Well, not technically from E3, actually from my living room, but nevermind that. Here's a quick round-up of vaguely interesting pre-show announcements, before the coverage begins properly tomorrow. Greg has covered the major console stories, so here's some stuff on games...
Photo by Jon Jordon
Just Cause Blimey, Eidos is back from the dead! And it has a new game, Just Cause, a free-roaming stealth shooter developed by Swedish outfit Avalanche studio.
"You take on the role of the flamboyant Rico Rodriguez - an undercover CIA operative specialising in regime change - as he tries to overthrow the corrupt government of San Esperito. This rogue South American island is suspected of stockpiling WMDs and it's your job to negate the threat to world peace. It could be to your advantage that this tropical paradise is about to implode as various factions vie for power - it just needs a gentle nudge in the right direction."
Remote island? Free-roaming gameplay? Cocky anti-hero? Why, it's… it's… it's Far Cry meets GTA!
There's a website here.
Revenge of the Bitmaps UK developer Macrospace has announced that it's bringing three classic Bitmap Brothers games to mobile: Speedball II, Xenon and, yes! (fist punches air), Chaos Engine!
"The first game to launch will be the mobile version of 'Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe', a violent and futuristic sports game which puts you in control of Brutal Deluxe, the newest team on the block. Your objective is to defeat all the other teams and claim the Speedball championship, but standing in your way are 9 opponents with the same aim in mind. Speedball 2 is a game where kicking and punching your way to victory is not only allowed, it's rewarded!
"For the mobile version, Bluetooth play modes have been added, allowing you to go head to head with friends and enemies. Also, players will be able to save and upload their favorite instant replay moments to the web. Speedball 2 will be one of the titles being showcased at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles, USA."
Well, fans of legendary early nineties Amiga games can come home from the show early - their needs have been satiated.
Capcom delivers Here's what the company had on show at its pre-E3 press conference:
Final Fight: Street Wise (PS2, Xbox) - 3D reincarnation for the classic fighting game. 'Street Wise'? does it involve a road safety theme?
Beat Down: Fists of Vengeance (PS2, Xbox) - Visceral beat 'em up adventure set in an urban hell patrolled by ruthless gangs. Hemel Hempstead perhaps?
Resident Evil Outbreak File #2 (PS2) - This is already out isn't it?
Mega Man Zero 4 (GBA) - Capcom's little mascot returns in another frenzied bout of Japan-centric 2D platforming.
Mega Man Battle Network 5: Team Protoman and Team Colonel (GBA) - Isometric battle fun. There's more info here if you're interested.
Resident Evil 4 (PS2) - Allegedly, the conversion process hasn't gone smoothly, but we can get our mits on it in October.
killer7 (GC, PS2) - Gorgeous, stylish grapic novel adventure from Shinji Mikami. Go here.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (DS) - Interesting court room drama game. Hey, is this a whole new videogame genre? More details here.
Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams (PS2) - Yep, it's back again. Here's the press release.
Devil May Cry 4 (PS3) - Just announced today, actually. A not altogether helpful press release is right here.
Devil Kings (PS2) - Hack 'n' slash adventure filled with ninjas and other swordsmen, apparently.
And from Clover Studio:
Okami (PS2) - Disarmingly beautiful historical adventure. View the screenshots and weep.
Viewtiful Joe DS (DS) - Viewtiful Joe and the DS? Can you imagine a more exciting combination?
Viewtiful Joe VFX Battle (PSP, GC) - First in the series to feature multiplayer competitive action. Gamespot has a few details here.
Quite a few mouthwatering morsels there. Capcom also announced another horror themed shoot 'em up to sit beside Haunting Ground. Dead Rising is a zombie blaster produced for the Xbox 360 by Onimusha creator, Keiji Inafune. Apparently inspired by Dawn of The Dead, the action follows freelance photo journalist Frank West who pursues a 'juicy lead' to a small suburban town and ends up trapped in the mall with hundreds of the shuffling undead. Hasn't Capcom got bored of cribbing Romero by now?
City Of The Dead And the zombie/Romero-related news doesn't end with Capcom. The forthcoming George A Romero-directed title, City of the Dead, developed by Kuju Interactive, has dragged itself to the show. It's based on, yes, a remote island. Which handily takes us back to where we began.
