Another fighter returned at E3: King of Fighters!!!

A rough build of the game was available to play at E3, and from what I saw so far, it looks like a return to 2D goodness! It's scheduled to hit the 360 and PS3 this holiday season. Here is the press release, and make sure to check back for more from E3:

IRVINE, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 7, 2011 - ATLUS today announced that it has secured North American publishing rights for  THE KING OF FIGHTERS XIII, the latest entry in the legendary fighting franchise, for PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system (PS3™) and Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft.  

With the triumphant return of fan favorite characters like Mai, K', and Vice, extensive refinement of the core fighting engine based on community feedback, and vastly improved network functionality, THE KING OF FIGHTERS XIII represents the HD entry in the series that fans have been waiting for.  Painstaking effort has been made to address every last concern following the last entry: fights play faster; the addition of over a half dozen play modes offers variety and replayability; the game's beautifully rendered and animated character sprites are better distinguished from the backgrounds-which happen to be richer and more detailed; the camera perspective is less restricted; fighters have more moves, including new supers and the all-new NEOMAX supers; and much, much more!

Kaboom got to see firsthand the reveal of a new trailer for Ubisoft's next installment of the Assassin's Creed series: Assassin's Creed: Revelations. Watch the trailer for yourself, and let your jaw hit the floor like ours did. Also, check out a new image from the game, provided by the fine folks at Ubisoft.

Kaboom reporters came face to face with what many will call a hidden gem of E3 2011: Autumn Game's Skullgirls.

Images have surfaced for awhile now of this traditional 2D animation figher, poised to hit the X-Box Marketplace and the Playstation Network this year, but images do not do this game justice. The fluid animation looks like a Disney cartoon...well, probably a PG-13-R Rated Disney cartoon. The game plays like a classic fighter should, making any fan of the genre able to jump in and enjoy this. Kaboom will be speaking with members of the creative team tomorrow, so expect more news!

Oh, and if you are at E3 and haven't played the demo yet...go try it!!!!

Another head turner at E3 today was Sony's new hand held system, Playstation Vita.

Aimed to take aim at the Nintendo 3DS as well as up the bar, Sony held nothing back with this release, and pricing it at a very reasonable price for what you are getting. The VITA looked like the best hand held I had ever seen, as the Uncharted game running on it had graphics that look as good as the PS3. Here is Sony's press release, and keep checking back as Kaboom covers E3!!!

SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES “PLAYSTATION®VITA” AS THE OFFICIAL NAME FOR NEXT GENERATION PORTABLE ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM

Wi-Fi Model: 24,980 Yen (including tax), $249 and €249
3G/Wi-Fi Model: 29,980 Yen (including tax), $299 and €299

          Realizes Unparalleled Interactive Network Entertainment

One of the major reveals for the first official day of E3 comes from the house of Mario: get ready, because the rumors were true, here is the Wii U.

The internet had been on fire since hearing that the controllers for Nintendo's next gen system would look similar to an iPad. Well, it's true. After seeing it hands on, I can honestly say it looks amazing. The Legend of Zelda game they had running on it looked the best that we have seen thus far in the franchise. Here is the press release from Nintendo, and keep checking back with Kaboom as we cover E3 from Los Angeles:

NINTENDO'S UPCOMING WII U CONSOLE FEATURES CONTROLLER WITH 6.2-INCH SCREEN

Nintendo 3DS Continues its Evolution with Mario Kart, Super Mario and the Nintendo eShop as Nintendo Celebrates the 25th Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda
 

LOS ANGELES, June 7, 2011 – At the E3 Expo, Nintendo introduced a new paradigm for video games and home entertainment: Wii U™, a new console that includes a controller with a 6.2-inch screen. Adding a second screen to the living room creates a multitude of new video game experiences while offering families a variety of options to customize their entertainment.

Previously, video games played on a home console have been confined to the TV and offered identical viewpoints to each player in a multiplayer environment. Furthermore, watching TV and playing console games have been completely separate experiences. The new controller removes these boundaries, creating a more dynamic and fluid gaming and entertainment experience. Visitors to the E3 Expo will see firsthand the type of gaming experiences made possible by Wii U and the new controller such as:

In single-player games:

• The new controller can display information on its screen that does not appear on the TV.

• The information and viewpoint can also change in the new controller based on the orientation of its gyroscope.

In multiplayer games:

• The player using the new controller can have a different experience than those looking at the TV. This will offer a wide variety of competitive and cooperative opportunities.

In addition to the 6.2-inch screen, the new controller also features an accelerometer and a gyroscope, a rumble feature, an inward-facing camera, a microphone and speakers. Adding these features to the Classic Controller™ button scheme – two analog Circle Pads, +Control Pad, A/B/X/Y buttons, L/R buttons and ZL/ZR buttons – will enable a breadth of game-play experiences while appealing to both casual and dedicated video game players.

Wii U combines motion-sensing game play with the ability to support full HD graphics. Each Wii U console will be partnered with a new controller and can also use up to four additional Wii Remote™ or Wii Remote Plus controllers. The system is also backward compatible and can play all Wii games and use all Wii accessories. The Wii console has sold more than 86 million units globally and greatly expanded the overall audience for video games. Wii U aims to expand that audience even further. Developers worldwide are already working on new games and experiences for the console.

"Wii U redefines the structure of home entertainment by fundamentally changing how the TV, the game console and the Internet function and interact together," said Nintendo President Satoru Iwata. "The experience enabled by Wii U and the new controller takes players deeper into their games, while reaching out wider than ever before to be inviting to all kinds of gamers."

Nintendo 3DS™, which lets users see 3D images without the need for special glasses, launched in the United States on March 27 and continues to evolve. Owners will find that their Nintendo 3DS experience is different every time they pick up the system, thanks to new content and updates delivered by Nintendo, by third parties and exchanged between users.

A new system update is now available for the Nintendo 3DS system. Users who connect to a wireless broadband Internet connection and install the system update will instantly gain access to the Nintendo eShop, which contains a variety of games and applications for download using a cash-based system.

Users can browse original 3D software, 3D Classics (select classic video games re-mastered in 3D), classic Game Boy™ and Game Boy Color games, and more than 350 games and applications currently offered for the Nintendo DSiWare™ service. Visitors can also see videos and screen shots for games, plus see how other players rank games.

The system update also provides Nintendo 3DS owners access to free items, including an Internet browser that can show 3D images on sites specifically designed to show 3D images, a download of a re-mastered 3D version of the NES™ classic Excitebike™ game (free until July 7) and Pokédex™ 3D, which lets users discover and view more than 150 Pokémon™ from the Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version games in visually engaging 3D.

Nintendo also announced a huge lineup of upcoming new and fan-favorite franchise games, many of which are playable on the E3 Expo show floor in booth 4922.

• Nintendo 3DS: Super Mario™, Luigi's Mansion™ 2, Mario Kart™, Kid Icarus™: Uprising, The Legend of Zelda™: Ocarina of Time™ 3D, Star Fox 64™ 3D, Animal Crossing™, Paper Mario™, Picture Lives!, and The Rolling Western™.
  
  

• Wii: The Legend of Zelda™: Skyward Sword, Kirby™ Wii, Wii Play™: Motion, Mystery Case Files™: The Malgrave Incident™, Mario Party™ 9, Rhythm Heaven™ and Fortune Street™.

• Nintendo DS™: Kirby™ Mass Attack, Professor Layton and the Last Specter™, Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker™ 2 and Super Fossil Fighters™.

Nintendo kicked off its E3 Expo Presentation by announcing a number of initiatives to celebrate the 25th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda. A re-mastered 3D version of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time launches for Nintendo 3DS on June 19, while Wii owners will see the arrival of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword in the 2011 holiday season. Additionally, Nintendo announced a tour of orchestral concerts featuring music from the beloved franchise. Additional commemorative activities will be announced at a later date.

For the duration of the E3 Expo, Nintendo will provide fans with exclusive videos and Nintendo content on the Nintendo Network. People can visit http://e3.nintendo.com to watch developer interviews, get all the information about new games and see coverage coming directly from the show floor. The same exclusive content also will be streamed through the Nintendo® Channel to Wii owners who have a broadband Internet connection.

For more information about Nintendo, visit http://www.nintendo.com or http://www.facebook.com/nintendo.

About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii™ home console, Nintendo 3DS™ and Nintendo DS™ family of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold more than 3.7 billion video games and more than 600 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi™ and Nintendo DSi XL™, as well as the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance, Super NES™, Nintendo 64™ and Nintendo GameCube™ systems. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names such as Mario™, Donkey Kong™, Metroid™, Zelda™ and Pokémon™. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, please visit the company's website at http://www.nintendo.com.