Toomanywires

I’ll be following the Nintendo press conference shortly and will be live tweeting some nonsense. You can follow me at @toomanywiresUK . My Nintendo round-up should be up sometime tomorrow, as I’m not sure I will be able to stay awake long enough to write it up immediately! Sony’s E3 2011 Press Conference It seemed to take a while for the Sony conference to get underway, and there was an uncomfortable five minutes of darkly lit crowd shots, during which time I became convinced that the presser had been the subject of a hacking. But no, after a rip-roaring video introduction to Sony, out strolled CEO of SCEA Jack Tretton in a snazzy tie, shirt and jacket combo. Apparently he was the only person on stage last night who had been informed that this is quite a big deal, as everyone else turned up in oversized shirts and pyjamas. Jack immediately bit the bullet and addressed the PSN outage. He apologized to partners and consumers both, though he quickly turned it into an impressive show...

I’ll be following the Sony press conference tonight and will be live tweeting some sort of nonsense (if I’m awake!) You can follow me at @toomanywiresUK . My Sony round-up should be up sometime tomorrow, though the time difference means it won’t be posted as fast as this one. ******** So Microsoft’s E3 press conference is done and dusted.   It’s time to do away with lofty expectations and wishful thinking and deal in the cold, hard facts. So without further ado, here is a look at Microsoft’s E3 2011 press conference. Let the facting commence. Microsoft’s E3 2011 Press Conference The show opened with a Modern Warfare 3 demo, which ticked all the usual boxes. There was plenty of gunplay, a visit to a besieged New York as well as a Russian submarine thrown in for good measure. The numerous set-pieces were impressive, but it was Crystal Dynamic’s demo for Tomb Raider which appeared to evoke the best reaction from the audience, and it was arguably the highlight of the show. ...

Every week I give three gaming recommendations (very) loosely tied to something topical. These recommendations span platform, generation and genre and are all games that I have played, enjoyed and highly recommend. As always, comments are very welcome so please do chime in with any recommendations of your own. Check back each Monday for a new set, and click here for past entries. Last week SEGA finally announced a release date for the Gearbox (Borderlands) developed shooter, Aliens: Colonial Marines. In development since 2006, it will finally see the light of day in spring 2012 and will be on show at this week’s E3 . Colonial Marines is a follow-on of sorts to James Cameron’s Aliens and takes-in a number of locations that will be instantly familiar to fans. Hopefully it will succeed where the majority of Alien video games have failed, providing an interactive experience on par with the first two movies. Video games based on movies have a track record almost as bad as films that b...

Earlier this week I laid out some of the games I hope to see at E3 2011 , based on rumour and speculation. Here, in my final E3 themed post before the actual event, I want to offer a preview of what is expected from next week’s extravaganza. In particular, I’m focusing on the big three - Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony - all of whom will have their moment in the sun during their opening press conferences next Monday and Tuesday. Nintendo After some underwhelming showings at E3 , this year's event may well belong to Nintendo as they are set to reveal "Project Cafe", their next generation console. I have already gone into detail about what we know about Project Cafe, which you can find here , so I will avoid repeating myself. On Tuesday we will finally get a look at their new box of wonders, including its much speculated controller which is slated to feature a high-def touch screen. Tuesday may also bring a name for the as yet un-christened Project Café, and it will be in...

E3 (June 7-9) is just around the corner and the industry is already abuzz with rumour and hearsay. Nintendo will finally be revealing Project Cafe, their follow-up to the hugely successful Wii and there are whispers that Microsoft will have something important to share, though it is highly unlikely it will concern their next generation console. Sony will look to share more on the NGP and will be working hard to make everyone forget about the last two disastrous months. On top of this, E3 will offer all the usual exclusive looks at forthcoming games, both announced and brand new, as well as quotes galore from the people who make the industry tick. Over the coming week or so I will be posting a number of blogs about E3 2011, and will be covering the biggest announcements and reveals. I will have an E3 preview here on Friday, but first I'd like to share some of my hopes for the industries' biggest annual event. I have tried to keep them grounded in reality, mostly based on rum...

Every week I give three gaming recommendations (very) loosely tied to something topical. These recommendations span platform, generation and genre and are all games that I have played, enjoyed and highly recommend. As always, comments are very welcome so please do chime in with any recommendations of your own. Check back each Monday for a new set, and click here for past entries. Japanese director Takashi Miike is currently working on a screen adaption of popular DS courtroom series, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. Miike recently hinted at his on-going project, describing it as “a very light comedy … a court drama, based on a video game, the Nintendo game DS” but stopped short of naming the game. Capcom later confirmed that the source material is in fact Ace Attorney. Takashi Miike is best known in the West for his controversial and violent work, most notably Audition and Ichi The Killer, so his being named as director for Ace Attorney surprised many. However, he is an extremely ve...

I have a major case of writer's block. I spent the best part of an hour last night staring at my computer screen trying to think of a topic for this post and bang out something semi-coherent. I have very little to show for my effort, as I found myself surfing the net with little purpose and ended up buying Killzone 3 and Final Fantasy IV: Complete Collection instead. Still without a topic and minus £30 I decided to settle upon the first two subjects which popped into my head; video games and drinking. Count yourself lucky, as this post could've just as easily been about sex and tuna-bake. Drinking has long been a complement to, and a feature of video games. From Shun Di and his drunken kung-fu to Sheppard necking shots at Afterlife and hitting the dance floor, there is no shortage of video game lushes. Moving into the real world, some games lend themselves to drunken sessions, whilst others are best avoided after a night out on the las...