Here I was all set to write a little whine about how the week after E3 is always so dead, news-wise, and then Peter Moore jumps out of a coffin and scares the pants off me. The (now former) Microsoft exec has gone from sucking gloriously at Rock Band to abandoning ship for a top position at Electronic Arts, with a $1.5 million carrot ensuring he will enjoy the quality of life to which he has become accustomed. I’m going to miss that rascal. Taking his place at Microsoft, in a Freaky Friday sort of move, will be Don Mattrick, former EA president. I bet he doesn’t get temporary tattoos as fan service.
So, apart from that, things really are kind of dead. A few nice tidbits to get you going on a Wednesday, though, including news from the PlayStation Premier 2007 show in Tokyo, during which Hideo Kojima showed live gameplay of Metal Gear Solid 4, and the Japanese got to hear about more local hardware/software bundles, which we’ll never see stateside.
Irrational Games has potentially won over a lot of skeptical PC games with this latest news about the PC edition of their upcoming BioShock. Past games that saw simultaneous development on PC and console have often sparked an outcry among the PC enthusiasts, thanks to "dumbed down" interfaces and console-specific gameplay choices that don’t make sense in a PC context. It looks as though Irrational will be addressing those complaints directly, with an interface that might actually work with a keyboard and mouse, and DirectX 10 graphics that don’t carry over any limitations from the 360. It doesn’t look as though BioShock will suffer the same fate as Deus Ex 2. Hallelujah?
I have a shirt that reads "Puzzle Quest Died for Your Sins," and I pray every morning to the God of Jewels, but I fear that isn’t enough to convert the hordes of unbelievers to the Path of True Righteousness. Not all gamers own a DS or a PSP (or have thought to play it on the computer), and have been unable to play through the Scriptures. Which is why my heart soars at the announcement that Puzzle Quest will be soon appearing on the PS2, the Wii, and mobile phones, as well as the previously announced Xbox Live Arcade version. Come, my brethren and sistren, to the fount of true hyperbole, and drink ye deep of the savior of all mankind.