We'llbe live-blogging the three major press conferences of E3 – Microsoft (Monday, 10:30am PST), Nintendo (Tuesday, 9:00am PST) and Sony (Tuesday, 11:00am). Naturally we’ll be here all week reporting every scrap of information we can about the biggest and loudest E3 in years.
Follow along LIVE at the appropriate time, and sound off in our comments section at the bottom of the page!
Brett Elston: Hey there! First time we're hitting this live - right now they're showing demo footage of Rock Band Beatles, due 9-9-09
10:32
Visually similar to past Rock Band titles, but now the vocal track looks more like Lips, with solid grey background and colored vocal bars
10:33
"Day Tripper" is the song currently blasting from every angle of the room
10:34
The "infamous" Giles Martin is on the stage now
10:34
Revealing 10 songs today
10:34
I Saw Her Standing There
10:35
I Want to Hold Your Hand
10:35
I Feel Fine
10:35
The aforementioned Day Tripper, plus Taxman and I Am the Walrus
10:36
Back in the USSR, Here Comes the Sun, Octopus's Garden
10:37
Get Back, all sung by young CG Beatles, applause asplode
10:37
Full Abbey Road album available after launch, plus "All You Need is Love" is exclusive to Xbox Live, proceeds donated to Doctors Without Borders
10:38
FYI: Giles Martin is the son of George Martin, longtime Beatles producer
10:39
Yoko Ono just popped in, then left
10:39
Oh, here's Paul and Ringo!
10:39
CROWD DETONATION
10:43
Tony Hawk onstage now
10:44
Ringo - "Game looks great, graphics look great... we look great!"
10:44
Tony Hawk premiering new skateboard controller shipping with Tony Hawk Ride
10:45
Demo reel of top skaters praising skating in general
10:46
Tony Hawk reverting, squatting with controller, board looks like skate deck without wheels
10:46
Push, turn, flip, loads of difficulty options
10:47
Visuals of the game itself look like Proving Ground-era
10:47
Board itself is pretty sleek
10:48
Mikel Reparaz: So far this is all third party stuff.... where are the exclusives?
10:49
Modern Warfare 2 screaming at us now,furtering Mikel's point
10:49
Mostly the same ball-smashing footage from the trailer last week
10:49
11.10.09 for Modern Warfare 2, BTW
10:51
Captain McTavish braving some snowy mountain ledge with the player, usual tense-as-hell situations and music we saw in CoD4
10:51
Climbing a sheer wall of ice... parts above you break off OH NO.... wait you're ok
10:52
And that snow was louder than a god damn truck exploding
10:52
Mikel: Exclusive or no, I like the look of this ice climbing mission ("Cliffhanger"). It's like Ghillies in the Mist, only with icy cliff climbing.
10:52
Mikel: Also, Soap is now your leader, apparently. And he has a face.
10:53
Spiffy new motion detecting gun, tracking the enemy
10:53
Mikel: The Aliens-style motion sensor on the gun is pretty cool, too.
10:54
Weather is so bad the enemies don't even notice they're infiltrating... practically invisible
10:54
Something just went to shit! Takin' cover and firing!
10:55
Just as gorgeously smooth as the previous CoD4, looks fantastic in motion
10:55
Battling on an airstrip, grounded planes going up in flames in the crossfire
10:56
Oh man... escaping on a snowmobile
10:57
Zooming down the mountain, wind flapping your coat arms as you fire. Intense!
10:57
Mikel: Sideways-fired machine pistol while riding snowmobile elicits hoots of approval from the audience.
10:57
Infinity Ward will release two map packs FIRST on Xbox Live
10:57
Looks like more Final Fantasy XIII talk. The prompter just switched to Japanese
10:58
Did you know Final Fantasy has sold 85 million units worldwide? You do now.
10:59
First 360 footage airing now, cutsceeeeenes
11:00
In-game now, Lightning and Sazh fighting a mech boss, looks like a living airship
11:00
With saw arms
11:00
Mikel: The little baby Chocobo that popped up next to Sazh Kitzroy's head was a cute touch. Not sure what its significance is, though.
11:01
Summoning Odin... which usually means something's gonna die
11:01
Looks like FFX's summon system, or perhaps XII, where the summoned monster obeys your commands
11:01
Mikel: Hey, that's kind of cool. The summon actually participates in the battle, rather than just being an unskippable cutscene-thing.
11:02
Targeting a Spring 2010 release... how many years is that now? Three? Four?
11:02
Oh exclusives are in effect now - here on out are 360-only
11:03
Epic Games, Mr. Cliff "B" Cliffy B "Cliff" announcing XBLA tiutle
11:03
TITLE
11:04
Audio problems.... game is called Shadow Complex
11:04
Oh nice, it looks like a 2D, animation-heavy game in the style of Flashback, Out of This World, mixed with Contra-style shooting
11:05
120 hidden items, 10 hour campaign
11:05
Graphics remind us of Bionic Commando Rearmed, high-res 2D awesomeness
11:05
Mikel: Looks very Metroid style, with a huge 2D map and weapons that can be used to enable more exploration.
11:06
Joy Ride up now... from Microsoft Game Studios
11:06
Use your Xbox Avatar to race... and "trick out your ride, catch huge air, and drive your Avatar wild!"
11:06
XBLA title, that Joy Ride
11:07
Mikel: looks to take place in the same Death Valley that all the Road Runner cartoons were set in.
11:07
Coming this winter to XBLA
11:07
Something about franchises now...
11:08
Crackdown 2???
11:08
Cop dude running up buildings, jumping from roof to roof... gotta say yes
11:09
Yep! Sure is! Crowd suddenly remembers they liked Crackdown
11:09
OH SHIT Left 4 Dead 2!
11:09
New voiceover by new cast
11:09
"If we run out of bullets... they gonna wish we hadn't"
11:10
Because you now have chainsaws in L4D2, only on Xbox and PC
11:10
And now something from Ubi
11:10
Gonna guess Splinter Cell
11:10
Yep, "Conviction" revealed, cue the opera music!
11:11
Shootout in the Lincoln Memorial, old man Fisher jumping through windows
11:12
Movie-quality CG there, movies looked fantastic
11:12
E3 demo starting now... already someone's face in a urinal
11:13
Opening very much like Casino Royale... Sam beating information about of a thug
11:13
Mikel: Interrogation looks very close-up and strangely intimate - sort of like the hand-to-hand fights in The Bourne Conspiracy.
11:14
Mikel: Hopefully it's like that for the rest of the game, all smashing dude's faces into mirrors and sinks.
11:14
New ability - Mark and Execute
11:14
Each environment is said to be a small sandbox, allowing multiple ways in and out
11:16
Unique effect - guy was giving up information on his boss, and images of him flashed on the walls, surrounding you with evil deeds he's done
11:17
Gunplay got too hot, Sam dives out window, hand-over-hand on the windowsill to another entrance
11:17
Demo ends with Sam caught - GAME OVER?
11:17
Mikel: Mission objectives and... words denoting Sam's thoughts?... are projected onto walls as he sneaks through the level. It makes for a pretty moody effect.
11:18
Racing now - Forza Motorsport 3, "the defining racing game of this generation"
11:19
Dan Greenawalt on the stage now, talkin' thrills and passion of cars
11:19
Chris Antista: Forza 3 or Joyride? my inner racist is conflicted!
11:20
In-the-cab view shows realtime mirrors, car took a tap and flipped. Sub woofer rattled my fillings into my brain
11:21
Ol' Dan's saying this is the prettiest racer yet
11:22
New community features, testimonials from Forza painters, designers, people who use the car creation to make one-of-a-kind rides
11:22
Yep, those are nice lookin' cars....
11:23
Chris: Forza 3 certainly looks way prettier, larger too. Plus the last game had no substanital wrekage. Also: Bouncing Cars!!!!!!!!!
11:24
So now we're watching million dollar cars Square Dance on the highway
11:24
And I think that woofer just shook loose all the undigested food lodged in my guts
11:24
Coming this October
11:24
Mikel: I bet playing it at home won't actually make our legs vibrate when we crash. Unless we have a theater-level sound system.
11:25
Joe Staten telling us to buckle up and prepare to drop... because Halo ODST is up!
11:26
Opening scene is you in the drop pod, screaming out of high orbit and crashing down in a very CoD4-esque moment
11:26
Starts weeks before Halo 3, playing a rookie separated from his team. Lot of ground to cover, look for unexpected help
11:27
Familiar HUD, grenades, spikes, plasma etc. Plus a Metroid-style visor and the Halo 1 pistol
11:27
Eric Bratcher: Unexpected help. Meaning... Master Chief? He was in suspended animation or something at the start of Halo, right?
11:28
Points of view change througout, play as another ODST named Dutch.
11:29
Trying to destroy a bridge now, under fire from Banshees
11:30
9.22.09 worldwide, plus... something else from Bungie
11:30
It's all dark.... uh oh
11:31
Planet burning up... reduced to cinders
11:31
Halo Reach, Falls 2010
11:32
Hesitant applause....
11:32
When you buy ODST, you get access to Reach multiplayer beta
11:32
Hey kids how about more Halo? OK, now how about MORE Halo?
11:33
Sam Lake on the stage now... Alan Wake is a-talkin' and looking for his wife.
11:34
Wow, foggy town full of scary secrets. Silent Wake!
11:35
Creepy telekinetic ghosts or something... launching stray equipment at Alan as he runs away
11:36
Mikel: Looks like a much slicker, moodier version of Alone in the Dark. Kind of like that game crossed with Silent Hill, set in a piny Northwestern backyard.
11:36
Mikel: Lots of whispers now.
11:37
Mikel: Looks like Alan's fighting... evil, shadowy lumberjacks? They're plenty creepy, though. There's a sort of urgent, Blair Witch meets Ico vibe to the action. Apparently light drives away the shadow creatures.
11:38
Alan's flashlight appears to roast these things on impact
11:38
Eric: I NEED a flashlight like that
11:38
Mikel: Everything screams and sparks and whines mechanically. It lurches. It's a little terrifying.
11:39
"Alan, wake up" and we're back to the conference. Coming spring 2010
11:39
Mikel: Lumberjacks are hacking away at the doors to the house where Alan's taken refuge. And now they're driving a bulldozer into it. I think that's the first horror game of this generation that I'm actually interested in. Maybe excepting Siren.
11:39
Music is coming to Xbox Live via LastFM
11:39
"Radio Stations" section on the dashboard
11:40
Gold Members get the radio for free!
11:41
Netflix talk now, browse categories and update queue from Xbox, not computer
11:41
Sky will bring service to UK this fall
11:41
Even watch live TV with Sky
11:42
Mikel: Being able to add Netflix queue movies without a PC is kind of a big deal.
11:42
Eric: The Netflix thing is cool, but if browsing the library is as cumbersome as plowing around the XBLA store is, I'll still be using my PC, thanks.
11:43
Now 18 countries for the video store, 1080p streaming
11:43
"Instant" viewing... we'll see about that. My 720p streaming chugs now and then
11:43
Mikel: Wow, now you can watch TV through a game console that's connected to your TV. What exactly is the selling point here?
11:44
New party watch ability - join in with friends and watch same show. Modest applause
11:44
Partnership with Facebook now... more social media for 360
11:45
Felicia Day up now, heads up The Guild on XBL
11:46
Facebook demo now, see your XBL friends and Facebook friends at the same time. Look at photos on the console as well
11:47
And status updates! They're so important! Cool that they're on the same machine that we already stalk our friends with
11:47
Able to post screens and text from gaming straight to Facebook - though certain games only, maybe?
11:48
Twitter on Xbox too.
11:49
Chris: Microsoft: "We can afford ANYTHING!"
11:49
Mikel: This almost feels like a weird jumble of media buzzwords. "Now you'll be able to Facebook your Twitter straight from your Netflix!"
11:50
Hey it's Don from some other Xbox conference! He's here to say something else.
11:50
Oh no, looks like Metal Gear Solid is coming to 360!
11:50
Mikel: I EFFING KNEW IT!
11:51
Kojima: Metal Gear Solid Rising coming to Xbox 360
11:51
But not Snake?
11:51
Ah, it's Raiden in his Ninja suit
11:52
"Lightning Tactical Action" or something to that effect
11:52
Mikel: From "Tactical Espionage Action" to "Lightning Bolt Action."
11:52
Mikel: Now that everyone likes Raiden, nobody's upset at him taking center stage.
11:52
Music, that sounds like Monster Magnet jam sessions, plays him off
11:53
Opportunity to dream the next dream. Can you add a motion controller? Of course we can. - Dan
11:54
Says controller is a barrier separating games from everyone else, can we go beyond controller?
11:54
"Can we make YOU the controller? We can."
11:55
No controllers at all, people moving and characters react
11:55
Drive by moving arms, punch and kick by actually doing them. Surely not 1-1 movement though?
11:55
Eric: "Can we have some of that easy money Nintendo's making by selling baby games to adults?"
11:56
Chris: "Hey! My controller has an erection!"
11:56
Wow these actor clips look a whooooole lot like the Wii stuff we endured two years ago
11:57
Includes some kind of teleconferencing ability, people talk with video and share items.... this seems like a lot to expect of average person
11:57
Mikel: Huh. SOunds like MS is skipping "motion controls" in favor of "EyeToy." Seriously, how is this different from EyeToy/PlayStation Eye?
11:58
All called "Project Natal"
11:58
Eric: Hey buddy - this is the best "girlfriends showing me how dresses would look on me" technology I've ever seen - back off
11:58
Dan's applauding himself at this point
11:59
Suggesting that all of these additions, sharing, communicating, video etc, are all in place of a new console
12:00
Hmmm, Stephen Spielberg is here! He's saying people love media, but are still scared by controllers. Large industry, but 60% of households still don't have consoles
12:01
Eric: Is he going to announce Boom Blox for Natal?
12:01
Spielberg says the best way to get everyone playing games is to "make the technology invisible."
12:01
Not about re-inventing the wheel - there's no wheel at all anymoreLULZ
12:02
Hafta say... two, three years ago Spielberg was all up in Nintendo's business. Now he's here.
12:02
Kudo Tsunoda here now, talking Natal, claiming it's all real
12:03
"Total control" of character using your body and voice. Gonna demonstrate prototypes.
12:04
Eric: Kudo has come a long way since his days at 3DO
12:04
He's standing in front of the screen, and his Avatar does seem to move as he moves, barring a couple of weird jerks
12:05
New game Richochet - full Avatar control, kickballs flying at you and you have to reflect them back
12:06
"No preset waggle commands" in a negative tone, crowd cheers
12:06
Chris: Motion controls: If gamers need a smoke break, now would be the time
12:06
Gotta say, the 1-1 movement looks pretty good. Using arms and legs to beat back all of the balls. QUIET CHRIS
12:07
Paint Party now... man I can't even remember the beginning of this thing, just new announcement after another
12:08
Say the color you want (voice), throwing paint at a wall with buckets, or use one-hand controls to toss smaller globs
12:08
This painting is very... abstract. That's a landscape alright...
12:08
Eric: Somewhere Bob Ross is crying.
12:09
Looks kinda cool for younger set for sure, though the audio is annoying
12:10
Say "cheese" to save a pose, in this case an elephant shape made by two people onstage. It's like a more sedate, focused version of Nintendo's Wii Music demo last year
12:11
Mikel: OK, I have to say that was more than a little impressive.
12:11
Shane Patterson: "If you're a single male in your 20's, you're gonna want to do that."
12:12
Now Peter Moly...new is here talking about Natal. Wants us to leave with this thought:
12:13
So there's this virtual kid named Milo... he recognizes people. Can see and identify their emotions and speech
12:13
Eric: Dear God - now you can have a pet person.
12:14
Finally, I can shirk the last remaining adult responsibility of raising a child
12:15
Chris: "His love is real. His Gamerscore is not""
12:15
Mikel: Oh nice, a game that lets you talk to a little boy. I am without words. Most of them would be bad words, however. If I had them.
12:16
Peter's hyperbole farm is producing record crops this year... it's like the Fable dog
12:16
Every single thing Milo does is going to change humanity and gaming and our world
12:16
Granted, the fact Milo can recognize a drawing is pretty damn impressive (technology)
12:17
Intruiging for sure, but um... does the 18-34 male market want to play with a little boy?
12:18
Mikel: Yeah, it's impressive, no argument there. But I wonder how much of it will actually pan out.
12:20
And that's it! Loads of stuff here to digest... and two more conferences to go!
12:21
Back tomorrow at 9am PST with Nintendo, and check the main GamesRadar site for much more, and we'll be posting daily TalkRadar podcasts starting tomorrow. See ya!
