If you haven’t already had your fill with the announcements of Metal Gear Solid Rising, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, and Metal Gear Solid Arcade, Konami has one more surprise in store. The company announced today that it will be releasing the original PS1 Metal Gear Solid to the PlayStation Network on June 18, for $9.99.
http://www.gametab.com/news/3007623/
On the gaming industry calendar few occasions match the digital opulence of the annual geek banquet, E3. Running for three days, wrapping up on June 4th, E3 gives the industry’s heavy hitters a unique chance to show off their biggest and boldest offerings of the coming year. 2009 was the first time the event had been re-opened to the public after smaller scale expos in years previous, and the ephemeral hype was definitely restored to mythic levels of old.
In recent times there has been a mounting ambivalence towards gaming’s centrepiece expo, on behalf of the press and public alike. With the industry rapidly evolving on multiple fronts it seemed the old-model hype machine was struggling to hold the interest of dedicated fans or catch the attention of new audiences. 2009 saw a dedicated attempt to remedy that apathy, to put on a real song and dance that would satiate the curmudgeonly hardcore and bedazzle the flighty causal crowd.
In some ways E3 2009 succeeded in its aim, the larger public format alone meant the swelling event would capture the gaze of mainstream press in the way that only large volumes of money packed tightly into a single space can. As for what the expo actually brought to light, specifically care of the ‘Big Three ‘, the case for success is a little greyer. There were some big blows dealt, but just how thrilling the outcome is will depend heavily on expectations and needs.
Microsoft
As the first of the big showboating press releases, Microsoft were charged with ever-important first impressions of E3 09, and on that score they did admirably.
The company’s biggest reveal was the Natal, a motion-sensing input that will purportedly make the traditional controller obsolete. As well as sensing movement in 3D to an infinitesimally accurate degree, the Natal will also recognize player’s face and voice.
A slick promotional video for Project Natal showed the device being used to control racing games, fighting games, and sporting games, all with movements of the body. Anyone with even brief experience of Nintendo’s Wii knows the intoxicating allure of motion-sensing controls, but with just a little more experience they doubtlessly also know the frustration that comes with the technology’s limitations. Only time will tell if Microsoft’s one-up attempt fullfills its promise.
Further expanding the online entertainment abilities of the Xbox 360, Microsoft will deliver a host of set-top box functions in the future. On-demand, high quality movies, TV shows, and music care of a Netflix partnership (and SKY TV in the UK). Additionally the console will be making a foray into the social networking world, integrating with both Facebook and Twitter. This will hopefully make for a more easily managed online Friends feature, but will also exponentially expand the amount of free time sucked into the black hole of social networking sites.
As far as actual gaming announcements went, Microsoft was eager to show off newfound support from the Japanese development community. Traditionally weak in Japan, the Xbox 360 will in the future see its first Final fantasy game by undermining the PS3 exclusivity of Final Fantasy XIII, as well as its first instance of the Metal Gear Solid series, Metal Gear Solid Rising, a sequel to Metal Gear Solid 2 starring much-aligned character Raiden.
Microsoft really did seem to have something for everyone. The possibilities the Natal control brings to the table are intriguing, even if the idea doesn’t exactly bleed originality. More robust online features seem like a clear path into the future for the console market, as well as a great way to entice that juicy casual audience. And hardcore gamers can’t be too disappointed with the announcement of two of the biggest gaming franchises coming to the Xbox 360.
http://www.voxy.co.nz/entertainment/e3-2009-postmortem-gamings-biggest-night-out/255/15452
