So I was planning on making a new post for each announcment, but since time got ahead of me I'll be posting all the new game and new feature announcements I've yet to cover here with their info. And since this is a lengthy post, be sure to click on read more for the full article.
First up is Epic Games
Shadow Complex. The game looks like a mix between of some old school sidescrollers, Metroid and Contra, but with a polished 3D look. It will be arriving on Xbox Live Arcade this summer.
Next up is Big Park's first title as members of Microsoft Game Studios.
Joy Ride is a wild kart racing game that features the use of Avatars. The game is set to release this winter and will be free to download for all Xbox Live Gold members. Although you will need to pay for new tracks, cars, and game modes; but Microsoft says you'll be able to share tracks and game modes with friends by playing together.
Also announced is the sequel to
Crackdown. Presented by trailer,
Crackdown 2, looks a little different. As the city's citizens appear to infected by some sort of virus, turning them into a zombie-like form and you'll be put to clean it all up.
The sequel to the zombie-survivor,
Left 4 Dead, was announced. It too was revealed via trailer and features a new cast of characters.
Left 4 Dead 2 also appears to feature some new weapons, such as a chainsaw and a frying pan. The game is set to release on Xbox 360 and PC come this November 17th.
Splinter Cell: Conviction was also shown and Ubisoft announced that we'll be able to play as Sam Fisher this fall.
The somewhat expected announcement of
Forza Motorsport 3 was revealed and developers Turn Ten plan to release it this October. The game will feature a new game engine (allowing it to run at 60 fps), a new in-game video editor to share videos, and 400 cars from 50 manufacturers.
We all knew this was going to make an appearance.
Halo: ODST was shown with live gameplay and new details. For all the info on Halo: ODST and the newly announced
Halo: Reach; check out the
already posted article.
The next game was unheard of for awhile, but is now back after revealed at the conference with some live gameplay.
Alan Wake is the story of a writer who goes on vacation with his wife only to end up losing his wife and noticing that the things happening are very similar to a story written by him. Dark Remedy says
Alan Wake is set to release spring 2010.
Lastly, an unexpected but long wished for game was revealed. The MGS franchise is now coming onto the Xbox 360 in the form of
Metal Gear Solid Rising. The game will star Raiden, first seen in MGS2 and as of late in MGS4. Now this game was not said to be exclusive and was just recently
confirmed to be multiplatform; it will be coming to the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.
Now onto the new features that were announced today.
Microsoft announced their partnership with
Last.fm, bringing Last.fm to the Xbox 360. You'll be able to browse, listen, and discover music later this year on the Xbox 360 for free if you're an Xbox Live Gold member.
The Xbox Live Video Marketplace will be relaunched as Zune Video Marketplace. Users will now be able to stream movies in full 1080p HD and videos will load "as close to instantaneous as possible." Also coming is the ablity to watch movies and television shows with your friends in an Xbox Live party. The search function will also see an update, making it easier to find the movie you want. Last, but not least, the service will be expanding from its eight current countries: US, Canada, UK, France, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Spain – to ten new ones: Austria, Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Sky is coming to the Xbox 360 for those of you in Ireland and England. You'll be able to watch TV shows and movies with the service.
Twitter and Facebook are both coming too. The two services will be available in the fall and will allow you to stay up to date with all your friends and tweets.
Probably the biggest announcement; Microsoft unvieled their new motion controller, a camera. The camera uses object, movement, and voice recognition to deliver a new gaming experience.
While the peripherial may look a bit like the Wii's sensor bar it works entirely different. The official name for it is Project Natal and it uses a built-in camera and sensor to identify body movement, faces, objects, and also voices. Microsoft says it will work with all Xbox 360's and that Project Natal is arriving at Microsoft partners today. Sadly there was no word on when gamers will be able to get their hands on it.
Peter Molyneux finished the show with the announcement of his new interactive game. He showed us Milo, an interactive artificial intelligence that can interact with you in many ways. It understands your voice, emtion, and recognizes your face; allowing it to interact with you on many levels.
Lots of new stuff by Microsoft. It's going to be interesting to see how Sony and Nintendo match up against Microsoft's conference.
[videos thanks to
GameTrailers]