XBox 360 Rally

Here I am, coming to you LIVE from my couch! Here I am, ladies and gentlemen, ready to pass along the latest news from Microsoft on to YOU, the reader! …because apparently you don’t realize it’s on G4… or 1UP.com… or Gamespot… or Lord knows where else… EITHER WAY, let’s DO IT! Watch the Conference HERE!

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12:54am - Finally, as the show winds down, Peter Moore introduces a video of Halo 3 Single-Player Footage. I… I… wow. The covenant has won the war, and is laying waste to Earth. But that’s not the story, the story is how the Halo 3 single-player is looking, which is just… the Multiplayer BETA didn’t touch what the Single-Player campaign does. Microsoft Press Conference over, kiddies! When my back isn’t hurting so much, I’ll write up my review on the whole damn thing. Until then, just read over.

12:53am - Peter Moore gives us another rundown of games already listed in this Live Blogging archive, so… I’m not listing them again.

12:52am - Peter Moore unveils the new, jungle green Halo 3 edition of the Xbox 360 that will be on the market around the launch time of Halo 3!

12:50am - Peter Moore introduces a Live-Action short film. We’re shown some images of what looks like a monster ship coasting past an oil rig, as we see machinery working to build… something. We see Marines getting injections, as well as getting into their Armor. They grab their rifles and pistols. Finally, we see Transports taking off, and that’s the end of the short.

12:43am - Redmond and some chick no one cares about show us Assassin’s Creed, telling us that everything under the sun (I mean everything) is interactive. She jumps down and into a cart of hay. She makes her way through a busy crowd, before being stopped by angry old Eastern folk. To cause a distraction, our hero throws a guard off a roof to his death. Then quickly dispatches another guard before running like hell! Stealth is a very integral, and also touchy, aspect of this game. And now our hero has fallen into a trap. Very cinematic feel to the game, both during the cut-scenes and during gameplay. The fighting relies on a combo-based system, and looks very impressive. No two chases are the same, as the AI will use whatever it can to try and throw obstacles in your way. After about a thirty second chase, the hero gets his man and, I presume, kills him dead.

12:42am - Jade Redmond takes the stage… and I’m stuck here, typing this shit…

12:41am - RESIDENT EVIL 5 FOOTAGE! O.M.F.G! It looks as though this is the only game being shown that will NOT be appearing this year. …and the video explains nothing. I apologize. But, on July 26th, you can DL the full version of that trailer on the Marketplace.

12:40am - Peter Moore turns his, and our, attention to Japan. Yeah, let’s do that. That’ll sour the party. He announces Eternal Sonata, Virtual Fighter 5, and DDR.

12:39am - Moore reminds us that the Xbox 360 is getting two exclusive GTA IV episodes.

12:38am - We’re shown the second trailer from Grand Theft Auto 4. Nothing new. Moore informs us that the footage was taken from an Xbox 360.

12:37am - Infinity Ward announces an online multiplayer BETA exclusive to Xbox Live!

12:32am - We’re shown some actual, truthful gameplay of CoD4:MW. We’re shown an empty field in the Ukrane, where soldiers magically appear from the grass — the camouflage is THAT good. He runs over to an aluminum shack, slowly moving towards an abandoned cabin. He zooms, waiting. He holds his breath, fires, and takes both bogeys down with two impressive head shots. I can’t stress enough how beautiful this game looks. The shadow effects are, by far, the best I have ever seen. And this includes GRAW 2. Skipping Forward… They enter the abandoned building, what looks like a church. They run out through a graveyard which gives me chills just looking at it. Running across another snow-dusted field and hopping over a log, he hits the dirt and low-crawls forward. The smoke effects are simply splendid, but that’s not anything new. The screen fades as enemies approach.

12:30am - We’re shown a kick-ass video of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare! The trailer shown is all gameplay, and opens with shots of Chernobyl. The lighting, graphics, and all make for a cinematic experience that is simply second-to-none. It’s obvious that Infinity Ward has gone all-out for this one, and I’m willing to bet that this will go down as the best Modern Combat-based FPS yet. It’s simply freaking beautiful.

12:26am - Flight Simulator X, Bee Movie Game, Hellgate: London, Age of Empires III, Stranglehold, Gears of War, Bioshock, Crysis, Universe at War: Earth Assault, BlackSite: Area 51, World in Conflict, Age of Conan, Lost Planet, Kane & Lynch, Company of Heroes, Zoo Tycoon 2, Juiced 2, Viva Pinata, Spider-Man: Friend or Foe are all shown to be featured for Games for Windows.

12:25am - Moore says Windows Vista is the most gamer-friendly OS ever. That’s a dirty lie.

12:25am - All Unreal Engine 3 titles will feature Games for Windows functionality.

12:24am - Sega, Eidos and THQ are announced as partners with Windows Live.

12:24am - Peter Moore returns. I feel a sense of calm.

12:24am - Cliffy B. is a tease. A dirty tease.

12:23am - For someone who usually throws down, Cliffy B. is suckin’ at Gears of War.

12:21am - Cliffy B. comes to the stage, and shows off Gears of War on the PC. Cliffy B. announces that the Co-Op WILL be included in the PC port of the Xbox 360 title. The PC version will feature new Single-Player missions, new Multiplayer Maps, New Achievements, and you finally get to fight that big, nasty dude from the original trailer that had the “Mad World” song playing to it.

12:20am - Shane Kim talks about Games for Windows, announcing that Viva Pinata and Gears of War are both headed to the PC. Thank God he acknowledges that this was a poorly kept secret.

12:18am - We’re shown a new video from the upcoming Hironobu Sakaguchi title, “Lost Odyssey”, giving us new details about the story (which spans 1000 years), and an insight into the world.

12:18am - Kim announces new Halo-related project being headed by LotR’s Peter Jackson.

12:17am - Alan Wake is mentioned by Peter Kim, as well as Fable 2. You know what that means, kiddies.

12:17am - …I think Shane Kim is high.

12:16am - New video showing off many environments and vehicles expected in PGR4. Without going into too great of detail — it’s God damn gorgeous.

12:13am - They show off the new motorcycles in PGR4. The game itself looks downright gorgeous, with impressive lighting effects off the rain-slickened pavement. The environments are all crisp and detailed, and the bike looks like it handles very well. We’re guaranteed over 120 vehicles. The weather will, indeed, have an effect on how your car handles.

12:13pm - Members of Microsoft Game Studios come on stage to show us PGR4.

12:12am - Shane Kim guarantees Forza 2 will sell over 1 million uints by the end of July.

12:11am - Shane Kim, head of Microsoft Game Studios, comes on stage, and tells us when we can expect a few upcoming titles, including Mass Effect and Halo 3. Like we didn’t know.

12:09am - August 29th, 2007 is announced as the Eurpoean Elite launch date.

12:09am - All movies mentioned in the compilation video (over 20) will be downloadable tomorrow.

12:07am - Microsoft and Disney announce an agreement to bring Disney Classics and Modern Classics to the Marketplace.

12:07am - Bell points out that the Video Marketplace has more content than ALL On Demand services. Hear that, Comcast?

12:04am - Bell makes claim that the XBLA will have over 100 games by year’s end. Shows off Bomberman, Undertow, Hexic 2, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG, War World, Geon, Wing Commander Arena, Track & Field, Spyglass Board Games, Space Giraffe, Super Puzzle Fighter II, Marathon, Poker Smash, Switchball, Puzzle Quest, Tetris, and others that flew by too quick for me to write down. Sorry.

12:03am - Bell talks about Xbox Live. He announces that Xbox Live has topped 7 Million users. That’s one member every eight seconds. Bell also predicts that Xbox Live will break the ten million member mark by next year.

12:02am - Reggie Bush busts free for an 80-yard TD by… well, Reggie Bush.

Midnight - Reggie Bush and Jeff Bell play each other in a friendly game of Madden. Madden NFL 08 on the Xbox 360 STILL doesn’t have either Madden or Michaels doing the announcing, but the graphics are crisp and clear. Madden NFL 08 looks good, if not eerily familiar.

Midnight - Bell announces what we already know — 360 will have 60FPS, PS3 will have 30FPS. He then introduces Reggie Bush.

11:58pm - Bad Japanese Rock plays as we see badly-rendered cel-shaded video of NARUTO doing… well, whatever the hell NARUTO does.

11:57pm - He talks about NARUTO. J.W. really doesn’t care.

11:56pm - New Controller designed specifically for Scene It is debuted. It looks as though it has a large red button (or trackball?), along with the four face buttons, and the big center X button.

11:55pm - Scene It is debuted for the Xbox 360.

11:55pm - Jeff (Geoff?) Bell takes the Stage, and talks about Xbox Live.

11:51pm - Other games shown off in a highlight video: PGR4, Dynasty Warriors: GUNDAM, CoD4: Modern Warfare, Stranglehold, Guitar Hero 3III, Beautiful Katamari, Lost Odyssey, NBA Live 08, Mass Effect, Fatal Inertia, Medal of Honor Airborne, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08, Ace Combat 6, NHL 08, Assassin’s Creed, Spider-Man: Friend or Foe, The Simpsons Game, Splinter Cell Conviction, NASCAR 08, Eternal Sonata, BioShock, Madden NFL 08, Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground, Crash of the Titans, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phornix, The Orange Box, Bee Movie Game, Rock Band, NARUTO: Rise of the Ninja

11:49pm - Peter Moore continues to rub 3rd party support in the face of Sony and Nintendo.

11:47pm - Peter Moore acknowledges that the Xbox 360 and the Wii are neck and neck. Goes on to point out that the 360 has sold more software than the PS3 and Wii combined. Sony, Nintendo = Owned.

11:46pm - November! Mass Effect. Mark it. NOW!

11:46pm - J.W. just creamed his shorts.

11:44pm - Peter Moore shows off Mass Effect. That’s right, people — Peter Moore just promised that BioWare will be out by year’s end!

11:43pm - Premeires the “Party Animals”, who are characters from Viva Pinata. It appears to be Microsoft’s true rival to Mario Party, only cuter.

11:42pm - Peter Moore accepts that he fails at Rock Band. I want Peter Moore’s lovechild.

11:41pm - Peter Moore done failed at Rock Band.

11:41pm - Please don’t encourage Peter Moore to sing.

11:40pm - Whoever the lady singing is… is awful. Aw-fucking-ful.

11:39pm - Peter Moore breaks out Rock Band, quotes Spinal Tap before embarrassing himself. All the same, this reporter still loves Peter Moore.

11:38pm - Peter Moore promises that all games featured will be out by year’s end, and tells us that the ‘07 E3 line-up is the best EVER.

11:38pm - Peter Moore reminds us that Halo 3 is due in eleven weeks.

11:37pm - Peter Moore walks on stage, looking like he just applied hemorrhoid cream.

11:33pm - Show opens with five Halo fans from Illinois, performing the theme from Halo. It rocks the socks. This rendition sounds slightly Irish.

11:32pm - G4 claims exclusivity — they lie.

11:31pm - We’re finally getting underway. J.W. rejoices.

11:30pm - Adam, Geoff and Morgan talk about speculation. J.W. speculates that they need to hurry the fuck up and start the Press Conference.

11:26pm - J.W. asks everyone to please DIGG this article.

11:23pm - Geoff, Morgan and Adam theorize about what major announcements are going to be made. J.W. theorizes Peter Moore will have a “Metal Gear Solid 4″ tattoo on his junk, right above the “Hironobu is my Homeboy” ink.

11:21pm - Thunder startles J.W. J.W. feels small in admitting his fear of Thunderstorms to his entire audience.

11:20pm - Morgan Webb arrives. Apparently she is Wonder Woman, and is still smokin’ hot for a geek.

11:19pm - Glances at ZD Stream. Thinks to himself “…fuck Gamer Andy”.

11:16pm - J.W. glances at the Scot Rubin LiveCam from Justin.tv. It looks like something off of Ozzfest.

11:13pm - Another commercial break. Commercial for Code Monkeys. J.W. thinks to himself that Code Monkeys will fail. Bad.

11:11pm - G4 returns to Geoff and Adam, talk about Nintendo. J.W., looking up at the URL for his site, does not care.

11:07pm - Commercial Break. J.W. would like to take this time to again remind everyone that you can actually WATCH the Microsoft Press Conference on one of just about every Video Game news site, as well as the AllGames.com channel on Justin.tv.

11:06pm - J.W. comes upon the refreshing realization that Adam Sessler isn’t as dumb as his writers make him out to be.

11:04pm - G4 says to expect 360 vs. Wii talk. J.W. repeats “Durh!”

11:03pm - G4 asks if Halo 3 is over-rated. J.W. blurts out “Durh!”.

11:01pm - …J.W. discovers that Peter Moore won’t take the stage until 11:30pm EST. J.W. solemnly sips his juice, biting his tongue.

11:00pm - Adam Sessler and Geoff Keighley look like Republican politicians, uncomfortably waiting for the opening graphic to finish, even though no one at home saw it.

10:58pm - Posts “Publish”, still waiting.

10:55pm - J.W. takes a drink of his apple juice, and blogs about it for no apparent reason.

10:55pm - J.W. sits down on his couch, ready to live blog the Microsoft E3 Press Conference.