Total Number of games Discussed

E3 2006 - 43
E3 2007 - 28
E3 2008 - 11

Total number of Wii games discussed

E3 2006 - 29
E3 2007 - 19
E3 2008 - 7

Total number of DS games discussed

E3 2006 - 14
E3 2007 - 9
E3 2008 - 4

Total number of first/second-party titles discussed

E3 2006 - 23
E3 2007 - 10
E3 2008 - 4

Total number of third-party titles discussed

E3 2006 - 20
E3 2007 - 18
E3 2008 - 7

Total number of peripherals shown

E3 2006 - 0
E3 2007 - 3
E3 2008 - 1

Games shown which included footage/trailer video

E3 2006 - 41
E3 2007 - 26
E3 2008 - 9

I saw these numbers last night, but I wanted to save them to later, were I had more time to write about them. The numbers above show a sharp decline in Nintendo games shown off in the last three years. 43 games were shown off in 2006 and 11 games showed off in 2008. All number includes 3^rd party and Nintendo games. What is the reason for the decline? Could it have to do with the slow decay of E3, the fact that Nintendo will not show off any game that will be released outside of that physical year, or some other reason?

Link

InvenSense, the company that makes the MotionPlus accessory, has told Eurogamer the relationship with Nintendo is “not an exclusive” one.

According to bigwig Joe Virginia, other companies are interested in the tech - but he’s not naming any names.

“Of course we’re incredibly pleased - delighted would probably be a better adjective - that Nintendo approached us… but it’s not an exclusive relationship,” Virginia told us.

“I can’t get into details about other folks that are interested in this technology, but as you might imagine of course there is more interest out there.”

The clip-in Wii peripheral adds a “MEMS (micro electrical mechanical systems) rate gyroscope” to the Wiimote. This allows rotation around the X, Y, and Z axes produced by the accelerometer.

When asked if the technology will open doors for Wii developers, Virginia replied, “Oh absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. And the reason we say that is the type of capabilities they have.

“With six degrees of freedom you can basically make any movement at all, and be able to track that in combination with the sensor bar and other sensors included in the Wii remote. Add the gyroscope capability and you have the ability to work in all three dimensions of space,” Virginia continued.

“What you’re looking at are golf swings; tennis rackets where you can put top-spin on balls; bowling where you can bowl curves; sword motions with forward thrusts; and in Wii Sports Resort the throttle ability.” Sounds golden, Virginia.

Motion-sensing cannot work on any more axes; “Six degrees of freedom is the holy grail,” apparently. The future will be more responsive and robust gyroscopes that are smaller and cheaper to produce. The power of force feedback within the peripheral is important, too.

“I really think we’ve just begun to scratch the surface, gaming is a huge application. But if you think of where motions and where motion-sensing can be applied then there are so many applications; this is a great time to be in the business,” added Joe Virginia.

“What we hopefully have done is provide our partner with new, increased capability, and what we’re so excited to see and await with bated breath is how that will be used.

“Of course in Wii Sports Resort is one application, but what’s the future in gaming? I don’t know. We provided some great capability and we’ll see what happens,” he said.

Nintendo is yet to set a standalone price for MotionPlus, but will be bundling the peripheral with Wii Sports Resort - the game used to demonstrate gyroscopic potential during Nintendo’s E3 press conference.

We had a chance to see the game and MotionPlus at the show and were very impressed. Head to our hands-on impressions of Wii Sports Resort to find out more.

Link

“From a developer’s point of view, E3 has always been a lot of work, but at same time a fun spectacle. It was something we would look at and get excited about because you see the competition’s games - and when you see all that stuff you walk away excited about the industry. I didn’t get that this year…There wasn’t the glitz of it all, the spectacle, the conversations you and I would have about ‘oh, you gotta go see Rock Band 2, you gotta go see God of War 3′ - that doesn’t really exist that much, and I do miss that part of it. To me there’s excitement [at Leipzig]. When you see people, and where the crowds are going, I think you get a good pulse as to what’s exciting in those shows. That’s a good element that could be added to E3 to accommodate that.” - Ed Boon, Mortal Kombat co-creator

Link

1UP: Now that most of the content from E3 has been submitted and/or made public, how do you feel the coverage was handled in comparison to the E3s of old?

CS: For Capcom, we’re pleased with the coverage we’ve received though I think we fared better than some of our competitors. That said, E3 now has become more of a first party battleground than it is a third party event and in that regard I think it still has significant value. Most third parties hold our own events where we made most of our major announcements in a more focused environment.

Full interview here

- Pediatrics publishes data on Re-Mission(TM) video game showing young cancer patients who played the game took their medications more consistently

Video games are among the most popular entertainment media in the world. Now, groundbreaking research shows that a specially designed video game can promote positive behaviors in young cancer patients that enhance the effectiveness of medical treatment. This research, sponsored by the nonprofit organization HopeLab and published today in the medical journal Pediatrics, provides scientific evidence for a growing field of product development that taps into the positive potential of video games and other popular technology to improve human health.

(more…)

Man, it is awesome to be back in the United States. Even though I had a blast in Uganda Africa, there is no place like home. I have to say the only time I got home sick was during E3 time, and it was not home sick, It was purenintendo sick. I am glad I am back to a good Internet connection were I can do some updates. I hope you guys had a good 3 weeks while I was gone and hope you have an awesome Wiikend. Yes, the above picture is pack of Alligators on the Nile.

Hey I was gone for all of E3 08, So I wanted to make one post about it. I do now want to be left out.

Link

Wii MotionPlus
- Long overdue
- Is basically what the Wiimote should have been initially
- Measures subtle rotational shifts, 1:1 - Craig says it actually works, he likes sword-fighting
- Craig “called” a new Wii Sports game right before Nintendo’s conference

Wii Sports Resort
- All 3 minigames were pretty fun
- Matt liked the disc dog game, since you can see how accurate Wii Motion Plus is - worked perfectly
- Angle, rotation played a huge part where the disc would land
- Craig thought sword-fighting was really accurate as well

WiiSpeak
- Laughably made
- Can put it anywhere in the room, cord looks gigantic (based on photos)
- Made for 3 - 4 people playing on a couch
- A third-party might make a work-around eventually (headset, microphone)
- Can use wireless keyboard in AC: City Folk
- Matt will remain skeptical until he can really test it
- Nintendo playing it safe again - Craig

(more…)

Revered Japanese title finally gets a European release as Suda51 updates his PlayStation 2 masterpiece; Trailer to be unveiled on August 1st 2008

Luton – July 30th 2008 – Rising Star Games will be keeping both Suda51 and mystery fans happy this autumn with the long-awaited release of Flower, Sun and Rain.

Written and directed by the infamous games creator, this Nintendo DS™ exclusive is the first chance western gamers have had to experience one of Suda51’s earliest creations and offers an insight into the evolution of his unique style following the huge successes of Killer7 and No More Heroes.

Flower, Sun and Rain is an intriguing mystery adventure very much in the vein of Groundhog Day. You play a detective charged with locating and defusing a bomb by solving thought-provoking puzzles with a wealth of bizarre outcomes. Solving the mystery of what is happening to him and his surroundings is necessary before he eventually goes insane.

Originally released on the Sony PlayStation®2, Flower, Sun and Rain was never available outside of Japan and has been high on wish lists of every Suda51 fan since Killer7 was unleashed on the western market in 2005. This updated Nintendo DS version features all the creative quirks that made the original a hit and uniquely utilises the touch screen to solve mysteries, offering players a more intimate experience.

Commenting on its imminent release, Goichi Suda, aka Suda51 commented, “It’s great news that European gamers are getting to play Flower, Sun and Rain. All of my creative work involves a touch of the bizarre and unexpected and this game is no different!”

In keeping with the mystery-solving style of the game, registered users of the Rising Star Games media bank will get an early opportunity to view the game trailer. This brand new trailer will be available on the media bank (www.risingstargamesmediabank.com) from 9am on Friday, August 1st 2008. It will then be made available to all from 9am the following Monday.

Flower, Sun and Rain will be released throughout Europe from mid-October 2008.

Gamespress