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Joystiq E3 hands-on: Wii Sports Resort


What Wii Sports did for the Wiimote, Wii Sports Resort does for the Wii MotionPlus. The added precision of the Wii MotionPlus gets to show off in the title and, from the three minigames we experienced, it gives an idea of how other games could benefit from the accessory.

We had a chance to try out Disc Dog, Power Cruising and, our favorite, Sword Play. Nintendo says the Wii MotionPlus gives 1:1 control, but that's stretching the truth just a little. The controls certainly feel more precise than the Wiimote in its current state, but we're not exactly sure just yet if it'll fulfill gamer fantasies of precise lightsaber duels.

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Joystiq E3 hands-on: Wii Music


How does an adult -- a gamer -- explain Nintendo's strongly touted Wii Music without conveying an overwhelming feeling of dread? It's like the Fisher-Price version of music games and in some dark nightmare it could become a major hit. The skill required to play Wii Music is comparable to putting a three-year-old in front of a toy piano and just letting them bang away, but no matter what key the child hits it continues to play the correct note to create a song. Wii Music is not a game, it's a toy; another glorified tech demo to keep Wii Sports and Wii Play company.

If music snobs dismiss the skill required to play games like Rock Band or Guitar Hero, which do require talent to play and succeed, then those folks are going to have a full-blown aneurysm if Wii Music becomes a best seller. Our experience with the game was interesting, but we can't imagine spending more time with it beyond testing out the features or using it to entertain a child toddler when company comes over and the adults want to talk.

Gallery: Wii Music

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Joystiq eyes-on: Fat Princess


The easiest way to describe Fat Princess for PSN is to say it's Team Fortress 2 populated by demented My Sims. It's a multiplayer "capture the flag" game, except that the flag is a princess who is more difficult to carry back to base the more the opposing team feeds her cake, which magically grows in the forest around the castle.

The action takes place in a colorful fantasy land where opposing teams need to reach the other's base, grab their princess and get back to the castle. The princess will lose the weight if she's not constantly fed, so if a team focuses on just combat instead of feeding the princess, the opposing team will have an easier time carrying her away once they inevitably infiltrate the castle.

Gallery: Fat Princess

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Zero Punctuation unleashes the fury on Alone in the Dark


Zero Punctuation's Yahtzee has himself an awful game this week with Alone in the Dark, and he uses the opportunity for all that it's worth. This is a classic episode for the amount of ire it dishes out. Yes, it's everything one expects from Yahtzee reviewing Edward Carnby's latest misadventure in the well-intentioned, but ultimately flawed, game.

The NSFW clip can be found after the break.

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Rock Band Weekly: Nine Inch Nails and Shinedown


Although we'd gotten used to three songs being added every week to Rock Band's music store, Harmonix told us this week a little bit more could become the norm as the developer pushes to have 500 songs by the end of the year. This week, the band Trent Reznor built and Shinedown add some songs to the library.

Nin Pack (440 MS points / $5.49) -- Also sold seperately (160 MS Points / $2)
  • "Burn"
  • "Capital G"
  • "Last"
Individual Shinedown tracks (160 MS points / $2)
  • "Devour"
  • "Junkies For Fame"
Videos for the tracks can be found after the break. The consoles return to a regular DLC schedule next week (following this week's Tuesday release of The Who pack), with songs being available next Tuesday and Thursday on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 respectively.

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PSN Thursday: Rayman, Elefunk and E3


We've been a little busy with all the E3-ing and being hosts, so here's the PSN Thursday update for this week. PS1 classic Rayman is available, along with PSN game Elefunk. There's also several E3 videos and just sunshine with rainbows. So tired ...

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Joystiq E3 hands-on: Halo Wars (Xbox 360)


After all this time we finally got to touch Halo Wars and ... it was good. There's visual polishing to be done, but the user interface (UI) is as intuitive as developer Ensemble Studios has been hyping since (what feels like) the time of the Forerunners. This is an RTS game clearly made for a console first.

The UI is incredibly intuitive. Left analog moves the camera, right analog zooms, A selects, X is the move/attack button and Y activates special moves. If you've played other RTS games ported to the Xbox 360, this is a very different experience.

Gallery: Halo Wars

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PSN update adds Sony press conference, new videos


If highlights just don't cut it, watch the whole Sony press conference by downloading it onto your PS3 or PSP. Today's latest special E3 PSN update adds the full event, several new videos and ... Fantasy Football: Draft Day Application. Check out the full update details after the break.

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Overheard@E3: The Who said what?


"We're a Who cover band, we're not nearly as good as all the others." -- The Who guitarist Pete Townshend.

The Who, the freakin' WHO, are on stage right now and this is the event of E3 2008. We probably won't be able to liveblog this while we're rockin' out, but check back later for pics of some industry folks off the clock. OK, we're missing the concert ... gotta run. Update: Check out our full gallery here.

Rock Band's 'Bandmate' figurines


In the waiting area to see Rock Band 2, Harmonix has a wall-o-merchandise that features products available to purchase related to the game. One particular thing that caught our eye were three 8 - 12" (we didn't have a measuring tape) figurines called "Bandmates." Players will be able to pose their characters from the game on RockBand.com and order themselves the figure.

The figures are done by Z Corp and there is currently no price set for the dolls action figures collectible figurine.

Gallery: Rock Band figurines E3

Overheard@E3: Sleeping on the job


"I totally fell asleep during the Sony press conference. Like ... out." -- Another loud-talking middle-aged journalist walking the concourse at the LACC. We wanted to stop and ask him during what part he fell asleep.

Joystiq live at E3 2008 Take-Two press conference


10:44 am PT: Just chilling as the press-type folk move on in. Linkin Park is playing,

10:46 am: Strauss takes the stage

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Joystiq E3 hands-on: Age of Booty


Tragically, Age of Booty may receive our second-annual award for "worst game title," but this should not at all reflect on the game's quality. Once known as Plunder, Age of Booty is a name change and not much else from the game we've had a positive hands-on experience with in the past.

Age of Booty is an RTS action/European board game expected sometime this fall and the title already feels incredibly polished. It will release with a fairly robust map editor to create and share user-generated content for the game on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. Yeah, but in this age of microtransaction shenanigans, where's the catch? We were informed that DLC for the game will actually involve legitimate expansion content. As a Capcom representative informed us, "We're not going to nickle and dime with this game."

Gallery: Age of Booty (PSN/XBLA/PC)

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Overheard@E3: Zelnick don't like badges


Yesterday we learned Strauss Zelnick, the Charmain of Take-Two and the man standing brave against the hostile EA takeover, doesn't like wearing his E3 badge. While waiting to see 2K's latest offerings, the very polished Zelnick, who looks identical to his head-shot above, walked in and handed his badge off to the lady behind the desk exclaiming, "I hate wearing these things!"

Dude, we're totally with you! But, we're not the Strauss Zelnick. We'd love to join you in solidarity, but then security would probably kick us out.

Joystiq interviews Rock Band 2's Dan Teasdale


In the madness of E3, we got 10 minutes with Rock Band 2's Senior Designer Dan Teasdale. We rattled off a bunch of questions and jotted down his basic answers. Full quotes? We don't have time for full quotes! Check out the rapid-fire Q&A after the break.

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