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Hopefully he is the last..

Today’s E3 Roundup

It’s no secret that I’m a huge gamer. I’ve been to several gaming expos/cons as both a consumer and press, but E3 has always been the pinnacle of game industry news and sneak peeks at the latest games and new technologies coming to the homes of gamers across the world. Today, I wanted to curate the hot topics from the various press conferences that took place today. Obviously this isn’t inclusive of everything, but more of what caught my eye.

Microsoft Press Conference

At the Microsoft press conference, we got to see updates to the Xbox as well as some previews of games which will support the Kinect. In the clip below, check out the sneak peak that Joystiq gives us of the new UI for Xbox. They’ve done a lot to clean up the UI, but most importantly you will be able to see Bing supported search results, more streaming video and a very smooth interface for the XBLA marketplace.

Clipped from: www.joystiq.com (share this clip)

Clipped from: majornelson.com (share this clip)

Minecraft comes to Xbox

Mojang will be working towards finishing a complete, console-friendly version of Minecraft due this fall Holiday season, which should be around the time when the PC and Mac versions of the game finish beta mode.

From gamerant.com (share this quote)

Clipped from: gamerant.com (share this clip)

Starwars Kinect

The game features everything that you could possibly imagine from a Star Wars Kinect game, yes you can control a lightsaber and swing it around. And yes you can control the force with your hands.
You have the ultimate power of a Jedi in your hands as you ride Speeder bikes and interact with Imperial Walkers in the classic Cloud City. You can control your Jedi by dodging forward, moving side to side and slashing droids to piece with your lightsaber

From www.platformnation.com (share this quote)

Clipped from: www.youtube.com (share this clip)

Games for the Little ones

While not quite making the waves like the more mature games announced and displayed at E3 this year are, you can be sure you’ll be hearing about these new titles if you have young kids in your home. Developed with the 3-12 year old kid in mind, your gaming area is about to resemble a warzone of a different sort.

From news.teamxbox.com (share this quote)

Clipped from: www.capsulecomputers.com.au (share this clip)

EA Press Conference & Mass Effect 3

Mass Effect 3, BioWare’s forthcoming action role-playing game will complete the final chapter in the Mass Effect trilogy. The game was originally delayed due to a packed holiday season, which will witness the release of some blockbuster games including the likes of Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, Batman: Arkham City, Elder Scrolls: Skyrim and more.
Mass Effect 3 will take place after the events of the Mass Effect 2 downloadable content pack Arrival. The game’s protagonist Commander Shepard will embark on an adventure which sees him trying to save the galaxy from the Reapers.

From playstationlifestyle.net (share this quote)

Clipped from: playstationlifestyle.net (share this clip)

Star Wars: The Old Republic

Clipped from: www.cinemablend.com (share this clip)

Awesome new game releases

In addition to all of the above news, there are some really awesome games that I’ve been super excited to hear about, games that I’ll certainly purchase as soon as they are released.

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations

For the E3 demo, we join Ezio as he prepares to leave the city and seek out his Templar nemesis. First he talks to the local Assassin’s guild chief Yusuf and discovers that the harbour has been blockaded with ships and barricaded with a large chain drawn from the old Tower of Gelata.

From www.eurogamer.net (share this quote)

Clipped from: www.eurogamer.net (share this clip)

Rocksmith

Rocksmith will include a unique quarter-inch to USB cable, that is the first of its kind, and will allow users to plug any real guitar with a quarter-inch jack directly into their Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, or PC.

From rocksmith.ubi.com (share this quote)

Clipped from: rocksmith.ubi.com (share this clip)

Fable: The Journey

At Microsoft’s E3 2011 press conference Peter Molyneux revealed the next game in its action role-playing series. Fable: The Journey will utilize Kinect functionality for things like controlling horses while riding in a carriage, casting spells and swiping swords in melee combat.

From xbox360.ign.com (share this quote)

Clipped from: www.youtube.com (share this clip)

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Skyrim will offer a wide world open to exploration, richly detailed on both a micro and macro scale. With over 150 dungeons and at least 300 hours of potential gameplay

From www.gamefront.com (share this quote)

Clipped from: www.gamefront.com (share this clip)

Bioshock Infinite

There’s something more frightening in the world than a Big Daddy. BioShock Infinite introduces Songbird, a massive flying metal bird who serves as guardian to Elizabeth, the woman you’ve vowed to escort off the flying city of Colombia.

From ps3.ign.com (share this quote)

Clipped from: ps3.ign.com (share this clip)

Overstrike

Set in the near-future, Overstrike follows a team of four elite agents obliterating enemy strongholds using fringe-tech gadgets and lethal teamwork. The members of Overstrike 9 are comprised of an ex-mercenary, Interpol’s most wanted thief, a gifted young scientist and a decorated detective. Collectively, they are the agency’s outcasts.

From www.insomniacgames.com (share this quote)

Clipped from: www.insomniacgames.com (share this clip)

For More Updates

That’s all I have for now, but definitely keep your eyes peeled on the clip below for more E3 updates this week:

Clipped from: e3feed.com (share this clip)

Get the f– out of here, really?

Clipped from: www.boingboing.net (share this clip)

So I was browsing reddit and I saw this BoingBoing article 

and I was quite confused.  First I thought it was a kid’s book with an unfortunate title, then I realized it was a book intentionally created that way and now it’s apparently up on Amazon.com’s top seller’s list.  

What craziness is this!?  The book hasn’t even been published yet and this writer has to deal with overwhelming demand and attention because of piracy.  

Below is a full text article from The Bay Citizen about Bay Area writer Adam Mansbach’s unusual success heralds new headaches and opportunities for publishers:

Help me rescue @JapanaRadio & @WNOHGB!

Clipped from: www.japanaradio.com (share this clip)

A dear friend of mine has a project dear to him that is in risk of going under. If any of you are Anime or Jpop music fans, I'd love for you to take a listen to Japan-a-Radio. It is an online radio station for Jpop and Anime music. Right now, Japan-a-Radio runs out of my friend's house on a T1 connection that he pays for himself with the assistance of donations and paid subscriptions to Japan-a-Radio (you can still listen to Japan-a-Radio for free still, it just has some adverts in it).

Not only am I good friends with the person who runs Japan-a-Radio but I also am a heavy user of another project of his that is run off of the same T1 line (that is also in risk). It's a Star Trek themed MOO that I've been playing for about two years now, I wrote about it here to get more players in the game.

Anyhow, this T1 line needs help and not only is it's livelihood important to my friend but it is important to me as well. If there is anything you guys can do to help out, that would be awesome. I've donated myself, but I can't give much more than I already have. However, as proof that I have put my own money up on this project I have a picture of the receipt for my donation.

How can you help? Obviously the most awesome way is by directly donating or buying a subscription to Japan-a-Radio here is the Donation page. I personally don't like asking strangers for money, so I would be just as thrilled if you could just go listen to Japan-a-Radio and spread the word. With luck, some one will appreciate the station and buy a subscription or drop a tip to Japan-a-Radio.

Please don't hesitate to contact me for any questions or you can reach out to my friend @Otaking on twitter if you have any questions about this :)