As we do every year, we’re transforming our Twitter feed during E3 week into a place for staff observations from the show floor, news when we hear it and the biggest conference reveals. Not only that, we’ll try to get answers to your questions! You know, if you ask us questions. Go over there and follow us, will ya? You can also get the same stuff on Facebook, if that’s your thing.
Of course, we’re posting everything we can here on the site! We just thought you may want to know about things faster than we can write coherent thoughts about them.
Metal Gear Solid and Zone of the Enders HD collections were the highlight at Konami’s rather-early, pre-recorded, green-screen-tastic E3 event Thursday night. The collections, on both PS3 and 360, contain the following games: Metal Gear Solid 2, 3 and Peace Walker in the former, and Zone of the Enders 1 and 2 in the latter. The PS3 version of Peace Walker supports a new concept the company has called Transfarring, where save data is usable on both console and handheld. (Eventually, this will be used for save portability from PS3 to NGP for many titles.) MGS HD releases in November. ZoE will follow in 2012, and will also have some Transfarring functionality. A Silent Hill collection was also mentioned.
The company also went in-depth into Metal Gear Solid 3D, Pro Evolution Soccer 2012, NeverDead and Silent Hill: Downpour, showing lots of footage and developer interviews. They finished up with an, um, interview of Hideo Kojima about what he’s working on. You just have to see it. Oh, and they teased a new Contra.
We have video of the show after the break. We’ll have more from E3 events when the more reasonably-timed ones start on Monday. READ MORE
Nintendo has finally revealed all the pertinent details of the launch of the 3DS eShop, set for official launch on June 6, the day before E3 starts in earnest.
First, the good news: over 350 DSiWare games will be available right from the start, and it will have a sleek new interface that will allow you to see up to six dual-screen screenshots and six dual-screen videos for a given game. Currently, there’s no option to download a demo of a game, though Nintendo is thinking of adding that feature in a later update. READ MORE
To prepare for this year’s show, News Editor Shawn Vermette took a look at some developers we hadn’t heard from in a while. Here are four he thought could finally speak about their projects: three usual suspects and one a little less well-known.
Quantic Dream
The one thing known for sure about Quantic Dream’s next project is that it will not be a Heavy Rain 2, as David Cage has repeatedly stated. However, a recent filing from them for the title Fiv5, taken together with the comments Cage has made since releasing Heavy Rain, may provide more information than expected about their current project. First, it will likely be a PS3-exclusive game, as Sony Entertainment Europe was also listed on the filing. Next, it will probably not be a story involving a serial killer, despite the previous Quantic Dream games being focused on that. Be assured though, it will focus on epic, believable storytelling that will play on your emotions. We know nothing about any particular setting for Fiv5, but it doesn’t really matter. All we really need to know is that Quantic Dream plans on continuing to produce mature, emotional stories, and that they are already working on their next project. READ MORE
Ready for this year’s E3? We aren’t, but we’re getting there! We thought we’d help you too with a look at the Big Three. Today, we’re talking about Nintendo and their new console plans.
What we know
Nintendo has confirmed that their new console, codenamed Project Cafe, will release in 2012, and that it will be playable at E3. As with any launch, this will have to take center stage. They’re also supporting the just-released 3DS, and while we’ve seen a lot of games in development, nothing big has a release date after June’s Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D. The only Wii game of note with a planned release is Zelda: Skyward Sword, which is on track to anchor the company’s holiday plans.
What we think we know
The rumors have been flying like crazy, but it seems this Project Cafe will be a backwards-compatible, high-definition system, and signs point to a controller with a built-in screen. The games we’re expecting this year include Starfox 64 3D, Kid Icarus: Uprising and we’re hoping for a Super Mario or Mario Kart release.
What we want to know
All about the Project Cafe! Seriously. We don’t know much about this at all, and the concept Nintendo presents will largely define the company for the next five or six years. It’s planned for 2012, though, and until then, we still need games. Is there anything left in the pipeline for the Wii? Can they get by with U.S. releases of Japanese hits like RPGs like Xenoblade and The Last Story?
We’ll know for sure next week, as we keep you informed from L.A. Let us know what you want to know about!
