Press Conferences @ E3

psp
Now that we’ve got the big three Press Conferences out of the way, I want to just run over the highlights.

Microsoft
Halo 3: ODST and Halo Reach – ODST looks fantastic, and just what will Halo: Reach bring?
Project Natal: sweet new motion sensing.  I am totally on board  I just need to buy a soft rug.
Uhhh, that’s really all that I got excited about.

Nintendo (I’m kinda glad I didn’t bother wasting my time watching this one)
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Metroid: a new game, this time in collaboration with Team Ninja, looks to go back to the origins of Samus

Sony
PSP Go: UMD-less, 16GB internal storage, M2 expandable storage
Gran Turismo PSP: finally. I don’t even like racers, but this is one I could get behind
Dev Costs: Sony is said to be reducing their entry points for development tools by 80% so smaller devs can get into the PSP.
Little Big Planet PSP: This is one that I’ve been seriously waiting for. Sackboy always seemed to be a portable character anyways.
Rockstar’s Agent: a new PS3-exclusive from the famous GTA developer, about 1970s assassins.  Whew.
Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines (PSP) Connect it to the PS3 for more content, the best feature in my mind.
Oh, and something called Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker.  Whatever that is. Pssht.

I love the Microsoft offerings, and while I think Natal could be huge, I’m hesitant in believing that it will be as realistic as shown in their promo video. I’m declaring Sony the clear and obvious winner of the Press Conferences this year; you can’t really beat a company who sold more previous-generation consoles than next-gen ones… and in its ninth year. Maybe that ten year product life cycle isn’t too far off! Perhaps I’ll have a different opinion about the companies themselves after I check out the booths?  I’ll keep you posted!