12:24pm - Another year, another E3. We've got roughly 1 hour to go until the Microsoft press briefing starts, so let's all get comfortable. I went ahead and made myself some pancakes in anticipation of the big event, and I'd suggest you do the same if time permits - as pancakes = good. We'll be using G4's feed again as they've promised it will be commercial free this time. Yeah, right.
So hang tight and as soon as the show gets started, I'll start posting - until then, enjoy those pancakes. Mmmmmm pancakes.
1:15pm - Word on the street is MS will be starting 5 mins early.
1:20pm - Wow, you would think with the techy nature of G4, they would be in HD - or at least decent looking SD.
1:22pm - I'm out of pancakes, btw.
1:27pm -And here we go!
1:28pm - Trailer for Rock Band: The Beatles now running.
1:30pm - Alex Riggopulos has come out and is giving us a history lesson on The Beatles.
1:32pm - and now they're playing the game on stage - didn't they learn from that Rock Band fiasco 2 years ago? This is not the type of game anyone wants to watch other people play. Let's hope it ends soon.
1:34pm - It's like being forced to watch bad karaoke - while sober…
1:35pm - Giles Martin (Rock Band: The Beatles producer) - announced the game will ship with 45 songs. Full trailer now showing on screen.
1:38pm - Full albums will be available as DLC - Abbey Road will be the first shortly after launch.
1:40pm - and now a big list of thank you for the game… including them dragging out Yoko no. Could this get any duller?
1:41pm - Paul McCartney & Ringo Starr have come out now - this is really starting to feel like a bad awards show.
1:42pm - yeah, it sounded like even Paul & Ringo didn't want to be here.
1:43pm - John Schappert (Microsoft) has taken the stage. All You Need is Love to be a Xbox 360 exclusive.
1:45pm - Schappert has promised no charts and figures today - just entertainment, including 10 world premiere trailers for unannounced games.
1:45pm - Tony Hawk comes out to introduce Tony Hawk: Ride - including the new motion control, sensor driven skateboard controller. It basically looks like a skateboard without wheels.
1:46pm - Tony Hawk: Ride trailer.
1:48pm - This thing is gonna require more balance and flexibility than I have!
1:49pm - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 trailer now showing. (same one we've seen before)
1:50pm - I don't know about you, but I'm stoked for this one.
1:51pm - Call of Duty: MW2 being played live. We open with a cutscene on a frozen cliff.
1:53pm - A lot of climbing here.. they're speeding ahead… to a gun with the motion-tracker from Aliens on it! Infiltrating the enemy base and eliminating the baddies.
1:55pm - Jumping ahead - all hell has broken loose. It's a heavy firefight on a Siberian airbase runway.
1:57pm - Behind the wheel of the snowmobile! You drive, AI shoots.Great sense of speed here. You can also drive one handed and fire a submachine gun.
1:58pm - Microsoft to get the first 2 CoD:MW2 map packs before everyone else.
2:00pm - Square-Enix hits the stage. (Didn't catch their names)
2:00pm - First look at Final Fantasy XIII running on the 360.
2:02pm - It's the usual FF interface with some twists - including charge up attacks.
2:03pm - Scheduled for Spring 2010 release.
2:04pm - Schappert says from this point on, it's all going to be Xbox 360 exclusives. Here comes Cliffy B.
2:05pm - Sound issues, but it's apparently an Xbox Live Arcade title. Shadow Complex.
2:06pm - It looks pretty nifty - reminds me of a mix of Castlevania and Out of This World.
2:07pm - and Cliffy B is gone.
2:07pm - Joy Ride trailer now showing (XBLA Avatar game)
2:08pm - Cart racing meets social gaming - I was gonna say I'm not impressed, but the game is apparently a freebiecoming this winter. They will be selling cars and tracks though. (Only one person has to have a track for all to play it)
2:09pm - Trailer time. Crackdown 2, Left 4 Dead 2, Splinter Cell: Conviction (was that Michael Ironsides?)
2:13pm - Splinter Cell team comes out.
2:14pm - They're playing the Splinter Cell demo, but let me just take a moment to say… Left 4 Dead 2?! Sweet!
2:15pm - It looks like they added a new tactical attack mode where you can choose actions in advance. A bit like the way you gave commands to your AI team in Rainbow Six: Vegas.
2:19pm - Releases this fall, exclusively for the 360.
2:20pm - Forza Motorsport 3 shipping in October. Trailer time!
2:21pm - Dan Greenwald, Turn 10 Studios comes to the stage. Live demo time.
2:22pm - In car camera! About damn time! Will run at 60fps, have 400 cars from 50 manufacturers, car painting to continue, new community features, create and upload HD video.
2:26pm - Joe Staten - Bungie Studios takes the stage to show off Halo 3: ODST.
2:27pm - It's New Mombasa right before the opening of Halo 3 - You play as an oribital drop shock trooper - elite, but certainly no Spartan.
2:30pm - Looks like you'll get to experience the viewpoints of several different ODST members.
2:32pm - Release date 9/22/09.
2:33pm - Secret Bungie game announcement - probably the rumored Halo: Reach.
2:34pm - Yup, it's the story of Fall of Reach - 2010 release date.
2:35pm - Alan Wake now being played - there's a blast from shows past.
2:36pm - It's a supernatural thriller played from third person or over the shoulder. Nice atmosphere so far.
2:39pm - Definitely looks like an intense experience. Will ship Spring 2010.
2:40pm - Schappert is now talking Xbox Live - apparently music is coming to XBL in the form of LastFM. Available later this year to Live Gold members for no additional charge.
2:41pm - Netflix is being enhanced - Queue control, etc - They are also adding the features to the UK and Ireland via SkyTV. This will include the ability to watch live tv.
2:43pm - XBL Video service being renamed Zune Video this fall. HD videos going to 1080p, All videoswill be watchable instantly (streaming) - and be available in 18 countries.
2:44pm - Live Party - share videos, music and movies live in a Xbox Live party. It's like going to the movies with friends.
2:45pm - Facebook to be added to Xbox 360.
2:46pm - Felicia Day (The Guild) coming out to demo Facebook on the 360.
2:47pm - Yeah, it's Facebook. Oooh. Neat idea, but I don't know if it deserves as much time as it's being given. Then again, I'm an old fart, not a teenager. They're probably all going nuts over this announcement right now.
2:48pm - You'll be able to post game screenshots to Facebook in real time with some games.
2:49pm - Twitter also coming to Xbox Live… yeah, just what I needed to know - when all the clowns on my friends lists are taking a dump.
2:50pm - Both Facebook and Twitter coming to Xbox Live this fall.
2:50pm - Don Mattrick (Microsoft biggie) coming to the stage. He's got a surprise.
2:51pm - Hideo Kojima on stage - Metal Gear Solid franchise coming to the 360- Metal Gear Solid Rising - currently in development for the Xbox 360.
2:52pm - Teaser time - It's a game about Raiden.
2:53pm - Just realized - everything today is supposed to be 360 exclusives… so, Metal Gear Solid Rising is a 360 exclusive?
2:54pm - Mattrick is introducing the Xbox 360 motion controller.
2:55pm - The gimmick? There is no controller!
2:56pm - It's obviously some kind of motion detection system (you can see it in front of the tv) but given the examples being shown, I'd love to know how it picks up on who is doing the controlling. Video phone service with face recognition too.
2:58pm - Voice recognition and control in games / movies too?
2:59pm - They seem to be talking in theories- It's called Project Natal and will work with all 360 consoles.
3:00pm - Steven Spielberg coming out to talk about Project Natal.
3:01pm - Spielberg and Mattrick talking about how controls can be intimidating (something Nintendo figured out years ago), but it looks like they want to take all that confusion out by removing the controller entirely. What they want to do is hard to describe without seeing the videothey showed a few minutes ago.
3:03pm - They are going to show some more of it under the assumption that we're all thinking bullshit - which we are.
3:04pm - Ok, so the video we saw wasn't made of existing products. Showing Avatar control - I'd like to note that every time this guy moves his hand down, instead of mimicking his action, it looks like the avatar is grabbing it's crotch.
3:05pm - The first game they're showing is like a 3D breakout -while it seems to work, the game looks like insanely boring shit.
3:06pm - Took a shot at Nintendo mentioning that for this you really have to move, not just make waggle moves. At the same time, who has the kind of room they need for this game? Not me. If your game room is crowded, this may not be for you.
3:07pm - Paint Party game - Nice tech demo, but I'm not feeling it as far as an actual useful application. I don't just mean the paint thing, I mean all of Project Natal.
3:09pm - For those of you following along at home, let me reiterate, the intial video they showed for Project Natal was apparently all conceptualizations - not actual products. The actual products are this Breakout and Paint crap.
3:10pm - Can't be done in any other medium or console… I ask, "Why would you want to?" - Development kits are being sent out today.
3:12pm - And if you have a product that consists of unfulfilled promises, who do you want to have talk about it? Peter Molyneaux of course - and here he is.
3:13pm - Lionhead has had Natal kits for a few months now - and they're showing off what they have done so far. They've created a little digital kid… and it's supposedly reacting to the person talking to it.
3:15pm - I'm having flashbacks of Jurassic Park and Mr. DNA - because this feels so scripted, it isn't funny.
3:16pm - I'd be impressed if I thought any of this wasn't running on a very narrow script.
3:17pm - Molyneaux says they'll be showing this software off behind the scenes here - so hopefully some reviewers will be able to shed some life on how much of that was scripted.
3:18pm - Sounds like Mattrick is wrapping up the conference. Maybe one last surprise?
3:20pm - Nope, it's over. Lot of questionable stuff here - I'll be really interested to see actual reactions to the stuff being shown to reviewers.
