The British Animation Film Festival

The first ever British Animation Film Festival was held in London om Sunday 29th July, and as luck would have it I had the privilege of being invited along to watch the 30 plus animations that had been submitted for screening.

Due to the event being held in London, at pretty much the same time as the Olympics kicking off, I was racked with delays on my journey to the Rich Mix cinema in Bethnal Green, meaning I sadly missed the very first 2 animations on show (an 8 minute animation by Andrew Martin called Gus, and a 7 minute animation by Amanda Tasse called The Reality Clock); luckily I was able to catch the rest of the first screening and continue the day from there.

There were a total of 4 screenings throughout the day, showcasing various animations from both independent groups and a couple of well known studios, with 30-60 minute breaks between each set of films.

Due to the nature of the festival, and the sheer number of animations that were screened at the event, it is impossible for me to review every single piece that was screened on the day. However, there are some animations of note that I wish to share with you.

Miss Remarkable and her career

This animation was by far one of my favorite entries at the entire event, purely because it manages to do what all good animations do; it conveys its story within its animation and style, even though the language used is not one that I understand, I was still capable of following the storyline.

The use of a dark and often impenetrable bubble around the main character as a sign of her growing depression is, in my opinion, a wonderful use of the limited colour scheme they chose for the animation and a brilliant way of showing how depression can truly feel for the sufferer at times.

Worlds Apart

This particular animation really struck a nerve with me while sat in the theater. It's a fairly simplistic tale of a group of aliens visiting a ruined Earth and discovering a soft toy that is able to show them what the planet was like before humans ruined it (a bit like A.I: Artificial Intelligence, but replace the robots with aliens).

The soft toy is loved by a small boy, taken everywhere with him, until the fateful day where he has to leave due to severe conditions. The bear is left alone until the aliens rediscover him.

This hits home for me for several reasons, partly because I care about the effects that humanity is having on our planet, but mostly because my wife has a similar relationship to her soft toy collection that she has had since she was a child...it sounds odd, but the very thought of her having to go through the same kind of made me want to weep a little. Luckily the theater was dark, and I was sat at the very back.

It may not have the same affect on every viewer, but the message of the animation and the professional quality are clear enough for all to see.

Being Bradford Dillman

A somewhat unique animation style and incredibly unique storyline made this an enjoyable watch for the whole audience at the festival.

As you may be able to guess, the story revolves around a child of an alcoholic mother who is one day told that she was once born as a boy (Bradford Dillman), and later changed into a girl after pleading with the doctors.

Director Emma Burch made an appearance at the screening to talk with everyone afterwards, allowing us to probe her mind as to how this unique story came to be. Interestingly, after much talk of budget restraints of production times for the animation, it was revealed that the story came from personal experience as Ms. Burch was growing up.

Beyond everything, I think this revelation when combined with the prior viewing of the piece helped the audience understand that to create an endearing and long lasting piece of work, at least a tiny bit of yourself or your life experience need to mixed in to it.

Much Better Now

Another animation that really made a connection with something special to me, Much Better Now is the story of a bookmark that finds itself exploring the book it has been left in.

In all honesty, without wanting to write too much on a beautifully simple concept, I find this animation to be a wonderful way of showing people how books are able to take the reader to anywhere in the world, or even anywhere in the universe.

- - - 

As I said above, with over 30 films being screened at the festival it is impossible for me to talk about them all in any amount of detail. Sadly not all of the films shown had trailers available, but to view those that are available you can head on over to Film Festival Guild's YouTube account HERE and watch the rest. Alternatively you can follow the guil on Twitter HERE and contact them for yourselves for more information on future events or how to get involved.

As the first ever British Animation Film Festival to be held, I have to say I was massively impressed. Tickets for the festival were all sold out by the end of the day, the animations being screened were mostly all highly professional (there were a couple of bad eggs, but this may just be my taste over anything else!), and the ability to Q&A with some of the talent behind the animations was a wonderful addition to the event.

Although the event was fairly low key for its first year,the organisers are already discussing how they can expand in future years, with plans involving bigger screens, larger Q&As with more of the talent behind the films, and the possibility of having some of the original artwork for the pieces of display throughout the Rich Mix Cinema.

It sounds tacky and cliché to add this to the end of this blog, but I honestly want to say a huge thank you to the organisers of the event (especially for inviting me along to review it, and for not being angry that the review is up a little later than expected) for being able to organise such a fun and interesting day out. I am greatly looking forward to future events, and I eagerly anticipate any and all future entries that the UK Film Festival Guild receive.

If this is the sort of thing that interests you (which I really hope it does given you've found your way to this blog), you can keep tabs on all future plans by the UK Film Festival Guild over at www.filmfestivalguild.com 

Review - The Name of the Wind

Rating: * * * * *
Release Date: Available Now
Pages: 662
Author: Patrick Rothfuss
Publisher: DAW Books

Before going any further, it should be noted that The Name of the Wind was released in 2007; this review is very late to the party, as this writer has only just discovered Patrick Rothfuss.

But better late than never, right?

Fantasy novels eventually tend to fit into two categories, you either have the realistic or the mythological. The realistic fantasy novel will tell it as it is, showing you the hardships of the characters and their adventure, slowly building their story into what could later become an epic tale to share around the campfire; the mythological, on the other hand, is the more traditional fantasy story, of a gallant knight fighting off the evil dragon and winning the princess, never really suffering any sort of emotional damage in the process.

It is rare, then, that a fantasy series comes along that can seemingly combine these types of story into one single adventure. Tolkien is famous for it, George R.R. Martin and Robert Jordan continued in their own unique way, and I now feel comfortable to say that Patrick Rothfuss can stand with these writers with his debut novel.

Kvothe (pronounced similarly to quothe) is a hero, a legend amongst the people of the four corners of the civilised world; he’s a talented musician, a brilliant actor, a strong warrior, and a talented thief. He’s also retired, vanished, rumoured to be dead.

Storytellers all over the four corners speak of Kvothe’s epic quests, his early days at The University, his conquests, and his misadventures, but as with all tales of adventure they are misrepresented. Direct from Kvothe’s mouth, we hear the truth.

The novel swaps between the first person narrative of Kvothe’s adventures, and the time of his telling the story. The tale is, at times, somewhat reminiscent of Harry Potter in the fact that we follow Kvothe through his childhood and into The University, where he learns what the average person calls “magic” but is referred to as “Sympathy” by the well educated and informed members of society. However, the minor similarities of ‘boy at school that teaches magic’ is really as far as it should ever be taken, as the writing style itself is not only far more in-depth and descriptive, but the storyline is broader and clearly aimed at a much more mature audience.

The first person narrative sections of the book (which probably takes up a good 85% of the novel) may be slightly off-putting to some people, but with perseverance a certain depth and history to the world becomes apparent and it is possible to look past the constant references to ‘I’ and ‘me.’

The Name of the Wind is one of the better new fantasy novels to have been released within the past few years. Many established and fantastic series’ are available, but for something new this book comes highly recommended.

An extract from the book can be read on Rothfuss’s official site [HERE]

Review - Robopocalypse

Rating: * * * * *
Release Date: Available Now
Pages: 347
Author: Daniel H. Wilson
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

To describe this as simply World War Z, but with Robots, would be a complete disservice to Robopocalypse, but it’s the first thing that came to mind upon flicking through its pages.

Wilson has followed a similar path to that of Max Brooks, having previously written How To Survive A Robot Uprising; however, Wilson differs in the fact that he has a Ph. D in Robotics, so he kind of knows what he’s talking about here.

Robopocalypse covers a similar formula to WWZ, with one main character simply describing events as he has seen them, or re-telling a story that has been described to him. The story follows the rise of a super-AI structure called Archos, and the battle with humanity that ensues.

As you read, you will follow characters from around the world, a Native American of the Osage tribe on the plains of North America, a husband & wife in New York, an aging Japanese engineer, and many others. Their storylines slowly intertwine, showing the events that lead up to the creation of a human resistance.

Throughout these tales, we also get to learn about the evolution of the robots, and glimpses into the mind of Archos itself, and this in itself is one of the biggest differences from the aforementioned zombie book. A zombie is a mindless drone, which never learns and never adapts; once you’ve learnt how to defeat it, you’ve pretty much won the war, you are just relying on resources and the intelligence of your armies.

An Artificial Intelligence is different; whilst humans are learning to fight back, it’s also learning and it learns faster. Through the eyes of the human survivors, we watch as Archos adapts to new environments and new strategies, creating ever more complex robots to try and squash the human resistance. Wilson’s Ph. D really pays off in these moments, as he is able to accurately describe a machine that not only sounds deadly, but sounds realistic in every way.

Robopocalypse is a fantastic start to what I sincerely hope becomes a much bigger universe, and even if it isn’t it’s still a bloody good read. Whilst I fear that Wilson will remain underappreciated, I think he deserves the same amount of attention, if not more, that Max Brooks gained for his work.

An excerpt from Robopocalypse can be read [HERE], whilst the full book itself is available from all good bookstores.

E3 2011 - Capcom Releases

I originally thought Capcom were going to be holding their own Press Conference this year, much like they used to in previous years. Sadly, the only thing they appear to be doing is holding a Livestream of whatever is happening at their booth.

You can view this stream [HERE] if you wish, but all their major content reveals will be contained in this blog unless a surprise interview reveals something not covered in the trailers and gameplay.



First up, Super Street Fighter 4 Arcade Edition is now available on Xbox Live Arcade, and will be available over Playstation Network within the next couple of days.

As is usual for the Street Fighter series, this is essentially a few extra characters, costumes, and gameplay modes for the avid Street Fighter fan.



Resident Evil: Revelations is the next major storyline installment for the Resi series, released exclusively for the 3DS.

The game is set in 2005, so before the events of Resident Evil 5, and follows Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield during a mission for the B.S.A.A. Chris is missing, and Jill has gone to try and track him down.

The games introduces Parker and Juliette, two new B.S.A.A characters, and quite possibly a new set of villains (though Hunk seemed to have featured previously, so hopefully we'll learn more about him).

No official release date for Revelations yet, but with Mercs 3D coming out within the next month or so, you'll be able to get your hands on a demo of Revelations upon purchase (or rental) of the multiplayer title.

To give you an idea of gameplay, here's some footage:







Next up comes Street Fighter X Tekken:



What more is there to say? It's a crossover title between Street Fighter and Tekken, and dependant upon which platform you get it on there'll be a few exclusive character unlocks.

At Sony's conference last night, it was revealed that SFXT will be available on Playstation Vita, and will have Cole (the lead character of inFamous) as a playable character.



We finally get to see how DMC is going to play, and would you bloody look at that...he gets his white hair, red coat, and dual wielded pistols out.

Somewhat allaying the fears of many fans, I assume, with this trailer, Ninja Theory are still erring on the edge of open hostility by not revealing too much about how, or if, this game will fit into the series so far.

It seems clear that this is an origins story of some form, but will it capture the same combat feeling and atmosphere of the previous titles?

Needless to say, it looks like a good game, well made and well designed, but whether it'll be a good Devil May Cry is up to the fanbase.







Asura's Wrath looks busy, and angry, and loud.

This is essentially a combination of, by the looks of it, the original Devil May Cry games and God of War, but with an asian theme instead of a Western theme.

It seems over the top, filled with action, and completely outrageous in storyline and theme...so what's not to love?

As long as the controls and tight and the action is fluid, this game should be a good one. We'll leave the storyline for the players to decide upon.



Street Fighter 3: Third Strike Online Edition.

These names are getting longer, I swear. It's an old joke, I know, but it starts to become unfunny when you realise the truth in it all.

Filled with hundreds of unlockables, this HD-remastering of Street Fighter 3 is what everyone has come to expect of Capcom's Street Fighter series. If you don't like Street Fighter, you won't like this. If you do, you probably will. Simple really.



Three Resident Evil games in one show? I'm going all weak at the knees.

Resident Evil - Operation: Raccoon City is the first Resident Evil game, that is coming out on a main console, that isn't made by Capcom.

Being developed by Slant Six, we get to follow the actions of an Umbrella hit-squad during the events of the Raccoon City Outbreak (covered previously in RE2, RE3, and RE: Outbreak 1 & 2). Their task? To hunt down surviving R.P.D officers.

Yes, that includes Leon.

The game is shaping up to be a fantastic return to form for the Resident Evil series, but will players be ok with playing as the bad guys? And, more importantly, will it be possible to kill Claire Redfield play the game in a canon way?





This was a big surprise reveal at Captivate this year, and the game keeps looking better and better as we go along.

Some say it looks like a Western version of Monster Hunter, others think it takes inspiration from Breath of Fire, and even more are wondering if it can compete with Skyrim.

What do you guys think?

If you ask me, this game looks brilliant and well worth the investment. Taking inspiration from Shadow of the Colossus with the ability to climb all over the big monsters, and taking the action and customisation from Monster Hunter and a pinch from other western RPGs, this game looks set to give an interesting new take on the fantasy epic.



Finishing off with classic Capcom form, we get the hilarity and awesomeness of Dead Rising 2: Off the Record.

This is an alternate universe 'What If?' take on the evnts of Dead Rising 2.

Frank West, hero of the very first game, is asked what he would've done had he been in Fortune City at the time of the outbreak. His response? Off the Record.

This isn't just a rehash of the DR2 events, this is an entirely new game. With Frank in the mix, characters are going to react differently...and the storyline is going to go into new territory.

I, for one, can't wait to go to Uranus Zone and have some fun.


Biggest highlight?

I'm surprised, more and more, of just how good Revelations looks for a 3DS game, and the storyline seems to be taking us back to more traditional Resident Evil settings.

Operation: Raccoon City is doing the same, but giving us a much darker angle which is great.

Off the Record and Dragon's Dogma are surprise hits for me, having come out of nowhere and really hyped me up.

DMC has piqued my interest now that Dante doesn't seem to be so much of a whiny little teenager, and it was nice to see him transform into the Dante we recognise from older games.

And finally Asura's Wrath...a game that confuses yet interests me at the same time.

What about you guys?

E3 2011 - Nintendo's Press Conference

As I'm sure you're aware by now, I'm not at E3 this year, but thanks to Spike TV I am able to watch livestreams of the major conferences and announcements.

I just watched Nintendo's conference, by far the most confusing yet highly anticipated conference so far.

So here's my thoughts on their announcements, in the order they arrived.



The conference started with a montage showing off the history of the Zelda series, from the very first game, to the very latest releases.

All of this with a live Orchestra and Choir playing and singing the music from the games.

The montage finally ended with Skyword Sword, the next Zelda game.

Miyamoto came up on stage, and away we went.



Miyamoto spoke about the evolution of the Zelda series, both visually and musically. He asked the Orchestra to play a couple of recosnigable themes from the series, and then thanked the fanbase and community for continuing to play the series over the years.



As a part of the 25th Anniversary celebration of Zelda, Miyamoto announced all sorts of goodies for Zelda fans.

First up was Link's Awakening coming to the 3DS e-shop, which should be available by tonight.

Next was Zelda: Four Swords coming as a free download to all people that own a DSi, to push the concept of friendly gaming. DSi owners are very lucky indeed.

Ocarina of Time remake is coming out in a couple of weeks on the 3DS, which I've got pre-ordered already. I'm sure many others are also in the same boat.

Miyamoto also revealed that a special Golden WiiMote would be released, with the Hyrule eagle appearing on it. CD soundtracks for the Zelda games will also be released, and Miyamoto ended the Zelda love by talking about the 25th Anniversary Celebration symphonies to be touring the world later this year.

It was also said that other goodies would be revealed at a later date.

Skyword Sword will be available this year, around the holiday season.

Satoru Iwata next came up on stage to speak of how Nintendo had created new ways to game, but had failed slightly on creating a console that catered to both "hardcore" and "casual" markets.

He spoke of the new console, but didn't reveal anything, saying that it would be covered later.



Next up came Reggie on stage talking about the lineup for the 3DS.



Super Mario 3DS offers players the first ever 3D Mario designed specifically for a handheld, and it focuses uite heavily on Mario's Raccoon Costume.



Starfox 3DS offers players the ability to play with traditional controls, or the 3DS's tilt controls.



Kid Icarus is yet another classic title built specifically for the 3DS.



Luigi's Mansion 2 is a direct sequel to the first Lugi's Mansion, offering up new mansions and new gameplay modes.



And finally Mario Kart is a new kart game built, again, specifically for the 3DS. New tracks, new abilities, etc.

Reggie also detailed the launch of the 3DS e-Shop, with Excitebike 3D being offered for free for a limited time, and Pokemon E-dex being made avialable for free.

The Pokemon E-dex brings Pokemon into the real world, asking you to fill in your e-dex through spot-pass, street-pass, and all sorts of other things.




Finally came the big reveal, the one that everybody has been waiting for.

Nintendo's reveal of the Wii's successor, the Wii U.

This is a high-definition console, 1080p, that brings a new controller with an added touchscreen built in.



The controller can be used to play the console games whilst the TV is on a completely different channel, it can be used in combination with other games, and appears to even be compatible with various Wii accesories (such as the balance board).



Finally Nintendo appears to be getting the big developers making games for it. However, what's going to make me buy the games for Wii U over my PC, or 360, or PS3?

Smash Bro's has been announced to be in development for both the 3DS and the Wii U, which was met with a lot of applause, but more information needs to be released on this before I can feel any sort of hype.

Highlight of the conference?

Very little to be honest.

Skyward Sword looks great, but they barely showed anything of it.

The new console sounds interesting, but they chose to focus entirely on the controller over the actual console...which was unimpressive and confusing as a whole.

Luigi's Mansion 2 made me happy though. The GameCube version was fantastic, so I expect the sequel to be just as good.

E3 2011 - Sony's Press Conference

I'm not at E3 this year, sadly, so I wasn't awake when Sony gave their Press Conference at the end of the first day.

Thanks to Spike TV I've managed to cover Microsoft, EA, and Ubisoft through their Livestream, but it was up to G4TV to keep an archived stream of the Sony conference. So much thanks to them, as I can now write this catch up blog.



The kick start to the Sony conference was a montage of everything to come, showing off the latest games, the latest gadgets, and hinting at what is to come for the NGP.

A fairly impressive, if lengthy, intro to the conference, but the games on display peaked my interest. We have the obvious Resistance 3, Killzone, inFamous 2, and God of War, along with Street Fighter, Dragon's Dogma, Operation: Raccoon City, and countless other titles flashing up on screen.

Uncharted 3 gets a fair amount of screen time.



Finally Jack Tretton, President and CEO of Sony Entertainment America, takes to the stage.

He thanks everybody for attending, and welcomes those that are watching on TV or online.

He takes the time to personally apologise for the recent security problems, and apparently this was entirely unscripted and from the heart. He also takes the time to thank retailers, the press, and consumers for their continued support.

"You are the lifeblood of the company. Without you, there is no Playstation."

He then takes the time to address those in the world that aren't yet a part of the Playstation community, speaking of the various applications that they offer, announcing a new partnership with CinemaNow to add to the growing list.



Evan Wells and Christophe Balestra took to the stage to demo a level from Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception. Naughtydog have, at this moment, stolen the show by showing off another excellent setpiece from their upcoming game, showing Nathan Drake stealthing his way through a derelict ocean cruiser, eventually causing it to sink after setting off an explosion in the lower levels.

They also announce the multiplayer, which will have Beta access starting on June 28th. In addition to this, Sony, Naughtydog, and Subway have teamed together to offer (throughout October) fans the chance to get full access to the multiplayer before release of the final game.

They ended their time on stage with the latest trailer for Drake's Deception:



Is that Helen Mirren? Looks like her at least. Uncharted 3 looks set to follow the huge set pieces of Uncharted 2 with even bigger and better environments, and an excellent all-star storyline.

Marcus Smith takes to the stage to show off Resistance 3.

"It's August 1947, 4 years after the events of resistance 2. The chimera have won the war, humans face extinction."



Marcus gives us a 3 minute tour of one level from Resistance 3, showing off the new style of gameplay, new weaponry, and new enemy types. Another great looking title by Insomniac that promises support of both 3D and Playstation Move.

They also announced the Resistance 3 Sharpshooter Edition, which comes bundled with all sorts of add-ons for Playstation Move in September.



Next up, Jack announces the God of War Origins Collection, HD and 3D remakes of the PSP titles, heading over to the PS3 in the future.



In addition to the God of War remakes, there will also be the Ico & Shadow of the Colossus bundle heading to the PS3 as well.

Both collections will be launching this September, in full 3D and HD glory.



Now, to kick start Sony's push for making 3D adoption more easier for the consumer, Tretton announces the Playstation TV.

The TV not only shows 3D, but comes with the ability for 2 players to see 2 different images on screen at any time. This essentially means that multiplayer games can both be played on the same TV, without suffering a decrease in screen size, or the problem of the other player peeking at your position.

This is a 24" HD screen, that comes bundled with Resistance 3, a pair of 3D glasses, and a 6 foot HDMI cable. It will be available this fall.

The glasses are the second step in Sony's move towards consumer friendly 3D, offering up glasses that will work with multiple 3D TVs, and will also be available this fall.

The entire bundle is set to retail for $499, with the glasses going for $70 per pair.



With 8.8 Million units sold worldwide, Playstation Move has been a big success for Sony since launch, so Tretton now takes the time to make some exciting announcements.

Chris Snyder and Erick Boenisch from 2K Sports take to the stage to show off NBA2K12, introducing a new feature called "NBA on the move."





Medieval Moves is another Move exclusive title. I can't quite tell if it's on roails or not, but it looks like a family friendly fantasy game of sorts, in a similar vein to the Zelda series.

Tretton covers the exponential growth of the Move brand, covering core games such as House of the Dead, and more casual games like Dance Central.



inFamous 2 launches tomorrow in the US, with move support already in there. At a later point, Tretton mentions, there'll be user generated content being added to the game.

People will be able to add their own missions to the game, with Move adding an extra dimension to all of this.



LittleBigPlanet 2 will also be getting Move support in the future, further developing it as one of Sony's biggest franchises at the moment.



Starhawk is a new title coming from Sony's Santa Monica studios, though little else is revealed during the conference.

The trailer is purely CGI, so no idea on what the game actually plays like or what it's actually about. It seems to have a mild mixture of comedy and seriousness, which feels odd to me at the moment. The whole thing with boxes dropping from the sky and instantly converting into buildings or vehicles was quite cool though.



Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time gets a fairly entertaining and heavily stylised trailer, announcing a 2012 release for one of the most heavily anticipated titles on the PS3.



Dust 514 is developed by the creators of Eve Online, featuring Move support and NGP support in the future.

Set within the Eve Online universe, the shooter will have direct contact with the PC game, allowing you to play within the very same universe as the PC players. What you do in the shooter should affect what happens in the MMO.

Dust 514 is exclusive to Playstation, with a multiplayer Beta coming in the fall, and a full release next year.



Ken Levine takes to the stage to show off the latest trailer for Bioshock: Infinite.

He apologises for his remarks about Playstation Move, and tells a story on how Sony spoke to him about getting him more interested in motion controls.

So now we've got official word that Infinite will support Move, which is a bit of a shock.

Levine also notes that Irrational are working on another Bioshock game for Sony's NGP, though little was revealed about what the game will revolve around.



To further bolster support for the Irrational & Sony companionship, it's also been revealed that if you buy the PS3 version of Infinite, you'll get the very first game for free on the same disc.




Saints Row the Third will be gaining an exclusive gameplay mode on the PS3, whilst the upcoming JJ Abrahms Star Trek game will feature Move support.



Paramount will also be releasing a Playstation Move add-on that makes the controller look like one of the phasers from Star Trek. In addition to this, an exclusive prequel to the game will be available on the Playstation Network.




In the first of three exclusives from EA, Tretton announces that SSX will gain an exclusive race down the side of Japan's Mount Fuji.



The second exclusive is for Need for Speed: The Run. PS3 owners will have access to a BluRay disc with extra racing cars such as the Veron.



The fina; exclusive from EA is utilising the space on a BluRay disc by giving players of Battlefield 3 a free copy of Battlefield 1943.



Playstation Suite is a service being release by Sony that allows consumers to play Playstation software on a non-Sony device, such as the Android service.

Tags: GameTrailers.com, E3 2011: Features Announcement (Stream), PC Games, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Tags: GameTrailers.com, E3 2011: Pricing and Release Announcement (Stream), PC Games, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Tags: GameTrailers.com, E3 2011: Games Montage (Stream), PC Games, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Kazuo Hirai takes to the stage to reveal the official name and features for the NGP. It is officially called Playstation Vita, or PSV for me.

The above three videos are a showcase of the features, pricing, and a montage of the available and upcoming games.

The PSV is something I am greatly looking forward to, especially with support from Irrational and Naughtydog.

PSV seems to be getting heavy support from various 3rd party developers, which is a damn slight more than what the PSP got in the end. With Uncharted: Golden Abyss being one of several great games heading to the console, it looks like a strong competitor to Nitendo's handheld dominance.





Ruin looks like another fantastic game for the PSV, a sort of cross between Diablo and Fable, with a dash of Demons Souls with social networking and fighting people you've never met in your life.

With PS3 save connectivity, it shows off the full power and potential of the PSV. This is the sort of connectivity that Nintendo needs to include with its next console.



Modnation Racers shows off the power and ease of the PSV's touchscreens, giving players instant access to editing modes in the game. Another great looking game.



LBP Vita utilising all the technology that Kazuo spoke of earlier in the conference, with the editing tools and cross platform conectivity really coming into play with this.



Yoshinori Ono takes to the stage to announce Street Fighter X Tekken for the PSV, revealing that Cole from inFamous will be a playable fighter in the Vita version.



And that was the end of the conference, with a brief little montage and loads of people in spandex playing on drums.

Highlights of the conference?

For me Uncharted is one of the biggest things, with Naughtydog really pulling out the potential for the console and the series as a whole. The reveal of the price and release dates for PSV is great, and the third party support is fantastic.

Golden Abyss, BioShock, Modnation Racers, and LittleBigPlanet are great announcements for a great looking handheld.

Check back later for my Nintendo Press Conference blog.

E3 2011 - Ubisoft's Press Conference

I'm not at E3 this year, though maybe one day I'll get to go. For now, I'm watching Spike TV's livestream of the events, and giving you my thoughts on the major announcements as they come!



First up is Rayman's next adventure, an apparent origins tale of sorts.

It looks pretty cool, retro at the same time as being modern and up to date. It has 4-player co-op/Multiplayer, and reminds me so very much of Loco Roco in the music choice and gameplay style.

A good start for Ubisoft.



The Driver series continues with Driver: San Francisco.

The trailer is pretty good, making me think that the Driver series has finally caught up with the current generation of consoles. It looks good, though it was a bit odd to see a police car hit a person and just nudge them slightly...



Surprise reveal from Ubisoft here. This looks fantastic, and is just a generally well scripted trailer.

"Did I ever tell you the definition of insanity?" is probably going to be one of my favorite lines from E3 this year.

I have slight misgivings though, as trailers for Far Cry 2 made me think the game would be great, but it was a bit of a letdown when it finally came out.



Brothers in Arms: Furious Four is an over the top and somewhat hilarious take on the World War 2 genre, looking quite entertaining and different compared to most of the shooters coming out at the moment.

This is one I'll be keeping my eye on I think.



Next up came the TinTin videogame, which looks pretty cute if I'm honest.

It reminds me so much of the cartoons I used to watch as a kid, and you even get to play as Snowy. I just hope they've removed the overt racism...or explained it away somehow...



Microsoft showed off the Gunsmith ability and the main trailer for this, but Ubisoft actually got out a demo.

This game looks really good, and seems to be built on the engine used on the very last Splinter Cell, where mission objectives appear in the game world.

The tech from the trailer appears in the demo, and seems really interesting. The camo, the drone, everything.

I also love the interaction withe civilians.

They also announced Ghost Recon Online afterwards, which is a solely online version of the Ghost Recon series, and is free to play.



Trackmania 2 and the announcement of Maniaplanet came up next.

Trackmania 2 is the followup to, obviously, Trackmania. Another racing simulator, but this one seems focused largely on being entertaining and fun to play, rather than realistic in gameplay.

They also added mention of Maniaplanet, which is a whole world devoted to different types of games.

Shooters and FPS gamers will be catered for with Shootmania, whilst RPG fans will be treated to Questmania.

Ubisoft are basically expanding on their Trackmania franchise, which seems quite cool.



Rayman's Rabbids are back, and now they're even more interactive.

Another game for Kinect, it looks like it could be a fun little party game.

The walkthrough lead to perhaps the best presentation quote so far, "That was ridiculous!" said in a french accent. Brilliant stuff.



Music games are said to be near death, with guitar hero being cancelled, Rock Band selling poorly, etc, etc.

So Ubisoft announce Rocksmith. A music game that teaches you how to play the guitar, with an actual guitar.

This game has so much potential, it's absurd.

A quick mention of Fitness Evolved 2, with a little trailer that appears to be missing from YouTube at the moment. It'll be like the first game no doubt, just slightly better.





Assassin's Creed: Revelations ended the Ubisoft conference this year, with a fantastic trailer showing Ezio exploring Masyaf (the birthplace of the Assassin's Creed series), and facing off against hundreds of Templar guards.

They gave a quick gameplay demo, showing Ezio in Constantinople, destroying a whole fleet before escaping on his own ship.


Highlight of the conference for me?

It's got to be the Assassin's Creed trailer, excellent music choice and such a sad feeling coming from it all. A sad ending to a brilliant mini-trilogy.

The Rayman game looks cool to, as does Future Soldier, and Far Cry 3's trailer was well scripted.