General gaming |
- Sony's E3 Press Briefing Goes Heavy on PS3 Games
- Microsoft is Intent on Bringing David Cronenberg Films to Reality
- EA Secures Exclusive Rights to the UFC From THQ
- Microsoft's E3 Press Briefing Shows a Lesson Learned From Last Year
- Celebrate Metroid Prime's 10th Anniversary with... Halo 4?
- Xbox 360's SmartGlass Takes a Shot at Wii U
- The Games, Dammit! Podcast Brings You Daily Episodes from E3 2012
- PES 2013: What a Sports Sim Wants, What a Sports Sim Needs
- Cover Story: Gaming Between Generations at E3 2012
- The Rhythm Genre Finds Its Groove
| Sony's E3 Press Briefing Goes Heavy on PS3 Games Posted: 04 Jun 2012 09:20 PM PDT If Microsoft's E3 showing was still too entertainment-centric for your liking -- despite being a bit more gaming-focused than last year -- Sony's E3 press conference spent the vast majority of its time talking about games, even if the number of games shown favored Microsoft. Like Microsoft's briefing, there wasn't a lot in the way of surprise game announcements, although many of the games we already knew about that were shown looked great. Following a bit of a long-winded pat on the back of gamers, Sony launched into a reveal of Heavy Rain developer Quantic Dream's next game, entitled Beyond: Two Souls. Aside from being visually impressive, the demo briefly showed off the performance of Ellen Page (she was silent for most of it), who will play the game's protagonist, Jodie Holmes. It looked a lot like a Heavy Rain-style game with more action and a sci-fi element. The game was undoubtedly one of the highlights of not only the show, but the first day of E3, even if only because it felt like something different among a sea of shooters. |
| Microsoft is Intent on Bringing David Cronenberg Films to Reality Posted: 04 Jun 2012 06:45 PM PDT Amidst the flood of sequels that made up a bulk of Microsoft's E3 2012 press conference, a heavy emphasis was placed on turning your regular old television into a fancy new "smart" TV. Through the use of Microsoft's new SmartGlass technology, you'll be able to share information between your phone, tablet, PC, television and Xbox 360. Our news guru Chris Pereira wrote up a piece wondering if this may be Microsoft's opening salvo over the head of the Wii U, but I have a slightly different question regarding SmartGlass altogether. My question is: why? I hate to be the one who sounds like a cynical curmudgeon, but how does this concept of drowning in technology appeal to anyone? Are we becoming such an unfocused people that the very idea of absorbing one thing at a time seems unfathomable? Microsoft's horrifying prospect of living in a world where we are plugged in to all forms of technology without a moment's rest is something that writer/director David Cronenberg has used as the thematic backbone of many of his movies, most notably in his 1983 classic Videodrome. He made his mark on the film industry by creating a specific kind of technological body horror that looked ahead to a possible nightmarish future that the world was heading towards. |
| EA Secures Exclusive Rights to the UFC From THQ Posted: 04 Jun 2012 04:44 PM PDT Among some impressive demos for Need for Speed: Most Wanted and Medal of Honor: Warfighter, the big surprise out of Electronic Arts' E3 media briefing was word that it has acquired the rights to make games using the UFC license. What makes this surprising is the fact that THQ had the rights locked up for a long time to come -- it and UFC owner Zuffa, LLC announced in October 2010 that they had extended their licensing agreement through 2018. UFC president Dana White appeared on stage during the briefing to talk up the news and share his excitement about being partnered with EA -- a strange sight to behold given his previous statements regarding the publisher. White claimed in 2009 that EA had previously dismissed mixed martial arts as not being a "real sport" and it allegedly showed no interest in developing an MMA game. When the company announced EA Sports MMA, White was furious that EA Sports was suddenly interested in the genre after seeing THQ's success with UFC 2009 Undisputed. "I'm not tap-dancing around this thing or whatever," he said at the time. "I'm telling you straight-up, I'm at war with [EA] right now. That's how I look at it." He also added, "EA doesn't give a [expletive] about mixed martial arts. They made that very clear," and threatened to blacklist fighters from the UFC -- the world's largest MMA promotion -- who appeared in EA's game. He later backed off this threat, as he is known to do. |
| Microsoft's E3 Press Briefing Shows a Lesson Learned From Last Year Posted: 04 Jun 2012 02:09 PM PDT Last year, Microsoft's E3 press briefing emphasized a number of things, very few of which were exclusive games. Sure, there was the Halo 4, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, and Minecraft announcements, but exclusive, core games were few and far between for such an event. The focus was geared toward casual Kinect games and entertainment features like live television, UFC, and YouTube, all things which the core gamer audience didn't necessarily care about. Things were different this time around, and while it may have lacked the sort of surprise game reveals you hope to see, it was still a much more compelling showing for gamers than last year. As far as non-gaming announcements went, SmartGlass was the big one, and that is not even exclusively non-gaming. Wii U-esque functionality is coming to 360 using tablets and phones many of us already own, enabling things like interactive Game of Thrones maps while watching the show and hot route drawing in Madden. Microsoft also bulked up its entertainment offering, announcing that Nickelodeon, Paramount, and Machinima would be coming to Xbox Live. Sports were given the most attention in this area, as NBA and NHL games will be coming to the system, as will 24-hour Watch ESPN programming featuring content from ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN 3, and ESPN U. The long-rumored Xbox Music service was announced, although details were scant -- a sizzle reel is all we got to see. We did get a demonstration of new a Bing feature allowing you to voice search for TV show and movie genres to find content which can be watched through Netflix, HBO Go, and so on. |
| Celebrate Metroid Prime's 10th Anniversary with... Halo 4? Posted: 04 Jun 2012 12:29 PM PDT 1UP COVER STORY 1UP COVER STORY | WEEK OF JUNE 4 | E3 2012 M y Halo 4 wish-list has been topped by a single simple demand since before its announcement: Give us something new. Much as I love Halo's mechanics and enjoy its world, the series' sandbox has stagnated over its past few entries. The Covenant simply don't have any new surprises to offer. Brutes, Elites, Hunters, Grunts, Jackals... been there, done that, slapped a sticky grenade on 'em. In a few short minutes of the campaign play demo at Microsoft's E3 press showing, 343i managed to allay many of my concerns. The Master Chief's first encounter pits him against a small Covenant squad (which seems a little weird -- aren't those guys Earth's buddies now that the Flood threat has come to an end?), yet this familiar situation quickly finds itself cut short when a new enemy vaporizes an Elite rushing to bisect the Chief with its sword. |
| Xbox 360's SmartGlass Takes a Shot at Wii U Posted: 04 Jun 2012 12:21 PM PDT Much like last year when we heard about AirPlay Mirroring that provided some similar functionality to what we saw from the newly announced Wii U, this year it was Microsoft's turn to offer something that could cause consumers to hesitate when it comes time to decide whether Nintendo's new system is worth buying. The rumored SmartGlass functionality we've heard about in recent days was confirmed during Microsoft's E3 press briefing this morning, making it possible to connect any number of mobile devices with the Xbox 360. On a basic level, SmartGlass is similar to Apple's AirPlay wireless streaming technology. Content can be sent from phones or tablets to the television screen and vice versa. For instance, you could be watching a movie on your tablet and then resume from that same point on your Xbox 360. By pushing the movie from one device to the other, the tablet still served a purpose: It began displaying supplementary information like the movie's cast. What was more impressive was watching an episode of Game of Thrones on the 360's HBO Go app and being able to follow along with an interactive map on the tablet that can show where the characters are located. In theory it's a very cool idea, although one has to wonder how widespread the support for this will be. |
| The Games, Dammit! Podcast Brings You Daily Episodes from E3 2012 Posted: 04 Jun 2012 12:01 PM PDT 1UP COVER STORY 1UP COVER STORY | WEEK OF JUNE 4 | E3 2012 A s E3 begins its annual takeover of downtown Los Angeles, we thought: "Hey wouldn't it be great idea if, on top of all the work we had to do this week, we recorded a daily podcast filled with impressions, reactions, and anecdotes of fun E3-happenings. That could be amazing, right?" And so, the 1UP staff decided to do it. Tune in this week as Jeremy Parish, Jose Otero, Bob Mackey, and Marty Sliva bring you daily minisodes of Games, Dammit! straight from the LA Convention Center. |
| PES 2013: What a Sports Sim Wants, What a Sports Sim Needs Posted: 04 Jun 2012 08:50 AM PDT
Feature 1UP COVER STORY  1UP COVER STORY | WEEK OF JUNE 4 | E3 2012 PES 2013: What a Sports Sim Wants, What a Sports Sim NeedsCover Story: Konami's soccer sim plays hard in a serious bid to outscore FIFA.I 've been to a lot of stadiums in my lifetime. I've been in the Metrodome--which at its loudest is like being serenaded by a jet engine--during a playoff win. But I had never actually been intimidated by a stadium until the evening I went to see Santos FC take on Bolivia in the Copa Libertadores--the South American equivalent of the European Champions League. Heading up the stairs to stand with a hardy group of Bolivian supporters in the visitors section, the Estadio Urbano Caldeira was literally shaking with the anticipation 15,000 fans whopping and hollering for their team. The stadium--a utilitarian structure devoid of creature comforts like hot dogs or even seats--felt unstable, the home fans rowdy. In the event of an upset, I found myself hoping that I wouldn't get caught in the crossfire and set on fire. It's a feeling that can only be had at a live sports event, and it made for an interesting contrast to the day before, when I experienced soccer in a much calmer setting--a hotel meeting room where Konami was showing off Pro Evolution Soccer 2013. In comparison to that wild (but exhilirating) death trap, it was quiet... almost clinical. It was there that we dutifully took notes as Konami representatives explained how we would now, finally, be able to manually control the height and power of our shots, and make perfectly timed challenges with two quick taps of the 'X' button. |
| Cover Story: Gaming Between Generations at E3 2012 Posted: 04 Jun 2012 08:15 AM PDT
Feature 1UP COVER STORY  1UP COVER STORY | WEEK OF JUNE 4 | E3 2012 E3: Gaming Between Generations1UP explores E3 2012 with an eye for how this year's crop of games represents the medium's future.Gaming has begun the transition into its next "next generation" of hardware. Nintendo has unveiled many of the final details for its new console, the Wii U, and bookies are offering good odds on the prospect of a new Microsoft hardware announcement in the coming days. But even if this year's E3 comes and goes with no major new console unveilings, there's no question that another generation waits in the wings. Console transitions mark the industry's growing pains. Top-tier developers start to lose interest in current machines, their attention drifting toward the prospect of the sweet new tech on the horizon. Gamers start to pinch pennies, buying fewer games as they save up for another major investment. Publishers tip-toe around the future, playing up the offerings ahead while trying not to undermine the appeal of their current offerings. And those of us in the press salivate at the prospect of all the hot news scoops to come while tightening our belts as publishers cut back ad buys in anticipation of the looming launch blitzes. |
| The Rhythm Genre Finds Its Groove Posted: 04 Jun 2012 08:12 AM PDT
Feature 1UP COVER STORY  1UP COVER STORY | WEEK OF JUNE 4 | E3 2012 The Rhythm Genre Finds Its GrooveCover Story: The age of plastic guitars may be over, but that doesn't mean music games are going anywhere.W hen it comes to the rhythm game genre, le roi, as they say in France, es morte. Guitar Hero and Rock Band alike have found themselves cast from the top of the hill they battled over a few short years ago to a far more hardscrabble existence. They haven't vanished entirely -- the Rock Band Network is still pumping out regular licensed tracks for players to add to their song-laden hard drives -- but the former princes of music nevertheless have been relegated to pauper status. But, you know, music games existed before Harmonix fancied up the Guitar Freaks concept and employed the radical innovation of licensing non-terrible music (something that seemingly never occurred to Konami). They existed before the Bemani line. There were even music games before those terrible Sega CD games based around '90s flashes-in-the-pan Kriss-Kross and C+C Music Factory. Music and games go hand-in-hand, and the concept of creating or otherwise exploring tunes through a video game interface will forever live on regardless of how many plastic guitars end up in landfills for civilizations to puzzle over a millennium hence. |
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