Activision are preparing to unveil all of their full line-up at this year’s E3. I know many are anticipating news on MW3, which is sure to make an appearance, but for now a new trailer for Spider Man Edge of Time has been released which not only displays the action-packed gameplay and heavy choices of our webbed wonder, but also marks the debut for Anti-Venom for the upcoming multi-platform title.
Along with a phenomenal soundtrack that make the clip exciting until the climax, we also see moral choices being made that lead to the demise of a hero. I’ll just leave it at that for now, but you can check out the full trailer below for yourself and we will bring you more updates for Edge of Time when the game is displayed during Activision’s showing.
Madman has announced that they will be holding a Manga Stocktake sale, with copious amounts of manga marked down to below the $5 mark. With some even being as cheap as $1! With titles such as Black Cat, Dragon Ball, Absolute Boyfriend and One Piece on sale, this is certainly something you don’t want to miss out on.
The sale ends on July 15th so you have just over a month to get your pocket-change priced manga. To jump in on the Mighty Manga Stocktake Sale action just follow this link and rummage your pockets and couch cushions for some spare change.
When word first broke of Activision’s new Call of Duty Elite service, the internet literally erupted with anger due to the sheer thought of having to pay for online services that (at the time) seemed to mirror Bungie’s (Free) Waypoint. To help control the situation and better inform their fans and critics alike, Activision have released a full FAQ that lists what will and will not be free, information on how the program will work along with all of the features that COD fans can expect.
Check out the FAQ for yourself below (WARNING! Long Read Ahead!!)
Frequently Asked Questions
Before we get to some FAQs regarding Call of Duty Elite, we want to share three guiding principles of the service.
GIVING YOU MORE THAN EVER BEFORE (AND TAKING NOTHING AWAY) – With over 30 million online players around the world, the Call of Duty community is too large and diverse to create a one size fits all approach, and Call of Duty Elite must be purely additive to the experience. The Call of Duty “out of the box” experience that our players expect: a great single player campaign, co-op missions, and the deepest and most accessible multiplayer anywhere – at no additional cost – remains the same as ever. Our promise to you is this: Elite only adds to the Call of Duty experience. Nothing will be taken away from the experience you know and love. If you want to continue to play Call of Duty as you always have, you will still be able to do just that, including the ability to buy Map Packs ala carte. With Call of Duty Elite, we’re adding a new choice for those who want to get even more out of the game. Even haters can play for free.
THE BEST FREE SERVICE ON THE MARKET – How can we say that this is the best? We believe that the free elements of Call of Duty Elite will be superior to any free service currently on the market because we are offering more features than any other service out there. Additionally, many of Elite’s free features which will debut with Modern Warfare 3 are industry firsts and offer a new level of innovation.
A selection of Elite’s free features will let you:
Access Elite through the web as well as Elite’s free custom iOS and Android applications for smartphones and tablets
Communicate any way you want across mobile, console and the web with your friends
Track and share thousands of stats with friends – k/d ratios, score-per-minute, win % and loads more, all represented in easy to understand charts and infographics
Create your own custom leaderboards to track friendly rivalries – who is moving up and down in your group of friends?
Analyze advanced heat maps detailing your match-by-match performance – where you killed or got killed, when it happened, and more
Analyze your weapons performance – which weapons you are best with in which situations
Upload and share videos of your greatest moments through our exclusive theater mode with the touch of a button
After you analyze your performance to your heart’s content – Customize your loadout – search through all the weapons, attachments and perks, and push them directly into the game menu from the web or your mobile device with the touch of a button
Join dozens of groups and find other players with common interests to play with and compete against – find people who make the game the most fun for you – TDM, Lakers’ fans, Weekend Warriors
Create a Clan with players who share your interests and taste for competition
Bring your Facebook friends right into the game, easily taking your existing network into the Call of Duty experience.
Seamlessly be placed into Groups with those who share your affinities and interests based on your Facebook profile.
Start tracking your Call of Duty career – everything you wanted to know about your performance across the franchise starting with Black Ops
And that’s just the beginning. The service will continue to evolve and we will continue to add new features.
A PREMIUM MEMBERSHIP THAT RESETS THE BAR – The premium membership of Call of Duty Elite (which is completely optional) will set a new gold standard for what the multiplayer and community experience for a console game can be. Why are we not revealing all of the features that are part of the premium service today? Simple. Because the service was designed to be deeply integrated with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and will not be demonstrable until we are closer to the launch of the game. We know seeing is believing, and over the next few months we will be revealing and demonstrating more of the premium features and by the end of the summer, we will reveal the entire service in full.
The reason we announced the service today was so we could begin recruiting for a free beta with the multiplayer community of Call of Duty: Black Ops, which will allow us to test the service at scale. This is a critical step to us launching the service successfully this fall. So we appreciate your patience.
Is Elite a new website? · We’re on the web of course, but we’re designing Call of Duty Elite to be widely accessible and customized for a number of platforms – via web browsers, through the game, and through mobile applications as well – including iPhone and iPad, as well as Android tablets and smartphones.
Will you be charging for multiplayer? · No, we are offering players more choice and are not taking anything away from our fans. If you like playing the way you always have, with a great campaign, co-op and multiplayer experience out of the box, then you can. Additionally, many of Elite’s key features that we’ve listed will be free to all Call of Duty players.
What about stats? Do I get free access to my stats with Elite? · Absolutely. Elite’s Career section gives players an in-depth look at statistical details of their own performance and gameplay as well as that of the entire Call of Duty community, including heat maps, load-outs, stat trends, custom leaderboards, and integration of your Facebook friends. The Career section is free to all registered users.
How will Elite compare to free offerings that currently exist?
· We believe that the free elements of Elite alone will be better than any free service currently on the market today. Elite ups the ante of any free service by offering a range of innovations on well-established multiplayer features, such as leaderboards, heat maps, and rich player data. Additionally, other Elite features are completely new to the industry. For example, with Elite’s new Groups featured integrated with Modern Warfare 3, you will be able to join custom groups based on your likes, interests, or affiliations, and then have those groups follow you directly into the game. Soon you’ll be playing in a social group, making new friends (and rivals!) who play Call of Duty and share your interests, home town, or play style.
Is there a beta? When can I try Elite for myself? · Elite will officially launch this fall with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, but you can try key features earlier with our free public beta test. In order to deliver the best possible launch this fall, we need to test the service at scale and get your feedback on key features. The Beachhead team is working with Treyarch to hold a public beta this summer for Elite with the multiplayer community of Call of Duty: Black Ops. The earlier you sign up, the earlier you can play. All you need to do to sign up is register your email address and gamer tag. Sign up now at www.callofduty.com/elite.
Will the beta include everything that comes at launch in November? · Because Elite was designed to be deeply integrated into Modern Warfare 3, not all of the features will be able to be part of the free beta with Call of Duty: Black Ops. You will get to try a number of key features, but the beta will still be just a slice of the full service that launches with Modern Warfare 3 in November. We plan to test some specific features, such as the Program Guide and Groups. However, a number of new features and services will be coming online specifically with Modern Warfare 3. Additionally, a number of our dedicated applications will be launching this November as well.
Can you tell me more about what “Connect, Compete, Improve” means? · Connect: Elite willgive our players unprecedented control over their Call of Duty multiplayer experience, transforming it into a true social experience. Players can compete against friends, players of similar skill levels, players with similar interests. Connect will include: . Find and join Groups of people with similar interests . Create Clans, which are player groups that can compete with other Clans in organized competition . Track your performance, progress and activity within your Groups and Clans through mobile and web interfaces . Upload and share your videos with your Groups and Clans . Access high-quality original video programming, tailored to people who love Call of Duty
Elite will help players to connect with the Call of Duty community 24/7.
. Compete: Call of Duty players want to compete, but are looking for a way to do it that fits their skill and style. . The Program Guide, gives players a choice of dozens of daily and weekly competitive Events, individual and clan Operations, official Leagues, and Tournaments all tailored to different skill levels . These competitions will offer both digital and real prizes – everything from digital trophies and badges to a new Jeep
· Improve: Everyone wants to improve their game, and Elite will be like having a personal online coach. . It provides players with a dynamic strategy guide that tracks their statistics and performances – down to minute details – showing gamers how they stack up against their friends or others in the community . Improve will offer continually evolving professional tips and advice. Tools and information are provided so players can learn and up their game, regardless if you’re a newer player or level 15 Prestige
The Program Guide sounds cool, but I’m an average player. How can I have a chance to participate in competition? · Just like a sport, we believe competing in Call of Duty should be fun and accessible regardless of skill. Highly skilled players may want to join the most competitive Leagues and Tournaments, while a more moderate player can find Operations, Events and Clan competitions that are tailored based on their skill level or particular play style. We want all Elite players to find a range of competition that fits them, and gives them a chance to succeed.
Is Elite only for hardcore players?
· Connect, Compete and Improve are universal needs regardless of skill, and Elite has been tailored for Call of Duty’s diverse base of players. If you are a hardcore “Prestige” player or a casual weekend warrior, you can enjoy personalized communities, daily competition and events, community-generated video content, and a dynamic strategy guide that tracks your statistics and performance trends. Elite also will offer high-production value, original entertainment programming designed exclusively for the Call of Duty community. Different players will use Elite in different ways, but we want there to be something for everyone.
Will Elite support Call of Duty: Black Ops? · Yes. Because Elite was designed to be deeply integrated into Modern Warfare 3, not all of the features will be able to be part of the beta with Black Ops this summer. When Modern Warfare 3 launches this fall, players will be able to have a unified relationship through Elite – they can create a single profile in Elite and build their career in Call of Duty that will carry forward as they play every supported Call of Duty game.
How is Elite different with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3? · The Beachhead team has been working closely with Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games to build Elite from the ground up to support Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. When Elite launches this November, the service will include a number of all-new features and innovations being built directly by Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Gamesinto the new game. For example, your Elite community Group and Clan affiliations and identity will be incorporated directly into Modern Warfare 3.
When will Elite launch? · The service will launch with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 this November 8th, 2011.
Where will Elite be available? · Elite will be available on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. In addition, there will be custom Elite applications available on iOS and Android tablets and smartphones.
How can I become a member? · With the roll out of the Call of Duty Elite beta this summer on Call of Duty: Black Ops, players can sign up on www.callofduty.com/elite to queue up for participation. Once the platform officially launches with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 on November 8th, players will be able to enter the service in through a variety of ways, which we will be announcing later this year.
So, if I just want to buy Map Packs standalone, I can still do that?
· Yes. Call of Duty Elite has been built around the tenets of value and choice. To us that choice means that players who purchase Modern Warfare 3, who want to extend the game may prefer the option of a map pack. We will continue to offer that option. So if you want to just buy a map pack only, no problem.
If I get the premium membership to Elite, do I really get all of the DLC? · Yes. Elite is an all-inclusive membership, and that means you get all of the playable game DLC for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 as part of your premium membership. No need to buy additional DLC.
Will there be Customer Service? · Absolutely. It’s a priority for us that Elite membership comes with 24/7 worldwide customer service. We will have a team dedicated to programming, administration, and service, starting with our public beta this summer.
Why announce now if you can’t show us all the Modern Warfare 3 launch features and pricing? · Elite was designed from the ground up to integrate with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Therefore, many of the services which will be a part of the premium membership will not be able to be demonstrated fully until the launch of Modern Warfare 3. The reason we launched the service ahead of that time was to invite people to participate in a public beta of the service using Black Ops, which will help to test the service at scale and fine tune it before its official release this November. The premium membership to Elite also will include many industry firsts, and will represent the ultimate Call of Duty experience.
Are you letting people buy prestige weapons or levels through Elite? · No, players are not able to buy prestige weapons or levels through Elite. While Call of Duty Elite wants to help people become better players, there’s still only one way to level up to new weapons, XP and prestige, and that’s to earn it in game.
When will launch details be released? · Throughout the summer we will be talking about Elite in detail, so stay tuned for more information.
Who is Beachhead Studios?
· Beachhead is a new development studio, who is creating the Elite service for the Call of Duty franchise. We are entirely focused on making Elite the best gaming service in the world, and improving it every day. Our Beachhead Studio will be supporting our Call of Duty games throughout the year.
A few extra questions were also answered via Activision’s blog: Isn’t this just Bungie.net for Call of Duty?
No, although Bungie also offered its players post-game stats and heat maps free of charge. Elite is going a lot deeper and is integrating the data in a different way. An official Activision quote from the FAQ: “Elite ups the ante of any free service by offering a range of innovations on well-established multiplayer features, such as leaderboards, heat maps, and rich player data.” This, arguably, is at least what Bungie.net offers, and depending on how it’s integrated, Elite might offer even more, still for free. But for sure, nobody on the Elite team is saying they invented heat maps or player stat tracking. Good ideas tend to pop up more than once…because they work and people like them. As long as what you enjoyed from Bungie for free is free in Elite as well — and really, it looks like it is — I don’t see this as a bad thing.
How much is a premium membership? Is it charged monthly or annually?
Not yet announced, and I am not expecting that news until later this summer.
Is everything shown in the Legend of Karl video going to be free?
No — in fact, go to 6:25 in the video and you’ll see a slate that says “Some Call of Duty features mentioned in video require a paid Call of Duty Elite membership.” You may have missed it because the wonderfully distracting lawyer song plays over that section.
Will the beta include everything that I’ll get if I get a membership?
No, because some of the stuff that the membership level of Elite will offer is tied to Modern Warfare 3 specifically, and full info on that game isn’t out yet. So everything you see in the beta will be in the final, but there will be additional things activated at launch.
If I sign up for a premium Elite membership, do I get the DLC cheaper?
They haven’t discussed pricing yet so I don’t know — again, I don’t think we’ll get an answer until late summer.
Will premium Elite subscriptions enable dedicated servers for MW3 on PC (or console for that matter)?
Infinity Ward hasn’t discussed its server plans yet. Follow Infinity Ward’s Robert “fourzerotwo” Bowling on Twitter for any and all MW3 details as they become available.
Will Elite support Modern Warfare 2?
Elite was built around Black Ops & MW3 and will support games beyond that, but I am unaware of any plans to integrate it into MW2.
The page for beta signups is giving me a 404 error!
Try again later. Lots of people went to the website as soon as they heard about it, so traffic was high.
Is there a colon in Call of Duty Elite?
No, but I thought there was at first. Proper style for you sticklers for detail: Call of Duty Elite is just four words with no punctuation (unless you want to say Call of Duty® Elite, which I personally do not.)
I guess that’s that then. Nice to see a beta coming up though as at least fans of COD can preview the service before they lay down any income (Follow the link in the FAQ to get registered). While I am still unsure of the service, I can respect the honesty given by Activision, as at least the whole Waypoint issue was discussed.
Now comes the question. With all the new details and features listed, do you feel a bit more comfortable about Call of Duty Elite? Planning to Subscribe? Leave a comment below and give us your thoughts.
Kinect Stars Wars has been in production for quite some time as it was announced during last year’s E3. Fast forward to today though and new details have emerged to give us a better glimpse of what is to come for the anticipated Kinect title thanks to Entertainment Weekly. Kinect Star Wars is set to include several different modes set in the vast Star Wars Universe. “Jedi Destiny” mode will hold the plot for this new title, putting players in the shoes of one of several new characters to be introduced throughout the game with all sorts of references to the films in tow. As for a timeframe, Jedi Destiny is set to take place right after the events in The Phantom Menace and will conclude during the era of Episode III.
Of course the gimmick behind this title is the Kinect controls, which will utilize the device to enable the player to swing or toss lightsabers, steer a pod-racer, fly an X-Wing and defend themselves from enemy fire. Along with all the details also comes a new trailer showing the game in action. Judging from the clip, everything looks to be clean and simplified as far as visuals go, but the idea of mowing through droids with movements is still an awesome one. Kinect Star Wars is scheduled for a “Winter” release. While you patiently wait for that date to arrive, check out the new trailer for Kinect Star Wars below and Microsoft should have even more information during their conference which takes place later today. Stay Tuned!
With E3 less than 12 hours away, EA has given the world’s football fans a little taste to whet their appetite. The latest FIFA 12 trailer showcases even more gameplay and reveals a game that truly looks more stunning than FIFA 11 (and here’s me thinking that wasn’t possible!).
Yes, I did choose this picture because it has Torres.
The new trailer displays actual gameplay from aspects of the game, such as tactical defending, precision dribbling, and the player impact engine. The players look more lifelike, but more importantly the player movements really do simulate the movements of real-life players. EA have already made FIFA more and more like a true football simulator, and they know exactly how to sell FIFA 12 right before E3.
Stay tuned for EA’s E3 updates in a few hours, and check out the FIFA 12 video below.
Deep Silver, the games label of Koch Media, has announced Winter Stars, a sports game for Kinect for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 with Move support, and Wii including the Balance Board.
Winter Stars, developed by 49 Games, kicks off with easy to learn motion controls on each platform. The “family mode” allows each participant to choose his or her own individual difficulty level. In single player mode, Winter Stars offers a campaign full of variety that allows players to experience all aspects of an athlete’s career.
Winter Stars will enable players to compete with one another or against virtual opponents in eleven disciplines including: snowmobiling, bobsledding, downhill skiing, figure skating, biathlon, free ride skiing, snowboard cross, ski jumping, paraskiing, curling, and short-track with up to 4 players in online or offline competitions, championship titles or mini-games.. The story-driven single player campaign features a career system, training sessions and character development.
Deep Silver plans to release Winter Stars in the fourth quarter of 2011 on Kinect for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 with Move support, and Wii.
The official Japanese Gundam website has confirmed that on June 13th 2011, a new series in the Gundam franchise is to be unveiled at a special live Gundam event in japan. They have announced that the setting, story, characters and mecha will all be revealed as well as much more surprises.
As you’d expect Bandai has announced that they will be unveiling a new line of Gundam models and merchandise based off the new series. Bandai will also stream the event live on their Bandai Channel website. Unfortunately it’s entirely in Japanese, but if your browser has a translation function it shouldn’t be much trouble.
The live streamed event will take place at 1:30, June 13th 2011 (Japan time). Be sure to check out what will surely be a historic event for Gundam fans, or just an ordinary day for those of you who aren’t.
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 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.”
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.
