REVIEW: Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward

Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward is the sequel to the Nintendo DS game 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors. If you haven't played the original, do not fret. While there are mentions of the previous game in Zero Escape, you need no knowledge of it to understand the story or game play. Zero Escape stands on it's own as a graphic adventure/visual novel with puzzle elements to break up the story. So if you enjoy reading, or feel gaming gets in the way of your reading, Zero Escape is a game you might want to try out.

The game starts with Sigma (you) waking up in a room with very little knowledge of how you got there. In the same room is a blonde mystery woman who seems to have a little more insight than you as to what's going on. A rabbit comes on a screen and instructs you on escaping the room by an elaborate puzzle that was set up. As the story continues, you find seven more individuals who were locked in similar rooms. The overall goal of the game is to score points based on becoming allies or betraying these other individuals as more puzzle rooms are solved. The end result, once nine points have been accumulated, is leaving through a giant door that spells freedom for the winner(s). Anyone who doesn't receive 9 points will have no method of escape and be trapped forever. Conflict ensues as distrust between others is created, some horrible incidents occur, and the mysteries of the hows and whys everyone has been captured.

Zero Escape also boasts a total of 24 endings, all of which piggy back to illuminate the big picture. These endings feature story beats that others do not touch on as certain rooms only open depending on the route that is chosen, and character back stories are explained depending on which ending is received as well. And instead of it being a choose your own adventure-esque, certain endings can not be reached unless another has previously been viewed. This is because a specific item or piece of information is gathered that the main character can use to "unlock" the sequence. Otherwise, the player receives a "To Be Continued..." message and is dumped back to the flow chart of possible scenarios.

This flow chart allows the player to select a specific part of the story to jump back to without having to replay the entire game. So instead of choosing to "Betray" another member, you can "Ally" with them which breaks into a different storyline. The story parts that are repeated can be skipped through with a fast forward button. Skipping isn't 100% perfect as the game decides whether the scene is too important to just breeze through, but for the most part, a good chunk of the game can be sped up if needed. This leads to an easy way to experience all areas of the narrative while giving the player the most control on how quickly they want to witness the game.

I have also found myself loving certain characters and loathing others. The latter isn't a knock against the game. I loathe these characters because they are portrayed as a horrible human being in some cases, too questionable in others, or just downright frustrating. But they are done in a believable human way that people would act when thrown in a situation with strangers who may betray you to escape sooner. But in making this believable, this also makes the difficult decisions against the characters you love that much more heartbreaking when they need to be made. And if you want all endings, you will piss off the characters you love the most.

I focus so much on the story because that's the largest part of the game. The puzzles are there, and they aren't easy. Some are pretty elaborate that will have you checking an entire room multiple times if you are stuck because items can be obtained once certain actions are done. So these may include 20 step processes to unlock a safe which holds the key to your escape. Literally. Each room also has a secret password that can be used on the safe which holds more information on the story that is only touched on briefly in the narrative, but is not a requirement to escape the room.

But the reason I am not going to go in depth on the puzzles is because...I'm awful at them. I tried multiple times to get through rooms on my own and I didn't have the patience to do it. I don't like these kind of puzzle games, but I feel the story itself is so intriguing that I don't want to simply ignore this game.

So I cheat. I Gamefaq through the entire puzzle sequences of this game.

Yes, that makes me a lousy gamer I'm sure. But I think it's a testament to how well the story is told and the draw of the overall theme and mystery. I know some don't want to play a game that's so story heavy as this, and I can understand that. But to others who become so invested in characters and story, this game is for you. If you don't like the puzzles, cheat like me. I don't think this story should be passed on because it's so intricately laid out and beautifully told.

And for what it's worth, I still have 4 endings to unlock, and my total playtime is just over 19 hours. If I wasn't cheating on the puzzles and skipping lines of dialogue, I have no idea how long my game time would be.

But I've enjoyed every second Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward.

I bought a Vita...

Judging from their sales numbers, especially here in the States, not many people are saying that apparently. Their sales are abysmal and despite the recent surge in Japan, it clearly won't continue to sell like hotcakes there.

But why would I want one? If you listen to everyone, the Vita is a sinking ship with no games coming out for it and is a failed handheld. Everything is either Ouya, 3DS, or IOS/Android. Vita is this forgotten child locked in the basement that we peek in every once in a while just to remind ourselves how disappointing it is. Or at least, that's how I interpret most responses about the Vita.

And yet, I wanted one. I already posted about why I have a new love for handhelds, but the love couldn't sustain my need to keep my 3DS. Although I enjoyed playing games like Pushmo, VVVVV, Pokemon Black 2, and The World Ends With You; I couldn't really justify the need for a 3DS that I couldn't have with a DSi. Sure it had a couple Mario games and some 3D versions of 64 games, but having played several of these 3DS only games...I can't say I really cared. I never played Ocarina of Time on the 64 and grew bored with the 3DS version and it's bland empty open world. New Super Mario Bros 2 was nothing spectacular and while 3D Land was good, it didn't blow my socks off. So, I no longer own a 3DS.

So why the interest in a Vita when the "superior" 3DS can't hold my attention? Well, first and foremost, the games. I know, I know. There are no games. The same cliche' response that every person who dislikes their Vita seems to go to. I think the proper response isn't "There are no games", it should be, "There are no games that I'm interested in playing". Those are two completely different responses, and only one which I would say is valid.

Here are a few of the games I am currently interested to play on the Vita: Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Escape Plan, Unit 13, Assassins Creed III: Liberation, LittleBigPlanet Vita, Gravity Rush, and Persona 4: Golden. To make matters even better, PS+ has been knocking it out of the park with free Vita games. Add to it PSN games and the Cross-Buy games, and there's a huge selection to choose from. Maybe I'm the only one who thinks it, but games like Rayman Origins or Retro City Rampage are games better suited for Vita in my opinion.

I'm also looking forward to the integration between the Vita and PS4. I wish I could really expand on this, but I'll probably have to wait for E3 to do so. But playing PS4 games on the Vita while I'm out of the room or being able to play against people on the console using my handheld opens up more possibilities than having a specific restriction to that one device. The potential of the link between these two systems intrigues me and I can't wait to learn more about it.

So I gave in to the urge and purchased my first Vita. And immediately I knew why some people disliked it, and that was the need for a memory card. While you can play Welcome Park on it, that's more of a tech demo than an actual game. Nice to try out some of the features such as the tilt control, the camera, the touch screen, etc; but I wanted real games. So after spending $30 on an overpriced 8gb memory card, I was able to get some of the games I wanted. And while the PS3 has been recognized for it's slow download/install times, I didn't notice the same problem with the Vita.

The buttons and the sticks are kinda small and I'm still not sure how I feel about them until I put some more time into the handheld, but I like it. I'm happy with my Vita purchase. I wish I could say the same about Gravity Rush which has been somewhat disappointing so far (due to the controls if anything), but I have more on my plate I'm able to try including Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack which I'm eager to keep playing. I haven't really touched a ton of the other apps such as Near, and I think there may be some trouble with trophy sync (Mutant Blobs Attack seems to sync, but Gravity Rush hasn't yet...), but I think I found a winning handheld.

And it's only just begun...

REVIEW: Theatrhythm Final Fantasy

I love Final Fantasy. My first experience was with Final Fantasy 7 for the Playstation shortly after it's release. No game prior to that, for the most part, blended in cinematics with storytelling that well in a graphically stunning way that it had. While most of it doesn't particularly hold up well to today's standards, it holds the soft spot in my heart as my favorite Final Fantasy game. And with the much criticized XIII and XIII-2, every game that has Final Fantasy in the title causes people to pause before jumping to any potential conclusions.

Theatrhythm, a title I have to slowly type out and proofread, brought Final Fantasy into the rhythm genre while mixing in the familiar RPG elements in a surprisingly pleasant way. It has the same elements most rhythm games on the DS have as you use the bottom screen of the DS to do the tapping to the music while actions occur on the top screen. It adds more to the gameplay by including many characters from the Final Fantasy franchise along with songs from said Final Fantasy's and allows players to level up the characters making them stronger. Equipping items and moves can change the outcome of the sequence getting further into it and rewarding you with items.

The end goal of the game is to collect as much Rhythmia as possible, which acts as a kind of currency in the game. You don't buy anything, but the amount of Rhythmia you receive also dictates the unlockable characters and songs you can receive. It's not difficult to to accumulate, but it's a grind to have enough to unlock everything.

You start the game selecting the four characters you want to take with you in the series. There are two characters per Final Fantasy game, including the FFXI MMO (but shockingly, not XIV....) They appear as doll-like Chibi models that make me think the kid from Limbo would look like this if that game had light. You can equip them with items such as potions or gear to boost stats, but everything is a one-time use item. It's not a big deal as you gain more of the same quite easily during your playthroughs. As the characters level up, you will notice the normal stats like HP, speed, attack, defense, etc all rise. A stat like Agility speeds up the character allowing you to witness more in a level and HP allows for more mistakes before it's game over. The next question is what Final Fantasy game you want to journey through. Each features music from that game (1-13) and a boost in Rhythmia is given if you have a member in your party from that game. Not something to concern yourself over.

The game has three different type of sequences you play through. The first is a Field Sequence which shows your character traversing the landscape of the selected Final Fantasy. During this, the character will move from left to right as notes approach the right side of the screen. The notes indicate how the player should react by either swiping a specific direction, tapping on the screen, or holding the stylus down and move based on the connected dots on the top screen. At the end of the level, if you reach it, a different character will give you a gift.

The second sequence is an Event sequence, which plays out part of the story (usually cut scenes in later Final Fantasy games) and like the Field sequence, you either tap the screen, hold it down, or swipe. You don't really do anything different here, and instead of seeing your character on the top screen, you are treated to a nice little "movie" consisting of scenes from the Final Fantasy game you selected.

The third, and my favorite, sequence is Battle. Like the name implies, your party of four sit on one side of the screen in classic Final Fantasy battle setup and fight enemies. You deal damage based on your timed accuracy of the previous methods. While the gameplay itself is still the same, I enjoy seeing my characters deal damage based on how well I do. The enemies you fight will occasionally die and be replaced by a new enemy. I don't think there's any rhyme or reason to them as they appear to be randomized. My first time playing FF7's Battle sequence, I fought the One-Winged Angel Sephiroth himself as the third or fourth enemy. Hadn't seen him on later playthroughs.

Each sequence also has what is called a "Feature Zone" which causes different actions on the screen to occur. In the Field sequence, you will jump on a Chocobo and the notes will turn gold. The Event sequence will extend the length of the song and change a different color as well, and finally the Battle sequence summons a monster. I've only seen Ifrit, Shiva, and Odin, but Ramuh and Bahamut are summons as well. Each Feature Zone provides more points which ultimately lead to increased Rhythmia.

There is also a introduction and ending screen in which music notes circle around and touch a crystal. You gain Rhythmia here by tapping the stylus as the notes hit the crystal. It's a simple way to receive Rhythmia, but I simply didn't care enough to sit there and do it. These screens also do a poor job explaining the story of the selected Final Fantasy game, but since this is a game that the devout Final Fantasy player would play, there's a good chance they already know the story.

Sadly, that's the gist of what the game is. You can increase the difficulty of it in the Challenge mode and select what songs you want to play, but what you do in them is the exact same thing. The other mode is the Chaos Shrine which has a field sequence followed by a battle sequence with 99 possible level formations. It poses more difficulty and has the possibility for different boss characters in the battle sequence which yields better and rarer rewards, and is something you can streetpass other Theatrhythm players.

The song selection in the game is nothing to scoff at with over 70 songs playable and more downloadable songs coming. The DLC songs provide the biggest laugh with Type-0 and Versus, two games that haven't been released yet, each having one song while the MMO Final Fantasy XIV is nowhere to be seen. But you can expect to find many fan favorites on here such as "One-Winged Angel", "Battle with the Four Fiends", and many main themes.

Overall, it's hard to recommend this game to just anybody. I'm not the biggest rhythm game fan as I find them quick to please, but hard to retain. Speeding up the game and adding more notes doesn't make me want to go back and replay them, and that's the only thing the game really does. The RPG elements are there, but don't sustain my interest as I don't want to slog through yet another field sequence for Final Fantasy X to level up my characters to get 5 seconds further into a song and grind for hours on end to unlock Kain from Final Fantasy IV. It's hard not to love the song selection, especially as a Final Fantasy fan, but you need to ask whether or not rhythm games are for you. If you don't particularly enjoy them, a Final Fantasy one isn't going to engulf you for more than a few hours. But if you love them, then Final Fantasy adds enough to keep you wanting more.

Looking Ahead to E3 2012

This time next week will be one of the most exciting moments in video games to happen this year. Between June 5-7, E3 will be taking place in Los Angeles. Like most people, I will not be there. Instead I'll be paying attention to the various news outlets who will feed us numerous videos and articles prominently featuring important (and not so important) news to come from E3. What I wanted to do was pull a reverse-Mr. Caffeine and look ahead to what E3 more than likely has in store.

*Doodly Doodly Doop*

*Doodly Doodly Doop*

• Sony - After the *ahem* lackluster performance of the Vita, it will be no surprise that most of their press conference will revolve around selling their new handheld system. They will probably show more of the connectivity between the PS3 system and the Vita by showcasing games like Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale (which was recently announced for the Vita as well as PS3) and a game we haven't really seen since last year's E3, Ruin (now titled Warriors Lair). Of course I'm sure they'll have PS3 games to show as well including God of War: Ascension, The Last of Us, Dust 514, and LittleBigPlanet Karting. Wouldn't it be nice to see some Grand Theft Auto V footage here? If there's a conference to have it, I'm going to go with Sony. Those expecting a new system announcement...I'm guessing you'll need to hold your breath.

• Microsoft - I think Microsoft has sort of fallen under the radar for E3 this year since most people can really only name Halo 4 as something they will show. Alan Wake was rumored to have a sequel underway, so that's a possibility, along with Forza which seems to be a staple almost every year. It would be no surprise to have Kinect shown for a while with more application uses and games, but I think Microsoft will try and go with exclusive content for the main serving of content. Since the Resident Evil demo was a timed exclusive for the 360, I'm guessing there may be some gameplay footage shown at this conference. And of course, don't count them out of holding out exclusivity for Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 as well. New console here? Nope. Hold it just a little longer.

• Nintendo - Here's that new console you were wanting: the WiiU. Although most people were looking forward to it last year, there wasn't a whole lot to go off of. I would say we can expect to see a price for the system, to see the system itself, and perhaps...a name change. Mario and Pikmin have already been announced for WiiU so those should be seen, and remember that mention of Smash Brothers last year? Maybe a quick video of that will be shown as well. Then some name drops of games coming out for the system and finally the time period it'll be released. Maybe not an exact day, but I would say "Winter 2012". But before all of that, expect a lot of 3DS games, including ones mentioned last year. Luigi's Mansion seems like a no-brainer along with the New Super Mario Bros. 2 game, but I have a feeling there may also be a new Kirby game in the works and some sort of RPG shown at the conference as well.

• Ubisoft -  What do you honestly think? They have one of the biggest games coming out this year in Assassins Creed 3, so there is no doubt that it will come up for a lengthy amount of time during their press conference. The same with Far Cry 3 which was also shown last year and seems to be another of their core game they want to push. Rayman Legends has recently been announced and the predecessor had time devoted to it last year, so there's a good chance it'll be shown. They also announced Shootmania to be shown at E3, and it seems like something that would find it's way into their conference as well. The crux of their presentation will depend on if they have Mr. Caffeine do the hosting. Despite how terrible he was, I found enjoyment in all of his bombed jokes.

• EA - I would say EA should have a strong appearance at E3 this year. They have Madden 13 to show and all the various updates to the game that seem to be receiving some praise, Crysis 3 which was recently announced with lots of high-tech bow and arrow action, and Medal of Honor may make an appearance with Warfighter. Also, remember that ending of Mass Effect 3 that caused the Internet to implode with hatred? Well, I expect them to show hints of the "true" ending DLC that they said they would make on the fans behalf. With Katy Perry having some sort of The Sims involvement, maybe they'll even treat everyone to a performance by her as well! Oh yeah, and that new SimCity game that they plan to drop on PC's next year. You remember that game right?

Side notes of confirmations, rumors and speculations:

• Skyrim DLC: Dawnguard - It's already been announced and...that's about it. If they want to show gameplay of it (or anything else for that matter), there would be no better time than at E3.
• Epic & Unreal Engine 4 - Epic plans on revealing Unreal Engine 4 and minds will be melted. In so many words, that's what has been promised upon the showing.
• The Last Guardian - I said it last year, and I'll say it this year. Eventually I'll have to be right...right? But after Fumito Ueda's departure from Sony, it may speed up the process. But I didn't add it to Sony's press conference...just in case.
• Overkill & Valve - Earlier this week there was talk of a collaboration between the PAYDAY: The Heist and Left 4 Dead crews. While it may seem early, it would sure be nice to see what kind of collaboration is taking place exactly.
• Kingdom Hearts - Tetsuya Nomura may have put his foot in his mouth by saying Kingdom Hearts is due for another console game. Whether this an HD collection or Kingdom Hearts 3, he may want to do some calisthenics if nothing is mentioned shortly. He said we may know if we finish Dream Drop Distance (releasing in July), but that's soooo far away.
• Just Cause 3 (and 4?) - Well, since Just Cause 4 already has web domains in the works from recent news, that could mean Just Cause 3 is underway. That could mean an appearance next week at E3. Hopefully someone from Eidos parachutes it in.
• Half-Life Episode 3 - You can't have a rumors and speculations section without including this game. No real basis for it...but yeah.

Up until doing this, I was kind of hesitant about E3. This year in general has felt somewhat underwhelming in video games other than an occassional few. The constant push-backs in release dates aren't helping at all with Bioshock: Infinite, Aliens: Colonial Marines, Tomb Raider, etc now shipping in 2013 instead of 2012 have caused me to feel a sense of sadness from how big this year was going to be. In truth, this year still has potential for being a pretty amazing year. There's a lot of games lined up that we know about, but may not think about all the time. Then there's the ones that still haven't been announced. Add in the potential of the WiiU being released by the end of this year and 2012 doesn't look half bad. Sometimes it just takes a list to see that.

E3 Press Conferences

Other than the Sony mishap, there's not much news to talk about is there? So I'm focusing (yet again) on E3 and what to expect from the 3 big press conferences held by Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft. So the company with the least amount of news going into E3 is Microsoft, and they are kicking off the show conferences.

1. Microsoft - The Underdog

On June 6th, at 10am, Microsoft will be taking the stage for their conference. And truthfully...nobody really knows what to expect. The obvious thing will be Kinect games and going from the rumblings around the web, they will try to bring in some fans with some core games. Child of Eden is a good possibility with it's release being the following week and I'll go so far as to say a Dance Central 2 after the critical acclaim it received the previous year. I would also expect them to discuss a lot of features that they are talking about for it and an idea of when to see those.

Expect new features for the X-Box like they do yearly. With the acquisition of Skype, that has to be included in the conference somewhere and how that will be brought into the system. New avatar stuff comes about every year with some sort of app that nobody really cares about but Microsoft will include anyways.

I would expect to hear something Halo related, whether it be a new game but it seems more likely for a re-release of a previous game. I've heard a lot of the original being the re-release, but I could see them go the Sony route and re-release the first two games on a collection disc ala God of War, Tomb Raider, etc. The recent news of the Alan Wake downloadable makes that a possibility of something to be shown and I would say it's a safe bet that a Forza is also in the works. Gears of War 3 is a given since that is coming out this year. Oh, and expect a tease of the summer sales they tend to do with the new arcade games to come out. They also normally announce some sort of exclusive with a game like Call of Duty and the map packs, so with the new Modern Warfare coming out, exclusivity with new DLC for that.

Lastly will be a price cut. In fact, I'll say it here. Price cut on all console systems, not just X-Box. I would say Kinect as well, but with the success of it still selling, if a price cut is in the works it will probably wait until Winter for the Christmas rush. Speaking of Kinect, also expect them to continually praise it's success until you hear crickets and snores from the audience. We've heard the same "Kinect is the fastest selling..." discussion since it's release, we don't need it taking up valuable time at the press conference that's supposed to intrigue people for the future.

Unless Microsoft has something hidden behind a big curtain this year, this press conference will be a dud. Kinect will be a big focus since it's the only thing close to a "new system" that they have to compete with Sony and Nintendo's new systems. They need to show games though, not just for Kinect, but for the console as well. They shouldn't rely heavily on 3rd party games to carry their system this year, because the other two consoles are releasing a ton of system exclusive content. They need to WOW with Kinect and they have to get gamers psyched up for future 360-exclusive releases if they even want people to remember they were there this E3.


2. Sony - Winning People Back

The past couple months have NOT been kind to Sony. If the Geohot mess wasn't bad enough, the hackers last month certainly was. So this E3 conference is a major event for Sony especially so soon after the new PSN arrives and the "Welcome Back Program" looms in the future. Which leads me into what will happen on June 6th at 5pm...

Do they address it, or don't they? Part of me thinks they want to move on and try to just impress the hell out of everybody in an attempt to make them forget. It's been discussed pretty extensively the past few weeks and will be for the next two at least. But...it's the elephant in the room. The big fat elephant they have dancing on their projection screen while they try to sell us on the NGP. They have to address it. An apology will be made I'm sure and I think they will also reiterate how important their consumers security is and they will then go into detail about the situation and what they have done to make it better. I also don't expect us to see the "Welcome Back Package" until E3 or maybe slightly after just so they can bring it up as a "see...we care!" way to finish that topic.

I'm sure the Playstation Phone...Xperia Play...whatever it's called will also be talked about. Most people won't care, but I'm sure there will be a few minutes just for this phone and what it can do.

But...the NGP will be the big thing for Sony. We'll get to see it running with games like Uncharted and Wipeout and they let us know all the specs and details about the system and even the release date, price, and list of games. If they don't, they are foolish. They may discuss the PSP and how they plan on improving that with the NGP, but I see a decent portion of the conference being devoted to this new handheld with cheap shots thrown at Nintendo about gimmicky 3D (before they go into their 3D Playstation games and televisions part of the show).

Then out come the games. Twisted Metal was the big reveal last year, so I'm not expecting that to be the finale but it's expected to have something at the conference. The same with Resistance 3, Uncharted 3, The Last Guardian, Dark Souls (maybe), the upcoming Final Fantasy and some news on more collections such as the Ico/Shadow of the Colossus one and probably show us what that looks like cleaned up. The finale, in my mind, has to be The Last Guardian. People have wanted more on that game than any other the past few years and it's time it came out. I'm calling it now...Gameplay will be shown and a release date will be given.

Sony has the potential to be the big show. Nintendo has all eyes on them for their new console reveal, so Sony will have to put the effort in to divert the attention their way. If they do it correctly, and Nintendo fails to impress, Sony has this one in the bag. The PSP was a disappointment (let's not even mention the GO), so a big focus will be on promoting the NGP and they have to have it a decent price to compete with the 3DS regardless of what it can do. They need to acknowledge the recent hackings if only to get it out of the way especially since people are wanting to hear Sony discuss it. And finally, show us that extensive PS3 exclusive list of games to expect that people often overlook for the X-Box's piddly exclusives.

3. Nintendo - All or Nothing

The day everyone is waiting for is June 7th. At 9 in the morning, Nintendo takes the stage with big expectations and hopeful explanations.Their conference will be divided into 3 sections: 3DS, Wii, and Cafe'. Now, will the 3DS go before or after the Wii? It is just their handheld system and they tend to get less love at press conferences than consoles, but with the Wii dying, I can see the 3DS going second. However, if they want to promote the Cafe' right (and depending if they have games to show), they will show the Wii THEN Cafe' if only to show the major differences between the systems.

The 3DS has sold well, but not to Nintendo's liking. They will address this and show how they plan on improving this. So...bring out the 3DS games. The list of games that came out last year will have footage for this year along with seeing what that Super Mario Bros title tease is all about. They know one of the major downfalls of the 3DS was the lack of games so they want to prove everyone wrong and show that it wasn't wrong for them to purchase this system. Zelda, Mario Kart, Super Mario Bros 3 (?), the e-shop, and more will be discussed in this portion of the conference. Oh. Price drop for the handheld as well and maybe a new iteration by the end of the year.

The Wii is dying, but not quite dead. They will still show games that will be coming out this year, similar to what they did last year with games like Donkey Kong, Kirby, etc. Games we weren't expecting, but will see for the Wii shall be announced that will come out before the year's end and of course the one we do know about: Skyward Sword. The problem is, again, the Wii is on it's last legs. Other than some new game announcements and a price decrease, there's not much going for this system this E3. If anything, it's just to help propel the new system to the fanbase.

The big announcement of E3! PROJECT CAFE! The mysteries will be unveiled. What will it look like!? The the hell is the deal with the controller!? Are the graphics really better!? These questions and more will all be answered. This is what everyone wants to know and see at E3. Nintendo can win back a large portion of the hardcore gamers they lost with the Wii, or they can utterly disappoint everyone with a lackluster system that barely competes with the current gen of consoles. What happens here will help dictate the pace of the next generation of consoles. Sony and Microsoft are definately keeping an eye on this console and if it looks like it will be a beast, it could cause them to speed up towards their next system as well. I'm not sure exactly what Nintendo will show, but if they are shooting for the core audience I would expect big name developers to be mentioned, maybe some video of what games will look like, and the hardware itself at the very least. They may hold off on showing the controller, but since it's not as big of a departure that the wiimote was, I don't see them keeping that a secret.

Nintendo's conference will be the most interesting. This is the one people are looking forward to but can Nintendo show enough leading up to the reveal of Project Cafe to interest people? The console itself may show too much or too little and like any reveal can cause some ripples in the fandom. The 3DS didn't get the greatest reception upon it's reveal, it wasn't until people had it in their hands before it really took off. This console could be the same. If Nintendo has a lackluster showing for Project Cafe, the rest of their show will be scoffed at. The 3DS is to help people feel better about their purchase, the Wii is to bide the time until the new console, and the Cafe is supposed to have people excited for the future. If Cafe' is disliked, nobody will care about the Wii releases since those are dying out anyways and the 3DS is just a handheld so it's not held up to the same standards of a console and that news will play 2nd fiddle anyways.


It is coming. We are just a few weeks away and most things are pure speculation at this point. News tends to be pretty dead up until E3 (unless smaller devs want to get SOME mention before the wave of news hits), but with what's coming up, can everything deliver? There's a lot of hope for what's coming out in Sony and Nintendo's camp, and Microsoft has people scratching their heads. But if last year was any indication, anything can happen. It is coming. We are just a few weeks away...