E3 2010 leftovers: Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit

That's right, one of the best racing franchises returns with Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit.

The Need for Speed series took a nose dive when it branched to the ulta-modification, street racing genre with the Need for Speed Underground series and the franchise hasn't recovered since.

However, the follow-up with the 2002 classic Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2 could promise to remarry great arcade-style racing with the world's coolest cars and epic police chases.

Look for this one in the Fall or check it out right now, below:

E3 2010: Sony Press Conference Reactions

It's round three and Sony's last on the list. Lets find out with the home of the PS3 and PSP has in store with the new PlayStation Move. Checkout all of the happenings and reaction below.

Of course Jack Tretton is eager to boost how great the Playstation 3 and PSP are, blah, blah.

3D's the thing for Sony as well. A few downloadable titles are available now in 3D using everyone's "3D capable" PS3's and Sony's ridiculously overpriced 3D Bravia TVs. Again, Sony's priced themselves out of the fun. 20 more 3D titles are set to hit the PS3 by March 2011.

Killzone 3 in 3D. The effect is lost when you're not in the audience with 3D glasses. It begs the questions though, can you play these games without a 3D tv? Nevertheless, Killzone 3 looks just as intense and just as beautiful as it's predecessor and the new jet pack is awesome. Coming February 2011 and will be compatible with the PlayStation Move.

Other 3D games will come from the Motorstorm and Sly Cooper franchises as well as Gran Turismo 5 3D. Also on-board is Crysis 2, Mortal Kombat, Shaun White Snowboarding, Ghost Recon Future Solider, Tron Evolution and NBA 2K11. Games like The Fight, the new Eyetoy game and MLB 11 The Show will utilize both the Move and 3D technology.

I find it hard to believe they sold 7.2 million PS2's last year.

Next is the PlayStation Move. As well as know the Playstation Eye and new PlayStation Move controller work together to give one-to-one precession movement. However, Sony - like Nintendo - felt compelled to have game developers tell us why this thing is so great. I love how Sony's big advantage over the Kinect are its buttons.

Sorcery is a Move-exclusive. Casting spells are as easy as flicking your wrist in the direction you want to attack. It appears to work fluidly with the actions of the player and looks incredibly responsive. Using the different magical abilities together and seamlessly with the Move actually made an otherwise mediocre game look like a lot of fun. It should be one to keep an eye on until it hits store shelves in Spring 2011.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11, I don't care to comment.
Heroes on the Move looks to be a plateformer featuring six of Sony's franchise characters such as Jax, Daxter, Sly and Ratchet.

Sony also announced a massive cross-promotional deal with Coca-Cola to feature Move titles on Coke products which I'm sure cost a pretty penny.

Kevin Butler of commercial fan presented what was seemingly a stand-up routine poking shots at Microsoft and Sony. Also known as a bit of a waste of time.

The Move will move out in North American on September 19. The Playstation Move controller will sell for $49.99 and the navigation controller will cost $29.99. PS3 owners without a Playstation Eye can purchase a bundle featuring the Playstation Eye, Move controller and Sports Champions game for $99.99. Those who want to start from scratch can own a PS3 and the bundle for $399.99. Sony will launch with 15 to 20 titles on day one and 4o more during the holiday season. Some pre-existing titles will incorporate a software update for Move compatibility.

Sony's montage for the Move doesn't show too many launch titles to be excited about.

Next we turn to the PSP.

InVisimals uses a camera attachment to the PSP, another God of War game finds its way with God of War: Ghost of Sparta, Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, an Ace of Combat game and others. More than 70 titles will hit the PSP by December.

Playstation Network is next. Sony's E3 booth is available on Playstation Home which is pretty cool.

Little Big Plant 2 where, as we know, you can create even more content and even game modes.

It seems that Sony didn't have much more to show aside from a few game trailers, an announcement that Portal 2 is coming to PS3, Dead Space: 2 will include a Move-optimized version of Dead Space: Extraction, Gran Turismo 5 races in November, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Final Fantasy XIV and a new Twisted Metal game for the PS3 (it's been a while since we've seen one of those).Overall, Sony's presentation was a little more exciting than Microsoft's, but Nintendo was the outright winner of the year. Sony's 3D strategy is a little suspect considering the outrageous cost by purchasing a 3D Bravia TV just to play game in 3D. That's not going to happen.

Keep your Bravia, I'd like a Nintendo 3DS please.

E3 2010: Portal 2 trailer

Perhaps one of the best games in this generation and one of the greatest puzzle games ever made, Portal, will finally receive an encore this year on the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. Here's a first look at Portal 2 which isn't due for release until 2011.

E3 2010: Nintendo Press Conference Reactions

Day two kicks off right away after a so-so-showing from Microsoft. Nintendo looks to liven things up with the new 3DS as well as a new Zelda title for the Wii. Take a look at all the action and reactions from Nintendo's E3 2010 press conference.

Of course, Nintendo's press conference begins with Reggie Fils-Amie taking about the "buzz" of technology and the experience of playing video games. Then of course, Zelda.

A short preview and demonstration is shown for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. This time the Wii's controls are more intuitive to the movements and functions of Link. As with Twilight Princess, the Wii remote functions as Link's sword and the nunchuk acts as his shield. However, added precision with the Wii Motion Plus and a few other tweaks may make Link's next adventure a breathe of fresh air for the series. However, poor Shigeru Miyamoto had some trouble at times because it looks like the game was not as responsive as it could be, certainly less so than the Kinect seen yesterday although it was likely because of some sort of WiFi interference. Let's hope that's a bug that can be worked out before the game launches in 2011.



Mario Sports Mix is actually a surprising game that is pretty exciting. It looks like Mario Sports Mix will include volleyball, hockey, dodgeball and basketball in classic Mario chaos. This one's coming, again, in 2011.

Wii Party allows players to connect with other Wii users across the globe to play a variety of mini games. It could be entertaining for a weekend, but that's about it. Just Dance 2 now looks like it's a few steps behind Microsoft's Kinect.

Golden Sun: Dark Dawn will arrive this year. Based on the quick preview, Dark Dawn seems to have the overhead view very similar to the Zelda titles on the DS with battles that look nearly identical to Final Fantasy game in their heyday.

Goldeneye returns exclusively to Nintendo this year as well. For whatever reason it looks like the visuals are all too similar to its 1996 counterpart, but Daniel Craig is voicing James Bond in this one. It instantly has the same look and feel as the original. This may be one to watch and is certainly a pleasant surprise.

Disney Epic Mickey actually looks very cool. Visuals are reminiscent of Kingdom Hearts and in the game Mickey can paint or use thinner to create or remove obstacles in the environment. It's fair innovated and could be a great treat later this year.

There will be a new Kirby game in Kirby Epic Yarn and Metroid: Other M hits stores on August 31 which could go either way. Sorry, the video I was watching cut out at this point.



Donkey Country Returns! Just as Mario returned to his routes in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Donkey Kong is doing the same with a new game that rekindles some of the best gameplay from the SNES with updated graphics while maintaining a lot of the original gameplay. This looks like an instant must-own this Fall.

The rest of the show was dominated by the uber-cool Nintendo 3DS. It looks just like a Nintendo DSi with a 3.5 inch widescreen display, analogue stick on the lower half above the directional pad, and full 3D graphics without 3D glasses.

The amount of depth displayed in 3D is determined by a slider on the side of the unit and only the bottom screen will be a touch-screen, like the DS, but that bottom screen will not project a 3D which is disappointing.

Nintendo upped the graphics on the new 3DS and installed motion sensors and a gryosensor (whatever that is) to pair the new hand held a little closer to the Wii.

However, most interesting is the Nintendo 3DS will take photos via two cameras on the front of the console to be viewed in 3D and 3D movies will be available for the little bugger as well.

Kid Icarus Uprising is announced as a launch title for the 3DS and is revealed as Nintendo's secret "Project Sora." It looks absolutely outstanding for a hand held game and revives old memories of a franchise long forgotten. Plus, oh boy, Nintendogs +cats. Luckily, a slue of other developers have jumped on board promising games from the Resident Evil, Metal Gear Solid and Kindom Hearts franchises. When we'll actually see any of these games is an entirely different matter.



Nintendo concluded its presentation with one of the worst promotional videos ever made and a hooky barrage of attractive women with Nintendo 3DS hand helds strapped to their wastes ready to show those in the theater. No footage was shown because you apparently have to physically view the console for the 3D effect to work. Importantly, no release date was set for the 3DS.

Overall, Nintendo's presentation was far better than Microsoft's showing with a hefty bunch of Nintendo titles to certainly wet the appetite. Add the new 3DS and Nintendo has brought a lot for gamers to be excited about in the next year.

E3 2010: Sony's Press Conference

Haven't had enough motion controllers yet? Then take a look at Sony's press conference and what's in store with the PlayStation Move.

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E3 2010: Nintendo Press Conference

Day two is underway and it's up to the house that Super Mario built to wow the E3 crowd. Take a look at Nintendo has in store at this year's E3 and perhaps our first look at 3D gaming.

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E3 2010: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

Take a look at the return of Ezio in Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood coming November 16 to the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. Grab more info at the game's official website.

E3 2010: Microsoft Press Conference Reactions

Today is day one of E3 2010 and Microsoft took the stage first with it's E3 press conference. Here's a look at what happened and some thoughts on what Microsoft's presentation had to showcase.

First up was Call of Duty: Black Ops. We've seen a lot of footage of this one for a while, but this was the time we say gameplay in action. It looks to follow in-step with other games in the franchise. This time look for some fantastic visual detail in the game's jungle settings and what looks to be some exciting gameplay while flying a helicopter. All add-on and multiplayer packs are set to launch first on the Xbox 360 through 2010 although I believe Microsoft has already tied that up until this point anyway. You can expect Call of Duty: Black Ops on the Xbox 360 - and likely the PS3 - on November 11.

Next was Metal Gear Solid Rising. This time it's Raiden in the drivers seat and it looks like the main point is to "cut" your way through the game. Although a connection with the new Kinect was not officially announced, it looks like players will be using the motion controlled system to make precise cuts into character in what looks like a very bloody game. No launch date was set although we'll likely have to wait until late 2011 or later.

Everything from that point forward was announced as "only available on the Xbox 360." That perhaps means that Metal Gear Solid Rising will likely find it's way to the PS3 (and perhaps Wii, although that's highly doubtful).

Gears of War 3 was showcased in a four-player, story-based cooperative mode. It looks to take the best of Resident Evil 5 and throw it together with classic Gears of War gore and mayhem including newly mutated enemies.


Fable 3 takes place 50 years after the events of Fable 2. I've never played any of the Fable games, so I'm not sure how significant of a title the third installment will be. It ships out on October 26.

Developer Crytek is creating an Xbox 360-exclusive Codename Kingdoms. Get your gladiator on.

Halo Reach continues the story of Halo from the beginning. Looks like a lot of your typically Halo action with the addition of what looks like space combat. It appears no release date was given.

Finally the Project Natal turned Kinect. It's voice recognition is pretty impressive and the entire Zune library is now available on Xbox LIVE. VideoKinect looks like a possibly versatile by allowing Xbox 360 users to video chat with those on a PC running Window's or on an Xbox 360 all with sleek motion controls with the wave of a hand (can't tell how you select though). The ability to watch videos together makes for great conversation pieces and camera moves and focuses on the speaker as they move. Space-age technology.

A new partnership with ESPN will allow for more than 3,500 sporting events to be streamed on the Xbox 360. Amazingly, the new service is free for Xbox LIVE Gold Members. However, ESPN means no hockey.

The showcase of some of the titles we'll see from the Kinect begins with a little girl playing with a baby tiger named skittles, once and for all showing just how stupid you can potentially look while playing the Kinect in Kinectimals.

You can look equally stupid running in place in Kinect Sports. Then there's Kinect Joy Ride and Kinect Adventures (the game splits to a split-screen mode when another player walks into the action).

Your Shape: Fitness Evolved from Ubisoft showcased a great example of what the Kinect is capable of. The Kinect scanning a body image and tailor makes menus and exercises based on your body type. It actually looks like something you might lose weight from because it requires full body movement unlike Nintendo Wii versions.

Dance Central looks like a next-generation DDR. Also the epitamy of how stupid you can look while "dancing" on the Kinect. Nevertheless, it's sure to be a kit with the Jonas Brothers/Twilight crowd.

Kinect launches in the U.S. on November 4.

A new Star Wars using the Kinect was showcased in Jedi lightsaber-wielding fashion complete with force powers coming in 2011. Not sure how you're supposed to move through the environment and the visuals seemed a little cartoony. Hopefully not something based off of the "Clone Wars" t.v. show. We didn't get to see much of it to form a lasting opinion.

Forza Motorsport was able to pull off controls with the Kinect while maintaining a seamless 60 frames per second. The controls actually looked very responsive and the visuals were as beautiful as ever. The game also allows you to have a 360-degree look around each car and even allows you to focus on specifics such as the lights. This could open a gateway for a new way of advertising content by allowing the player physically move around the product, and in this case, even sit in the product. Too bad Forza fans will have to wait until 2011.

Finally, the "new" Xbox 360 was unveiled. It is smaller, quieter and blacker. The new Xbox 360 has a 250 GB hard drive and 802.11 N WiFi built-in making it the fastest wireless console on the market. The new console ships today and should find their way to store shelves by next week with a price tag of $299 unless you were in attendance and received the fancy, external-hard-drive-esque console for free. It looks like rumors are often true at E3.

Overall, Microsoft's media event was about showcasing the Kinect and giving us a little more insight than what we saw last year with the Natal. It certainly has a lot of potential with voice commands, video chat and - of course - fluid motion controls. It will be a matter of seeing the Kinect operate in practice. However, Microsoft's focus on the Kinect overshadowed its software titles. Certainly Halo Reach, Gears of War 3 and Fable 3 are all exclusive titles that Xbox 360 owners can be excited about, but it was evident that the Kinect is Microsoft's primary focus. We saw what Nintendo's focus on the Wii's motioned controlled novelty did to any solid titles on the console and it's highly likely Sony will make a similar mistake with the PlayStation Move, but the console giants can't forget about their core gaming fans in the pursuit of the Nintendo Wii's Grandma market.

E3 2010: Microsoft's E3 2010 Press Conference

Microsoft's E3 2010 press conference has been delayed until 1:30 EST. However, you can catch all of the action and news live on VGF below. Look for reactions a little later on:

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E3 2010: Killzone 3 Launch Trailer

E3 doesn't kick off until tomorrow, but we receive our first taste of trailer glory with the first look of Sony's Killzone 3 for the PS3.

Although the trailer doesn't hint at a release date (likely not until 2011), the new trailer features a snowy environment called Frozen Shores filled with our favorite Helgast foes as well as a few new weapons and what looks to be a pretty sweet jet back.

Gather more intel at the game's official website and expect more information during Sony's E3 press conference at 3 p.m. EST on June 15.

Be sure to checkout with else to expect from E3 2010 and follow coverage all week on VGF.

E3 2010: Microsoft's Project Natal called Kinect with an upgraded new look for the Xbox 360

In Sony-esque fashion it seems that Microsoft is the guilt party of this year's first pre-E3 leak.

Rumors have circulated quickly after an Italian video game website called "Console Tribe" allegedly posted a leaked advertisement for an upgraded version of the Xbox 360 with the software giant's Project Natal motion-controller/camera renamed as the Kinect.

According to the Italian site, the new Xbox 360 will arrive with built-in WiFi and a 250 GB hard drive.

Of course we'll all know what's fact and what's fiction tomorrow at Microsoft's press conference scheduled for 1 p.m. EST tomorrow.

Take a look at what to expect from E3 2010 and look for continued coverage on VGF all week.

E3 2010: Microsoft hosts a pre-E3 Natal event

Although it's less than five days away, E3 just can't come fast enough for Microsoft.

The software giant will hold a special "Natal related" pre-E3 press conference this Sunday at L.A.'s Galen center. The event promises a live performance by Cirque du Soleil.

Microsoft will recap full coverage of the special event at xbox.com, the Inside Xbox channel and on Xbox LIVE.

Microsoft will hold its media event at E3 at 1:00 p.m. on Monday. Nintendo will follow at noon on Tuesday and Sony will raise the curtain at 3 p.m.

In the meantime, take a look at the what to expect at E3 2010 and stay tuned to VGF for all the highlights and reactions to the happenings at the greatest gaming expo in the world.

What to expect at E3 2010

It seems like just yesterday that Microsoft and Sony jumped on the Nintendo bandwagon and announced motion controllers for the Xbox 360 and PS3.

Turns out it was almost a year ago and the Electronic Entertainment Expo is returning in just under two weeks on June 15-17 at the L.A. Convention Center. Checkout the E3 Expo 2010 official website for more information.

In 2008, VGF had a list of 15 different expectations for E3 2008, many of which were either unfulfilled until 2009 when they were overshadowed by the Natal and PlayStation Move.

So this year, lets look at a few things we desperately hope to see and hear more about at the premier video game expo.

• Some details on the Nintendo 3DS.
• More Natal and PlayStation Move details, release dates, games, anything.
• Word on the mysterious new Zelda title for the Wii.
• More information on Gears of War 3 and Halo Reach.
• Let's see what Little Big Planet 2 can do.
• Rumors have circulated that there will be a pay option for a premier version of the PlayStation Network, is this true? What are the other guys up to?
• How epic is Epic Mickey?
• New Metal Gear Solid, Sonic, Half-Life, Portal, etc? Where's our favorite franchises?
• Whatever happened to the lame Wii Vitality Sensor?
• How painfully aggressive will Nintedo's Reggie Fils-Amie be?
• Still holding on from last year: Kingdom Hearts 3 please.
• Can Call of Duty dominate again or will the new Medal of Honor steal some thunder?
• What's Rockstar's Agent?
• Details on the next Beyond Good and Evil.

In the meantime, the editors from 1up.com pieced together a list of the "Top 50 Most Anticipated Games of E3 2010." Checkout the videos below: