Ok, so the dust has settled and E3 is finally over. Alot of the video game community is in an uproar over Nintendo's presence. There are Zelda fanboys/girls that are dressed up in Link costumes ready to throw a boomerang upside Miyamoto/Reggie Fils-Aime/Cammie Dunaway's head (ok mainly Dunaway's). Alas, I beg all of you to put Nintendo's keynote behind you and open your eyes to some of the great moments that happened on the conference floor. Even with the lackluster presentation of Nintendo's conference there were some great moments to be had, and here is a list of those moments.

5. OMG … Subliminal Under-The-Breath Announcements - I think I have Nintendo pegged when it comes to the strategy of E3 this year. They knew that the more dedicated gamers were going to be keeping an eye on their conference even after the keynote. So, instead of making some of the biggest announcements of the conference at their keynote they sprinkled them here and there on the conference floor. That way during their keynote they could make investors happy (remember this is a Media & "Business" summit), by announcing games that would appeal to a broader market. Then after the big show, they could still give gamers what they want through smaller venues.

The first big announcement was made during Nintendo's Developer round table. Miyamoto turned journalists upside down on their heads when he uttered these three simple words (or four depending on what you consider a word), "we're making Pikmin 3″. Then later on in an interview with IGN, Miyamoto strongly hinted that Nintendo was working on a new Punch-Out. During the interview Miyamoto talked about the Wii Remote MotionPlus accessory, and how it could be used for motion heavy games such as….'Punch-Out'.

4. Mega Man 9 Box Art - For most of you this isn't considered a big moment. For retro-minded gamers like myself it was a delightful throwback to the past. With Photoshop these days it's so easy to make box art that even a 1st-grader could make a decent cover. Back in the early days it took a real artistic mind to create a video game cover. There's no better example than the early years of Mega Man, and the human-esque figure that would be on the covers. Capcom has evidently tapped into this retro awesomeness as they revealed some old school box art for their upcoming WiiWare game Mega Man 9.

Although it won't be packaged on any kind of game cartridge, the picture is featured on some T-shirts. Capcom hasn't said that they'll be releasing said shirts, and for now are only available inside the company. I won't give it long though before they give into the consumer demand, mostly from me.

I Still Have My Mega Man Lunch Box With The Mega Man 2 Box Art On It

3. The Conduit Gameplay Video And Feature Announcements - I mentioned The Conduit as one of the games that you should have been keeping an eye on during E3 this year. After seeing gameplay videos, and taking in different previews from people who actually got to go to E3… …. I'm definitely impressed so far. The gameplay videos show off what looks to be a very fluid and fast moving FPS. From numerous previews I've been reading, everyone has been beaming about the responsiveness of the controls, and how beautiful the game looks.

On top of the videos and previews, there was a couple of big feature announcements that everyone has been wanting to hear. The first is that The Conduit will have online multi-player, and will have up to 16 players at a time. The second feature was a pretty surprising announcement, as The Conduit will utilize the Wii Speak accessory. Considering 'Wii Speak' had just been announced during Nintendo's keynote address, this was a pleasant surprise indeed.

2. Announcement of Wii Remote MotionPlus & Wii Speak - It was a pretty light conference from Nintendo in terms of first party game announcements. What Nintendo lacked in gaming news, they made up (somewhat) with what I consider to be pretty big accessory news.

The term '1:1′ has been in Wii owners' vocabulary since the system was first launched about 1.5 years ago. We've had dreams of taking control of a character and moving our wii remote around like a sword and the character on screen mimicking the same movements. Some games have delivered a pretty close experience, but with Wii Remote MotionPlus we are hopefully going to get 'there'. It would have been nice to see another game displayed showing off MotionPlus other than Wii Sports Resort, but I must say I'm still impressed. Of course everyone was wanting to check out a sword dueling game, and Wii Sports Resort did this (if only someone was showing it off other than Dunaway…*shudders*). The motions looked to pick up just as Reggie bragged that it would. Again with numerous previews boasting about how reponsive it is, MotionPlus was definitely one of the big announcements of the show.

The 'Wii Speak' announcement to me was one of the most underrated aspects of the entire E3 conference, not just Nintendo. As we were getting news about the Animal Crossing: City Folk game, Nintendo dropped an unsuspecting bombshell on us. The Wii would finally be getting a microphone, which numerous online fanatics had been wanting for sometime. Mario Kart: Wii would have been so much better if I could talk smack to people as I blue-shelled them. Not only is it a microphone, but it picks up voices throughout an entire room. Nintendo has a knack for doing things different than the competition, and Wii Speak is just another example of that. Also, with the announcement that The Conduit, and Animal Crossing: City Folk would be using Wii Speak, it looks to be starting off pretty strong.

1. MadWorld - Usually with my #1 spots I like to write a lengthy article, which I usually feel proud about. This time there's not very many words to be said. All I'll say is 'Man Darts', and let you watch this video (not for the feint of heart).

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/36615.html

What were your favorite moments from Nintendo at E3 this year? Or, are you one of the people dressed up as Link that want to throw boomerangs at someone?

WiiBlog.net - Yea E3 Wasn't As Bad As Everyone Said....BUT WHERE'S MY PETZ COVERAGE ?!?!?!

So the keynotes are over, and we've had a day or two to let everything settle in. There were some big announcements, along with alot of dissappointments. Some moments left us crying, some left us laughing, and some has going OMGWTFBBQ. So here's my summary of the different keynotes, and what were some of the best announcements and worst.

Microsoft's Keynote -

Pros -

Great presence early on, with AAA titles showing alot of gameplay footage

Showed off a great new interface 'pyramid', along with avatars

The Netflix download service looked solid, and the sharing feature was amazing

Cons -

The newly announced games were lackluster

Easily the most boring presenters of the three keynotes (Peter Moore is sorely missed)

After the first 20 minutes of gameplay footage for Fallout 3, Resident Evil 5 etc...it was a snoozefest

Overrated Moment of Microsoft's Conference - FFXIII Announcement: While some of you might disagree, the FFXIII announcement on the Xbox 360 was probably the most overrated moment of E3. I'll admit that when the news was first given, I was just as shocked as everyone else. After the initial shock faded, I realized how over hyped it was. The first reason being, is that FFXIII will not be multi-platform in Japan where FFXIII will probably more popular then here. The second reason is for multi-platform owners, it's a no-brainer to own FFXIII on the PS3 over the Xbox 360. Do I want to be able to play the game on one blu-ray disc, or what has to be a 6-7 disc game on the 360 (Lost Odyssey was massive and it took 4 discs). On top of that FFXIII: Versus is still a PS3 exclusive. There's even a fourth reason that the announcement wasn't that great, as Sony has a part ownership in Square Enix so they're making money on FFXIII no matter what platform it's on. So even though this was a great piece of news for 360 owners, the hatred PS3 fanboys have been showing, and the "Sony is now dead" quotes popping up from 360 fanboys is way overrated.

Underrated Moment - Easily the most underrated part of their keynote, was the announcement of Netflix and different features with it. The whole ability to share the stream of the movie you're watching with other people in your community party was amazing and I really haven't been hearing a whole lot about it.

Nintendo's Keynote

Pros -

Reggie and Miyamoto are still the best presenters at E3

Great new accessories; Wii Speak and motionplus

Cons -

Where's Mario, Link, Fox, Donkey Kong, Samus, Kid Icarus?!?!?!?!?!?!

The lady they had initially come out was really annoying

The multiplayer Wii Music gameplay presentation was one of the most painful things i've ever watched

Overrated Moment of Nintendo's Conference - Although most fans of the game will disagree, the most overrated moment of the conference was Animal Crossing: City Folk. I never really understood the fanfare of the DS or Gamecube titles, as it just seemed like a real stripped down Sims with animal folk instead of humans. If that was the secret game Reggie was talking about earlier in the year then god help us all.

Underrated Moment of Nintendo's Conference - What's funny is that Nintendo's most underrated moment occured during its' most overrated. The Wii Speak was made to seem like some kind of add-on to Animal Crossing or something. The fact that the microphone will pick up voices through out the entire room is amazing. I just can't believe Nintendo didn't even get into the details of the device, as people who play Wii games online have really been wanting a mic device.

Sony's Keynote

Pros -

Best first party footage of the three conferences

Had the best 'initial game announcements'

The LittleBigPlanet presentation was the most impressive demonstration at E3

Cons -

Took along time to get going

Their main presenter has no personality

Didn't show off as much third party support as Microsoft

Overrated Moment of Sony's Conference - The DC Universe Online is a great idea on paper, unfortunately it's being overseen by SOE. As someone who has dabble into alot of MMORPGS, I can tell you that SOE is probably one of the worst publishers of the genre. They drove Star Wars: Galaxies into the ground, and Everquest 2 the same as well.

Underrated Moment Of Sony's Conference - The most underrated part of Sony's conference is what I consider to be the best part of the E3 conference. That LittleBigPlanet demonstration had me giggling in anticipation for getting my hands on the game. The fact that they were able to make a conference demonstration out of a video game is freakin awesome. I can't wait to get my creative hands on it, and making a level based on my room.

The famous if a little cliche' saying "This town ain't big enough for the two of us" might be a good summary of the state that video games are in right now. If you visit a video game forum, you'd know what I'm talking about. I was watching post coverage of Nintendo's E3 conference on G4 TV, where they interviewed Reggie Fils-Aime. One of the hosts asked Reggie about the lack of games being presented for the "core gamer". Reggie of course defended Nintendo's presentation by saying that their Animal Crossing announcement was the big announcement for Nintendo's core audience. The term 'core gamer' for most is translated into 'hardcore gamer'.

When first comparing the casual gamer market, and hardcore gamer market, one must first define what it means to be casual or hardcore. What truly makes a certain gamer hardcore or casual? Is someone who invests around 7 hours a day into Hello Kitty: Island Adventure considered casual because of the game they play. Or is someone who only likes to play World Of Warcraft(WoW) for 2 hours a day considered casual because of the shorter investment they put in. One argument against this line of reasoning could be that these examples are the exception to the norm, because most people who play WoW become addicted. Another interesting way to look at it is if Super Mario Bros. hadn't been released in the 1980's and was considered new in 2008, would you consider it a game catered to the casual gamer, or the core gamer? If I wrote this article on the psychological differences between casual and hardcore I could easily take up a few posts, so instead let's look at the marketing side of things.

Although the psychological boundaries between the casual and hardcore gamer is a pretty grey-area, the marketing aspect is as distinct as night and day. Let's take a look at two consoles which I believe represent each side of the video game spectrum, and how they catered/cater to each individual market.

Playstation 2 - Top Ten Selling Video Games
1 - Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
2 - Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec
3 - Grand Theft Auto III
4 - Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
5 - Gran Turismo 4
6 - Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
7 - Final Fantasy X
8 - Final Fantasy XII
9 - Kingdom Hearts
10 - Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King

Nintendo DS - Top Ten Selling Video Games
1 - Nintendogs
2 - Pokémon Diamond and Pearl
3 - New Super Mario Bros.
4 - Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!
5 - Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day!
6 - Mario Kart DS
7 - Animal Crossing: Wild World
8 - Super Mario 64 DS
9 - Big Brain Academy
10 - The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

Looking at the Top 10 sales charts for the Playstation 2 and Nintendo DS, you'll find (atleast in this writer's mind) the two systems that each represent the overall differences in marketing and game releases for casual/hardcore gamers. Here is when things get tricky, because when talking about casual or hardcore games, it's impossible to decipher the two by gameplay content. If you took a room full of people from different walks of life, their interpretation of hardcore vs. casual gameplay would be immensely different. Instead, to define what it means for a game to be considered for the casual/hardcore market, let's look at the average time investment that some of these games offer. The big titles that jump out when you talk about time differences is easily Metal Gear Solid 2 and Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day. Hell, Brain Age's time consumption is revealed in the title itself; they are basically saying that the enjoyment found in this game can be had in minutes. While, if you've ever played Metal Gear Solid 2, you'd know there are certain parts of the game that are just cut scenes that probably last longer than an entire sit through of Brain Age.

So how does this all play out for the future of the video game market? I believe that instead of the market separating, and each going in their different directions, I believe they are coming together. Satoru Iwata, President of Nintendo gave a perfect example at the E3 conference with the release of Mario Kart: Wii. The average play time of this game, if there were figures released I believe would show a massive fluctuation in time played. Another game I believe you could look at is one I just recently purchased, Burnout Paradise on the PS3 (or Xbox 360). In terms of time spent playing, I've had sessions that have lasted only 15 minutes and some for hours. In those 15 minutes I was able to be involved in parts of the game that were the exact same as the multi-hour sessions.

It is going to be very interesting to keep an eye on the video game market in the next couple of years. With the huge wave of free flash-based games hitting the market, and shorter time consuming games raking in money; Dylan said it best with 'Times they are a' changin'.

Tech Kills - The example I gave for Hello Kitty: Island Adventure, is from personal experience not a South Park reference

Ok, so Australia might have us beat in prudeness by way of banning Fallout 3 but we're not too far behind (America). One of the posts I put up yesterday was about a new Wiiware game coming out called Beer Pong. If you want a recap of what Beer Pong is about click here. Now onto the news about Beer Pong today, or should I say Pong Toss.

It shouldn't come as a surprise that the change was demanded by a US senator. We don't have Hilary Clinton or Joe Liebermann to lookout for this time, but a Conneticut senator by the name of Richard Blumenthal. Apparently Mr. Blumenthal wasn't too happy to hear that a video game was coming out that was based around drinking beer. Well to be fair he was just upset that the game received a 'T for Teen' rating.

As much as I'm upset at Blumenthal, I'm just as or even more so upset at JV Games for giving into the demands. Instead of stepping up and protecting their property by trying to get a 'M for Mature' rating (because 17 year olds drinking is a little better than 13 year olds), they are changing the name of the game and removing all references to alcohol. So now instead of keeping what made the game so fun in the first place, we have a game that just involves throwing ping pong balls into cups. From a financial point of view, JV Games had a much better chance of selling their game if they fought this than just giving in. Scandal and political outrage can only fuel a game's success (just look at the GTA series).

What's funny is that the only person/company that did the right thing was the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). The president of the ESRB came out and defended the original rating saying that alcohol played a minimal role in the game.

I don't want anyone to think that I actually thought Beer Pong was going to be all that great in the first place. Beer Pong in real life can get quite repetitive, so there's no telling how long it would take for a virtual representation of it to get boring. I just think it's sad that video games keep coming under constant attack from politicians who are just trying to beef their resume so people will vote for them next term. If this Blumenthal really cares about teens and their consumption of alcohol, how about speaking out against Hollywood and the countless PG-13 movies that have people and sometimes minors drinking.

In somewhat other related news, there's a rumor circulating that Jack Thompson might be fully disbarred. Thompson apparently sent out a mass email stating that the judge who was overseeing his disbarment case was seeking his permanent removal. Thompson was under review for tampering with evidence in key trials. This might shock some readers, but I'm actually kind of sad to hear this. I do believe that Jack Thompson is a few bricks shy of a full load. But I also think that Thompson really believes in his heart that video games are evil. Thompson had nothing really to win by his crusade against games, and I can respect that more than politicians using the fight as a way to make it seem like they "care about our children".

WiiBlog - Beer Pong is best enjoyed in the company of others...single player Beer Pong just makes you an alcoholic

We all know that the SEC is the "the" conference in college football. Therefore I'm looking to start a SEC only dynasty to capture the rivalries that the SEC is all about. We only have 12 spots that we can fill, but that's just enough to get some of the great conference games going. If you're interested, sign up here. I want everyone to be as active as possible, and all conference games must be played, with some of the fluff games being able to sim. When the game actually comes out, I'll decide on difficulty rules and quarter length. So if you're interested in getting caught up in some tough SEC matchups, please sign up and let's get it going. If enough people sign up, and it seems like this thing is going to get going I will create a union where we'll be able to keep up with stats and create a championship based system.

Name:
Email:
PSN:
Team:
Times Best Available (EST):

JohnnyV
jvinson@ientry.com
JohnnyV08
University Of Kentucky
6PM-12AM

SEC West
1-
2-
3-
4-
5-
6-

I'm not a huge stickler for dictionary usage, or even correct grammar alot of times. I sometimes make up my own language with such words as 'crizazy' - a more heightened meaning of crazy, or 'Stamos'd' - You've just been Stamos'd; what I say to a girl the next morning, like what I think my hero John Stamos says. Just because I have fun creating these words, doesn't mean I think they should be in the actual dictionary. This brings us to today's topic, the recent listings being added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary.

Every year about a hundred or so words get added to the already packed official dictionary. In the past years, there have been additions that have been suspect to say the least. In 2007, there was a laughable entry with the quasi-word 'w00t'. I've been seeing that word since about the late 90's, which was mostly uttered by 12-15 males who got a headshot in Unreal Tournament. You could also find it in numerous forums around the internet, again with 12-15 males arguing over who would win in a fight, Superman or The Incredible Hulk. I can't act all high and mighty, I use the word still to this day, and I'm 24 years old. But just because I use it, and people around the internet uses doesn't mean it should be made official and be allowed into the english language. If anything it makes our language ever dumber than it was, and takes away the mystique of 'w00t'; so nobody wins.

This year's technology based words aren't nearly as questionable as w00t, as the entries were webinar, malware, netroots, pretexting, and fanboys. Fanboy is the addition I'm most skeptical about, but this word unlike w00t has roots all the way back to the Star Trek days. If you've never met a fanboy, then you really must someday. These are the people that have entire rooms of their house dedicated to things like Star Wars, Star Trek or some other kind of science fiction. They are also the people you see dress up in costumes at comic book conventions, and wait 8-10 hours in a line to be the first to shake Leonard Nimoy's hand.

If I was a petition starting kind, I would be petitioning to stop Merriam Webster from adding "words" from l33t speak (leet speak, or geek speak) to our language. If you think 'w00t' is bad, then just wait until the slippery slope reaches terms such as OMGWTFBBQ, or ROFLcopters, or my personal fav, L33torz. So, for all of you who actually like to stand up for things please write Merriam Webster and let them know how disgusted you are over some of these entries. B4 u know the 3ng1ish l@ngu@g3 wi11 l00k lik dis.

Tech Believes - If you think you're a l33torz, then visit