One final live appearance on G4′s E3 coverage to close out the week. I sat down with host Kevin Pereira and guest Janina Gavankar (True Blood) to wrap up E3′s highs and lows. We talked about the most impressive games (Beyond, Watch Dogs, Assassin’s Creed III) and more of the biggest stories of the show.
Microsoft Japan Enticing Xbox Owners With Cheap Kinect
- June 8, 2012 |
- 2:03 pm |
- Categories: Console Games, Japan
For the rest of June, Japanese Xbox Live members can buy a slim 360 with Kinect for less than the cost of a PlayStation 3.
Image: Microsoft
Microsoft is offering a tremendous deal to Japanese consumers via its online store, reducing the price of a slim Xbox 360 Kinect bundle by nearly 40 percent. The sale price of 24,800 yen (about $313 U.S.) comes in under the standard retail price of a PlayStation 3 or a Vita.
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Video: DC Superheroes Clash in Injustice: Gods Among Us
- June 8, 2012 |
- 12:00 pm |
- Categories: Console Games
LOS ANGELES — The Mortal Kombat team has successfully revived that so very ’90s fighting game franchise for contemporary sensibilities. Now they turn that level of expertise to the DC universe.
Injustice: Gods Among Us is the latest game from the team, and creative director at NetherRealm Studios Ed Boon says that this game will really feel like a knock-down, drag-out fight between super-beings. When Superman and Wonder Woman punch each other in the face, the resultant force will cause major damage to the environments. And you will jump between different areas of Metropolis, etc. as the fights rage on. Warner Bros. showed the game at its E3 booth in Los Angeles this week.
Wired spoke to Boon in advance of E3 to find out if his team can craft a superhero fighting game that can stand up to Marvel vs. Capcom.
E3, Irrelevant? Tell That to the Fans
- June 7, 2012 |
- 4:02 pm |
- Categories: Business Matters, Casual Gaming, Events, WiredOpinion
Photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired 
Last year, I did something I’ve wanted to do since I was 10: I went to E3.
It was awesome. Like bacon covered in maple syrup, it was a two-fold treat: Not only did I get to play new videogames before the rest of the world, but I got to attend the event we gamers claim as our Super Bowl. My fanboy mode rocketed into full overdrive, and I’m not ashamed to say it. There were private demos, people dressed like Chun-Li and Sonic the Hedgehog, and appearances by Shigeru Miyamoto. As in, I was mere feet from him. Bucket list entry, checked.
E3 will always be relevant, because gamers will always care.
But some analysts have said the trade show—a term I hate, by the way; it reminds me of boating expos—is becoming irrelevant. Some think digital distribution and the rise of casual game makers like Zynga will banish E3 to obscurity. Others think predictable press conferences from Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft, whose sales have admittedly sagged this year, will kill any buzz the event generates.
Really, guys? Are we that jaded? E3 will always be relevant, because gamers will always care. Especially the millions of hardcore gamers, who spend serious bank on their hobby and await gaming news with bated breath. (I know I’m not the only one who squeals like a schoolgirl when Nintendo’s Reggie Fils-Aime takes to the stage. Even if it is just to hawk another Wii Sports.) It’s E3! We get to see the latest and greatest in games! And if you’re lucky enough to go, actually play the latest and greatest in games! It’s rad as hell.
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7 Indie Games That Rocked at E3
- June 7, 2012 |
- 3:00 pm |
- Categories: Events, Indie Games, People
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LOS ANGELES — Each year, a small area of the Electronic Entertainment Expo is given over to IndieCade, the "International Festival of Independent Games."
"It's about building a community and exposing people to the public," says IndieCade president and CEO Stephanie Barish. "For some, that might just be the chance for somebody to play their game, but for others it's the chance to see their game at the Microsoft booth."
Here are some of the best indie games that crashed the big show this year.
Above:
Johann Sebastian Joust
I had never even heard of Johann Sebastian Joust until controversy kicked up around an alleged clone on the iTunes App Store. Now I can see why you’d want the game on iPhone — people love it.
The game asks players to avoid moving or jostling their own Playstation Move controller, while at the same time trying to trip up opponents. The resulting scene: handfuls of people crouching in a circle, glancing warily at each other while occasionally striking out with quick, giggly slaps at those near them. It quickly becomes a public spectacle, and IndieCade was well set-up to accommodate that.
The downloadable game is available now for PlayStation 3.
All photos: Ariel Zambelich/Wired 
