Eurogamer have posted a two page hands on with FIFA 09.They says the new game runs at a faster gameplay speed than last years FIFA 08 and slightly slower than the recent Euro 2008 version. FIFA 09 is set to include a 10 v 10 online mode for the very first time. Expected to be released sometime in the Autumn.
A tad slower than Euro 2008 and a smidgeon quicker than its predecessor (there’s an option to set the speed to match either of these two games if you desire), FIFA 09 retains much of the realism that made its prequel such a triumph. However, while realism has clearly remained high on the agenda, this year’s offering feels somewhat more accessible, with a learning curve that’s likely to leave you mildly panting rather than rasping like an asthmatic climbing Everest, thanks in no small part to the new responsiveness and physicality systems that make for more free-flowing matches.
Another tweaked area was dribbling, with players taking fewer touches for added realism and reacting in a far more lifelike manner when tackled, often stumbling and recovering rather than tumbling at the merest contact. Most satisfying of all was how responsive the players felt, especially in and around the penalty area, with strikers far more alert when following in after shots.
The highlight of today’s E3 2008 live coverage over at Gamespot was easily the 14 minute demo of Mercenaries 2. A fully destructible environment, numerous vehicles, 20 helicopters and many many weapons including a tactical nuke. Released on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 at the end of August in the US, first week of September in Europe. The tactical nuke at around 13 minutes in is a must see.
Speaking to the LA times Microsoft have explained the reasoning behind the cancellation of the Bungie new game announcement. The LA Times says that the game was originally to be part of the Microsoft press conference but was pulled at the last minute. Kotaku speculatethat Microsoft got wind of Nintendo and Sony not having anything that spectacular on show and so decided to save the game for another time with what was left in being sufficient.
Turns out that Bungie’s latest Halo project was originally part of the program for Microsoft’s press conferenceon Monday, but it was taken out of the lineup at the last minute. Don Mattrick, senior vice president of Microsoft’s Xbox games business, said the company decided to pull Halo …
… to help trim its E3 presentation to under 90 minutes, from 2 1/2 hours, to accommodate attention-challenged reporters. “We had an embarrassment of riches,” Mattrick said. “We felt we could do this game more justice with a more dedicated event.”….
….Mattrick put a positive spin on the development, saying that Microsoft had managed to build such a solid foundation that it no longer needed to depend on one or two games to succeed. He noted that the company also left out Grand Theft Auto IV. Microsoft snagged exclusive content for the game that will be made available to its Xbox 360 players this fall.
“Two big kahunas were left out of the show, and we were still able to deliver a strong performance,” Mattrick said.
Sonic Unleashed got a 20 minute live playthrough on day 2 of Gamespot’s E3 show. Watch the video below as a SEGA “brand manager” plays through 3 levels of the forthcoming title featuring the new werehog Sonic. Set to be released on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 towards the end of 2008.
Geometry wars 2 was given a five minute outing on Gamespots live E3 stage show. Some of the four player co-op modes got tried out. The first mode played was a four player game of king where players can only fire on enemies while inside a shrinking protective colour circle. The game is due to be released in August on Xbox Live Arcade.
Tom Clancy’s HAWX was given a live demo on Gamespots E3 stage show yesterday. The 12 minute demo below shows off some of the games features as well as the developer answering questions from the audience. The game looks impressive. Take a look.
Major Nelson has posted some images of how the new dashboard works with currently purchased themes. Basically the all new grey dashboard is skinned with a slightly less grey look as your current theme image is displayed in a 3d style behind the new menu. Click the image to the right for a better look.
A new Wolfenstein game coming To PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC got announced during the Activision press conference. Take a look at the debut trailer video below:
Every Bungie fans weak point just got hit for massive damage! The front page of Bungie.net has been updated with a message from Harold Ryan, “President of Bungie”. The message states that Bungies publisher has pulled the plug on the announcement of their new game and that they are disappointed by the turn of events both for themselves and the fans. Head on over to bungie.net for the full message as reprinted below. In other news Bungie have confirmed they have an exclusive publishing agreement with Microsoft. Expect more on this soon as Internet message boards melt with rumour and speculation. This is a giant enemy crab moment if ever we saw one!
For the last several months, we’ve been building toward a reveal of something exciting that Bungie is working on. We were looking forward to sharing that with our fan community during the week of E3. However, those plans were just changed by our publisher.
We realise that many of our fans are disappointed by this turn of events; members of the Bungie team share this disappointment.
When the right time comes, we look forward to sharing this exciting announcement with you. Until then, we appreciate your continued support and patience.
Sega have put out a Sonic Unleashed E3 2008 trailer. The video features the first footage of Sonic Werehog in action as well as some CGI cut scenes. Take a look below or click through the video to select the high quality version:
Eurogamer have posted a two page hands on with FIFA 09.They says the new game runs at a faster gameplay speed than last years FIFA 08 and slightly slower than the recent Euro 2008 version. FIFA 09 is set to include a 10 v 10 online mode for the very first time. Expected to be released sometime in the Autumn.
