When I arrived into San Francisco, to my surprise I found someone holding my name up on a sign, he was also wearing a suit. I was told that someone would be waiting for me, but I didn’t expect this at all. I’m not used to have anyone do anything for me, so I attempted to assist him with my suitcase, but he ended up taking it to the car. My mode of transportation was a four door Cadillac. When I got in, I was shocked at how much space I had to stretch out my legs. There was a CD player in the arm rest which I didn’t want to touch, I can break things if I get too curious and impatient. My driver was really cool, he was born in the US but his parents were from Japan. He was telling me how difficult it is with some of the people in Frisco. We talked about relationships between Korea, Japan, China and Vietnam. Learned a lot of new and interesting things from him and also shared a few things I knew. Was really nice talking to him, it’s not everyday you can find someone that can relate to your experiences.
The driver brought me to the hotel around 1:45pm; I gave him a $3 tip since I only had a $20. He was grateful, later that night I learned that his company doesn’t allow them to accept tips, but it didn’t bother me at all. The service industry sucks, you know what. Walked into my hotel around 2:25pm and checked in. I came to my assigned room; however, to my surprise there were clothes on the bed and in the closet. I looked around for awhile and thought to myself that maybe I was supposed to have a roommate. Instead of staying, I called the front desk to make sure so I wouldn’t be surprised by an unfortunate incident. It turned out that I was put into the wrong room, it was fixed immediately and I received a new card key. To lighten things up, I asked my check in person if the hotel provided free clothing. She got a kick out of it and I was on my way.
Here are some pictures of my room
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After putting my things away, I went downstairs and met up with the rest of the group. Everyone was really cool and I was able to get along with them easily. Each person had their own genre of games they liked. One was into online gaming, specifically MMORPG, his favorite title currently is Final Fantasy XI Online. Another was a home theater guru, his main focus for coming was to learn about the Media Center for the 360. Another was just like me or the old me, into fighting games and RPGs. Last person enjoyed sports titles and first person shooters. The person on the left is Lila, she took us over to DogPatch Studios where the event took place.
Here’s
a picture of the group I hung out with during the preview event. Featured
are Eric from (hometheaterspot.com), Adam (Xbox Addict), David (1Up), and
Johnny (PS.com)
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We arrived
at DogPatch studios around 3pm and were greeted by some of the Xbox 360 team.
After a few minutes we headed up to our training area where we learned a few
things about Kameo and PGR3.
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After the training session ended, we all were astonished to find out that we could keep our memory cards. We all thanked the team and headed down to the gaming area for the open session. The games that were playable were Dead or Alive 4, Need for Speed, Project Gotham Racing 3, Kameo: Elements of Power, Madden 2006, Condemned, Elder Scrolls Oblivion, Call of Duty 2, NBA Live 2006, King Kong, Perfect Dark Zero, and Geometry Wars. I unfortunately wasn't able to experience all of these wonderful games as much as I would've liked to, so I will only comment on the ones that I was able to spend the most time with.
First title was Kameo: Elements of Power.
Personally I was not looking forward to this title because of its child like appearance. Once I talked to the main developer, I was drawn in when I found out how much depth the game will offer. Firstly, one of the most attractive elements about Kameo is the change between light and dark. Gamers will be able to witness a seamless transition between the two without noticing any kind of slowdown at all.
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In this screenshot, you're able to see the many different particles effects that can be supported. This would not have been possible with the original Xbox system.
Kameo will offer gamers an entry level where all gamers should be able to complete without any problems. After one beats the game, they will be able to access areas such as the Hurricane Pack for Ninja Gaiden offered. Players will be able to compete against one another to see who gets the best score for whichever mission they attempt. Don't think this is going to be an easy chore, one of the main keys is to get combo like attacks without getting hit, this will then boost your bonus score.
Another thrilling fact, the Xbox 360 gave Rare any opportunity to get up to 3000 game elements on screen, a huge jump from 300 with the Xbox.
After spending time with the developer and learning more about Kameo: Elements of Power, I was very impressed and surprised. I knew that this was a title that I had to get on launch day.
Next we have Perfect Dark Zero.
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Before I purchased my Xbox, I wasn't a big first person shooter fan. Xbox 1 opened my eyes to the genre, I'm very thankful for that because I would've never encountered Halo and Halo 2. Perfect Dark Zero wasn't on my purchase list at first. I couldn't tell if it would be a title I would be interested in. After playing the demo, my mind was changed.
I was able to pickup the controller and play the game using what basic knowledge of first person shooters I have. The weaponry in the game is phenomenal. My favorite has to be the retractable flying disc.
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One thing I feel that gives players a closer experience to the character is having the ability to see them. PDZ offers players that ability through the use of cover.
Here are a few screenshots that illustrate this feature.
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Perfect Dark Zero image gallery
I'd like to comment more on PDZ, however I don't feel I would give it enough justice. From what I was able to see, PDZ is going to be one of the top first person shooters the Xbox 360 has to offer. Hopefully Joanna Dark will make a strong comeback and the fans will embrace her once again.
That's all for part 1, in the next few days I'll continue with the rest of my Xbox 360 preview experience which will include Dead or Alive 4, Need for Speed, and Project Gotham Racing 3. I'll also include many screenshots and a few movies I was able to capture using my digital camera.