The 2010 Tokyo Game Show, which concluded last week, may have showcased the re-awakening of Japanese gaming innovation

If you’re a big fan of video games, there’s a very good likelihood you have played and enjoyed the fruits of Japanese video game developers’ innovation. From Super Mario Bros. to Final Fantasy VII to Street Fighter II and back again, many of the highlights of gaming have come from the land of the rising sun.

However, it wouldn’t be controversial to say that, for the last console generation, the games that have set the standard worldwide have come from Western developers — both American and European. One of Japanese gaming’s most prominent developers, Resident Evil creator Keiji Inafune, even said as much to the New York Times: “I look around Tokyo Games Show, and everyone’s making awful games; Japan is at least five years behind,” he said. The same article estimated that Japanese developers, publishers and manufacturers owned as much as 50 percent of the gaming market in 2002; this has fallen to just 10 percent. While this lull is due to many reasons — including a dearth of creativity and the shifting Japanese market — what was shown last week at the Tokyo Game Show may be indicative of a real revival.

The NES: A crucial aspect of my generation's childhood

After the United States video game market crashed in 1983, it wasn’t American companies like Atari or Activision that led the market revival here in the U.S. — it was Nintendo’s NES. We at Silicon Sasquatch grew up on Nintendo’s 8-bit grey box, and by the time the Nintendo 64 launched in September 1996 in the U.S., “Nintendo” was synonymous with video games in the same way Kleenex is with facial tissues and Xerox is with copy machines. Though the generation weaned on Mario, Zelda and company hardly knew it, they were enjoying games made in Japan.

Through the 16- and 32-bit eras, Japanese developers enjoyed a golden period of innovation in game design. Games like Super Mario World, Super Metroid, Chrono Trigger, Metal Gear Solid, Gran Turismo and Final Fantasy VII were all well received worldwide and helped usher in a more mature era of gaming in all regions. According to numbers on the ever-accurate Wikipedia, eight of the top-10 best-selling Super NES games were Japanese developed, and six of the top-10 PlayStation games were as well.

As pointed out by that well-timed New York Times article, Japan is playing catch-up in this current generation. Where characters like Mario, Sonic and Solid Snake once set the tastes internationally, that mantle has passed to Master Chief, Nico Bellic and the soldiers of Modern Warfare. Not just in sales, either, but in terms of importance to how video games have developed; the open-world gameplay of the Grand Theft Auto games is a huge inspiration to game developers around the world, and Halo and Modern Warfare established the gold standard for how online gaming should be handled. Rather than just following the lead of the Nintendos, Sonys and Capcoms of the world, American and European developers have taken the lead as innovators in modern game design.

One time, gaming's most recognizable mascots were Mario and Sonic. Now, Halo's Master Chief may be at the top of the pile.

So what’s gone wrong, then? Take a look at sales numbers: Again according to stats from Sony, there have been 38.1 million PlayStation 3 consoles sold; more than 5 million have been sold in Japan. Meanwhile, out of the PlayStation 2′s approximately 145 million units sold, more than 21 million were sold in Japan. While those figures are similar in their percentages — both over 13 percent of total sales — the sales volumes have some serious discrepancies. Moreover, despite Microsoft’s push to gain market share in Japan, only 1.2 million Xbox 360s have been sold in Japan — roughly 3 percent of global sales. The one sales success of this era has been the Wii, which surpassed 10 million consoles sold in Japan in March; however, that achievement took almost a year longer to reach than it did for the PlayStation 2. The PS2 took 131 weeks, roughly two and a half years, to reach 10 million in sales; the PS3 has been on shelves for almost four years.

It seems as though the maturation of the Japanese market visible in the 16- and 32-bit eras, which reached an apex with the PlayStation 2 and GameCube, has given way to a cultural change where gamers just aren’t interested in home consoles. The Nintendo DS is the best-selling system ever in Japan, having sold more than 25 million units; the DS is, as my travels in Japan this spring proved, absolutely ubiquitous. It seems that where the current console generation is left out, handheld systems have gained, and that includes creativity in game design. As handhelds are the rage, that is where development has gone.

But what of the consoles? Perhaps another reason is the lack of relevance of arcades. Japanese developers like Namco, Konami, Sega and Capcom thrived in arcades, and many of their best games came as home console ports. Though shorter games are seeing a revival on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade, it’s hardly enough to sustain the sorts of development teams that these former arcade giants enlisted, and today’s $60, big-budget titles have moved beyond the shallow replayability offered by many of the arcade ports that were successful even on sophisticated platforms like the Sega Dreamcast.

Yes, this is the controller the original Steel Battalion came with. Yes, it cost $200.

Last week’s Tokyo Game Show brought a revelatory thunderbolt: Microsoft’s Kinect was going to get support from some very, very big developers who were promising to bring more creativity than just rehashing Wii Sports. The 360-powered Kinect has drawn some particularly big names — seven new titles, five for Kinect alone, all from Japanese development teams. The headline grabber has been the revival of Steel Battalion; the Xbox cult favorite was renowned for its 40-button hyper-realistic joystick, and now it’s coming to Kinect. Games also announced included Goichi Suda and Grasshopper Manufacture’s Codename D and Project Draco, which appears to be a new Panzer Dragoon-inspired game from ex-Sega developers.

What made the Kinect-centric TGS announcements so much of a shock was the stark contrast they presented to what Western developers showcased at E3 2010 in June. Combining what was shown last week in Tokyo along with Q Entertainment’s spiritual successor to Rez, Child of Eden, and it turns out that the vast majority of Kinect games that are aimed at hardcore gamers are coming out of Japan. It was said in the games press (including on the podcasts I listen to: the Giant Bombcast, Weekend Confirmed, Rebel FM, and 1up’s In This Thread) that the key phrase of E3 this year is “it’s not for you,” in that the motion-control games for Kinect and PlayStation Move were not geared toward the hardcore. Sure, Harmonix’s Dance Central has a Rock Band-like crossover appeal, but most everything else looked to ape the Wii’s successes and appeal to broader audiences while leaving the Halo and GTA crowd out in the rain.

Q Entertainment's Child of Eden was hardcore gamers' only hope for an engaging motion-control game at E3 in June.

These development announcements aren’t surefire signs that Japan will come roaring back immediately. It’s been rumored that Microsoft is helping development costs for these games as a loss-leader for Kinect. Business thought would be that Microsoft helps pay for some marquee games so that the hardware sells well, providing a market for developers down the line. More power to the Japanese developers for taking on this challenge, then, especially as these projects look so promising. Moreover, this is what may help revive the Japanese gaming market — perhaps gamers no longer want iterations of what’s come before? Perhaps the more experiential gameplay brought by motion controllers will help move PS3s and 360s; the Wii has been successful in Japan, so the market may be there for something different. It’s certainly proof that what’s come before hasn’t worked this generation, and that change is needed.

Inafune-san may be right — Japan may be five years behind American developers. But the Japanese market and Japanese publishers and developers are too important to gaming for them to fade away meekly. I don’t know whether motion games will be the death knell or the phoenix rising, but I do know it will be more interesting for all gamers worldwide than if the Japanese developers quietly wound down their streams of games.

Aaron

After five minutes of a capture-the-flag match in the Halo: Reach beta, I thought to myself: “I know what this is. This is Halo 2 — and 3. Ugh.” Yes, I really did “ugh” in my mind.

Halo multiplayer is meant for split-screen or system link parties held among banter-prone friends who throw out a mixture of taunts and encouragement. The online version of Halo doesn’t appeal to me — it wasn’t made for my tastes. But as I was downloading the latest Halo beta I told myself I must like Reach’s online component. For once I wanted to understand the zealous admiration Halo fans have for the series’ online portion. I also wanted to know why some people won’t let Halo 2 die.

My plan was to approach Reach without any negative preconceptions. I thought it would be easy thanks to excellent video documentaries like “Once More Unto the Breach,” which demonstrate Bungie’s passion for the numerous changes, tweaks and upgrades to the core single-player experience. I was quick to assume that those changes would carry over to the multiplayer. Unfortunately they don’t, and nothing much has changed as a result. For an overwhelming majority of gamers both part-time and hardcore that’s fantastic news. For me it’s disappointing.

However, the Reach beta does have two things going for it. The class powers add a layer of fun to the experience that the bubble shield and other Halo 3 equipment never fully achieved. Secondly, Bungie’s social filter options are genius. A player can choose different match tags to find “chatty” or “polite” players, and the browser will find games with your similar preferences. I could even search for others at my same skill level. Options like this are brilliant, and they need to become the status quo for other blockbuster console titles.

So maybe I’ll ease up on my hype for awhile. I’ll still browse the news sites and click on the links with “Reach” in the headline, but I’ll be apprehensive. I’ll bide my time until the game is out, and the consensus is clear for the more important parts: the single-player and co-op campaigns.

Nick

I’m a weekender when it comes to Halo. Although I was participating in 16-player fragfests on a weekly basis nearly a decade ago, my love for Halo waned once college — and Halo 2′s online-focused multiplayer — arrived. Like Smash Bros. and Goldeneye before it, I always associated Halo with getting a group of friends crammed together on a couch, blowing each other to pieces and having a grand old time.

But then Xbox Live was born, and Microsoft saw an opportunity for its flagship franchise to lay the foundation for the first significant console-based gaming network. Maybe it had just as much to do with all my friends heading off in different directions at that point in life, but the massive LANs at friends’ houses had long since come to an end and the only way to play Halo together was over a 10Mbps connection with the aid of a wonky, uncomfortable headset. Finally: All the thrills of the Halo experience coupled with the creature comforts of working in a call center.

So yeah, I approached Halo: Reach expecting to be disappointed. And it wasn’t until I had been needled, stuck with a sticky grenade, circle-strafed and bashed with a flag — which only took about two minutes, given my skill level — that the old, familiar Halo rage began to percolate within me. I avoid online shooters on Xbox Live because I don’t want to be forced to share any space, real or virtual, with someone who identifies as XxJUGGALOLZxX.

But at the same time, I felt a tingle of nostalgia coming on. I remembered all the fun I used to have with Halo. And then it dawned on me: the game hadn’t changed — I had.

Fortunately, like Aaron mentioned, Bungie has taken some intelligent steps toward shaping your online play experience to suit your interests. Want to play Oddball with casual, polite, quiet folks who might be just as willing to sit down with a cup of coffee and discuss Proust? Knock yourself out, man.

But ultimately, the only thing you need to know is that Halo: Reach is Halo. It’s Halo 1, 2, 3 and ODST, minus a few significant tweaks in the matchmaking formula and some interesting new game modes thrown into the mix. If you love Halo multiplayer, and your friends love Halo multiplayer, I have no doubt you’re gonna have a blast with Reach. But as a game critic, I’m disappointed that the beta doesn’t indicate a greater willingness on Bungie’s part to develop the Halo formula and to push it forward.

The Holidays approach. For some that means quality time with family members not seen for a year — maybe more. Others, well…can I get a “what what” if at some point during your life you hid away in the midst of celebrations to finish Earthbound (or, insert other game reference here). However, my adult years have made me more personable when it comes to the holidays; I’m now infinitely more interested in the going-ons of my kin.

Still, I won’t lie that this year I’d prefer to mow down more of Left 4 Dead 2′s cajunized zombies with a giant plate of delicious turkey and fixins on my lap. I’m thankful for me.

We’re back on track for backlogs, and this week is mega-sized to make up for our absence. To summarize: Nick informs us he essentially played everything ever released this month, Doug gushes about his beloved Forza 3 between study sessions, and I write about why two wonderful November-born titles should be played on the PC.

Do the Mario!

Nick:

Life served up a particularly hellish week for me, so it was fortunate that I had a slew of excellent games to escape with.

I spent a few fantastic hours in New Super Mario Bros. Wii in its fantastic cooperative/competitive mode earlier this week. What Jerry Holkins said about this game’s debilitating effects on a relationship is true, to a point; while we were able to help each other out for the most part, there were times where my attempts to “take the lead” or “get us through this tough spot” often led to one or both of us being killed, prompting my girlfriend to say some things about me that are rarely included in the same sentences used to talk about a Mario game. But it was all in good fun — something this game has in ample supply. It’s Mario in his best form ever, and anyone who grew up playing these games should purchase it without hesitation.

This week also brought another sequel to a game I adored: Assassin’s Creed 2. Transporting the game to Renaissance Italy is perhaps the most significant shift in story and setting that I’ve seen in a franchise in quite some time, and Ubisoft Montreal deserves some commendation for crafting an incredible sequel to an already ambitious debut title. There’s so much I could say about how things were improved — combat, economy, actions and consequences, exploration, story — but I’ll lay it out like this instead. If you loved Assassin’s Creed, you’ll love Assassin’s Creed 2. And if you hated the original? You’ll probably love Assassin’s Creed 2 anyway.

Having completed all five campaigns in Left 4 Dead 2, I’m happy to pronounce myself an official fan of the series. Although I bought the first game and had my fair share of fun with it, I always felt a little uneasy playing it. And it wasn’t because of the game’s tension, or horror-film veneer, or anything like that; it was just that the game sent a constant message that your survival was entirely at the game director’s mercy. In the sequel, the tone has changed significantly for the better. If Left 4 Dead was Valve’s attempt to make an interactive zombie movie like Dawn of the Dead, Left 4 Dead 2 is Valve making a balls-out Zombieland-style game. Melee weapons encourage close combat, lending a sense of strength and confidence to the survivors that was sorely missing from the first. All four of the characters in the sequel have stronger personalities than the first game’s survivors, and their determination on getting to New Orleans to be rescued encourages the player to keep slogging it out through hell and high water. It’s one of the most improved sequels of the year, without a doubt.

And when you consider that Left 4 Dead 2 was developed in just one year, it’s disappointing that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 didn’t shape up to be more substantial. To be fair, Infinity Ward’s last game, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, not only reinvented the series — it raised the bar significantly for what an online multiplayer experience can be. I sank a “mere” 40 hours into COD4′s multiplayer mode, which pales in comparison to most of the people on my friends list. Multiplayer in Modern Warfare 2 is technically just as good as COD4′s, but after a solid six hours online in a variety of modes I’m struggling to stay interested. The mantra in developing this sequel seems to have been “more options in every aspect of play,” which is a good thing, but the core sensation of Call of Duty 4 has dulled for me. I was hoping lightning would strike twice, and I suppose it did, but I was hoping for a more risky and adventurous update to multiplayer — not a mere iteration. If I wanted that, I’d have bought last year’s Call of Duty: World at War. If there is one area that received a substantial improvement, though, it’s the single player. Rather than attempt to keep things within the bounds of reality, Infinity Ward opted to create an over-the-top global conflict that was flawlessly paced from start to finish. It’s ludicrous, but it’s so, so much fun. At about six hours to complete, it’s shorter than COD4′s — but considering how tedious replaying that game’s campaign was for me, I’m much happier with the new game’s approach.

I’m still slogging through Dragon Age: Origins with my city elf rogue. Steam says I’ve played for quite a long time, but I’m only at about 15% completion. Maybe it’s because I love reading every entry in the admirably written codex, or because I can’t help but talk to every NPC, but I’m getting an astronomically entertaining experience for my money with this game. I’m really struggling to fathom just how Mass Effect 2 could top the quality of this experience once it hits in January.

I also sank a few rounds in with the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 beta. I’d been hoping for a return to the glory days of Battlefield 2, and instead what I got was Bad Company with a moderate graphical upgrade; it’s good, but there are better options available. Looks like I’ll still be holding out for Battlefield 3 after all.

Doug sums up his feelings on this picture with an articulate "WEEEEEEE!"

Doug:

While I’ve been way too busy finishing up the majority of my grad school quarter, I’ve still found time to play a little bit of…erm…Forza Motorsport 3. And nothing else.

But it’s so good! I still love pretty much everything about it, even if I haven’t been able to play online with my friends at all. The rewind button is a godsend — it erases single-player frustration with the ease of control-z functionality. The selection of cars and tuning options are superb; I’ve made an old-school Volkswagen Rabbit into a fire-breathing, turbocharged four-wheel-drive monster that could eat a Ferrari for lunch and spit out its bones.

It’s been said that Microsoft and Turn 10 gets things right in the third iteration, and this particular game is a great example of that. It’s almost strange to think that all three Forza Motosport games have been released since Sony and Polyphony released Gran Turismo 4 on the PlayStation 2. It’s scary to think how much Forza has moved ahead certain aspects of console racing games.

Along with Forza, I’ve tried out a few of the Xbox Live improvements from this week’s update — namely the implementation of Facebook and Twitter. And that’s really the extent of my interaction; they’re there, they work just as advertised, but I feel like I’m kind of missing the point. It’s nice to have both services everywhere at all times, but until a real killer use for either blooms on the 360 they’re going to feel like tacked-on additions.

I don't think James Brown had this in mind when he wanted to take us to "the bridge."

Aaron:

Let’s get down to it. Left 4 Dead 2 and Dragon Age: Origins are two amazing games that deserve to be played on the PC only.

Now, I love consoles. This isn’t a fanboy thing. And I fully understand that not everyone has a modern computer capable of playing the latest releases — Boot Camp Macs included. So, let’s assume you’re a lucky gamer who has the following: a home console of the PS3 or Xbox 360 variety, and a gaming PC. Let’s also assume you enjoy co-op zombie shooting and in-depth fantasy RPGs. You’re excited about the aforementioned titles, but you’re hesitant to commit to a particular platform. Here’s the answer: Play those games on the PC, or you’re not getting your money’s worth.

That may be a blatantly ignorant statement to some, but these words come from a person who, before this month, more or less abandoned PC gaming over the past year (aside from Dawn of War II and Left 4 Dead 1). PCs get the short end of the doomsday stick these days. People say the PC as a gaming device is dead, no one makes money off of the games anymore, and pirating is ruining developers left and right. Controversies aren’t helping the perception of PC gamers amongst the general gaming populace either. So that’s why I’m glad to see Electronic Arts promoting the platform with a definitive version Dragon Age, and Valve doing their thing by releasing such a quality computer title as L4D2.

Dragon Age works best on PC because of the following: the overall better performance (higher frame rate, less glitching, faster loading), a more sensible control/camera mechanic, and a BioWare community toolset that paves the way for future user mods. If Neverwinter Nights is an example to go by, expect years of free, quality content flowing from the collective mind of an invested fan base.

Now, Left 4 Dead 2 deserves to be experienced on the PC because it’s a Valve title first, console port second — plain and simple. The Steam service is consistent in its ability to match like minded players and bring friends together promptly. PC gamers are spoiled when it comes to online play. Thanks, dedicated servers.

I’d also wager the community on Steam is better than Xbox Live’s. Actually, it is better. Left 4 Dead 2 even has a section specifically for add-ons, and it’s exciting to think of the campaigns an active community will create using the sequel’s assets. The original’s user-made maps were generally great, so expect a longer lifespan if you pick up L4D2 on the PC.

Oh, and PC versions are cheaper than their console counterparts. That’s a plus.

They're certainly colorful, aren't they?

After a bit of governmental deliberation the United Kingdom has chosen to make PEGI (Pan European Game Information) ratings the sole standard for labeling the content of videogames. The decision came about as part of the Digital Britain report, an inquiry begun last October by Stephen Carter, the country’s first Minister for Communications, Technology and Broadcasting, to primarily help modernize Britain’s telecommunications capabilities. PEGI’s ratings will be enacted with help from the independent Video Standards Council (think of it as the British version of the Entertainment Consumers Assocation…kinda).

In light of Tuesday’s announcement, PEGI has unveiled its new color-coded classification icons for UK game releases, as seen above. The freshly minted labels keep the same age ranges as the previous ones, but ditch the black-and-white, Electronic Software Ratings Board-like design.

Previous to Tuesday’s ruling, PEGI ratings were used in conjunction with the British Board of Film Classification‘s (BBFC) system of certificate labeling (e.g., Universal, 12 and 18 among others), resulting in a somewhat confusing dual game rating — especially for mature titles. Now that PEGI has control of classifying videogames released in the UK, the hope is to create a clearer and more easily managed system which provides parents and families with easy-to-understand ratings.

If anything, let’s hope for the sakes of our British friends that the decision prevents any more game bans from happening in the future.

I promise this story wasn't an excuse to reuse an image

Not a few days after 1UP posted its bold rumors about Microsoft’s Project Natal — as we mentioned here on Monday– did the company that Bill Gates built snap back and dampen the prophetic claims. According to Xbox’s director of product management, Aaron Greenberg, “Natal will run on Xbox 360 so no new console investment will be necessary.” Greenberg’s statement is directly opposite 1UP’s rumor post, which states that Natal will be released sometime in the fall of 2010 and become “the cornerstone of Microsoft’s next evolution of the Xbox…as an add-on for the Xbox 360…[with] similar hardware but upgraded, repackaged, and rebranded.”

Who really knows, though. Microsoft could be enacting its damage control protocols to cover up an updated model of Xbox; Eurogamer’s rebuttal post isn’t exactly heavy on details. And while an entirely new console is unlikely, Natal being packaged with an Xbox 360 and marketed as a new experience is very feasible. Maybe that’s what 1UP’s source was implying.

Somewhat ironically, Animal House was filmed at the U of O…but you all likely know that by now

First of all: Congratulations recent college graduates. Welcome to a world full of (seemingly unavailable) opportunities!

I’m sorry, that was harsh.

Still, the University of Oregon’s ceremony for the geography and anthropology departments had a wonderfully apocalyptic keynote speaker telling everyone the skills they earned during four years of tuition-giving are for jobs not yet created, and that there are no guarantees of gainful employment right now — but good luck anyway! I laughed for my graduating friend.

As far as Silicon Sasquatch goes we’re back on track this week with our lovely Daily Recaps, and we’ll actually get around to posting additional content over the next few days.

Doug’s preparing a wonderful beginner’s guide to sports games, which is something I’ve always wanted to read considering my inability to get into the genre. I’ll be working on a review for Saints Row 2 and I can’t say enough good things about it from the in-depth customization to the spraying of public property with fecal matter.

Also, look for our impressions of the recently released Overlord II demo; as far as I can tell, controlling a horde of gremlin-sounding demons with a penchant for clubbing baby seals results in guilt-laden hilarity.

Monday’s news = 1UP posts some hefty Project Natal rumors, Verizon steps onto GameTap’s turf and Shigeru Miyamoto really wants to help you win at gaming.

Unfortunately, that's not a trick of perspective. Natal is, right now at least, pretty big.

Microsoft’s Natal hardware, demoed famously at E3 two weeks ago, is kind of the current poster child of gamedom. Sure, E3 2009 had a lot of fantastic announcements from all sorts of developers, publishers and console makers, but the media bees are certainly buzzing about the capabilities of the company’s proprietary Xbox 360 camera.

Now 1UP has confidently posted significant (if proved to be true) rumors about Project Natal, believing that the camera is actually part of a “new” Xbox console package to be launched in the fall of 2010. However, as the post states, don’t think of it as the Xbox 720, but more of what happened between the GameCube and Wii transition: similar hardware that can play the last generation’s games while offering new ones with different control schemes and slightly better graphics. Something tells me this new Xbox will cost a bit more than the Wii’s meager $250 asking price.

I’ve read a lot of postulations about Natal recently, but 1UP is really going all out here. The idea isn’t extremely far fetched, but one would have to question Microsoft’s methodology of extending the 360′s life cycle — which we know the company wants to do. Why continue to carve the gaming population into accessory-laden segments? Oh yeah: cash money.

It’s bad enough with overpriced hard drives, and it was worse when there used to be Core, Pro and Elite models. If Microsoft does introduce a redesigned 360 to bundle with Natal, the price has to be competitive and the package can’t alienate current 360 owners by offering too many upgrades to then negate the older model. Of course the company can do whatever it wants, but the backlash from gamers could be tremendous.

Verizon seems to be everywhere, but you can't say the same for their downloadable game service; not yet at least

Apparently Verizon craves a slice of the deliciously profitable pie that is downloadable PC gaming, à la GameTap.

Joystiq has a story up unveiling that the telecommunications giant will soon be introducing a test program in New York, Rhode Island and Massachusetts to offer over 1,400 PC games for a $9.99 per month subscription fee. The games can be played online, likely through Verizon’s own software, or can be downloaded directly to the computer. I’m sure users can expect some form of DRM considering the format.

Now that one big telecoms company is on the bandwagon, who’ll be next?

An image from Nintendo's patent for "demo play," originally referred to in the document as the Kind Code

It’s been mentioned for a while, but now the truth finally comes out: Nintendo will be introducing a new feature in New Super Mario Bros. Wii that can finish difficult parts of the game for you. Shigeru Miyamoto seems to be spearheading this innovation, currently referred to as “demo play.” The famed designer wants to attract people who give up on games after failing during trying portions of a title.

I truly support the idea, but it took a few minutes of deep pondering to come to that conclusion.

It’s not that I’m worried “demo play” could take away from the experience of overcoming adversities — after all, if someone wants to pay full price for a game to watch it be played, that’s their own decision — it’s that I initially assumed this feature might turn games into a boring spectator sport where friends rent and “beat” a title on autopilot just to say they did. I’m already not a fan of videogames adopting cinematic cliché­ after cinematic cliché, so the idea of literally watching a game like a movie sounded off-putting.

However, I think “demo play” is a promising development for gaming as a whole. How many times have you or someone you know quit a game due to frustration? Maybe the option just being there will bring the more timid and inexperienced toward gaming, and as such the act will become even more socially acceptable.

Sure, the so-called hardcore can use this as flak to say you’re not getting the most out of a difficult game if you let the computer do it for you, but I’ve always been more concerned with the experience of videogames and not high scores or bragging rights. A game’s story, presentation, art style, music and a multitude of other things matter way more than if it’s hard or easy enough. Even with achievements I only try to get the most points in games I care about and love, not solely just to have a bigger gamerscore than someone else.

Ubisoft's James Cameronstravaganza really was the most boring thing about E3 — but we promise to post the older (and much more interesting) info later this week

So that whole triple-E expo thing is over, right?

We still have our Nintendo and Sony conference impressions on-tap and ready to be served, but we’re simply terrible at sliding that frothy information down the counter to you, the frustrated consumer.

Look for those articles later this week with a comp for your first few Jägerbombs.

Yesterday’s news ran quite the gamut of topics: Sony’s trophy system isn’t happening on PSP, Satoru Iwata “scuttles” when it comes to new handhelds and playing a game might just help lower your car insurance rates.

It would be much more of a letdown for PSP owners if PS3 trophies actually came to gamers in this life-sized format

The idea of tracking digital accomplishments for consoles is still a relatively new concept. And though Microsoft blazed the trail with the Xbox 360′s achievements in 2006, Sony wised up and added its own variation to the PlayStation 3 last year.

Unfortunately for fans of Sony’s trophies, the PlayStation Portable won’t be adding its own version anytime soon.

Joystiq asked one of Sony’s PlayStation Network higher-ups, Eric Lempel, about the possibility of adding PSP games to a trophy system linked across both consoles. Lempel gave a pretty clear “No” answer, thanks to the PSP’s trouble with hackers manipulating the hardware and software to no end. It seems the PSP Go won’t remedy the lack of trophies either.

It makes sense for Sony to protect the purity of their trophies, and while some may scoff at the entire concept of digital boasts, it’s very important to make sure hackers and pirates can’t bolster their profiles with fake accomplishments for the sake of those gamers who boldly sacrifice having a life in order to achieve artificial glory.

I have to wonder what Microsoft’s solution would be if they ever released a portable, gaming-specific system? Maybe players would have to sign in to their Passport accounts each time they unlocked an achievement. Scarily enough, I can almost see that happening.

This is really an outlandish mod/fake concept model — but a portable GameCube sure would be wonderful

The Nintendo DSi has had quite the successful launch just two months into its North American life cycle. Even so, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata told CNBC that the company had plans for a different handheld — plans that were eventually scrapped.

The article is rather vague, which isn’t the author’s fault but more due to the coy explanations on the part of Iwata. It’s both refreshing and frustrating to read that Nintendo had another portable system “complete” (though Iwata doesn’t offer any details on what this system was exactly) but refused to release it. Without any specific details, it’s easy to imagine this unseen console could’ve been the greatest thing ever. That’s the problem with mentioning your company had a release-ready product that never felt the clammy touch of nerdy hands.

Yes, Nintendo has a vision and it’s been incredibly successful this generation — it still doesn’t mean that updating the same basic hardware for the second time is the best option, regardless of how well the DSi sells.

Iwata believes in the need for preserving a sense of momentum with Nintendo’s available hardware. But really, that’s just another way of saying, “We’re making a lot of money as-is…why bother?” Some might just accept that as business, which is true, but laurel-resting still looks bad.

Jewel Diver doesn't look like much, but potentially saving your life AND money at the same time is quite an impressive CV for such a simplistic game

Car insurance is one of those necessary evils we all have to deal with. But what if playing a simple game could improve your visual acuity and performance to make you safer on the road and lower your premiums?

Kotaku paraphrased a story found on the San Francisco Chronicle website, SFGate.com, wherein Allstate Insurance has used a simplistic flash game called Jewel Diver — developed by Posit Science — to seemingly improve drivers’ peripheral vision and awareness levels. If the experiment is widespread enough in its success, Allstate might employ the game to test drivers and then offer cheaper rates for those who do well enough.

It’s a fantastic idea on Allstate’s part, and while there are no definitive results yet it’s still a good thing to see the concept of games being used to hypothetically improve public safety. The basic of idea of what a game is doesn’t always have to equal either immature fun or bloody, senseless violence.

Now, let’s get more companies thinking that way.

Based purely on what’s been shown today, and assuming things go to plan:

The Sure-fire Big Winner: Xbox Live

Direct download capability for 1080p movies and Xbox 360 games; an expanded Netflix lineup; Facebook, Last.fm and Twitter tie-ins to come in the fall; and a whole host of exclusive downloads and DLC content for games coming this year. That $50 a year spent on an Xbox Live gold account keeps looking better and better, and regardless how the games turn out, what you’ll be able to do with the system grows and grows.

Most Important Announcement: Microsoft’s Project Natal

It's waggle, Jim, but not how we're used to: Microsoft's Project Natal could well be the biggest announcement at E3 2009.

We knew it was coming. It may even have been shown a year ago, before Microsoft acquired the company responsible for the technology. But actually seeing Project Natal — Microsoft’s code name for its controller-less motion control device — was very stunning. Sure, some of the tech demos displayed (a ball kicking/punching/heading game, motion to control the Xbox dashboard) were a bit hokey…but they showed a level of motion-recognition that was very tight and reactive. The big deal was Lionhead Studios (publishers of Fable 2, Black and White and many other games) and the tech demo they created where players could interact with a schoolboy named Milo. To say it encroached on the uncanny valley is an understatement; if it’s what the video demonstration billed it to be, it’s less a game and more interacting with a legitimate AI character. Absolutely stunning.

To say that Microsoft could capitalize on the market the Nintendo Wii has pioneered while also pushing the boundaries of what’s possible as an interactive activity with Project Natal is an understatement. The potential is there; whether it comes to fruition in the final form will be interesting to see.

Nothing’s Shocking: The surprises that…well…didn’t.

• Hideo Kojima taking the stage during the Microsoft press conference (accompanied by a “!”) to announce Metal Gear Solid: Rising, which will feature Raiden.
• Bungie is working on something other than Halo 3: ODST in the Halo universe — Halo: Reach.
• EA Sports is adding a mixed martial-arts game, EA Sports MMA, to its roster.
• Brütal Legend is going to kick everybody’s ass. Hard.
• Sequel-tastic: Left 4 Dead 2, Crackdown 2, Metal Gear Solid…and plenty more from EA and Ubi.

The Day and Date Club: Games that made a great first impression.

Here comes the sun: The Beatles: Rock Band broke cover brilliantly today at E3.

• The Beatles: Rock Band. After months of speculation, teases and being under wraps, the game was finally revealed today. It was a hell of a start to Microsoft’s press conference.
• Forza Motorsport 3. Another game that had lived under cover until now showing its head, and it is looking good as well. Especially innovative could be the game’s replay editor – if the Turn 10 spokesman was being truthful during the demonstration today, it could yield spectacular results.
• Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction. Site editor Aaron Thayer was particularly enamored with this game’s combination of stealth and action. The lighting system and revamped hide-in-the-shadows gameplay along with the extremely visceral action is a tantalizing prospect for this fall.
• Brütal Legend. The metal Zelda. Tim Schafer’s (well deserved) golden ticket-in-waiting.
• Honorable mentions: Assassin’s Creed 2, Mass Effect 2, Alan Wake.

We’ll be sure to have more for you tomorrow after Nintendo, Sony and a host of others make their presentations and the show floor opens.

Now let’s be honest: every other website has some kind of intimate E3 coverage planned for videogame fans and followers of the industry. You have your liveblogs, live video, exclusive interviews, previews, hands-ons and podcasts. We, a fresh and puerile (but not juvenile?) website without access to E3, can’t provide the coverage like bigger media entities can. However, what we can do is offer our analysis and summations of big E3 press bombs and try to cut the fat the best we can.

So stay with us throughout E3 and think of our content as the delicious Andes mint after a filling dinner — a complement to a main course of news from the hundreds of other videogame journalists doing the real work this week.

We’ll be posting our recaps of each big press conference and attempting a few interesting things this week in terms of  feature articles. Next week you’ll see more thoughtful content, as post-E3 lends itself well to in-depth analysis and status reports of individual genres — even the consoles themselves.

I’ll leave you with the times and dates for the five major press conferences.

Enjoy E3…we’re besieged like this only once a year, or twice depending on how interesting the Tokyo Game Show will be come September.

Press conferences for Monday, June 1st:

• Microsoft: 10:30 a.m.
• Electronic Arts: 2 p.m.
• Ubisoft: 5 p.m.

Press conferences for Tuesday, June 2nd:

• Nintendo: 9 a.m.
• Sony: 11 a.m.

This was me, 24 hours ago. Please excuse the tardiness with the update.

Hoo boy. Medicine sure is a fun thing, isn’t it? After recovering from liberal applications of medication and sleep to combat a particularly nasty sinus infection, things have returned to normal – including posting the news. And news there is to be posted!

Xbox Live membership has risen to more than 20 million users as the Xbox 360 has moved past 30 million consoles sold worldwide.

Microsoft announced today that it has hit a pair of milestones with the Xbox 360 console: 30 million systems sold worldwide, and 20 million individual users on its Xbox Live service. In the release, Microsoft attributed some of the growth to the New Xbox Experience dashboard overhaul that was launched last fall, saying that new membership numbers have gone up 136 percent since its debut in November. That led Microsoft to earn more than $14 billion on console sales, in addition to almost a billion pieces of content (both paid and free) downloaded via Xbox Live.

A pair of pieces from Electronic Arts ahead of E3. First, the company’s lineup of games for E3 2009 was announced yesterday. Lots of expected titles are on the list — including Mass Effect 2, Brütal Legend, a pair of Need for Speed titles and the full host of EA Sports products. Of course, the list doesn’t include any surprises or E3-specific announcements, but does show that, yes, EA is still gigantic.

Secondly, one of the games that’s going to be on the E3 show floor for Electronic Arts is The Sims 3 – and it’s actually going to be released during the week of E3, too. That hasn’t stopped the Internet from doing what it does best, though – downloading a leaked pirate copy of the game more than 180,000 times already. However, apparently EA got the last laugh with the pirates: “It’s not the full game. Half the world — an entire city — is missing from the pirated copy,” EA spokesman Holly Rockwood told Bloomberg.

On June 9, you too can rock out like Iron Maiden in Rock Band.

Lastly, some quick pieces of news to wrap things up:

• YEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!! Iron Maiden is finally getting more songs in Rock Band. A dozen classic tracks from the heavyweights of English metal including “Number of the Beast,” “Aces High,” and “Run to the Hills” will be available on June 9.
• The world apparently needs more kart racers, and Sega is going to satisfy that need: Sonic and Sega All-Stars has been announced, and it will feature racing action starring characters Sonic the Hedgehog, Tails, Dr. Robotnik, Samba (of Samba de Amigo fame) and more. The game will come to the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii and DS in 2010.
• A new Microsoft Zune has been announced — featuring a built-in HD radio, wifi access, a full-screen Internet browser, and syncing with Xbox Live. More details are sure to surface next week at E3.

And finally, because we love you:

Also, the two-hour season finale of Lost didn’t help much.

Hurley certainly isn't happy with the lateness of this post

Thankfully, it seems, Wednesday was relatively calm as far as news goes: DICE learned from its console prejudices, Blizzard reaffirmed its next MMO is not World of Warcraft: Part Deux and Microsoft bolstered its Platinum Hits collection.

Expect these explosions to somehow be more "hardcore" in the next console Battlefield title

Veteran Battlefield franchise creative director Lars Gustavsson admits that with Battlefield: Bad Company the team treated console gamers “a bit more gently” in crafting content due to DICE‘s PC background. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Gustavsson talks about the company’s natural progression with its Battlefield games, moving from basic multiplayer functions in Battlefield 1942 to more advanced matchmaking in Bad Company. Still, Gustavsson emphasizes that although the team created a strong console Battlefield game in Bad Company, they now understand future console versions have to be as complex and tailored to hardcore online players as the PC versions have always been.

It’s certainly an appropriate admission for the studio, as Bad Company–though a superb single-player experience that foreshadowed the quality and attention DICE would put into Mirror’s Edge–just didn’t feel like Battlefield. The online portion was very similar in spirit to Battlefield 2 with class load-outs and various vehicles to utilize, but it was more of the same, albeit less grandiose than the PC games. Admittedly, it’s not that easy to shove 64 players into an Xbox Live multiplayer match.

The question now is if DICE will extend these retrospective revelations to their upcoming sequel to Bad Company–otherwise, it’s all talk.  Furthermore, what do Gustavsson’s comments mean for the anticipated (though only rumored) Battlefield 3? Would a hypothetical BF3 become a multi-platform release, a series first for a direct sequel, or will the next core title follow the past trend of PC release first and a stripped-down console counterpart later?

Sorry classic Blizzard franchises–no MMO for you. Besides, Warcraft, you already had your turn.

Though rumored in the past and even partially confirmed by the company itself, Blizzard Entertainment has officially expressed that their next massively multiplayer online title currently in-development will not be based on any of their established StarCraft, Diablo or Warcraft franchises.

World of Warcraft is popular. We all know that. And despite the wide variance in personal feelings about the game, it would be wise to give the Blizzard crew credit where credit’s due–they honed their franchises to be the blockbusters they are today through their own capability and craftsmanship. The company completely deserves its praise and sales.

Still, it’s not always a guaranteed good move to release a brand new MMO under a fresh intellectual property, even if you’re Blizzard. If this next game won’t be based on neither their space, mythical nor fantasy efforts, then what could it possibly be about? Maybe a modern-day MMO where players level up through working menial labor tasks at minimum wage.

We’ll call it: World of Wagecraft.

Army of Two: This much battle-buddy man-love can now be had for less!

Here’s quite the PSA for budget-conscious gamers: Microsoft has added eight new titles to their Platinum Hits line, including popular titles like Gears of War and Mass Effect. It’s good to see Microsoft is bolstering its $20 to $30 hits line (which, admittedly, is an extremely baffling price difference), but let’s be honest here: Gears of War is a nearly three-year-old title and Mass Effect has been selling at the $20 range for awhile now at Best Buy and other retailers.

However, the Mass Effect repackaging does come with the $5 Bring Down the Sky DLC as a bonus–quite the addition for gamers who’ve yet to add BioWare’s fantastic RPG to their collections.

The full list of the new Platinum Hits games, complete with Metacritic links for the curious,  are as follows:

• Gears of War
• Forza Motorsport 2
• Mass Effect
• Viva Piñata
• Army of Two
• Battlefield: Bad Company
• Burnout Paradise
• Fight Night Round 3

Note: Nick pointed out that GameStop stores are offering used copies of Forza Motorsport 2 in a bundle with Marvel: Ultimate Alliance for under $20. That offer is a bit more cost-effective if you don’t mind pre-played games.