Microsoft's E3 Conference

Microsoft really sneaked into E3 this year and they came packing heat seeking missiles. Kicking off the festivities, a demonstration of the the latest Rock Band addition, The Beatles Edition, was displayed to the public, as members Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr came up on stage to talk about how much they enjoyed collecting another check……ughhh…enjoyed the title and how visually stunning it looks. Microsoft also mentioned they will be offering 360 games On Demand, a move that will surely put them in a heated battle against online rental chain GameFly. So with all those measly announcements put to the side, here come the heavy-hitters of Microsoft’s E3 Conference!

Last year’s sleeper hit will go the horror film route and get the sequel treatment. Valve will introduce more cooperative campaigns, Versus campaigns, and maps for Survival mode. Also, the addition of melee combat, deeper cooperative gameplay and new weapons will be implemented to appease returning fans. Look for it November 17.

Xbox Live fans are blessed with great online content. The first two map packs for C.O.D: Modern Warfare 2 will be hitting the 360 in the near future–exclusively.

There’s only one word that can describe Sony’s feeling right now: Ouch!!! Anyone who thought Final Fantasy XIII wasn’t switching gears and going multi-platform is beyond foolish. Seems like the PS3 exclusivity left a bad taste on Square Enix’s mouth. I mean look at the hardware sales since its launch. The 360 clearly has the audience to make this game as big as VII. Spring 2010–mark your calender.

The most predictable announcement of the Microsoft showcase. Revamped with an all new physics engine, video editor and a larger assortment of flashy cars, Forza Motorsport 3 will easily please fans of the series. Expect it this October. Just in time for the holiday season.

Bungie was full of sh*t when they said that Halo 3 was gonna be the final Halo game. They announced a brand new title, Halo: Reach, and only gave us a brief clip of the destruction of Reach, which happens before the events of the original Halo title. They say expect it Fall 2010.

On the other side of the Halo universe, a bundle and official price has been announced for the expansion pack Halo: ODST. Standalone its priced at $59.99 (which is the same value as a brand new game), but the developers state that the amount of content in the game justifies the price. The Collector’s Edition comes bundled with an exclusive ODST controller (oh joy!) with the price tag of $99.99. The only incentive to purchase this game is to gain the multi-player beta for Reach. That Master Chief is a crook in shiny armor.

All the guff about a motion-sensor controller was buried 6 feet deep. Microsoft introduced The Natal–a camera peripheral that detects motion and allows gamers to play without the nuisance of using any controller. Ehhhh! We’ll see how things transcend when it hits stores.

The addition of competitive multiplayer is enough to get the Crackdown crowd into a frenzy. Developers state it will acknowledge cooperative gameplay as well when it hits stores in 2010. No screenshots or trailers were shown.

The biggest announcement for the 360: Metal Gear Solid: Rising. Creator Hideo Kojima, whose been teasing everyone for the past few weeks with flash page encryptions and countdowns, came out to introduce the title to fans. This “exclusive” will feature Raiden as the main character, starring in his own adventure. Will Solid Snake return for a cameo? Nothing is certain as of yet. The game is just in development.

Oh Yea…and some company named EA displayed their latest titles as well. Nothing special there…except for the announcement of an MMA fighting game. Jump for joy UFC fans, lol.