Preview – Page 22 – StuffWeLike

E3 07 Predictions

E3 is only days away and I’m here to tell you what’s going to happen with the BIG 3 Consoles.

We already know what games each system will have for its Holiday launch lineup: Halo 3, Super Mario Galaxy, Lair. For all 3 consoles E3 will focus on the lineup for 2008 and beyond.

With the Wii there’s already Mario, Zelda, and Metroid – so what’s next? We’re not going to be seeing sequels to any of these titles, it will be all about the spin-offs. Mario Kart is a must. Since both the Wii and Mario Kart scream,”Party time!” it’s a no-brainer. We could also see Nintendo going to their secondary stars Donkey Kong and Starfox, although a big show stealer could be a new Pilot Wings or Wave Race game. Nintendo could also show off some indie games for its upcoming WiiWare channel. Nintendo themselves could be developing games for this downloading service. Potentially sequels to their low profile games like Luigi’s Mansion and Pikmin. Hopefully they’ll solve the storage issue that the Wii faces in light of this and the Virtual Console services.

Halo 3

On the Xbox 360 front, I predict Microsoft will be stealing the show. Halo 3 is Halo 3. Future titles such as Alan Wake will expand games into the territory of compelling storytelling with satisfying action-adventure gameplay. Not only that, but titles such as Atari’s Alone In The Dark 4 will show that the 360 doesn’t have to rely on shooter games to survive. Microsoft will tout its Xbox Live system and it’s casual games service, as Microsoft aims to broaden the appeal of the Xbox 360 to all types of gamers.

Lair

A lot will be going on in the Sony camp as they try and reposition themselves in the gaming market. They have to show off a new slim PSP model that will compete with Nintendo’s DS Lite. Other than that they need to prove that KillZone 2 looks just as good as the 2005 E3 trailer did. Remember the “Is it pre-rendered or in-game?” fiasco? Well, now is the time for Sony to prove that those were in-game graphics. For Sony it won’t be about showing we have X sequels – well, maybe I’m wishing too much, maybe that’s for E3 08. I hope that Sony realizes that it needs original and exclusive titles in order to compete with Xbox 360 and Wii. I won’t predict anything else for the Playstation because I expect them to talk about many things that have never been seen before.

In the end E3 07 will be about showing off why gamers need to own all 3 consoles. Each manufacturer will sell itself out to prove how their console is different if they want to keep up with the competition for seasons to come.

To End All Wars, World War I shooter coming for Xbox 360 and PS3

I have a feeling the headline has left you befuddled. Allow me to be clearer: UK Video game publisher Ghostlight will be publishing a game developed by Chemistry, based on the First World War titled To End All Wars. As you can see, journalists, bloggers and general pun-makers are going to have a field day everytime this game makes headlines.

This is one of those few games (if not the first) to be based on World War One, which is often described as a more tragic war than World War 2 (that’s where all the Nazis and Call of Duties came up). Chemistry is committed to replicate the horror and pain of World War One, rather than dumb it down to something fun you play on a console one rainy afternoon. Aiding Chemistry in its quest will be the Unreal Engine 3 (my personal favourite) which was previously used in Gears of War and will be used in Unreal Tournament 3.

To End All Wars will be releasing in Summer 2008 for the XBOX 360 and the PS3. No rifle-shooting and trench crawling for your Wiimote, sorry. The game will reportedly feature weapons, equipment and other material as authentic as possible, which could be a tough job considering the number of WWI games out there. Right now, we know that you’ll find yourself on night patrols, trenches and running out in the open like the helpless dog you really are.

Ghostlight is not a very famous publisher, yet, since they’ve only made their start with a PS2 game, a DS game and a PSP game. But Ghostlight’s director Khaled Lababedi says:

“Alongside other products to be announced in the coming months, To End All Wars will propel Ghostlight towards its stated objective of becoming a major global publisher.”

Chemistry is owned by Kuju Entertainment and are known for their titles Buzz! (PS2) and Sensible Soccer (PS2). On a side note, I’ve never heard of either title. Let’s hope End Of All Wars turns out to be good game and show us what the horrors of the First World War were. In a very fun game that you play on a console in a rainy afternoon.

[Via Shacknews]

Sabretooth going the way of Captain America?

Where my comic dorks at?

You know how it goes. Wolverine and Sabretooth fight, beat each other to death, and come back for more. Every time you think it’s the last fight, one of them (usually Sabretooth) regenerates from a single fingernail over the course of a year or two, and the rivalry begins anew. But, it may not be that way the next time they fight.

In a conference call with writer Jeph Loeb, IGN got some pretty interesting clues into what is looking like the impending demise of Sabretooth. Loeb expressed a desire to give Wolvie a new rival, a head honcho type rather than another thug. But, if Wolverine is to have a new arch-nemesis, what’s to happen to Sabretooth?

“If you’ve been reading Wolverine: Origins then you’re aware of the fact that a sword exists… that can actually kill him,” said Loeb. “Whereas his healing power would always work, if he was cut by this sword, it would not work. As we have learned through this story, Wolverine and Sabretooth aren’t brothers at all, but they’re from the same species. What will work on Logan will work on Creed.”

Here’s what Loeb had to say when IGN asked if Sabretooth was on the Green Mile:

“I don’t want to spoil anything,” Loeb replied. “If you connect the dots… If by the end of issue #54, you think what Sabretooth has done is okay, which Logan does not… Victor is really, really out of control. Combine that with the fact that we see in the preview art that Wolverine went to get a sword that could kill himself… I think you could connect a line. But I don’t want to spoil anything. I think the question is if he doesn’t kill him, then why doesn’t he. I’ve written that story, I wrote about why the Batman doesn’t kill the Joker. This will be different.”

Uh oh! Loeb goes on later in the conversation about how much freedom he has with his writing at Marvel, how big changes are taking place across the board, and how comics are no longer content to be the same story month to month, year to year. Coupled with some of the preview shots from the upcoming fight (which I have galleried below), things are looking grim for Victor Creed, especially in that last page. Dang!

[Thanks Feldman!]

Click the thumbnails for the full version.