E3 2009

[maximaz]

MGS3 is my favorite as well. It's the reason I really want them to remake the MG games.

MGSPW looks good for a portable game but I remember MGSPO was released to the same exact tune and it did nothing for the series. I borrowed a PSP from a friend and bought the game because it was supposed to be a sequel to MGS3, and it was but I felt like I wasted my money. In other words, don't get too excited. Besides, if it were an actual sequel, it would be called MGS 5, no?

I'm thinking that Kojima said those things to calm sony fans down about that 360 thing. It will also probably be a more traditional MGS than Rising.

BTW, what really surprised me was Uncharted 2. I didn't know what all the hype was about but damn it certainly does look amazing as far as graphics go.

FF is meh to me. I haven't completed a single one because they all seem incredibly silly to me, just like 99% of all JRPGs. On top of that, I feel like if you played one jrpg, you played them all. I don't see why people are so excited about XX13.

 

[Bal-Sagoth]

MGS3 is my favorite as well. It's the reason I really want them to remake the MG games.

MGSPW looks good for a portable game but I remember MGSPO was released to the same exact tune and it did nothing for the series. I borrowed a PSP from a friend and bought the game because it was supposed to be a sequel to MGS3, and it was but I felt like I wasted my money. In other words, don't get too excited. Besides, if it were an actual sequel, it would be called MGS 5, no?

I'm thinking that Kojima said those things to calm sony fans down about that 360 thing. It will also probably be a more traditional MGS than Rising.

He has no real reason to calm anyone down. The words he used were also pretty specific. That the PSP game is going to be the true sequel and not a spin off. Coming a day after the announcement of rising I think the inclinations are pretty obvious.

Kojimas exact words were “the true sequel of the Metal Gear franchise”. It does not get much more clear then that.

To sum it up

Hideo Kojima came on stage to announce Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker for PSP. Story takes place 10 years after MGS3 in the 1970’s. It’s the true sequel of the Metal Gear franchise. Hideo produces the game and will write the script along with the main MGS4 team developing, it’s not a spin-off. Takes place in Costa Rica with 4 Solid Snake clones. Release date in 2010.

Rising will still be fun, but if it ends up being canon remains to be seen. Either way I know I will buy it. If it has Metal Gear in the title I have to buy it.


Also check this out, here are the Canon Metal Gear games chronologically (not counting any of that foolishness like Ac!d)

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
Metal Gear
Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake
Metal Gear Solid (The Twin Snakes)
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

Kinda cool to look at. Such a long legacy that started way back in 1988 (for NA at least )

BTW, what really surprised me was Uncharted 2. I didn't know what all the hype was about but damn it certainly does look amazing as far as graphics go.

Uncharted was an amazing game and Uncharted 2 is looking to be more of the same. The closed beta for Uncharted 2 multiplayer started tonight and it is pretty fun.

Of course the reason people will buy Uncharted 2 is for the single player experience, which from the trailers is looking to be top notch.


Edit: Back on MGS..

Did anyone else get the strong co-op vibe/hints from that trailer?

 

[maximaz]

He has no real reason to calm anyone down.

Oh, I beg to differ. Many saw a 360 MGS coming but people still won't stop discussing what a blow it is to Sony, which it certainly is. Kojima had a pretty big reason to calm people down and suck up to sony fans. Imagine if say Halo was announced on PS, it would be weird if Bungie didn't come to MS conference and say, you get the better Halo game.

I'm sure PW will be a sequel and it probably will be more of a MGS than Rising (which will probably be unrecognizable as MGS) but they said exact same shit about Portable Ops. It was supposed to be a direct sequel to MGS3 and a link that connects it to the rest. It was ceretainly a sequel but what a crack of shit the rest of that was. I'm a big fan of the series (I even wasted money on both MGSPO and MGS Touch) but I definitely don't recommend buying a PSP for PW until reviews are in. I got burned once and I advise to be cautious. BTW, you should know that Kojima never said anything clear in his life so...

On to the rest. Is it just me or does L4D2 actually look a bit too silly? Now that the excitement of the announcement wore off, I feel like it's a bit cartoony and has a less serious tone than the first one, no? Other than the tone it looks great though.


I have to say that I mostly liked what I saw in Halo ODST. Previews keep mentioning a Combat Evolved vibe about it, in their hands-on impressions, which is a very good thing. It really weirded me out how the ODST's were voiced though. They were supposed to be these hard tough guys and they sound like a bunch of pimple-assed teenagers. WTF?

Also, what did people think about Splinter Cell?

 

[Bal-Sagoth]

He has no real reason to calm anyone down.

Oh, I beg to differ. Many saw a 360 MGS coming but people still won't stop discussing what a blow it is to Sony, which it certainly is. Kojima had a pretty big reason to calm people down and suck up to sony fans. Imagine if say Halo was announced on PS, it would be weird if Bungie didn't come to MS conference and say, you get the better Halo game.

I'm sure PW will be a sequel and it probably will be more of a MGS than Rising (which will probably be unrecognizable as MGS) but they said exact same shit about Portable Ops. It was supposed to be a direct sequel to MGS3 and a link that connects it to the rest. It was ceretainly a sequel but what a crack of shit the rest of that was. I'm a big fan of the series (I even wasted money on both MGSPO and MGS Touch) but I definitely don't recommend buying a PSP for PW until reviews are in. I got burned once and I advise to be cautious. BTW, you should know that Kojima never said anything clear in his life so...

You act as if a Metal Gear game has never been on another console.

To be honest Snake Eater and Guns of the Patriots are a bit of an enigma. There is no clear reason why they were not multiplat. No real evidence ever came out that Sony bought lifetime exclusivity so it appears it was a choice by Kojima. Which goes back into all that stuff about how he said it was a "made for Playstation" title.

Konami even came out with that statement saying "The worldwide demand for an Xbox 360 version (of MGS4) is quite high, and it is something we are currently looking in to", but nothing ever came of it.

What ever the reason I have to agree, if there was a "good" time to bring the franchise fully multiplat it was probably with a spin off title. I can only imagine what the forum would have been like if they had ported MGS4 and people with no history what so ever had just jumped right into the story from that game.

As far as Portable Ops goes, love it or hate it the fact remains it was a direct sequel and we can at least acknowledge as being canon. Overall I have only had about 5 or so hours with it from a friends PSP and my reactions was that it was decent. It was a fun game to me that I can see myself playing but it did not make me want to run out an drop the money down on a PSP.

He never even really said this one was going to be "better". I mean it is not as if Rising is going to be 360 exclusive. The PS3 (and interestingly enough the PC) is getting it as well. It was simply said that PW was going to be "the official sequel" to the series.

That is not to say Rising is not going to be fun or an amazing game, just that it confirms even more it is going to be a spin off. Which honestly might not be a bad thing. If they are going to take a gamble and shuffle the gameplay up for something new I think I would rather them do it from a completely new angle.

Also, what did people think about Splinter Cell?

I thought it was pretty wicked and it was another reason why I might buy a 360 one day. So far that game would make the fourth exclusive I am interested in. Not really enough for me to throw down money on a new system but it is slowly getting there.

Edit:

Just read this.

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/990/990448p1.html

Kojima Focused on PSP Metal Gear
Series father taking more hands-off approach for Rising.


June 3, 2009 - With two Metal Gear Solid games on the way, you might be wondering how Hideo Kojima is going to have time to enjoy is high class Roppongi Hills apartment.

The answer was revealed today in Famitsu. While we're certain Kojima is going to be kept mighty busy either way, he's actually only fully involved with Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker. The Metal Gear series father is serving as director, producer and game designer on the PSP title.

As for Metal Gear Solid Rising (confirmed in Famitsu to be for Xbox 360 and PS3), Kojima is serving as producer along side Kenichiro Imaizumi. He told the magazine, "I'm not the director. I'm not doing game design either. Although, I do issue complaints (laughs). But, not too much."

Sadly, the magazine did not share staff details on Rising. Perhaps Konami will provide specifics at its E3 press briefing Wednesday afternoon?

Kojima's comments appear in this week's issue of Famitsu. They also appeared in last week's issue, but as you might recall, they were censored out so that no one could actually read them. This week, the magazine reprinted the parts that had been blocked out, filling in all the blanks.

Rising and Peace Walker have both been unveiled since then, but there are still some passages of interest in the fully readable version of the interview.

Of particular note is that Kojima refers to both games as "Metal Gear Solid 5." He describes Rising as a "next generation MGS5." He describes Peace Walker as "The MGS5 Inside me."

Interesting. I like how he describes Peace Walker as "The MGS5 inside me".

 

[maximaz]

You act as if a Metal Gear game has never been on another console.

It doesn't change the fact that MGS has been an important exclusive for PS.

He never even really said this one was going to be "better". I mean it is not as if Rising is going to be 360 exclusive.

There is simply no denying that making such an important exclusive brand for Sony go multiplatform was a blow. Sony knew it, Kojima knew it, fucking Marsellus knew it. He didn't say anything literally but the general message was that Sony was still good.

I thought it was pretty wicked and it was another reason why I might buy a 360 one day. So far that game would make the fourth exclusive I am interested in. Not really enough for me to throw down money on a new system but it is slowly getting there.

During Ubisoft conference, they confirmed it was coming on 360 and PC so there is no real need to get a console for this.

There was actually little incentive given to buy a 360 this year. All the big titles announced were either coming in 2010 or also coming to PC. The actual E3 might change that but if you don't have any desire to get a 360 already, you probably shouldn't worry about it this year.

 

[Bal-Sagoth]

There is simply no denying that making such an important exclusive brand for Sony go multiplatform was a blow. Sony knew it, Kojima knew it, fucking Marsellus knew it. He didn't say anything literally but the general message was that Sony was still good.

Well of course losing any exclusive is a big deal. The thing with Metal Gear Solid however is that the series was not locked in a fierce exclusive debate until 4. Do you remember hardly any outcry at all for MGS Snake Eater to be on the Xbox? It was almost non existent.

MGS4 was such a huge deal because as far as we can tell it was only on the PS3 because Kojima wanted it on the PS3. It became a bastion of "PS3 power" fueled by all the quotes by the man himself that the experience he wanted to deliver was not possible on the 360.

His masterpiece at this point is for the most part complete. Peace Walker is going to tie in some backstory about the rise of Outer Heaven but with the conclusion of 4 I would say his vision is coming to a close. I mean honestly, look at what he said about Rising

"I'm not the director. I'm not doing game design either. Although, I do issue complaints (laughs). But, not too much."

This will be the first console MGS he is distancing himself from while completely devoting himself to a PSP game that he says "is the MGS5 inside me".
Rising may be an amazing game, we do not know that yet. What is pretty safe to say at this point however is that it is a spin off and one that the series creator is distancing himself from.

To be honest if I had to guess I would say he is trying to put Metal Gear behind him like he always said he wanted to. Rising was more than likely done by pressure from Konami (which also explains why he does not want a lot of involvement) and Peace Walker will officially tie up the "legendary missing link" in the Metal Gear Solid series.

The core Metal Gear Solid games are untouchable and so is Kojimas legacy. Even if the Rising flops it will be easy to write off as "a spin off that Kojima did not even have fully influence over".

Speaking of which, check out Kojimas new project.

http://www.konami.jp/kojima_pro/e3_2009/castlevania/

An open world Castlevania.


I hope this is a sign that he is finally getting his wish to move on to other things. It would be painful if Konami continues to make him milk the Metal Gear franchise with spin off after spin off even after his vision is complete.

During Ubisoft conference, they confirmed it was coming on 360 and PC so there is no real need to get a console for this.

There was actually little incentive given to buy a 360 this year. All the big titles announced were either coming in 2010 or also coming to PC. The actual E3 might change that but if you don't have any desire to get a 360 already, you probably shouldn't worry about it this year.

Ah ok well in that case nevermind. I still crave Dead Rising but at this point I guess I should just wait for Dead Rising 2.


Oh yeah and for my one obligatory God of War III mention.

http://e3.gamespot.com/video/6211108/

That was fucking brutal.

 

[SimpleMinded]

There was actually little incentive given to buy a 360 this year. All the big titles announced were either coming in 2010 or also coming to PC. The actual E3 might change that but if you don't have any desire to get a 360 already, you probably shouldn't worry about it this year.

Gaming-wise, this is probably true since they didn't really have any big unveilings in the games department. However, my main interest in the 360 has been in it as a multimedia device and the section of their conference devoted to the expanded Netflix, digital downloads, last.fm, and twitter/facebook features helped push me a little closer to signing on the dotted line.

 

[Nonagon]

Left 4 Dead 2? I can easily say I am not impressed.

Killing Floor FTW.

 

[UncannyGarlic]

However, my main interest in the 360 has been in it as a multimedia device and the section of their conference devoted to the expanded Netflix, digital downloads, last.fm, and twitter/facebook features helped push me a little closer to signing on the dotted line.

You do realize that all of those features are available for the PC and it would almost certainly cost you less for the additional hardware.

 

[maximaz]

Well of course losing any exclusive is a big deal. The thing with Metal Gear Solid however is that the series was not locked in a fierce exclusive debate until 4. Do you remember hardly any outcry at all for MGS Snake Eater to be on the Xbox? It was almost non existent.

It doesn't matter whether the series appeared outside PS before. Few MGS games came out on other consoles and all of them came out on PS first. Xbox only got MGS 2: S, (Snake Eater wasn't released on Xbox, btw) and GameCube got Twin Snakes long after MGS1 and 2 came out on PS consoles.

MGS is a way more exclusive series than GTA, for instance. GTA4 going to 360 at the same time as PS3 was a big deal and the series was never exclusive to PS, it was only a timed exclusive.

Gaming-wise, this is probably true since they didn't really have any big unveilings in the games department. However, my main interest in the 360 has been in it as a multimedia device and the section of their conference devoted to the expanded Netflix, digital downloads, last.fm, and twitter/facebook features helped push me a little closer to signing on the dotted line.

All those additions were neat and I will probably use them but they're not system sellers. Who buys a console to use twitter and facebook and whatnot?

I do think 360 has a lot of good games but their E3 line-up wasn't very strong, as far as big exclusives. I still haven't played most 360 games I wanted to play but still.

BTW, I do use the hell out of Netflix. The free streaming thing is awesome, if only they added more movies worth watching.

 

[zioburosky13]

I only care about Alien Vs. Predator by Sega. New trailers showing Predator in action and the thrill playing this game co-op in marine mode is entertaining. Listening to the beep sound of motion tracker while looking for targets never gets old.

L4D 2's announcement is only a 'so-so game' in my book given that the original game still has too many things can be done/fixed/improved such as releasing more maps, custom modification by the community and game tweaks (better AI, more items, more monster type).

Still no news of Borderland, Rage, Aliens:Colonial Marine (probably following the footsteps of Duke Nukem Forever... ) and Starcraft 2.

As for the RPG genre, it's on life support now given that the only announced titles are Dragon Age and Star Wars something mmo. Someone has to bring back the love of sci-fi CRPG...

 

[Bal-Sagoth]

Well of course losing any exclusive is a big deal. The thing with Metal Gear Solid however is that the series was not locked in a fierce exclusive debate until 4. Do you remember hardly any outcry at all for MGS Snake Eater to be on the Xbox? It was almost non existent.

It doesn't matter whether the series appeared outside PS before. Few MGS games came out on other consoles and all of them came out on PS first. Xbox only got MGS 2: S, (Snake Eater wasn't released on Xbox, btw) and GameCube got Twin Snakes long after MGS1 and 2 came out on PS consoles.

MGS is a way more exclusive series than GTA, for instance. GTA4 going to 360 at the same time as PS3 was a big deal and the series was never exclusive to PS, it was only a timed exclusive.

Only two Metal Gear games have been exclusive to Playstation. To be honest had the sales not been so poor for Subsistence on the Xbox, Snake Eater might very well have ended up on that system.

What was interesting about 4 is that despite huge pressure from a lot of people (including possibly Konami after reading some comments) Kojima still held onto MGS4 as a PS3 exclusive.

"The PS3 is like the theatre, it's a little bit high-priced but it has to be high quality as well," he explained. "The 360 is a DVD, it still needs to be high quality but you need more variations, while the Wii is almost like a TV channel, because every game you have is with your family".

"[L]ike I said, MGS4 is aimed for the movie theatre, it's aimed for the PS3, so the game's scenario and graphics need this theatre-type hardware," Kojima responded. "It's when a producer has a game that can work on the 'DVD level' that a game will go multiplatform."

Metal Gear Solid 4 appears to be the last console game with Kojimas direct involvement, he has already publicly stated how much he is distancing himself from it in favor of Peace Walker (and that wicked looking Castlevania game).

It is kinda sad in a way, What ever we get out of Rising will probably be a complete spin off and feel next to nothing like a true MGS game. At the same time I am happy he is finally getting his wish to work on new things, he has wanted to do that since MGS2.

The biggest exclusive lost this gen would probably have to be Final Fantasy. That was a huge bomb that not many felt coming unlike the news of Rising. At this point Versus is still exclusive so it will be interesting to see what comes of that.

 

[SimpleMinded]

However, my main interest in the 360 has been in it as a multimedia device and the section of their conference devoted to the expanded Netflix, digital downloads, last.fm, and twitter/facebook features helped push me a little closer to signing on the dotted line.

You do realize that all of those features are available for the PC and it would almost certainly cost you less for the additional hardware.

Well, yea obviously and I've used all of those applications on my computer. However, when comparing the 360 to the PS3, most of the games seem the same to me anyway. What makes the 360 different is what I can do with it OUTSIDE of playing my games.

And the 360 upscales the movies from Netflix which is a nice help. Whenever I've watched the streams with my PC equivalent, I feel like I'm watching a YouTube video.

 

[dirtbag]

edit: I managed to find a bunch of L4D2 gameplay videos on IGN.

http://media.pc.ign.com/media/143/14352245/vids_1.html

The new Left 4 Dead might be very good actually... Just look at the Axe Ownage video.

 

[maximaz]

Snip

Well, most of it has little to do with what we're talking about, except that I thought that it was common knowledge that MGS series is exclusive to PS. Two out of four games appearing on two separate other consoles a lot later than they did on PS, makes the series an exclusive no matter how you look at it.

Not only does it make sense for Kojima to hype his game; it makes a lot of sense for him to hype a game he's making for sony after announcing he was bringing such an important series to a rival console. Denying it is simply arguing against common sense.

Still no news of Borderland

There had been alot of info on that prior to E3, including a bunch of trailers. I suspect they're showing it off at E3 and we'll see something about it.

 

[Tagaziel]

Rising won't have Kojima as the project lead?

Colour me interested, it might actually be playable as a game, not an interactive movie.

 

[UncannyGarlic]

Well, yea obviously and I've used all of those applications on my computer. However, when comparing the 360 to the PS3, most of the games seem the same to me anyway. What makes the 360 different is what I can do with it OUTSIDE of playing my games.

I'd go the complete opposite direction when looking at that myself since the 360 doesn't really offer anything that the PC doesn't besides a handful of games (most of the good ones get ported to PC). The PS3 is a good Blu-Ray player so it actually has something extra that is worth getting (though you could always fork out for a Blu-Ray player and/or burner for PC).

I don't have either and have no real drive to get either. Had the PS3 been a repeat of the PS2, things would be different, but given that the 360 is a repeat of the XBox with a few more games and many more games going to PC, I have no drive to get either. We'll see if the next generation of consoles does any better.

And the 360 upscales the movies from Netflix which is a nice help. Whenever I've watched the streams with my PC equivalent, I feel like I'm watching a YouTube video.

That's cool and would be a decent reason. Do you know if the videos DVD quality?

 

[rcorporon]

His Castlevania looks cool.

 

[Bal-Sagoth]

Rising won't have Kojima as the project lead?

Colour me interested, it might actually be playable as a game, not an interactive movie.

Nope, he is focused on Peace Walker and the new Castlevania game. Rising is going to be a spin off that he still has influence over but he said himself was not making many changes to. Something about the "up & coming youngblood" at Konami leading the project. I must admit I have no idea who he is talking about nor do I really care to find out, I am sure we will hear about it in due time.

The general consensus at this point is that this was a game pushed by Konami so they could milk the franchise a tad further. All we really know at this point is that it is still supposed to be a stealth action game and it is going to start a "new series", so (thankfully) it is a complete spin off and will not butcher or maim any of my beloved previous MGS games if it is a total failure.

Rising does not really interest me at this point because I do not want to get hyped for a game that could possibly be something completely different than what we are used to.

Right now the two things I am most interested in from Kojima are Peace Walker and that new Castlevania game. It might very well be the first good non side scroller in the series.

Well, most of it has little to do with what we're talking about, except that I thought that it was common knowledge that MGS series is exclusive to PS.

If your idea of an exclusive series is two games on one system and a franchise that did not even start on said system... sure.

Not only does it make sense for Kojima to hype his game...

Well of course it does, they want it to sell. The question at this point is what Rising is going to be. Will it follow in the other Metal Gear Solids AAA legacy or will it fade away from not having its creator at the lead?

Either way it does not matter, with Kojima himself publicly stating how little involved he is I am not watching it that closely.


Also, anyone else disappointed by the lack of demos? I think Live gets a few this weekend but there were not many at all from what I recall.

His Castlevania looks cool.

Yes it does.

Now that his vision for MGS is pretty much complete and it is getting turned over to new people I hope he can start working on other stuff. The new Castlevania is an awesome start.

New Zone of the Enders next?

Ah yeah, almost forgot.

New Kratos gifs from the E3 trailer!

 

[maximaz]

If your idea of an exclusive series is two games on one system and a franchise that did not even start on said system... sure.

No, my idea of an exclusive is all games on one system, two of which later got ported to a different console. The other consoles got a single game in the series much later. Hell yes, it's an exclusive. MG may not have started on said system but MGS did. FF didn't originate on PS either.

BTW, I just watched the Castlevania trailer and it does look pretty good. That's what I'd expect MGS Rising to be. It said Kojima Productions was involved but is the guy himself working on it?

Also, like I said Borderlands was at E3 and there is a lot of info on gamespot main page. Check it out.