E3 2008 | Mirror's Edge

Das Gamer Gets Some Hands On Time With Mirror’s Edge

When you think DICE, you think Battlefield, an award eating warfare based shooter franchise for the PC. DICE has recently seen some success with their latest console venture (and some would say first successful console title) Battlefield: Bad Company. Sure, blasting away at soldiers and vehicular mayhem seems to be almost second nature to DICE, but what about Parkour? Really? An odd concept on paper has seemingly turned into one of the most exciting titles I got my hands on at E3. Even though there is combat, just as in the art of Parkour, the main goal of Mirror’s Edge is to get from point A to point B in the safest and most efficient way possible. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: DICE, EA, Faith, hands on preview, Mirror's Edge, original IP, Parkour, Preview | No Comments »

E3 2008 | Fallout 3

Games Critics Announce E3 2008 Winners

The judges behind the Games Critics Awards, a panel of more than 30 video game journalists headed up by Geoff Keighley and Rob Smith, have weighed in on their ballots. Bethesda’s Fallout 3 took top honors as best in show. EA walked away with five wins, the most of any publisher, and provides a nice symmetry to spending the most money of any company at the conference. In the PvPvP arena, Microsoft led with eight wins compared to seven trophies for Sony and one award for the Wii. While there was plenty of hype around the “heated” controversy on whether or not the Critics could include Activision on the ballots, why didn’t anyone at the GCA even mention Gamecock? Hit the jump for the full run down. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: E3 2008, Fallout 3, Games Critics Awards | 2 Comments »

E3 2008 | Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe

Midway’s Hector Sanchez Talks Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe

Associate producer Hector Sanchez fanned on his first shot at pulling off a Fatality with Scorpion during the demo for Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe. At least he didn’t have to face the abuse from the rest of the team back at Midway Chicago. “John Edwards, one of the game developers, failed to get a Fatality during a spot for X-play. The entire team saw it live streaming and called him up afterwards. Everyone was like, ‘What the hell man!’ Total failure.”

Unlike the aborted Fatalities, the latest MK in the franchise looks like a success in a lot of different areas. For one thing, Midway has taken it back to the game’s old-school 2-D roots. “Ed Boon (the co-creator of the Mortal Kombat franchise) really listens to the fan base. He just wanted to do it. When we announced the next MK game he said it’s back to basics, we’re going to get gritty, back to what made Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat.” Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Hector Sanchez, interview, Midway, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe | 1 Comment »

E3 2008

Resident Evil 5’s Jun Takeuchi: Go To The Knife And You’re Screwed

Stephen Totilo over at MTV Multiplayer snagged an interview with Resident Evil 5 producer Jun Takeuchi at E3. Capcom had a playable version on display in their booth. I was a little more partial to the Street Fighter IV arcade units but the RE franchise definitely deserves its due respect. Among the RE revelations, Capcom revealed the co-op game mechanic between main character Chris Redfield and new female character, Sheva Alomar. In his interview Takeuchi talks combat (if you have to resort to Redfield’s knife it’s pretty much over), co-op, chainsaws and more.

[MTV Mulitplayer]

Tags: E3 2008, Jun Takeuchi, Resident Evil 5 | 2 Comments »

E3 2008

We Hope You Enjoyed E3 2008, The Post-Apocalyptic Edition

For the past three days the halls of the Los Angeles Convention Center have looked exactly the same as the days leading up to pinnacle trade show for the most lucrative segment in the entertainment industry: effin’ empty. I knew something was wrong when I saw that no one had even bothered to wrap the entire building in vinyl game advertisements. It appears that the excitement surrounding E3 has gone the way of the booth babe. Although I salute Nyko for brazenly pointing their stinkfinger at the ban and bringing in a pair of product specialists wearing wigs and go-go boots.

The show has been fairly easy to navigate without the throngs of people milling around gigantic booths that cost more than I will earn in the next decade. There’s something to be said for not losing your hearing due to the sonic torpedoes coming out of bank after bank of speakers. EA did manage to snag the Who to play a Rock Band event. Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend have true starpower. But at the core this is a band that hasn’t released a significant album since the Jimmy Carter Administration. E3 has officially tossed the fun baton to Penny Arcade Expo and the Leipzig Games Convention. Check out the gallery below and behold the new staid, sensible E3, the E3 that could be held at an Elk’s Club. Thanks for attending, all 11 of you. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: a picture of emptiness, E3 2008 | No Comments »

E3 2008 News

Monolith’s James Mulkey Talks Project Origin

Tucked away in the far corner of room 325 of the convention center the Warner Bros. booth is hosting one of the breakout games of the show, Project Origin. Dave Matthews, primary art lead on the game at Monolith Studios gave the play by play while Jeff Nachbaur, producer at WB Games handled the driving. The new title, a successor to F.E.A.R., blends Japanese horror with Matrix-style shooting and general ass kicking. Monolith even threw in driveable armor mechs, the Elite Powered Armor, to raise the mayhem level. Gamers will get a chance to stomp around in the bipedal killing machines for nearly a third of the game. We caught up with John Mulkey, lead designer of the game, via email to talk about this anticipated sequel. Check the interview after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: E3 2008, James Mulkey, Monolith, Project Origin, Warner Bros. | No Comments »