E3 2005 Expo Day 2 Coverage

Well, if you're reading this right now that means another day of E3 has drawn to a close and we're here again to give you the latest coverage on the show.  While there weren't any high-profile announcements today like yesterday, that doesn't mean there isn't a ton of information coming out of the expo.

     Before we get into the games that were shown, let's take a closer look at the Xbox 360, Microsoft's upcoming next-gen console.  I was lucky enough today to have some time to sit down with Scott Henson, the Director of Advanced Technologies at Microsoft and the man responsible for working with the developers of next-gen titles to make sure they get as much out of the system as possible.  In the Q&A session Scott went over several of the previously announced features of the console as well as expanding on the information that was presented at the press conference earlier this week.  The biggest focus of the Xbox 360 at this point appears to be it's all-encompassing integration with Xbox Live.  All games on the system are required to have Live integration, which means even if there isn't an online component to the game you will still be able to get messages and invites from your friends while playing, which will show up via an onscreen prompt and also on your controller on the "ring of light" that encircles the Xbox 360 logo on the controller.  One cool change to the Live service is the addition of Zones, which allow you to show the world, by way of your Gamer Card, what type of gamer you are.  Right now there are four of these zones; R&R for the casual gamers, Underground for gaming without rules, Pro for people who love the competitive aspect of gaming, and Family for when you just want to sit back and play games with your friends and family.

     Another feature being added to the Xbox Live service is the Gamer Card.  This card will show other Live users feedback about you, your Gamerscore (each game can hand out up to 1000 Gamerscore points for various in-game accomplishments), and your picture or icon, which can be uploaded from your digital camera.  And before you start worrying about having to see obscene images in people's profiles, I was assured that there is a community team that will respond to any misuses of this feature.  One thing that hasn't changed from the original Xbox Live is the 100 person cap on your friends list, although with the Gamer Card feature it will be much easier to go through and find out who the people you really want on your list are.  Speaking of friends, the new Xbox Live will also let you know just what your friends are doing when they are signed in, be it playing the latest game or even watching a DVD or TV, and you will even be able to send them invites while they are doing so.  It looks like Xbox 360 and Xbox Live are set to continue their upward march in the console wars.

     Of course, no matter how powerful the hardware or internet support, no console can succeed without great games, and Xbox 360 has these in spades.  I got a chance today to spend some hands-on time with two of the launch window titles; Full Auto, a car combat game in the vein of the Twisted Metal series, and Condemned, an atmospheric first person shooter in which you are hunting down serial killers.  Though their premises couldn't be more different the two games did have a few things in common, namely amazing graphics and interesting twists on old genres.  Full Auto, for example, plays out like Need for Speed with guns…lots and lots of guns.  Instead of having the combat take place in arenas like most car combat games, the demo shown at E3 had players duking it out on the streets in a "traditional" lap race.  While speeding through a turn you could launch a missile taking out an opponent, or whatever else happens to be in your way be it a gas station or a pesky semi.  The levels blew apart with spectacular explosions, and if you find yourself a little too close to one them, you can always hit the right analog button and rewind time a few seconds to correct your mistake.  Full Auto is definitely one to watch for.  On the FPS front, Condemned looks to be adding several new and interesting features to the at times stagnant genre.  Instead of being a super-powered one man killing machine like in most first person shooters, you are placed in the role of an investigator trying to get to a brutal serial killer.  The game features new and interesting gameplay aspects, such as using a UV light to find spatterings of blood for clues which you send back to your analysts, and being able to make a weapon out of just about anything, including broken boards and loose pipes.  While the demo level was exceedingly short, it did showcase each of these features, as well as the visceral, close-up combat that one developer assured me will be present throughout the game.  Condemned is looking to be another must-have title at the launch of the Xbox 360.

     Finally, on the PC front, I got a chance to play a few rounds of Battlefield 2, the soon be released sequel to Battlefield 1942 and Battlefield Vietnam.  Besides the requisite better graphics and bigger maps, Battlefield 2 has added a variety of new elements to keep the gameplay fresh.  One such element is the addition of the commander mode, which will allow one player on each team to take the role of a military planner, sending ammo and more to their soldiers where it is needed by use of an overhead map of the battlefield.  Beyond the obvious advantage of being able to help comrades in need, it also allows for much more strategy when planning an attack on the enemy.  One of the first thing I noticed about the game is that the guns felt much more solid and lifelike than in previous entries in the series.  The sniper rifle, for example, provided a noticeable kickback and strong recoil, as well as a nifty new feature that lets you see just where your last round landed.  That brings up another new feature to the game, which is realistic drop rates on bullets.  Where in the previous titles you could shoot from halfway across a map and, as long as your aim was dead on, you would hit your target, you now have to factor in the dropping of the bullet along it's path to constantly decreasing speed.  The game is planned to have 30 vehicles and I was informed by one of the developers that they will be releasing a one map demo about 2 weeks before the game's release in late June.  With support for over 64 players per match, as well as a system that will scale a map's size to the number of players, Battlefield 2 looks to be a worthy heir to the Battlefield name.

     Well that's all for today, but be sure to check back again tomorrow when we will take a look at some of the high profile PC games, including Age of Empire III, as well as a few games for the original Xbox that are worthy of mention.  This year in releases is shaping up to be great for gamers, both hardcore and casual alike, and things look to only be getting better.

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