Recapping Microsoft’s E3 2008 press event

Microsoft had a medium intensity press event this year, at least that’s what I’m calling it. There were no insanely awkward moments like last year’s “Peter Moore sucks at Rock Band ” intro, but the event was full of game demos, trailers, and a couple of rather exciting reveals. For a full blow-by-blow of the event, check out the live blog from yesterday. Right here and now, I’m going to highlight the biggest announcements of the show.

Gears of War 2, Fable 2, Fall Out 3 and Resident Evil 5 playable, dated.
The biggest Xbox 360 guns were out in full force at the show, complete with playable footage and even a very cool atomic age teaser from Fall Out 3. RE 5 will be out in March (on Friday the 13th, no less), Gears 2 and Fable 2 are due out this fall, and both were looking quite spiffy with new trailers and gameplay details to whet gamers’ appetites.

Music Games are so the rage
MS was happy to announce a few Rock Band 2 details – including the massive tracklist and compatibility with the first game. Lips also got some love (puns are fun) when Duffy came out and demonstrated the hip karaoke game by singing her own “Mercy”.

The biggest announcements
In my opinion, the avatars/reworking of the Xbox Live interface and the announcement of primetime, combined with the reveal that Final Fantasy XIII will be Xbox 360-bound were the biggest, most truly exciting announcements of the show. Live is getting a total social-networking overhaul, and primetime seems poised to truly merge TV and gaming content with live games (with prizes!) going on broadcast-style in realtime. MS is really looking to go after casual players and getting in on the social-networking craze, and I think that’s the smartest move they could possibly make. As for Final Fantasy XIII - previously thought to be one of the PS3′s biggest, baddest exclusives – well, that just speaks for itself.

Other good stuff
Rare showed off Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts and Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise, and both look to be coming along nicely. Two new retro-ish Live arcade games were announced in Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 and Galaga: Legions, and a slew of casual/party titles, including Uno Rush, Scene IT? Box Office Smash and You’re in the Movies were revealed. A few partnerships (notably with NBC-U, Constantine Film and Netflix) were announced regarding the expansion of video content available on Live.

Overall, it was a good showing for Microsoft. While not as bombastic as last year’s event, the content was solid, and the message (minus the obvious company line hype) was clear: plenty of good (maybe great?) games are on their way for both hardcore and casual gamers on the Xbox 360.

Read [Gamertell]