And now for something completely different:
“I’m recording this message so that if I don’t make it, at least somebody- anybody who finds it will have an idea of what the hell they’ll face getting through this nightmare. Our original party was four: Bill, Francis, Zoey, and me, Louis. We were trying to make it to the top of Mercy Hospital, but I’m the only one left, and I don’t know if I can do this alone. Bill was the first to go. We had just cleared a horde of zombies and he stopped to patch himself up while the rest of us went ahead a bit to scout...a muffled scream was the only warning we had. By the time I blew the smoker’s head off its tongue had already crushed his windpipe. Zoey was next...she was a cute little thing. A boomer threw up nasty green liquid all over her and a hunter shredded her before Francis and I could clear the mass of Infected from around her. We made it into the subway tunnels alright, but Francis ran off into the dark when he heard a woman sobbing...thought it might be another survivor. I heard the Witch scream, but I didn’t turn around. Wait, I can see a heavy metal door at the top of this room...it’s a safehouse! I might actually.*thud thud thud thud*..wait...what’s that rumbli- Oh God noit’saTanknonoNONONO *ROOOOOOOOAR* *gunfire* *crunch crunch crunch*” - Audio recovered from a mangled tape recorder by unidentifiable remains.
Hit the jump for more prose and less agony.
As this year’s E3 comes to a close, let’s take a look at the bigger new announcements and see who came out on top. Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft all had press conferences that gave us a few surprises. There were hardware announcements that ranged from new bundles from Sony, to new accessories from Nintendo. Lots of talk about video content took place as Microsoft announced deals with Netflix and other studios, and Sony announced their own video download service. New games were announced for all systems, including God of War III, Wii Sports Resort, and Lips. Casual games were big this year, with announcements of games like You’re in the Movies and Animal Crossing: City Folk. Perhaps the biggest surprise came from Microsoft and Square Enix as they revealed that Final Fantasy XIII will be heading to the Xbox 360. All in all, it felt like a very eventful E3 for every platform.
Which console company do you think did the best this year in terms of new announcements? View a recap list of major announcements after the break!
If you missed today’s press conferences by Sony and Nintendo, you can still catch the replays online. IGN has videos of the entire press conferences for both Sony and Nintendo. Sony’s official blog reports that they are in the process of converting a video of their press conference for download from the PlayStation Store. Additionally, G4TV also has streams of all press conferences so far from all companies.
For those of you who missed Microsoft’s E3 2008 press conference, you can watch or download the entire conference online. There is video courtesy of G4TV, as well as video courtesy of IGN.
Nintendo’s press conference kicks off this morning at 9:00 AM PST, followed by Sony’s press conference at 11:30 AM PST. Live streaming video will be available through G4TV, IGN, GameSpot, as well as from other sources. For those who are unable to watch, sites like Joystiq and Kotaku will be providing live blog updates.
A surprise announcement was made during Microsoft’s E3 press conference that is sure to upset Sony fans around the world. Square Enix, the company behind the incredibly popular Final Fantasy RPG games, has announced that Final Fantasy XIII will be coming to the Xbox 360. Previously, Final Fantasy XIII was set to be an exclusive title for the PS3. This huge loss is sure to be a big hit for Sony. There is currently no release date set for Final Fantasy XIII.
EDIT: Chrono Trigger for the DS has been officially confirmed by Square Enix. It isn’t clear whether this is going to be more of a port or a complete 3D overhaul like Final Fantasy III and IV, but SE is promising touchscreen integration, a new dungeon, and a wireless multiplayer mode.
In recent years, Square Enix has devoted a great deal of resources to releasing a lot of its (or at least Squaresoft’s) old NES and SNES games on the Nintendo DS. Final Fantasy III, Final Fantasy IV, and Dragon Quest IV have all seen releases on the other side of the Pacific, and FF III is already released here with both IV’s to follow. One of the most asked-about (not Final Fantasy VII) properties that Square Enix has not done much with may soon be making a reappearance, however. Squaresoft’s classic RPG Chrono Trigger has yet to see any kind of U.S. re-release or sequel aside from the port in Final Fantasy Chronicles and the side-storyish Chrono Cross, both released for the original Sony Playstation back in 1999. Square-Enix has launched a new flash website, though, and with an address like http://www.square-enix.co.jp/ctds/ and the nostalgic tick-tock accompanying the countdown, it’s hard to imagine that this doesn’t foreshadow a release of Chrono Trigger on the DS.
SCEA, on the official blog, has confirmed that firmware version 2.4 will include the much requested in-game XMB and trophy system. It will be available to all PS3 owners on July 2nd. Personally I’m very excited to get my hands on this epic update. It has been a long time coming but it is finally here. Unfortunately not all games will be compatible from the start. A lot of games will need to be patched in order to take advantage of this firmware. Regardless of the fact, it is a step in the right direction.
Hit the jump to see how this all works.
In a move that was surprising to many, but received joyously by most, Blizzard revealed the secret hiding behind the splash screen seen on their site the last few days and announced Diablo III at the World Wide Invitational 2008 in Paris, France. During the opening ceremonies, Mike Morhaime, co-president of Blizzard Entertainment, wound the audience up a bit more with the proclamation of a “special announcement” and to the strains of the Overworld theme being played by a live guitarist, lead designer Jay Wilson took the stage to demo the game for the excited crowd. The cinematic trailer, an artwork trailer, and nineteen minutes of gameplay from the event are viewable.
Well, that was a bit quicker than I expected. Valve has issued a press release detailing the changes to the Pyro class, the new achievements and equipment, and the two new user-created levels that they will be adding. Read more for a brief rundown and the link to the much prettier official announcement.
Tags: gaming pc steam valve left 4 dead