Summer is here and we have a first look at what to expect all summer round.

Topics of Discussion

Kinect pricing and thoughts

Summer of Arcade games

Gamestop plans

Recent impressions of Singularity and Crackdown 2

Along with other antics and rants. Be sure not to miss this one.

GameStop has been cagey about its plans to deal with the impending digital age, but the new CEO Paul Raines spoke frankly about it in a recent interview with The Street. He says he wants the GameStop Website to be a “destination for gamers, whether they are getting content via online, mobile, console or any other platform. We are also migrating our website from a purely e-commerce site to a gaming platform that users can visit to play, learn and purchase games.”

He says the company is taking a look at other online companies that have successfully started their transition to digital formats. “We have studied Netflix a lot, and most of their users still absorb physical content rather than streaming,” Raines said. “Now we are looking to see how gaming compares. We are focusing on consumer acceptance. The world won’t be all digital tomorrow, even though that’s what people are claiming. In this business, users still want physical content.”

He also remarked on the difficulty of sustaining a used game sales model, echoing recent comments made at the Develop conference. “In tough economic times the consumer doesn’t want to spend $59 for a new game,” he said. “They may not have $59, but they may have $40 and an old game under their bed that they can trade in for a new title.” He also shrugged off competition in the used games space. “Pricing buybacks and sales is complex. We have a refurbishment facility and last year recycled 100 million units. This system is difficult to replicate.”

GameStop has always seemed unconcerned about the advent of digital content, even dismissing EA’s Online Pass as an opportunity to sell downloadable content. Plans to turn the site into a gaming portal might explain their confidence, but raises new questions about online competition with existing services.

After a week of postmortem at the LA Convention Center for E3, we here at LVLONE think its time to let you guys in on how we felt on everything related. Our Podcast was so long that we’ve divided it into three sections. We talk press conferences first then get into the real nitty gritty.

Topics of Discussion

The big three press conferences

Our brutal opinions and impressions of Microsoft Kinect and Sony’s Move

3D gaming, 3DS and a whole lot more.

Microsoft

Second File

Nintendo

Sony+Overall impressions

Note: Do to technical difficulties and the overwhelming awesomeness during our Podcast the very end had a little recording error.

Nintendo had a great E3 showing this year, they showed a lot more games then they usually do and had a lot more surprises, here are the top reasons why Nintendo had one of their best E3 in years..

5. They talked less about motion controls than Microsoft and Sony

It’s almost surreal saying that statement but it’s true, Microsoft alone devoted a great portion of their press conference’s time on the Kinect. Granted Microsoft needed to show their new peripheral since it was it’s world debut but it still took a lot of time and judging by the gaming communities feedback it was time that could have been spent better. Sony was in a similar situation with Playstation Move but having debuted it earlier this year they didn’t have to devote much time with it although a good amount of time was still spent on why gamers should care about their new product. Nintendo on the other hand had little to say about motion controls because they’ve already established themselves in the motion department so they were able spend their time on a lot more crowd pleasing points.

4. They brought back classic characters

One could argue that Nintendo does this almost every E3 but this year the Nintendo mascots were out in full force, at the top of the list was of course Kid Icarus a character fans have been begging Nintendo for years and he’s not only back but he’s the launch game of their new handheld. Kirby was also a classic character that hadn’t seen much action in the past few years but now Kirby is back in one the most unique looking games in the industry. Furthermore Donkey Kong was also brought back into a proper game, not a music and rhythm game.

3. Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword

Myomoto had some problems with the controls at the press confrence but many who played the game on at the show agreed that Skyward Sword controlled well. The addition of Wii motion plus support adds a new dimension to the combat in the Zelda series and will probably have plenty of immitators since sword play surprisly hasnt done too well with motion controls. Wii motion plus aside Skyward Sword looks interesting when compared to other Zelda titles, with the colors of Wind Waker and the realistic models of Twilight Princess it looks like Skyward Sword will be a perfect blend for the game’s visuals.

2. No new peripherals

In an E3 where new peripherals had a big showing Nintendo ironically had little new to introduce in this department. Nintendo had previously shown everything from Wii motion plus to the Wii balance board and the Wii zapper but this show Nintendo, true to form did the opposite of the other two guys. It was good to see Nintendo finally focusing on their games and of course it didnt hurt that they had an entirely new platform to show.

1. 3DS and it’s third party support

This was one of the big shockers at E3, even though everyone knew the 3DS was coming and was going to have a presence at the conference nobody knew how far Nintendo was in the hand helds development. Not only was the 3DS ready for attendants to get their hands on, but Nintendo also announced an army of games either in development or ones that will be coming up for the hand held. Nintendo isn’t exactly known for their expansive third party support so when people at the show floor were seeing a Metal Gear Solid game running on a Nintendo hand held in 3D you know gamers were a little awe struck.

It was a year ago that Nintendo teased the world that it will be unveiling a new peripheral, one they claimed will expand the appeal of video games. First announced at E3 2009’s Nintendo press conference they called it the Wii Vitality Sensor. Nintendo says it will sense a user’s pulse and other body signals being transmitted, it will then provide information to users about the persons body. With little to no more info on the Wii Vitality Sensor it has since disappeared or has it?

Well while not actually from Nintendo, Ubisoft has emerged with their own sensor and game called Innergy. The game is designed to focus players on their inner being via a number of games played with a special sensor that monitors their breathing and heartbeat. It will provide different methods of exercise to improve heart rate and blood flow. All of this would seem that Ubisoft has beaten Nintendo to the punch? Not really.

This tech has potential to discover new possibilities in the way we play games, regulating fear controlled in a horror? Or perhaps knowing when to slow down the action depending on the heart rate? These ideas sound great however Ubisoft’s focus with this new product is to improve the way you feel and allow you to enjoy life more fully. They also want to make this a portable experience for everyone. Until their is more info on either product we won’t know for sure what the future holds for them but it seems like both parties may have the same thing in mind.

Gameplay Footage of Innergy from Ubisoft’s press conference

The Wii MotionPlus definitely helps with Link’s ability to attack his enemies. The new idea in Skyward Sword is that players have to look at enemies to see how you’re supposed to attack them. The plant creature enemies opened their mouths vertically or horizontally indicating the only direction you could slash them to take them down. This bled into the demo’s boss battle where you’re attacking a giant scorpion with weak spots in each of his giant claws: the arachnid would open his pinchers a certain way, telling the player which way to attack.

The Wii Sports Resort archery mode has been brought to Zelda in his crossbow: to aim and fire you use the Wii remote’s pointer to target enemies, then flick the Nunchuk back to pull back the string. Letting go of the button lets the arrow fly.

The game has a pretty slick style that combines the “realistic Link” design with “toon Link” shading. It’s much more colorful and vibrant than Twilight Princess.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is scheduled to be released in 2011 for the Wii

Killzone 3

First off the game looks amazing! Going through a brief section in the campaign you can notice that it controls really well and is very responsive. The jetpack is reliable and easy to use, which is good because you need it to cross the frozen stage. Armed with the jetpacks assault gun and a pistol you encounter the dreaded Helgast. The Helgast soldiers take more evasive steps to avoid you gunfire and grenades. It is a blast to combine the use jetpack to mow down enemies. There is a 3D feature in the game that is mind blowing for this new first person shooter.

Gran Turismo 5

One of the best racing games is finally back on the road. The booth was setup with a racing wheel and pedals. Though it was pretty tough to get used to playing with the wheel and pedals, the game looks really good also in 3D. Gran Turismo 5 releases November 2, this year.

Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 2

If you played the first Ninja Storm then you will enjoy this one. In a brief 2 part match, Naruto and Sakura faces off against Kakashi in a training fight. As you fight against Kakashi, Sakura is your side partner who you can call into attack. Using Naruto’s signature moves, you whittle away Kakashi’s health bar. Now there are more quick time events while fighting to keep players on their toes. Just when the match is almost won Kakashi gets really serious. Kakashi calls forth three different special attack that Naruto must avoid to win. This game is still as fast, fluid, and as vibrant as the first

3D Gameplay

After playing a few games in 3D, it is actually a good fit. Wipeout HD looks sleek and stunning, MLB: The Show has great depth, Motorstorm: Apocalypse shows debris and dust flying at you. 3D gaming is not a gimmick, it is just expensive. With the 3D TV just realeasing in stores, the price is HIGH. Most likely after a year or two it will be more affordable to more people.

Other than the trailer shown at the Nintendo Press Conference not much is known about Kirby’s Epic Yarn now but the game will be released this fall.

With the Nintendo E3 confrence just coming to a close here are the main games and topics that shook up the show.

(Some have release dates)

1. Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword – 2011
2. Mario Sports Mix – 2011
3. Wii Party
4. Dance Party 2 (8 players)
5. Golden Sun: Dark Dawn (DS) – this holiday season
6. Golden Eye – this holiday season
7. Kirby’s Epic Yarn (2 players) – this fall
8. Dragon Quest 9 (DS) – Mid July 2010
9. Metroid: Other M – 8/31/10
10. Donkey Kong Country (2 players) – this holiday season
11. Nintendo 3DS- with new features: 3D Effect Slider, widescreen, touch screen on bottom panel, motion sensor, gyro sensor, analog control, 2 camera lenses for 3D pictures.
12.  Kid Icuras: Uprising and Nintendogs & Cats are in production for the 3DS along many other third party games like from the Metal Gear, Kingdom Hearts and Resident Evil series.