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As Koholint transitions into BossKey, our approach to E3 will not change much. As secondary participants of the event, each one of us as members of this community has the same level of access to information coming out of E3. Depending on your dedication to games as a hobby, keeping an eye on this information can be a challenge, as there's so much to see and miss. Information provided by BossKey will be prompt and thorough, but focused, so that our audience can see the most interesting information first. Look forward to summaries of each press conference and followup articles regarding important announcements. Go here for a complete list of video coverage during the event, or go to the bottom of this article for a quick, time zone-friendly list of each press conference.

E3 2011 is shaping up to be a particularly heavy year. There are likely few surprises in store, but news is already oozing from the seams of its June 6-9 timeframe. Nintendo is showing Project Cafe, Sony is showing their next PSP (NGP or "Vita"), and Microsoft is showing... games. EA and Bioware have a lot of quality games to show off, as do many other companies. Unfortunately, Valve will not be in attendance at all, unless we've been lied to.

Continue reading for more detailed speculation on what you might want to keep an eye out for this year.

We’ve been getting a lot of FFXIV news ever since the alpha started, it’s hard to keep track of it all. I’m going to try my best to summarize the most interesting details. There is a long list of sources at the end. The new known details mostly concern features that will appear in the beta, which starts globally by July at the latest. The first round of beta testers will only consist of the same testers from the alpha, but with time, new testers will be invited.

One of the more interesting points in my eyes has been this discussion of a “Company” system in addition to the linkshells. Not only will linkshells be a more fully featured communication tool, but companies will exist as groups of linkshells. When producer Horimichi Tanaka was asked of alternatives to FFXI’s Conquest system (the warring city-states and such), he mentioned the Company system, implying that companies would compete in a similar manner. He went on to compare those companies to guilds or clans. 1up managed to confirm that there will be shared housing (in addition to player housing) for Companies, and that they would be able to "level up." More details on this system will come at a later date. Linkshells will appear in the beta a little after it starts.

As mentioned in an earlier article, the battle system has been sped up significantly for the beta. You have three gauges - effect, TP, and MP, which dictate the types of actions you can make on individual timers. The effect gauge will always refill itself, in and out of battle, with the type of action you take affecting how much of the gauge is depleted. For a more powerful, constant attack, each enemy should be engaged with a full gauge. There are also going to be macros like the ones in FFXI that allow you to announce your attacks, or string certain abilities together. Of course, timing your attacks with party members will still be important.

Much more after the jump.

There is a huge list of games for the 3DS. That list can be found on this article’s full page. For now, I’ll touch upon some of the more promising titles. If you’d like to see screenshots of any of these games, you should check Nintendo’s 3DS site, where they’ve made all screens that exist available.

Kid Icarus - After over 20 years, Kid Icarus returns in a leading role. This game looks beautiful, and has plenty of nostalgia, from music to eggplant wizards. The way this was presented right alongside the 3DS leads me to believe it will be among the launch titles. Kirby/Smash Bros creator Masahiro Sakurai is in charge of this game’s development.

Ocarina of Time 3DS - (screens here) Newish character models, updated textures, and some fancy lighting is all we can really glean from the available material for this remake. There has been some confusion as to whether or not this is a real game, as Miyamoto stated the E3 demo was made to show off the 3DS technology. But, the game has since been confirmed as a future 3DS title, complete with some gameplay polish. Aonuma, who started with the Zelda franchise as a level designer for Ocarina of Time, has publicly repented for the frustration of the Water Temple, saying that the remake will fix some of its problems - such as needing to go into the inventory menu to put on iron boots constantly. It sounds like all of the GUI elements will move down to the touch screen, so equipment changes should be as quick as the tap of an icon.

MGS: Snake Eater 3GS - This, like OoT 3DS was only available at the show as a tech demo. It looks very nice - and if this turns out to be a full port of MGS3, we’re looking at something very interesting. After all, one of the key issues with MGS3 was the constant need to go into the pause menu to fix wounds, eat rations, or spin Snake around so he vomits. If all that ends up on the lower screen, magic!

Kingdom Hearts 3DS - What we’ve seen of the screenshots here look very similar to the first Kingdom Hearts game, but we do know now that this will be an original title.

Star Fox 3DS - This is another apparent remake, this time of Star Fox 64. There’s not much else to say, beyond the fact that some who played this demo found it a bit harder because of the 3D messing with their depth perception.

Resident Evil: Revelations - This is another game where we only have screen shots, but unlike other titles, it appears to be its own game starring superbuff Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine. Here's a video.

Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle - Professor Layton has a good shot at utilizing the 3D features in a creative way, though any puzzle that relies on 3D runs the risk of creating accessibility problems.

Full list of games announced after the jump.

All right, so Nintendo unveiled a new handheld console - the 3DS. The device will allow for 3D viewing without glasses, a feature that goes a long way towards improving the accessibility of 3D in gaming. But there’s many more reasons to care about Nintendo’s next handheld.

There was a lot of 3DS hardware going around at this year’s E3, varying in colors and content - each of the numerous devices was meant to prove to the attendance that the 3DS worked. And, according to every report, it does. People are, however, also reporting that it’s not a perfect technology, as people who have trouble with movie theater 3D have been having similar issues with the 3DS. However, the 3DS features a slider that allows players to adjust the depth of the 3D field, even allowing for it to be turned off entirely.

With so many of the devices going around, it seems like Nintendo’s on the verge of release, right? We’ve already seen a huge library of games to expect, from Kid Icarus and Resident Evil to ports of Ocarina of Time and MGS: Snake Eater. I’ll cover more of the games in a separate article. As far as release date is concerned, numerous reports indicate that we’ll see this new handheld before the end of Nintendo’s fiscal year, so March 31, 2011 is the latest possible date. Cammie Dunaway said as much during an interview with GiantBomb, at least. A release from Nintendo Japan reiterated the point as well.

The 3DS itself is a technological leapfrog to the original DS. While the final design of the device is still “to be announced,” we know a lot of the inner workings (although I sure hope they move the power button). The 3.53 inch upper screen is the only one that will support 3D, in widescreen. The actual pixel resolution is 800x240, but half of those pixels in width are allocated to each of the different 3D images, so we’re looking at 400x240. The 3.02 inch lower screen remains a touchscreen, and is actually smaller than the screens on a DSi (3.25 inches each). The resolution is improved from the previous DS, from 256x192 to 320x240. Game cards will hold up to 2 GB at launch, whereas typically, DS games of the past have been on 128 MB cards, with the bigger games like Final Fantasy on 256 MB cards. Of course, with the availability of microSD cards at 16 GB these days, DS cards could go for larger capacities, should the need ever arise. For some techno-jargon about the GPU, check out this Engadget article. To summarize - it's pretty awesome. There's a trailer for Kid Icarus under the jump that's slightly different from the one shown during the conference - I would guess this one was actually rendered on a 3DS. That, and more, after you click "Read More!"

I love Zelda. Remember that as you read the following.

The next game in the Zelda series is called “Skyward Sword,” and will require usage of the Wii Motion Plus accessory. The timeframe for this game’s release is still a bit unclear as we’ve gone from expecting it at the end of this year to some time in 2011. And here’s what you’ll probably want to know about the game:

1. It works! The inclusion of the Wii Motion Plus has been a point of concern ever since the fact was revealed some time last year. Aside from Wii Sports Resort and Red Steel 2, using the Wii remote as a sword has been a rare occurrence. And, however fun it may be in those games, some level of awkwardness exists where one might be concerned if a whole game was based on that mechanic. People who’ve tried this new Zelda, however, are reporting that the sword does work, and seems like it could support the game rather well. Also, you move through the environment with the nunchuck’s analog stick (while the nunchuck itself acts as your shield). Here are a video of someone playing, so you can see for yourself. Notice how he needs to swing the sword a certain way in order to register a hit, and how throughout the course of the demo, he becomes more and more familiar with the fighting mechanics.

2. Story! At a developer round table after Nintendo’s press conference, and from various interviews, Aonuma and Miyamoto have revealed the setup to this game. Link is a boy from a land in the clouds called Skyloft. Everything is nice and peaceful there until, through a series of plot building events, he learns a land exists below his own and it is plagued by evil. The Skyward Sword itself interacts with Link in the form of the blue fairy-like girl from the initial concept art shown last year. At some point, that sword will become known as the Master Sword. Also, the land below is definitely Hyrule. Along this premise, we also know that there will be some manner of frequent travel between the two worlds. So. Sky people. Hyrule. The girl is a sword.

3. Style! When I first saw images of this game, my immediate thought was “Holy crap, Twilight Princess design with cel shading.” And, I was amazed. After all, cel shading can be used to make some beautiful things happen, as we have seen in Wind Waker and Okami. It turns out, however, that it wouldn’t be exactly accurate to call what Skyward Sword has “cel-shading.” The coloring style is meant more to be reminiscent of impressionist art, particularly Paul Cézanne. With that in mind, you’ll notice the screen shots actually have more of a watercolor-esque vibe. Apparently, they’re at a point in the development process where the graphics of the game are still being perfected, so perhaps this style will come out more in the final version. Also note that the trailer’s music may not reflect on that of the final game’s, as they’ve yet to compose a lot of it.

4. Items that take advantage of the Wii Motion Plus seem well crafted. The bow let’s you dictate how strongly your arrow will fly, and there’s some arc to the arrow’s trajectory. Yet, unlike Wii Sports Resort, where difficulty in aiming is part of the game, in Skyward Sword, you can use the remote to point directly at your target. Then there’s bombs, which you can bowl or throw through gestures. There’s a whip that sweeps across the screen as directed by the controller. There’s a new item - the beetle, which flies around and picks stuff up. I believe it detects tilt in order to move, but I could be wrong.

Screenshot gallery!
Forum topic!
Art gallery! - If you're looking for higher resolutions of these images, send me a private message. There is a decent sized image on this server if you go to the image page and click "Original."

And the trailer is after the jump.

Well, the next bit of DLC for Dragon Age will be here on July 6 of this year. There's still no word on the next Dragon Age game, but this pack where you play through Leliana's past is oddly character-specific. I would not be surprised if this is the first of many character-based add-ons, but frankly, Leliana's my girl, so I'm content with just this!

The content is fully voiced, and shows why Leliana joined the Chantry before the events of Dragon Age: Origins. There's also a reward at the end that can be transferred into your Awakening or Origins save file.

1up reports by way of interview with Sony representatives that the Last Guardian will not be shown at this year's E3. Instead, we can look forward to seeing it at Tokyo Game Show in September. It seems like it won't be released for a while, as these reps say the game will be released when it's ready.

Lots of little details about games are coming in today, so look forward to some surprises!

"We decided to remove the effect gauge and we are going to use the action gauge in a different way."

Battle speed has increased because you don't have to wait for your action gauge to fill any more. This means you don't have to wait between making attacks, but each attack is still a deliberate action you make. It still looks a bit rough, but it looks more natural than what they previously had.

That was a very long two hours. I feel like... I’m bored. This won’t be a full summary because there was a lot of fluff, but here’s what stuck out to me.

Valve’s big surprise for E3 was Portal 2 on PS3. Not only that, but this version of Portal 2 will be the “best” of all three. During Gabe’s comedically charged presentation, he also mentioned that Steam would be on PS3’s, but I’m not sure why he didn’t elaborate on that. We’ll probably see more information later. As GladOS said in the teaser, “I think we can put our differences behind us, for science, you monster.”

Most of the conference was either about Move or 3D gaming. Killzone 3 will launch in February 2011 with Move and 3D support. Move is coming September 19 with a variety of pricing options. For the wand controller, you’ll pay $50, then $30 for the navigator accessory. To get the camera, you’ll pay $100 for a bundle that includes a wand, a Wii Sports-like game, and a controller. Or, if you’re buying a PS3, there’s a $399 bundle that includes the camera, game, and wand, but you’d still need to buy the other controller. So, to upgrade, it’s $130 total, or $430 to buy a new PS3. Kevin Butler came on stage at one point to start getting people psyched about Move, which was an entertaining diversion.

David Jaffe is making a new Twisted Metal, exclusive to PS3, due out next year. The footage shown seems to be typical Twisted Metal car combat, now with helicopters and class-based team multiplayer. Could be quite exciting!

Read the full article for more. Also, an embedded portal 2 teaser!

I’m really having a hard time putting this information into words. There’s a lot here. I’m going to have to make specific articles for Zelda and 3DS later, so I’ll just go through each item as a list.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is cel-shaded, but in the style of Twilight Princess. Miyamoto demo’d the game live on stage (with some technical difficulties), but it looks like it’s integrated WiiMotion+ rather thoroughly. The Wiimote is your sword, then the nunchuck is your shield. It looks really nice, but I’m looking forward to hearing back about the demo’s on the show floor. Apparently, the sky is a key plot element (which reminds me of the sky people in Minish Cap). Also, it’s been delayed to 2011. And here's the trailer! And here's some gameplay!

Then there’s the 3DS, which looks rather amazing. They weren’t able to demo the technology on stage, so this is another thing where we’ll have to wait to hear some opinions. The top screen will be widescreen, with full 3D capabilities, while the bottom screen is still touch, but not 3D. There’s motion sensors and gyroscopes, and something called a “slide pad” that appears to be a flat analog stick. There’s two camera lenses on the back that allow you to take photos in 3D. You’ll be able to watch current movies made with 3D technology on the device, with Warner Bros, Disney, and Dreamworks as frontrunners in support of that. There’s a free service that connects the device to Nintendo’s servers while you’re not playing, regardless of the presence of a Wifi access point, and downloads new game content.

Kid Icarus: Uprising - after describing the 3DS’ various features, “Project Sora” was revealed to be a new Kid Icarus game. The trailer they showed had me convinced it was a Wii title - it just looked too pretty to be otherwise. Turns out, it’s for 3DS, and seems quite fun. I’ll post more on this later as well.

Read the full article for more!