The new and not improved E3 was underway this week and there were a few tasty morsels to be savoured from the now budget smorgasbord. The big three had their press conferences, so somebody must have been there, although the admittance policies were tighter than ever, so they didn't need many bums to fill their seats.
All the fun of the fair is gone, so I've digested the offerings and come up with a few highlights. Sony seems to be dominating the headlines as the gaming world wonders if it can turn things around and actually give us a list of games that will have us sniffing at the tag on its overpriced machine.
PS3 Price Cut!
"Wow" we all thought, "finally Sony sees sense." Although, our hopes were to be dashed as Sony announced a mere $100 cut, bringing it down to an eye-watering $499. I mean puh-lease! That's not a price cut, that's just bringing it down to what it should have been in first place. Blu-ray blu-shmay.
To take the shine off Sony's sense of triumph, Konami and Square Enix bosses started muttering off stage left. Kazumi Kitaue, head of Konami's North American and European operations raised questions about the $100 price cut and whether it would do anything to boost sales. Coupled with that Square Enix president, John Yamamoto told GamesIndustry.biz, "I think $500 for PS3 is still a bit expensive for most gamers."
Anyone else thinking "I told you so"? I'd love to say it, but I'm just too gracious, so on to my next headline.
Metal Gear for 360?
Oooh, now this was a big one. Could it be, the world's most up its own arse game, complete with slavering, obsessive fan base – could it really be coming to Xbox 360? Now that really would be a kick in the nuts for Sony.
Once again it was Kitaue at Konami putting the cat among the pigeons. His doubts over the PS3 price were aired in an interview for Reuters with Kitaue saying, "I wonder if Sony can win back users support by the price cut of just $100. I don't expect a substantial impact. With $500 you can buy a personal computer."
At last, someone telling it like it is. At this point he went for the jugular, stating that whilst Metal Gear Solid 4 was a PS3 exclusive, Konami needs a good return on its huge investment, inferring that a multi-format release could be on the cards.
"Since Metal Gear Solid was born for the PlayStation, we would like to keep it a PlayStation game. But we may have to take some steps," Kitaue added ominously.
As you may know unless you've been hiding under a stone, the forums were bristling. But alas and alack it was not meant to be, as my next headline reveals.
MGS4 PS3 Exclusivity Confirmed!
It's all okay, the Sony press conference revealed that MGS4 is still exclusive to Sony and the Microsoft conference confirmed this with the lack of singing of "We got Me-tal Ge-ar, we got Me-tal Ge-ar!", while dancing a little victory jig.
Although, I have to say Konami revealed the worst Metal Gear trailer in the world ever! Despite not being a fan, I have to say the trailers are usually awesome, but this was the most ponderous load of old tosh I've ever had the misfortune to sit through, well since The Matrix Revolutions. Sure, it looks nice, but what the bloody hell are they going on about!? Gah!
Anyway, I digress.
And the news got better for Sony, as it countered all the negativity.
PS3 Price-cut Doubles Sales!
Yes, in a week of more exclamation tailed headlines than you can shake a semi-colon at, Sony reveals the mastery of its retail strategy. Or so it would like us to think. Word on the street is, sales are up, but we need to see the long-term picture before we can crack open the champers.
NCsoft In Bed with Sony!
No, it wasn't a bit of gaming sleaze; it was an announcement of an exclusivity deal between MMOG developer, NCsoft and Sony. This brings back memories of NCsoft boss parting ways with Microsoft some time ago, in what could be called a hissy fit. So, the name behind City of Heroes and Guild Wars is developing for PS3 – now this is news and a space I'll definitely be watching.
Super Mario Galaxy Date Revealed
At last, Wii owners can expect to see some quality titles hitting the little innovative machine. Super Mario Galaxy is the news we've all been waiting for and US gamers will see everyone's favourite plumber on the 12th of November. Over in Europe, we'll probably have to wait until hell freezes over – no change there then.
Wii Zapper Shown
As if the Wii controller could not be any cooler, Nintendo was showing off the new Zapper controller that looks like a gun and shoots like one with new Wii games. As if the Wii could not get any more fun!
So, there we have it dear play chums. Another year, another E3 – well kind of. No big shocks this year, just more hyperbole, bitching and back stabbing – so all's right with the world then.
Most played: Splinter Cell: Double Agent
Most wanted: Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures