E3 2008 Roundup
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After being stripped of all excess in 2006, E3 returned to Los Angeles this year in an effort to restore some of the clout it carried back when it accepted all comers. All the major players of the gaming industry are still there along with a few “indie” developers as well. But no longer do scantily clad “booth babes” litter the convention center floor and schmooze with the colossal crowds. Today, it's all business. So join us as we examine the aftermath of E3 2008.
The event kicked off the morning of July 14 with Microsoft's Xbox 360 press conference. A day earlier, Microsoft announced that it would cut the price of its best selling Xbox 360 Pro model with a 20 GB hard drive from $349 to $299. They also introduced a new 60 GB model that will sell for $349. So conference attendees could only wonder what Microsoft could possibly have to unveil. The answer would be demos of several highly anticipated games and a major update to Xbox Live.
Even though news about Gears of War 2 has flooded the Internet for several months prior to E3, people still gather around like ants to melted chocolate when a game is guaranteed to sell millions of copies. Its predecessor sold 4.7 million copies and is one of the most popular Xbox 360 games. This version of the third person tactical action game takes place six months after the first one ended. The hero, Marcus Fenix, continues to lead Delta Force as they battle against the Locust Horde, a group of underground creatures bent on human destruction. The game is set for release on November 7 and will now feature five player "horde" action, which lets up to five players take on the locusts.
GEARS OF WAR 2
Microsoft also released demos for Fallout 3 (a post-apocalyptic action role-playing game scheduled to be released in North America on October 7), Fable II (an adventure role-playing game set in the past that will also be released in October), and Resident Evil 5 (the latest installment in the horror survival franchise set to be released in March of 2009).
The latest version of Guitar Hero, Guitar Hero World Tour, features a fully wireless music kit with drums and cymbals and gives users the ability to create their own music in a virtual studio and distribute it on the Guitar Hero network. Meanwhile, Rock Band 2 will showcase a song from Guns N' Roses latest album along with songs from Bob Dylan and AC/DC. Both are scheduled for release in the Fall of 2008.
Next: Nintendo Press Conference >>
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