EA will annouce a big bucket load of new games at E3 in Los Angeles in June.  The slew of new releases will also be available for the PS3 Move toy.  E3 is the biggest gaming extrvaganza on the planet and EA wil use the platform as a showcase for their new addtions.

John Schappert, EA big boss, said: “We’ve only announced Tiger Woods for Sony Move to date. We have more announcements at E3, inclusive of demos of some of this technology. That said, we’re bullish on these new controllers and the new technology.”

Schappert didn’t go so far as to announce which games would be available but Need for Speed is a likely candidate. Another big games manufacturer throws it weight behind Natal super cool.

What do you think, which games are you waiting for for Natal?

Ste

Everyone wanted a Lightsaber game for the Wii, Nintendo kept drip feeding us the promise of a Lightsaber game for Wii, but it never arrived… Now though, it looks like Lucas Arts are seriously considering the idea for the 360. Darrell Rodriguez, head-boy at LA told MCV that the new improved Natal Camera might just provide the precision that the company needs to make rumors behind the much-vaunted Lightsaber game come true.

Rodriguez, in an interview with MCV, said: “I’m very excited by the new interfaces, either Natal, Move or iPad. It’s something we’re definitely watching and we will consider in the future,”  ”The regular suggestion of a lightsaber game is one of the reasons why we are excited about it — but we’ll keep looking at it and see what we can do”

Coming soon to your games room, XBox 360 Natal Lightsaber Battles

I have no details to add, and there doesn’t seem top be much else floating around the web BUT a Lightsaber game would make complete sense for Natal, imagine jumping around your games room, cutting bits off your mates arms and legs… hilarious. Lets hope they do it, may the force be with them….

Which bit would you chop first? I’d go straight for the head, try and call that just a ‘flesh-wound’

L8rs

Ste

After demoing Natal, British TV gobshite Jonathon Ross tweeted that the performance ‘wasn’t quite there’… like he would know. Ross is well known in the UK for opening his mouth without engaging his brain. The Natal unit that he demoed was a Summer 2009 version, do us a favour Jon?…. Keep it it shut…

Jonathon Ross TV Airbag Rubbishes Natal Camera

Hosting an  event in London with various media bods a few days ago Molyneux showed his disgruntlement being blocked from demonstrating the latest versions of the Natal sensor and software. He claimed “It’s always a huge frustration as a designer when you see somebody play a version when you know it’s been exceeded many times over” That’s good news cos I, as well as many others, were a wee bit concerned… More good news, Molyneux also said:

‘So very often you get a position that what a person’s looking at is two, three, four months, a year old and you kind of want to go, ‘no, no, it’s 10 times better than that!’ So it is very, very frustrating; it always is – there’s just countless revisions of cameras since the one at X10 and countless revisions of software’

Another source, probably from Microsoft itself, claimed that the sensor in circulation was only 10% as sensitive as the current version. We’ll see when the ultimate iterration is released, along with a full line up of games, at E3 in July. Peter Molyneux will also reveal details of the much anticipated Fable III at E3.

Fable III for Project Natal

Anyone else think Jonathon Ross is a jumped-up brainless airbag? Do PM’s words fill you with hope for Natal?

Another strange piece of Project Natal news today, this time from Dawn of the Dead, Slither writer and director James Gunn. The horror specialist play-tested a couple of Natal Games at a recent Microsoft bash. One was Richochet, which we reported on here, and the other was a brand-new offering called ‘River Rush’

Zombies Not in River-Rush

Gunn reports on his blog:

“It’s a game where you stand side by side in a river raft, so it’s two people playing at once. To move right, you have to step right; to move left, you have to step left.  As you rush down right rapids, you have to jump up and slap floating stars in the air – the whole raft jumps up every time you do.”

No gore, zombies or shotguns in sight but the director was suitably overwhelmed by what he saw, particularly with the marriage of gaming and fitness, he added “it’s “sort of a dream come true, an hour of playing Natal every night will definitely burn calories” And also “Gunn concluded, “The Natal was an amazing piece of technology and I’ll be the first one in line to buy one when they come out during the holidays… I really, really can’t wait to shoot someone on that f***ing thing.” So he wants one!!!

Project Natal River Rush Weeeeeeh!!!!

Whilst it remains to be seen where exactly in the market MS will pitch Natal, more and more evidence seem to point to a direct attack on Nintendo’s Wii market. I’m not a fan of the Wii, it’s a toy, and I hope Gates’s people don’t turn the 360 into a  me-too glorified Wii with improved graphics.

What do you think? Will MS dumb down the 360 to pull in the dollars?

Ste

Head Honcho Simon Prytherch of Lightning Fish Games, is suggesting that both Project Natal and the Sony Move Toy will probably lure non-core gamers who use their games consoles for recreational play in addition to health and fitness routines rather than for simply blasting aliens and building super-hero’s.

Talking to MCV, Prythrch said he think that these types of consumers may “benefit more” from the innovative movement sensors than traditional hardcare gamers, the more typical XBox 360 audience.

“The non-games sector will benefit more than any other sector from Natal and PlayStation Move,” he explained. “These devices are suited to non-core audiences. The important element of these gadgets is the capability to precisely observe user positions.

“We will see new ways of interacting and new genres emerging as creative minds get to grips with the technology.”

Health and fitness game titles for the revolutionary sensor would certainly not be unexpected, given that games of this genre generate oodles of cash for Nintendo through the Wii.

Use your Xbox 360 and Natal to get from this . . .

To This . . . Believe us, Natal will do this to you ... just buying one makes you slimmer

For Sony’s Move, there is the likelihood that EA Sports Active 2.0 will be available for Playstation 3 and will function with the new controller, and as we’ve reported previously there’s also the prospect of a yoga game for Project Natal and the 360 (Ommmmm ).

Additionally ultra secret sources maintain that Rare are developing a workout title of sorts, and with the rumours of Microsoft touting for advertising business in magazines ‘for the ladies’ we reckon at least one ‘health and fitness’ title is on the cards. Hopefully MS won’t do too much dumbing down for the general public . . . . Hell I might even start doing Yoga myself . . . OMMMM

‘Til next time

Ste

Will 2010 FIFA World Cup support project Natal? What’s certain is that 2010 will be an important year for Sports FIFA, the World Cup will certainly boost sales of the football franchise. Football and Natal would seem to be an obvious match and soccer would be great fun with a hand free motion controller.

‘Wow dude, I’m David Beckham’

‘More like Dudley Moore’

FIFA World Cup 2010 for Natal

EA is playing its cards close to it’s chest. Simon Humbler, 2010 FIFA World Cup producer said “Whenever any of these peripherals come out we think about what they could add to the football experience. I think the hard thing in respect of PlayStation Move, which has comparisons to the Nintendo Wii device, is that the type of football you can provide for this isn’t particularly authentic”

Doesn’t sound particularly promising, but the EA team are still considering options. Humbler said:

“As you can see from our Wii version, the game is a lot arcadeier, with the big gestures and actions,” he said. “I think there is a different experience there waiting to be uncovered, perhaps, but personally I think it is hard to integrate that into our football game.”

We hope EA at least do the groundwork to see if FIFA World CUP 10 and Natal could work together, it would be a truly awesome achievement if they could pull it off. However, if it doesn’t work it doesn’t work and hopefully EA won’t release anything that’s broken, we’ve seen that approach on the Wii … and it’s not pretty.

What do you think, will Natal work with soccer?

Ste

As we reported earlier this week Sony have already pulled the boxing gloves on for the big fight between the Playstation Move and the Xbox 360 Natal. What’s becoming increasingly obvious is that the big game companies, and not just Lionhead, are throwing millions of dollars into development. This despite the fact that some analysts have expressed doubts about the gaming publics reaction to these innovations.

Sonic The Hedgehog - Project Natal Powered

This week it was the turn of Michael Hayes, a big wheel at Sega, to throw his companies weight behind the future. In an interview with games mag CVG Hayes said “My guess is that in the next two years plus, you will see some brilliant innovations [with Natal]” He added that Sega is developing a number of games for both systems and this will continue well into next year.

This is good news for gamers. I believe that Project Natal will stand or fall based upon available content and quality games can only improve that. What do you think?

Ste

Ever heard of Monty Python? Or ‘A Fish Called Wanda’? What about ‘The Life of Brian’? I’m guessing then that you might recognize the name ‘John Cleese’ too. Our scoop today is that John Cleese will play a lead part in the upcoming and much anticipated Lionhead RPG Fable III.

Cleese Grows Horns for Natal Fable III

Lionhead supreme Peter Molyneux let slip the JC info at GDC in San Francisco.  Apparently the haughty voiced Cleese will play a condescending ‘posh’ English butler, very well casted in my opinion. I met Cleese once and was, let’s say, ‘not amused’ by the stuck up Python star.  

The Fable franchise has been lauded for it’s Pythonesque smartness and this led Molyneux to invite Cleese onboard. ‘He’s not the Messiah, he’s a Tolkien inspired elf with oversized ears and crap hair’

Unlike Bioshock 2, Fable III will not be a Me2 clone of Fable II but rather a whole new idea sphere. Molyneux was censored by his peeps but was obviously buzzing with what he wanted to reveal but couldn’t.

Peter Molyneux buzzing about Natal enabled Fable III

Fable III will be a landmark game for Natal, fingers crossed that Lionhead get it right… Cos if they do then FIII will be awesome…

L8RS

Ste

EA have confirmed that Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 will not use Project Natal on the 360 release while both the PS3 and Wii versions of the game will support motion sensing technology. Electronic Arts  is one of the big names whom MS have confirmed are developing Natal compatible games but it just seems that in this case the fit isn’t good.  Which seems odd considering that Golf would seem to be the perfect fit for Natal. 

An EA spokesperson said:
“We are always evaluating new technologies and Natal would be a perfect fit for the ‘Tiger Woods PGA Tour’ franchise however we are simply not in a position to do so with ‘Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11.”

Odd?

Hopefully this is an isolated case and doesn’t challenge MS’s assertion that soon most games will be Natal compatible. Or maybe it indicates some friction between MS and EA?… conspiracy theorists feel free to add comments below.

Steve

Microsoft is set to steal the show at E3 (E3 Expo) with further big announcements about Project Natal. All the release games as well as big undercover news will be revealed . . .

Microsoft’s Mindy Mount (great name! ) said; 

“We have very strong first and third-party developer support for the [Natal ],” she told a New York technology conference. “Needless to say, we’re putting some of our best people on coming up with great game ideas for this, and we’re going to have some great stuff. You’ll be able to see more news about that this summer to E3. We’ll show you the full lineup.”

Super cool, can’t wait

Ste