This year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) unleashed a strong wave of hardware and game titles (release dates subject to change).

Sony

After repairing online service woes, Sony announced PlayStation Vita (formerly known as NGP) featuring dual analog sticks, touch screen options and a touch-sensitive pad on the back. The PS Vita has a great lineup of games, including “WipEout 2048,” “Uncharted Golden Abyss,” “LittleBigPlanet,” “Super Stardust Delta,” “Virtua Tennis 4,” the musically themed “Sound Shapes” and “Silent Hill: Book of Memories,” which will feature multiplayer modes. PlayStation 3 games like “Ruin” will also have interactive abilities with the PS Vita. The Sony Ericcson Xperia Play game system with slide-out game pad just announced more games and PlayStation classics, while the PlayStation Portable (PSP) still has a few upcoming games like “Invizimals: Shadow Zone” and another “Persona” title. No substantial announcements on the next PlayStation console (PS4) were made.

Nintendo

Upcoming Nintendo 3DS games include “Super Mario 3D,” “Resident Evil: Revelations,” “Driver: Renegade,” “Luigi’s Mansion 2” and “Star Fox 64 3D,” which comes complete with reaction shots from battling friends via the 3DS camera. New peripherals include Nyko’s upcoming “Shock N Rock” shell that increases N3DS battery life and increases sound. Nintendo Wii games like “The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword” created excitement while the tablet-computer-like Wii U (aka Wii 2) will debut next year as Nintendo’s next console offering. Nintendo will release “Kid Icarus Uprising” for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. Upcoming Wii U games announcements included “Pikmin 3” and “New Super Mario Bros. Mii.”

Microsoft

Expect big sequels for the Xbox 360 like “Gears of War 3” plus special sets like “Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary” that will feature online and offline co-op modes. Kinect games get a big boost from upcoming game franchises like “Madden NFL,” “Tiger Woods PGA Tour,” “FIFA Soccer,” “Mass Effect (3),” “Star Wars,” “Family Game Night” and “Dance Central,” which will allow two-player dancing and work with existing Dance Central tracks. Other Kinect compatible games will include “Fruit Ninja Kinect,” “Gunstringer,” “Ryse,” “Kinect Sports Season 2,” “Forza Motorsports 4,” “Fable The Journey,” “Kinect Disneyland Adventures,” “Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster” and “Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier,” where players can use voice commands and experience the “gunsmith” hands on weapons’ customizations. New Kinect peripherals include the Nyko Zoom, a special lens that reduces the range, especially for smaller spaces. Xbox Live also expands well with live television option, Bing feature with voice commands and a YouTube channel. The recently released Kinect Fun Labs features detailed scanning capabilities and a graphics program where players use their fingers to edit works.

Multiple Consoles

My Sims Social will hit Facebook while the graphic wonder “Battlefield 3” looks to compete with “Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3.” Games heading to PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 include “Hitman: Absolution,” “Saints Row: The Third,” “Deus Ex: Human Revolution,” “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim,” “F1 2011,” “Dead Island,” “Darkness II” and “Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine.” The all-ages “Disney Universe” will offer multiplayer play in six different worlds. The “uDraw HD,” originally released for the Nintendo Wii, expands to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Upcoming music/rhythm games include “Just Dance 3,” “Nickelodeon Dance,” “Let’s Cheer!” (with Kinect) and “Rocksmith,” where players can use a real guitar. Other high-profile games include “Batman: Arkham City,” “Star Wars: The Old Republic” and the “Demon Souls” sequel, “Dark Souls.”

E3 announcements also included upcoming 2012 games like “BioShock Infinite” (with planned PlayStation Move capabilities), a grittier “Tomb Raider,” “Anarchy Reigns,” “Asura’s Wrath,” “Inversion,” the “Dust 514” (linked with the space MMO Eve Online). Majesco announced the beginning of an NBA motion-based game series while more 2012 releases include “Dragon’s Dogma,” “Sly: Thieves in Time,” “Adidas miCoach,” “Prey 2,” “Star Trek,” “Street Fighter x Tekken,” “XCOM” and “Halo 4,” which begins a new trilogy. O

Tags: E3, Electronic Entertainment Expo, Michael Siebenaler, Video games

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 15th, 2011 at 6:57 pm and is filed under Arts and Life, Star, Video games.
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