Another E3 Blog

Got to know everything that happened yesterday, but don't have time to read all of the information? Fear not. Hit the jump, and osmose for the final time. Sniff.

Day 1 - Day 2 - Day 3

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It's all over. Looks like the new format didn't hurt the show after all - although there were definitely mixed reactions from the media who attended. Hideo Kojima publically expressed his disappointment at the loss of the 'old' E3, and Square Enix packed up their booth in Santa Monica a day early. On the other hand, the new restrictions made queues for games minimal, allowing news to pour in as quickly as possible, and the show in general wasn't such a war on the senses.

Personally, I found it a little odd that some announcements for games had to be actively sought out (Nintendo were especially bad for this - Mario Party DS and Advance Wars DS 2 could very easily have gone totally unnoticed), but the usual sheer influx of new associated with E3 was there, so I can forgive and forget.

Anyway - highlights. Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga put in a quick showing, revealing that it'll have about twenty more levels for fans to lap up upon release. Having played and adored the first two titles, I'll be more than happy to go through it again with the extras Travaller's Tales are cooking up.

Trauma Center: New Blood was an interesting announcement - especially when you consider that the game will now offer co-op surgery. Hilarity ensues as player two accidentally nicks an artery that player one has to desperately try and repair.

Another, even more interesting announcement, was that of Blocks for the Wii. Yes, you do 'just' play with blocks, but it looks like it can give players no end of imaginative and creative fun. It's the Wii's answer to LittleBigPlanet, that's for sure.

Finally, to end the show, I'd like to make sure that everybody views this fantastic footage. It's of Burnout Paradise, and the reason I find it so fantastic and promising is because it's from a pre-alpha version of the game. That means it's very early on indeed, and if it already looks that good and already has such a realistic physics engine in place, one can only imagine what the final product will be like.

Trailers like that, combined with so many other things at E3, have confirmed one thing in everybody's mind.

It's good to be a gamer.

Peter Molyneux's Fable 2 is set 500 years after the original, and will include "a massive amount of freedom and choice to explore a vast collection of dungeons, catacombs and caves in the world of Albion."

Set for release in 2008, the 360 exclusive title will expand upon everything the previous title offered. There'll be a dog, too. The pooch will "act as friend, compass and protector", and all you need to do is feed it every now and then. Well, dog is man's best friend, after all.

You can check out the newest trailer after the jump.

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The guitar-shredding series is back, and E3 has revealed a few new details about the game for all to see.

Guitar Hero III will feature over 45 songs for players to jam through, online play, new co-op and versus multiplayer modes, and completely wireless guitar controllers. Gamers will also have the opportunity to go up against some of the biggest legends of rock history in new 'boss battles' - including Slash of Guns 'n' Roses fame.

You can hit the jump to see the latest trailer.

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Some confusion over the exclusivity of this title was made during the Sony Conference, so I'll clear it up now. Unreal Tournament III will be 'exclusive' to PS3 for 2007, and it will then be released the 360 in 2008.

An interesting nugget of information for this title to come out of E3 was that the PS3 version will be able to support mods and user-created content. Midway reckons that "this will bring a level of creativity, innovation and replayability not previously seen on home consoles."

There's a new trailer after the jump.

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Bare with me here.

Yes, this is probably what you think it is. No, it's not that boring.

Blocks is one of the first Wii titles from Steven Spielberg - and it's likely to be the Wii's answer to LittleBigPlanet. Why? Because it's so damn simple, but so much fun. You build things up, play with them a bit, and then knock them down.

The developer walkthrough trailer after the jump will demonstrate it better than I ever could. And, if after watching it you don't immediately want to start messing around with the possibilities that have been presented to you, there's something wrong.

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2K Sports have recently announced Top Spin 3 - the latest iteration in their tennis series.

Being developed for the 360 and PS3, players will "compete online and offline to rise in the ranks against current top ranked professional players."

2K are hoping to reach the pinnacle of their game with Top Spin 3 "by ensuring every detail is accurate, from the cloud cover to lighting, from sweat to dirt on clothing, to every drop shot, slice, lob and backhand."

Gamers will also be able to manipulate the smaller details in the game, as the new player creator will "include free-form body sculpting, makeup and tattoos." I'm not too sure what the body sculpting will involve, but it's doubtful it'll be what my mind is envisaging. (Whizzing tennis players round on a clay pot-moulding machine.)

You can take a look at the first shots of Top Spin 3 after the jump.

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Despite the fact that Trauma Center: Second Opinion was only announced for release in Europe a few weeks back, Atlus aren't wasting any time by sitting around and waiting to see how it does in sales. Nope, they're getting straight on with the sequel - Trauma Center: New Blood.

New Blood will do what it says on the tin - it will introduce brand new characters who will have to face the latest viruses and perform the newest operations. It will also feature co-op gameplay, so your best mate could end up assisting you in those more stressful surgeries.

No other details have been released about New Blood yet, but there are a handful of new screenshots ready and waiting for you after the jump.

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It's the sequel to the GBA's finger-aching King of Swing. Finger-aching because, if you remember, these DK titles are controlled entirely through the L and R buttons, which you alternate between to swing in the appropriate direction.

I predict this version of the game will be made slightly easier by the DS' two screens - you'll be able to scout out hazards sooner and plan ahead. These things you could not do in the GBA version, you know.

Jungle Climber will be released in Europe in October, and there's a trailer after the jump to tide you by until then.

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This version has bikes in it. That's the only new detail. Sorry!

New trailer after the jump, though. Forgive me?

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Good news everyone! The controls for Donkey Kong Barrel Blast aren't likely to snap your wrists after all! While you still do have to waggle the Wii Remote and Nunchuk up and down in fast succession to accelerate, it's all been done very sensitively, so there'll be no Rayman Raving Rabbids-style pumping madness here.

Barrel Blast is set for release in America on 8 October, and you can check out the new trailer after the jump.

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The Wii's SoulCalibur Legends is a departure from the series' norm, taking on an action-adventure slant, rather than all out fighting. Nobody quite knows how this will all work out, but as the game is still in the hands of Namco, I'd bet it's fairly safe.

New details are quite scant about Legends, but an E3 press release reveals that the Quest Mode will take place across twelve environments and feature up to forty quests. There's also a new trailer to peruse after the jump.

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There's still not much to know about this title unfortunately, but Bandai Namco have promised to deliver "new gameplay modes, characters and enhanced features with unprecedented 3D modeling and animation." Which sounds alright to me.

There's a new trailer after the jump, and, is it just me, or does the character holding Soul Calibur at 34 seconds left to go let out a "HYYYAAAH!" sound just like Link from The Legend of Zelda?

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A new Spidey game! Hopefully this title will redeem itself for the the third movie's license being a bit rubbish. This title is being aimed at kids, you say? Oh.

Said to be "inspired by the Spider Man film trilogy and the classic Spider Man comics", Friend or Foe will let you fight alongside the likes of goodies Blade and Iron Fist, and, once you've defeated them in battle, baddies Doc Ock, Green Goblin, Venom and Sandman.

The game will also feature a co-op mode, so more players can drop in and drop out to help Spidey as they please.

There's a trailer after the jump.

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A male Tomb Raider - that's what Uncharted: Drake's Fortune seems to be turning out to be.

From Jak and Daxter developer types Naughty Dog, Drake's Fortune is the story of "a 400-year-old clue in the coffin of Sir Francis Drake." And before you think it, no, you won't be controlling the skeletal Drake.

The game sends "a modern-day fortune hunter on an exploration for the fabled treasure of El Dorado, leading to the discovery of a forgotten island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

"The search turns deadly when Nathan Drake becomes stranded on the island and hunted by mercenaries. Outnumbered and outgunned, Drake and his companions must fight to survive as they begin to unravel the terrible secrets hidden on the Island."

And then, King Kong appears, and you fall in love with him.

Okay, I made that bit up...

Trailer after the jump.

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Ah, Ghost Squad. One of the arcade favourites - and it's coming to Wii.

Destined for release in early 2008, Ghost Squad offers players Wii Zapper functionality, multiple levels each with different possible routes, a total of 25 weapons, and four different modes of play (Arcade, Multiplayer, Training, and Special).

You can see the first gameplay trailer of this "lightgun game" after the jump.

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Announced during the Nintendo Conference, the Check Mii Out Wii Channel is a sort of 'beauty contest' for Miis.

"The two main components of the free channel include an area where users can post Miis they have created to let others vote on their artistic abilities, and a competition element that lets users test their skills to create the most accurate likeness of individuals or other themes suggested by Nintendo."

The new channel should be released in early 2008.

EA Playground - where "kids can bring the excitement of the playground home, and parents or even grandparents can re-experience their childhood thrills."

In other words - it's yet another minigame compilation.

Nah. Seriously, it doesn't look that bad. Trailer after the jump.

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"Sweet merciful-! Holy-!"

That's not a press release quote. That's me, while watching the utter destruction in the pre-alpha - yes, pre-alpha (that means very early) - demonstration trailer after the jump.

Burnout Paradise will be "an open world environment where you can do anything, anywhere, anytime" (that is a press release quote), but the core element of the game seems like it will remain just the same - crash.

It's destined for release in Winter this year.

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The average sci-fi bustin' series is back - twice!

Destroy All Humans: Big Willy Unleashed (titter) is destined for the Wii, PS2, and PSP. The title follows "Crypto as he travels the world in the Funked Out 1970s, unleashing massive destruction on foot, in his UFO and for the first time, in the Big Willy mech." Willy Unleashed (titter titter) will act as a prequel for the other new game in the series - Path of the Furon.

Path of the Furon will head to the 360 and PS3, and follows on directly from where Willy climaxed (ha! I'll stop now). There'll be no rest for Crypto, as "a mysterious new enemy attacks, launching a conspiracy that unravels Crypto’s groovy new way of life and threatens the very survival of his Furon race."

Thar be a trailer of Path of the Furon after the jump.

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