Chomping at the bit to play Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on PC? Infinity Ward Creative Strategist Robert Bowling divulged a little bit of good and bad news concerning the game’s multiplayer. In a twitter update earlier today, Bowling reported that gamers wouldn’t have to wait to play it, as well as other bits of information.

“No delay on PC for Modern Warfare 2. You’ll also have Prestige Mode in PC as well as lots of Steam support. Hopefully min specs will be soon.”

However, that wasn’t all Bowling had to say today about the game. Hit the jump for what he had to say about its multiplayer and matchmaking elements.

Bowling then chatted with the guys at Bash and Slash on their podcast about multiplayer on the PC, discussing Infinity Ward’s new matchmaking system.

“We’ve been building up this system on the back-end called IWnet to allow matchmaking for our PC users as well, just like you have on a console that’s built in on Xbox Live and PSN but the PC never had it, so we’re building our own matchmaking so you can get in there and play with players your same rank.”

When asked if IWnet would interfere with the in-game browser, Bowling said something that caused messages of concern to pop up all over Infinity Ward’s forums from their users.

“At the time, we’re completely reliant on IWnet and there’s no dedicated server or server list. You rely on IWnet for matchmaking and finding your games.”

Bowling confirmed that although the game will work through Steam, the matchmaking aspect will not, saying that Steam will work in conjunction with IWnet. That also means MW2 will no longer be using Punkbuster, a popular anti-cheating mechanism, instead going for Steam’s VAC. He also went on to say that although there will be no dedicated servers, online matches can still be customizable through private matches.

So, PC gamers, how does this move to a proprietary, peer-to-peer matchmaking system influence your decision on this game? Is it still a first day purchase or are you going to wait to hear about IWnet?

Check out the unedited podcast here. Robert Bowling shows up at 1:40:00.

The above screenshot isn’t a fake. That’s PS3 boxart for the unnecessarily controversial sequel to Left4Dead.

Message boards came alive today as some eagle-eyed users found the listing on EA’s official website. While we’re normally skeptical about things like this (see recent ESRB ratings for Earthbound), it makes one wonder if something like this really is on the way.

So what do you say, PS3 owners? Are you ready for some zombie apocalypse in the deep south?

Update: Looks like it’s been taken off of the website.

To say that 2008 and the beginning of 2009 has been something of a rough time for Sony could be considered an understatement. Sony as a corporation posted its first revenue loss in 14 years and the Playstation 3, as well as the PSP, has been taking a beating from their competitors in the 360, Wii and DS.

This year, however, Sony hopes to remedy their woes with a slew of new titles and announcements at this year’s E3. Hit the jump to see how we think they did.

Games

Andrew: For the average gamer, this is the bread and butter of any press conference and I feel that Sony set out to show that average gamer why their system is the most diverse. While Microsoft spent most of its time talking about why they’re just now complete with the inclusion of titles Metal Gear Solid Rising, Sony spent its time both talking about why they already have been a complete platform and what they’re doing to make ripples in the gaming industry.

Now let it be known right off the bat that I own all three of today’s major systems, as well as a PSP and I have access to a DS Lite whenever I want. That being said, I feel that the sheer amount of games that Sony showed today was enough to make me excited for this year.

The show was set off into segments, first with the PSP, then to PSN and finally to PS3. Each of those segments had something that I really, really wanted to get my hands on. Being a die-hard Metal Gear fan, the idea of playing through the creation of Outer Heaven and controlling Big Boss again made me excited. For the PSN, while I was surprised there was no talk of Pixeljunk Shooter, I wanted to play ModNation Racers. And of course, God of War III and new title The Last Guardian made me excited for the exclusives Sony had to offer.

Oh and the live 256-player demo of MAG was ridiculously impressive.

Karen: As far as Sony goes, in the interest of the company, they played an impressive ball game. I echo a lot of Andrew’s sentiments, although Sony has always been an impressive diverse platform–since the days of PlayStation One with games like Ratchet and Clank and Gran Turismo. They needed no celebrities to amplify their game, with Hideo Kojima still playing favorites obviously with the inclusion of this new MGS game solely for the PSP. The trailer for that game completely blew my mind. For a kid whose brain explodes at the concept of going through new worlds, South America is a whole ‘nother territory that I am incredibly excited to play through with Big Boss.

They also hooked me in with the new game play for Assassin’s Creed II. Granted pictures have been out, but to see it in action definitely hyped me up. Also, having been a fervent admirer of Little Big Planet and Mario Kart, the creation of “ModNation Racers” is something I cannot wait to get my hands on. I really can’t wait for that. Just give me an awesome soundtrack and I am ready to build some new tracks to race on.

Overall, in terms of the amounts of new titles that were announced for Sony, it was a great way to get people to really connect with their PS3 and PSP–even if it was a little pricey. I loved the fact that they kept talking about the 10-year shelf life of their machines because it means they value the amount of money that their fans spend. Still, I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on a PSP Go.

Features and new announcements

Andrew: The things that Sony announced today as far as the hardware and services provided are concerned were pretty lackluster.

Jack Tretton, CEO and President of Sony, joked around that there were so many leaked announcements that he “was amazed anyone came” to the conference. Indeed, the new portable device from Sony called the PSP Go has already made its rounds through the internet and it was okay. I did like how they emphasized that every PSP game going forward will come in both download and UMD formats so both the PSP-3000 models (and lower) and the new PSP Go will be able to experience the same games, something Nintendo fans won’t be able to say about their DS Lites and DSis pretty soon. The PSP Go’s price point at $249.99 USD is a bit of a concern, however.

The announcement of new content partnerships with TV channels are usually the throw-away announcements during E3 and this year was no different. With the advent of Hulu and NBC online services being free on the internet, it boggles my mind why Sony and Microsoft bigwigs think the average consumer wants to pay for that same content.

And finally, throwing themselves into the fray known as motion controls, Sony showed off an early edition of their motion controller. While they boasted that the EyeToy was the first motion controller, every foray since by them, whether it’s the new iteration of the EyeToy or the SixAxis, has been mediocre. If the demo works as well as it did on the floor with nearly full 1:1 motion, that could be good.

Karen: Once again, it is very true that with large entertainment companies like Microsoft and Sony, they want to get their hands on everything. From TV to movies and video games, they want to be the entertainment center. However, as Andrew mentioned, the throw-away announcements are usually failed forays into other spheres of entertainment.

Thankfully, Sony did not waste their time on announcing connections to Last.Fm or Facebook (I blame that on the solitary attitude of the Japanese), but the inclusion of a new entertainment area to pay for downloadable content seemed laughable. It hasn’t worked for anyone in the media sphere, save for niche markets such as Rock Band downloads. (Editor’s note: LBP and SFIV not withstanding.) In addition, the PlayStation Home Network seemed a little too over the top, as a way to keep gamers in touch outside of the online content that other games have provided in years past.

However, it does bear repeating that Sony does value the money that its consumers spend, most notably with the creation of the PSP Go and the older models of the PSP. All current games will be recreated for both systems, and not even Nintendo could boast that. They seem to care, although I did pay for $249.99 USD when the first generation PSP came out.

To differ from Andrew, I did have a fair laugh at the Sony Motion Control announcement. It was cute and did seem to have better control than the Wii Motion Plus. Plus, I thought it was important to mention that they did have something important to show in terms of motion control–and didn’t explode people’s minds like Microsoft did. I’m a bit of a favoritist with Sony, and I thought it was a fair attempt at going into the next wave of video game technology. Better than Nintendo anyway.

Overall show

Andrew: Overall, the show was a success. While Microsoft’s show was all about showmanship and celebrities while dazzling you with high-octane trailers, Sony’s show was all about explaining why their system was awesome with the help of the people who make the games. Both styles are unique to the companies involved and that’s good for them.

I do feel that there were a couple things I wish I got to see. Why wasn’t there a teaser for David Jaffe’s new project (we all know it’s Twisted Metal)? What about more emphasis on the PSN exclusive games like aforementioned Pixeljunk Shooter or Fat Princess? Oh and…Hey, wait. WHERE WAS HEAVY RAIN?!?!

Strengths: Three part attack, MAG live demo, new MGS PSP game, GOD OF WAR III

Weaknesses: Felt like it ran on a bit too long, some boring segments concerning Playstation Home, their motion control scheme is still a long way away.

Overall grade: B+

Karen: In conclusion (apologies for making it sound like a paper), Sony provided stellar installments for a platform that is gaining ground as opposed to losing ground. They have maintained a positive point of view without becoming a little too pompous. It was important to note that Sony did not have to bring out the celebrities to get their point across. Sony is quietly confident, a great balance between the ostentatious Microsoft and the insecure Nintendo. They’ve made it this far because they’ve made wise choices and they’ve got fans in the dark depths of the video game sphere that even Microsoft and Nintendo can’t touch.

Honestly, I thought it was a little over the top to announce Final Fantasy XIV before even finishing Final Fantasy XIII, but they’re a little scared following the recession. Everyone is. But they’re playing it safe. And they know they’ve got great graphics, which is winning them fans. And integral amounts of creativity. I wish there was a little more from others, but I won’t say that I wasn’t wow-ed by a lot of the announcements.

Strengths: Placing value on platform versus technology, new MGS PSP game, LOADS OF NEW PSP GAMES, ModNation Racing, Sony Motion Control

Weaknesses: Useless Home network integration, multi-platform entertainment, too much time spent talking about a bajillion titles that we all know about

Overall grade: A-

While it was hard to go after the buzz that Microsoft generated, Nintendo held its own, albeit barely. By sticking to their award-winning family-oriented games that have held the top spot in the Nintendo franchise, they definitely played it safe.

Even though Microsoft used celebrities, Nintendo stuck with their own–namely Mario, Zelda and the surprise ending with Samus in the new Metroid. They introduced a few new things, such as the Wii Vitality Sensor and Wii Motion Plus. Check out our review of all things Nintendo after the jump.

Games

Karen: Wii Sports Resort looks like the games that we should have had when the Wii first came out, but the archery game seems interesting enough to use, as well as the basketball point game. I’m sure a lot of bros will be really into it. And dads. But they did generate a lot of excitement by sticking to their guns–the staples of the Nintendo franchise. A lot of people were surprised with the new Metroid game, including Andrew.

I was happy to see the inclusion of Super Mario Galaxy 2, because it meant I could use my Wii for a little longer and dust it off. The Kingdom Hearts announcement also excited a fair amount of people thanks to SquareEnix’s spread to all three platforms. There could have been better announcements in terms of games, but they tried to access every type of gamer out there–from those who would be excited for “The Conduit” to those who wanted to use the “Style Savvy” game for the Nintendo DS.

Frankly, I thought they could have done a little better than to introduce James Patterson for the DS. You already have great winners in the DS franchise such as Phoenix Wright and Professor Layton. Try for more originality.

Andrew: If there’s one thing this press conference made clear, it’s that Nintendo’s first party development team aren’t letting up. Names like Mario, Donkey Kong and Samus are going to ring true to the ears of young and old gamers alike for what might be as long as gaming exists. That’s not always a good thing, however.

When I saw Super Mario Galaxy 2, all I ask was why go back to the well? Mario could do a lot more. Why not go somewhere else? In that same vein, what they did with the new Metroid in allowing Team Ninja to work on it was an interesting change to a very beloved franchise.

The DS and DSi both were the strongest points of the press conference, offering up new titles that looked like they would be able to appeal to a mass audience. Golden Sun, Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story and Kingdom Hearts 358/2 were all great looking titles that made me interested. It was also nice to see some DSi exclusive titles, although the fact that they’ve fractured their consumer base with two different handhelds is something Nintendo shouldn’t have done so soon, when the DS Lite is still selling like crazy.

I know that’s just nit-picky but really, Nintendo’s been known to just go for the safe bet and not really try too much risk with their main characters. They’d rather let the third-party developers take most of the risk.

However, the risks Nintendo have taken on themselves have really helped put the company where they are now. It’d be ridiculous to say that the Wii itself wasn’t a risk and games like Wii Fit with their $90 price tag are enough of a risk. Right now, Nintendo seemingly can’t do wrong and as a company, that’s great. As a gamer, however, you have to look at what Nintendo’s offering you and really ask yourself if what they’re selling is what you want.

Features and new announcements

Karen: Nintendo failed to bring new things to the table, in terms of the “wow” factor and ingenuity. What they did instead was to bring improvements to the original Wii (i.e., fixing the problems that the Wii had to begin with… I still don’t understand how I kept winning Darts in Wario Ware). The Wii Vitality Sensor (or as N’Gai Croal called it the Mood Ring 2.0) was nothing new, and in fact, reminded me of a hospital.

Aside from that, the Wii Motion Plus was kind of a letdown. I was kind of upset that they just added new games to the Sports package, in a “nifty new package” called “Wii Sports Resort.” That was disappointing and did not add to the new technology of Wii, although it is still fairly ahead in terms of revolutionary gaming. I will give Nintendo that, but overall, the technology aspect fell flat on me.

Andrew: All I really can say about the new features that were shown today was that there weren’t many new things out there. They talked about Wii Motion Plus like it was a new thing. Let’s just pretend that they didn’t announce it last year and it’s still not out.

The Wii Vitality Sensor is such a batty idea. I don’t know how it could be used in a gameplay sense, other than the fitness titles. That’s where that kind of thing can shine and frankly, that’s pretty cool. Iwata-san said that it could be used to help people relax. I’d like to see this thing in action before I really judge it, but it’s just one of those things you tilt your head toward and ask what the meeting for that device was like.

Overall show

Karen: Nintendo made it a point to try and access every kind of gamer out there and make sure to get even the maybe gamers. But the thing is that in the process of spreading themselves around to everyone, they’re not hitting hard enough. Their inclusion of the Wii Vitality Sensor was nothing spectacular, but I’m curious to see what they will do with it, maybe even use it as a way to “smell fear” in their gamers (FATAL FRAME ANYONE?!).

Also, it was fairly disappointing to see the Wii Motion Plus because it just felt like it improved on what should have already been included in the system. Overall, Nintendo played it a little too safely, trying to hit every market they could. It wasn’t as spectacular as the introduction of the Wii.

But here’s to the future of the Wii–it won’t be anything like the Xbox 360 or the PS3, but it’ll stay around for a while. I mean, Mario can’t die. Or can he?! There is too much to Nintendo to truly let it die… Super Smash Bros. Brawl is still a good time, as is Mario Kart. Let’s hope that their forays into their treasured franchises prove to be as fruitful as those in the past.

Strengths: Keeping true to the franchises, expanding new stories on characters

Weaknesses: Staying entirely too safe, lack of new technology, overall flat performance

Overall grade: C

Andrew: This conference had a lot of opportunities for Nintendo to really wow the people watching it by showing us a ton of new ideas and games that we hadn’t heard of yet. Instead of finishing with a huge bang, we got the equivalent of a cap gun, thanks to three consecutive non-announcements of The Conduit, Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles and Dead Space: Extraction. All three of those are already known and all of them are shooters. Even then, The Conduit is the only traditional shooter out of the three, since the other two work more like light-gun shooters; something the Wii is already over-saturated with.

Sure the last two announcements of Super Mario Galaxy 2 and the new Metroid game will appeal to a mass audience. It just seems like Nintendo is self-aware to a fault. They know they don’t have to do too well at E3 anymore because they’ve tapped the elusive non-gamer. As long as they keep making the safe bets on games your average mom will buy their kid or will buy for themselves, Nintendo and just keep cranking out the dollar bills. As I said before: good for them, bad for old-school Nintendo fans.

Strengths: Really strong characters still strong after so long, quirky new peripherals

Weaknesses: They played it safe, no Starfox or other IPs, any news on Virtual Console?

Overall grade: C

It’s round two for today’s main press conferences as technology giant Sony gets set to show what they have planned at E3. Hit the jump and see a minute-by-minute update of the presser.

2:01: Sony live feed is up and running. We’re set to kick off the final press conference of the big three at E3. Waiting for the show to officially begin.

2:09: It’s starting.

2:11: Montage showing many games like Bayonetta, Brutal Legend, Uncharted 2, God of War 3 and Singstar: Queen.

2:13: Sony President and CEO Jack Tretton takes the stage. “Thank God you guys showed up. Given this industry’s ability to keep confidential industry information confidential, I was amazed anyone came.”

2:14: 364 games set to release to the Playstation systems this year.

2:16: Playstation games accounted for 30% of retail sales in ‘08.

2:17: Nearly 9 million PS2 users added last year. “”It continues to be a huge value for consumers.” PS2 will feature nearly 100 new titles this year.

2:19: 24 million new PSN accounts in 2008.

2:20: Tretton introduces Evan Wells from Naughty Dog to show Uncharted 2.

2:21: We see Nathan Drake near a pool. Members of the crowd are audibly cheering.

2:22: Graphically this game looks amazing. Just like its predecessor. Multiplayer beta starts tonight at midnight. Drake and his female partner are being shot at by an Apache attack chopper.

2:23: Nathan can now make cover for himself. There’s an intense firefight right now. Looks like there’s a lot more combat this go around.

2:26: Tretton introduces Andy Bodwin of Zipper Interactive to show live gameplay of the 256 player first person shooter, MAG.

2:27: Showing a live 256 player match. On stage there are a squad of 8 and they have their own mission in such a large battle. There’s an over-head “Platoon-Leader” view that shows a dot for each player on his team.

2:31: Spawn point moves forward as they press through the base. End of demo before the complete assault.

2:32: Tretton back on stage, talking about the PSP. Expect the PSPGo! coming up.

2:33: 15 Million users added for PSP last year, making it 50 million total. Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines coming to PSP on Nov. 10.

2:34: SCE CEO Kaz “Riiiiidge Racer” Hirai now takes the stage.

2:35: PSP Go! shown. Looks like Kaz has a white one.

2:36: “We have a couple of names for this little device. First is the ‘worst-kept secret of E3″ -Hirai. Says it won’t replace the PSP-3000 or UMD.

2:37: 50% smaller and 40% lighter than the PSP-1000. Has 16 GB of internal flash memory, built-in wi-fi, plays the same games and bluetooth capability.

2:38: Media Go is new PC content transfer program for PSP. Completely free.

2:39: Sense Me is a new music program for PSP which goes through your library and picks songs based on a mood you choose.

2:40: All PSP games will be up for download as well as UMD at retail. “All of the services and features are there for every device.” Sounds like they’re attacking on two fronts. That’s a little weird.

2:40: PSP Go will cost $249.99 in U.S. and Europe this October 1.

2:42: Kazunouri Yamauchi of Polyphony Digital takes the stage to show Gran Turismo for PSP.

2:44: Gran Turismo PSP will run at 60 FPS. “Gran Turismo contains 800 cars, 35 tracks and 60 layouts of those tracks.” Single-player modes contain time trials and a mode to improve driving skills.

2:45: “Though this is on a small piece of hardware, this is a full sized Gran Turismo game.” Up to 4 player multiplayer.

2:46: You can trade cars between players. “Because there is over 800 cars in the game, it will be fairly difficult to get all the games yourself. With the help of your friends, it will be much easier.”

2:48: Video shown for Gran Turismo PSP.

2:50: Gran Turismo will release on October 1 with the PSP Go. Hirai is talking about MGS. Hideo Kojima takes the stage.

2:51: “Snake is coming back on the PSP.” Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. Setting is in the 1970s. Woo! Big Boss! “This is a true sequel of the Metal Gear franchise.”

2:52: Kojima is writing the script and producing the game. MGS4 team will be working on this game as well. Trailer is showing.

2:53: Trailer starts with a nuke going off. Sweet deal. “Mutually assured destruction” brought up. My kind of trailer.

2:54: The game will focus on Outer Heaven. Lots of Big Boss sneaking around.

2:55: Four Big Bosses? What? Looks like there’s a new Metal Gear? Maybe it’s a UFO?

2:56: “They believed they were creating a paradise.” Trailer ends with multiple Snakes hiding in the same box. Game is coming out in 2010.

2:58: Jack Tretton takes the stage. Talks about Resident Evil: Portable for the PSP, made from the ground up for PSP. Releasing next year.

2:59: Mentions Little Big Planet, SOCOM, Motorstorm, Hannah Montana (some applause lol) and others. Trailer with footage from coming games of 2009.

3:00-3:03: LBP, Jak & Daxter, Motorstorm: Arctic Edge, Star Wars Battlefront, SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo 3, Soulcalibur, Madden NFL 10, some Petz games, Rock Band Unplugged and others are shown throughout the reel.

3:03: 24 million PSN users in 55 countries. Tretton is touting free access to PSN

3:04: PSone classics growing with 50 games coming this year. Final Fantasy 7 today!

3:05: Here comes the Playstation Home segment. Hard to keep my interest here. Over 6.5 million Playstation Home users worldwide. Over 100 new items each month.

3:07: Home montage is playing. Shows different areas modeled after games like Resident Evil and what I think is Rock Band.

3:08: Here comes the PS3 portion! Video of “what’s on tap for the Playstation 3″

3:09: Uncharted 2, Infamous, Madden NFL 10, Final Fantasy XIII, MAG, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Brutal Legend, White Knight Chronicles, Dirt 2, Overlord 2, Ghostbusters, Tekken 6, Overlord II, Red Faction Guerrilla, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10, Dark Void, G-Force, Planet 51, Karaoke Revolution, Heavy Rain, Battlefield 1943, Gravity CrashNinja Gaiden II Sigma, Mafia II, Buzz Quiz World, Hustle Kings, Trash Panic, Critter Crunch, Katamari Forever, Fat Princess, EyePet, Singstar: Queen just to name most of them.

3:14: Tretton talking about Rockstar. Introduces PS3 Exclusive Rockstar North game called Agent. Looks to be an espionage game set in the 1970s.

3:15: Assassin’s Creed II coming up. Live demo of the game.

3:16: Showing Enzio fly around the city with Leonardo DaVinci’s glider. Looks like you can dive into bales of hay still, although enemies can search for you in them now.

3:20: Looks like your targets still talk to you when you kill them but not nearly as much as the first game. Ooh, a smoke bomb. Enzio can swim to get away, too.

3:21: Assassin’s Creed II looks to come out this Holiday season.

3:21: Tretton comes back to intro a new FFXIII video.

3:23: Looks like just a story trailer. Beautiful visuals but I’d rather see some actual gameplay. Still looks like the Japanese RPG archetype of androgynous characters is still alive and well. “The whole world’s out to get us.”

3:24: Showing some battle footage. There’s no doubt this game will be a blockbuster.

3:25: Final Fantasy XIV announced by Tretton. Coming out 2010 and it’s an exclusive. Showing a trailer.

3:26: Trailer reveals the game is called Final Fantasy XIV Online. A new FF MMO on the PS3? “So there’s one that didn’t leak out, huh?” -Tretton

3:27: Tretton is talking motion controllers. Mentions EyeToy. Brings out two engineers involved with the PS3 motion controller. I wonder how they’re feeling after Project Natal.

3:29: Looks like a black Wii remote with a ball at the end. The ball is so the Playstation Eye will pick it up. Boasts 1:1 tracking.

3:32: Demo showing weapons, sports equipment and such in a fully 3D control scheme.

3:36: This is pretty interesting, actually. Of course this is all a tech demo but it’s interesting. Not as cool as what Microsoft showed but still.

3:38: Showing shriuken throws and shooting arrows with these controllers. Tech demo comes to an end.

3:39: Interesting set up. “See? Not everything got out.” -Tretton.

3:41: Tretton welcomes William Hoe and James Grieve from United Front Games to show ModNation Racers, a new title in the Play, Create and Share line.

3:43: Character and car creation at the forefront of this demo.  Graphics look great.

3:45: Track creation called Track Studio also part of this game. Looks like it’s pretty easy to create the track itself.

3:47: Track creation looks amazingly fun. ModNation Racers looks like it could be a good game.

3:50: ModNation Racers is comign out 2010.

3:51: Tretton introduces a trailer for The Last Guardian, a game from the makers of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus.

3:53: Shows a young boy and a large dog/lizard looking thing. It’s a more polished trailer than the one that leaked a while ago.

3:54: Looks like the kind of story about a boy and his dog. This team knows how to make touching looking characters out of a speech-less story.

3:55: Combat is shown. The landscape is lush and beautiful. Has the same feel as Shadow of the Colossus.

3:56: Gran Turismo 5 trailer.

3:57: Que your average high speed, high res trailer of cars racing in lavish environments.

3:58: Tretton introduces God of War III. FINALLY.

3:59: Looks like we’re getting a live demo of the game. Kratos looks ridiculously detailed. Enemies are barrelling toward Kratos and he quickly dispatches them.

4:01: Harpies are back and we get a glimpse at Helios fighting one of the Titans. Looks like Kratos still has the wings of Icarus.

4:02: Kratos has some new moves. Nice. He’s taking on a centaur now.

4:03: Wow, he completely eviscerated the centaur. Brutal.

4:05: I don’t know what he’s killing but it looks mighty painful.

4:06: The demo gets cut short and the crowd is audibly disappointed. That game looks absolutely nuts and is due in 2010.

4:06: “Other companies ask you to imagine the future of gaming and we’ve had the pleasure of showing you the future of gaming.”

And there ends the conference. The three have shown their hands and now it’s up to the rest of us to see what will come from them. Stick around as we hand out our grades for the Nintendo and Sony conferences.

Yesterday’s conferences for Microsoft, EA and Ubisoft were chock full of interesting revelations. How will Nintendo and Sony try to come back against Microsoft’s blockbuster announcements? Hit the jump to find out. (All times are EST)

12:05: Cammie Dunaway of Nintendo is on stage talking about how gaming has become everyone’s game.

12:07: Mario compilation on screen. New Mario coming?

12:09: New Super Mario Brothers Wii announced. Four player co-op being shown.

12:10: Seemless co-op integration of single player. Propellor suit shown; lets players jump higher and float down slowly. 4 player action looks kinda chaotic.

12:12: Player scores are tallied at end of round.

12:13: New Super Mario Wii will be available this Holiday season

12:14: Wii Fit Plus announced.

12:15: Six new strength and yoga activities. Looks to be tailored to the user. Will keep track about the calories burned.

12:16: New balance games.

12:17: Wii Fit Plus available Fall 2009 as a standalone and bundled with the balance board.

12:18: Reggie Fils-Aime now on stage. “The primary weapon for all of this is interface.” Looks like he’s talking about a new control scheme.

12:19: False alarm. Just talking about Wii Motion Plus.

12:22: Montage on how Wii Motion Plus will be great. Apparently it will make us into a katana wielding samurai. An archer, golfer and jetski rider are shown for Wii Sports Resport.

12:24: Bill Trinnen talking about Wii Sports Plus now. Shows skydiving at the beginning of Wii Sports Resort.

12:27: Watching Trinnen play archery in Wii Sports Resort. Have to take into account aim, wind and a moving target.

12:29: Trinnen is now playing a basketball 3 point contest with Reggie. Fils-Aime came out to talk some trash but he’s getting beaten.

12:30: Reggie came back from nowhere to win. Wii Sports Resort comes out July 26th.

12:32: “Last year in America, more third party games were sold for the Wii than any other platform.” No talk about how many were actually good.

12:33: New Final Fantasy for Wii. It’s an open-word adventure titled Final Fantasy: The Crystal Bearers.

12:34: Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days for DS. Graphics look amazing. Coming out Sept. 29.

12:35: Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story is a DS RPG game thath as Mario and Luigi shrunk down and eaten by Bowser.

12:36: M&L:BIS coming out this Fall.

12:37: Golden Sun DS announced. Will arrive in 2010.

12:38: James Patterson’s Women’s Murder Club: Games of Passion announced as an interactive novel. Has interrogation, investigation and mystery solving.

12:40: COP: The Recruit by Ubisoft announced. Looks to have third person shooting and driving elements in a 3D open-world.

12:42: Style Savvy shown for tweens and 20-somethings. Looks like mostly fashion based mini-games. Players can make boutiques and shop in each other’s shops.

12:44: Montage about why people love the DSi.

12:45: DSi sales are at 1 million units sold since launch. Since DSi’s launch, the DS Lite has seen an increase of 400,000 units.

12:47: Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again. Available only as a download via DSiWare for DSi on June 8.

12:48: Wario Ware DIY. Showing micro-game creation side of the game.

12:49: You can share photos edited on your DSi on Facebook. Man, game companies love the book of faces.

12:50: The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Track will be playable on the show floor. No video on the game?

12:50: Everyone’s Game montage showing all the different reasons why Nintendo hits a mass audience.

12:51: Cammie Dunaway announces Nintendo President Satoru Iwata.

12:52: Iwata talking about the audience growth movement. Saying the “maybe I’ll play people” are the ones to get.

12:53: There are currently 295 million people in Japan, U.S. and Europe who play. “For every two people now playing, there’s one more just waiting to jump into the game.”

12:56: “No one was born an expert gamer.” -Iwata-san.

12:58: Iwata-san announces Wii Vitality Sensor. Looks like something you put your finger into to measure your pulse. It connects to the Wii Remote through the nunchuk port.

12:59: “Maybe everyone in our stressful society can use this as a way to relax with a videogame.” -Iwata-san

1:01: Another Super Mario game announced for the Wii. Video shows Yoshi is involved now.

1:02: Looks like another Super Mario Galaxy for the Wii.

1:03: Yep. Super Mario Galaxy 2.

1:04: Reggie Fils-Aime back out on stage. “I read the blogs too.” Haha. Talking about titles with a little bit of a “harder edge.”

1:05: The Conduit is being shown.

1:06: Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles being shown now. It’s a Resident Evil 2/Code Veronica on-rails shooter. That’s cool and all but where are the new announcements?

1:07: Now for another non-announcement, Dead Space: Extraction.

1:09: Fils-Aime is announcing a new Team Ninja game.

1:10: Metroid: Other M. Team Ninja’s doing a Metroid game?! What the hell? Was that Samus’ voice?

1:11: Coming in 2010.

And that looks to be it for Nintendo. There looks to be a lot of interesting new titles coming. Be on the look out as we give each conference our grade.

This morning, I woke up not really expecting much from Microsoft this E3. Sure, they’d had a good year against their rival Sony, but Nintendo was dominating the market. It was pretty easy to tell that this conference was going to be less about their strategy against the PS3 and more so against the Wii.

Now that the dust has settled and the E3 Expo is now in full swing, it’s time for us here at MG to look at what Microsoft showed. Hit the break for what we liked, what we didn’t like and what we were blown away by.

Games

Normally the Xbox 360’s announcement lineup at E3 has been a pretty solid one. Past years had revelations like exclusive GTAIV DLC and Final Fantasy XIII no longer being a PS3 exclusive that blew up the gaming blogosphere. This year, I feel like Microsoft really played it safe. Instead on focusing on the wide library of games they’ll have (including exclusives), this year they spent a good portion of their conference talking about the exclusives. With the showing of Alan Wake and Halo 3: ODST (and Halo Reach), I feel that their showing of exclusives were very interesting to say the least, even if the release dates are seemingly way off in the distance.

The Beatles: Rock Band was a great way to kick off the conference, as I think it was able to set the tone for the entire thing. Here’s a band known to almost everyone on the planet and this game is going to allow the fans to be one of the Fab Four. The visual style just oozed creativity while still staying true to the different eras of the Beatles’ career. This was also a big point for me because I love to sing and the game has three-part harmonies.

I was a little surprised that Final Fantasy XIII got as little time as it did. Last year was the big reveal that Microsoft had taken the exclusivity rights away from Sony. You’d think they would have spent a little more time showing it off in all its glory through the 360. What we did get to see was cool but it would have been nice to see a little more. Maybe a little bit more of the characters?

I was also a little bothered by there already being a Left4Dead 2. It seems like there should be more time spent with additions to the current L4D, even if the new one is set in the still ravaged New Orleans.

Still, I really liked the footage of Modern Warfare 2 and I’m sure there will be many more months of insane speculation over the next Metal Gear. Not to mention Crackdown 2. I’m really excited for that one.

New features

With the additions of Last.fm, facebook and twitter to the current menu of Xbox 360’s exclusive features, it’s pretty evident that Microsoft really wants to make their box the entertainment box in the household. It’s getting pretty ridiculous how twitter’s ubiquity has even come to the gaming market but when you think about the average person who tweets, I’d say it’s a safe assumption that they’re technologically apt. Only time will tell if this will be used much or at a widespread scale though because I personally see twitter as something you can do on the go. Why would anyone want to sit in front of their TVs to watch updates when they could be in the real world, tweeting about their experiences?

I also think the instant 1080p HD movies through Netflix will be a nightmare for ISPs. I only wonder if the immediacy of the content will be delivered through streaming or will it be utilized like that OnLive service that was announced at CES. That seems like the most tangible solution to the bandwidth restrictions. Nice to see that even their current partnership with Netflix is getting upgraded. Here’s to hoping that us lowly Xbox Live Silver members will be able to use one or two of these.

Let’s not even talk about Project Natal. That whole thing could either revolutionize we play games or will become the next Seaman from Dreamcast. Either way, it’s amazing and I personally hope it will be utilized to its fullest.

Overall show

Microsoft’s conference was pretty much not what I’d expected going into it. I expected them to be all about how they were beating Sony and that their new competition was the Wii, which was somewhat true. They stuck to their guns about the exclusives they were able to secure and threw around a couple of additions to extablished series. No one could have seen Project Natal coming at all. That thing is absolutely crazy and had be both excited and fearful for the eventual rise of our robot overlords.

Strengths: Strong exclusives and continuations. Splinter Cell: Conviction looks amazing and Alan Wake was pleasant. Project Natal blew my face off and the social networking partnerships is something that makes this journalism graduate excited, although I’m afraid of what stupid things people will do on Xbox Live.

Weaknesses: I would have liked to see how they’re comparing to the other companies. it’s great that they didn’t have any stuffy charts or figures but these conferences are a time for them to flex nuts and tell the average consumer/stockholder why they’re the best. I think a little more focus on new properties would have been cool too.

All in all, the conference was a very well thought out and amazing show of what Microsoft had in store, both for the future of gaming and the future of the company.

Overall grade: A-

I know there has been a lot of talk about Microsoft’s new Project Natal all over the web but to fully understand this, you have to see it in action.

Hit the jump for the footage of Peter Molyneux and the A.I. known as “Milo”, possibly one the craziest moment of the day so far. Sorry in advance for the low quality.

Expect to see a better quality version of it later today.

Microsoft Press Conference stage. (Photo from Kotaku)

Although the majority of live blogs out there on the internet will be writtern by people actually in attendance at E3, we here at MG unfortunately didn’t have the funds to get out to the show. That doesn’t mean that we can’t give you an up to the minute account of what we see over the live feed.

1:25: Getting the live stream up. We’re experiencing some technical difficulties but there’s more than one way to skin a cat.

1:32: Still have technical problems. Beatles: Rock Band is being played on stage. Graphics are interesting and there are vocal harmonies confirmed.

1:37: 10 songs in the game: Saw Her Standing There, I Wanna Hold Your Hand, I Feel Fine, Day Tripper, Taxman, I Am the Walrus, Back in the U.S.S.R., Octopus’ Garden, Here Comes the Sun and Get Back.

1:40: Full albums are confirmed, of course. The first album will be “Abbey Road” in its entirety and “All You Need is Love” will be an Xbox 360 exclusive with proceeds going to Doctors Without Borders.

1:41: Yoko Ono?! Really?! That’s dumb as hell. “We love you both” says guy. Speak for yourself.

1:42: They just fixed the problem by putting Paul Mccartney and Ringo Starr out on stage.

1:44: Well, that was awkward.

1:45: John Schaffard, Microsoft VP. “You are going to see 10 exclusives.”

1:46: Tony Hawk is back out on E3’s stage. Seems to be a yearly thing. Showing the skateboard peripheral for the new Tony  Hawk Ride game.

1:49: That was weird. The feed cut out so we went elsewhere for it. Right now, Modern Warfare 2.

1:50: Snowy climate. Jet fighters going over head. The character you played as in the first is now your captain. Great to see that.

1:53: Visibility in this level is low and the game has a radar-like attachment.

1:54: Bang, bang! Firefight. “That thing’s about to blow, make a run for it!” -Captain Mc.Tavish

1:55: Enemies on snowmobiles. I think I’ve seen this in a movie before. Still doesn’t deter from the badass-ness.

1:56: Aw damn. Now you get on the snowmobile. Looks like it’s character controlled. You can shoot while riding. This is intense. End of demo.

1:57: Two map packs coming out exclusively on Xbox Live first. Then later for PS3.

1:58: Final Fantasy XIII now on stage. Producer and director are out with a translator.

1:59: First look at FFXIII running on 360.

2:00: CHOCOBO! English voice overs. Looks like the PS3 demo.

2:00: Characters named “Lightning” and “Suz”? Yep. It’s Japanese. Four active time gauges, allowing for wider attack tactics.

2:01: Odin is being summoned. Looks like you can attack while using the summon.

2:02: Aiming for a Spring 2010 release.

2:03: Donald Mustard and Cliffy  B out on stage now. First Epic live arcade title, “Shadow Complex.”

2:04: Looks like a side-scrolling 3-d game. Wow, the map is ridiculously large. Reminds me of Castlevania: SOTN with guns. “The campaign is over 10 hours long with a ton of replayability.” -Cliffy B.

2:05: Boss battle shown. Looks to show up on XBLA this Summer.

2:06: JoyRide up. It’s a cartoony racing game using Xbox 360 avatars. Looks to be something for the younger audiences. It will be free to download and play but there will be premium DLC. Coming to XBLA this Winter.

2:08: Is this Crackdown 2?! Looks like it’s taken a bit of a departure from the first. Weird with some kind of sickness.

2:09: Wow, Left 4 Dead 2! New melee weapons. Looks to be set in the Deep South.

2:10: Splinter Cell: Conviction up now. Obviously not gameplay footage.  Looks crazy. This has a lot of action movie cliches and one-liners. Looks sick though. Sam Fisher’s pissed.

2:12: Gameplay footage on now. Crazy interrogation scene in the bathroom.

2:14: Wow, he’s on a mission. People getting shot left and right. This just turned into a must-play.

2:15: EMP Grenade to shut down all electricity. Lots of flashbacks showing up on the walls to drive the story. Sam’s mad about the death of his daughter.

2:17: Released this Fall exclusively on Xbox 360.

2:18: Forza Motorsport 3. Big surprise. Short video followed by Dan Greenwald of Turn 10 coming out with an Audi V10.

2:19: Graphically impressive. Has a full on cockpit view like PGR 3 and 4 had. The guy driving sucked however and rolled his car.

2:20: Running at 60 FPS. 400 manufacturers and 50 car manufacturers.

2:21: Showing customization aspect. One million cars were traded in Forza. I wonder if they’ll show the Swastika Car. Doubt it though.

2:22: Video editor in  FM3. Showing what can be created in the editor. This is almost too well done to be true. I don’t know what regular gamers will be able to do with this.

2:25: Joe  Staten of Bungie out there. Halo 3: ODST shown. We’re watching an actual drop. Looks like it went bad.

2:26: The game takes place weeks before Halo 3. Your character is a rookie seperated from his team in New Mombasa.

2:27. Low-light vision and sound supressed weaponry.

2:28: Wow, the pistol has a zooming functionality and silencer. You  fight as other ODSTs as well. Now seeing the fight through the eyes of Dutch. Looks like he’s a demolition expert.

2:30: Halo 3: ODST coming out 9/22. New Halo project being announced now.

2:31: Halo Reach. Comes out in 2010. Having read the book, this is going to be absolutely insane.

2:32: Purchases of Halo 3: ODST will give access to the Halo Reach beta.

2:33: All in-game footage of  Alan Wake now! Hell yes!

2:34: Looks  like they’re trying to make it look like a TV show. There’s narration from Alan Wake. Even throught the crappy stream quality I can see the graphics look great.

2:35: Looks like the flashlight plays an integra role in gameplay.

2:38: Coming out in Spring 2010.

2:39: Last.fm and  Xbox Live partnership. Only for Xbox Live Gold members for free. Looks like I’m out of that one.

2:40: Netflix: You can add movies to your queue without going to your PC.

2:41: UK & Europe getting partnership with Sky TV so they can have a comparable service. This looks more like digital cable and it’s not at a premium cost.

2:42: 1080p HD video and every movie and tv show will be able to play instantly. Talk about competition for Blu-Ray. Video store will be relaunched as Zune HD.

2:43: Party system for people wanting to watch tv or videos so you can watch with friends.

2:44: Facebook partnership as well?! What the hell?!

2:45: FELICIA DAY! SOOO HOT. She’s showing us Facebook for the 360.

2:47: Twitter on Xbox Live now?! This is getting ridiculous. The interface is cool looking though. Just like Facebook, it’s an instant update. Coming this Fall.

2:50: HIDEO KOJIMA OUT ON STAGE! RON WORKMAN WAS RIGHT!

2:51: Metal Gear Solid Rising is next. No Solid Snake.

2:52: Next game is about Raiden. So what about the Big Boss picture?

2:53: Great. Talk about motion controls.

2:54: Motion controls are not what you think. There’s a sensor bar that shows personal movements. Shows people driving with their hands with no controls.

2:55: Full body motion capture. This is absolutely nuts. Shown racing and skating.

2:56: Facial recognition. You can pick up and grab things on the screen.

2:57: Voice recognition as well. Looks like you can control the New Xbox Live Experience with your hands and turn off the console with voice. Just a concept video but wow, that’s cool.

2:58: This whole thing is called Project Natal. Sensor tracks 3d movement and voice. Natal will work with every 360 they’ve sold and will sell.

2:59: “We can leap into the new era of entertainment without having to release a new console.”

3:00: Stephen Spielberg on stage now. “Still, 60% of households don’t have a gaming console.”

3:03: Dashboard demo of Project Natal. Recognizes his face and signs him in automatically.

3:04: Showing movement through the menus. Wow, now they’re showing a game with this project. I’m speechless. This is like that show Nick Arcade on steroids.

3:06: “No need for waggle controls.” DAYUM, SON! Awesome dig against Ninty.

3:07: 3d art demo called Paint Party. It’s impressive to see the movement actually showing up on screen.

3:10: He just painted an elephant on the plains of Africa. This is absolutely insane but I can see so many dick pictures all over Xbox Live already. Be afraid, Nintendo. Be very afraid.

3:11: Peter Molyneux coming out on stage to show his interaction with Project Natal.

3:12: “What we want to create is a connection between our worlds.”

3:13: Showing a video at Lionhead Studios. It’s showing a character on screen recognizing emotions, voice and such. “Milo” is actually speaking with the actual person.

3:15: Every hand movement in water is being recognized

3:16: The girl drew on a piece of paper, put it up to the camera and Milo picked up the piece of paper, saw the picture and commented on it. As they were leaving, Milo told the woman to say happy birthday to her mother.

3:17: This whole thing will be shown behind closed doors at E3. This is absolutely insane.

3:19: That’s about it. Live feed is over.

When news hit that 1up’s Garnett Lee was going to be in New York for Comic Con, I admittedly lost my cool for a bit. Not only was 1up and its now cancelled publication EGM my favorite outlet for gaming news, it was also home to some of my favorite podcasts of all time. Podcasts like 1up Yours and 1upFM were great weekly “radio” shows that really understood the gaming world, which makes sense, since EGM was nearing its 20th anniversary and they’d covered a couple generations worth of gaming technology.

I got to meet up with Lee at NYC’s Stitch Bar on West 37th Street. I likened the fan reaction to that of either him being the prettiest girl in the bar or the man of the hour. Every dude there was buying this guy drinks and being the humble guy that he is, Lee was taken aback by the outpouring of appreciation. Luckily, I got to “interview” him on the spot. Hit the jump for the audio and now one of my most prized pictures.

MG\’s Andrew meets up with 1up’s Garnet Lee

MG's Andrew with 1up's Garnett Lee outside the Stitch

Needless to say, this was the perfect ending to an amazing weekend.