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E3 2011 Highlights and Photos

Exceeding Imagination, that is what Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) represents.  E3 is an annual trade show for computer and video games and related products by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA).  Located at the Los Angeles Convention Center, on June 7-9, 2011, it’s filled with tens of thousands of professionals.  Everybody is there to see groundbreaking new technologies and never-before-seen products for computers, video game consoles, handheld systems and the internet.  Wandering around the halls, you can’t help but feel amazed at all the sights and sounds.

With so many announcements, we can only highlight a small portion of the large picture (listed in no particular order):

  • PlayStation Vita announcement: Sony’s Kaz Hirai, Representative Corporate Executive Office and Executive Deputy President of Sony Corporation (long title), announced the release and pricing information ($249 Wi-Fi only and $299 for Wi-Fi + 3G).
  • Wii-U unveling: A prototype version of the Wii-U was present, including a demonstration of the controller touch screen and a Zelda HD Demo among other tech-demos.
  • Minecraft coming to Xbox: The breakout indie sandbox game is now coming to the 360, with and without Kinect support by 4J Studios.
  • Halo 4 announcement: The first part of a new trilogy, picking up where Master Chief left off.  Nothing more than a teaser trailer was shown, so we’re not sure how the series will follow the Halo 3 conclusion.
  • Batman: Arkham City: A playable Catwoman was revealed!  We had a chance to see a working demo displaying the difference of play between Bat and the Cat in similar scenario.
  • New Smash Brothers heading to Wii-U and 3DS: Development has yet to begin and information is scarce, but we know that Masahiro Sakurai, the creative force behind both Kirby and Super Smash Bros, and Project Sora are working on the latest iteration.
  • Mario Kart 3DS demo:  A fun demo was available for us to play with, including hang-gliding and underwater races.  The game also plans to feature more customization of karts than previous games (adjusting tires for example).
  • Super Mario 3D Land: Part 2D and 3D game play for the 3DS!  This latest incarnation includes everybody’s (or at least my) favorite returning power up, the Tanooki (racoon) Suit!  We only got to see the video, but from what we saw it looks to be shaping up pretty nicely!
  • Starfox 64 3DS demo: Nostalgia ahoy!  I remember playing this game for a very long time as a kid and with a playable demo available, I made a quick bee-line to it.  The controls in this remake felt a bit different, but the nostalgia was there and the graphics looked incredible!
  • Star Wars: The Old Republic: A demo was available and from what we gathered, consider us impressed!  The new opening cinematic of the Old Republic was also revealed and is beyond words on the level of excitement being generated towards this MMO (if done right).

This doesn’t account for all the other stuff that we saw (like Gear of War 3, God of War Origins, Street Fighter x Tekken, and etc), but here are some photos that captured some of our moments (including many booth babes).

For more information on E3, visit E3 homepage