For twelve years now, gaming professionals and geeks alike have gathered for a week of electronic entertainment frenzy. The annual Electronic Entertainment Expo has hosted giants and small players alike as companies present their latest game titles and hardware to media, retailers, and colleagues. The event crammed the Los Angeles Convention Center with blazing lights, blaring speakers, bustling crowds, and endless activity -- before spilling into flash press conferences and notoriously decadent after-hours parties.
Now, E3 as we've known it is a thing of the past.
The Entertainment Software Assocation, which hosts E3 each year, announced today that going forward the Expo will be an "intimate event" rather than a massive trade show, hosting press events and small meetings with media, retailers, and developers. According to Electronic Arts, the redesigned E3 will now take place in July.
The new E3 will still be hosted in Los Angeles, and will still offer game demonstrations. However, the significantly smaller format acknowledges that many companies -- especially larger outfits such as Sony, Nintendo, Electronic Arts, and Microsoft -- already host their own showcase events. Additionally, regional events such as the Tokyo Game Show and the Games Convention in Leipzig have lessened the need for what the ESA describes as a single "mega-show."
Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli drops knowledge along with a new DX10 video. Check in for all the latest.
Crysis is obviously one of the biggest games on the PC radar this year. It's not hard to see why. From what's been shown of the game so far, and the DX10 video, the game looks gorgeous. From lush tropical environments to frozen wastes, soldiers in fatigues to outlandish, monolithic monstrosities, the environments and enemy designs in Crysis are strikingly realistic and instantly appealing.
In addition to its visuals, Crysis seems to be offering gameplay that combines the PC version of Far Cry with the feral powers present in the console-only Far Cry Instincts. In other words, the game looks to combine large outdoor battle arenas with brutal up-close melee abilities. Crysis' nano suit gives players the ability to toss around environmental objects like barrels, grab and fling enemies, as well as run at superhuman speeds, or bolster armor. Combining these abilities with a variety of firearms and vehicles is a tantalizing gaming prospect, something we all want to know more about.
IGN recently caught up with Crytek's CEO Cevat Yerli to get some insight into the game's development and features.
Check out hi-res images of this massively ambitious Sci-fi-RPG-FPS.
Featuring FPS, RPG and space combat elements all weaved together to present an open and free world, where players can become entirely immersed in a genuinely deep and involving play mechanic, The Precursors puts players in the role of a young pilot, who's tasked with uncovering secrets and solving the problems that go with them as he travels the galaxy visiting planets and getting into scrapes.
The game looks massively ambitious and will undoubtedly deliver a seemingly never-ending array of creatures, characters, weapons, vehicles, cultures and worlds. Expect to be in desert planets one minute and snow-covered ice planets the next and expect to bump into all manner of alien beings. In theory The Precursors could present players with a sense of openness and infinity not felt since we all first booted up Elite on our BBCs and Spectrums and allowed ourselves to waste away hours travelling through the seemingly open universe presented therein.
This game sounds a lot like Freelancer on the PC. I loved that game. I really hope this game is like that.
Funcom's PC MMOG Age of Conan is one of the flagship titles for Vista and DirectX 10, and to present us with a view of what the new version of DirectX means for the game, DX10-specific footage has been released.
...what exactly is so great about DX10 again? :/
This looks like 'WOW', with sub-Oblivion character models....not exactly impressive.
I see no "HOLY CRAP" factor in this AT ALL.
Current stuff on the PC looks better than this.
Well you gotta admit, the backgrounds and scenery looked great. Once the character models started appearing I quickly closed the video lol.
I thought the backgrounds and screnery were the worst part.....PS2 textures and low polys.
July?? It's bad enough that the expo will be even more tight about who gets in but they make us wait an extra 2 months? One thing at a time, damn.
preparing for E3 is time consuming and expensive for both devs and console makers ,half the money they spend (on e3) can be spent on finishing or funding games in time
besides they's the internet we can get whatever we want from it and thanks to xbox live MS can put demos or live covarage of their respective conferences
and there're other shows like tgs, ox6. thats enuf to keep us informed
that's a shame, I liked the drama and scandals. However I do think they'll still have some sort of annual "shindig" like a mini E3.
The 360's Marketplace coverage on E3 was incredible by the way. Definately worthwhile.
Guess this will be the last time we hear Big Wigs make a fool out of themselves at a scheduled event.
For old times sake:: RIDDDGGGE RACCCEEERRRR
Damn shame.
and I thought the death of this event was the fact that scantily clad babes were going to be banned.
Personaly NO E3 = More money for port or even better.. Good games..