[E309]Recap to this Point

Let’s recap.

Microsoft showed off pretty much the games we expected, Splinter Cell Conviction, Alan Wake, Forza 3 along with third party games MW2, Tony Hawk, The Beatles Rock Band, Halo 3: ODST. There were a few surprises, such as Epic Games’ Shadow Complex, a Castlvania / Contra feeling game, and the announcement of Halo: Reach (beta to be bundled with ODST).

Then we got the stuff that should appeal to current 360 owners, Facebook integration, last.fm, Twitter, better Netflix, and a pretty bold promise of Full 1080p HD video streamed instantly over XBOX Live.

Finally, it came time for the motion camera reveal. We expected it to be a pretty gimmicky, half-hearted Mii too type deal.

I don’t know if it was the mini games using full motion capture (no, it wasn’t) or the Milo interactive AI "doll" or the controller-less control of the console that Project Natal promised, but something about all of the camera stuff really hit people. We "walked out of there," just as Microsoft had predicted, with our minds blown. It was going to be an uphill battle for Nintendo and Sony.

Nintendo, it seems, likes the bottom of the hill. They talked shop, sales, casual games, games that’ll appeal to other audiences. All in all, a new Mario was introduced, but that was pretty much it.

Until the revealation that they’d been working with Team Ninja to bring to market the next Metroid, Metroid: Other M had the flair of Ninja Gaiden, the graphics of a next-gen game, everything you could want from a union of those two parties.

How does it play? No one knows yet, but we’re sure to see more before it comes out in 2010.

Will Sony have the good to take the E309 crown as so many have predicted? The ball is in their court.