Eastern Conference Finals

I knew it was going to happen. The Detroit Pistons have defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in game 7 to advance to the Eastern Conference finals. Now, they are up against the Miami Heat. I have full faith in the Pistons and I know they can beat the Heat (no pun intended) and advance to the Finals.

Showstopper

The Pistons put an end to the 3 game losing streak they had against the Cavaliers in the second round of the playoffs and tied the series at 3-3. I wasn't able to watch the game myself (lack of cable or satellite TV) but I caught the play by play over the internet. I knew the Pistons could bring themselves back from the brink. They have now delivered a blow to the Cavalier's confidence and now, it's anybody's game.

Good luck to the Pistons in Game 7. If there's any team in the NBA that can come back and win this series, it's the Pistons. GO PISTONS!!!

Deeetroit Bas-ket ballllll!!!!

Nintendo's Pre E3 Press Conference

I know I'm a bit late with this coverage but bear with me, I've been trying to see Nintendo's conference for quite a while but my internet connection has been down.

I am very impressed with Nintendo's Pre E3 conference. Nintendo has blown the doors off the Nintendo Wii and I have to say, Out of the three big conferences, Nintendo's was arguably the best.

First off, Nintendo has shown off a very slightly redesigned version of what has been dubbed the "Wii-mote" (an obvious reference to it's similarities to a television remote) pictured below

The remote features motion sensing capabilities that surpass anything seen in console gaming. The controller can be used many ways, as demonstrated during the conference, such as a tennis racket (twisting the remote affects the spin of the ball as you hit it), a gun (for FPS) a sword, and a bow and arrow.

Several games were demoed, showing off the controllers unique features. Table tennis, a collection of Japanese themed minigames including Paper shredding and key unlocking.

A fan favorite and previously delayed game, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, was revealed to be launching in both Gamecube and Wii compatible versions. This comes as a surprise to some fans and a relief to others, as it was rumored that the Gamecube version of the game was simply going to be cancelled and moved to the Wii. The Wii version will feature unique controls, taking advantage of the Wii controller.

A large number of games were announced, and more demos were shown of ones previously announced. The games shown include: Project H.A.M.M.E.R, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Super Mario Galaxy, Disaster, Rayman and Red Steel.

Several New DS games were shown as well. These games include: Yoshi's Island 2, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, Final Fantasy III, Mario Hoops 3 on 3, and Star Fox DS.

Nintendo did leave out a few crucial details that I think should have been mentioned, such as the launch date and price. All they told us is that the Wii would launch in 2006. Well, we already knew that. You told us that last year. I don't expect the Wii to retail for more than $200 but there have been some rumors flying around that the Wii will retail for $250 but I think they are unfounded. Oh well, I guess we'll have to wait a little while longer for that information.

Personally, this conference has given me a lot to look forward to in the coming months with the launch of the Wii and the arrival of several potentially AAA titles for the DS. I can't wait to try the Wii controller out for myself and see how it works in my favorite games, shooters. I have little doubt that Nintendo will deliver with the Wii.

Microsoft's Pre E3 Press Conference

Now that’s what I’m talking about. Microsoft has stolen the show with their Pre E3 conference. Sony’s lackluster conference pales in comparison to Microsoft’s. Here’s all the latest info…

First, The new Xbox Live Arcade games

Microsoft has recently announced a boat load of new arcade games that will soon be available to Xbox 360 gamers through the Xbox Live Marketplace. The full list of games confirmed is as follows:

Pac-Man, Contra, Galaga, Frogger, Sonic, Defender, Street Fighter II, Time Pilot, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, Rally-X, Dig Dug, Ms. Pac-Man, PaperBoy, and Rootbeer Tapper.

Secondly, the next wave of new Xbox 360 games has been announced. There are a lot of big names in the line up such as Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway, Lost Planet, FEAR, Too Human, Enchanted Arms, Prey, 99 Nights, Gears of War, Mass Effect, Forza Motorsport 2, Fable 2 and two of the biggest gaming franchises on the planet, Grand Theft Auto 4 and Halo 3.

Speaking of GTA 4, This game was mistakenly announced as an Xbox 360 Exclusive but it turns out, Rockstar themselves confirmed that the game would release simultaneously on both PS3 and Xbox 360. This is still incredible news, Last generation, the Grand Theft Auto series was time-exclusive to the PS2, only appearing on the Xbox after Rockstar’s exclusivity deal with Sony ended. Now, the 360 owners will be able to play this game as soon as the PS3 owners.

Microsoft has signed an exclusivity deal with Rockstar to provide exclusive episodic content for the game. Meaning the 360 owners will have access to exclusive downloadable content to extend the life of the game after they have finished it.

Both versions of the game will be available on October 16, 2007.

Halo 3 was perhaps the biggest announcement of the conference. A brand new announcement trailer was shown and the crowd went wild. The trailer is available for download on either Bungie’s Web Site or through the Xbox Live Marketplace.

The HD-DVD add on for the Xbox 360 was also revealed and it is pictured below:



This device adds HD DVD playback functionality to the Xbox 360 and will be available this holiday season. HD DVD is currently in contention with Sony’s Blu-ray disc format, similar to the Betamax and VHS war that occurred a while ago. The last thing Microsoft wants is Sony gaining superiority in the High-Definition Media market.

I am very impressed by Microsoft’s Pre E3 press conference. After Sony’s Pre E3 Press Conference, which failed to show anything new or particularly exciting, Microsoft has officially stolen the show from Sony and struck a major blow to Sony’s upcoming PS3.

Pre E3 PS3 Conference Wrap Up

Well, Sony's Pre E3 press conference has come and gone and the gaming community is in uproar. I will try to break everything down for you guys.

First, the Launch details.

Sony has officially announced a launch date for the PS3. It will go on sale on November 11, 2006 in Japan and on the 17th in the US. But, that wasn't the most surprising thing. Sony has also released a final price point for their Next gen console. In a move similar to Microsoft's last November with the Xbox 360's launch, Sony will offer 2 SKU's. One package will feature a 20 GB Hard Drive, and the other "premium" version will feature a 60 GB Hard Drive. The prices are as follows.

$499 for the 20 GB version and $599 for the Premium version.

My personal take on this?

This is not surprising at all. I knew that the PS3 would be $600 from the beginning. It remains to be seen how the gaming community is going to take this price. My thoughts are that only the most hardcore gamers and Sony fans are going to pick one up on launch day until the eventual price drop. I think a lot of gamers and parents of gamers are going to see that price and the words "Fuck that" are immediately going to pop into their minds.

Moving on...

The PS3's controller has been revealed. It looks a LOT like the Dual Shock controller from both the PS2 and PS1. After seeing the "boomerang" controller from last years E3, As seen below, I am very happy that they have scrapped that design.



Sony has also revealed that the PS3 controller will feature motion sensing technology. This technology was showcased in a brief demo that showed a 3D version of the PS3 controller moving in real time with the movements of the demonstrator. This comes as a major shock to much of the gaming community, as the Nintendo Wii's most marketed feature is its controller's revolutionary motion sensing technologies.

Sony has long been criticized for stealing ideas from other compainies, particularly Nintendo. The two SKU idea , taken from Microsoft and the motion sensing technology stolen from Nintendo.

Personally, this is very shocking. I was expecting Sony to really wow me into buying the PS3. I have never liked Sony products, including the Playstation family of products. All I've gotten from this conference is more reasons to sit out on the PS3. The Xbox 360 and Wii (which is my preferred combo) seem to offer the same things as the PS3 for a cheaper price.

Until Sony shows me some really original and mind blowing things, I will sit out on the PS3. I also think that Sony had shot themselves in the foot with this conference. We will all see what happens as the convention progresses and come November when the PS3 will be available to the public.

Rant for the day.

Man, since the second semester of classes ended, I have been a LOT more relaxed. I've had a lot more time to do the things I've wanted to do recently. I finally got into Final Fantasy XI. Man that game is like crack. Square-Enix gives you one free taste (30 day free trial), knowing that you'll be back. I will definitely be continuing to play this one even after the trial period is over. It's a bit hard to get into for new players but that's the same with all the MMO's I've played. Luckily, I've got a few friends to help me out as I level up.

Yesterday, the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Washington Wizards to win the best of seven series. That means they are up against The Pistons in round 2. Oh well, I hope the Cav's had a good run in the playoffs, because it's all but over for them now.

Since Class ended, I have also had a lot more time to devote to the development of the RPG I am working on with some friends. It is entitled Project UNIX at the moment. More details about the project and other projects I have in the works are at the GameTime Productions Website

Well, that’s all I have to say for now. I’ll be back later with more news.

Next??

The Pistons have just put out the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 5 to win the best of seven series. Who's next to have their post-season ended by the Pistons?