RedWine
08-15-2007, 07:13 AM
One thing we haven't been completely clear about in our E3 coverage is that the 2007 edition has been crafted to be smaller, quieter and gentler than its predecessors. This means no more blaring music; no more live bands rocking out just 50 feet from each other; no more skate ramps or random celebrity sightings. Now E3 is just about the games and those that follow them.
http://assets.espn.go.com/media/videogames/photo/2007/0428/nbalive08_cover_240.jpg
Madden NFL 08 has dominated the sports game news (including our coverage on ESPN and ESPNEWS) because it's still the one of the most important franchises in the entire video game industry. Despite lukewarm reactions from critics the last two years, the Madden franchise still sold well and remained popular with most consumers. The '08 version is a step back ... back towards the feature set and gameplay that made Madden so popular in the earlier part of the decade.
When I say the animation has been polished, that's another way of saying it looks and feels more like what you'd expect from a football game. In Madden NFL 07, the transition to Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii technology meant the game-makers were simply racing to get a finished product to consumers.
http://img.jeuxvideopc.com/images/screenshots/31173/grandformat-437004/1_640.jpg
Because of this, there were far more "canned" animation sequences where one button press or move would cause a player to perform an action that looked like something you might see on a football field but wasn't completely under your control. We're only talking fractions of a second where it would feel like you're not in control of things, but that makes a huge difference when you're playing against a friend or a really good CPU-controlled team.
NBA Live 08 has probably made the biggest improvement out of all the EA Sports titles scheduled for this year ... and it needed it. Live 07 was demonstrated in May of 2006 as an example of what could be done on the PlayStation 3.
Then, when Sony's console launched, NBA Live was nowhere to be found. The Xbox 360 version was troubled with stuttering animation and an overall stiffness that made it difficult to play for more than 15 minutes. All EA had to do for NBA Live 08 was make a game that looks like it belongs on next generation systems.
It's coming for PlayStation 3, Wii and X360 again and is as fluid and sharp looking as any basketball game to date. Watching the Warriors against the Spurs, you could easily recognize Baron Davis, Tim Duncan and Tony Parker by their faces and styles of play. The go-to moves and new dribble controls push Live 08 back towards its roots as a solid sports simulator as opposed to a loose arcade game.
Nintendo has been enjoying amazing success with the Wii since it launched last November. So for E3 the company confirmed that Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Mario Galaxy, huge weapons in Nintendo's arsenal of popular franchises, are mere months away and introduced three new pieces of hardware/accessories that should fit very well with their "games for everyone" philosophy.
The Zapper is a light gun adapter that basically allows you to hold your standard Wii-mote and nunchuk controller in a way that will make shooters even more immersive. Think Duck Hunt but with a rifle.
http://www.xboxtoday.ca/images/live2.jpg
Mario Kart for the Wii will come with a wireless steering wheel controller that'll be sure to give folks a good arm workout. Leaning hard to the left or right for extra tight turns with a free floating controller in your hands should make Mario Kart quite the experience.
Wii Fit is another game/application that will have it's own special controller designed with the non-tradtional gamer in mind. The Wii Balance Board is a fancy tablet that sits on the floor and is designed to track your shifting body weight as you stand on it.
Your body weight will be shifting as you engage in stretching exercises and minigames like ski jumping and heading soccer balls. The game keeps track of your Body Mass Index as you run through the training circuit so you can see how you're progressing. Or you can just have fun heading soccer balls and dodging cleats.
The potential for the Wii Balance Board, especially when combined with the standard Wii-mote and nunchuk, is through the roof. How about a fully immersive boxing game or mailbox baseball?
The 2007 Electronic Entertainment Expo is a different event than what many of us are used to but it's still the annual, mobile mecca for video game fans.
http://assets.espn.go.com/media/videogames/photo/2007/0428/nbalive08_cover_240.jpg
Madden NFL 08 has dominated the sports game news (including our coverage on ESPN and ESPNEWS) because it's still the one of the most important franchises in the entire video game industry. Despite lukewarm reactions from critics the last two years, the Madden franchise still sold well and remained popular with most consumers. The '08 version is a step back ... back towards the feature set and gameplay that made Madden so popular in the earlier part of the decade.
When I say the animation has been polished, that's another way of saying it looks and feels more like what you'd expect from a football game. In Madden NFL 07, the transition to Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii technology meant the game-makers were simply racing to get a finished product to consumers.
http://img.jeuxvideopc.com/images/screenshots/31173/grandformat-437004/1_640.jpg
Because of this, there were far more "canned" animation sequences where one button press or move would cause a player to perform an action that looked like something you might see on a football field but wasn't completely under your control. We're only talking fractions of a second where it would feel like you're not in control of things, but that makes a huge difference when you're playing against a friend or a really good CPU-controlled team.
NBA Live 08 has probably made the biggest improvement out of all the EA Sports titles scheduled for this year ... and it needed it. Live 07 was demonstrated in May of 2006 as an example of what could be done on the PlayStation 3.
Then, when Sony's console launched, NBA Live was nowhere to be found. The Xbox 360 version was troubled with stuttering animation and an overall stiffness that made it difficult to play for more than 15 minutes. All EA had to do for NBA Live 08 was make a game that looks like it belongs on next generation systems.
It's coming for PlayStation 3, Wii and X360 again and is as fluid and sharp looking as any basketball game to date. Watching the Warriors against the Spurs, you could easily recognize Baron Davis, Tim Duncan and Tony Parker by their faces and styles of play. The go-to moves and new dribble controls push Live 08 back towards its roots as a solid sports simulator as opposed to a loose arcade game.
Nintendo has been enjoying amazing success with the Wii since it launched last November. So for E3 the company confirmed that Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Mario Galaxy, huge weapons in Nintendo's arsenal of popular franchises, are mere months away and introduced three new pieces of hardware/accessories that should fit very well with their "games for everyone" philosophy.
The Zapper is a light gun adapter that basically allows you to hold your standard Wii-mote and nunchuk controller in a way that will make shooters even more immersive. Think Duck Hunt but with a rifle.
http://www.xboxtoday.ca/images/live2.jpg
Mario Kart for the Wii will come with a wireless steering wheel controller that'll be sure to give folks a good arm workout. Leaning hard to the left or right for extra tight turns with a free floating controller in your hands should make Mario Kart quite the experience.
Wii Fit is another game/application that will have it's own special controller designed with the non-tradtional gamer in mind. The Wii Balance Board is a fancy tablet that sits on the floor and is designed to track your shifting body weight as you stand on it.
Your body weight will be shifting as you engage in stretching exercises and minigames like ski jumping and heading soccer balls. The game keeps track of your Body Mass Index as you run through the training circuit so you can see how you're progressing. Or you can just have fun heading soccer balls and dodging cleats.
The potential for the Wii Balance Board, especially when combined with the standard Wii-mote and nunchuk, is through the roof. How about a fully immersive boxing game or mailbox baseball?
The 2007 Electronic Entertainment Expo is a different event than what many of us are used to but it's still the annual, mobile mecca for video game fans.