Conference Call

GWJ Conference Call Episode 40

Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony, Games For Windows, Awkward Silences, Highlights, Our Favorites and more!

Oh my God, we're back again! We throw out the usual format we dive into E3 with reckless abandon. Our thoughts on the big three, the new PSP, Games For Windows and some of our favorites!

You have until Saturday, July 14th to enter the contest, so send your best idea for a show topic to [email protected]! Yes, we're that lazy. Read on for show notes.

To contact us, email [email protected]! Send us your thoughts on the show, pressing issues you want to talk about or whatever else is on your mind. You can even send a 30 second audio question or comment (MP3 format please) if you're so inclined.

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Show credits

Music credits: 

Intro/Outro Music - Ian Dorsch, Willowtree Audioworks

Comments

Great show. I do think we will be seeing a slow phasing out of E3 though. There really is no point nowadays when every one of the big 3 just has gamer days and such.

Sony may have done well with their presentation at E3, but I can't wait to here what you guys have to think about their "price drop that isn't a price drop" with the whole phasing out of the 60gig.

I disagree that Blue Dragon doesn't appeal to us because it's a hardcore Japanese RPG. I like those. I think that Blue Dragon doesn't appeal to us because it f*cking SUCKS.

Awkward silences? I don't... ... ... I don't remember that.

Demiurge wrote:

Awkward silences? I don't... ... ... I don't remember that.

I meant the conferences themselves, Sally.

LobsterMobster wrote:

I disagree that Blue Dragon doesn't appeal to us because it's a hardcore Japanese RPG. I like those. I think that Blue Dragon doesn't appeal to us because it f*cking SUCKS.

Ding Ding Ding

We have a winner!

I played about 10 minutes of the demo, and decided what was going to be a fun jrpg is now off the list.

Certis might not be overreacting with Mass Effect. They did release some gameplay footage and most of the previews I read said that the GRAW-style orders system is still in it. But, according to Actiontrip (Slightly NSFW ads and things):

The friendly AI seemed decent, but it did sort of break once, which shows that maybe BioWare is possibly struggling to cope with the increased focus on programming in a game which requires real-time fighting. I am hoping, however, that this is due to the unfinished code. Mass Effect is slated to ship for the Xbox 360 in November.

If that's the case, then they should definitely push it back into 2008.

Where are you guys getting your Rock Band info? Our own thread with press releases says you can use your GH controller.

http://www.gamerswithjobs.com/node/3...
http://www.gamerswithjobs.com/node/3...

Rob, I completely agree with you on Ace Combat. I played the demo -- a lot. I really really want to love this game. But it simply doesn't feel like flying, the targeting is just stupid, and it is by far the most "arcady" flight experience I've had. I have not played any of the previous ones (I thought I had, but digging around, It must have been something else.) I find the control scheme really awkward. Maybe the stick will help, but since I already have one, I don't think I'll buy a SECOND Saitek X52 if I can't use the regular USB one. They're 110 bucks, so its up in the "rock band" level of accessory.

Maybe I'm a snob, but after years of playing IL2, and regular FS, and then Crimson Skies, I'd play anyone of those first. Maybe the game will be wicked on launch. I will for sure rent it, and if theres a die hard group here, I'll buy it anyway. But completely unimpressed. I'd rather have a new Crimson Skies.

I agree that Certis was being a little too over-the-top in his praise of Sony. They "won" the show by default simply because our expectations of what to expect out of them were so low. In spite of the zapper and the Wiifit, Nintendo still doesn't have the killer app that utilizes the Wiimote in the way we've been picturing since the beginning: 1 to 1 translation of movements of the remote to movements on the screen. And Microsoft, in spite of a couple impressive presentations, still has the black cloud of the console failures hanging over their heads and calls from certain corners for Microsoft to admit that they may have used inferior components (at least in terms of failure rates) in building the 360.

That said, game of the show has to be Call of Duty 4. It still has this "out of nowhere" feeling when compared to other games, terrific graphics, and more importantly terrific atmosphere. The SAS' ruthless take-no-prisoners hit on the cargo ship reminded me of a sequence from the movie version of Patriot Games.

Edit: And the biggest loser of the conference has to be PC Gaming. Virtually no press and what there was happened to be of games that are also coming out on the consoles.

I think the real winner in this E3 was my PC, Enemy Territory:QW, World In Conflict, Bioshock, Gears Of War, Asassins Creed, Unreal 3, Call Of Duty 4.. theres nothing Im missing here, maybe a Intel Quad Core or a 88XX Nvidia.. nothing elese.

Also I already have a Wii and no urge to buy anything else.

Great podcast, you miss about Phantom Hourglass for the DS

I agree with Certis(?) about Nintendo on the Wii.
I agree with Rob about what all three where doing at E3... showing the platforms have family value... the only problem with this is that E3 is a harcore event. Does the mainstream press report much from E3? I don't think so. So why cater to an audience that is non-existant?

Frankly if microsoft heads off in the same direction as Nintendo and then Sony jumps on the bandwagon there will be nothing left for me to play. It's like focussing all your (movie) studio's efforts into children's movies because they create the most peripheral opportunities...

I'm hesitant to say as it's a little early but it seems to me that this "next gen" has killed the industry as we know it.

Rat Boy wrote:

In spite of the zapper and the Wiifit, Nintendo still doesn't have the killer app that utilizes the Wiimote in the way we've been picturing since the beginning: 1 to 1 translation of movements of the remote to movements on the screen.

The controls for Metroid Prime 3 has some buzz so it may be what you're looking for.

Does the mainstream press report much from E3? I don't think so. So why cater to an audience that is non-existant?

You've actually got it backwards. One of the reasons E3 exists is that having all the major publishers and games in one place attracts mainstream press that normally don't pay attention throughout the year. E3 is for them, for retailers trying to figure out what they're going to sell this Fall and then for hardcore gamers.

I'm hesitant to say as it's a little early but it seems to me that this "next gen" has killed the industry as we know it.

Put down the gun, every year all three console makers show plenty of games and devices that are not targeted at "hardcore" gamers. Like I said to Rob, this is absolutely nothing new, aside from the fact that Nintendo finally found a way to make it stick. I think the perception that everyone is going casual comes with not being familiar with E3 over the past eight years. There are always things being shown that aren't forums, because we're going to buy the hardcore games anyways.

Thing is, from what i've seen of Mario galaxy it doesn't look (and i hate to say it in these terms) hardcore. It looks like a very good jumping-in point for almost-gamers... those casual gamers on the fringe. So far i'm not really interested in Galaxy and a little less so with each reveal of the curtain.

Metroid is the only game that i'm really looking forward to on the Wii... that and VC re-releases of games that i never got a chance to play when i was young (we had 2 NES games, 6-10 SNES, 4 or 5 MegaDrive games).

I meant that this gen was killing the industry not just in a peripherals sense or casual gaming taking over sense, but in overall - with the rising cost of games both for people to buy and to develop we're on the cusp of moving into a completely different "space" in gaming...

It's not neccessarily a bad thing but i do feel like i'm being left behind. Maybe i'm getting old...

*Duoae picked up the gun and hefted it's comfortable weight. His eyes watered slightly as glinted light reflected off the freshly oiled barrel from the setting sun.*

I meant that this gen was killing the industry not just in a peripherals sense or casual gaming taking over sense, but in overall - with the rising cost of games both for people to buy and to develop we're on the cusp of moving into a completely different "space" in gaming...

When I look at the list of games coming out this Fall on all platforms that appeal to a core gamer like myself, I don't see much to worry about. What the big three say at conferences to mainstream press and retailers usually doesn't have much impact on what we actually see on shelves.

I looked up Blue Dragon quickly on Wikipedia and I have to wonder why this game was even interesting before you guys played the demo. Did it actually interest you? It seems like it would be a young kid game from the start. Just seeing that the creator is from Dragon Ball Z. That alone would already make the game skeptical for me.

Gears of War for the PC would actually be a buy for me. Thankfully I don't have to buy a 360 just to play that game. As for Microsoft's commitment to PC games honestly I think that the 360 needs more advertisement and hype for games to sell. I truly believe that console gamer require more hype to be interested in games. I think PC Gamers are just more patient in general and are more willing to search for things on the internet. *shrug* Plus they aren't really competing against other publishers on the PC like they are against the Wii and the PS3. So until the Xbox carries itself a little better they will probably show more console stuff at E3. They might focus more on PC games at other conventions.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare looks very very good. With Frontlines and Crysis and Battlefield: Bad Company as competition though it is going to be a tough season for all Hyper Modern FPS games. I can't really place my money on any of them. Crysis is slightly winning in my eyes.

Rabbit hates the Japanese? No wonder he hates me so much.

Killzone 2. I was actually surprised that you guys were saying this was a first look when it was shown in part almost two years ago. This was one of the games that got me really excited about the PS3 before it was released as it was one of the game they showcased. However when the Xbox 360 was released with Gears of War before the PS3 I knew immediately that the PS3 was about to hit even harder times. If the PS3 came out at the same time as the Xbox 360 and if Killzone 2 came out at the same time as Gears of Wars I really do believe there would have been an honest competition between the two. Comments like "Killzone 2 reminds me of Gears of War." wouldn't even be a factor. Killzone already had a following with it's PS2 release. So Gears of War would have been newer and would have had to content with the name value of Killzone. Alas Sony screwed the pooch on their release and Killzone 2 takes a back seat to Gears of Wars and gets compared to it instead of the other way around. Oh and wondering if Killzone 2 will be the AAA title for PS3 is kind of obvious IMO considering how heavy they pushed the game back in 2005 before the PS3 was even released.

Echo Chrome does look rather cool. Great unique concept for a puzzle game. :thumbsup: Warhawk also looks rather cool. I know as a kid I would throw tons of quarters at that game if it was an arcade game, which essentially it is after all.

Epic has always been revolutionary in the way they do things. UT2004 was shipped with Linux support, they have always loved their community mods and their auto download feature, they still have the best friends/buddy interface which no other FPS games really had at that time and their graphics have always been damn good. Unreal Tournament has always been my favorite over Quake or any other futuristic FPS game including Halo.

On the Grand Turismo front, They have a newer HD website up that looks slick as all hell. http://www.granturismoworld.com What they listed that I think is really kickass new stuff for the game is the dynamic weather during long races, the multiplayer element online is neat of course and the choices of cars oh and full HD support 1080i. Forza 2 does apparently kick ass from all the reviews and from what you guys say, however I have to say I'm rooting for GT5 to compete, sorry it's my long standing favorite in the car racing genre.

Enter Sandman A Capella! :ROFLMAO!!: Go guys go!

Wasn't there another convention that would take the place of E3 independent companies? Something in Europe, I seem to remember hearing about it. Having two main conventions like this isn't all that bad IMO.

So here I go to watch the complete G4 footage online to catch up.

Kilroy... are you referring to the pre-rendered CG sequence that was shown for Killzone 2 two years ago? Because AFAIK this is the first time that there has been a public showing of the game - actually OF the game.

Unless this just happens to be the most boring few minutes of the entire game, I suspect Killzone 2 will be a flop.

Well surprise, surprise, Killzone 2 looks nothing like the prerendered cut scenes shown at E3 a few years back. Just look at the explosion effects.

Its not that it looks bad but that video did seem really boring with having to press the button over and over again to blow up that energy tower.

IMHO it does look like a game along the lines of Gears of War. Too bad Gears came out a year ago.

fangblackbone wrote:

Well surprise, surprise, Killzone 2 looks nothing like the prerendered cut scenes shown at E3 a few years back. Just look at the explosion effects.

Its not that it looks bad but that video did seem really boring with having to press the button over and over again to blow up that energy tower.

IMHO it does look like a game along the lines of Gears of War. Too bad Gears came out a year ago.

If you haven't watched a high definition feed of the entire demo start to finish, you're not giving the game a fair shake. Gametrailers also have a comparison video from the original concept trailer to the current footage. Danjo seems to have cheery picked the worst part of the video available.

Certis wrote:

Danjo seems to have cheery picked the worst part of the video available.

That's the only one I've seen of someone actually playing the game that isn't in HD. The HD videos are making my geriatric PC moan with pain.

Found the rest of it. Some parts are fantastic graphically, with some glitches. I like that there's no HUD. Enemy AI seems nonexistant.

Yea I was talking about the pre-rendered trailer at E3 in 2005. Which usually means that they are show casing a AAA game. After all why show something like that for a game coming out on the PS3 and not deliver on the game itself when the console is released? Would be quite a let down, which in this case it was but better late than never I suppose.

Yea I did notice that the AI for the enemies in Killzone 2 are moronic at best. They don't even seem to turn towards the player until they are actually shot by him. Not very good combat awareness for these supposedly crack troops. I can only hope that the game was set to super easy mode for E3 video shots because if they are really like that then it would get rather boring quickly.

I still think this game could have given Gears of War a nice run for their money if it only came out at PS3 release and if the PS3 was released on time. But all these if's only leave one thing for certain, Sony was late in their release and Killzone 2 was delayed heavily. Lets hope they can pick up the slack.

Oh and as I watch more and more E3 footage I am seeing more and more PC games. So they may not have been showcased on the Microsoft featured start but they are being featured of camera. A few interviews. Hey even Pirates of the Burning Seas got two video interviews.

Edit Add: This Killzone 2 Trailer looks better than the last one I saw:
http://www.gamespot.com/video/928377...

kilroy0097 wrote:

Oh and as I watch more and more E3 footage I am seeing more and more PC games. So they may not have been showcased on the Microsoft featured start but they are being featured of camera.

Omission of the PC games in show was a big surprise for me. I think that it's because you focused on press conferences and forgot that most of those games will be released on PC. Just to mention Assassin's Creed (day one buy for me if they will keep same control scheme on PC, and even if not, it's still game of the show, mark my words ;]), BioShock, Call of Duty 4, UT3, new Brothers In Arms and Medal of Honor. And don't forget about Gears for PC (I also believe that Mass Effect at some point next year will get GFW version, because BioWare still has huge PC market)! I think that at this E3 the real winners were cross-platform titles, both in quantity and quality. Further we get from X360 and PS3 launches, more cross-platform titles we'll see. While Microsoft and Sony also try to rely their marketing on few AAA exclusive franchises, most of the market goes cross-platform. So, I think that everyone's winner ;]
More even, you forgot few PC-only titles: Crysis, which was - from what I heard - for the first time playable really smooth, but also new STALKER. From the titles we've already seen a-much: Starcraft II, World in Conflict, Age of Conan, Quake Wars. Not to mention several smaller titles which also held their presentations there and look promising (the Witcher!)

So, the PC gamers might have been ommited on press conferences, but we still have got our piece of cake ;]

P.S. I wonder if any of you have seen the biggest spoof of the show -> "Oh, I missed again!"
"I think I've loaded hard build!" These things make E3 truly EPIC ;]

Mateo sad. UT3 will be PS3/PC exclusive? W....T....F?

PS3 exclusive for 2007 and then other systems in '08 no?

Edwin wrote:

PS3 exclusive for 2007 and then other systems in '08 no?

I thought I would get in on the gnashing of the teeth early.

By '08, I'll still be playing Gears, Bioshock, HL2e2, and Halo 3. It will be right on time.

But I will have to put up with PS3 players going: "SEE? We have Unreal 3! Suckers!"