Remember Band of Brothers? I do, it is one of my favorite shows of all time. It’s like watching a 9-hour long drama about the heroes of WWII. Now, comes The Pacific, instead of Europe, this mini-series will focus on the lives of the regular Joes that served in the Pacific (duh!). While the first episode of Band of Brothers was a bit slow,  because it focused on their training prior to becoming paratroopers. The Pacific is different, no training. Instead, it focuses on the family stuff, and where they came from. Where they came from prior to being sent to the jungles of Guadalcanal. The first scenes were in black & white, it shows a reel footage of Pearl Harbor, and Roosevelt’s infamous speech.

As expected, the show is very well-made. The acting is good, and the cinematography is top-notch. The sound-design is simply awesome! The CG is good enough, however, some scenes still look fake. It’s acceptable though, because unlike 2012, it’s the storyline that carries this episode, not the green screens. The action scenes are very well done, I can keep up with what is going on, even at nights.

Check out the trailer:

Click here to view the embedded video.

This is a good start, as I hoped for. I can’t wait for the second episode.

Grade: A

The film does a great job of capturing the look and feel of the video game series.  There are a lot of little homages to actual game play that I think will have many fans smiling in the movie theaters.   The script expands on the original story of the first game and adds new characters,  but it doesn’t veer far from the source.  Some parts run long and feel dragged out, but I was told this is not the finished version of the film.

Jake Gyllenhaal does a great job as The Prince, I was so glad he never broke his accent like Taylor Kitsch as Gambit in X-MEN ORIGINS Wolverine.  Gemma Arterton is smokin hot as Princess Tamina, but it is Alfred Molina who really steals the show as the slave turned Ostrich race  mogul.  I felt Ben Kingsley was drastically underused, being that he’s such an incredible actor and an important character.

I think the film’s weakest point, other than being too long, are the obvious dumb character choices that drags the film further.  I doubt there are any last minute changes that can make this film better, other than shortening  some scenes.  The film wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t great either.  I enjoyed it and was happy how the property was treated, it could have been worse, and it is no doubt in my mind that there will be  sequels.

Get ready for a night filled with Splinter Cell goodness for the celebration of Ubisoft’s upcoming game, Splinter Cell Conviction. The premiere event will be held on April 1, 2010 at Les Deux Nightclub in Hollywood, CA while ten Gamestop locations across the country will be participating in the first-to play event. The game will be available April 13, 2010.

The first-to-play session in Los Angeles starts from 2pm to 6pm, prior to the celebrity red carpet Premiere event beginning at 8pm. This premiere will host the “Search for Sam Fisher” event, a live interactive game that pits the fans against each other in the search for Sam. Fifteen fans (21+) at the LA co-op gaming event will have a chance to search for Sam and the winner will receive the ultimate gaming grand prize featuring the Xbox 360 Splinter Cell conviction Special Edition Bundle and a collection of Ubisoft Xbox 360 games.

From Ubisoft:

“Concurrent with the Premiere, GameStop is hosting first-to-play co-op demo events at 10 store locations nationwide from 9:00 p.m. to midnight on April 1, 2010, in Boston, Orlando, New York City (two locations), Denver, Chicago, San Francisco, San Jose, Dallas and New Jersey. Attendees will be the first-to-play with the GameStop exclusive in-game SPAS-12 suppressor shotgun and have the opportunity to win Xbox and Ubisoft prizes, including Xbox Live Gold memberships and copies of Splinter Cell Conviction. The first 100 attendees at each location will also receive a free Splinter Cell Conviction beanie.

Participants must be 17 years old to attend any debut event. For more information on the GameStop event nearest you please visit www.gamestop.com or www.splintercell.com.

About Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction:
Unleash the ferocious skills of renegade agent Sam Fisher and uncover a deadly terrorist plot in Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction. Based on its acclaimed values of tension and top-notch realism, Conviction re-invents its own standards by offering a unique mix of stealth action and spectacular gameplay.

Conviction is a story of how elite government agent, Sam Fisher, turned the bitterness of his past into the fuel to drive his quest for answers. For years, Fisher has been off the grid and on his own, chasing his daughter’s murderer. But the trail leads him to Washington D.C. – the last place he ever wanted to see again. Now Sam must stand against vast, faceless enemies and battle the corrupt government agency that made him into the merciless warrior he’s come to be. Free from constraints, he must now outwit, outmaneuver, and outgun his enemies to get what he’s seeking: the truth. You’ve never played a Splinter Cell like this before. Splinter Cell Conviction will be available April 13th, 2010 exclusively for Xbox 360 and Windows PC.”

Overeem is twice as big now, seriously!

Finally, the Strikeforce HW champ (Overeem) is stepping up to the plate after a 2 year layoff. Unfortunately for him, he faces the super-confident, Wal-mart tire employee, Brett Rogers!

More here (Sherdog).

- UFC: Vera vs. Jones Predictions

Check out my predictions here.

- Enson Inoue is set to fight in Japan

Against Antz Nansen on April 25th, in Tokyo. Enson is always a fan favorite, and is known for his Samurai-spirit. Win or lose, he comes to fight. Most fans can describe him as the guy who went toe to toe with Pride FC heavy hitter, Igor Vovchanchyn. After getting his face bashed in to a bloody pulp, Enson was furious at the doctors for stopping the fight. He also has a win over UFC superstar, Randy Couture.

Enson, we are rooting for you! Good luck man!

Nerdsociety was fortunate enough to interview Enson last year.
Interview Part 1
Interview Part 2

- Gerard Mousasi will be sleeping come April 17th

Says the untested King Mo! I’m hoping for a good fight here, but King Mo hasn’t fought anybody considered as “top-contenders” yet.

I like Mousasi’s calm here. If anything, it was King Mo that looked a little jittery, see for yourself!

- Rampage Jackson to fight Rashad Evans set for UFC 114

The highly anticipated match between the two TUF coaches is finally going to happen. The story was that Rampage left the UFC to do the A-Team (can you blame him?). The best part of the show, besides Kimbo, was the trash-talking between the two coaches. Rampage lost for the most part, and he definately lost as a coach.

I pitty the foo!!!

- Tito Ortiz rumored to have suffered a neck injury

Fiveouncesofpain reports that Tito Ortiz has pulled from the taping of The Ultimate Fighter’s eleventh season due to a neck injury!

OH NO! We don’t get to see Tito fight Chuck for the third time! What a  bummer!

- Strikeforce CEO wants to deliver more matchups between DREAM and Strikeforce

For starters, Dream’s Shinya Aoki will face Strikeforce’s Gilbert Melendez on April 17th, in Nashville.

Dream’s champion, Shinya Aoki

Strikeforce’s champion, Gilbert Melendez

Scott Coker (CEO) also claims that Fedor’s M-1 promotion is on the verge of agreeing to co-promote for a June fight.

To see the video interview, click here (sherdog)

- Torres’ defeat damaged more than his record

A huge cut across his forehead required stitching, that can sideline the WEC’s top-contender for at least 2 months.

More on Torres’ cut here (cagepotato).

- Bellator signs pretty boy Roger Huerta, no hard feelings with the UFC

“I wouldn’t be where I am without them,” Huerta said. “There are no hard feelings. More power to them.” Huerta likes Bellator’s tournament format. He will debut on April 8th, fighting at the 155-pound division

Click here to read more (Sherdog).

Just like humans, Predators also have dogs:

Predator Hound, I wonder what their lions look like

Hot Toys will also produce the 1/6th figures, click here for the full details and pics of the older Predator versions.

Below are my favorite posters, you can check out the other posters at Upperplayground.com and read more about the event.

The Nazi reminds me of the bad guy from Danger Girl, Major Maxim

Oh, the irony!

This is my favorite.  It’s subtle yet it tells the whole story.

Propaganda style poster from WW 2!

Simple but effective.

Dead Like Me is a Dark Comedy about undead Grim Reapers “living” their lives and taking the souls of strangers before they die. Presented to them on “Post-It” notes, each reaper is given the name, place and time when they are to pluck their victims soul before they pass into the great beyond.

While not reaping, these grim characters live somewhat normal lives by either working or stealing for a place to live and to keep food on their plates. (The undead have to eat too!)

The main story focuses on Georgia (George) {Ellen Muth} a girl in her late teens who narrates the story and is trying to find herself in her new profession(s.) She is joined by Mason {Callum Blue} [Smallville's Zod], Roxy {Jasmine Guy} [A Different World's Whitley] and a changing cast of other main characters such as; Rube {Mandy Patinkin}, Betty {Rebecca Gayheart} and Daisy {Laura Harris.} And many others.

The choice of actors is excellent–this is probably one of the best acted shows I’ve seen in a long time. The stories are very good, a lot of the episodes follow the main story while others are either self sustained or focus on other characters.
The main story arcs surround George and her “former” family, while the others feature bits and pieces of the other characters and snippets of their former lives before they became Grim Reapers.

One of the aspects of the show I liked was how the characters grew or matured as the story went on.

The movie was filmed a few years after the cancellation of the show and features an all new concept to the characters where they stop following the rules and all-chaos ensues–which makes for a great story!  The production values are higher than the TV series due to budget and the story ties up all the loose ends or at least allows better character interaction that viewers were hoping for in the series.

All in all, I felt Dead Like Me was enjoyable and I couldn’t wait to check out the next episodes. I wish there were more, but when a show comes to a good end and doesn’t leave you hanging, then that is reward enough.

If you are a fan of the Showtime original series Dead Like Me and you didn’t get suckered into buying the single season sets you can pick up the complete series and movie set for under $50.00. If you never heard of or saw the show, I highly recommend checking it out through rental or buying.

Dead Like Me is comprised of 29 episodes on 8 DVD’s that are in slim cases, 2 to a case. Also included is the movie in its own full-size case.  All disks are in an art-box.

Loaded with extras, including three making-of features, still photos, and deleted scenes. There is also a feature explaining specific special effects.

The DVD quality is great and the sound is also. Menu navigation is ok, but not that big of a deal.

If you are up to a good Dark Comedy/Drama, I highly recommend Dead Like Me.

GRADE: A

March isn’t even over yet, but EA and DICE have announced that their game, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, is the top selling March game on record in North America and Europe with over 2.3 million units sold.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 has received a lot of good reviews and Activision should have something to worry about now.

Brandon Vera vs. Jon Jones – I see this fight going to the distance. Vera isn’t aggressive enough to finish fights anymore. Jones hasn’t really been tested. I see potential in him as a great striker, but his ground game and his stamina is suspect. Vera will circle around for three rounds, and win by points.
Vera by JD

Junior Dos Santos vs. Gabriel Gonzaga – This could be the fight of the night. Dos Santos is on a climb as a top contender for the HW division, while Gonzaga has been on a slump lately. Dos Santos will want to keep this fight standing, and try to KO Gonzaga. Gonzaga has good stand-up, but he’s not as dynamic as Dos Santos.
Dos Santos by TKO – Rd 2

Cheick Kongo vs. Paul Buentello – This fight will not go to the ground. Both fighters are coming off a loss. Buentello has better hands than Kongo. Kongo is known as a striker, but he hasn’t really KOd anybody as of late. Buentello will finish Kongo later in the fight.
Buentello by KO – Rd 3

Alessio Sakara vs. James Irvin – This is a hard one to call, as both fighters are almost identical. But, I’d give the edge to Irvin. He will outstrike Sakara later in the early round.
Irvin by KO – Rd 1

Clay Guida vs. Shannon Gugerty – To be honest, I don’t really know Gugerty. On the other hand, Guida is a madman. He will keep pressing the fight till the end, which causes him to lose sometimes. But, I respect the way he fights, he always entertains for the fans. Guida will grind through Gugerty, and overwhelm him with punches on the ground.
Guida by TKO – Rd 2

Look at what we got here. Just received my very own Encom Group 7 Clearance badge in the mail, complete with my gorgeous mug shot. If you have been following the Tron Legacy viral marketing, you’d notice that they have been using sites and games to have us join the revolution. The last viral marketing showcased a puzzle game involving you to guess the game. You can check out the link and answers on my Tron Legacy image post. The badge came inside a package from Flynn Lives along with a message.

Dear “Encom employee”

I’ve been cranking out these badges in my workroom (behind Arcade Aid). Well, you don’t know the half of it.

I’ve also been working my magic on the Encom system so that you can access it using the unique ID number on your badge. Your password is the same one you use over at FlynnLives.com – please note: only this password/ID combination will work (as I said – workin’ my magic, but that’s the furthest my magic can go).

This is the hardest I’ve worked since the first time I beat Astro-Gunner back in ‘87 (I was on the machine for three days straight – still have the calluses to prove it). Time to take a break and… play some Astro-Gunner.

–Zack

Now on the badge is a QR code. Camera phones with the right apps can read the information. I scanned it with my Mytouch and it came up with www.encominternational.com/login.aspx.

Once logged in, you’ll see a typical company profile, with email access on the top right. The emails contain some non-work and work-related emails, including an email from Alan Bradley, the creator of the program Tron.

Here’s something interesting. The main intranet home page talks of Encom preparing for a press conference less than three weeks away with the help of the “west coast affiliates.” This sounds like Wondercon in San Francisco to me, since I know that Disney will be there to promote Prince of Persia and Toy Story 3. We’ll keep you posted, since we’ll be attending Wondercon on April 2nd to the 4th.

Name: Marlin Mayo
City, State: Memphis, TN
Tattoo Artist: Paul Look (No Regrets)
Tattoo Shop: No Regrets Tattoo Emporium
Favorite Movies: A Clockwork Orange, Fletch
Favorite Games: Mega Man 2, Super Mario World, Chrono Trigger

NERDSociety: Awesome, is that “Super Paper Mario” Mario?

Marlin Mayo: Yes it’s Super Paper Mario. I didn’t want it to be an exact duplication of SMB3 so I threw in some alternate designs.

NERDSociety: I loved Super Paper Mario for the Wii, Bowser is freaking hilarious in that game.  It’s one of the better game on the system, I only wish that the next installment has voice actors. This is the year 2010 and we don’t need to read subtitles anymore, unless the game is a foreign import.

Marlin Mayo: Hahah yeah. Great game, nonetheless.

Name: NSNick
City, State: Columbus, OH
Tattoo Artist: Mike Kerin
Tattoo Shop: Evolved
Favorite Movie: Star Wars Trilogy
Favorite Game: Legend of Zelda

I’ve always loved Zelda, and grew up playing it. In fact, playing Zelda with my dad is probably my earliest coherent memory. So I got this tattoo to commemorate the game and the memories.

NERDSociety: Thanks for the submission Nick, feel free to crop your photo next time.

Name: Patrick “BIG PAPPA” Murphy
City, State: Fullerton, CA
Tattoo Artist: Can’t remember
Tattoo Shop: Outer Limits
Favorite Movie: The Boondock Saints
Favorite Game: Secert of Mana

I got this tat because the girl is cute and kicks ass in her anime, Yastuba, and on top of that her name means four leaf clover roughly.  That just worked with all the tat ideas I have, flowing with my Irish stuff.

Name: Meg
City, State: Massachusetts
Tattoo Artist: Wayne Liberty
Tattoo Shop: Paradox Tattoo
Favorite Movie: The Princess Bride, Beauty and the Beast
Favorite Game: Chrono Trigger!

So, I basically have wanted a Chrono Trigger tattoo ever since I began to like tattoos/want them for myself. I began playing it when it came out (I was only seven!) with my father, and it quickly became one of my favorite games, with a beautiful story line, but I never knew how to transform it into a tattoo. Then, one day I was looking through some tokidoki artwork and saw two sparrows facing each other. I decided it was the perfect way to make CT cute, and compliment my body, while staying true to the game. One bird is holding Marle’s pendant from the game, and wearing Lucca’s helmet, while the other is wearing Chrono’s yellow scarf and holding the Gate Key. I absolutely adore this tattoo, and I think it was the perfect way to show my love for the game! I plan on getting quite a few more, all CT related!

NERDSociety: Thats awesome, and creative.  I love tokidoki, it’s the one brand I don’t mind shelling out large amounts of cash for my girlfriend.  As appose to Gucci or Parada, that only have their initials on their product.  Tokidoki has a wide variety of colorful characters plastered all over their merchandise and they’re awesome to look at.

Name: Matt Manning
City, State: Avon, IN
Tattoo Artist: Lainy Winther
Tattoo Shop: Artistic Skin Design
Favorite Movies: Grandma’s Boy, Avatar and Older stuff like Star Wars or anything nerdy like War Games.
Favorite Games: Anything Mario! Also I play Aion daily.

Well It all started when I got my first actual “Console” I can remember playing The Legend of Zelda every single day when I would get home from school. But I kept playing Super Mario 64 at my friends house and I realllllllly wanted it. So much that I saved my $5 allowance for about 2 months to buy it. This was of course after I stole it from my friend so I could beat the last bit Boy was my Mom mad when she found it hidden in my backpack…not as mad as she was when I walked in with my hero on my arm though. I can still remember stretching Mario’s face on the main screen and chasing that stupid bunny outside the castle for a hour or so because like we all were once a noob. So here is a tribute to a great game and series that is the godfather of all great games.

NERDSociety: I totally feel you Matt, “Parent just don’t understand.”  The first game I ever bought with my own hard earned money was Jurassic Park for the Sega Genesis,  I freakin loved that game.  I thought it was hilarious every time Grant would get eaten by the T-Rex, and his hat would float to the ground.  As far as stealing games go, I’ve been on the receiving end of this.  When me and my mom moved, some of are stuff was stored at my uncle’s house.  I never found my Pokemon Yellow with the special edition Gameboy after we got our stuff back, my uncle and his family moved away.  On one family trip up to where he lives  I stumble upon a Pokemon Yellow cartridge in my cousin’s room, and showed my uncle.  He explained it was probably one of my cousin’s friends…..IT HAD MY FREAKING INITIALS ON IT!  Moral of the story is: don’t steal games from friends and family.  Ask politely, and if the person refuses and is douche, then it’s okay to steal it lol.

NERDSociety: Your sleeve looks like it’s gonna be something epic Matt, I hope you will keep us posted with updates.

Name: Helkaahaien
City, State: Michigan
Tattoo Artist: Kyle
Tattoo Shop: Body Tech Gainesville, Florida
Favorite Movie: Nightmare Before Christmas
Favorite Game: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

I got the tattoo to remind me of my life and childhood. I grew up playing the Zelda and Link games on all the systems. It was a bonding thing for my family as we all sat around playing it with my dad and sister. Also my daughter is named Zelda which is partly after the game.

NERDSociety: Wow that’s awesome.  Hopefully some day a boy with long hair, pointy ears, and a funny green hat, will whisk her away on his horse lol.

Helkaahaien: Lol Yes that would be awesome! We do have a friend with a son named Link who is a little older than her, maybe it’s meant to be!

NERDSociety: Just watch out for that kid Ganon down the street.

Thanks to everyone who submitted.  We will be attending E3, Comic-Con, Anaheim Comic-Con, and Wonder-Con this year.  So say hi and show us your tattoos.  Just look for the people wearing NERDSociety.com T-Shirts.

Want to share your Geek Ink?  Just send a picture of your tattoo with your info to mvillarreal@nerdsociety.com:

Name or Alias:
City, State:
Tattoo Artist:
Tattoo Shop:
Favorite Movie:
Favorite Game:

Also give us a brief description about your tattoo and why you got your tattoo?

Do you want a mini-Predator on your shelf to impress the ladies? OK, maybe not the ladies, but your fellow nerds? Then keep an eye out for the next line of Predators that will be released by Hot Toys! No official pictures yet, except for the teaser above. But, we can all expect a great quality product from Hot Toys based on their previous releases.

Here’s a short Behind-the-scenes look at Predators

These are Hot Toys’ previous releases.

Behind-the-scenes stills.

Oleg Taktarov, a former UFC fighter. He fought when it had less regulations, when it was considered almost a skillful street fight. Now, he’d have to fight the Predators.

I have hope for this film because I have hope for Robert Rodriguez.

I received this from Sam Fisher today and he’s telling us not to believe what Third Echelon is saying. Who to believe? Follow Sam on Twitter at here. Is this some secret war between Third Echelon’s Facebook and Sam Fisher’s Twitter page?

Get ready to perform some deadly silent kills as Sam Fisher returns this coming Thursday, March 18^th,  in demo form. The demo serves as an introduction as the players control San Fisher, testing out the game’s core mechanics. You’ll get to bust out some new sweet moves such as Mark and Execute and Last Known Position. This single-player demo showcases the opening segment of the Michigan Avenue Reservoir level.

I’m really looking forward to a new Sam Fisher adventure, especially this one since it looks like you can still kick some ass even when you’re caught. Let’s hope his aim is better than some random goon.

Splinter Cell Conviction comes out next month on April 13^th, 2010, so mark your calendars.

E3, the Electronic Entertainment Exposition, is the most amazing place a gamer could be.  I’ve been following E3 events ever since I was young, and for good reason;  E3 has become the event at which the biggest things in gaming are unveiled.  Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft will be there June 15-17 to out-do each other, and just what do each of them have in store for us?

Sony:

The Playstation Move

Sony just recently re-introduced their new “Playstation Move”, which appears to be a combination of Wii motion+ and Eye Toy.  In addition to having the ability to add motion control to games via their Wii-mote like “Move”, it also has a camera which allows users themselves to be placed in the game, adding to the fun interactions possible; there is also a microphone by which gamers can utilize voice commands.  The PSMove can also track the position of the player, so it knows if the player is ducking, moving left etc.  Thus far, Sony has mostly showed games that would appeal more to the casual audience, so it seems Nintendo now has some major competition coming their way.  Sony unveiled the “PSMove” just recently at Game Developer’s Conference, but I think we’ll be seeing bigger games from Sony and their “Move” at E3.

Major known games from Sony for PS3:

The Last Guardian

This game is a spiritual successor to Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, and is from the same developer.  Not much has been shown of the game yet, but you play a boy who has a fictional, enormous winged beast as a partner.  The game will probably involve action and puzzle-solving, and is more reminiscent of Ico than Shadow of the Colossus.

Twisted Metal

It has been hinted at by the creator, David Jaffe, that Twisted Metal may be coming to the PS3 soon, so it seems very possible that it will be shown at this E3.

Gran Turismo 5

The game has been in development for more than 4 years, and has so far cost more than 60 million, making it one of the most expensive games ever made.  Visual damage, as well as mechanical damage will be included, and around 170 cars will also include interior damage.  Gamers can expect night driving, the ability to overturn cars, and possibly the most realistic driving game ever made.  It has an expected release date of 2010, and should definitely be at this year’s E3.

Sony Surprises:

Ape Escape: It is rumored that not only is Sony working on an Ape Escape game for PS3, but that it might be for the PSMove.

Major known games from Nintendo for Wii:

Zelda Wii

Zelda for Wii has been mentioned by several people at Nintendo many times in the past year.  The game will use the Wii motion plus to bring new kinds of experiences to Zelda, and may even alter the structure of Zelda that we all know perhaps a little too well.  Apparently the producer of the game, Eiji Aonuma, wants to put more role-playing into the game, while Shigeru Miyamoto is fighting with him to include more action.  Seeing as how Nintendo has a new toy to play with in the Wii motion plus, I hope they get very creative with it and bring a revolution to both gamers and Zelda.  Now that Sony has controls similar to Nintendo, in addition to better graphics etc. Nintendo really needs to make this Zelda game the most awsome thing to come out this year, and this E3 is where it will debut.  Unless Sony or Microsoft have something really ground-shaking to unveil, Zelda Wii could be the major talk of E3 and win the attention of the show-goers.

Metroid: Other M

Nintendo surprised everyone when they announced last year that Team Ninja, of Ninja Gaiden fame, were going to be creating the newest Metroid.  The game was playable at GDC this month, but no gameplay footage has leaked out onto the net yet.  It will be played with only the Wii mote, held sideways, and by pointing the Wii mote at the television, the player can see from Samus’ (the main character) perspective.  The D-pad will be used to move Samus around, and it will also have auto-aiming.  By tapping the D-pad at the right time, you can also dodge.  I’m a little skeptical about this game only using the Wii mote, and having auto-aiming, but hopefully Team Ninja can give us a great game worthy of the Metroid name.

Other things that Nintendo may show at E3:

Pikmin 3: It is unlikely, but still possible.  Shigeru Miyamoto wants to make a Pikmin 3, but it seems that the development teams are tied up with other projects currently.

Retro Studios’ game: Retro is the development team famous for creating the Metroid Prime series.  Since Metroid Prime 3 though, they haven’t released anything.  It is possible their new game will be shown at E3 with a release date of 2010 or 2011.  I suspect they could be making a new Kid Icarus game, Pilot Wings, or perhaps a totally new IP.

New DS: It is rumored that the successor to the DS will be shown at E3.  It may have two screens that are much closer together, motion capabilities, larger screens, and graphical capabilities similar to Gamecube.

Major known games from Microsoft for Xbox 360:

Halo: Reach

Yes, Bungie is back with an updated engine for this Halo, allowing for huge numbers of AI and vehicles, and vastly improved graphics that should appease those who thought Halo 3 looked like Halo 2.5.  There is even multiplayer footage out, showing off jetpacks, and a new rolling ability.  This is going to be one of the biggest games this year, and could be the definitive multiplayer experience for years to come.  Expect this to be one of the most talked about games this year.

Alan Wake

A psychological action thriller played from the 3rd person, Alan Wake has been in development for over 4 years by Remedy (creators of Max Payne).  Alan Wake is a 3rd-person shooter with gameplay similar to the newer Resident Evil games, except that Alan will be running from “real” people, fighting supernatural enemies, and creating things to help him out (it was shown that Alan “creates” a flock of birds to down a pursuing helicopter).  Alan is a writer whose imagination brings things to life, and the game has a heavy focus on story.  Alan also uses light in conjunction with weapons to fight off his supernatural foes.  Gamers can expect to play Alan Wake this fall on Xbox 360.

Other things to expect from Microsoft at E3:

Natal: Microsoft showed Natal at 2009’s E3, and you should expect to see a whole lot more of it at this E3.  The developer Rare, and a slew of other developers are supposedly making games for Natal.  Whether these games will only focus on casual games or not has yet to be seen.

Conclusion: This year’s E3 is going to be fantastic, and there will be no shortage of jaw-dropping games, but don’t forget that there will be plenty of surprises as well.  What would you like to see at E3 2010?