Owen Good

Conduit 2 Eyes-On Impressions: Re-Rigging the Adventure

Well, isn’t this timely. Conduit 2 begins with uncontrollable calamity out at sea on an oil rig. A coincidence, says High Voltage Software, but isn’t that what their shadow government would want you to think? Saddled with a year’s worth of overwhelming expectations as one of the few first-person shooters for Wii, The Conduit 2…

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Eyes-On Impressions: Hot Fuzz

After seven years of fans asking for it, Need for Speed finally adds cops to robbers – or, well, racers anyway – in Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. And in this game, the fuzz drive a Bugatti Veyron. Electronic Arts put the franchise back in the hands of Criterion and unveiled it Monday with a…

NBA Elite 11 Impressions: It’s Got a Good Shot

Alone in the gym, I start popping the three pointers, what everybody does in a casual shootaround. After four or five I feel like I’ve got a rhythm from this range, almost a shooter’s instinct. Then I ask about ballhandling. That, not shooting, is where NBA Elite will be either the breakout way to play…

Twisted Metal Comes to the PS3

Twisted Metal will make its long-awaited return in 2011, bringing a host of new car combat match types and twisted, over-the-top crash-and-burn action exclusively to the PS3. David Jaffe and Scott Campbell, the series’ creators, appeared at Sony’s E3 press conference to confirm the game’s return, inadvertently tipped by analyst Michael Pachter in a video…

Valve: Portal 2 Coming to PS3 [Corrected]

Valve’s Gabe Newell appeared at Sony’s E3 press conference to say Steam is coming to the PlayStation Network, and Portal 2 will be available for the PS3 on the same day it releases for Xbox 360 and PC. CORRECTION: Portal 2 will be “Steamworks enabled,” which includes community support features, such as chat. It will…

Premium “PlayStation Plus” Subscriptions Coming to PSN

Sony will offer a premium subscription to the PlayStation Network, one that doesn’t replace the current free service but does offer “an enhanced experience,” with additional content, early demo access and more. It will cost $49.99 a year. Jack Tretton announced the plans for the premium service at Sony’s E3 news conference. Subscribers may also…

PlayStation Move Priced, Dated for September Release

The PlayStation Move controller will release in North America on Sept. 19, in Europe on Sept. 15, and in Japan on Oct. 21. The controller itself will cost $49.99; a bundle with the PlayStation Eye will cost $99.99. Sony’s Peter Dille said the bundle will include the game Sports Champions; that bundle will also be…

3DS Traces Its Roots to GameCube

In an interview with Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, the man behind the development of the Nintendo 3DS said a version of its 3D technology was being tested as far back as the company’s GameCube days. Hideki Konno told Iwata that Nintendo developers had tested 3D technology with Luigi’s Mansion shortly after that game was released.…

What You’ll Be Playing on the Nintendo 3DS

When Nintendo boasted of a who’s-who already at work on games for the 3DS, they weren’t fooling around. The full list of titles coming for the new handheld feature such names as Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy, and Assassin’s Creed. The list of Nintendo first- and third-party games, described as a partial accounting, according to…

Donkey Kong’s Back with Donkey Kong Country Returns

Retro Studios, best known for its work on the Metroid series, the Texas-based studio takes a swing at Donkey Kong with Donkey Kong Country Returns, a sidescrolling platformer due out this holiday. A trailer at E3 showed Donkey Kong romping through mine cart levels, swinging from vines and and pirate ship levels.

Driver Has an Out-of-Body Experience

Tanner’s back, and apparently he can release an astral projection. During Ubisoft’s press conference we learned of Driver: San Francisco‘s “Shift” feature, in which Tanner may float in suspended time from one car to another, continuing the action from it. Demonstrating the game, Ubisoft’s Martin Edmondson said that Tanner’s been involved in a terrible accident…

Introducing Innergy: A Game About Breathing

Intended to be a stress-reducing exercise game, Innergy, by Ubisoft, strives to teach you “cardiac coherence” through breathing in time with a pulse pattern on the screen. The game includes a new “Energy Sensor” that will be used to measure your breathing and other vital signals. In the breathing exercise, demonstrated at Ubisoft’s E3 2010…

New Xbox 360 Shipping Today, Costs $299

Microsoft unveiled its smaller, sleeker Xbox 360 design, packing a 250GB hard drive and built-in wireless-n. Microsoft’s Don Mattrick said it will be in stores by the end of the week, and will still cost $299.

Ubisoft Unveils Kinect-Enabled Fitness Title

Your Shape: Fitness Evolved by Ubisoft will make use of Microsoft Kinect to deliver a range of exercises, from cardio-kickboxing to yoga. The title will perform a full-body scan of the user help it provide detailed data on performance and progress.

ESPN to Deliver Programming Over Xbox Live

Microsoft and ESPN have struck a deal delivering exclusive sports programming to Xbox Live. The partnership will deliver more than 3,500 sports events, most of which will be in high definition. ESPN anchors Trey Wingo and Josh Elliot took the stage to demonstrate the service, which will be free to Xbox Live Gold subscribers. Highlights…

Crytek Exclusive Will Bring Gladiatorial Combat to Xbox 360

At Microsoft’s E3 news conference, live now, Crysis maker Crytek revealed via live action trailer it’s working on an Xbox 360 exclusive game, Codename Kingdoms. The game appears to have a sword-and-sandals theme, featuring brutal combat sequences.

Multiyear Pact Puts Call of Duty: Black Ops DLC on Xbox 360 First

Microsoft struck a deal with Activision guaranteeing all map packs and game add-ons for Call of Duty: Black Ops will release first for the Xbox 360. The agreement, just announced at Microsoft’s E3 news conference, runs from 2010 to 2012. “When you want to play Call of Duty over the next few years, you’ll want…

Kinect Gives Free Helicopters to VIPs

At first I thought this was a Marine CH-46 ferrying a extremely large, green hot dog. No, it’s actually an Army Chinook carrying a raft. Microsoft gave out this Kinect Adventures Avatar toy to everyone at last night’s Kinect event.

Hey, Maybe Eminem is Appearing for Call of Duty

Eminem tweeted he’d appear in Activision’s event at E3, and yesterday I joked “I don’t think he’s appearing on behalf of Call of Duty: Black Ops.” Maybe he is. A track from his new album will be in the game. Most would think of DJ Hero 2 first, but in a news release touting the…

Cirque Performance a Pitch Not Just for Natal, but Games

In the two years he’s been the executive producer for Microsoft’s E3 appearance, Aaron Greenberg’s brought The Beatles on stage and tonight, Cirque du Soleil. He expects to be asked how he’ll outdo that, and he doesn’t have an answer. “I’m eager to not have to try to one-up this next year, that’s for sure,”…