GBAtemp writeups E3 2012 - microsoft

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<h1>GBAtemp E3 presentation writeups 2012- Microsoft</h1>​
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<p align=" " class="none">The GBAtemp coverage of E3 2012 continues with the writeup of the live presentation from Microsoft

Microsoft just finished a live presentation at E3 2012 where they showcased future developments and games for their 360 and Windows phone/windows 8 platforms. Although our IRC channel was less than enthusiastic about most of the developments from it the presentation was probably better than the last couple of years (certainly the kinect was downplayed quite a bit).</p>

<h2>The games</h2>
<p>It was a proper media presentation with the two main parts woven together quite well although that might just be our memories of previous years where kinect was the dominant part of the presentation.

The new developments for the 360 and how it will tie to Windows 8 (and possibly other phones/software platforms).

Some new games
XBLA had a fairly strong showing.

New games
Halo 4 opened show somewhat predictably.
A mix of CGI and video footage opened the section and reminded us of starship troopers took a minute or so for game footage to start.
New Halo looks much like the old halo with a bit of polish and now set in a jungle but it could be interesting. A sticky grenade looked to be lobbed back at the player which might change things and it looks like this stars the forerunners or at least is more closely linked to them (the gameplay showed usage of one of the weapons).
On the other hand
Choice quotes from IRC
“<duck> Halo 4 – Crysis”
“<duck> Halo 4 - Metroid Prime”

A splinter cell shortly followed. Splinter cell – Blacklist seems to be the working title right now.
Set on the Iran/Iraq border the msision showcased was to capture and interrogate a terrorist and as such it looked to be moving further away from the stealth aspect (continuing along the path of the last title which some may not be happy about) although it had some very nice animations and the abilities to call in airstrikes, sonar vision of a sort. Climbing looked to be up there with Assassin's creed and maybe even better. Spy vs mercs is in apparently and it is all set for a spring 2013 release. Kinect features we showcased although it seemed to be minor voice alternative commands in place of the whistle and a few token things, it was hard not to recall Mass Effect 3 at this point though.

NFL and FIFA were next and more will probably appear in EA's show that is set to start shortly (no “this year it is about the passing game” or something).
Voice features were showcased and apparently a measure of actual word recognition will feature and they trotted out Joe Montanna to demonstrate NFL. If it was not trained it speaks volumes about their tech but it probably was so proof in the pudding and all that.

The kinect driven Fable returned once more. On rails again but looking more like a game than a tech demo and those of us that did not want their motion controls to do a lightsaber probably thought more of having them do tai chi style magic spells.
Choice IRC quote
"<p1ngpong> fable - streetfighter edition"

Forza Horizon
IRC consensus
Forza Horizon - the run
This being said it did look quite pretty and the move away from somewhat realistic driving forza was known for into the territory the modern need for speed franchise could be interesting to see.

In the presentation it was lots of new features for the dashboard but that comes later in this writeup

Tomb raider
Although news of a delay surfaced not so long ago some gameplay was demonstrated. There was a bit of the jam/dirt spattered screen going on and the water effects were a bit suspect but movement was pretty good (maybe not up there with the splinter cell demo but better than most third person games), a bow and arrow seemed to feature and there was some interesting physics options. Whether they are scripted or in line with something like bulletstorm remains to be seen but there was serious potential there.

Ascend- New Gods
XBLA aside this was probably the less recognisable brand being showcased in the main presentation. Fantasy God of War with a dash of Dynasty warriors seemed to be the order of the day and there perhaps a tiny bit of engine footage to look at (gameplay might be a bit strong).
Coming 2013

Resident Evil 6
It was demoed and it appears to follow on in the style of Resident Evils 4 and 5 with some of the better aspects of the recent spinoff (the possibility of some actual dodging and something closer to close quarters knife combat). Set in a ruined city it seems zombies or something more like them are returning and co-op is back as well. For the section shown Leon was the playable character. Some worried it might have gone too far down the action path (lots of ammo being used) but that could just as easily have been "need something exciting for the demo".

Dance central 3
Random pop star (Usher?) brought on to dance and use autotune and the screen was obscured by smoke every couple of seconds during it probably said it all.
IRC (many people)
Various combinations of ah mute button you are very underrated.

Call of Duty Black Ops 2
This ended the show (apparently one wants to start and end on a blockbuster) and it was set in the near future. Some gun platforms gameplay, some of the usual COD scripted falling off a bridge/overpass was demoed and there was a nice see through and shoot through walls scope section.
It ended with a semi on rails vehicle section in a VTOL/hover plane although whether it was a me too to the competitors or not remains to be debated.
IRC consensus
<Twinretro>COD BLOPS 2 – perfect dark edition.
COD BLOPS 2 – ODST 2 (indeed should one have wandered in after the must save the president opener you could have been forgiven for thinking it was a sequel to Halo ODST).

Teasers
Lococycle had a teaser was a 2013 release being mentioned.
Matter –made for kinect and some time in 2013
Gears of War – a bit more CGI and a lack of gameplay.

XBLA and other games
Nike appeared in a surprise to add another kinect driven fitness game to the pile of them.
This one appeared to have a phone tie in (more on that later) and would be personalised to you (as have several other fitness games). Probably nothing your phone, computer and GPS linked heart rate monitor could not manage for in some cases a far lower price but they looked like they put some effort in.

Wreckateer
IRC consensus
A kinect driven 3d version of Angry birds/castle crashers.

South park – The stick of truth
They actually got the creators of south park to come on stage where they promptly ripped on the rest of the presentation for the phone/tablet tie in stuff (highlight of the show for many). Not much was said but it looked like the more recent series of the TV show which was definitely a bonus and what was said made it seem like it would play much like a play along version of an episode or two of the show (the player being the 5th member of the group).

Other XBLA was mentioned before the show including
Hybrid from 5th cell, a few more games in the show complex vein, a HD remaster of the first Tony Hawk title and Dust- an elysian tale.</p>

<h2>The dashboard and streaming features</h2>

<p align=" " class="none">Several streaming features were mentioned
Nickelodeon is apparently joining the 360 streaming options which would be nice.
Paramount films are also set to offer something extra.

Machinima are set to appear in the dash.

Univision (The Spanish language umbrella TV/film portal of sorts) is also set to appear.

On sports
In addition to previous years NBA (basketball) should be arriving in the near future with live games and highlights available.

NHL (ice hockey) should have something in line with NBA also appearing before long.

ESPN reaffirmed itself with 24/7 streaming/live versions of ESPN 1 through 3 and ESPN U all from the dash itself.

The Kinect voice driven dash appears to have undergone serious refinement with much of Europe and the Antipodes now being available. A Mexican Spanish language demo was made in the presentation which looked like it worked although the IRC comment for most of it “that would have been quicker and easier with buttons”.

Internet explorer was touted for the 360 (it was rumoured some months ago) and it looks like it could be one of the better console browsers (not a terribly big ask) and maybe up there with a tablet browser if not better.

Before the presentation one of the things gametrailers said if Microsoft had wanted to “win” E3 was dubbed second screen (sadly it was too soon before the show and buzzword bingo cards had already gone out). Bookmarks in media and “rich media” (IMDB lookups to the rest of us) that could be transferred between devices (mainly windows phone/windows 8 naturally) and remote control with said device. Basically nothing someone that knows how to set up XBMC or a proper media player setup has not been able to enjoy for nigh on a decade now but that is always the way with this sort of thing. Whether this will be something horrible like DNLA or something nice like the aforementioned XBMC remains to be seen.
Around the same time a music service was demoed although it might as well just read a pumped up version of the windows media player music sales options. If it ties well into the phone and media player it could do well though.</p>

<p align=" " class="none">So Microsoft- the running joke of e3 or have they done OK?</p>
 
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machomuu

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Resident Evil 6
It was demoed and it appears to follow on in the style of Resident Evils 4 and 5 with some of the better aspects of the recent spinoff (the possibility of some actual dodging and something closer to close quarters knife combat). Set in a ruined city zombies or something more like them appears to be back and co-op is back as well. For the section shown Leon was the playable character. Some worried it might have done too far down the action path (lots of ammo being used) but that could just as easily have been need something exciting for the demo.
God I hope so. I certainly don't want the entire game to be that actiony. I want the game to have slow-paced segments so that it can regain that "fear factor" that it had on three and before that.
 

The Catboy

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Most of the games are multi-platform and the only exclusive for 360 are pretty much copies of other games, sequels, or Kinect.
Microsoft's E3 was just plain bad, most of it was shameless advertisements.
 

Hadrian

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Didn't get to watch it, sounds like I didn't miss much. Shame really.

I'd probably like to have seen the South Park bit.
 

Guild McCommunist

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I'd probably like to have seen the South Park bit.



Go wild.

EDIT: But the game seems really spot on. Doesn't feel like a cheap cash in like the other South Park games. As was described by Parker and Stone at the conference, it feels like you're in an episode of South Park. Art and everything is really spot on, it feels like a playable episode of South Park.

Really looking forward to this now.

EDIT 2: I also did think the intro by the two guys was funny, a nice little jab at Microsoft's whole "EVERYTHING WORKS TOGETHER" thing.
 

Qtis

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Trying to find a good reason to get a 360 as another HD console, but the reasons seem to not be present this time at E3, again. May pick it up if I get an excellent offer for a good model (not the 4GB ones..) and it becomes easily modable (preferably PS2/Wii level easy, but I guess we'll have to wait until the next console will be released and the old 360 left alone).

ps. The South Park game actually sounds interesting. Now if only they don't mess it up :)
 

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The worst part was when usher started "singing" (and the *ahem* joke that was made after), but overall the conference was okay. Best part was with Trey and Matt. Somewhat better than last years.
Microsoft has been really unimpressive the past 2 years. I wish they announced the new xbox or something rather than rehashing tired franchises and stuff.
*shrug* just my thoughts
 

Gahars

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I think the Resident 6 portion we were shown might have been a big setpiece that the game opens with; Leon seemed to have a good amount of firepower for what appears to be the beginning of the game. This could be used to set up a situation where Leon loses most of his gear and contacts, and is forced to make his way through the ruined city.

It's a bit too early to call; we'll have to wait a bit longer to find out for sure.

Also, Nickelodeon streaming? Get some The Last Airbender/Legend of Korra up on there pronto.
 

GameWinner

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I will admit, I do want that South Park game.
I miss the Microsoft E3 because of exams but from what I see here it looks like a disappointment with the majority of their games being multi-platform.
 

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It seems to me that Microsoft is getting by by the skin of their teeth. For 2 years, they have not really announced anything groundbreaking to me, and I felt that that was what they should have brought to the table this time, because they talked about those same features at last year's E3.

I did not get to watch Sony's, so major critique I will hold off for now, but from what I have seen and heard, it was a minor positive. They talked about a lot of exclusives, something Microsoft did but different in manner, and they wanted to make the gaming experience a little better for those that have PS+.

We have seen what Nintendo is coming with so far, but apparently they have more to elaborate on, so I'm really anticipating that and some pricing of the Wii U, as well as some speculation cleared up.
 

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Considering Halo came out first, you may be thinking the other way around.
I'm talking about Halo 4 specifically, though... people are saying everywhere that Halo 4 looks like Metroid Prime (or Metroid, period), and I just don't see where they're drawing the comparison.
 

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So, with the Smartglass app, it is another way to control the xbox like kinect and play games the new way ( ala Wii U )?

So, to use Internet Explorer on the xbox, i will need a Smartglass-enabled smartphone/tablet as the keyboard which modern smartphones/tablets can already do natively?

However most importantly, should smartglass app enables a different way to play xbox games as shown in the madden and halo 4 video, does it mean i can play them on an iOS device? The guy in the presentation said "any device". So, should I play halo 4 on the xbox 360 controller or my iPad?

Edit : And btw, so how does this smartglass technology differ from existing DLNA and AirPlay technology?
 

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So, to use Internet Explorer on the xbox, i will need a Smartglass-enabled smartphone/tablet as the keyboard which modern smartphones/tablets can already do natively?

That's unknown apparently but it will probably have Kinect support or even controller support. It's just obviously better to use SmartGlass for it.
 

dorayaki95

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So, to use Internet Explorer on the xbox, i will need a Smartglass-enabled smartphone/tablet as the keyboard which modern smartphones/tablets can already do natively?

That's unknown apparently but it will probably have Kinect support or even controller support. It's just obviously better to use SmartGlass for it.

Considering that there are indeed kinect and controller support for IE ( highly probable ), it will defeat the very purpose of surfing the web on the TV, hassle free. Even the guy during the presentation said that surfing the web on the TV is "painfully slow" because " the controller and remote are not great input devices for the web".

Anyway, i do agree that it is obviously better to use SmartGlass for it, however it is really pointless considering that smartphones/tablets could surf the web effortlessly nowadays.

However, it still depends on Microsoft next move. I am only stating my point of view. :)
 

Master Mo

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Am I the only person who doesn't see the similarity between Metroid Prime and Halo 4? And I've played and replayed Prime to death.

Considering Halo came out first, you may be thinking the other way around.
I think the comparison gets drawn often because of how the helmet is displayed on the screen.

Metroid Prime had that since the beginning and Halo added that a very little bit in Halo 3, in ODST it was even more visible and in Halo 4 they really stepped it up so that it really looks like you`re in the helmet just like in Prime. This is not a bad thing, since it helps the immersion so I don`t mind them inspiring themself from Prime in this aspect!

Gameplay-wise Halo is nothing like Prime though...

The conference was shockingly bad unfortunately. What does Rare do the whole day? Sleeping? Why don`t they try to make another Banjo game or something.
 
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tbgtbg

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So, to use Internet Explorer on the xbox, i will need a Smartglass-enabled smartphone/tablet as the keyboard which modern smartphones/tablets can already do natively?

That's unknown apparently but it will probably have Kinect support or even controller support. It's just obviously better to use SmartGlass for it.

Considering that there are indeed kinect and controller support for IE ( highly probable ), it will defeat the very purpose of surfing the web on the TV, hassle free. Even the guy during the presentation said that surfing the web on the TV is "painfully slow" because " the controller and remote are not great input devices for the web".
:)

So long as they don't do something utterly retarded and block USB keyboards, it shouldn't be too bad. The analog stick on a controller can substitute for the mouse well enough for this sort of thing.
 

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