After a great game playing session of the new Island add on for Burnout Paradise, I decided to turn it off to do stuff on the site then play my brand spanking new Iron Madian Rock Band tracks...then I was greeted by what is known on interent forums as the Yellow Light of Death. I have not idea what may have caused it...it seemed perfectly heathy as I was playing Burnout Paradise earlier...if any of you guys know of a posible way I could fix this problem I'm all ears... PJ's PS3: March 23rd 2007 - June 11th 2009 UPDATE: I've recorded a video of the YLOD UPDATE 2: Just got off the phone from Sony, apparentely the YLOD can't be fixed by them. The only service they can offer me is a replacement for 145 quid (around $200) :( [video=cXI2wjqq5bIKuTDd]

Yup, another one of these :P

Microsoft

Keep in mind that out of the three next gen systems the 360 is the only one I don't own. And while I'm sure games like Crackdown 2, Splinter Cell and Halo ODST are going to be good those types of games don't really catch my eye. So I'm going to talk about only thing in the conference which really did interest me...the Natel camera.

I know some people are very sceptical about it and to be honest I am too. But if Natel is used well...and by that I mean by keeping tennis game to a minimal :P it could be something truly great. Image if in Fallout 3 you could actually talk to the characters yourself rather than picking dialog boxes or become one of the fighters in Tekken to beat people up (which was kind of shown in one of the tech demos).

Of course this is providing that A. Natel works in the way it was shown to work and B. is supported by more then party. I remain cautiously optimistic until we see more.

Nintendo

I think that most people can agree that the biggest game news of the Nintendo presser was Metroid: Other M. In the past I've never liked the Metroid games...they are not bad games I just find myself getting lost every time...2D or 3D :oops:. So it interesting to me to see what new stuff Team Ninja will be putting it. Maybe my crap sense of direction will take me to the end of the game this time. :P

Other notable mentions at the conference included New Super Mario Bros for the Wii (can't say I'm that interested), Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Woo!), Golden Sun DS (I cheered at that one :D )

Lastly there is the vitality sensor...you could practically hear the boo's from the chat room :P. Again, same as Natel I reserve judgement until I see more. But I can't see how it could be used to good effect...if you can see how I'd love to know :).

Sony

Personally I think Sony had the most surprising announcement of the show with Final Fantasy XIV Online. Who saw that coming without the aid of a time machine? I really want to know more about too, I've said before I'm looking to get into an MMO and well...It might be a good place to start :P

Mod Nation Racers was also very interesting to me. I seemed like a super customisable Mario Kart, and since the Wii version of Mario Kart was a disappointment to me. I'm very interested to see how this one turns out. From first looks it looks even easier to create stuff in than LittleBigPlanet! And that would truly be awesome. :D

There were also some very well presented demos of Uncharted 2 (indestructible tables! :twisted: ), MAG (Not 100% sold on yet) and God of War III (maybe it's time I played one? :P ). Lastly, Sony announced a camera based motion control system. As with the rest of the peripherals announced at the show I think how it's used will determine how good it will be. They talked a lot about how the controls could be used in conventional games which left a good impression on me though

Overall

After two, lets be honest here, disappointing E3's this one's come back to foam in terms of games to show and didn't have a whole lot of numbers either. It wasn't perfect, there were a LOT of game that were announced for 2010 which is a disappointment (why Heavy Rain? WHY!?) but overall I felt that will be spending a lot of money in the future :P

Those are my thoughts. Sorry if your completely sick to death of these blogs. But it just not the end of E3 without them :P

Just to let you guys and gals know I will be posting my final E3 thoughts sometime after all the press conferences are finished. Also, while I will try to check out all you Microsoft E3 blogs...I'm not making any promises. One more thing. When they announced a Facebook app at the Microsoft presser...they may as well have announced they were bring Hitler back to life judging by the response from the chat room :P

Greetings ladies and gents! As many of you know it is that time of year again when some of the biggest and best news storeys and games are made public knowledge. I am of course talking about E3. And with E3 comes prediction blogs like...THIS ONE! So, without further ado.

Games I'm looking forward to seeing

The Beatles: Rock Band

There are a lot of reasons I'm hoping to hear more about this one. 1. Not a lot of information has been released about it. 2. Harmonix have been hyping to game to be something 'more than a Rock Band game' which suggests to me a new single player game and 3. Allegedly The Beatles are meant to be a pretty good band from what I hear :P so I'm sure that their music will be great to experience in that music game format I oh so love :)

Oh, and it would be great to know if the songs can transfer the Rock Band 2 as well, ;)

Heavy Rain

A game where to game continues with it's storeys after the character you are controlling dies? Colour me intrigued! Okay, I'm still not 100% sure how the game is meant to work (something about Sixaxis tilting you head? :? ) but hopefully the stage demo will set me straight on that issue. :) I also hope that those rumours about the game being delayed until 2010 are denied. After all it's never a good thing when games get delayed.

DC Universe/The Agency

The reason I've bundled these two games together is because I'm interested in them for the exact same reason. They are both console MMO's. I've wanted to get into an MMORPG for a long time but the lacking processing power of my computer and the monthly subscriptions have stopped me from taking the plunge. While the fact the games on console will probably still have monthly subscriptions, if they look impressive enough at the show I might just be able to overlook that factor. ;)

Brutal Legend

The details about this game have only recently become known to me but its whole concept just sound awesome! A fantasy world inspired by heavy metal sound like great idea and the trailer does bestow confidence with that feeling. I'm sure we will all see during the live demo if the quality of the gameplay matches the quality of the concept, and with creator of Psyconaughts at the helm I;m sure it will do just that. :)

Announcement Predictions

New Zelda, Mario at Nintendo Presser

I would say this one is a 'given' but I also thought that we would 'giving' last year that Nintendo would be revealing all sorts of crazy stuff, so I'm not going to hold my breath (as much) as I did last year. Though since the company have indeed said they are working on them. So while I wouldn't call it a 'given' I would call it a likely. :)

The New MSG Game will be Series of Unanswered Events is the Franchise

The reason I think this is because it the only way I can think of that Big Boss and Raiden can be in the same (various teasers shows they are both in the game). Also those two characters unanswered scenarios. It is not known how exactly Big Boss turned to the 'dark side' and we also don't know how Raiden became a cyborg ninja. There are more answered questions too which I think could very well 'fill up the disc space'. This is a prediction that could very well be wrong as Mr Kojima doesn't half like to tease his fanbase. But wouldn't it be great if got it right? :D

Half Life 3 will be Announced Instead of Episode 3

Okay, now THIS is an extremely bold statement and you probably have a bit of right to ridicule me for it but just hear me out. Episode 2, while being a great game is starting to show its age a little graphically, and since we haven't seen any of Episode 3 yet it suggests to me that they are working on something big. Making me think they are working on something bigger than just an episode. Again, this is bold statement make but I can't help thinking it's a possibility.

Dream Announcements

Disclaimer: Just so you all know I'm not expecting these announcements to happen, these are just a few of my 'HELL YEAHZ' fantasies that I wish would happen but probably won't...

A New Smash Bros Game or Expansion Pack or DS version

If you know me at all you will know that I fricking love Smash Bros (I bought the game 3 times for jeebus sake!). So any kind of announcement related to it would really make my day. However since the developers behind it have started to do different things and the long wait between games I can't see it happening...however much I'd like to see it. :(

Mass Effect on PS3

There is no game I want more on the PS3 than Mass Effects. I've always been a fan of the 'moral choice' kind of games and the combat seem pretty good too. Alas, since the developers are now working on the second game in the series. I just can't see them working on a port this late it...

A Final Fantasy VII Remake

Hey, with all that demand it's got to happen sometime! :D

Well, I think that just about covers my E3 thoughts. If any of you guys have got any wild predictions or fantasies to share I'd love to hear them.

Here's to a manic, content packed E3!

Gbrading in short: His real name is Gareth, has some of the most historical/cultural blogs I've seen on Gamespot, live in the 'dreaming spires of Oxford.'

What is you're all time favourite console and why?

Well, I don't know if the PC can be cIassified as a 'console', but it's got to be the PC. Mainly probably because it's the only one I have actually owned, and the one I grew up using. I could never get the hang of console control systems, even today. I dislike the way that if you move, it is slightly imprecise. I've recently learnt this trying to play LittleBigPlanet on my friend's PS3, and always inevitably falling into lava pits or nasty spikes (there seem to be a lot of them in LBP). The mouse and keyboard, although having a lot more keys to press and figure around, almost always make moving around easier. (PJ: To be fair LittleBigPlanet is probably not the best example for precision...)

What would be your perfect setting for a game?

Tricky question. At first I thought the Titanic would make a great place to have some kind of RPG/adventure game, but then I remembered that "Titanic: Adventure out of Time" wasn't really a brilliant game. What I would like to see at some point would be a game based around the "Mortal Engines Quartet", by Philip Reeve. For those who haven't read the books, I would highly recommend checking them out. It's set in the distant future, where the world has been decimated by war, and there exist Traction Cities; which are entire cities that are mounted on caterpillar tracks which roll across the landscape, and includes such places as London, Brighton and Anchorage. Larger cities prey upon smaller ones, a process known as Municipal Darwinism. I think it is a fascinating setting, but I am still to work out the details of a game that might be set there.

Which is better? Cats or Dogs?

Infinitely cats. Dogs will love you blindly no matter what you do. With a cat, you have to work for its affection. My cat will only pay me any attention if I feed it at the precise time every day, otherwise I am worth nothing. That's real love. :D

Why will The Beatles be a great fit for Rock Band?

I have to give a reason!? :P I think the fact that it's, you know, The Beatles (by definition, the greatest band ever), is a great enough reason in itself. But seriously, The Beatles are so much more than "She Loves You" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand". They were, above and beyond anything, the first group who could ever lay their claim to the title of a "rock band". Listen to "Tomorrow Never Knows", or listen to "Back in the U.S.S.R."Even today, modern musicians are still borrowing just about every riff and rhythm from them. People blindly assume that just because they played 40 years ago, their music is somehow dated. Will this all come across in Rock Band? I can only hope so, but we'll see how it goes. (PJ: Yes but...are they decent guitar solos? :P )

You have just been told by a giant talking head that you are destined to save the world. What is your first reaction?

I would have to conclude that I had finally gone totally insane, and that I should be sent for psychiatric evaluation immediately. Either that or the talking head has accidentally got the wrong guy, since I'm pretty sure I'm not destined to save the world. It must be tough being disembodied afterall, I wouldn't like it. ;)

What is the most frustrating game you have played and why?

It would be a toss up between Myst III: Exile, or Fahrenheit. In Fahrenheit, there are a million and one Quick Time Events that I was constantly failing because of bad reactions, that I had to play through a dozen times. For Myst III, it has always been trying to fill a certain airship with the correct amount of air. I could never seem to get the right pressure, and so I was never able to finish the game. I consulted every walkthrough I could find, but I still couldn't fill the airship with the appropriate pressure. To this day I haven't finished Myst III. (PJ: Maybe it's not the air...but the 1.21 gigawatts you need to power it ;) )

The left door or the right door?

Naturally I'm going to choose the correct door. Wait, which is the wrong door again? Is that right? Which one will be left? :?

If you could have a cameo in any game, what would be?

Ah, at first I thought it would be great to appear in Max Payne, but since every person Max meets during the game he ultimately machineguns into small piles of flesh, I decided against it. I would like to cameo within Half-Life 2 as a typical rebel citizen fighting the Combine, always just chipping in, in the middle of a heated battle just to say "Don't forget to reload Dr. Freeman!" My dream is played out in this issue of Concerned(best Webcomic ever). (PJ: So you'd have a man crush on Gorden Freeman then? :P )

And the all important question...what is your favourite type of chocolate?

Type-wise, milk chocolate almost every time, only dark chocolate occasionally. White chocolate isn't actually chocolate, it's just pretending. Make-wise, I'd go with Cadbury, Lindt or Moser-Roth brands. (PJ: ...why no love for Thornton's? :( )

Thanks again Brading! As always if any of you are interested in being interviewed PM me or say so in the comments box. :)

Next time! Most likely canana but I can't say for certain...

SkylinePigeon in short: Currently enjoying cakes in the UK, has no idea what her avatar is, tends to stay up past midnight

What is you're all time favourite console and why?

I have very, very good memories of the Nintendo 64 days, so I'll go with that for nostalgia's sake. That's the console that really got me into gaming. I owned a SNES but used it to play mostly licensed games like Lion King and Mickey's Magical Quest. When my uncle gave me Ocarina of Time for Christmas, it really hooked me, and I've loved video games ever since. I think I've beaten that game 11 times now. :P Can't forget all the fun I had playing Mario Kart, Mario Party, Smash Bros, Golden Eye, and of course, Zelda. (PJ: So you make sure to beat Ocarina of time every year?)

What would be your perfect setting for a game?

I really like post-apocalyptic settings. The sense of desperation and loneliness they can evoke is really interesting to me. Also, I love anything with zombies...and when you combine the two, magic happens. ;) (PJ: You know, a game came out last year with those two things in ;) )

Which is better? Cats or Dogs?

I like dogs more in general, but I'm currently really attached to one of my cats. :P I rescued her out of a dumpster, and she's been the greatest you could ask for. She's more like a dog, though--she doesn't do that distance, aloof cat thing. She always wants to be petted, constantly follows me around the house, etc. Her name is Aryll, and she had two kittens who we also have: Zill and Zelda. Yes, all of my cats are named after characters in the Wind Waker. ;) (PJ: ...There is a character call Zill in Wind Waker?)

You have just been told by a giant talking head that you are destined to save the world. What is your first reaction?

Rad!! I am always up for an adventure!

What do you prefer? Coke or Pepsi?

Coke, particularly vanilla coke. Yum! (PJ: Mmm...American only coke :D...:( )

What is the most frustrating game you have played and why?

I got the Orange Box for Christmas last year, so I went back and played the original Half-Life before I dove into Half-Life 2. While it's a great game, it's quite hard to go back to. Having not played many FPS games and zero on computers, I had real trouble doing simple activities like walking up ladders and jumping. Also, the last boss is a nightmare just because it's really hard to figure out if you're hitting it, and the physics don't work like you expect. It's still worth playing to experience it, but it will give modern players its fair share of frustration.

What is the capital of Iran?

Tehran. Nope, didn't google it. That's what listening to NPR does for you. ;) (PJ: :googles NPR: Oh right :oops: )

If you could have a cameo in any game, what would be?

Oh wow!! Hmmm... in Kingdom Hearts III they should make a Monster's Inc., level and put me in it. That way I'd be simultaneously cameoing in one of my favourite movies and in a Square Enix RPG. (PJ: A certain Vulcan might say your logic is sound ;) )

And the all important question...what is your favourite type of chocolate?

Any chocolate from the UK. Seriously, it owns US chocolate in every way possible. I'll be going through severe withdrawals when I go home! Galaxy caramel is really good, and I'm addicted to Maltesers, the UK version of Whoppers. (PJ: Ok everybody, don't mention Thornton's...it MAY make her head explode)

Thanks again Skyline! As always if any of you are interested in being interviewed PM me or say so in the comments box. :)

Next time! gbrading adds a little bit of culture to the interviews...not much though :P

Over the past year I have developed a great enthusiasm for the user created internet review shows which have been growing in popularity over the web. I'm a great fan of these videos. I think they are very entertaining, funny and informative. They are also pretty much always on very little (or no) budget and I find the vids better than most stuff I see on TV!

Now, I'm pretty sure most of you know of the Angry Video Game Nerd and some of you know of the Nostalgia Critic, but there are lots of other internet video makers out there which I think are just as good. For instance there is Spoony who is one of my personal favourites 'angry' reviewers (his review of Demolition Man is priceless!), The Nostalgia Chick who reviews bad movies aimed at female audiences (I my option I thinks she's as good as her male counterpart) and Linkara who reviews bad comic book...did you know Mr T had his own comic book series? :shock:

It not just the whole 'angry review' thing I like either. There are actually quite few light-hearted shows too. Like Still Gaming and Little Miss Gamer. These are both very fun shows which the people making them clearly enjoy doing, and I think because of that the people watching enjoy them too. :)

Everybody I've mentioned here is featured on http://www.thatguywiththeglasses.com with the exception of the Angry Video Game Nerd. They are many other great video makers on the site besides the ones I've mentioned and think they all deserve a look. :)

As I said at the start of this post these videos are gaining popularity and I think one day could become a mainstream medium. Until then I'm going to watch the Nostalgia Critic rant some more. :P

PJ

P.S. I'm going to send a ton of interview this week. Keep an eye on your inboxes if you have expressed interest!

The condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic objects and dead organisms, being manifested by growth through metabolism, reproduction, and the power of adaptation to environment through changes originating internally. Seriously, why do people have such a hard time answering that question? :P

For me, there has been a great streak of game related news recently. The first being that there is Franz Ferdinand DLC coming to Rock Band. They are one of my favourite bands and I own all three of their albums (also if a remember straight s0njas0n's a fan too :P ). It great to see at long last a band I really like has come up as DLC...now if only their were Interpol and Muse packs coming up :D But that is not all! Yesterday I heard a wonderful rumour that these two games are being re-made! That's a mock up picture of course. :P But I'm ecstatic about the prospect of Gold and Silver being remade. Not only my favourite Pokemon game but also my second favourite game of all time (behind Final Fantasy IX)! I consider it a perfect sequel to Red and Blue. It stayed true to the original formula but added a bunch of great new features as well (Hold items, breeding, real time clock etc) and I still remember being shocked with joy after I 'beat' the game. Because after you 'beat' the game you can go back to Kanto (where the Red and Blue games are set) and get all the Pokemon/badges there too! So yeah, I'm beyond psyched about this. :P I hope you all survived this hype rant :oops: PJ

I've been considering ordering the game for a while. After all in the past cross over fighters have left a very good impression on me :cough: Brawl :cough: :P. But I was holding off on it because of some of the ridiculous prices online for it. Thankfully it's going to be released this summer for PSN. :D Demo coming tomorrow too, can't wait to try it out :D I would also like to continue my monthly apologies for the lateness of the interviews. I'm truly sorry for taking this long. Every time I think about doing it I'm either doing coursework or playing on something. The last of my coursework goes in on the 15th of May so if I don't start doing it then your all welcome to give me an E-kick up my procrastinating backside, k? :) PJ