/401/401829p1.html
Project Gotham 2 details: http://xbox.ign.com/articles/401/401906p1.html

Boris Godunov · May 13, 2003, 19:10

FPS =

Spiffor · May 13, 2003, 19:16

Sony is going to make its own handeld. According to this IGN article, it will be impressive. I intended to buy myself a GBA SP, but I'm now hesitating, for this thing seems to have what it takes to be a perfect handheld :

Quote:

E3 2003: Sony Goes Handheld!
First specs and details on PSP (PlayStation Portable).
May 13, 2003 - Sony came out swinging today with a major announcement regarding its entry into the handheld market: the PSP. With a screen measuring in at a tidy 4.5 inches, the new device surely must have Nokia, Nintendo and other portable/handheld deck-makers quaking in their boots. In fact, the device is apparently so monumental, it has at least one Sony exec calling the unit "the Walkman of the 21st Century." Additionally, Ken Kutaragi, CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. and father of the Playstation commented that the device will be more powerful than the original PlayStation.

And just what makes this wondertoy so appealing? Well, other than the obvious welcome addition to the handheld market, we'd say it's these drool-worthy (and preliminary) specs:

# UMD or Universal Media Device. This storage media is 60mm, about half the size of the traditional CD and has a capacity of 1.8GB. That's right GB. Expect massively complex, detailed gaming (for your handheld anyway). 2.4 inches.
# ATRAC encoding support (Sony's proprietary sound format used in their minidiscs). This could mean it will be a multi-media device.
# Graphics specs are also impressive: NURB technology for rendering with full 3D polygons.
# The unit's widescreen LCD screen (480x272, that's the coveted 16:9 ratio we all love) will be backlit.
# The unit's sound processing will feature full 3D sound, PCM, and will be "fully reconfigurable."
# MIPS 32-bit processor.
# Also, a secure ROM cartridge for anti-piracy efforts.
# Super-one-chip solution for graphics, sound, etc.
# Memory stick will be used for game saves. Also, for GPS functionality.
# Rechargeable battery.
# CPU: 90 nanometers with a clock speed TBD.
# USB 2.0 connection for talking to your PC, cellphone, even your PS2.
# Embedded RAM.
# Supports additional video codecs (other than MPEG 4.)

We suspect that the PSP will also come equipped with an analog stick and, since the media is disc-based, it may also have a flip-top lid/cover.

IGN is tracking more info on the PSP and hopes to be breaking more news and details about the unit soon.

Spiffor · May 13, 2003, 19:17

Oh, and Xbox =

reds4ever · May 13, 2003, 19:21

Quote:

Originally posted by Asher
So post all your E3 2003 stuff in this thread.

Last night, of course, was the spectacular MS press conference which showed no less than 8 minutes of in-game Halo 2 footage (which looks so unbelievably kickass), to a cheering press corps. Gamespot and IGN are both carrying the footage. Strongly suggest you check it out -- this is the best looking game, ever.

It beats DOOM III, IMHO, because of the scale. In DOOM III, everything's so closed quarters.

thats been Id's biggest fault from the original Quake onwards, the engines they 've developed since the Doom can't deal with a large amount of enemies in an open space, which is what made Doom so great. IMHO Doom 3 may well turn out be a great game but it's not Doom in spirit.

Spiffor · May 13, 2003, 19:28

The real Doom3 was Serious Sam. With the UT series, it is the only doom-like that I enjoy since the genre became fully 3d

reds4ever · May 13, 2003, 19:34

Quote:

Originally posted by Spiffor
The real Doom3 was Serious Sam. With the UT series, it is the only doom-like that I enjoy since the genre became fully 3d

I totally agree

some of the 'dark' tension maybe missing, but for a sheer panic stricken, adrenalin(sp) rush Serious Sam is the heir apparent to Doom.

Spiffor · May 13, 2003, 19:40

I was more thinking of legions of stupid monsters you kill with big guns, a donzen kills pro bullet

Skanky Burns · May 13, 2003, 19:45

Quote:

Originally posted by Spiffor
Oh, and Xbox =

Agreed.

Is there any news on games for real computers?

Buck Birdseed · May 13, 2003, 19:48

http://www.lucasarts.com/products/freelancepolice/

Yay!!!

Spiffor · May 13, 2003, 19:50

I haven't played Sam&Max in ages ! I'm very happy to see Lucasart wants to give its old adventure games a new youth

Asher · May 13, 2003, 21:10

It seems Sony got creative and thought it'd be a good idea to bundle the network adapter with the PS2.

I thought they said it was stupid of MS to do that?

monkspider · May 13, 2003, 22:27

Wow, Boris your taste in videogames is as exquisite as your taste in music. FPS'ers really are

, huh?

Zero · May 13, 2003, 22:31

DOOM III is going to be the greatest E3 game story/cinematics/single player wise.

Half life II is going to be for the mod potential (with counter strike 2 and team fortress 2 being rumored to be mod for it and all...)

Soul Calibur II wins for the game that still takes my breath away the most among the category of E3 games that I already own.

Asher · May 13, 2003, 22:33

DOOM III is going to be the greatest E3 game story?

Single player?

Have you played an id game recently? All of their GAME developers left long ago, what you've got left is a technical team to make engines.

Zero · May 13, 2003, 22:34

Quote:

Originally posted by reds4ever

I totally agree

some of the 'dark' tension maybe missing, but for a sheer panic stricken, adrenalin(sp) rush Serious Sam is the heir apparent to Doom.

Sam requires you to kill all the enemies

Sam is missing the whole "Oh my god I dont have enough manpower to kill off all the enemies in this room" panic mode. I hope Doom III would have that :crosses fingers:

Zero · May 13, 2003, 22:35

Quote:

Originally posted by Asher
DOOM III is going to be the greatest E3 game story?

Single player?

Have you played an id game recently? All of their GAME developers left long ago, what you've got left is a technical team to make engines.

ok maybe I should haave worded it as having the best theme or something like that. What I meant was, first doom didnt have much of a story but single player was real good cause it was dark and all and it got you really scared of the enemies.

Spiffor · May 13, 2003, 22:38

I find Doom3 terribly unappealing...

monolith94 · May 13, 2003, 22:44

In my opinion, there are only five games worth caring about: Deus Ex 2, Halo 2, Max Payne 2, Doom 3 and Half Life 2.

Asher · May 13, 2003, 22:45

Got a thing for sequels, eh?

reds4ever · May 13, 2003, 22:52

Quote:

Originally posted by Spiffor
I find Doom3 terribly unappealing...

From I've seen of Doom III, it looks to me like Quake II did at the time. ie very pretty but...

monolith94 · May 13, 2003, 22:53

No - got a thing for awesome games that they're making sequels to. I really wish that a new game as revolutionary as the original myth, half life or Max Payne would come out, but from my perspective, I just don't see that happening...

Zero · May 13, 2003, 22:56

make sure to highlight august 27th 2003 on your calendar kiddies.

I cant wait to get a copy of my US version as well

reds4ever · May 13, 2003, 22:57

Quote:

Originally posted by Calc II

Sam requires you to kill all the enemies

Sam is missing the whole "Oh my god I dont have enough manpower to kill off all the enemies in this room" panic mode. I hope Doom III would have that :crosses fingers:

I don't like being pesimistic, but theres not a cat in hells chance of Doom3 being like that..check out the screen shots

Zero · May 13, 2003, 23:00

Quote:

Originally posted by reds4ever

I don't like being pesimistic, but theres not a cat in hells chance of Doom3 being like that..check out the screen shots

dude theres like 8 screenshots available

besides Resident evil 1 was like that. Look how crappy 2 turned out to be, even when they increased max enemy potential

Asher · May 13, 2003, 23:01

There's an entire alpha build, and a leaked trailer from E3 2002.

monkspider · May 13, 2003, 23:03

How about Pirates 2, anyone?

Zero · May 13, 2003, 23:03

The alpha build doesnt run well on my computer.

Spiffor · May 13, 2003, 23:04

Quote:

Originally posted by monkspider
How about Pirates 2, anyone?

Civ3 : Play the Scenarios

Asher · May 14, 2003, 19:14

(Bump)

The Xbox is now $179US/$249CDN, instead of $199US.
Sony did the same thing immediately after, even though not a month ago Sony denied they'd drop any price and said they were "happy at the $199 pricepoint".

Looks like Sony's cocky on the outside, scared on the inside.