Take a look at that picture. Near the bottom, in the rat’s nest of wire. It’s silver with holes. That’s right, it’s a Gamecube! Apparently Nintendo was running all Wii software from Gamecubes during E3. This has led some to hope that the graphics of the final releases will be better. Take it for what you will, I just found it interesting.
—check out the orignal story on wiinintendo.net for bigger pics.
I have just been granted access to Nintendo’s press website. I understand this really doesn’t mean much, as many developers’ press sites are open to the general public, but it makes me feel particularly awesome.
This means I get to go to E3 next year, right?
Man, post-E3 makes for a dull week. So much news and then, nothing. Is this what postpartum depression feels like? Anyway, a supposed HDMI cable for the 360 popped up on Lik-Sang recently—sans any images. Lik-Sang describes it thus:
Showcase stunning Xbox 360 high-definition graphics with the component connection on your HDTV. Play high-quality audio with the included stereo connection or use the optical audio port for digital sound.
# Official Microsoft Xbox 360 Component HDAV Cable
# High-definition gaming output
# Progressive-scan DVD playback
# Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound output
# Superior quality image output
# For NextGen Television sets offering HDMI input slots
I realize that for the majority of people this means nothing at all. I just so happen to have an HDTV, so I think it’s super. It’s also pretty interesting in the wake of Sony’s PS3 announcements. In case you’ve forgotten, the basic core PS3 won’t even support HDMI. It will be interesting to see how much Microsoft charges for HDMI, but at least it’s an option.
So, does this matter to any of you? Do you even have an HDTV?
—via my newest source: Xboxic
This was briefly up on the Bungie.net forums. It was quickly taken down and all those involved—including those who merely responded to the post—were banned from the forums. Is it real? Fake? Who knows? It certainly borrows from Halo 2’s menu, most notably the “Y” button bringing up the friends list. And what’s classic mode? Interesting. I get the feeling Bungie might start banning all cellphones/cameras within the studio.
It’s fake. Just looked at Bungie.net’s main page. They had this to say:
“The user interface screen floating around the interzone right now is a fake. It’s a pretty fake, but fake nonetheless. We’re not going to debunk every fake we see, but that one is clogging the forums. So stop talking about it. It’s fake.
That’s right, fake”
I guess it’s fake.
—via Xboxic
The deluge of news during E3 has brought about some kind of stasis to my posts, but I was thinking about something yesterday. You may have read comments from Nintendo’s opponents about Wii’s place in a gaming household. Peter Moore had this to say:
“People are going to buy two. They’re going to buy an Xbox and they’re going to buy a Wii … for the price of one PS3.”
Meanwhile, on the other side of the schoolyard, Sony’s Phil Harrison said this:
”I think Peter Moore is exactly right. I think Nintendo will be the second system consumers purchase after PlayStation 3.”
Now, correct me if I’m wrong here, but if both Sony and Microsoft concede that Wii will be the second console, doesn’t that make Wii the first console? Regardless of where your loyalties—or budget—lie, it’s an interesting situation. I’ve got my 360 and I will be getting Wii, so right now the prophecy holds true.
—quotes from the Washington Post and Gamasutra.
I decided to spend this weekend actually playing games, instead of just writing about them. I am sorry about the single post on Friday. That was probably just fallout from posting so much during E3.
Having discovered that Zero Suit Samus was one of the new characters in Smash Bros. Brawl, I decided it was about time to pick up Metroid: Zero Mission. So I bought it Friday for ten bucks and I’m glad I did. Zero Mission is a nice elixir for the wrongs of Hunters. I do like Hunters, it’s just not the same thing. It wasn’t intended to be.
Metroid is basically my favorite series alongside Castlevania. The exploration/upgrade/more exploration formula is just about perfect in my opinion. It just feels right, you know? Zero Mission is no exception. However, any complaints you may have heard about the length of the game are probably accurate. I’ve spent a good three hours on the game thus far and am almost at the Ridley fight, to give you an idea. I can only assume this Zero Suit is in there somewhere. The idea of a helmetless Samus with an energy whip/sword thing was enough to make me buy the game, so it better be in there.
On top of Zero Mission, I have been playing Hunters, both games nestled comfortably in my DS. I’m almost finished with Hunters and I’ll start checking out some online matches soon. I haven’t really touched Tomb Raider in a couple of days, as my 360 has been better served by E3 media. I really have to commend Microsoft for all the content last week. So, um yeah, good job Microsoft.
E3 is over. I promise that once I have finished my cornucopia of games, I will give you all the benefit of some (long overdue) reviews. In the meantime, go soak up some E3 afterthoughts, relax, and wait for November.
A friend of mine pointed out that my RSS feed was busted. It has since been fixed. It was pointing to a non-existant file for some reason. If any of you have any problems, please bring them to my attention.
—Sense
Kaz Hirai was recently questioned about the high price of the PS3 on CNN Money. He defended the price saying:
“I think when you look at what we put into the box – Cell, Blu-Ray, backwards compatibility, the ability to go online – I think it’s a very compelling package.”
He also spoke about the cheaper SKU saying:
“The only difference is HDMI – and at this point, I don’t think many people’s TV’s have that.”
What? Wasn’t “True” HD the whole point of cramming Blu-ray into the PS3 in the first place? Sony’s marketing is addling my brain…
—via Gamasutra
I grabbed the demo off of XBLM yesterday. Right now, I’d say that Lost Planet serves as the perfect example of what I’ve been talking about lately. I saw the trailers for it before, thinking it looked okay, but not great. Now that I have actually played the game, I can tell you it’s pretty fun. There are two missions available. I’ve only played one, so I can’t tell if you play as opposing factions of humans or if you can play as both humans and aliens, which would be sweet. As it stands, Lost Planet is a third person shooter. It’s of the old-school variety, which I like. There are lots of insect enemies popping out of pulsating holes in the ground. If you want to stop the flow of insect baddies, you have to destroy the hole. It gives the game a Gauntlet-like sense of urgency to it. Adding to this Gauntlet theme is your ever decreasing life bar. There isn’t any documentation with the demo, but I believe this is your life support slowly draining. Why is it draining you ask? Because you’re in a frozen wasteland silly! There is also a temperature monitor on the HUD, which I think affects your energy’s rate of decline.
The gun play is standard stuff. Mildly ineffective machine guns, one-shot-kill shotguns, and the ubiquitous rocket launcher. There’s also a grapple which I didn’t get much time to experiment with. But the big daddy of them all is the chaingun wielding mech. This bad boy can jump, dash, and of course lay ruin upon the land with a big damn gun. I could swear I was also prompted to “pick up” something while using the mech, but I was forced to eject before I could find out.
The game is a lot of fun, but the demo lacks checkpoints, so I’ll have to go at it again tonight. I’ll give you a full report when I finish the whole thing.
I’ve added a page with my LIVE info (Gamertag, Gamercard). Check it out:
The page is listed in the sidebar, now and forever.
