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E3 badges ask a question; celebrate the Legend of Zelda’s anniversary

E3 may not start until Tuesday but badge pick-up began today at the Los Angeles Convention Center. After waiting in a very small line both myself and MasterAbott were able to pick up our badges without any troubles. However instead of receiving relatively generic badge holders on straps, we received the above beauties. These badge holders are a cardboard advertisement for Catherine which will be released at the end of July. Also as you can see; the straps feature Link and a bit of an advertisement for Skyward Sword.

The strap also states “The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary.” The opposite side of the badge features Katherine, the other main female character of the game as well as a few demonic sheep. The badge allows the wearer to display either Catherine or Katherine if they so choose.  Either way it means that E3 is starting in under a day and a half and we’ll be right there in the thick of it. Stay tuned tomorrow for our Microsoft and Sony coverage and then throughout the week as we cover various E3 announcements and game previews.

Perfect World Partners with Zombie for Blacklight Retribution

Perfect World Entertainment Inc. announced today that it’ll be partnering up with Zombie Studios to publish their upcoming free-to-play first person shooter, Blacklight Retribution.

A sequel to Zombie Studio’s Tango Down, Blacklight Retribution will be shown for the first time at this year’s E3, behind-closed doors for a hands-on to select media.

Blacklight Retribution will be the first FPS in Perfect World Entertainment’s diverse portfolio of online games and highlights our commitment to providing players with new and unique online gaming experiences,” said Alan Chen, CEO of Perfect World Entertainment Inc. “With Zombie Studio’s vast experience in developing high-quality first person shooters, we look forward to working closely with them to bring this free-to-play online experience to PC gamers everywhere.”

“We’ve wanted to develop a high quality and yet free-to-play first person shooter for years, which is why we’re excited to be teaming up with Perfect World, an online-game developer and operator with more than eight years of experience in the free-to-play space,” said Mark Long, co-CEO of Zombie Studios Inc. “We know how to make thrilling first person shooters and Perfect World have vast experience in publishing various games in different markets. With this alliance of expertise, PC gamers can look forward to a high quality first person shooter that is available for everyone to play.”

E3 2011 PREDICTIONS

We have men on the front lines. Men who serve their website with honour. Men about to embark on a mad marathon filled with peril, news, dinosaurs, parties, space marines, booth babes, ninjas, announcements and the undead. The gauntlet known as E3 2011. While our finest soldiers are in the trenches, we here at the Capsule Computers home base thought it would be a good idea to test our psychic abilities and make predictions on what will no doubt, go down in history as a blood-bath of announcements. Care to join us at our mad game? Leave your predictions in a post at the bottom of the page and tell us if you’re think we’re crazy, or some sort of super-mega psychic that can predict the future.

Dustin Spencer | Senior Editor
Unlike last year’s E3, 2011 seems to have been mapped out aside from the big 3, who have all been mysteriously tight-lipped about upcoming reveals. With Nintendo, we know we will finally see Project Cafe. I predict on that front that Nintendo’s new console will of course, have the HD graphics previously promised, but there just has to be something more with it as Nintendo always have to separate themselves from Microsoft and Sony. I can guarantee that backwards compatibility will be utilized with the Wii though, which is strong claim, but considering Majesco have the motion controlled “Zumba 2” set to premiere at the event for both the Wii and Cafe, I really don’t see Nintendo cutting off connectivity between the two systems. A camera of some sort like the Kinect seems a tad likely as well, but then again, Nintendo are not ones to copy other ideas. I do think however, that this new Nintendo system will be online heavy, with a re-designed interface and only one friend code needed per console, like the 3DS. (Possibly an online Zelda game?). Touch screen controllers would allow for 3DS support, so those rumors make sense and could indeed give Nintendo a new technology to toy with for the next generation. As for software, we should see at least one launch title revealed for the Cafe. My money is on Pikmin or Mario with that, but I don’t think Nintendo will shy away from their casual base entirely. For everything else, I would say expect Pokemon, more 3DS news and reveals, and a small helping of Wii & DS offerings.
As for Sony, this is the event of pure retribution and while a console may not be ready yet, I would imagine at least an announcement will be made to set a timetable in place for the future. As for the NGP, my shot in the dark at a price range  would have to be around $300.
Microsoft on the other hand should mainly be focusing on software this year. I would expect to see a new Halo title emerge as well as some new games for the Kinect that target a larger audience.
Oddly enough on the publisher’s front, I don’t see too many surprises. Rare have been quiet since releasing the Kinect launch titles, so maybe this will be the year we see a re-launch of a couple franchises. I am praying Ubisoft finally confirm Beyond Good & Evil 2 as well, but it seems Assassin’s Creed Revelations will be at the forefront of their showing. Here’s to hoping though.

Jed Bradshaw | Senior Editor
This year, I predict that E3 will be most jaw dropping E3 of our puny human lives. Why?  Because everybody is announcing so many awesome games and accessories and consoles and console improvements! Although we know of quite a few, there are some that been kept tightly under warps.
I predict that Microsoft will be announcing a media streaming service that focuses on TV. This content will be available for everyone, no matter their ISP. Microsoft will focus on Kinect a lot in their conference and I strongly believe that a few hardcore games will be coming for it. Hopefully, some new IPs and exclusives will be announced by Microsoft.
I also predict that Sony will announce that the NGP has multiple PSN account access. My prediction for the final price of  the NGP is: (drum roll here) $249.99 USD.
As for Nintendo, I predict that they will announce that Project Cafe has 12 motion sensing, 3D enabled screens with full touch and gyroscopic features inside each. It also comes with a couch to lay down on to play it and cybernetic enhancement surgery coupons are also included. Finally, psychosis treatment is available free of charge to anyone who buys it. In all seriousness though, I am very excited to see what Nintendo has in store for their next console.

Jack Joly | Editor
It seems like people say this every year, but again, it’s going to be a huge E3. The big 3 will be revealing plenty of their own handiwork, but many large publishers, as you know, will be showing off some games we know about, as well as some complete surprises we won’t have heard anything about yet.
Swaying to the Xbox 360 side of things, I predict a focus on Kinect because since its November release, we’ve still yet to receive any core games or any controller/Kinect hybrids that we were teased with initially. The Kinect has so much potential and I think everyone realises what has been achieved thus far has only scratched the surface of what you can do with the technology, so we’ll be seeing things like Ghost Recon: Future Soldier’s Kinect support. As well as the new, we should be seeing a wealth of new information/gameplay/trailers for hotly anticipated games like Skyrim, Gears of War 3 and Dead Island as all the companies pack up shop and travel over to Los Angeles to show what they’ve been working on.
Where Nintendo are concerned, the curtain will be lifted on their Project Cafe system. For my sake, I hope the ludicrous leaked information and speculation of late is false, otherwise Nintendo may be headed in a direction I’m reluctant to follow; 6 inch touch screens on the controllers – who wants that?! As if controllers weren’t expensive enough already. On top of the reveal of Project Cafe, Nintendo will be keen to reveal some 3DS software at E3 that they’ve been working on.
I predict Sony will have announcements with respect to their NGP system, and I also think they will deliver some surprise large announcements to recover from the recent facade of the hack of their PSN service which saw huge numbers of people lose their personal details. I think they have to if they want to regain any respect from disgruntled gamers, some of which decided that Sony weren’t worth the effort and jumped ship over to Microsoft and the Xbox 360.

Roger Ma | Editor
Alright everyone, as much as I would like to see a Halo 4 or the fabled ‘Halo HD remake‘ I really hope at this year’s E3, something totally new will come along and challenge what ‘gaming’ means to this current generation. Speaking of HD remakes, I’m gonna go ahead and say it (or at least predict) that Sega will finally announce a slew of Dreamcast remakes that will make their way on to the XBLA/PSN or on to a retail release. They have already released the Sega Dreamcast Collection for Xbox 360 and PC earlier this year, and there has been much speculation and rumor over Jet Grind Radio and other Dreamcast-era Sega games, So why not? It seams plausible, right?
Aside of wishful thinking, plenty of awesome game developers are set to announced their biggest games so ‘fingers cross’ Rockstar will announce Grand Theft Auto 5 set in San Andreas. Again, this might just be wishful thinking….but GTA 4 and it’s expansion games were very successful, and its been quite some time since Liberty City. So what better place to announce the next game than at this years E3? In terms of consoles, we will definitely hear some news on what Nintendo has to offer and hopefully Sony’s NGP will get a release date and price.
However, deep down I really hope for some embarrassing press conferences – Anyone remember Sony’s back in E3 2006 (FIVE HUNDRED AND NINETY NINE DOLLARS US DOLLAZ!)? Ha ha, still gets me everytime. Well anyway, whatever happens, we’ll be able to play some awesome games in the near future.

Ben Webb | Editor
Firstly, Nintendo will unveil their new awesome console of awesomeness and a lot of people will clap. Then they’ll show off a multi-minute trailer/teaser of a game and give us a release date. After that, we learn that it’s been pushed back for ‘balance’, where we learn in a gaming convention further down the track that it will also be appearing on the new Nintendo console as a launch title.
Outside of Nintendo, there will be lots of boobies! And they will come attached to booth-babes. I predict that MasterAbbott will be getting a plethora of photos with these ladies (and possibly men) for us to enjoy at some point. I further predict that us editors here on Capsule; will be overworked and underfed during the event to try and get as much news out as possible.
Next will be a new trailer for Star Wars: The Old Republic. It will be awesome and people will be wanting to get the game as soon as possible. I know that I want that game already!

Kelly Teng | Editor
The one thing I really have been trying to predict is Nintendo’s Project Cafe. The fact that the Wii’s successor won’t feature hands free motion gaming has been pretty questionable in my mind, and I really think Nintendo will have to do a lot to make up for the fact that gamers will still have to use remotes. I definitely predict HD, however the possibility of 3D gaming and Blu-ray is unlikely just because Nintendo have always targeted the casual gamers who want an affordable console (and both 3D and blu-ray are not affordable when a console first comes out). With that being said, people were willing to fork out $349 for the 3DS, so maybe Nintendo is trying to bring out the big guns and make a console that can truly compete with the 360 and PS3. Also, the NGP is an interesting one to look at: Sony may have to do better than touch screens on the front and the back, so I predict the NGP may take elements from the Playstation Phone and the PSPGO! and bring a handheld that can compete with the iPhone…I’m thinking Android may be on the agenda, because that’s what their S1 and S2 tablets will be running. I’m also crossing my fingers that Square will bring Final Fantasy back into the glorious days of VII and X, and learn from FFXIII’s mistakes. If Square bring out yet another X-2, that’s it…I’ve officially lost hope in the franchise.

Michael Marr | Editor
I PREDICT that gamers will be mostly shown off the line-up for the last November releases this year. I can guarantee there will be no shortages of “woofs” from the COD:MW community. From working at a games retailer myself, I’m pretty well aware that the major titles are scheduled for release before Christmas to capitalise on that “holiday spirit” :P… But I digress. Sony will no doubt be attempting to show off their new handheld, while at the same time attempting to justify the price (Come on, it’s happened the last 3 times with Sony consoles. I’m not expecting a difference). And they’ll no-doubt find a way to turn their recent hacking issues into a “This has made the company stronger” speech. What I HOPE to see is perhaps the release of some new firmware that will FINALLY allow some PS3’s to play PS2 games in some respect. Additionally, the specifics of Uncharted, and details on the multi-platform release of Metal Gear Solid: Rising.
As for Nintendo and the already fan-labelled Wii2, I predict we’ll see some remakes of old classic titles redone in HD graphics. Perhaps an announcement will also follow outlining the new Zelda: Skyward Sword appearing on both Wii1 and Wii2. The same thing happened on the show off of Twilight Princess. Also, am I the only one that thinks the next logical step after calling your console the “Wii” is to call the next one a “Puu”? No? Just me? Moving on then… What I HOPE to see will include a line-up of future titles for the 3DS system, including some more 3D remakes of Nintendo 64 games (Particularly Majora’s Mask or Conker’s Bad Fur Day). But I wont beat around the bush any longer. What I REALLY REALLY REEEEAAAAALLLLY hope to see is an announcement of Golden Sun 4. Because Dark Dawn really left us on a cliffhanger. I’ve been waiting 3 whole games, and I still haven’t gotten the chance to kick Alex’s ass! That aside, I’m still curious regarding Isaac’s fate at the end of Dark Dawn, plus I’d really like to see Felix and Piers back in action. Piers is likely because he doesn’t age. 🙂
Microsoft… I PREDICT that Kinect news will be all the rage. Given that its appeal so far has only really been aimed at the casual demographic, I’d like to see some effort in the release of hardcore titles. Perhaps a new Force Unleashed game adapted for Kinect use? But I, like many people, will expect to see some progress on that little leaked “Halo 5” project that Microsoft accidentally let slip a while back. What I HOPE to see is some more news regarding upcoming Valve projects, such as new DLC content for Left 4 Dead 2, and also a goddamned announcement on Half Life 3. But even more-so, the main thing I’m looking out for is concrete details of The Old Republic and a release date.
So in short, the main games I’m hoping to see displayed include: Golden Sun Dark Dawn, a new Fire Emblem, Halo 5, Mass Effect 3, Left 4 Dead 2 DLC, Duke, Assassins Creed: Revelations, Old Republic and MGS: Rising.

Alexis Ayala | Editor
Nintendo is showing off their Project Cafe, or NEScafe as I prefer. This one is a bit tricky. All the rumours have been talking about this crazy touch display on the controller. The thing is, Nintendo never operates at a loss. They make money on every device sold so I’m not sure how cost effective that would be. Maybe a lower resolution screen similar to the old DS if anything. It’ll certainly be HD and I doubt it’ll be a powerhouse. I’d say they’ll surpass the current generation graphically in a marginal way but that’s it. Just enough to stay competitive for the time being. I’d hope they show off something like a new Mario game for it, but that may be wishful thinking. Also the NEScafe will cater to both casual and hardcore demographics with some movement based controls and a traditional control out of the box and have an online network which will be much better than previous efforts with possibly some inventive ideas but ultimately still be far from what they need to stay competitive with Microsoft and (to a lesser extent) Sony.
Microsoft will definitely be very Kinect focused. You don’t sell a bajillion units of that thing and not come out the gate swinging. I expect to see some Kinect titles really geared toward the hardcore. I’m guessing some controller/Kinect hybrid games. I’d also expect them to show off something to do with their Live service. There’ll be some new feature that will be very forward thinking and make the competition seem like they still have to play catch-up.
Sony has some apologising to do. They’ll touch on the subject of their downed network for just a moment and reassure us that everything is secure. They wont dwell on it obviously. Sony will also announce some heavy hitter first party titles. I would LOVE to see another Jak & Daxter, but again, this may be wishful thinking. Sony will also be showing off their NGP. If it’s not called PSVita then they’ll have a new name as NGP can’t be what they’re actually calling it. That’s just silly.
Sony says the NGP will be affordable. I’m going to assume that what Sony thinks is affordable is different to what the average consumer thinks. I’m betting it’ll go for no less than USD $299.99.

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City E3 trailer released

Things have been a bit quiet in Raccoon City lately, but with E3 right around the corner nothing stays quiet for long. Capcom has released the E3 trailer for Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City today and you can watch it below. Unfortunately there wasn’t a whole lot of information revealed in the trailer, as it shows the Umbrella team chasing down two Raccoon officers that we have never seen before and are most likely cannon fodder.

The trailer itself is entirely CG so there is no gameplay revealed, though perhaps that motion detecting explosive will be something that can be used in the main game when it is released late this year for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. Expect to see much more of this title in the coming week as I’m sure Capcom will be releasing more information about the title at the event.

The Sims 3 Pets announced for PC, 360, PS3 and 3DS

If you’ve ever played The Sims before then you probably know just how addicting it can be. Controlling the lives of those little guys, or killing them in random ways is certainly something that many EA fans enjoy. Now The Sims 3 recently had an expansion pack released, Generations, and now EA has announced the next installment to the series; Pets. Much like in past games the Pets installment will allow players to acquire pets for their Sims household and actually allow them to control them for the first time.

The game will be released as more than a PC expansion however, there will also be an Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and 3DS release of the Pets title. For these platforms however the game will be standalone and will be unique from the original game. The 3DS will allow players to accumulate Karma Points as they walk with the pedometer, or buy in-game items. While Xbox 360 owners will be able to use their Kinect to control their pets and sims through voice commands. No exact release date was given, besides Fall, at the time of the announcement but they did release a trailer which you can watch below.

Schedule for E3 2011

It’s almost here! Anyone who is lucky enough to attend has probably carefully revised the schedule to ensure they get to see the best parts of everything, but those who won’t be making their way of to LA can still catch the action on the various streams of the action, and no doubt Capsule Computers will be keeping you up to date reporting all the latest announcements.

The overall schedule is as follows – be sure to let us know in the comments which parts excite you most:

Monday, 6th June

  • Xbox Media Briefing, Galen Center, LA: 9.30am LA / 5.30pm UK / 6.30pm CEST
  • EA Press Conference: 12.30pm LA / 8.30pm UK / 9.30pm CEST
  • Ubisoft Press Conference: 2.30pm LA / 10.30pm UK / 11.30pm CEST
  • Xbox ‘Afternoon Tea’ Event, JW Marriott Hotel, Downtown LA (spokesperson roundtable, expect soundbites): 3pm LA / 11pm UK / 12am CEST
  • PlayStation Press Conference: 5pm LA / 1am UK / 2am CEST
  • Xbox Showcase Event (game hands-ons): 9pm LA / 10pm UK / 11pm CEST

Tuesday, 7th June

  • Xbox E3 Booth After Hours Event (presentations and hands-ons): 6pm LA / 2am UK / 3am CEST
  • E3 Showfloor Opens, LA Convention Center: 12 noon LA / 8pm UK / 9pm CEST
  • Nintendo Press Conference: 9am LA / 5pm UK / 6pm CEST
  • Gears of War 3 Party, The Conga Rooms, LA: 9pm LA / 5am UK / 6am CEST

Wednesday, 8th June

  • Forza Motorsport 4 Party, Events Deck, LA Live: 9pm LA / 5am UK / 6am CEST

 

New RAGE trailer shows off the town of Wellspring…

If you have been anxiously waiting for more footage of  RAGE, you are in luck as Bethesda have now released a nearly eight minute gameplay clip that shows off life in the town of Wellspring. This first-person clip literally puts the viewer in a perspective as if they were actually playing the game themselves, showing off the stunning post-apocalyptic landscape as well as the colorful cast that inhabit it.

The visuals look fantastic in what we see here as id Software have fine-tuned the environment and atmosphere damn near flawlessly and just watching the clip makes the viewer want to grab a controller and start exploring this dark but lively little town. A bit of the combat is also shown as the main protagonist does battle with a few bandits and literally punches the heads of his enemies. Without a doubt, RAGE will be a heavy contender this year and we will probably see even more from id & Bethesda at E3 this year as RAGE is scheduled to release for the 360, PS3, & PC in September. For now, due yourself a favor and watch this lengthy clip below and once we hear more on RAGE, we will be sure to bring it to you.

SUPANOVA 2011 Sydney Event Guide…

… is now available online for anyone who needs to reference the event for informative purposes, or to correspond with their budgets and time constraints. With Supanova only 12 days away, anyone who plans to attend should at least glance at this guide so that they can better plan their day in order to achieve maximum enjoyment from the event.

As any convention attendee will know, it can be incredibly disappointing to miss a panel that you really wanted to see, simply because you decided to go on the wrong day, or because the day you wents panel filled up before you could get in :(.

Remember to make an informed decision about the convention AND BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE EVENT GUIDE in order to assist in that decision.

Event Guide is here.

Sweet Tooth takes revenge in this E3 2011 trailer

E3 is so close, we can almost smell the tasty news coming from within. And now, we won’t have to wait in agony, as Playstation made a trailer for the new Twisted Metal game.  Revenge is tasty sweet, especially when flying robots of doom and cars made for combat are involved. Featuring freaky clowns and heavy metal, this is one video to watch.  Make sure to notice the pigtails.  Yes, the pigtails!

Ready to take this tasty Playstation 3 exclusive for a spin?  Watch out for our E3 coverage, as Twisted Metal will surely be a part of it.

Starhawks Multiplayer: Capture the Flag in Acid Sea

Warhawks successor is certainly destined to turn heads. After its announcement, Starhawk developers have slowly leaked information to the public in what is set to be a truly epic PS3 exclusive. With the innovative Build and Battle system implemented players will be able to place objects on the battlefield in real time without missing a beat. Talking via the official Playstation blog, Harvard Bonin the Senior director of SCEA talks about his involvement with Starcraft and gives an insight into the unique Build and Battle system in actual gameplay footage to be showcased at E3.

Representing the other half of the Santa Monica/Lightbox studio collaboration, Bonin has been their from the start of Warhawk in 2007 and involved in the sensational God of War franchise (Kratos is king). He explains how they have helped the studio from the beginning of Starhawks inception and are thrilled to be part of such a project.

Unlike Warhawk, Starhawk will feature a solid solo campaign as well as the classic multiplayer online missions. For more information keep checking Capsulecomputers for future updates and enjoy the trailer teaser.

Starhawkthegame.com