EA - Besides the typical sports games of yore here's a look at what I hope is not just Star Wars Galaxies 2. Yes, a new MMO set in the Scifi universe that all Scifi fans know: Star Wars the Old Republic. Since it is made by the creators of KOTOR, the big push for this game is the storyline and questlines touting consequences for every choice made. Also a reminder that Mass Effect 2 is on the way and what looks like all the unenjoyable portions have been removed.
Ubisoft - By first starting off on the right foot having Joel McHale initially introduce the Ubi conference, CEO Yves Guillemot spent just a handful of time on information for all of the Tom Clancy hits, Assassin's Creed 2, Red Steel 2, etc. Instead almost all of the talk was over their new direction which is taking a vested interest in all aspects of entertainment beyond gaming. Their first large branch-off is a 3-D game/movie combo called Avatar. The 4 year running production is directed by James Cameron and was a project he originally had created over a decade ago but the technology was not up to his vision. Thankfully this was not a forced project made during the Deep Blue Sea era of CGI. And for the first time in a while I will probably buy another Splinter Cell game.
Sony - Big PSP push for them with all sorts of ports and similar versions of big hits. New Metal Gear Solid game for PS3 (exclusive one for Xbox360 too), some more Final Fantasy videos but overall the only half thrill I got was watching some God of War 3 gameplay. It looked smooth, brutal, and visually amazing.
Nintendo - One big surprise was a new 4 person co-op 2D Mario Bros. game for the Wii. It plays out much like the gamecube/DS game Zelda 4 Swords. Interesting but this again is another example of a Wii game needing more than just yourself to please you and others. The one surprise was a short video of the next upcoming Metroid game due out in 2010. This shows a bit more of the old 3rd person viewpoint that fans enjoy.
Microsoft - Modern Warfare 2 as well as Mass Effect 2 were a few of the 360 delights. Both were large improvements over their originals and hopefully will both be released before I make out a Christmas wish list. The one big showoff Microsoft accomplished which was above and beyond any other of the console press conferences was Project Natal. Natal is an additional little device that resembles a web cam and microphone combined. It doesn't seem like it would be that interesting until it is understood that it is a gaming device requiring no controller but your body. Some amazing features of Natal are voice AND facial recognition, video conferencing, dashboard browsing controlled by your body motions, etc. Here is an example of what looks like a game of sorts called Milo which is a little interactive AI program.
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