Microsoft Preview Event: 2009 Holiday Showcase
Preview System(s): XBox 360, PC
Forza 3
Racing simulator Forza 3 was on display in what can only be described as a amusement park ride. Sporting three HDTV screens, surround sound and a "car" that moved, jerked and jumped with your movements - you didn't play Forza 3, you drove a car.
The game's graphics have been upgraded from the previous version and look quite realistic now. Damage modeling has been upgraded, and players are now able to flip their cars over if they aren't careful enough.
One feature this kind of game has been sorely lacking has now been added - rewind! Have you ever been in a 10 lap race, leading the entire time only to crash at the last turn of lap 9? Yeah, it sucks. Thankfully using TiVo style functionality players can rewind time at any point and continue on their way. Sweet!
Forza 3 will continue to be the ultimate car game on the Xbox 360, and now it's more accessible thanks to a few new features. Looks like I better buy some Turtle Wax and get ready to take out my Audi!
Lips Number One Hits
Lips hasn't changed much in terms of gameplay, but there are some stylistic differences. For one the game supports Avatars now, adding a bit of personality to the game. The interface was also updated to appear more integrated into the NXE.
Other than that you've got your standard Lips action going on here - which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Zune HD
I can't say much about the ZuneHD because it was behind lock and key - but I will say this. So preeeeeeeeety!
I've never seen a screen so gorgeous on a device. Microsoft had videos playing on 52" HDTVs and the Zune screen and they were equally as impressive. Not only that the device was incredibly thin - about as thin as an iPod Touch. If Microsoft can get the Xbox 360 integration and Live stuff working on this device, sign me up!
Resident Evil 5
Wrapping things up I saw Resident Evil 5 on the PC. The game was being displayed in 3D using Nvidia's GeForce 3d Vision technology. The $200 set can turn any game into a full 3D experience with visuals that jump off the screen. The effect was quite impressive.
The best part about it, there's no special software required. The 3D effects can be applied at a driver level so it works in tons of your existing games.
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Uncharted 2: Among Thieves on Playstation 3
Call of Duty: World at War on Wii
AI War on PC
Castle Crashers on Xbox Live Arcade
Pixel Junk Monsters on Playstation Network
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In a somewhat related note, are we seeing any sort of push towards gaming features on Win7? Perhaps a GFWLive messenger style app?