We'll be live-blogging the three major press conferences of E3 – Microsoft (Monday, 10:30am PST), Nintendo (Tuesday, 9:00am PST) and Sony (Tuesday, 11:00am). Naturally we’ll be here all week reporting every scrap of information we can about the biggest and loudest E3 in years.
Follow along LIVE at the appropriate time, and sound off in our comments section at the bottom of the page!
Brett: Hey hey, bright and early for Nintendo's blue-bathed presser. Packed venue, absolutely crammed in here.
8:59
Brett: If you followed along yesterday with our Microsoft coverage, you're aware they showed off Natal, a motion-sensing bit of tech that one-ups Wii's offering. What'll Nintendo have, hm?
9:00
Brett: Nintendo's passing the time by airing trivia questions on their giant screen. Which koopaling is known for wearing sunglasses? Roy!
9:01
Brett: Jeeze that's going way back.
9:04
Brett: Ah, here we go. Starting it off with a "here's where we are now" reel of existing Wii titles, DS too. Rhythm Heaven, Mario Kart, etc
9:04
Brett: Cammie Dunaway is up and talkin'
9:05
Brett: "How are we trending?" Hope you're ready for some stats!
9:07
Brett: Mario montage... wonder what they're getting at
9:08
Brett: Could this be Mario 4? They're saying four a lot
9:08
Brett: New Super Mario Bros. for Wii it is!
9:09
9:09
Brett: 1-4 players, looks like the vs mode from the DS NSMB
9:10
Brett: Music is right outta the DS version. Mario, Luigi and two different colored Toads
9:11
Brett: New suit for 'em, propeller. 2D with visuals very close to the DS version.
9:12
Brett: Each level ends with a flagpole (so far) and there's an end-of-level tally of points and whatnot
9:13
Mikel: Propeller suit corkscrews characters into the air, then floats 'em back down. Looks... intriguing. Also, players can pick up, carry and throw other players, which looks cool.
9:13
Brett: Launching this year, now we're moving on to Wii Fit and the Balance Board accessory.
9:14
Brett: Considering Wii Fit and the Board its own platform, with install base of 15 million users. Hm, good point.
9:14
Brett: Aaaaand here's Wii Fit Plus
9:15
Brett: Quick image of New SMB demo:
9:15
9:16
Brett: Juggling, skateboarding, more minigames, including Perfect Ten, dubbed "Brain Age for your backside"
9:17
Eric: I'm actually not furious about this one. I just don't consider it a game.
9:18
Eric: Make all the money you want from soccer moms, Nintendo. Just please use it to make something I actually do care about.
9:18
Brett: ^ I definitely agree.
9:18
9:19
Brett: Reggie Fils-Aime up now, boasting about Wii's control advances. Oh, he means Wii MotionPlus. Hm.
9:20
Brett: Do they remember they told us about this last year? We know this. We've used this.
9:20
Eric: This is the most self-aggrandizing way to say "we fixed the remote so it works now" that I can imagine
9:20
Brett: "Unprecented level of control," but um, I played Natal last night...
9:21
Brett: Aw shit yeah! Jam that woofer while I watch people mime sports plays!
9:22
Mikel: I don't like how that diagram makes it look like the dongle is attached to the Remote condom thing. Like they're a single unit.
9:22
Brett: Showing Wii Sports Resort reel, again, we saw it last year guys.
9:24
Brett: Bill Trinen up now, showing off Resort's advanced motion control. Sky diving game, grab pals on the way down to make patterns in the air with yer Miis
9:25
Brett: Reminds me of a certain series we haven't seen in years... PilotWiings, anyone?
9:26
Brett: Archery minigame now, pull back on Nunchuk to draw string, hold it there, aim with remote, only now with MOTION PLUS!
9:27
Brett: "It's about doing what comes naturally," says Trinen
9:27
9:28
Brett: Reggie vs Bill... super forced dialogue is go!
9:28
They're gonna have a three point B-Ball shootout.
9:29
Brett: They're miming the whole act of shooting the ball, bending knees and follow through with the wrist, claiming MotionPlus detects all the nuances of your shot.
9:30
Brett: Well, it's true that basketball courts are a rarity in the US. Finally kids can do this anywhere...?
9:30
Mikel: Man, this exchange between Trinen and Reggie is almost as bad as the "turkey burgers" exchange between Kaz Hirai and Jack Tretton in Home a couple years back.
9:31
Brett: Grand Slam Tennis, Virtua Tennis and Tiger Woods all ship with MotionPlus.
9:32
Brett: They're trying to sell the idea of "now the game can read all of your mistakes!" as a positive
9:32
Brett: So now I'll in game tennis as much as real tennis. Wonderful.
9:32
Mikel: "This new dimension in physical reality" will finally make jocks better at games than nerds,
9:33
Brett: Introducing "highly interactive" Final Fantasy, Crystal Bearers
9:34
Brett: So wait... Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers. Wow that's a mouthful. Check the Longest Game Names on GR!
9:35
Brett: Showing Kingdom Hearts for DS now, which does indeed look hot.
9:37
Brett: Mario RPG 3 up now, which will no doubt be damn fun. Superstar Saga for GBA was one of the most genuinely funny and entertaining games of the day.
9:37
Brett: Hm, something new... GOLDEN SUN DS!
9:37
Eric: YEEEAAAAAHAHHH! New Golden Sun. I love those games
9:39
Brett: Brief trailer, then we're back to something for DS. James Patterson will apparently be coming to DS. Women's Murder Club, the interactive novel.
9:39
Brett: Attempt to lure book nerds. Could work, Hotel Duks kinda did that and was interesting.
9:40
Eric: Didn't the Women's Murder Club TV show get canned after three weeks or something?
9:40
Brett: Wow it's called Games of Passion.
9:41
Brett: Moving on... COP: The Recruit, an open worldy 3D "gritty urban" entry. Oh, it's over already.
9:41
Mikel: COP looks like a full-on 3D GTA for DS. Or at least a Driver. Either way, sweet.
9:43
Eric: I saw this game at pre-E3 day. Very GTA
9:44
Brett: DSi fluff reel. Yes we know, DSi is popular. Jump cuts and testimonials, ho!
9:44
Eric: Why does Nintendo always think that hardcore gamers care what random doofi on the street think?
9:45
Brett: AW YEAH TIME FOR SOME SALES STATS. Did you know DS has sold a whole bunch IT'S TRUE
9:46
Brett: Flip Note Studio for DSi coming this summer, animation software
9:47
Brett: Mario v Donkey Kong: The Minis March Again, now with level editor. Upload levels locally or on Wi-Fi Connection.
9:47
Brett: Wow it's out on June 8, DSiWare.
9:48
Brett: Wario Ware: DYI for DS, tapping, camera stuff too, looks like. "Deeply compelling" says Dunaway. You can share content with this, too.
9:49
Brett: This summer, upload DSi images to Facebook. That's actually a great idea.
9:50
Brett: Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks is up now. Here we go... oh wait, nope!
9:50
Brett: Just saying, "hey we have a new Zelda. You should try it at E3!"
9:50
9:51
Brett: More montage footage of Nintendo as a whole. Now welcoming Satoru Iwata to the stage.
9:53
Brett: So um, just reiterating Wii concept. We got it, open it up to wider audience, got it GOT IT GOT IT
9:53
Brett: While he talks, here's another picture of Mario RPG 3!
9:53
9:54
Brett: Still after people who were never interested in playing games. Fine and well, smart idea, but there are like 5000 gamers in here.
9:57
Brett: Saying games like Donkey Kong were friendly to casual and serious players, which is true. My first games were all basic Atari 2600 and early NES, so there's an argument there. POINT PLZ?
9:57
Eric: Wake me up when he stops talking
9:58
Brett: Haha, at least it's not James Cameron levels of indulgence.
9:58
Brett: Wii Vitality Sensor... it reads your pulse?
9:59
Eric: WOW. They're really going after that retirement home market.
10:00
Brett: Use this to achieve "greater relaxation."
10:00
Brett: Cammie - "Thank you Mr. Iwata for that glimpse into the future."
10:01
10:01
Brett: Oh shit 3D Mario is coming!
10:01
Brett: Mario riding Yoshi in another Galaxy-style game
10:02
Brett: More levels, ice, fire, space etc, but essentially a new batch of levels
10:03
Brett: God damn I love this music though, the Galaxy theme is tops
10:03
Brett: Super Mario Galaxy 2 it is!
10:04
Brett: Which, considering this and Spirit Tracks, it's 2007 all over again. Need hardcore titles but no time? Use existing tech!
10:04
Brett: Reggie claims there's more for gamers on the way, third parties specifically
10:05
Brett: Oh one is The Conduit.
10:05
Brett: We've got a substantial interview in an episode of TalkRadar, there's a link on the side of the main GamesRadar site to it
10:06
Brett: Now talking about Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles. We knew about this too. This isn't getting my nerd juices flowing. Which does make me feel like an angry and cynical web person who hates on everything.
10:07
Brett: So um... that Galaxy music was sweet!
10:07
Brett: Now on to Dead Space: Extraction
10:08
Brett: Hey the woofer from yesterday is back!
10:09
Brett: Reggie claims "new, edgy" title is on the way. I hope it's not Prime Trilogy. Which I love, BTW
10:09
Brett: Team Ninja and Nintendo working on... something....
10:10
Brett: Sin & Punishment 2?
10:10
Brett: OH MY GOD IT'S METROID
10:10
Brett: Action game Metroid! all combo-y and shit!
10:11
Brett: Metroid: Other M, 2010
10:12
Brett: "Further into the Metroid universe," deeper into Samus's story. Looked like parts of that were 2D, but it went by pretty damn quick
10:12
Brett: And that's it!
10:13
Brett: Cool to see a new take on Metroid, it definitely needed one after 7 years of Prime stuff (WHICH WAS GOOD)
10:13
Eric: That was a BIG finish.
10:14
Brett: Alright we gotta haul ass over to Sony's conference. Like NOW. Look for that at 11AM, and we'll talk a whole lot more tonight on TalkRadar E3 Special 1.
10:14
See you in... 45 minutes!
