E3 2010: Sony conference reveals Move details, Steam on PS3, PlayStation Plus

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(Runtime: 28 minutes)

Sony's press conference certainly ran a little bit too long for my taste, but it was much, much more entertaining and useful than Microsoft's trainwreck just a day earlier. If you're into audio rather than text, why not listen to our Sony press conference wrap-up podcast with me, Elliot, and Kit? Or, if you're a text guy/girl, head after the break to check out all of the details on the new PlayStation Move motion control accessory, the surprising announcement of the integration of digital distribution service Steam on PlayStation 3, and Sony's new Xbox Live-esque premium subscription service for PSN. Either way, it's sure to take less time than the actual conference.

As Nintendo wisely did with their press conference, Sony left one main presenter in charge of the proceedings, which was Jack Tretton, President of Sony Computer Entertainment America, in their case. Early on in the conference, Tretton discussed Sony's dedication to 3-D gaming, showcasing gameplay footage (and a Feburary 2011 release date) from Killzone 3. Most importantly, though, the PlayStation 3's 3-D capabilities will only work if you a) buy a 3-D television and b) buy 3-D glasses. With the unveiling of Nintendo's 3DS less than three hours prior, it was pretty difficult to take any claims of traditional 3-D seriously.

Speaking of major changes to the PS3, Sony simply wouldn't stop talking about PlayStation Move, the new motion control device that uses a glowing ball at the end of what is essentially a Wiimote to track movement in 3-D space. The Move wand itself will hit stores in the fall of this year: September 15 in North America, September 19 in Europe, and October 21 in Japan. In terms of pricing, I was surprised to see fully fleshed-out details from Sony, including prices for the wand ($49.99), the suspiciously-similar-to-the-Wii-Nunchuck "navigation controller" ($29.99), a bundle with the Eye camera, Move controller, and Sports Champions game ($99.99), and finally a bundle containing the contents of that bundle with a PS3 ($499.99).

Yes, that's right, you have to purchase three accessories — the wand, navigation controller, and Eye camera — to play a first-person shooter like, say, Killzone 3, with the Move. And as luck would have it, Killzone 3, Ruse, NBA 2K11, Time Crisis, and Echochrome will all have Move functionality on launch day, while games like Resident Evil 5 will receive software updates patching in the optional Move controls.

Sony is also now poised to offer a premium subscription service on the PlayStation Network (PSN) — called "PlayStation Plus" — that will provide "exclusive digital content" such as preferred early demos, discounts on products in the PSN store, early access to betas, and even some free game downloads. The service will cost $49.99 for a year and $17.99 for three months, very much like Microsoft's Xbox Live Gold service, but PSN gamers can still play online without subscribing to PlayStation Plus. PlayStation Plus will be available "later this month."

To promote their slate of third-party titles, Sony brought in EA Chief Operating Officer John Schappert, who announced "unprecedented support" for the PlayStation 3, including, um, "exclusive, limited-edition, PS3-only" versions of Dead Space 2 and the Medal of Honor reboot? That sounds pretty precedented if you ask me. After a few more trailers from EA, we were left with release dates for Dead Space 2 (January 25, 2011) and Medal of Honor (October 12, 2010) as well as confirmation of "unlockable beards" in the latter. Yes, my friends. He said UNLOCKABLE BEARDS.

Video Games | Portal 2 | E3 2010: You Monster Debut Trailer HD

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Finally, the most important announcement of all to many gamers, even those who don't own PS3s: Gabe Newell of Valve stepped onto the stage and put down many of his gripes with the PS3 (while, I can only assume, simultaneously picking up a large bag of money) in order to announce that PC/Mac digital download system Steam will be launching on the PlayStation 3. We don't quite know how it's going to work, or even if your games purchased on PC will carry over to PS3, but we do know that Portal 2 will be coming out on it! The trailer shows some serious promise, but I'm going to need to see more before I'm sure if I'm interested or not.

In the balance of the conference, Sony managed to announce "PS3-exclusive day-one content for Mafia 2," a PS3-exclusive pack of missions and a November 16, 2010 release date for Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, a November 2, 2010 release date for Gran Turismo 5, and finally ... a new game in the Twisted Metal franchise on the PlayStation 3. Phew! Overall, the press conference felt much more disjointed than Nintendo's, since most of the announcements were cut up among multiple speakers and trailers, but it contained enough information to keep hardcore and casual audiences interested (at least until they fell into a coma from sitting way too long at one conference).

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For more news and commentary out of E3 2010, check out our E3 2010 label page.

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Silent Hill Homecoming coming to PC, brings delay [EDIT 1]

Konami announced today that their fifth installment to the Silent Hill franchise, Silent Hill Homecoming, will not only be available on PS3 and 360 on day one, but on PC as well. Homecoming, which is being handled by the newly formed western developer Double Helix, will be made available through the Steam digital distribution service. This announcement has lead some to speculate that this is reason behind the delay in the game’s release from September to sometime in November.

With the amount of change that the Silent Hill game mechanics are undergoing this announcement doesn’t come as too big of a surprise. Developer Double Helix has already expressed their intent to maintain the disturbing ascetic of the previous games, while simultaneously revamping the game’s combat controls to reflect the main character’s combat experience. And after five other very similar titles, perhaps a little change won’t be such a bad thing.

EDIT 1: OH SNAP! As reported by 1UP, Tomm Hulett, Silent Hill Homecoming's producer, is confirming that the game's release date is still set for September 30th in North America. The November release date only applies for the European release.

[via PS3 Fanboy]

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New Ani-Gamers Steam Group

To gauge how many people read this thing, as well as be more active in the community, we have created a Steam group. For those who do not know, Steam is a content-delivery service for PC games. It also has the Steam Community, a fifteen million strong community made up of groups and clans, as well as having its own chat client. Using our Steam group, we can send you announcements about Ani-Gamers, you can join other A-G fans in games, and have huge community get-togethers. Even if you don't play on the PC, it's worth it to join in community events. To join the group, click here. To get Steam, click here.

Our first event will be a Team Fortress 2 clinic. There will be a free Team Fortress 2 weekend June 20th-June 22nd, and my goal is to help people have an idea of the game. Once people join the group, the event will be scheduled. To download TF2 for the weekend, click here.

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Huge Super Special Awesome Team Fortress 2 Update

Now I don't know about you, but I heavily enjoyed The Orange Box. I would have written a review if I was on the staff at the time, and I would have rained down merry little sunbeams dancing a happy jig on it. However, I most enjoyed Team Fortress 2, which I have found to be one of the best online multiplayer games ever. I would just like to do a quick update for all the TF2 news that has happened recently.

First off, the new Meet the Team video, "Meet the Scout" was released a few days ago. As promotional work, Valve releases machinima of a character from the game in a short but humorous way. This video is just the latest video based on the Scout, a speedy yet somewhat weak class.

Second, new Medic achievements and skills have been released. There are about 36 new achievements based on the Medic, from getting an Ubercharge before the setup time ends to killing 4 people by Ubercharging a scout. Every 12 achievements unlocked also unlock a new ability for the Medic. The Blutsaugher removes crits from the syringe gun but saps health, the Critzcrieg replaces the Ubercharge by offering 10 seconds of crits, and the Ubersaw that converts hits with the bonesaw to Ubercharge. They have not been released yet.

I'll keep you updated with any new news as it comes.

[via Ubercharged.net]

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uWrite: Steam Power Still Exists, Not To Anyone's Suprise

The following article was submitted by Raidon. The opinions expressed below do not represent those of Ani-Gamers or its affiliates.

Half-Life 2 was released in 2004, the first official game to use the source engine. Since then, mods for it have been released, the most famous of which is Counter Strike. It's still a good game, but even the most fervent fanboys of the intense tactical shooter get bored of it every now and then. So, what do you do if you're bored with your current collection? Look for more mods, of course!

Dystopia
The first one covered is Dystopia. Think of this as Counter Strike meets Ghost in the Shell. There are three classes: light, medium, and heavy. With each able to choose from a bank of abilities, you will fight the war on two fronts, cyberspace and the "meat world." The gameplay is much like Unreal Tournament; almost every game requires you to capture or destroy certain objectives. It's a fun game, and good enough to keep you distracted from the pre-pubescent infested Team Fortress 2 (I'm not bashing TF2's gameplay, but please refrain from using voice chat if you sound like a 10 year old).

Zombie Master
Mod number two is Zombie Master. One player controls hordes of zombies in an RTS scheme, and the other players exist as survivors. They have to complete chalenging objectives, such as repairing a truck to drive away from an infested city. The game mechanics are great; you have to take advantage of the Source Engine's physics to succeed. Survival gear includes a crowbar a la Gordon Freeman, a sledge hammer, a pistol, a shotgun, a winchester rifle (some see it as a tribue to Shaun of the Dead), and an uzi with Something Awful's signature awesome face grafted onto it. Have fun surviving!

Eternal Silence
Eternal Silence can be seen as a hard-futuristic port of the space battles seen in Battlefront II. However, I have very little to say about this game as there are never any playable servers.

Half-Life 2: Deathmatch
Half Life 2: Deathmatch is a mod you have to purchace from the Valve store. However, the $9.95 is well worth it. The game pits the Combine police and army against the terrorists and freedom fighters, the Rebels. Arm yourself with weapons from all three Half Life 2 games, including the gravity gun. Nothing is more satisfying than throwing an enemy's grenade back at them. Maybe throwing a buz saw at their neck, or crushing them with a car. Oh well, be creative.

Zombie Master
Half Life 2: Deathmatch is a mod you have to purchace from the Valve store. However, the $9.95 is well worth it. The game pits the Combine police and army against the terrorists and freedom fighters, the Rebels. Arm yourself with weapons from all three Half Life 2 games, including the gravity gun. Nothing is more satisfying than throwing an enemy's grenade back at them. Maybe throwing a buz saw at their neck, or crushing them with a car. Oh well, be creative.

Battle Grounds 2
Our final game is called The Battle Grounds 2 (requires Deathmatch). It is the sequel to the hit game of the same title. The mod takes you back in time to the revolutionary war, where you fight as either a royal infantry man, an officer, or German Jaeger mercenary for the British or as a soldier, officer, or frontiersman for the Americans. The soldier classes are armed with standard-issue muskets with average accuracy and relatively fast load times. They are also armed with bayonettes which could be used to stab the enemy during a charge. Officers start out with pistols, which have poor accuracy but are more acurate than a musket when moving. They are also endowed swords for hand-to hand combat. Jaegers and Frontiersmen are sniper classes; their muskets have excelent accuracy yet have longer reload times, and their lack of bayonette force them to rely on either a hunting knife or a a sword.

A brief conversation with the lead developer of TBG2 revealed that with the new release of Steam and Source, new features will be avaliable in game. Such features include unlockable equipment, such as better bullets, rifled barrels, a scope for the sniper classes, and a ridable horse vehicle. They will also make it possible for players to destroy said scopes with an acurate shot, dislodge bayonettes, and kill the horses. There will also be at least two new classes: a mercenary class for the British (possibly Swiss or Dutch) who is armed with only a sword, yet has the ability to sprint. The American double of this class is the pirate, armed with a sabre. The developer also claims that they attempted to make grenadier classes for both factions, yet the modeling and coding is proving quite dificult, and they have decided to delay the class. Additionally, they are looking into a way of creating musket-bayonette battles in other eras such as the Napoleanic battles and the Civil War.

Each of these mods are not my work, and credit should be given to their creators. The interview with the creator of BG2 took place during an in-game battle so not all information may be 100% accurate. After all, we were busy trying to defend our last capture point and push forward before the British could respawn.

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