E3 (Day #3)

E3 formally starts today (Monday and Tuesday were the pre-E3 press conferences) and the goodness keeps coming.

1. New Xbox Live Marketplace content
2. Ubisoft and Free Radical Announce HAZE
3. Atari buys; sells
4. Philips amBX updates
5. Next-Gen Golden Axe!
6. Next-gen Nintendo Zapper

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NEWS:

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1. New Xbox Live Marketplace content

I've added the repackaged RSS stream from MajorNelson.com as a regular part of this blog, but thought I'd pull out today's new E3 additions:

• Game Trailers
  • Enchanted Arms
  • MotoGP '06
  • Prey
  • Call of Duty 3
  • World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions
  • X-Men: The Offical Game
  • Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball 2
  • Ninety-Nine Nights
  • WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2007
  • (Xbox 360 Games Montage)
  • (Xbox Live Arcade Montage)
  • (Games For Windows Montage)
    
• In-Game Content:
  • Call of Duty 2 Bonus Map Pack
  • Call of Duty 2 Skirmish Map Pack
    
• Film Trailers
  • A Scanner Darkly
    
• Theme/Gamer Pictures:
  • X-Men: The Last Stand Theme Gold Picture Pack
  • X-Men: The Last Stand Theme Silver Picture Pack

2. Ubisoft and Free Radical Announce HAZE

I mentioned I was looking forward to the next Free Radical Design game, since these guys did such a phenomenal job with the TimeSplitters franchise, and Second Sight is really underrated.

Today, Ubisoft and Free Radical announced HAZE, an "an innovative FPS game based on new intellectual property", slated for 2007 for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC (though XP or Vista is TBA.

"Twenty-five years in the future. Governments have outsourced military operations to private multinational corporations. As Jake Carpenter, a newly enlisted soldier in the Mantel army, you are seeking fulfillment and thrills by fighting for a good cause.

"Thanks to their high-tech arsenal of vehicles, deadly weaponry, and performance enhancing bio-medical support, the Mantel Corporation’s ruthlessly efficient soldiers are the most feared by terrorists, dictators, and the corporation’s political enemies.

"Your conflict begins in a war-torn country in South America, where you have been sent to fight a vicious rebel faction, The Promise Hand. At first glance, all is well, but things quickly begin to look a little strange..."

3. Atari buys; sells

I've mentioned before Atari is struggling a bit (the "new" Atari; not the "real" Atari).

They already sold TimeShift to Vivendi Games. Now, they sold the Stuntman franchise to THQ, and also sold the devlopment house, Texas-based Paradigm Entertainment, to them as well.

At the same time, they've announced they've acquired the online and handheld rights to Earthworm Jim.

4. Philips amBX updates

Last year, Philips announced its ambient experience technology (amBX), which is environmental technology that adds to the immersion of video games, music, film, and the Web (think heat lamps for that pesky lava level, etc.). amBX aims to empower "game developers with the ability to use light, colour, sound, vibration and even air flow" in interactive media.

Today, Philips announced more details for consumers, and some games that will use amBX this year.

• "The amBX Visual Autoscriptor and amBX Audio Autoscriptor will enable consumers to get an amBX effect from any media they run on their PC, whether it is one of their existing PC games or their music collection. An amBX Media Player will also be launched which will play amBX-scripted music, DVDs and video."
  
• "The amBX Atmosphere Controller will allow consumers to control their amBX kit directly to enable mood lighting or other effects other than through playing games and music."
  
• "When consumers go online, the amBX Web Plug-in will allow peripherals to join in with web pages scripted with amBX, making surfing the World Wide Web a totally different experience. Philips amBX will also have content available for download through the amBX website at www.ambx.com."

Philips also announced SpectraVideo will be the first to launch a range of third party amBX-enabled products under its own Logic3 label. Details will be released in the coming months.

And though they'll be allegedly "will be showcasing the full potential of amBX to the media and industry on Stand 970 in the South Hall at E3", I have't seen a list of amBX developers, publishers, or titles, and the amBX Website doesn't list any specific PC of next-gen titles, either.

5. Next-Gen Golden Axe!

This is so cool!

I've been working on a list of "Games Adam wants to see", and -- I poop you not -- a next-gen Golden Axe is on that list.

The next iteration of the 1989 game will be developed for the Xbox 360 and PS3 by Sega-acquired, San Francisco-based studio Secret Level (Magic: The Gathering — Battlegrounds; Karaoke Revolution; Americas Army: Rise of a Soldier).

2007 can not come fast enough.

I seriously pumped so many quarters into this thing.

6. Next-gen Nintendo Zapper

Remember the original Nintendo light gun -- the Zapper?

An accessory at the Nintendo booth showed and unannounced Wii peripheral that combines the two pieces of the "nunchuckas" Wii controller into one gun.

Check out the pict below, which probably came from GameSpot.com (there, I've given proper attribution):