Tiny Diggers – An iPad Construction Truck Game for Kids Age 2-5

Hello avid readers and welcome to the blow by blow entry for the Microsoft Media Briefing for E3 2007. The conference should be starting momentarily, but we will deliver all the news that we get from the event as soon as we can get it posted. So make sure to check back frequently for updates from the show.

Looks like we are starting the show with a Halo theme. Looks like a picture montage of screens from Halo 3. They are not easy to see, but it looks like they were from Halo 3 as I did not recognize them from the other Halo games.

Now Peter Moore has taken the stage. Mentions that Halo 3 will be out in just under 11 weeks. He claims that Microsoft’s lineup tonight will all be out before the end of the year. And that they have the most exclusives of any company.

Harmonix is on the stage now presenting Rock Band. They have all the accessories on the stage and they are playing the game. Not sure what tune they are using, but it looks pretty smooth. The voice on the mic sounds a bit weird. But it is catching all the words pretty well.

In the middle of Harmonix demo for Rock Band, someone hits the pause menu. Now they did it again during the finale. This is the first live demo of the game. Some bands included in the game are Nirvana, Black Sabbath and The Who.

Looks like we have a new Viva Pinata title coming to the 360. Kind of looks like a Super Mario Party type game. The game is called Viva Pinata Party Animals. It will have 50 minigames and races.

Mass Effect from Bioware and Microsoft Games Studios. The gameplay looks smooth. but not sure if you can still customize your character.

Peter is talking about hardware numbers. Since the two other consoles, Wii and PS3 were launched, 360 is in a tight battle with the Wii and leads handily against the PS3. Since November of 2006, the 360 have had 18 games from the third party developers crack the top ten. They have also had $2.4 billion in sales in games. This holiday season Halo 3, GTA IV and Madden 08 will drop on the 360 platform. They are the driving force for sales in the game industry. Peter mentions that if you want to play all three, you have to have a 360 in order to do it.

A video montage of games coming to the 360 this fall. By my count we have at least two to three dozen games from now until the end of the year barring delays.

Jeff Bell is taking the stage. He is the Vice President of Marketing for the Games division. They are announcing a new exclusive game for the 360… it is Scene It. A new controller for the 360 will come with it. The game comes with four controllers for the standard price of a 360 game.. They look like a Wiimote, but they have no motion sensing in them. They look like a small stick with a round bulb on the top. He mentions that Ubisoft is bringing Naruto: Rise of Ninja to the 360 exclusively.

The Naruto game looks pretty cool, but I have to admit I have never watched the show. But it is a 360 exclusive.

The EA sports games for 2008 will run twice as fast as the last generation. Reggie Bush comes out to do a demo with Jeff Bell of Madden 08. Reggie is attempting some banter, but it is kind of falling flat. The game looks silky smooth. No stutters or slowdowns seem to be present.

Xbox Live has eclipsed the 7 million member mark. They have added a new member every eight seconds. By July 2008, Live should pass 10 million mark. 45 million games have been downloaded from Xbox Live Arcade. 100 downloadable games should be available from Live Arcade by the end of the year. Hexic 2, Sonic The Hedgehog, War World, Sensible World Soccer, Wing Commander Arena, Feeding Frenzy 2, Track and Field, Spyglass Board Games, Golden Axe, Space Giraffe, Super Puzzle Fighter 2, Word Puzzle, Marathon, Durandel, Poker Smash, Switchball, Tetris Splash, Puzzle Quest, Boku Sudoku, just to name a few.

Sonic the Hedgehog and Golden Axe are available tonight from Xbox Live Arcade.

Xbox Live has added over 2800 hours of programming with 29 different media outlets. It have become one of the most successful areas of Live.

Disney has signed an agreement with Xbox Live to distribute all of their animated films and regular films as well. It is an exclusive digital console agreement. Includes Disney Studios, Disney Animation, Miramax and Hollywood Pictures. I did not see any Pixar films, so I am not sure if that is included. All the films in the demo reel are available tonight.

This fall, HD downloads will be global. Canada and Europe will be included in the marketplace video downloads. The Elite will also release in Europe this fall.

Shane Kim, Vice President and Head of Microsoft Games Studios takes the stage. He is talking about the great games coming from MGS. Now mentioning Forza 2 and that it is selling over 1 million copies by the end of the year. PGR3 was a leading title for launch.

Now bringing out the two developers from the PGR4 team. Bikes as mentioned earlier today will be included. Manufacturers will include Honda, Ducati, and others. The bike physics look nice. The weather effects look amazing. The reflection off the streets while the rain comes down, is amazing. You will be able to share photos and videos online with your friends. The cars look amazing. Snow racing reminds me of Rallisport Challenge ice tracks. This game looks fantastic. It will be available in September of 2007.

Lost Odyssey is up next. It is available on the 360 as an exclusive. Sounds like it should be out this fall. The story looks good and the fighting engine is tight. Looks like a Final Fantasy styled game. Some of the creatures are huge. Should be a fun game.

Three exclusive RPG games are available this fall, Mass Effect, Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey.

Now to Games for Windows. Viva Pinata will be coming to the PC along with Gears of War. Gears of War will come this fall to Windows and will have new content exclusive to the PC version. Cliffy B is coming to the stage. Gears is the number one seller for the 360 and number one online game on the 360.

Gears will include Live Support for Windows and will have achievements. New multiplayer arenas, new multiplayer modes, and five new levels. The battle with the huge flying monster that was in the GoW trailer last year will now be in the PC version of the game. It will also have new achievements to gain. No specs mentioned on the PC, but the game seems to be running smooth. the battle against the creature is awesome. The game has supremely fluid. And as a surprise, they said the game will be on Windows XP and Vista. No mention of cross platform gaming.

New partners for Games for Windows live include Sega, Eidos, and THQ. Epic Games will include Games for Windows Live in Unreal Tournament 3. These will all have achievements, across 11 titles. They mention that 60 games this fall will carry the Games for Windows logo including Sierra, and Electronic Arts.

Flight Simulator X: Accelerated, Bee Movie, Hellgate London, Stranglehold, BioShock, Crysis, Universe at War: Earth Assault, BlackSite Area 51, World In Conflict, Age of Conan: Hyborean Adventures, Lost Planet, Kane and Lynch, Company of Heroes: Opposing Force, Zoo Tycoon 2: Extinct Creatures, Juiced 2, and Spider Man: Friend or Foe are some of the Games for Windows branded titles that will coming to the PC this fall.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare will be developed by Infinity Ward and will bring the battle to modern times, with a cinematic and dynamic war. The visuals look great. You become part of a bigger war. Your squad is more than cannon fodder in this one from the looks of it. The game is for both the PC and the 360.

Jason West of Infinity Ward comes to the stage to play some of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Looks like we are near Chernobyl. Very smooth animation. No stutter. I assume they are playing it on a 360, but I cannot tell for certain. Sounds like he is playing the British SAS. The terrain looks very realistic. The action is rolling along and I have yet to see any slowdown in the animation. Exclusive to the Xbox 360, there will be an online beta and it is at www.charleyoscardelta.com

Grand Theft Auto is being shown with footage from the 360 version of the game. First is the “Looking for Somebody” trailer on a big screen. Two new episodes for GTA IV will be released exclusively in Spring 2008.

Starts to talk about the Japanese design companies. Talks about the exclusive online mode in Virtua Fighter 5. Also talked about Devil May Cry 4.

The game is not coming out this year, but they are showing a new Resident Evil game coming to the 360. Looks like it might be based on the film, but I am not sure. Nope, just called Resident Evil 5. Short but good looking trailer. July 26th, 2007 will have a full trailer on Xbox Live.

Now we move to Assassins Creed. They are showing off an exclusive demo for the 360. They are showing off a recreated Jerusalem from the 1300s. They are showing the city off from a high building and every building in site is able to be entered. Shows how bumping into people brings suspicion to you. As you cause more rabble, the more likely you are to bring the guards to your attention. More animation that is running quite smooth. The main character scales a building to sneak by guards. We just had some slight stutter in the gameplay when several elements were onscreen. A good cutscene that is in-engine. The battle animation look good and have a nice flow, but it does seem like the battle participants only attack you one at a time. The crowd is an obstacle during a chase of a target. The game drops in November of 2007.

They are showing off a Live Action film of a Halo episode. It is made by Bungie and WETA along with a director that is not Peter Jackson, but I did not get his name. This thing is pretty amazing. So far, no Master Chief. The weapons all look real. And now we have a chain of Warthogs being assembled. Here is the dropship that will take us to the fight. It looks great.

This leads into the Halo 3 presentation. Halo 3 will also introduce a Halo themed 360. Will be colored in the color of Master Chief and will be complete with a line of accessories. The Halo franchise will have made a billion dollars by the end of the year.

Peter Moore ends the night summarizing the all the titles that they have gone over tonight. Every game will be available by the end of the year, with the exception of Resident Evil 5. And they have another exclusive Halo 3 trailer. The environments look huge. Earth has been ransacked by the Covenant. Looks like they have a lot more environments so not as much is repeated. The Arbitor and Master Chief overlook a battle together. They might be teaming up in this one. The battles look huge.

And that concludes the evening. Hope you enjoyed this blow by blow of the Microsoft Press Event from E3. Enjoy and have a great evening.