BitSnark

Pretty much out of the sodding blue, comes the news that developers Insomniac, are developing a unique IP under EA for Xbox 360 and PS3 to be released at a date to be determined.

This is quite significant since Insomniac have been traditionally loyal to the Playstation brand, developing everything from Spyro the Dragon, through to Ratchet & Clank and most recently, the Resistance franchise for the platform holder.

Wow.

E3 looks like it’ll be a cracker this year. 🙂

Official PR static is below:

INSOMNIAC GAMES SELECTS EA PARTNERS FOR NEW PUBLISHING
AGREEMENT

New Franchise Marks the Independent Studio’s First Multiplatform Release

Redwood Shores, Calif. – May 25, 2010 – Today, Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced a publishing agreement with independent developer Insomniac Games that will bring the studio’s upcoming, all-new franchise to the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system.

This will be the first multiplatform release in Insomniac’s storied 16-year history.
Published through the distinguished EA Partners program, the new title will mark the introduction of a brand new universe from Insomniac, creators of the universally-acclaimed Spyro the Dragon, Ratchet & Clank and Resistance franchises that have combined to sell more than 35 million copies worldwide.

The still unnamed title is in production at the company’s Burbank studio. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

“Working with EA Partners allows us to extend the reach of our games to a multiplatform audience while retaining ownership of the intellectual property,” said Ted Price, founder and CEO of Insomniac Games.

“We are excited and eager to introduce Insomniac to a new group of gamers while reinforcing to our loyal fans what makes our games special.”

“This is an exciting day for all of us at EA Partners and for gamers everywhere,” said David DeMartini, Senior Vice President and General Manager of EA Partners. “Insomniac is renowned for their commitment to quality and their ability to create unique, exciting worlds for gamers to explore.

We look forward to help them bring their next blockbuster franchise to the millions of diehard Insomniac fans on PlayStation and the soon to be millions of diehard Insomniac fans on Xbox 360.”

For more information on Insomniac Games, please visit http://www.insomniacgames.com.

The Toronto branch of Ubisoft is apparently developing a brand new Splinter Cell project and an unannounced ‘AAA’ quality title too.

In an interview with gaming site Gamasutra, former Assassins Creed director Jade Raymond insisted that a larger studio with a bigger wealth of talent was essential to creating the next successful entry in the Splinter Cell franchise.

The producers from the recently released Splinter Cell: Conviction will reprise their roles for the sequel.

A full transcript of the interview can be seen at the link below:

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/5229/building_on_conviction_inside_.php

Nintendo have to make a major splash at E3 2010. Least of all because they don’t actually have a whole lot to show outside of the 3DS, since all the decent Wii stuff is either known about or will have been released by the time the show starts.

Beginning with their first party line-up for the Wii, by far and away the most anticipated title is the Wii-specific Zelda title that has been in development for… well, a very long time now. Unlike its Gamecube concepted predecessor Zelda: Twilight Princess, this newest entry in the series will be designed from the ground up with the Wii and MotionPlus in mind.

Hopefully we can rely on Nintendo to pump out a Zelda title that has true, intuitive motion controls as well as some inspiring dungeon design to top the uneven effort seen in Twilight Princess. It would also be nice to see the always enthusiastic Mr. Miyamoto on stage to fully demonstrate the game to the awed masses.

The similarly long in development and equally secretive Pikmin 3 will have to show up this year, or it runs the fear of being forgotten about altogether. Previously announced at E3 2008, it will be interesting to see what innovations the first true Wii instalment of the quirky RTS can be bring to the table.

The forthcoming social party title, Wii party, should also be on show with Nintendo Exec Cammie Dunaway likely giving a demonstration to the assembled crowd.

In regards to their NDS lineup at the show, it will likely be very slim pickings for non-casual gamers.

Outside of the previously announced but MIA Golden Sun 3 and possibly a new entry in the Mari & Luigi RPG series, there won’t be a whole lot to see which isn’t directed toward the casual gaming audience.

The Wii Vitality Sensor should also have more to show us beyond the disappointing announcement it received last year. Ninty’s alliance with the AHA, should also help to cross promote the device when it’s given its first proper demonstration at E3 2010. What about the games though? Well, if I see one decent, innovative title in the tidal wave of ‘me-too’ crap that is surely to follow I will be very surprised.

Nintendo’s assured centrepiece of their media briefing will no doubt be their 3D capable successor to their wildly successful Nintendo DS handheld. With an announcement that came with as little fanfare as you can possibly imagine and only cryptic remarks issued since, it falls on the mysterious shoulders of the 3DS unveiling to turn heads, create gasps and effectively ‘save’ Nintendo’s conference this year due to a pointed lack of quality Wii or DS titles on show outside of what we already know.

In regards to the 3DS itself, everything should be laid totally bare; specs, release date, launch games, price… everything. Starting with the specifications of the new handheld, we can certainly expect something with a lot more grunt than the current Nintendo DS hardware, which in all of its remodelling’s has remained largely the same under the hood since 2003.

Eurogamer tech-site Digital Foundry, has done a whole heap of digging on the specs of the new handheld and it appears that the 3DS will utilise a tailored version of the existing Nvidia Tegra2 processing chip to power the new handheld. In basic terms, it means we could very well be looking at graphical fidelity somewhat approaching that of the Gamecube or Wii, with the lower quality graphics (in comparison to a 480p Wii/Gamecube display at the same resolution) being effectively ‘masked’ by the lower resolution screens on the much smaller handheld.

The utilisation of current, established technology chimes in well with the Kyoto giant’s business practices of adapting cost effective, current market components for their R&D, instead of investing huge amounts in unproven, costly to manufacture tech that could hurt their financial bottom line.

The unit itself will apparently boast two screens as before, with one screen being of a standard ration (4:3) and the other being a widescreen, 3D enabled display. The big selling point of the new system is that it supposedly gives a 3D display without the need for traditional 3D glasses. This new type of technical wizardry is apparently made possibly by the immensely nerdy sounding Parallax Barrier technology which has been developed by display manufacturer Sharp. In any event, I’ll be very interested to see how convincingly they pull this ‘3D glasses-free’ effect off.

Controller input will largely remain largely the same it seems, with Nintendo still looking to utilise touch mechanics alongside traditional button input; so look for a similar control system to the current DS. The other apparent feather in the cap of the 3DS and one that raises the danger of cannibalisation of existing DS sales, is the fact that the handheld is fully backwards compatible with all existing NDS titles. This is certainly a massive boon for anyone who has built up a sizeable collection games for the popular handheld, and is a very smart move by Nintendo to encourage the huge DS user base that is out there (some 100 million users plus) to make the leap to the 3DS.

Games-wise and compounding the fact that this will invariably be the core of Nintendo’s media briefing, I fully expect them to have enough games on show for the new system to sink a boat.

First party offerings such as a new Mario, Zelda and Mario Kart titles for the machine would be a lock one would think, throwing a bone to the core gaming audience who still hope that Nintendo can adequately cater for them in this new era of a prominent casual gaming audience. In particular, I would expect to see an F-Zero title in some shape or form for the system; seeing as the sci-fi racer is due for a reinvention since its last release seven years ago and also because its colourful, blazing fast visuals and perspective would make a visually arresting demonstration of the 3DS hardware.

These stalwart IP’s will no doubt find themselves on display alongside unique IP from Nintendo with a slant towards the non-casual gaming market that Nintendo has so readily tapped in recent years.

Going on from this, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if Nintendo chose the unveiling of the 3DS to show off a brand new instalment in their ever-profitable Pokemon franchise (hopefully one with RPG style leanings) and a brand new Nintendogs/pets title, which hasn’t been seen since the early days of the Nintendo DS nearly half a decade ago in 2005.

Third parties will no doubt be falling over themselves to show their wares for the apparently cheap-to-develop-for handheld. Nintendo needs to be shrewd here though since nobody wants the piles and piles of gimmicky, innovation-bereft shovel ware that has plagued the NDS and Wii platforms in recent times. This is especially important since a number of people, especially the core gamers, have grown wary of gimmicky features and will be looking to innovative and fresh titles to make the most out of the new technology on offer.

When it comes to a release, Nintendo will probably shoot for a holiday 2010 release. From what I can gather, the technology is complete, in place and manufacturing would be hitting peak pace in about a month from now. This would likely allow Nintendo to replicate the previous holiday sell-out successes that they have had in recent times with the Wii and DS respectively, making a Nintendo product yet again, the hottest gift to give this Christmas.

In terms of price, it would be sensible to suggest that the price would be higher than the existing DSiXL, but cheaper than the Wii. So I would therefore estimate a price point of £149 for the handheld when it launches during the busy upcoming holiday period.

Nintendo are playing a risky game here. With Wii and DS sales slowing and a general feeling of stagnation with the two formats, the success of Nintendo at E3 2010 falls squarely on the unknown shoulders of the 3DS at this point.

I hope I get proved wrong and Nintendo have a varied, deep showing across Wii, NDS and 3DS; but I just don’t see it.

Holy shit, that was quick.

Link to the IGN article below folks, it makes for an interesting read:

http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/109/1092173p1.html

In all probability Sony will provide a more balanced offering when compared to Microsoft’s Natal focused showing, due in no small part to a stronger software line-up on show.

Beginning with their first party line-up, the oft mooted triumvirate of Killzone 3, Resistance 3 and Motorstorm 3 will almost certainly be dead locks to appear that show.

The most tangible of the trio, Killzone 3 is more so due to the huge amounts of leaked info that has occurred for the title. With the leaks promising everything from snow levels and jetpacks through to full 3D support, it certainly isn’t improbable to see most of that stuff come to fruition. Indeed, with a focus on 3D gaming at the show, Sony will be keen to shout about their tech and there will be few better poster boys than a suitably epic Killzone sequel.

Resistance 3 seems likely to be at the show and it’s equally likely that it will have its work cut out for it coming off of an impressive second entry in the series and of course Killzone 3. Given the huge strides that were made in Resistance 2 toward sustainably awesome multiplayer, I would expect Resistance 3 to capitalise on the advancements made previously with a smattering of a new modes, tighter net code and wider social integration with sites like Facebook and so on.

Next up is Motorstorm 3. In a similar vein to its prequel and PSP spin-off, this newest instalment in the series could very well be based on a specific set of environments. However, with that in mind, I see the game boasting a number of different environments to drive about in, including some urban settings.

All three titles should be ready for release toward the end of this year, with possibly Killzone 3 being delayed into early 2011 to prevent the aforementioned clash with fellow Sony exclusive shooter Resistance 3.

A sequel to Infamous also deserves a mention here, since like the three titles that were just mentioned its previous success should secure it an unveiling at E3, further bolstering Sony’s impressive first party offering at the show. Infamous 2, will likely not tinker with the gaming formula pioneered in the original too heavily, instead, there will be a different (and larger) sandbox, with additional powers to play with and an expanded morality/choice system.

The PS3 exclusive Agent title from Rockstar should also be given a full unveiling at the show after its brief mention at last year’s show one would hope. Absolutely no details have been announced regarding Agent, but I would be surprised if by the end of Sony’s presentation it wasn’t tipped as the Next Big Thing given its sizeable developer pedigree.

The Zipper Interactive developed Socom 4 should also make an appearance again, albeit in a much more completed form. Expect Sony to use the title to extol the virtues of Playstation Move when dealing with traditional genre titles.

Polyphony Digital’s Gran Turismo 5 should make its final E3 display this year. Strangely being 90% complete for the last five months, the title on show should pretty much be a full representation of what we’ll get when they game (hopefully) hits store shelves later this year, alongside a confirmation of the release date in all territories. A focus on the online and community aspects of the title will be expected.

Uncharted 3 will make some sort of splash at E3 2010 I’m predicting, with Nolan North (voice actor of Nathan Drake) heavily hinting toward a third iteration of the game being in production. While 2010 is far too early for the second mega-sequel to be released, I would fully expect a 2011 release window to be a reality. Additionally, I would hope to see another show further down the line (possibly even E3 2011) to give the game a proper demonstration with additional focus on developing the surprisingly solid multiplayer modes seen last time in Uncharted 2.

Speaking of Uncharted, the rumour mill has been churning that developer Naughty Dog may return to their inaugural PS2 platforming series, Jak & Daxter. Given just how consistently awesome Uncharted has been and not to mention the fact that each new Uncharted title is a gargantuan undertaking, I don’t quite see a new Jak & Daxter coming out before Uncharted 3 and I believe that Naughty Dog have outgrown the IP. Don’t expect to see a Naughty Dog developed Jak & Daxter 4, but that shouldn’t preclude another Sony studio from developing it.

Sony would be foolish to not build upon the incredible hype and sheer spectacle of Team Ico’s The Last Guardian, which was leaked shortly before last year’s E3 2009. Given the twelve months that have passed since then with little in the way of news, I would hope to see a 60-70% complete build of the game, with a strong focus on gameplay and expose’ on the gameplay mechanics therein providing Sony with yet another potential show stealing title.

The-oft rumoured but never confirmed David Jaffe produced Twisted Metal sequel stands a small chance of being shown at E3 2010, but if it does exist and is shown, it will be up against tough competition in the face of more modern takes on vehicle combat such as Blur and Split/Second.

It’s also possible that Sony may announce a full-blown PS1/PS2 emulator for the PS3. I generally have mixed feelings about this, since not only was it a huge selling point for the machine prior to its launch (and subsequently scaled back on the sly) but I wouldn’t be entirely comfortable paying for something that should have been there in the first place. With that in mind though, I might be tempted by it if the pricing model was right. Ideally, it should be a one-off fee for an emulator which runs our current games, since I can’t imagine people being too enthralled at having to fork out again for each of their games that they already own.

Moving onto the PSP, I think we can expect Sony to have a solid, if modest showing of decent titles for the handheld.

The amazing looking God Of War: Ghosts of Sparta will and should take centre stage after its announcement last month, reminding folks that the six-year old PSP can still bring the goods when compared to home systems when it comes to generating epic spectacle and gameplay. A demo and release date will both likely be announced also.

Rumours also abound regarding a possible Uncharted title for the PSP and given the cross-platform success of the God Of War franchise, I can see it happening and being shown in some form or another at Sony’s briefing. I would probably rule out Naughty Dog being in charge of coding duties however due to their likely commitment to a third Uncharted title for PS3 as well as a possible Playstation Move project.

A PSP2 announcement? I wouldn’t count on it, but I wouldn’t be surprised either to later hear of behind-closed-doors demonstrations of Sony’s monstrous successor to their current heldheld. The reason for a lack of explicit announcement is because Sony will be keen to see what Nintendo do with their new 3DS handheld, not to mention the fact that they don’t want to overshadow their PS3 and Playstation Move product at the show.

After appearing as a ‘me-too’ on the motion control bandwagon after Natal’s explosive E3 2009 announcement, Sony’s Playstation Move has slowly but surely gaining credibility amongst the internet masses and press outlets alike. With reports of an excellent level of responsiveness and early showings of a number of first party casual titles, Sony seem positively itching to reveal more and more about their device in the face of Microsoft’s practical stonewalling for Natal.

Like Natal, I fully expect Sony to provide complete announcements regarding their launch plans. In terms of their launch line-up, I think we can expect a similar mix of first and third party support for the device. More complete and feature endowed versions of previously shown first party titles such as The Fight will be on show, alongside a number of third party offerings from EA, Activision, Ubisoft and so on.

Just like Natal, you could reasonably expect a number of first party titles to really show off what the device can do, with all eyes on Sony’s internal studios as well as Second-party superstars such as Uncharted developer Naughty Dog, to bring the goods come E3.

Release-wise, we’re looking at a window almost identical to Natal with the device estimated to hit our shelves around September/October time with between 20-30 supporting titles.

Price-wise, I would imagine a pack-in deal similar to the Wii and what MS must surely be planning for Natal, and Sony would be silly to price it above that which Natal will be retailing for, even with the added ‘wand’. Therefore, $80-$90 (£64.99/£69.99) seems like a fair bet.

Like MS, Sony will also likely announce bundle deals with the peripheral and console to optimise sales and revenue over what will surely be a hotly contested Autumn/holiday period.

The only possible misfire that I can see in Sony’s conference is the probable announcement of the ‘Premium’ PSN service, which supposedly gives gamers more access to exclusive content and a free PSN game every month from a choice of four, really poor children’s titles. I simply don’t see the point in it, especially when you consider the fact that more than a few people play the PS3 online because there are no costs attached to it, unlike Microsoft’s Xbox Live Gold service.

A lot of what Sony would be trying to sell for this premium sub will be insignificant and inconsequential at this stage and will hopefully sink like a trace while users stick with the ‘standard’ service of free multiplayer. Unless of course, they stop making it free. But they wouldn’t be that stupid.

Right?

After a multiplayer beta which drew in nearly 3 million players, Bungie today confirmed the release date for their swansong Halo title.

Halo: Reach will release in Western territories on Septmeber 14th and in Japan a day later on September 15th.

The release date is almost three years since Halo 3 was released back in the mists of September 2007.

Halo: Reach is available for pre-order now in standard, special and legendary editions.

If you work for Sony and ever wanted to know how to get your ass fired, this is how:

http://www.vg247.com/2010/05/21/rumor-leaked-killzone-3-concept-art-surfaces/#more-96467

Credit goes to VG247.com for this one.

Make no mistake about it, E3 2010 is primarily the official coming out party for Project Natal (hopefully we’ll get an actual name for the peripheral at the show) more so than it is for anything else that Microsoft will have on show.

With that in mind however, we shouldn’t count out the non-natal first and third party software that will be on show during the media briefing.

Starting with the first party stuff, outside of any outlandish surprise announcements (which I will talk about in a bit) it will be the sequel triumvirate of Gears Of War 3, Fable 3 and Halo: Reach that will be doing the business on the frontline. In regards to Gears Of War 3, we should get our first proper look at the title with confirmation of multi-player modes, some limited details of the single-player campaign and hopefully lots and lots of in-game footage to gush over.

Fable 3 should also get its fifteen minutes of fame with Peter Molyneux no doubt taking the stage to wax enthusiastically about the newest entry in the popular RPG franchise. Mr. Molyneux will likely give more detail on the core theme of ‘touch’ that he claims is at the centre of the ‘Fable III experience’ as well as an entertaining demonstration of the game in action, interspersed with factoids about new features, multiplayer and so forth.

Finally, after months and months of previews, features and a playable beta concerning itself with the multiplayer side of things, E3 2010 will be the place where the world gets its first glimpse of the previously under-wraps single player campaign for Halo: Reach. Developers Bungie are apparently keen on bringing back those large, sprawling battles that we first witnessed in the original Halo. In their swansong Halo outing, Bungie have said that the gamers can be engaged in complex and large-scale fire fights that can include as many as 30-40 participants and that is a sight I reckon we’re going to see, so expect lots and lots of in-game footage from what promises to be an epic single-player campaign.

Many folks are predicting that Forza Motorsport 4 will make an appearance at the Microsoft media briefing; I’m not so sure. Forza 3 is still selling very well and DLC support for the title is still strong as ever. While I’d like to be proven wrong and see developers Turn10 elevate their game even more in the face of the spectre of Gran Turismo 5, it just seems too soon for them to announce another sequel just yet.

Crackdown 2 will be present and accounted for too on the eve of its release, giving show goers one last look at the explosive frenzy of the Ruffian developed open-world sequel.

Outside of those titles, there isn’t in actuality a whole lot (that we know of) on offer from Microsoft’s first party developers which isn’t Natal related.

Rare could choose this year’s show to finally unveil the oft-rumoured and wished for Killer Instinct 3, since I’m not entirely convinced it would work well as a Natal title, but it equally wouldn’t surprise me if they continued to dangle the figurative carrot in front of our faces for another year. While the majority of Rare’s output will be Natal based, including a probable Banjo Kazooie based title, I can see them attempting to capitalise on the success that they have had with their Xbox Live Arcade releases in the past.

Titles like Banjo Kazooie, Banjo Tooie and Perfect Dark have all done well on the digital distribution platform, with Perfect Dark in particular holding the number one spot for a good few weeks. Based on this level of success, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to hope for an XBLA version of cult favourite Jet Force Gemini, or possibly even Killer Instinct. A conversion of Blast Corps wouldn’t go amiss either.

Speaking of XBLA, Microsoft will likely announce (as it has done for the last two years) details of it’s ‘Summer of Arcade’ promotion, where 5-6 high quality XBLA titles follow week after week from July to August. This year I can see the popular violent side-scroller Shank being a part of the promotion, with the promising Lara Croft and The Guardian Of Light being present alongside the creepy 2D puzzle platformer Limbo too. We could also see the forever-in-development Quake Live being part of the proceedings as well as possibly the first episode of Sega’s Sonic the Hedgehog 4 and Secret Of Monkey Island 2: The Revenge of LeChuck. The former may not be part of the Summer of Arcade however, due in no small part to Sega delaying the title for ‘more polish’.

All the pomp and celebrity pageantry that we have come to expect from Microsoft will no doubt return this year too. Steven Spielberg will likely be present to gush over the Natal title that he hinted at during last year’s E3 presentation. It’s also very possible that like last year, we have a guest band playing some music and generally clowning around if it turns out the Microsoft has exclusivity for a particular RockBand or Guitar Hero title.

Ah yes, exclusivity. These days it seems that we shouldn’t be asking the question as to which games will remain exclusive, but rather, which games will no longer remain exclusive. The recent press mix-up with Square-Enix regarding comments made toward a Final Fantasy Versus XIII possibly being on 360, are difficult to take out of context.

At the end of the day we have a game that will be more expensive to make than its predecessor, which also was stripped of its PS3 exclusivity in order for Square-Enix to at least break even on their hefty development budget. With Final Fantasy Versus: XIII being more expensive to make, it just doesn’t make good business sense to only sell it on one machine. Sony gamers shouldn’t worry though; the likelihood is strong that the PS3 version will again be the better version due to the Sony console being the lead platform for development.

Speaking of Final Fantasy, another no-brainer announcement will likely be that Final Fantasy MMORPG, Final Fantasy XIV will arrive on the 360 also. This would occur for similar reasons too, since Square-Enix would want to maximise the target audience that their MMORPG would be able to reach.

More and more it seems that Microsoft is keen to secure exclusivity on DLC for a number of blockbuster third-party titles. Last year it was Modern Warfare 2, the year before that it was Grand Theft Auto IV. So I fully expect the trend to continue this year, with the forthcoming Call Of Duty: Black Ops, likely being the next suitor for exclusive DLC to appear on the 360.

More than ever, I believe Microsoft will be gunning for exclusive DLC bragging rights since Sony has recently moved their Playstation Store updates to Wednesday; the same day as the Xbox Marketplace updates, effectively eliminating the one-day advantage on getting DLC that 360 owners have traditionally enjoyed.

Finally and what must surely be the big white elephant in the room at this point, is the rumours pointing toward a slim line rendition of Microsoft’s Xbox 360 console. In a similar way to how ‘supplier images’ and manifests were leaked prior to last year’s announcement of a slim PS3 console, various questionable ‘photos’ have been leaked regarding a Slim 360 console. Given the poor build quality of the current console and the importance of Project Natal in re-launching the Xbox brand, a sleeker and better built 360 seems very likely.

Release wise, I would estimate the console to appear on shelves no later than Natal’s proposed release date in order for cross promotional bundles to be created and fully leveraged at retail. Price wise nothing should change and the slim console would likely phase out the existing elite/super elite model within the next twelve months.

With Natal being a key focus for Microsoft at E3, as well as core component of their stratagem for success, Microsoft will be expected to blow the door off of their conference with a torrent of information regarding their forthcoming motion control peripheral. Indeed, MS will be having not one, but two scheduled conferences, with a special Project Natal demonstration being put on a day before their E3 media briefing takes place.

Microsoft should put their entire launch line-up, as well as titles due beyond the launch window, on show as well as providing detail on pricing and specific release dates. Equally importantly, everyone will finally be able to see for themselves if MS has conquered the notorious input lag that the device experienced on its initial showing. Indeed, Peter Molyneux and co have insisted that the device has ‘come on leaps and bounds’ since that initial viewing, but it’ll be nice to see just how close they have gotten to eliminating the lag monster in the face of the smoothly responsive Playstation Move.

In regards to the launch line-up for Natal, we already know that Microsoft’s first party studios are hard at work and the fruits of their labour will become immediately apparent. In a similar fashion to Nintendo, we can reasonably expect that the first party offerings will attempt to make the most out of the motion control system. Rare, who have been heavily rumoured to be working on a fitness game for Natal, will no doubt (and hopefully) have a number of more interesting titles to show; but it seems probable that the majority will like be targeted toward a lower age/non-casual gaming demographic.

Lionhead Studios will be expected to turn in something a little more substantial for their creepy Kate & Milo title that was shown at last year’s E3, hopefully expanding upon the world and just how many things Milo can understand and do. We’ll also reasonably expect Microsoft to have one or two more additional surprise titles for Natal too, which will likely form the backbone of the software line-up for the device on launch.

I think we can fully expect the third party publishers to be firing on all cylinders here for better or worse. EA are expected to adapt a majority of their evergreen franchises for the device, with instalments of Tiger Woods (which will miss the launch going by earlier comments from EA), FIFA and EA Sports Active heading up the charge.

It will be interesting to see how Activision will embrace the device, given that the controller free input may be at odds with the American publisher’s penchant for chucking huge amounts of expensive plastic in with their traditional franchises such as Tony Hawk and Guitar Hero.

Ultimately, while the third parties shall demonstrate one or two original IP for Natal, invariably, Ubisoft will likely take the path of least resistance with the device; adapting existing Wii titles for the control system, running the risk of creating the shovelware issue that has plagued third party offerings for the Wii.

Eyes will be on the Japanese studios too, to see what they can achieve with the device. Indeed, Konami Wunderkind Hideo Kojima has remarked that he sees Natal as the next ‘2D to 3D shift’ for the games industry, so it’ll be most interesting to see what he can pull out of the hat if anything.

In regards to the release date, I think we can expect MS to announce an Autumn/Fall release for the peripheral, with credence given to this by one of their leading Arabic Technical Officers heavily suggesting that Natal would make the aforementioned release window. I would expect the release to be bolstered by some 25-30 titles, not to mention a number of Natal specific bundle deals which would chime in with Microsoft’s desire to make Natal an ‘implicit gaming experience’ with every 360 console. I would also look for them to leverage the technology in bundles with their heavily rumoured Xbox 360 Slim console remodelling, also likely due around the same time.

In regards to the price I think the previously mooted $50 price point (£29.99/£34.99) is ludicrously low and not accurate for the device in even a standalone, solus SKU. If they do offer a solus, games-free option, I feel they will price the device at around $70 (£49.99), but they may avoid selling it solus all-together and instead perhaps attempt a Wii-Sports esque pack-in with the device, in which case I can easily see it retailing for a more realistic $90-$100 (£64.99/£69.99).

Unlike Sony, who has slowly but surely leaked out details for titles using their Playstation Move, Microsoft have kept their cards cruelly close to their chest, instead relying on what will surely be a marquee E3 unveiling to properly show off the device.

Whichever way you slice it though, Microsoft have a lot to prove with Natal and a lot of questions to answer.

In a classic case of will they/won’t they/who gives a toss, Lionhead Studios has finally confirmed that the third installment in their Fable franchise will be PC-bound when it releases this holiday season.

Additionally, the game will be available in a collectors edition which includes:

– A new quest: Uncover the mystery of the haunted forests of Silverpines and earn the legendary sword, Wolfsbane, deadly against wolves and balverines.
– Exclusive location: Unlock a new region, ideal for settling down with a family and discovering new treasures.
– “Fable III” playing cards: Created by Lionhead, these cards depict every type of character in “Fable III,” including Heroes, royals, rebels and villains from across Albion and beyond.
– Guild Seal Coin: The coin features a Good side (blue) and Evil side (red) to assist players in making critical decisions that will impact the fate of the world forever.
– A new dog breed: Renowned for its loyalty, the Boxer is a brave canine companion worthy of greatest Queens and Kings.
– One unique outfit: Unearth one male and female outfit from the mysterious, faraway land of Aurora, a new destination in your “Fable III” adventures.

The regular game on 360 will retail for £44.99, with the Collectors going for £54.99 and the standard PC version will retail for £39.99.

I’m actually liking this Collectors Edition. Why? Well, the majority of stuff on offer is actually *useful* stuff for the game, not poker chips, art books etc…

Click, your eyes will thank you.

That is all.