e3 predictions

[hermes]

Anyone have predictions for e3?

here's one:

Sony is totally going to rip of Nintendo (more than they already are doing with the psp as discussed in a recent thread).

I've had this feeling for some time that the -revolution- nintendo unveiled last year really got sony thinking in terms of -revolutionary- control-schemes...

hints:

from this article, on the mystery-ad campaign sony is once again running before the show: http://www.gamespot.com/e3/e3story.html?sid=6149281

"The most obvious ads are a series of massive billboards prominently visible from the LACC's main entrance. One shows a surrealistic take on a game of rock-paper-scissors--with the person making "scissors" actually having steel blades for fingers, and the person making "rock" actually having a stone fist."

:shifty:

[elmuerte]

I predict that people will show up and photos and video captures will be posted on internet.

[MrHoatzin]

At best Sony can make some sort of cheap eyetoy-like bullshit and claim it will destroy Nintendo. Nintendo has been stewing on the technology, fine-tuning it and everything for years, I bet. They have the infrastructure and everything to make the console and a lot of the technology for the console is most likely already frozen. They're just tweaking the drivers and whatnot. On the other hand, some of the technology that Sony is allegedly championing in PS3 doesn't even exist yet.

[hermes]

true - like using the 4th dimension for example...

I actually hope they will try to rip off - it would really make them look pathetic - and as you say I don't really think they could pull it through....

[The Tingler]

I thought this would be a nice place for a bit of speculation. This is headlining the Double Fine Shop at the moment:

Shipping on all DF Shop orders placed from May 5, 2006 - May 12, 2006 will be delayed due to E3. We appreciate your patience during this time.

Could this mean that Double Fine is preparing us for some actual news at E3? My heart's all a'tinglin'! (which is pretty impressive considering my name)

[Moosferatu]

I don't believe so. I can't remember where I read it, but I believe Tim said that they won't be showing anything this year. If anything I'd guess that they'd be showing some really early stuff to prospective publishers. Hopefully they'll make an official announcement next time around.

[n0wak]

From what I've heard they've had stuff and had been fishing it to various publishers for at least the last 8 months or so. Whether they've found anyone, I don't know. What that content or concept that they were fishing was, I don't know. But they definitely had things in the works, and I'd imagine that by now they're a lot further along.

[netmonkey]

I really hope DF is working on something more mainstream but still cool. The world is still not ready for an unleashed Tim Schafer experience, as we've seen with Grim Fandango and Psychonauts, unfortunately.

Now, I'm not saying that he should censor himself and make yafps (yet another fps) but he needs to grab a good audience first in order for them to keep making games. Then, after you play it safe, you unleash the madness!

As for e3, I expect lots of hype, and although someone said (maybe) no booth babes, I expect to see at least one picture of a booth babe. I already saw them on a G4 commercial.

I predict that the Sony presentation will be pretty lame, all corporate-like, and a big tie in to other lame Sony products and companies, like it's always been. I predict the nintendo one a bit cheesy, and hopefully with some crazy surprise.

Also, is anyone interested in the PS3? I noticed that some people actually were interested and bought a 360, and I'm still scratching my head over how that happened. Sure I'm sure some of you are getting every console, ever, but if you're getting just one like me, I don't see why would I pick the xbox 1.5 (times 200 plus 60).

[Lechimp]

As for e3, I expect lots of hype, and although someone said (maybe) no booth babes, I expect to see at least one picture of a booth babe. I already saw them on a G4 commercial.

Yeah, that's what I thought, but I know that Ritual is going to have two booth babes dressed as two of the characters from SiN. I think the rules have just been changed to where you can't have the girls wearing bikinis or skimpy clothing, so it's now just going to be girls dressed as characters or wearing tight clothing.

And there's plenty of people excited about the ps3, it's just that there hasn't been any news about the system, so there's nothing about it that they can talk about. Personally, I only care about the Wii (still not used to it), but I know a lot of people that have ps2s that want a ps3 as well.

[elmuerte]

The world is still not ready for an unleashed Tim Schafer experience, as we've seen with Grim Fandango and Psychonauts, unfortunately.

I think you are wrong. I think the world is getting ready. More designers are aiming for more original or different ideas. Spore's success is actually quite important factor in this.

[miffy495]

I'm really going to be concentrating on the Wii, but I wouldn't mind seeing what Sony has to offer for the PS3. Much as I love the series, I'm not going to drop the cash for a (predicted) $700 console just to play MGS4, so they'd better start wooing me, ASAP. Othewise I'll just do what I did this generation. Stick with Ninty all the way along, then during the last year pick up the other two dirt cheap and start digging into an entire generation's worth of stuff I missed. So yeah. I'm kinda excited about the PS3, but more for potential than for anything I've seen so far.

[Roderick]

You know, maybe I should consider getting a PS2 and some dirt-cheap games as well. When will it cost 50 Euros?

Anyway, I don't think we'll be hearing any news on gaming from Double Fine. For all we know Tim has booked a Yo-yo show to woo the audience. Dammit, and it would be awesome as well! As for doing a mainstream game; let them do what they do. I can't believe for a second that anything they could make wouldn't be worth getting, whether it is something artistic or crazy or 'mainstream', which in this case is sounding a bit like a dirty word, to which I object.

You know, there's really nothing I'm particularly looking forward to in this E3 except the remaining hyped mysteries of the Rev Wii. Aaaaand... that's basically it. All the stuff I've been excited about; Psychonauts, Oblivion, New Super Mario Bros; is already here or almost here. I think the only thing I'd be really thrilled about is if Blizzard were to announce Diablo 3, which I think is a realistic option considering the buzz.

[Marek]

There's a blonde and a brunette at the same spot near the south hall entrance every year. I predict they will return.

There we go, second hit on google for "e3 booth babes". They're pretty much an institution. No E3 without them!

[elmuerte]

I'm not going to drop the cash for a (predicted) $700 console just to play MGS4

I thought the price already dropped to "far below $500": http://gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=15937

[miffy495]

No idea. That was the last number I'd heard, but I'm not following it too closely. If it really is $400, then I'm a bit more likely to get one. I'll still probably wait until after at least the first price drop though.

[netmonkey]

I think you are wrong. I think the world is getting ready. More designers are aiming for more original or different ideas. Spore's success is actually quite important factor in this.

Yeah. Right after I wrote that I thought it wasn't right. I think what Double Fine really needs is to focus on some remarkable gameplay. Tim's pretty much perfected the storytelling since the days of Full Throttle. Psychonauts was a great first step, with excellent production values and a non-repetitive levels, but it was short, and I guess it was affected by the 2-3 year delay and the crappy marketing. Remarkable gameplay is always a winner... like Spore and the Sims. Of course, I bet company exces are still hesitant to anything that is not Will Wright-related.

We'll see what happens. Either way, I'm buying the game. I know they'll make something that I'll like.

Edit: Predictions over hype of sony vs. microsoft, of course: http://ca.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=technologyNews&storyID=2006-05-08T162215Z_01_N08186751_RTRIDST_0_TECH-EXPO-MICROSOFT-COL.XML

Anyone who doesn't have as clue about Video Games cares about nintendo.

[Erkki]

Here's hoping the Houser brothers will announce that Grand Theft Horse game... For whatever platform. Of course that's just a dream of mine.

I'd like to see a good horror game for Wii. I haven't played Cthulhu yet, but if it's anything like it was at first hyped, then a Wii version would probably make the sanity part of it almost physical, which would be interesting if not awesome.

[SoccerDude28]

I predict there will be a lot of virgins at E3... With horrible body odor.

[hermes]

here's one:

Sony is totally going to rip of Nintendo (more than they already are doing with the psp as discussed in a recent thread).

I've had this feeling for some time that the -revolution- nintendo unveiled last year really got sony thinking in terms of -revolutionary- control-schemes...

:shifty:

HAHAHAHAAA I don't really want to say WHAT DID I SAY, because it is so fucking terrible that this actually happened... As someone mentioned in the controller-thread it was unlikely not to happen, but still - that they so blatantly RIPS of nintendo's real innovation - calls it a fantastic innovation in the marketing babble that was the sony-conference is just ARGH.

[ysbreker]

An oracle is you, Hermes!

[Twilo]

Well the tilty-sensing thing is a pretty old idea (One of the Microsoft Sidewinders had it) and Sony certainly aren't implementing it to the same scale as Nintendo are (I doubt any of the Wii games that make more than cursory use of it would be portable to the ps3, at least anything using the positional sensor won't. Nintendo is really going all out with this one).

Honestly, I think they're hedging their bets (better to slap it in there now rather than try and roll it out in two years time, dual-shock style) and they need something in there to differentiate it from the rumblable 360 pad.

As for how devs will make use of it, I suppose some 3d-movement mech games (ZoE style) would be pretty doable, as well as flight games etc.

Maybe something like Virtual On but with jetpacks would be cool, that's the sort of thing that goes down well for sony.