May 16th, 3pm PST: PS3 Launches. May 16th, 6pm PST: Xbox2 Launches

[Asher]

The hardware itself is perfectly capable of handling 1080p (the gpu/cpu). If anything the limitation would be in the TV encoding chip (which would be rather trivial to upgrade/change out -- it happened several times to the original Xbox) or the interface itself.

[Asher]

Perfect Dark Zero impressions: http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/616/616196p1.html

Forget the crappy screenshots you've seen. They completely misrepresent the game. Forget that Microsoft didn't show its number one game at its news conference. That was a mistake, in hindsight. My first appointment to Microsoft's booth on day one of E3 was with the Rare team responsible for the upcoming Perfect Dark Zero, and I was wowed.

I had mixed expectations; I'm a realist. Games in development often have low framerates and shoddy AI. They're not done. Of course they do. Today, I saw a demo of Perfect Dark Zero running on a Xbox alpha kit (a PC) using an old ATI graphics card, not the final GPU from the Xbox 360, and was told the game was only using about 25% to 30% of the system's full power. And Perfect Dark Zero looked incredible. Incredible. It looked nearly as good as Gears of War, which, in my humble opinion is the best looking 360 game of the show so far (I saw that running in realtime too). So, simply put, Perfect Dark Zero shocked me.

Shocked, because I wanted to see this at the Microsoft conference. Shocked, because they hid a game that clearly does NOT look like merde. Shocked, because this looked like a real next-generation game, completely changing my perception I had temporarily formed based on the early screenshots. For whatever reasons Microsoft didn't want to show it, the game I saw looked like the game I wanted to play, and have imagined playing for years.

So, enough of that. In the demo room behind closed doors, Richard Cousins, producer, and Duncan Botwood, multiplayer designer, showed off three levels of the multiplayer game. There are two main multiplayer modes: Deathmatch and Dark Ops. Deathmatch is exactly what it sounds like, a free-for-all kill-or-be-killed multiplayer mode for more than 50 players. Rare clarified that they feel comfortable with 50-players simultaneously playing online right now, not the previously spoken 64 players (which was correctly quoted before), and are testing to see how many more they can get. Dark Ops is a round-based multiplayer mode with distinct rounds, a bunch of weapons, where you earn cash for kills, and is much like Counterstrike, only with different scenarios.

The demo started in a spawn room. The spawn room serves two purposes, the first of which eliminates spawn camping. If you're killed, you'll re-spawn in the enemy-free spawn room with weapons. The second use is for what Rare called Advanced Teleports. When you come upon an Advanced Teleport in the open space, you can wire it to work for you, given the proper tools. Once wired, it immediately transports you to the spawn room, for new weapons, health, whatever.

There are three vehicles in the game -- the jetpack, a motorcycle, and a hovercraft -- but Rare only showed the jetpack in motion. The movement and fluidity of the jetpack is excellent. You can fly around in full 360 degrees while the camera pulls out to a third-person perspective. The level of detail, shading and lighting on the jetpack is fantastic. You can easily jump into a jetpack with the press of a button, and both you and enemies have access to them.

Visually, the levels we saw are massive, and every thing you can see is being generated in realtime. There are no flat artistic backgrounds. What you see is actually there. The desert map we saw boasted two bases, and it was without a doubt, massive. But it's designed for up to 50-plus players, so it will double in size when enough players are there to play. Players can manually choose to scale the map sizes, or the game will count the players available and set up the right size map for the right number of players.

The game we saw showed off incredible high-fidelity imagery. Everything is bump and normal mapped. The roads and walls and surfaces delivered parallax textures, a technique that uses one- to two- polygons yet provides volume and normal mapping and perfect reflections, lighting and shadow work over vast surfaces. There was a level of dust moving though the bases, which looked like Persian forts and similarly architectured buildings. The color palates were sandy yellow and brown, but the fine tile work was bright in design, offsetting the desert surroundings. The jetpack issues a light-sea blue fume and heat vlurring effect that reflects on any surface you fly by, providing an eye-catching effect. Even the gun reloads are beautiful. There is a slight blur effect used for these too. The level of detail on the guns is ridiculously high.

There were only two characters on-screen simultaneously and the game was running at about 20-25 frames per second, but again, the game is only running at 30% capacity. The special effects were running beautifully. All of the weapons have primary and secondary fire, and the secondary fire on each weapon is totally different. For instance, the pulse rifle's secondary fire option is a cloaking device. The only way you can see a cloaked enemy is by using a specially acquired vision technology, or if the enemy happens to run through a dust cloud, in which case you'll see a mercurial transparent silhouette that's gorgeous.

Weapon-wise, the game returns the RPC (seen in the original Perfect Dark), a pulse rife, a handgun, s sniper rifle, and many more. The jetpack itself has weapons built in for you to shoot. There was no HUD showing off any kind of ammo count, so it looks, right now, to have unlimited ammo. Gadget-wise, you can throw out a sentry device coming from what Rare called a Laptop gun. Basically, what looks like a sticky mine attaches to a wall, and when an enemy comes near, it starts firing when an invisible line is crossed. Enemies can either blast them to pieces or they can rewire them to reverse their actions, shooting at you instead. You will see the enemy armor degrading over time, too. Enemies will run by and you'll see their armor in tatters, falling off and broken off. It looks excellent.

The game is shown from the first-person perspective, but it often switches to the third-person perspective. For example, when to come close to a wall, it instantly switches to a cinematic view, enabling you to see your character, the corner you're hiding behind, and the enemy you're hiding from. The switch in perspective is instantaneous and it works. The same camera option happens when you crouch. When you fire, the camera instantly zooms to an over-the shoulder perspective, giving you a better angle on the opponent. The game offers auto-aiming very much like in DOOM 3 or in Halo 2. Rare feels comfortable getting its game to run at 30 FPS when all is said and done.

You can hold four weapons simultaneously, and you have four slots to put them in. You can fill up all the slots with weapons, or if you like Halo's excellent melee system, you can fill up only three. By doing so, the empty slot enables you run up to enemies and steal their weapon right out of their hands. It's totally fun to run up to an unsuspecting enemy, grab their weapon and then kill them with it. Very satisfactory, even when just watching.

Audio-wise, the game supports an interesting sound scheme. By using the Dpad, players can decide to speak globally to all of the players on their team -- yes, up to 50-plus people -- or by hitting another angle on the Dpad, they can decide to speak with individuals or a small group. The local audio found in Halo 2 is not what this game is about. You will not be able to hear from an enemy when he's killed you and wants to trash talk. You won't be able to hear him at all.

After our 30-minute demo I was smiling, excited and still a little perplexed. Why didn't Microsoft show this on the showfloor, why didn't this very demo appear in motion in front of the hundreds of people crowded into the Shrine Auditorium? The demo I saw of Perfect Dark Zero, using an alpha kit running on a current-generation graphics card, is only running at 30% capacity. And it looked gorgeous. Absolutely beautiful, and nothing like the screenshots or clips you've seen so far. We'll have more on Perfect Dark very soon indeed.

w00t!

[Asher]

Another Rare launch title: Kameo: Elements of Power

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/616/616349p1.html

E3 2005: Kameo: Elements of Power First Look
Rare's mystical adventure game shines in all that right places.
by Chris Scantleberry

May 18, 2005 - Up until today, I had close to little or no interest in Kameo. In fact, I can recall going out of my way to actually skip over the featured build at that time in favor of Conker: Live & Reloaded. (Is that ever coming out guys? But in all seriousness, this year I decided to be a bit less restrictive with my tastes and embrace a broader palette of games featured on the floor.

In case you haven't been following our coverage over the past few months, Kameo took up vacancy on the GameCube and Xbox platform. Unfortunately for Nintendo adventurers, the game never saw the light of day and the Xbox edition was put on hold indefinitely. As you can probably see where this story is going - Kameo ended up popping up on Microsoft's upcoming, sexy multimedia gaming console, the Xbox 360.

Kameo has been touted as one of Rare's most ambitious titles, promising to offer gamers a healthy mix of exploration and puzzle-solving challenges. The concept is definitely one of the more unique premises I've come across - as players take control of the title's female star and morphs into a variety of monsters. I am not sure why she gets a kick out of taking so many forms, but that didn't dilute my newfound enthusiasm. According to the demo rep, Kameo will be able to transform into 10 different creatures including a fire-breathing dragon, an armadillo, tumbleweed and a rock beast. Very creative stuff. Chilla is particularly interesting since he has the ability to fire ice-based projectiles and also use his artic skills to scale up walls and other objects. We also got a peek at Puppaweed, who's equipped with boxing attacks, can burrow underground to explore for hidden items or attack unsuspecting enemies from below. Each character offers a unique skill that will help players to advance through each level. The trick is finding out which character you require in order to complete your objectives. Kameo encourages players to explore the various possibilities, which in turn will reward them with new skills that are acquired in an RPG-like fashion.

Taking advantage of the Xbox 360 hardware, Kameo definitely doesn't disappoint in the visual department. Every object is rendered beautifully and boasts an exquisite amount of detail and color. Kameo also incorporates a real-time day and night cycle, showing off the game's marvelous display of lighting and shadow effects. High-definition gaming makes it hard to look back on inferior picture standards. And while it's best that you enjoy the game with a HDTV, players can be rest assured that Kameo will look awesome on any television set. Really.

And like those infomercials, that's not all…I also got a chance to check one more remarkable feature showcasing the 360's hardware performance. In the past, you may recall how difficult it was for a game console to feature multiple objects on screen at once. But thanks to Rare's proprietary Artificial War Engine, Kameo can pull this feat off without breaking a sweat. With this powerful graphics tool, it's actually possible for a bevy of active characters to be on screen during any given time. Just how many you ask? Try a thousand. Poor Kameo, being outnumbered decided to call upon her friends to aid her - a thousand elves, to be exact. To illustrate a proper reference, think of the hordes of orcs that Aragon and company went against in The Return of the King.
And this is just an alpha running at 30% folks. So just imagine how much more impressive the game will be when it's completed? Based on what I glimpsed today, Kameo: Elements of Power is shaping up to be one of 360's solid titles.

[Asher]

And what is supposed to be the Xbox 360 "killer app", Gears of War:

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/616/616188p1.html

E3 2005: Gears of War Detailed Impressions
We are just cogs in Epic's brilliant, beautiful machine.
by David Clayman, Hilary Goldstein and Mini-Me

May 18, 2005 - Forget the news about the big three press conferences; forget anything you've heard about frame rate. While you are at it, forget about Halo 3. From now until the game is actually in my hands, the only thing we care about is Gears of War. While sitting in on a 20 minute presentation from Epic my excitement over Microsoft's new console jumped back up to a near fan-boy level. Furthermore, this demonstration only confirmed what we already felt about this game, Gears of War is the killer app on Xbox 360.

The demonstration was run by Cliff Bleszinski, the lead designer. We saw a sizeable chunk of gameplay in two levels. Everything we saw was in-game, and in many sections looked as good as a CG movie. Before we gush about the gameplay, we also gleaned a few more details about the story, and the characters.

A Cause for War
Gears takes place on the planet Sera. Human civilization had overcome their previous differences on this planet and entered a golden age of peace, prosperity, and beauty. The only thing that the planet suffered from was the constant need for new fuel sources. That is until a new substance called imulsion was discovered lurking just under the earth's crust. A technique called the Lightmass Process was able to convert this material directly into energy and the cities built atop imulsion reserves became targets for power hungry nations.

The attacks were launched by those countries without the new fuel source, and thus began the Pendulum Wars. The battles were waged for 79 years, until a third threat emerged from beneath the earth. On "Emergence Day" a race called The Locusts burst through to the surface and destroyed a quarter of the earth's population. The survivors formed a united front and fell back to a region called the Jacinto Plateau which rested on a layer of solid granite that was too thick for the Locust to break through. From here, the humans launched orbital-beam weapons and destroyed 90% of Sera's surface in a counterattack.

From Jacinto, the humans regrouped and a once glorious city became the center of an offensive. The Coalition of Ordered Governments (COG) emerged as the new heads of society, and given the main task of organizing an army to defend the last bastion of humanity.

The lead character is Marcus Fenix, an "intelligent bad-ass" who was previously jailed for ignoring his orders on E-day so he could save his father. He is strong-jawed, broad shouldered and offers a compensatory curse each time he stumbles across a squad of Locusts. He's everything you'd want in a leader, with the pistol skills to match his bravado.

Bullet Time
Sera is gripped in darkness. The Locusts are most at home in the shadows, so expect the worst moments to occur when the lights go off. Gears of War can best be described as a mix between a third-person tactical shooter and a survival horror game. This is pop-and-shoot gaming, not the run-and-gun style of Halo 2. Oh, and it's f---ing awesome.

The demo begins in daylight, with Marcus and his Gears touching down in their King Raven helicopter at the East Barricade Academy. From the moment they land, the group finds themselves under heavy fire. It's not possible to survive by running in like a jack-ass, guns blazing. There's plenty of immediate cover. We watched as Marcus leaped for safety, then crouched down to avoid fire before popping up and taking down the hideous-looking Locust goons. The guns, which are currently not animated, light up with the gunfire. Windows splinter into a thousand reflective pieces, wood splinters and Locusts scream horribly as they fall to their deaths.

The first demo level, which takes place about halfway through the game, is an endless shooting gallery. While you must take cover, this is not a slow-paced game. Enemies come from every crevice and corner, pressing the advantage against the four-member squad. As one member notes, "This is a full-on gang bang."

The levels are somewhat streamlined so that cinematic moments can have maximum impact, but there are branching paths so that the team can split up. Taking the high road as opposed to the low can offer a different experience, adding to the replay value. Though, to be honest, everything about Gears of War looks to add to its replay value.

Later in the demo, the Gears have split, with half the team heading into the Academy to battle Locusts in the dark corridors while the other half takes on the enemies in the courtyard. The upper path earns Marcus and his teammate a view down on the courtyard so they can strike the Locusts from above while the Bravo Team hits them from the ground. All this is punctuated with an extra oomph when Marcus fires a few rounds into a statue, knocking it down on top of the Locusts. That same tactic can be used to create cover just about anywhere. When there isn't cover, you create it.

Hide-And-Seek
Cover is context-sensitive. So if you are near a wall, you'll go flat against it, allow you to lean out and shoot or blind fire. If you're near a car or other object, the cover button has you crouching. If you're behind a car you could shoot directly through the window or you can try blind fire. This can be used for any weapon, be it the Lancer Rifle, shotgun or even a grenade.

Blind fire isn't as accurate, but it keeps you safe. It can be a real risk with grenades as you get a helpful trajectory trailer before tossing a grenade while standing up. Under cover, that trail is gone, making a grenade toss much more of a crap shoot. Don't worry, we won't laugh when you throw the grenade into your own lap. Okay, we'll laugh a little.

Not all cover appears safe as the power of the 360 allows for wood and plaster to explode with incredible detail. At once point the Gears are trapped inside a gas station and come under such heavy fire from the Locusts that the boarded windows explode in a shower of splinters. If Epic bottled up the 20-minute demo and said that was the entire game, we'd be first in line to buy it. It's that hot.

A World of Darkness
Another area shown has the Gears in action at night. Marcus starts down a war-torn street with another squad member at his side. The Locusts come from underground and are terrified of the light. Remember when we warned that the darkest levels would bring the greatest horrors? No sooner has the level begun than a huge swarm of bat-like enemies cut through the air above Marcus. The Gears stand near the flaming shell of a burning as a means of protection and begin pushing the car down the street. Unfortunately, the car hits an incline, gets away from the heroes and end up exploding on impact with a barrier.

With little cover and no light, the Gears are in trouble. The footsoldier Locusts appears and suddenly the scene is alight with gunfire and explosions. Marcus then blasts an explosive barrel to send a concrete barrier into the street. He dives behind the barrier and ducks out of the way of the gun fire coming from the building across the street. When crouched out of harm's way, Marcus fires blindly towards his enemies by spraying his gun over the barrier, but keeping his head down. A few times. Marcus peeks over the top of cover to takes more accurate shots.

The Gears soon come across a seemingly abandoned gas station where they make another stand. Marcus sees an opportunity to light there way, turning a valve to release a stream of gasoline along the street. As the Gears retreat, Marcus shoots the gas, creating an intense line of flame and setting off numerous explosions as the team makes its escape.Head to the Water Cooler
Gears of War is designed to have "water cooler moments," the type of events that have you talking to your buddy the next day. We were fortunate enough to witness one of these at the demos conclusion. After defeating numerous Locust grunts (in yet another "Holy Moses, It's Amazing!" battle) the camera shakes violently and a rumble echoes from the path ahead. A behemoth appears, a good twenty feet tall and roars just as the demo ends.

It was at this moment we asked for some Kleenex.

Gears of War allows up to four players to enjoy the campaign mode co-operatively. When you are absent friends, the AI takes over. However, you won't be commanding your troops a la Ghost Recon. Instead, the AI is advanced enough that it reacts logically. From what we saw, the teammate AI is pretty accurate, likely better than your friend's AI.

Intimate Death
One thing not on display in the demo are Intimate Deaths. These moments come when you are up-close-and-personal with an enemy and it appears they come with any weapon. One of the rifles has a chainsaw on the end, so if you get close, you enter a mini-game where you must furiously tap a button to saw through a Locust soldier. You can also jam grenades down enemy throats and snap a fool's neck and bash his head into the ground.

Here, we brought you some Kleenex.

Outlook
Gears of War officially sucks until we get a chance to play it for ourselves. This is the type of game everyone was expecting from the Three-Six-Oh. Epic may well become the favorite development house on Xbox 360. Sorry Bungie, we're sure Halo 3 will be quite hot, but if it never came out, we'd be happy with Gears of War. Sure there are some framerate issues, but this game is at least a year away. There's so much more to see, including adversarial multiplayer and vehicles, that it's hard to believe that the E3 2005 version of Gears of War may be the worst thing we'll ever see from Epic.

In an E3 full of oddities, Gears of War is the one game that absolutely must come out sooner rather than later. We have to have it and so do you.

No, those aren't pre-renders like Sony showed.

Taken off of the Xbox360 alpha dev kit...

[Kuciwalker]

So this is a third-person shooter like halo was going to be?

[Drake Tungsten]

Taken off of the Xbox360 alpha dev kit...

A Mac. Just say it...

[ixnay]

Conspiracy theories & rumors are floating around that Nintendo's got something huge in store for tomorrow...

I'm not getting my hopes up, but it'll be interesting to see if they've got something up their sleeves.

[Asher]

Apparently the EDRAM on the Xbox 360 isn't just a really fast repository for cache.

It has 1million logic gates on the thing as well.

If the primary framebuffer is stored there, it will do "pixel blending, z-test, and anti-aliasing" completely independent of the GPU.

[Jaguar]

I still can't believe they named it the Xbox 360.

Any chances they had of selling me one have disappeared.

[Boris Godunov]

That's rather superficial. You'd not buy a superior product because you don't like the name. Come on...

[Asher]

Anandtech has an article on the Xbox 360: http://www.anandtech.com/tradeshows/...spx?i=2420&p=1















4x FSAA will be enabled at all times on the Xbox 360, according to Anand Tech. Presumably this is because it's free...

Also, ATI has had working physical Xbox 360 GPUs since November 2004. They've been able to optimize/tweak considerably since then since they've had time.

[Verto]

4x FSAA ?

[Asher]

4x full scene anti-aliasing...removes jagged lines.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FSAA

[Asher]

Price of PS3 supposed to be "less than 500 dollars": http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/05...s_6125423.html

Xbox 360 is supposed to debut for $299

Would PS3 kill itself for selling for $499/$399?

[Verto]

I do not believe any of them will be dumb enough not to match the others' price.