D3Publisher’s Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers is a stretch for the Wii. Instead of Mii’s and Marios it’s half-naked anime girls with bloody swords that get stuck inside their zombie victims if you don’t clean them off.

Yeah, you get to use two swords at once — Wiimote and nunchuck — to wipe out dozens of zombies at once.

The game is simple: you control two sexy sisters wearing bikinis and cowboy hats. It’s based on the movie “Onechanbara,” which came out in April in Japan.

What I liked about this game was that the developers aren’t taking themselves too seriously. They know this isn’t going to be the next 100 million unit-selling game. It’s a simple game with hot chicks, swords and zombies.

“This is the kind of game where you come home from the office and need to blow up some steam — kill some zombies,” said Alex Coward, localization manager for D3 and demoer of the game.

The demo “peep show” was pretty impressive. I’m glad to see a little more maturity on the Wii. If you’re looking for something different, check this out early next year when it drops in the US.

We witnessed a revitalized Atari, a ballsy Electronic Arts and the peak of the music game fad.

Here’s what we took away from the conference:

BEST GAME
Fallout 3
Bethesda Softworks
Xbox 360/PlayStation 3
September

Bethesda built a winner from scratch with an amazing looking Fallout 3. Blast played this game, Blast loved this game. You won’t see a more visually and audibly appealing video game this year. This game is a massive project for any developer, but Bethesda, who saw huge success with “The Elder Scrolls” role playing game series, seems poised to release a game of the year candidate in the fall.

BEST ONLINE GAME
DC Universe Online
Sony Online Entertainment
PlayStation 3, PC
TBA

Comic book legend Jim Lee was the Executive Creative Director of the game and created the visual world DC Universe would be set in based on art from the entire history of DC comics. You get to team up with or fight against Superman and Batman. How cool is that?

BEST HANDHELD GAME
N+
Atari
Nintendo DS and Sony PSP
August 12

With 300 puzzling levels to explore, plus many hidden unlockable ones, N+, based on the hit Flash game, was the best handheld game at E3, and E3 agreed by giving it best in show in the DS and PSP categories. N+ led the charge for a revitalized Atari Inc.

GUARANTEED BEST SELLER/BEST PC GAME
Spore
Electronic Arts
PC
September 7

Within 18 days of the release of Spore Creature Creator, there were over 1.7 million “Spores” created. That’s more than the 1.589 million actual species known to exist on earth, Will Wright pointed out at the EA press conference Tuesday. And that says something about the anticipated impact “Spore” will have when it’s released in September.

BEST WII GAME
Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party
Ubisoft
November

First game you can play with your ass.

BEST MUSIC GAME
Rock Band 2
Harmonix/MTV Games
Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii
Fall

No real competition at E3. Guitar Hero: World Tour will be awesome too, but Activision wasn’t there this year.

GUTSIEST PROJECTS

Dead Space
Electronic Arts
Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC
October 21

Mirror’s Edge
Electronic Arts
Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC
Holiday season

Good work, EA. You managed to stretch your legs and come up with both a bloody horror flick and a FPS where you don’t have ever fire a gun. Both games will either be home runs or total flops (leaning toward an extra base hit) but they’re ballsy! Nice!

M.A.G. Massive Action Game, 256 player online multiplayer
Zipper Interactive/Sony
PlayStation 3
TBA

Another crap shoot. If Zipper does this game right, and we mean JUST RIGHT, M.A.G. could be one of the good ones.

MOST IMPROVED: Atari

BIGGEST LETDOWN: Nintendo

Winning E3’s Best in Show for DS and PSP, N+ led the charge to highly acclaimed gaming. Based on the award winning flash-game N, N+ is a uniquely addictive platformer experience.

As a ninja trying to obtain as much gold as possible during your average one and a half minute lifespan, N+ has 300 puzzling levels to explore, plus some hidden unlockable ones. Each level of N+ has a door to the next level, gold coins to obtain, and various robotic bombs and missiles to explode a player as often as possible. Luckily for N the ninja, he has remarkable regenerative capabilities that allow the player to restart the same level where they most recently had a tragic death.

In addition to the faithful translation of the original online game, the DS and PSP versions also have a wide array of multiplayer capabilities. With 100 cooperative levels and 50 competitive levels, N+ also had the ability to download new maps from the N server as well as design new maps with the integrated level editor. The ability to share levels over the PSP and DS wireless connectivity services is new to the N universe.

N+ is coming to handheld systems worldwide on August 12.

Atari’s big PC title came in the form of The Witcher: Enhanced Edition; an updated version of the role-playing game released in October 2007. In addition to updated features like more than 5000 rerecorded lines of dialogue and a new character differentiation system for non-playable characters, the enhanced edition also includes a multilingual game disc which allows any language combination of voice-over and subtitles, the official soundtrack CD and a short story by The Witcher novelist Andrzej Sapkowski.

The Witcher, based on the novels by Sapkowski, has won more than 90 awards and has sold more than 800,000 copies worldwide since its release in 2007. The player takes on the role of the renowned monster slayer Geralt of Rivia in a world where moral ambiguity reigns. A unique feature of the game is the way that each decision made may not directly affect the game until hours later. The Enhanced Edition of The Witcher is set to be released in September.

On a different note, RACE Pro is an ultra-realistic simulation racing game coming from Atari in November for the Xbox 360.

RACE Pro’s new ‘Hot Seat’ feature gives a different meaning to multiplayer racing. Each player drives in the ‘hot seat’ for a short period of time before they have to pass off the controller to the next player. This unique feature accelerates the pace of the game and makes multiplayer a more communal experience.

Atari went out of their way to produce as realistic a racing game as they could. RACE Pro features more than 15 real life tracks that span all continents across the globe. Players can win official championship titles using a wide variety of realistic car models. Participants earn their skills as a true racer would in real-life; through intense training, scoring key wins and receiving big sponsorship deals.

Hailed by many as being better than 2K’s 2008 tennis title Top Spin 3, Smash Court Tennis 3 was Atari’s big sports game release. Coming out in August to the Xbox 360, Smash Court Tennis 3 allows players to compete against or alongside some of the biggest names in the industry such as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Justine Henin.

Smash Court Tennis 3 allows the player the ability to compete in the tennis world on more than a dozen courts and championships in five different modes; Arcade, Tutorial, Exhibition, Pro Tour, and mini-games.

Players can play with their local or online friends via Xbox Live. Smash Court Tennis 3 has already been released on the PSP.

Coming this fall is the newest installment of the Deer Hunter franchise and, as the Atari producers said, the most addictive. Deer Hunter Tournament is to be released for the PC and, for the first time, the Xbox 360 later this year.

So what if they were the only one there? They rocked. And they had booth babes. In fact, photo credit for the pictures in this story goes directly to a red-wigged girl with piercing eyes.

But enough about my frustrations, back to games.

NYKO has several handy products available that they were demoing at the Media and Business Summit, including a guitar that works with both Guitar Hero and Rock Band in PlayStation 3.

So pay attention to the wireless Frontman. It also makes the transition from Guitar Hero to Rock Band much easier. The Frontman feels natural, responds smoothly, and looks great. It loved it, and I’m buying one. As you can see, I also look great playing it.

Another product you’ll probably buy if you have a PlayStation 3, the NYKO Media Hub+ is a combination USB hub/media card reader. It fits flush against the PS3 and will allow you to plug all your instruments into smaller PlayStation 3’s without as many USB ports.

NYKO also has cooling products available for PlayStation 3 and Wii that turn on when the system gets hot and turn off when the system cools down — they even stay on right after you shutdown the system to make sure everything cools off properly.

As NYKO publicist Quinn Wageman explains, “if you’re watching a DVD, you’re not going to need the fans, but if you’re playing a graphics-intense game, you will.”

Disclaimer: NYKO was the company that invited Blast to E3 this year. Blast appreciates and enjoys its long-standing professional friendship with NYKO, but reminds readers that it has no effect on our reviews or editorial policies. Every media outlet at E3 this year was invited by another company. Except maybe IGN.

Harmonix’s Rock Band 2 was by far the most powerful music gaming release of the convention. It will release on all four major consoles this fall.

All old Rock Band songs are compatible with the new installment, said Alex Rigopulos, president of Harmonix, at Microsoft’s press conference. While there are 84 songs on the Rock Band 2 disc, over 500 songs will be available for play.

Almost all the Rock Band CD songs can be imported into Rock Band 2 automatically, which means no disc swapping, said Rigopulos.

Some major additions have been made to the Rock Band library. A brand new track from Guns N’ Roses will be added to the collection courtesy of Axle Rose. For the first time, Bob Dylan has licensed his songs to a music video game; in Rock Band’s case, his hit song Tangled Up In Blue. AC/DC will also be exclusively on Rock Band 2.

Twenty bonus tracks will be downloadable in the fall before the release of Rock Band 2.

While Activision withdrew from E3 before the convention, some new information was also released by Microsoft about Guitar Hero: World Tour.

The Guitar Hero franchise has sold more than 5 million copies on the Xbox 360, said Kai Huang, president and founder of Red Octane.

The new game features a new wireless drum kit complete with cymbals and a touch slide guitar. The game has more than 85 songs on the disc, though there will be many more available at the launch of World Tour and beyond.

In addition to new instruments, the game features new modes like an online band career and 8-player battle of the bands.

Players can choose to either create a character that looks like a previous DC character; say Batman or Superman, or they can create a character that is uniquely their own.

After an initial battle where the player fights alongside Superman against Braniac and Lex Luthor, the player can choose whether or not to walk down the path of righteousness and earn Superman and Batman’s respect, or become a villain and fight against them.

Comic book legend Jim Lee was the Executive Creative Director of the game and created the visual world DC Universe would be set in based on art from the entire history of DC comics.

DC Universe Online does not yet have a release date, but is hypothesized to come out at some point in late 2009.

No actors or directors or stuntmen have been recruited to the project yet. The film remains in the very early stages of its development. Writer David Hayter (Watchmen, X2) and father and son producers Avi and Ari Arad (behind The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man) are more than excited to be a part of the film.

They didn’t give us much, but it’s something to look forward to. It’s interesting that the most surprising announcement at one of the premiere video game conventions was the release of a movie.

Coming from Sony Online Entertainment (SOE), The Agency is a massively multiplayer online shooter taking place in a world where spies and assassins are a day to day commodity. At the beginning of the game, the player decides whether they want to be a part of the sophisticated and stealthy Unite, or if they would rather enter with a bang in ParaGON.

After the player makes this decision, they do not have to choose what type of spy they will be. Unlike previous SOE titles like Everquest and Vanguard, players are not stuck to the role of a medic or a sniper, but rather can change their class whenever they want.

The Agency is an online game where it is important to spend a lot of time developing a character to be the best it can be, but developers behind the game understand that people have lives they have to live beyond the game. That is why they developed Operatives, non-playable characters work under a player’s character and do various missions to assist a player in completing their own. Operatives can carry out missions even when the player is not playing the game, which allows for continual development. Even when a player is not on The Agency, they can still receive text message and e-mail updates of decisions and achievements their Operatives completed.

Coming from a long line of multiplayer online games, SOE is making The Agency more personal by allowing four to 16 player matches versus the 256 player mêlée in Sony’s upcoming title Massive Action Game (MAG for short).

The Agency will be released in December of this year for PC and the Playstation 3. SOE is developing ways to allow cross-console gaming for their online community.

After years of development, Bethesda Softworks, makers of the hugely successful “Elder Scrolls” series, is at the E3 Media and Business Summit at the Los Angeles Convention Center this week to show off “Fallout 3,” the latest chapter in the post-Nuclear apocalypse role playing franchise, due on shelves in the fall.

Interplay’s release of “Fallout” in 1997 was a breath of fresh air to an otherwise depleted RPG game gene pool during a lackluster several years for RPG’s. Then, in came this real world, guns and rockets departure from dungeons, dragons, wizards, and elves.

That kind of history will give “Fallout 3” momentum, but Bethesda has sometimes been looked at as a step-parent to Fallout since buying it for $5,750,000. They completely remade the game, throwing out the work Interplay had done on its own version of “Fallout 3” before selling it off.

The company’s other titles have been mixed. It’s “Elder Scrolls” games and expansion packs for those games have sold millions of copies, won countless awards, and enjoyed nearly unanimous critical approval. That success has carried them despite less successful titles like the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie games; semi-failures like their half dozen or so Star Trek titles; and miserable failures like the 2006 “IHRA Drag Racing” simulation game.

Still, Bethesda likes to gamble, and it usually pays off.

“We took a lot of risks with ‘[Elder Scrolls:] Oblivion’ and learned a lot doing such a massive game,” said Todd Howard, executive producer for Bethesda, during Microsoft’s E3 briefing Monday. “We’ve learned a lot.”

Bethesda hopes to market the game to hardcore and casual gamers – a very fashionable trend in the video game world today.

“Lots of people want an experience that is fun and well-executed. So that group is everyone from the most hardcore to casual gamers who buy 1 or 2 games a year,” said Pete Hines, vice president of public relations and marketing for Bethesda, in an interview Monday. “Our marketing strategy is to hit those consumers in a lot of different ways, at different times.”

Fallout 3 will be available for Windows, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 this fall.

“I believe it is no longer common sense that players only seek new titles with new [...] graphics and more sophisticated content,” said Satoru Iwata, president of Nintendo. “We at Nintendo continue to challenge ourselves to meet these needs.”

The problem is, Nintendo only had two brand new franchises to announce.

The first game was a snowboarding game for the Wii featuring Shaun White, a professional snowboarder and Olympic gold medalist from 2004. The game, simply called Shaun White Snowboarding, relies heavily on the Wii balance board to simulate a true snowboarding experience.

“Once we got the board involved, it just enhances the game play,” said White of the game that his input helped create. White credits his first-hand view of the mountain as an aspect that makes the game so great.

Beyond that, the next and only unique Nintendo title released was Wii Music, the last game of the bunch. Wii Music is a brainchild from early Wii development, Iwata said. The game incorporates Wii’s new Motion Plus device to capture every slight twist of the wrist to create a very unique music video game. Unlike games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band, Wii Music does not have buttons that coincide with musical notes, but rather hand movements that do. The Wii balance board can even be used as foot petals for the drum set.

Beyond those two titles, there were relatively few big announcements from Nintendo.

Animal Crossing: City Folk was a surprising but anticipated title that was announced, which incorporates the new Wii Speak hardware. Wii Speak is a microphone that allows players to communicate with one another during game play. This is a first for the Nintendo Wii. City Folk moves players from the typical town setting to a new city one where there are additional shops like an auction house and hairdresser. Animal Crossing: City Folk will be released by the end of this year.

Other Wii titles include Star Wars: Clone Wars for a holiday release, Rayman: Raving Rabbids TV Party in the fall, Call of Duty: World at War coming “soon,” and a Wii Sports sequel called Resort which features new games to play, and comes with a new Motion Plus.

A custom version of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars will arrive for the Nintendo DS this winter, as well as a new game in the Pokémon Ranger universe coming November 10. In addition, the DS will be the only portable system to have Spore Creatures, and Guitar Hero: On Tour Decades, a sequel to DS’ Guitar Hero On Tour.

Executive vice president of Nintendo Cammie Dunaway said that the people behind Zelda and Mario were working on projects, but gave no details or tentative release dates. In fact, the only reference to Mario, beyond talk of the previous successful games, was a performance of the Super Mario Bros. theme song by the Wii Music production team in game play.

“I’m here today to tell you that fad is no longer operable. It’s inevitable that when the paradigm shifts, imitation is just around the corner,” said Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo in America. “[Nintendo] is not just the evolution in look, but the revolution in feel.”

While he can say it all he wants, Fils-Aime did little to prove to their audiences that they really are revolutionizing the market. The incorporation of more balance-board dependant games has the potential to be interesting, but there was no big reinvention for Nintendo like there was for Microsoft.

“For all of us in the videogame industry, there is danger in standing still,” said Iwata, and yet Nintendo looks to be not moving.

Fils-Aime spent about half of the shortened press conference talking numbers instead of games. The Wii and DS have accumulated more than $5 billion worldwide. This year almost 50 percent of DS purchasers are women. The lifetime global hardware unit sales of the DS are expected to be more than 100 million systems sold by next March. Nintendo expects the Wii to be the best-selling console of this generation.

Dunaway spoke of some new potential uses Nintendo was testing for the DS, like the ability to claim luggage in an airport or check the scores of other baseball teams while watching the Red Sox in Fenway Park. The problem was that all of the ideas were extremely pre-production. All concepts were in the trial stages, and none were confirmed as definitive new ideas for Nintendo. They introduced the potential to revolutionize the handheld device, but they just didn’t follow through on it.

“In many ways the DS may be transforming itself [...] into a natural companion for everyone,” said Dunaway, which seems to be true as Nintendo showed proof that it has a wider audience than previous years. Iwata said that the DS has sold more than 200,000 units each week worldwide.

“In a very unexpected way, we are seeing a new form of social interaction,” said Dunaway of the Nintendo console systems.

They’ve stated that fact enough. Next year there had better be some pay-off.

Action, horror, sci-fi
Dead Space
EA Redwood Studios
October 21
Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC

Action, horror
Left 4 Dead
Valve
November 4
Xbox 360, PC

Action
Rage
id Software
TBA
Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, MAC, PC, Linux

Strategy/God game
Spore
Maxis
September 7
PC/MAC

LOS ANGELES – Blood and gore. Sci-fi fantasy. First-person shooter.

Electronic Arts?

Stepping away from its comfort zone, the world’s leading video game publisher unleashed a surprising lineup of titles Monday at this year’s E3 Media and Business Summit.

At a press conference at LA’s Orpheum Theatre, leaders from 12 Electronic Arts game studios including Maxis, BioWare, EA Online and EA Redwood Shores presented a very different lineup than just “next year’s Madden” and “the next Sims game,” that some in the gaming industry have come to droningly expect out of the games giant.

Instead of flash and cinematics, EA went back to basics at E3 this year, doing little things like producing trailer videos from 100 percent in-game footage.

“No Powerpoint, no statistics, no reference to market share or how we’re actually bigger than the other guys,” said CEO John Riccitiello. “[We're doing] something extremely simple. We’re going to have the people that make the games show you the games that we’re making.”

The lineup included not one, not two, but three potentially “M-for-Mature-rated” action games, as well as convincing, encouraging and entirely unsurprising early response numbers for the Spore Creature Creator and an incredibly impressive-looking action/adventure title called “Mirror’s Edge.”

EA Sports was there, but they chose to show off new ways to play their basketball and golf titles. There was almost no mention of the 20th anniversary of Madden NFL, the popular yet stagnant football title.

The action started when EA Redwood Shores chief Glen Schofield took the stage to talk about their upcoming sci-fi survival horror action thriller, “Dead Space.”

“This is a departure for EA,” Schofield said, calling his studio’s game “Very, very M rated.”

The game casts you as unsuspecting engineer Isaac Clarke, who, on a routine mission, finds the space station he was visiting ravaged by evil, disgusting aliens.

“We pushed extremely hard on the horror elements,” Schofield said. “The core gameplay mechanism is ’strategic dismemberment’ – the clinical term for ‘you have to tear these creatures apart limb by limb in order to kill them.’”

Gabe Newell, co-founder and managing director of Valve later discussed another upcoming EA action horror game called Left 4 Dead, a heavily multiplayer title, where the game’s artificial intelligence changes the storyline and difficulty based on how poorly or how well you play.

At the end of the briefing, Riccitiello announced that EA was partnering with id Software, the company that invented the first person shooter video game genre with the game “Wolfenstein 3D” and later made “Doom” and “Quake.”

The partnership ushers in a new open-world game called Rage, which combines elements of action and driving, in a “Grant Theft Auto” meets “Mad Max” motif.

Attention was also centered around Will Wright’s upcoming “Spore” game, where players make and control their own creatures in a virtual world. Wright’s Maxis division of Electronic Arts released the “Spore Creature Creator” a few weeks ago to let fans start to dabble in the game and make up their own sets of creatures before the game’s official release in the fall.

“I was hoping we could get around 100,000 [creatures] by September,” Wright said. Within 22 hours, they had surpassed that number. There were over a million within a week.

Within 18 days, there were over 1.7 million “Spores” created. That’s more than the 1.589 million actual species known to exist on earth, Wright pointed out. And that says something about the anticipated impact “Spore” will have when it’s released in September.

The Sony setup at the Shrine Auditorium is very impressive. They have more than 60 big widescreen displays set up. They decided to run their operation from a few miles away from the conference center.

12:00: Resistance 2 looks very good. They showed a trailer and demoed gameplay. The trailer was all from actual gameplay — very good detail and a hell of a story.

12:04: Madden, Tiger Woods, bunch of other games still being made for PS2.

12:08: Sony seemed to have accepting that PS2 and PS3 both exist. They’re adopting a “we have three successful platforms” model.

Buzz quiz game coming to PSP and PS3. Singstar has sold 15 million units, plus 1.9 million songs download.

Nine years into the PlayStation 2 lifecycle, they’re unveiling a new Lego Batman bundle for $149, including the game and a Justice League animated DVD.

12:10: A new Ratchet & Clank game is coming to the PlayStation network. Ratchet and Clank Future: Quest for Booty will be available this summer for $14.99

12:20: Sony is pushing Gran Turismo TV, coming to the Gran Turismo 5 Prologue game on the PlayStation Network August 1 — promosing to bring full HD automotive and racing events and programming from all over the world. Not sure how successful this will be.

12:22: Sony, like Microsoft, like Nintendo, like EA, is pushing the social component of games — playing multiplayer, getting new gaming trophies and showing off your high scores. PlayStation Home, in a wicked short video, is Sony’s entrance into the age of the “video game console avatar.”

12:23: Rental and electronic download of movies and shows from Lionsgate, Fox, Sony Pictures, MGM, Paramount, Funimation, etc. The line between PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 is blurring. One advantage: Sony owners can port their downloaded content from PS3 to PSP and take it with you.

This video service will start TODAY.

12:30: Time to talk about PSP.

Thirteen million units sold in North America. New entertainment packs coming, Madden and family-friendly Ratchet & Clank with a silver PSP and National Treasure 2 on UMD for $199.

12:35: New PSP title coming, Resistance: Retribution, takes the alien battle to Europe.

Also, look for Patapon 2 and Midnight Club Remix

12:40: Finally talking about PS3.

“Life with PlayStation” will be a news, live webcam, and weather channel available at the end of July. This is pretty cool.

12:41: Sony Online Entertainment is involved in the fold now — Jim lee, executive creative director of the upcoming DC Universe Online is talking about the game, showing a brand new trailer abut the game.

12:50: M.A.G. — The Massive Action Game will pit up to 256 players against each other at once online in eight man squads led by a player who has proved himself as a good leader. Even Sony admits this will push PS3 to its limits.

Developed by the industry veterans at Bizarre Creations, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2, has six different gameplay modes.

With all the signature vibrant visuals and heart-pumping battles of the original, the game also features a new soundtrack and local multiplayer modes in either versus or co-op for up to four players.

Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB.

“It really is a good match for an indie studio like id, because it gives us access to their world-wide marketing muscle,” said id’s John Carmack during the Electronic Arts E3 press conference Monday.

The team-up will result in a new title, “Rage,” billed as a combination of shooting, driving and open-world.

“It’s a fresh look for us,” Carmack said.

More details will be unveiled at id’s Quakecon in Dallas later this month.

Old Classics

• A new version of Geometry Wars will be released next month from Bizarre Creations and Activision.
• 20 years after the release of the original Galaga, Galaga Legions will be released next month on Xbox Live Arcade.
• Portal: Still Alive will be released later this year exclusively for the Xbox 360, featuring new test chambers because, as GLaDOS said, some of the test chambers were “dysfunctional”.
• Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts will follow the bear and bird in another classic adventure and will be released in the fall.
• Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise returns to Piñata Island and has new features that allow players to scan cards exclusive to the game to gain more piñatas. This game will be released September 5.
• Scene It: Box Office Smash is an updated version of the 360’s Scene It game which has new quizzes and features more recent films, and also allows players to get questions based on their country of origin. Box Office Smash will be released in the fall.

New releases:

• South Park will be released in 2009 for Xbox Live.
• You’re In The Movies is a new game where each player will move around as directed by the game and their movements will be recorded and interwoven into a “movie”. This will be a holiday release exclusively for the Xbox 360.

Some other things to note:

• The original Banjo-Kazooie game will be released on Xbox Live Arcade exclusively.
• This year, Microsoft is focusing on making the 360’s games more kid-friendly, so more than three fourths of their games will be rated for everyone or for teens.
• A downloadable episode of Grand Theft Auto will be available on Xbox Live
• Microsoft continues to support their feature that allows players to create and share games. By the end of 2008, more than 1000 games will be available from this feature.

“I saw with my own eyes that the Xbox continues to bring together players from around the world while constantly welcoming new friends into the gaming community,” said Wada. “Since the launch of the Xbox 360, we the Square Enix Group have been building a strong partnership with Microsoft. Our aim is to provide a new generation of entertainment to the gaming community of Japan, North America and Europe.”

Infinite Undiscovery will be released September 2 in North America, September 5 in Europe and September 11 in Asia.

Star Ocean: The Last Hope, the long awaited new installment in the Star Ocean series, will be released in the spring of 2009.

The Last Remnant, while still being developed, will be available worldwide on the Xbox 360 and PC November 11.

Microsoft is introducing, for the first time, an entirely new interface for the Xbox 360, and are making some serious additions.

“[We are going to be] greeted by entirely new interface and dashboard,” said John Schappert, corporate Vice President of Xbox Live software and services. “[We are] creating a brand new Xbox through the magic of software.”

The new interface is a cross of all the best qualities from the PS3 and Wii. The layout is a lot like the PS3’s, with various screens like “My Xbox, “Games,” and “Community,” plus new ones like “Movies” and “Primetime”. There is a new avatar system, where players can create a representation of themselves to represent their own personality and style. At first glance, it seemed like the design opportunities for Xbox avatars stretch a lot farther than those for the Wii.

“The thing about avatars, they do more than sit in your living room,” said Schappert. “[With them, you can] create, share and have fun with all of your friends.”

Your “living room” is your personal Xbox page which contains your downloads, current games and achievements. It is the opportunity to move beyond your “living room” that makes the new interface so interesting. Up to eight friends can create their own “Live Party” so that they can chat and interact with each other. Each player’s avatar is what represents them in the “Party.” Through this private channel, the players can share photos, movies, or just chat with each other.

“This generation of consoles will change the face of home entertainment more than any before it,” said Schappert. “The biggest, most revolutionary changes will happen online as more and more people control each other and the games and entertain they want.”

One of the biggest changes is the addition of Xbox Live Primetime, a channel which allows hundreds of people to star in their own game shows due to a new partnership with Endemall, creators of shows like 1 vs. 100, Deal or No Deal, Big Brother and Fear Factor.

Endemall’s 1 vs. 100 is coming as a playable game show to Live Primetime this fall. Players can choose to be the “one”, a part of the “100″, or an audience member in the game. Winners in Primetime are able to win real prizes as well.

“It combines the best of television with the best of games to deliver a new experience for the whole family,” said Schappert.

“The same question has been asked a thousand times in a thousand different ways,” said Microsoft senior Vice President Don Mattrick. “Can we deliver to our fiercely loyal fans and at the same time continue to transform the industry by delivering for everyone? The answer is yes we can.”

In conjunction with new partners NBC, Universal, MGM International, Constantin and Netflix, the Xbox 360 now will have a library of over 10,000 on demand movies and television shows.

That’s not to mention the countless other partners Microsoft has, such as Disney, Warner, ABC and MTV.

Consumers have spent more than $48 billion this past year on videogames, Mattrick said. That is more than the amount they have spent on movies both on DVD and in the box office and in music.

While games are fast becoming the number one driver of entertainment spending, the Xbox 360 is dominating its position as the best-selling video game console as having sold more than 2.7 billion in the last year. That’s significantly more than the 1.1 billion Wiis sold or the 0.9 billion Playstation 3s sold.

This year Microsoft gives consumers even more reasons to buy their system.

“Finding the games you want and the entertainment you want when you want it means movies, TV shows and music from [our] partners,” said Mattrick.

The Xbox 360 now has the world’s largest amount of on demand movies and television shows; more than any cable or satellite provider.

Microsoft’s partnership with Netflix only intensifies that fact. Now Netflix subscribers who own 360s can access Netflix’s library of films through their gaming system and watch movies instantly at their homes. Even when they don’t have their friends over, Xbox owners can share the movie they rented with their friends using the new Live Party mode available through the 360’s new interface. This partnership more than doubles Microsoft’s current selection of movies and TV shows.

With the Xbox’s new functionalities, it seems that the only reason to actually visit a video rental store is to rent a videogame. Maybe there will come a point in time where videogames can be rented via their console as well.

Fallout 3:

Fallout 3 is an action/adventure role-playing game that takes place in post-apocayptic Washington, DC in the year 2277. The Enclave, the last remnant of the US government, controls the robots that patrol the wasteland and are the enemy that are meant to be destroyed. The game allows you to play in either first person or third person.

“On my wrist is the Pip Boy 3000,” said Todd Howard, Game Director from Bethesda Game Studios who demoed the game. The Pit Boy monitors the stats of the main character, controls its skills and do other various things.

“I happen to have the Bloody Vesper, which lets people die in ridiculously violent ways. I also have various weapons, so that I can kill people in ridiculously violent ways, and I also have radio, so that I can pick up broadcast that are happening out in the wasteland,” he said of the Pit Boy.

“This is where the content might be inappropriate for some audiences,” said Howard as he disembodied one of the radioactive humans in the game.

Fallout 3 contains over 100 hours game play. Its world is so massive that a player can go to the Washington Monument and take the elevator to its top floor.

“I think it’s the marching band music [from the radio] that really nails it,” said Howard.

Fallout 3 will be released in the fall of this year, and will feature substantial material downloadable exclusively for Microsoft in the XBox Marketplace.

Resident Evil 5:

Resident Evil 5 represents the first time a Resident Evil game has appeared on a Microsoft system.

Chris Redfield, the game’s main character, is in Kijuju, Tunisia to investigate the causes of some terrorist activity. He has joined a new organization called the BSAA based in Africa. His partner is a woman named Sheva.

The game features a multiplayer online cooperative system that is new to the series. The cooperative system allows players to complete missions that they would not have been able to alone.

Resident Evil 5 will be available in a simultaneous worldwide release on March 13, 2009.

“Please hold on just a little bit longer, and we’ll have it to you very shortly,” said game producer Jun Takeuchi.

Fable 2:

“Fable 2 is finished” is how Peter Molyneux, the founder of Lionhead Studios, introduced the game to the E3 audience.

Fable 2 takes place years after the first game. The player gets a choice to play as either a boy or girl, and is the story about how each player chooses to progress in their journey to become a hero.

The game seems to be just an update of 2004’s prequel, but Fable 2 offers an interesting multiplayer capability. Around the world are orbs which, when you press a button, is actually a different player in their own single player game. When the button is pressed, the other player has the ability to join that world to create a multiplayer experience.

Fable 2 will be released in October of this year.

Gears of War 2:

Most of the Gears of War 2 presentation was gameplay, but design director Cliff Bleszinski had several other goodies up his sleeve about the highly anticipated game.

“We are quickly building to the point where we have the most anticipated title, this holiday season, on any platform,” he said.

The Locust are back, and it is the job of Marcus and his affiliates to try to destroy them.

Returning weapons are the fan favorite flamethrower and chainsaw.

Bleszinski introduced the new “Forge” mode for Gears 2. “Forge” mode is a five player cooperative multiplayer mode where the team takes on wave after wave of increasingly difficult Locusts.

Gears of War 2 will release worldwide on November 7, exclusively for the XBox 360.

The Wii MotionPlus will attach to the back of WiiMotes. Combined with the accelerometer and the sensor bar, Nintendo says it will allow for “more comprehensive tracking of a player’s arm position and orientation, providing players with an unmatched level of precision and immersion.”

“Every slight movement players make with their wrist or arm is rendered identically in real time on the screen, providing a true 1:1 response in their game play,” Nintendo said in a statement on their website Monday.

Details will be announced at Nintendo’s media briefing Tuesday morning.

As Microsoft senior Vice President Don Mattrick tried to end their E3 press conference, the president of Square Enix, Yoichi Wada, stopped him for one, final announcement. They only introduced it by its trailer. It was introduction enough.

In the startling final announcement at Microsoft’s E3 press conference today, Microsoft and Square Enix unveiled a much suspected fact: Final Fantasy XIII will be released on the Xbox 360 simultaneously with its release on the Playstation 3.

More than 85,000 copies of the game have already been shipped, said Wada, and the 2009 release date will be the same in North America as in Europe.

The trailer for Final Fantasy XIII for the PS3 has been available for more than a year now, but the new extended Xbox 360 trailer added some hints of plot to the mix. In addition to the female lead, there looks to be an array of colorful characters as in the game’s previous installments.

The graphics were visually breathtaking; arguably some of the best of available games. Microsoft asked that no videos or pictures be taken during the trailer, else there would have been some accompaniment for this article, but it is no lie to say that reporters were stunned.

This is bad news for Sony, for whom Final Fantasy XIII was a major draw to the PS3. The lack of exclusivity of the game, as well as other 360 crossovers like Grand Theft Auto and Guitar Hero, takes away the need for consumers to go out and buy the PS3, which many have not been doing.

The PS3 may have better graphics, yes, and a potentially larger capability of growth, but with its price and no big games sold solely for it, why spend the $400? Mattrick made the promise that the 360 is going to continue besting the PS3 for sales in 2009 and this is just strengthens that promise. If Sony does not have something huge to unveil in their press conference tomorrow, they may be completely screwed.

After lazing around our not-so-Quality Inn hotel room (with no elevator, thank you very much John), we finally got over the jet-lag and headed to Tinsel Town. Not gonna lie, it wasn’t exactly what I expected, but that’s mostly because we started off in the slums and then managed to continue far enough down Hollywood Boulevard to reach Touristwood, the Hollywood everyone wants us to see.

I was pretty excited. We had finally reached the people that we recognized of the Hollywood stars on the sidewalk (other than Lassie and the Rugrats, who we had seen earlier), and there we were, right at the heart of downtown Hollywood. We passed the Egyptian Theater, and made it to the Guinness World Records and Hollywood Wax Museum buildings, which were awesome. It was my first time in a wax museum, so I was pretty impressed. The best wax figure was, obviously, Sammy J. Did you really question that? He had the shades and everything.

Also, apparently there is a world record for how many cigars you can smoke at once. It was fourteen, and the man could sing and whistle at the same time. Get on that, people.

Graumann’s Chinese Theater was probably my favorite though. There were all these people dressed up in character, like Superman and Jimmy Neutron and even Optimus Prime, that people were taking pictures with. Walking around and looking at all the hand prints that celebs from Will Smith to the Marx Brothers had made felt like being around royalty. It was a surreal experience (we still have 11 more days to meet an actual celebrity; the search continues!).

We had dinner at Mel’s Diner, which was the closest thing we could find to my requested Jack Rabbit Slim’s experience (I don’t care if it’s fictional or not!) and headed back to our car when, WHAM BAM ALAKAZAM!, turns out come cops were pursuing… someone, and hit and killed two pedestrians along the way. About two blocks of Hollywood Boulevard were closed off, so we had to walk through some pretty slummy areas in order to get back on track somewhere around the Geisha House. You’re lucky, your dearly devoted reporters almost didn’t even make it to E3!

By the way, wasn’t kidding about the hotel room. After not even spending 24 hours here, I woke up this morning to find the toilet’s broken. It’s going to be awesome.

Leading the charge is fan favorite Duke Nukem. Apogee is bringing three new missions for Duke, called the Duke Nukem Trilogy, to the handheld console market in conjunction with 3D Realms and MachineWorks Northwest LLC. The Trilogy ’s episodes will be Critical Mass, Chain Reaction, and Proving Grounds.

“It’s funny how what’s old is new again in this industry,” Apogee co-founder, Scott Miller, said in a press release. “Many of the things Apogee pioneered are back in style, so it only makes sense to bring back Apogee and its properties with a visionary team that will once again create innovation for gamers around the world.”

First things first. E3 technically starts Tuesday, but tomorrow we’ll be hearing from Electronic Arts and Microsoft, so expect big things there.

For now, we’re relaxing after a long flight. Might even do Hollywood tonight. Any recommendations?

The Elebits serve as energy sources in the far-off world they inhabit, and hold magical powers and the ability to complete puzzles and quests the player will encounter along their journey. Using the Elebits’ unique powers, players can solve puzzles, reveal hidden paths, freeze flowing water, turn darkness into light, levitate rocks, and much more.

Players can compete against up to four of their friends using the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.

Konami is a leading developer, publisher and manufacturer of electronic entertainment properties. Konami’s titles include the popular franchises Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill, DanceDanceRevolution and Castlevania, among other top sellers.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky is a survival first-person shooter game released for the PC based on an alternate scenario of 1986’s nuclear reactor incident in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Soviet Union. Clear Sky is the official prequel to 2007’s S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, released by GSC Game World studio. The prequel introduces an alternative look onto the events of the original game and allows the player to be a mercenary stalker in search of his own path. The game is expected to be released worldwide on August 29, 2008.

The PC-hit Secret Files: Tunguska was released for the Nintendo DS and Wii in May. Secret Files was the most successful adventure game of 2006, Deep Silver said in a recent press release. The game delves into the mystery of Tunguska where, in 1908, a massive explosion of unknown origin triggered a flaming inferno caused massive amounts of death and destruction. Players follow a kidnappers’ trail through ancient secret passageways in Irish castle ruins, through the flickering heat of Cuba, and aboard the legendary Trans-Siberian Railroad to discover the truth behind the catastrophe.

On December 31, 2008, Deep Silver will release Gravity simultaneously for the DS and Wii. As a puzzle game, it has over 100 levels that can be completed in multiple ways, plus 10 “sandbox” levels and a custom-level editor, allowing for hours of replayability.

Pet Vet: Down Under for the Nintendo DS uses the stylus functionality to allow players to interact with six different Australian animals as a veterinarian. The game’s target audience is young children. It contains extensive information about Australia and its wildlife, which players can read in order to treat the animals and successfully grow their veterinarian business.
Deep Silver develops and publishes interactive games for all platforms. Working with its various partners, their products are designed to appeal equally to all video game lovers.

Since 2003, Deep Silver has published about 40 games. Their internal development studio, Deep Silver Vienna, opened in 2007.

On the list include: Borderlands (PC/360/PS3), BioShock (PS3), NBA 2K9 (360/PS3/PS2), NHL 2K9 (360/Wii/PS3/PS2), and Civilization IV: Colonization (PC).

We’ve booked an hour and a half with these guys, so expect something hot and juicy.

“Moscow Racer is the only game in the world that gives you a chance to drive on absolutely realistic streets of Moscow city at 200 mph and not be arrested!” said Boris Tolkachev, spokesman for Akella.

“Created in cooperation with Moscow underground street racing clubs, Moscow Racer combines features of a car simulator and absolutely accurate models of the most famous Moscow streets. It is so exciting when you play a game with trucks, which are so similar to real ones,” Tolkachev said. “It is even more impressive when you know that the game gives you the experience you could feel in real life… but in a more dangerous way.”

Moscow Racer will be published in Russia in Q3. No word on the US date yet.

Major Minor’s Majestic March (Wii, Holiday Season) turns the Wii Remote into a “magic” baton that bandleader Major Minor uses to keep tempo, recruit new band members, and pick up valuable items. Created by the team that brought us the renowned PaRappa the Rapper franchise, players can add up to 15 different instruments to their dynamic procession—including brass, woodwinds, and percussion—to alter its composition and resulting performance. The band even keeps tempo to more than 25 popular marching band songs from around the world, composed into original medleys for each stage.

In Cooking Mama World Kitchen (Wii, Holiday Season), Mama and friends have a whole new look given the game’s upgrade to full 3D graphics. By utilizing the Wii Remoteas a universal kitchen utensil, players can simulate actual cooking by chopping, grating, slicing, stirring and rolling their way through all new recipes that range from parfait to shrimp au gratin. Best of all, kitchen mistakes during meal preparation result in comedic mini-game surprises; for example, if you flip a burger too high, you can control Mama as she rushes in to save the day by catching it in her apron. Finally, a new game play mechanic integrates traditional Wii Remote utensil play with additional rhythm and motion that makes cooking easier and more enjoyable.

Our House (Wii, Holiday Season) is the only game that lets you build and remodel your home as your own unique customized creation. Players will use their Wii Remote to hammer, saw, paint, tile and much more as they assemble and decorate their family dwelling. Compete with friends in the four-player “build-off” mode while Wii Connect 24 lets players share their creations with others via the literal community-building feature of Neighborhood Mode. If you dream it, you can build it!

Zoo Hospital (Wii, October) is the first game of its kind that lets players experience a veterinarian’s job by using the Wii Remote in surgical procedures to eliminate parasitic pests, perform dentistry, X-ray organs and remove foreign bodies like gallstones to restore the health of 48 ailing zoo animals, including dolphins, gorillas, macaws and camels. Zoo Hospital features a 3D zoo environment and enables up to 2 friends to treat animals together in cooperative multi-player mode. Aspiring vets can also unlock new animals, enclosures, medical mini-games and plaques by successfully performing procedures and raising their “Zoo Rating.”

Babysitting Mania (DS, July) puts players in the caregiver’s shoes as they progress through more than 100 levels of fast-paced challenges. Feed, entertain and clean up after rambunctious kids by using the Touch Screen to manage every aspect of the household with speed and precision in 20 chaotic houses. Players also follow the children through the various stages of their lives–from babies to toddlers to teens. Only the ultimate babysitter will survive the frenzy!

Origins will be shown throughout E3, July 15-17. We’ll let you know what we find out.

For the latest Dragon Age: Origins updates and access to exclusive news and materials check out the official website at www.dragonage.com.

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360; Fall) — For the first time ever Scorpion, Sub-Zero and the Mortal Kombat warriors battle with Batman, Superman and other popular DC Universe super heroes. Choose your side and challenge your opponents with a new fighting system including Freefall Kombat and Klose Kombat along with dynamic multi-tiered environments. Plus, pick your favorite character from MK or DCU and pursue a fighting adventure in the new single player mode with an intertwined storyline and two unique perspectives.

Not overly excited for this crossover, and there won’t be any fatalities. Still, it’s Mortal Kombat.

Wheelman (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC; Fall) – Combining spectacular Hollywood-style stunts with a gripping storyline, Wheelman provides an adrenaline-fueled, cinematic thrill ride guaranteed to leave you breathless. Vin Diesel stars as an undercover agent and highly skilled driver who must infiltrate the Barcelona underworld to gather intelligence surrounding a covert heist. Posing as a driver-for-hire, he ends up caught in a crossfire of corruption and chaos while trying to stay one step ahead of local law enforcement and rival gangs.

No opinion so far.

TNA iMPACT! (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, PlayStation 2; September) – TNA iMPACT! is the exclusive Total Nonstop Action wrestling game based on the top-rated weekly television show, “TNA Impact!” Choose the wrestling style, custom move set and clothing to construct the ultimate champion. TNA drenches the player in moves and match types that allow amazing acrobatic and aerial feats along with the bone-jarring crush of hard-hitting impacts. The game also features top wrestling talent such as Kurt Angle, Jeff Jarrett, Rhino, Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Sting, Christian Cage, Abyss and more to deliver all of the excitement and action of the television show!

Well, we’re finally going to see a non THQ wresting game.

Blitz the League II (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360; Fall) – As the sequel to the more than one million unit selling and award-winning football experience, BLITZ: THE LEAGUE II, continues the franchise legacy as the ultimate alternative to the watered-down, licensed competition. In addition to an all-new story mode penned by Peter Egan (ESPN’s Playmakers), BLITZ: THE LEAGUE II features include: Precision-Aim Tackles, player-controlled touchdown celebrations, an enhanced on-the-field Clash Mode, online multiplayer capabilities, expanded rosters with all-new personalities, and the return of a cornerstone of the Blitz franchise…Late Hits! Football legend Lawrence Taylor returns as the game’s cover-athlete and star linebacker for the New York Nightmare, Quentin Sands, along with a star-studded supporting cast.

Blitz is a hilarious game. Very addicting arcade football.

This is Vegas (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, 2009) — When a ruthless businessman begins turning Vegas into a family-friendly tourist trap, you must start your own powerful empire and resurrect the famous adult playground. Party hard at the hottest clubs to make VIP connections. Grow your bankroll by hitting high stakes tables. Race the fastest cars on the underground circuit to raise your reputation. Fight off enemies with fists and firearms to prove your strength. Where you go and what you do is your call. Whether counting cards, seducing dangerous women, cruising the strip or starting bar brawls, there’s lots of excitement on the way to the top.

Gee. I just don’t know about this one. It sounds fun. I saw the trailer; it looks fun. Just…I dunno.

Unreal Tournament 3 – (Xbox 360; July) – Unreal Tournament 3, the world’s premier PC first-person shooter makes its debut on the Xbox 360®. Unreal Tournament 3 unleashes the full power of Unreal® Engine 3, taking graphics, gameplay, and challenge to a whole new level. Players engage in intense battles with other human players online, or against Unreal artificial intelligence that sets the industry standard. With the most powerful futuristic weapons and vehicles available, this is FPS action at its best!

You don’t need me to tell you that Unreal is great.

Game Party 2 (Wii, November) – With 11 games in all, Game Party 2 for the Nintendo Wii includes fun to play games that will provide hours of enjoyment with friends and family. Game Party 2 features new games like Bean Bag Toss, Horseshoes, Lawn Darts, Puck Bowling and more. Each game, including classics like Skill Ball, Darts and Hoop Shoot has exciting new features like four player mode, customizable characters and tournament play, making Game Party 2 the ultimate party game for all ages and skill levels.

I don’t like it. The mini-game craze is over.

Touchmaster 2 (Nintendo DS, September) — TouchMaster 2 returns with a collection of 20 new exciting card, action, strategy and puzzle games with some of your favorite classic games from back in the day. For the gamer and non-gamer alike, TouchMaster 2 offers pick up and play, addictively fun, mini-games that everyone will enjoy. Kill some time by playing a quick round to beat your high-score or find some real competition against other players. TouchMaster 2, the personal arcade that fits snug in the palm of your hands.

Looks like a solid portable title.

Mechanic Master (Nintendo DS, September) — With over 100 levels! Mechanic Master uses the stylus as a weapon to rid the Earth of alien invaders that have scattered across the planet. Become the ultimate Master of Mechanics by creating crazy contraptions to free humans, keep the mechanics in motion and defeat those pesky foes. Test your skills. Creative-thinking is key to clearing the level.

MidwayArcade.com (Online, Available Now) – Fans of Midway’s classic arcade and Touchmaster casual games will now be able to download their all-time favorites and play them on their PC. More than 25 classic titles, such as Defender, Joust, Spy Hunter, Root Beer Tapper and Mahki, are now available at www.midwayarcade.com, starting for as little as 3 games for US $5. Compete for bragging rights against players from around the world and battle for the high score in each game.

About Midway:
Midway Games Inc. (NYSE: MWY), headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with offices throughout the world, is a leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software for major videogame systems and personal computers. More information about Midway and its products can be found at www.midway.com.

We’ll even have some games you might not have heard of yet! We’ll be reporting on the sleepers and the stars all next week, so keep BlastMagazine.com handy in your bookmarks folder. Or better yet, just keep hitting refresh all week.

John Guilfoil and Terri Schwartz will be on the scene. Leave us comments and questions, and we’ll dig up whatever it is you’re looking for in the video gaming world!

…Oh yeah, we’re also going to Comic-con in San Diego the following week. That’s going to be another ball of wax. We’ll have stories, hot artwork, interviews, the works. And Terri might get arrested for jumping on the “Twilight” people.