PALGN: Is Microsoft glad to see E3 back in it’s old format? How will Microsoft take advantage of the reversion?
Andrew Jenkins: Going back to the old format gave us space to talk about growth within the industry as well as the growth in gaming in general. As we talked about earlier in the year, the industry in Australia alone is worth AUD $2 billion. Of all the hardware manufacturers, Microsoft has had constant growth year on year, while the last year was the best so far in the 7 years of Xbox.
Microsoft has the fastest growth rate, we provide great games, and it’s difficult to keep up with all the additions on Xbox Live (XBL). Over 50% of users are connected to Xbox Live, with more expected given the some of the announcements made recently.
Fast and pretty cars.
PALGN: Before the show started, we were a little worried that Halo: ODST was going to be the only 1st party game on offer. Now that we’ve seen the show, can you tell us more about what Microsoft is offering?
AJ: Forza Motorsport 3 is the follow up to the highest rating racer on the Xbox360, Forza Motorsport 2. Players will have access to over 400 cars and 100 tracks, all to be announced in time. The focus will be on the quality of the looks and sounds of the cars. There will be numerous new ways to customise and paint the cars that you want and can come up. You will also be able to trade your custom rides.
Alan Wake has in-depth story-telling and will be delivered in chapters. It will play out like a set of TV episodes. Halo ODST of course, as well as Halo: Reach, which is telling the story from just before the first Halo game. At the beginning of Halo, we're introduced to the Spartans and Master Chief. Reach plays through before and while this is happening.
We showed off the first gameplay for Modern Warfare 2. Splinter Cell Conviction is a 360 exclusive, as well as Left 4 Dead 2. The Beatles: Rock Band - presented by Ringo and Paul - will have ALL Beatles songs, and this is the first time they've all been together in a digital format. Metal Gear Solid: Rising is a third party title so I can't say much but it's definitely an exciting game to have on the system.
PALGN: What kind of XBLA offerings are on the way?
AJ:For Australia and NZ, we finally have the Video on Demand service, which will be released this year. It will use the Zune interface and there will be display in full 1080p. There’s almost no need for Blu Ray! The streaming process will adapt to the highest possible speed of your broadband. You will have the option to download the movie or video, rather than stream and you will be able to share it with a number of your friends. The pricing hasn’t been finalised but will be comparable to other regions.
Joy Ride is an Arcade title that will be available free for everyone. Players will be racing using their own avatars. There will be heaps of tricks, tracks and customising options. Whenever you purchase new content for the game, such as a track, your friends will have access to it as well. We also have Shadow Complex from Epic.
A major addition the XBL is that of Facebook and Twitter. Everything that you can do online, you will be able to do on your Xbox as well. However, you can Twitter while in a game, and everyone who is following you will be able to see it. Or, you can take a picture of what you did in a game and put it on Facebook. The first game to support this will be the next EA Tiger Woods game. So if you score a birdie on Pebble Beach, you can take a picture of Tiger doing a celebratory jig and share it with your friends.
The Facebooks. You can't escape from it.
PALGN: Any word on this year’s ‘spring’ dashboard update?
AJ: As well as everything that has already been mentioned, there will be a number of avatar additions, such as emotions and accessories, including pompoms and skateboards. However, Video on Demand will come later.
PALGN: Tell us about the motion-control and Project Natal.
AJ: Project Natal is a codename at the moment. The aim of this project is to eliminate the controller and provide a new experience. The publishers and developers that we’ve shown it to so far are excited about the possibilities. The camera will be a full 3D camera (as opposed to the 2D cameras used in the past), have full 3D form, have its own dedicated processor, microphone with voice recognition and be capable of facial recognition. Basically, if you look at the video demonstrations that we’ve shown so far, you will be able to kick a ball, use your own body to fight and skate and so forth. These are just the gaming possibilities, as this will also allow for players to chat and socialise over XBL as well. However, this is a prospect for the future, so we’re not sure when it will be released and when we’ll be seeing compatible products. However, the camera will be compatible across the board, regardless of what Xbox 360 the player has.
PALGN: What demos can we look forward to downloading from E3?
AJ: There will be a number of trailers and demos available, which will be announced very soon.
PALGN: What are your thoughts on the competitor’s offerings? What do you think you do better?
AJ: Well, I can't offer any opinions until they show their hands, though we believe that their offers aren't as compelling ours. Xbox is first and foremost a gaming console, where we will have all the offerings for the hardcore, but we also have the entertainment aspect, through the new additions to XBL and Project Natal.
PALGN: thank you very much for your time.
AJ: My pleasure.
We’d like to thank Daniel Wong from Pulse for helping organise this interview, and Andrew Jenkins for his time.
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