OXCGN’s E3 ‘08 News Page
pages compiled by XboxOZ360
©2008 Grant Smythe
Well it’s confirmed – Microsoft were behind the “pulling” of Bungie’s “Big Announcement” !
by TWODOGSz:
©2008 Aaron Bertinetti
But it’s also confirmed that Bungie are working on a new Halo that’s not Halo: Wars or Halo: Chronicles!
Speaking with X3F, GM of Microsoft Game Studios, Phil Spencer has noted “I don’t think the relationship has changed” with Bungie. He then went on to explain why they had pulled the Bungie announcement by stating:
“We focused the E3 event on games that are coming this holiday, from a first-party perspective. If you look at the games we talked about in the briefing, the games that you will see – Banjo, Viva Pinata, Fable 2, Gears of War 2, Lips, Scene It – these are all games that you’re going to see this fall. That was the decision we made – we did the same thing last year, if you’ll remember – to try and really introduce people to the games as they come towards completion, we’ll show them what we have and what is coming. The relationship to Bungie and the projects that we’re working on together – we don’t have anything to announce today – but it’s in our plans.”
This would suggest that Microsoft felt that having seen the Sony and Nintendo conferences, they had done enough to “win” E3 with their current lineup, their reinvention of the 360 Live experience, and that gob smacking FFXIII announcement.
Better yet, it indicates Microsoft feels that Bungie’s announcement was big enough to distract the media from their other announcements. Given FFXIII and the massive Live overhaul, this is extremely exciting!
But what is Superintendent?
Well given the Bungie codename of “Superintendent” and the Bungie launch site’s constant reminders to “Keep it clean” with lots of things about “dust”, along with sources suggesting it’s not a Halo game we think it might be a re imaging of an old Bungie franchise.
Article continues after the jump – head there now.
• iD & Activision announce Wolfenstien for the x360
Finally, the news every x360 owner has been waiting for, Wolfenstien “confirmed for the 360″ at last. We knew it was coming, but many gamers not partial to the 360 were always saying that it’ll never appear on the 360 (or any console) as it’s a solid PC title blah blah blah . . However, we’ve had it listed in our Xbox 360 Upcoming Games Listing for almost 2 years, and fended off many a naysayer with pointed joysticks at ten paces.
Now we have the news we’ve been waiting for, and by the looks of it, this E3 ‘08 is proving to be a Microsoft Xbox 360 gamers bonanza with regards to games being confirmed, the new Live Experience, the Avatars, Movie rentals via NetFlix (Aust has its own equivalent of NetFlix btw), not to forget the HUGE news of Final Fantasy XIII on the 360 which just about every Sony fan was dreading and certainly STILL do not want to hear about.
Considering that id and it’s new parent Activison we not even officially attending the 2008 E3 Media & Business Summit as an exhibitor, they (id Software) have managed to definitely grab the limelight during the last two days. During this time, both id founder and technical director John Carmack and their executive producer Marty Stratton detailed the impending rollout of Quake Live, a free-to-play, browser-based version of the publisher’s PC hit Quake III Arena.
Click on any image for full view:
On Monday (our Tuesday), the acclaimed studio rocked attendees at EA’s press event when they revealed that it had signed with EA Partners as a publishing partner on Rage. John Carmack even took the time to discuss in depth with the press later after the event about the “unique” one-game deal. This news certainly surprised many, especially when you consider that iD’s has recently merged with Electronic Arts (EA) who are the arched rivals of Activison.
This shows tahn many publishers are now allowing cross publisher works to appear, as itcan definitely benefit both in the longer term.
So it was with even more surpirse when iD broke the news regarding Wolfenstien, as Activision has now released new details on the developer’s revival of its old, well known and loved classic Wolfenstein franchise. As mentioned early, this was first teased by iD’s CEO Todd Hollenshead as far back asFebruary 2006 (when we added it to the Xbox 360 Upcomig Games Listing). This new tentatively titled Return to Castle Wolfenstein drops players into the favoured role of our “all-American hero” BJ Blazkowicz as he wages his usual one-man war against the overwhelming supernatural sect within Nazi Germany’s Third Reich.
Activision were naturally short on actual details regarding gameplay mechanics for the new “This-Gen” title. However, Activision did note that Wolfenstein would definietly be a story-driven shooter that will be presented by way of various “interlinked missions”. The publisher also noted that Wolfenstein will offer an additional “class-based team objective gameplay,” so that its online gamers use conventional and supernatural weaponry during their gameplay experience.
And if you remember from the latest issue of Game Informer, id Software outsourced its development to Raven Software. Raven have recently partnered up with iD on development of Quake 4, released for the Xbox 360, PC, and Mac in 2005. Our beloved Wolfenstein is to arrive on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC, providing of course non of that “exclusive” milarky happens again as it has done with Assassin’s Creed, UTIII, and several other games that eventually work out to be Multiplatform, as they were first intended to be.
Yes, looking at you Sony.
Square Enix discusses it’s FOUR new titles for the x360
• Inifnite Undiscovery (Exclusive to x360)
• Star Ocean: The Last Hope (released 11th Sept Australia/Asia)
• Last Remnant (also on Games For Windows in 09) and finally,
• Final Fantasy XIII on the XBox 360!
In a long, but detailed presentation, a Square Enix representative Yoichi Wada-San showed off 3 of the main titles that they are bringing to the Xbox 360 and other platforms. Then as a seemingly last minute announcment, which we know it wasn’t, Yoichi showed a lengthy CGI movie sequence, which lead him to announce that finally, the Xbox 360 has Final Fantasy XIII.
The clip is well worth the time taken to view it.
Rare Announces 3D Avatars for the Xbox 360 – PrimeTime
Does Australia share in the love . . . ?
Well the debate whether or not the 360 would get its cute little 3D Avatars is over, as Rare-developed virtual characters have surfaced, and will lead Xbox Live’s new look interface’s ‘reinvention’, and head their new PrimeTime TV and Game Channel. But will this be a global roll-out? I presume so, as it has no real limits logistically, and they would need it to be across the board for it to work properly, but weirder things have happened in the past. So time will tell.
Microsoft finally revealed the new system of 3D avatars for Xbox Live that will challenge Nintendo’s ‘Mii’.
Developed by Banjo Kazooie studio Rare, the mini-characters were unveiled to the platform holder’s media audience at it’s E3 conference in LA this morning.
Each avatar has a very detailed range of visual characteristics to choose from, including hair, facial features and clothing. Xbox execs Shane Kim, Don Mattrick and John Schappert – head of Xbox Live – showed off their own creations
This new system is just part of what the firm (Rare) is calling ‘the new Xbox experience’ – It will be available via a software download due for release this autumn in the US (wonder if that’s across the board – globally) that has been designed to make the console more family friendly. A move that will gain the platform more popularity amongst families and the younger market.
Which is an area Microsoft Gaming definitely wants to head into. It’s tired of the Hardcore gamer label and is making a hard push to change that view of itself. It will not forget or give up it’s solid hardcore gamers, but it will and does need to push strongly into the loungerooms across the globe, and this is a step in the right direction. One we saw coming here at XboxOZ360-gamer.
A new Xbox channel, Xbox PrimeTime, will allow the avatars to play against each other in quiz gameshows recognisable from TV – with real prizes up for the grabs. A deal with Endemol will see shows such as Deal Or No Deal and 1vs.100 included, and similar deals will no doubt ensue to tie up such game favourites as Double Jeopardy.
“This makes your Xbox 360 look and feel more fun, simple and social,” Schappert told the crowd.
“We’ve made Xbox Live more personal than ever before with these avatars – you can express your personality and style to reflect who you are, or who you want to be.
“Xbox Primetime combines the best of television and the best of games to deliver an entirely new experience. It’s an example of how we’re opening up the next frontier in entertainment.
“Instead of turning on your TV this Fall, you’ll turn on your Xbox to see what’s online.”
