VGT at E3: MS Post-Briefing party at the Roosevelt Hotel
05-09-06, 05:22 PM
#1
Video Game Talk Editor
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Westchester, Los Angeles
Posts: 4,097
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
VGT at E3: MS Post-Briefing party at the Roosevelt Hotel
There isn't much I can say that you have already read about during the briefing. I can say the post-briefing party at the Roosevelt Hotel was much more fun than the actual briefing.
I will say the most exciting announcement for me at the actual show was all Xbox Live Anywhere. The possibilities are really endless when it comes to using Xbox Live features on all Windows’ based machines.
Anyway, the Hotel was decked out with hundreds of plasmas and it was hugely upscale with free booze and tons of food. In the hotel, they had hands-on displays for Gears of War, Rockstar's Table Tennis game, Splinter Cell Double Agent, every new arcade title, and the World Championship poker game that uses the camera. Out by the pool, they set up rooms for developers to talk about games like Mass Effect, Too Human, Viva Pinata, and the three new accessories.
Here's a rundown of my opinion of the hands-on games:
Gears of War: Obviously stunning. The enemy A.I. is amazingly intelligent and reacts perfectly. But there is a stuttering problem when moving from area to area. The Dev says they are working on it, but it's near completion.
Splinter Cell: This was the most fun to play for me, but I'm biased to the series perhaps. Just like Gears of War, the in-game graphics and the cinematic are all in real-time, seamlessly attached. They have added a few gameplay features, but I'll post on that later.
Arcade Titles: Contra, excellent. Lumines, Beautiful and flawless gameplay. Uno: I forgot how much I loved Uno as a kid. Paperboy: Another excellent adaptation.
Table Tennis: This has to be the lamest game of the show. Graphically, it's on par with Top Spin 2. The gameplay is technically sound, but quite boring.
Accessories: The wireless headset is very comfortable. They added some extra padding for the ear. The wireless driver's wheel is also comfortable sitting in your lap and it communicates perfectly with the console. I saw the camera in action in the poker game and it's pretty damn scary. Your online representation is really freaky to look at wrapped around a 3d model.
Speaking of the Poker game, there is a window that allows you to see the actual face of the person while you play if they have a camera. So bring your poker faces.
While Mass Effect wasn't hands on, the Bioware rep runing the demo was quite informative. I found out the majority of the team that created the first KOTOR is working on Mass Effect. The coolest feature has to be the reactionary dialogue. Basically, you have a series of responses in any conversation that have cutscenes to match. If you pick a threatning response, you will pull your gun and make your purpose clear. Also, the dev said the main quest alone will take 20 to 30 hours. Adding in all the side quests will most likely bump up playing time extensively.
Well, I'm going to go check into my hotel now. It's been a crazy day and I was up at 5 a.m. EST to get to the airport. I'll try to post PS3 & Wii impressions tomorrow, as I will be playing them first. (They didn't invite Video Game Talk to their press conferences) I'll try to post later tonight to answer questions if I can get some internet access!
I will say the most exciting announcement for me at the actual show was all Xbox Live Anywhere. The possibilities are really endless when it comes to using Xbox Live features on all Windows’ based machines.
Anyway, the Hotel was decked out with hundreds of plasmas and it was hugely upscale with free booze and tons of food. In the hotel, they had hands-on displays for Gears of War, Rockstar's Table Tennis game, Splinter Cell Double Agent, every new arcade title, and the World Championship poker game that uses the camera. Out by the pool, they set up rooms for developers to talk about games like Mass Effect, Too Human, Viva Pinata, and the three new accessories.
Here's a rundown of my opinion of the hands-on games:
Gears of War: Obviously stunning. The enemy A.I. is amazingly intelligent and reacts perfectly. But there is a stuttering problem when moving from area to area. The Dev says they are working on it, but it's near completion.
Splinter Cell: This was the most fun to play for me, but I'm biased to the series perhaps. Just like Gears of War, the in-game graphics and the cinematic are all in real-time, seamlessly attached. They have added a few gameplay features, but I'll post on that later.
Arcade Titles: Contra, excellent. Lumines, Beautiful and flawless gameplay. Uno: I forgot how much I loved Uno as a kid. Paperboy: Another excellent adaptation.
Table Tennis: This has to be the lamest game of the show. Graphically, it's on par with Top Spin 2. The gameplay is technically sound, but quite boring.
Accessories: The wireless headset is very comfortable. They added some extra padding for the ear. The wireless driver's wheel is also comfortable sitting in your lap and it communicates perfectly with the console. I saw the camera in action in the poker game and it's pretty damn scary. Your online representation is really freaky to look at wrapped around a 3d model.
Speaking of the Poker game, there is a window that allows you to see the actual face of the person while you play if they have a camera. So bring your poker faces.
While Mass Effect wasn't hands on, the Bioware rep runing the demo was quite informative. I found out the majority of the team that created the first KOTOR is working on Mass Effect. The coolest feature has to be the reactionary dialogue. Basically, you have a series of responses in any conversation that have cutscenes to match. If you pick a threatning response, you will pull your gun and make your purpose clear. Also, the dev said the main quest alone will take 20 to 30 hours. Adding in all the side quests will most likely bump up playing time extensively.
Well, I'm going to go check into my hotel now. It's been a crazy day and I was up at 5 a.m. EST to get to the airport. I'll try to post PS3 & Wii impressions tomorrow, as I will be playing them first. (They didn't invite Video Game Talk to their press conferences) I'll try to post later tonight to answer questions if I can get some internet access!
Last edited by Flay; 05-09-06 at 05:28 PM.
