A Gamer's Perspective on Microsoft's E3 2008 Press Briefing
Published July 14, 2008
Impressions of Microsoft's E3 Press Briefing ended with the startling and rousing announcement of Final Fantasy XIII for Xbox 360®! Never before has this vaunted, most respected and clamored for series appeared on Xbox or Xbox 360, and its inclusion now is nothing short of groundbreaking. Final Fantasy XIII will be released to the Xbox faithful on day one with no delay, a distinction nearly as important to many gamers as the announcement itself.
Duffy was on hand to sing her hit song "Mercy."
New Xbox Experience If the unveiling of Final Fantasy XIII was the most surprising, the New Xbox Experience revelation will likely prove the most important. For those wondering what the Xbox LIVE® team was up to when the Spring Update didn't materialize, now you know. This complete revamp for Xbox LIVE changes the very way you interact with your console while introducing a host of revolutionary new features this fall. Here are some of the highlights, and be sure to check out the full story:
Pure slickness: The brand-spanking new user interface takes what was already functional and adds a healthy dose of eye candy with its slick, panel-based menu system, and simpler, more accessible navigation.
My Xbox: My Xbox might be accurately described as your Gamercard on steroids, as it acts very much as your Xbox 360 hub, allowing you to, among much else, track, join, and check out the folks on your Friends List like never before.
LIVE Party: For so long, gamers have eagerly anticipated the ability to connect with more than one friend in Private Chat, and with LIVE Party, the New Xbox Experience takes this basic idea and runs wild with it. Host or join parties of up to eight people, chat together, and even move from activity to activity seamlessly. Organizing events with multiple gamers has always been a bit of a challenge. LIVE Party solves that problem at a single stroke.
Avatar: Your Gamercard has served you well, but with the new Avatar system, your Xbox LIVE identity is about to get a whole lot more interesting as you create a custom physical Xbox LIVE identity. Beyond altering your appearance and tweaking your Avatar to accurately reflect your personality, unique Avatar items will be offered as rewards for, among other things, in-game exploits. That really allows you to create an absolutely unique identity.
Game Impressions Of course, game demos and trailers mark the highlight of the briefing and there was no shortage of stellar content on display. You can check out the full press release, and here are some of the highlights:
Fallout 3 looked amazing.
Fallout 3: We knew it looked pretty and played well based on last year's E3 demo, but the scope of Fallout 3 is absolutely massive, encompassing a huge portion of Washington D.C., including, as Bethesda's Todd Howard boasts, an elevator ride to the very peak of the Washington Monument. Want better news? Bethesda was so happy with the success of downloadable content for The Elder Scrolls® IV: Oblivion™ that they're planning "extensive" post-release content for Fallout 3. Better yet, it's exclusive to Xbox 360!
Resident Evil 5: Get ready for a bit of cooperative survival-horror as Capcom's much anticipated fright-fest Resident Evil 5 introduces co-op play via Xbox LIVE. Fans of Resident Evil 4 can rejoice knowing the foundations of that faster-paced, more action-packed Resident Evil experience look fully intact as you take control over series stalwart Chris Redfield.
Gears of War® 2: What would E3 be without Cliffy B taking the stage? Luckily, we need not find out as Epic's star game designer ripped through a quick Gears of War 2 demo. We've already been teased with the chainsaw duels, the massive on-screen armies, the mobile meat-shields (grab an enemy for portable albeit temporary cover), and a good deal more besides, but the Brumak riding revelation was a treat indeed. Yes, you can hop atop the devastating, death-wielding Locust Horde super trooper and take control for what we can only assume will be pure, unadulterated devastation. Bleszinski also revealed an all new co-op mode entitled Horde, where you stand with a team of five to face wave after wave of progressively more difficult and savage enemies. Get ready, the game ships November 7.
Trouble coming your way.
Fable is finished!: You read that correctly, Fable® II is content complete with every feature implemented and now undergoing a final three-plus months of polish before the game releases this October. Of particular note during Molyneux's brief demonstration (not including your character's introduction by way of bird droppings) is the new Ambient Orbs system. Essentially, any time you're playing while connected to Xbox LIVE you'll spot friends in-game, manifested as soft, glowing orbs. Interacting with your buddies in their orb-form is easy (you can even trade items if you like), and you can even bring them right into your game. It's still your game, your world, your hero, and your story. While your buddy swashbuckles alongside you he does so as a sidekick, not his own hero from his own game.
Lips: If they had only announced this karaoke-inspired game with a set soundtrack and their innovative, motion-sensing wireless microphones, it still would have been worthy of note. That you can plug in your Zune or iPod and Lips will translate your songs instantly into the game grants this latest music title infinite replayability.
The preceding highlights are just that, highlights. We haven't even discussed the newly announced Xbox LIVE Arcade games (yay for Portal™: Still Alive!), Guitar Hero: World Tour (Van Halen!) and Rock Band 2's (AC/DC!) newly announced artists and features, the new Primetime games, or a great deal else besides. Be sure to keep your eyes glued to Xbox.com for constant updates and impressions throughout the show.
