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:

Super Mario Galaxy 2 receives outstanding reviews

In an unfamiliar move by Nintendo, the second standalone Super Mario title on a single console hit shelves yesterday in the form of Super Mario Galaxy 2 for the Wii.

To give you an idea of how rare of an occurance this is, the last time more than one standalone Super Mario title was released on a Nintendo console was the original NES. This time it only took 2 1/2 years to boot!

Nevertheless, Super Mario Galaxy 2 has received raving reviews from nearly every sector of the video game media.

Luckily VGF is here for your one-stop-shop for all the reviews you need of the Italian plumber's next plunge.

Gamespot

10 of 10

1up.com

A

Gametrailers.com

Little Big Planet 2 launching later this year

In the video game industry, it seems all rumors are true.

The recent rumors swirling around a follow-up to the Playstation 3's 2008 award-winning, create-your-own blockbuster "Little Big Planet" were confirmed yesterday when a post on the official Playstation.blog announced "Little Big Planet 2" is coming our way later this year.

The next installment will expand the 2.2 million levels of user-generated content will all new tools to craft new masterpieces. These now include customizable characters in the environment.

Users can also create their own cinematic cut-scenes using the in-game directing interface.

However, the most notable change is the ability for users to create their own game. Examples include top-down racing games, multiplayer shooters, flying side-scrollers and even RPGs.

Find out more on the game's official website. The official trailer is below:

Boy Scouts to Offer Loops and Pins for Video Gaming

The times they are a-changin'.  The days of yore when Boy Scouts would help and old woman across the street or build a camp fire are soon passing us by and making way for a new generation when an astute knowledge of video games warrants a belt loop or academic pin.

What a beautiful age we live in.

The Boy Scouts of America have announced that Tiger Cubs, Cub Scouts and Webelos Scouts can earn a belt loop or academic pin for knowledge comparing video game consoles, how to teach others to play video games and pricing for video games, as well as how to manage video game usage along side homework, chores and other activities you "should" do.

Boys are also repeatedly encouraged to play video games that are age appropriate.

My personal favorite requirements are listed below:

Play a video game with family members in a family tournament. The new family game night.

Play an appropriate video game with a friend for one hour. Like that one is hard.

Play a video game that will help you practice your math, spelling, or another skill that helps you in your schoolwork. Good luck finding one of those. Although "The Oregon Trail" should count, but that might be a little dated for today's hooligans.

Compare two game systems (for example, Microsoft Xbox, Sony PlayStation, Nintendo Wii, and so on). Explain some of the differences between the two. List good reasons to purchase or use a game system. Birth of a fanboy.

Get all the details on the official requirements page.

A Case for Video Games as Art, or Roger Ebert is an Idiot

If you're a fan of video games you have no doubt run across some media site, blog or irritated tweet referencing a recent blog entry by noted film critic Roger Ebert who wrote that "Video games can never be art."

Even Ebert admits that "never" is a bit of a weighted word, but I am absolutely shocked that a film critic would feel this way about an emerging medium and be completely wrong in the process.

He spends most of his time refuting a presentation made at USC by Kelle Santiago, a video game producer and designer, who catalogues various (perhaps not the best) examples of video games as art.

She lists downloadable games Braid, Flower and another I'm not familiar with - Waco Resurrection. I'm not sure how she goes about her argument suggesting each as art, but Ebert is quick to to consider Santiago's three examples as "pathetic."

Ebert is also quick to forget the struggles the film industry faced during it's infancy. The 15-second long reels in Edison's Kinetoscope were viewed as nothing more than minor amusements and were certainly not considered art-worthy by any means. It wasn't until the first Academy Awards in 1929 until motion pictures were considered an art form - nearly 40 years after Edison introduced his little gimmick.

Ebert also spends considerable time toying with the definition of art, but forgets the division between unfairly classified "high" and "low" art - film is still considered the latter.

I would bet that a commonly held interpretation of art could be explained as a piece of creative word that stimulates not only thought, but challenges either the limitations within its medium or society to some degree.

Video games are the only interactive medium allowing the player a choice in his or her actions. Yes, it's a game with a motivation and goal, but video games are becoming much closer to film than Mr. Ebert would ever dare to consider.

Take the Metal Gear Solid or Final Fantasy franchises for example. They both feature less gameplay than cinematics a majority of the time. The interactive nature of a video game in this case create a closer emotional connection to the story that transcends film. After all, to reject video games as art is to reject film as art.

As for the inability to compare any video game or game creator with great art or artists, you have to examine what each had done for the industry. When you look at how video games and video game artists have stimulated the medium, names such as Shigeru Miyamoto, Hideo Kojima and Will Wright come to mind as do Super Mario Bros., Metal Gear Solid and The Sims.

I'm Sorry Roger Ebert, but you're wrong and I'm sick of the image of video games as a mindless medium for teenage boys.

Video games are art.

UK Woman Claims the Nintendo Wii Made Her a Sex Addict

You read the headline correctly, Amanda Flowers (perhaps a fake name) says that a fall while playing Wii Fit has turned her into a sex addict.

She was allegedly diagnosed with persistent genital arousal disorder after damaging a nerve while falling on the Wii Balance Board in the process of playing Wii Fit.

She now claims she needs to satisfy her delicate disorder 10 times a day and the slightest vibration can trigger a reaction.

Yes, the 24-year-old is single.

No word on if she plans to file any sort of law suit against Nintendo (imagine how that disclaimer would read).

Depending on how you look at it, one more reason why more women should or shouldn't get into gaming.

Gears of War 3 Premier Trailer

I don't claim to know much about the Gears of War franchise other than it is one of the premier series' on the Xbox 360.

However, I do know that the April 5, 2011 release of Gears of War 3 is slated to mark the end of the trilogy.

With the teaser trailer "Ashes to Ashes" launching today, development studio Epic Games is looking to wrap of one of the most successful series' on the Xbox 360 to date.

It looks like it's "Brothers to the End."