Echoing remarks made by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, Nintendo of America marketing VP Cammie Dunaway expressed disappointment over the company's oft-criticized showing at this year's E3 Media & Business Summit.

"We were disappointed with our performance at E3," Dunaway told VGChartz. "There were titles like [Wario Land: Shake It!] which we think will be really fun titles that we should have showcased."

Nintendo's E3 conference centered on a short list of titles which appeared to focus more on the casual market than core gamers, including Wii Music, Wii Sports Resort, and Animal Crossing: City Folk.

Perhaps the most exciting announcement to come out of the conference—the revelation of a Pikmin sequel—had to be pried out of celebrated developer Shigeru Miyamoto at a developer roundtable.

"We were excited that Mr. Miyamoto made the commitment that Pikmin is coming," Dunaway added. "It would have been nice if we could have said that on stage. But, we think it was a good recognition for us that we care for our core fans, and not just the new people who are now discovering Nintendo."

As the president of the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, Joseph Olin certainly has a lot to say.

Head of an organization dedicated to advancing the entertainment software community, Olin helps promote gaming via the annual DICE summit, the accompanying Interactive Achievement Awards, and the Into the Pixel gallery of game-related art.

In an interview with Shacknews, the one-time Eidos marketing VP gave his opinion on a number of topics, from E3's relevance to Metacritic ratings. He had some particularly harsh words for gaming journalists, expressing his belief that certain outlets often report on issues that "probably aren't relevant since the game isn't done," and saying that some game reviewers are "lazy."

Olin even called out many video game publishers for spoiling their games too early in the development process. "You're new once. Why not use new as an advantage, as a point of difference, and be able to promote when it is fresh," he asked... Read more

Like many, I was utterly bewildered by Nintendo's E3 2008 press conference. The missing "core" game announcement was disappointing, but not quite as unsettling as the unshakable notion that I was ultimately wrong about Nintendo's intentions towards gamers who've stuck with it since the beginning.

And as I walked out, I had the concentrated sense that as a longtime Nintendo fan, I was being forgotten, or at best, misunderstood.

With an hour to burn at its E3 conference, Nintendo offered up Wii Sports Resort, Wii Music, Animal Crossing: City Folk and just a few others, plus a swift mention of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars on DS to get those pesky 18-24 year-old males out of the way. See? We've got something for everyone.

What's troubling isn't that the title for hardcore gamers never materialized--it's that Nintendo thought it had... Read more

I am fairly confident that with Puzzle Quest: Galactrix (PC, 360, DS) developer Infinite Interactive is beginning the second phase of its master plan to destroy the world.

The first Puzzle Quest, Challenge of the Warlords, was a near-perfect blend of simplistic match-three-or-more-of-the-same-color gameplay. with a host of RPG-style mechanics like spells and experience. The result was an addictive tour de force that surprised nearly everyone, and eventually hit every major platform other than the PlayStation 3.

The sequel--now slated to debut early next year instead of the original fall 2008 date--looks to expand on all of that. Sure, the fantasy elements have been replaced by a sleek sci-fi aesthetic, the orbs are now hexagons, and now you have to worry about gravity dictating where new pieces come from, but the core gameplay is unchanged.

It's more than just matching up random pieces that happen to share the same color. Those aren't just a bunch of useless red blocks--lining them up could give you the red energy needed to unleash a destructive attack. So what's different?... Read more

Warning: The following article contains endgame spoilers from Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction.

Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty, the next entry in Insmoniac's cartoony PlayStation 3 platforming series, is a little different than the last one.

Instead of being a full-priced $59.99 retail title sporting 20 or so hours of gameplay, Quest for Booty is a smaller, shorter title that will be downloadable from the online PlayStation Store later this summer for $14.99.

It's the first downloadable game from Insomniac, which describes the effort as its way of "testing the waters" with episodic content. The studio had previously... Read more

Bungie president Harold Ryan voiced disagreement with Microsoft over the publisher's decision to bump the Halo maker's latest project reveal out of E3, now slated to debut a future event.

"I certainly didn't agree with the decision to delay our news until sometime after E3," Ryan told Eurogamer. "Bungie is always concerned first and foremost with our fans. Whenever we are prevented from exceeding their positive expectations it is not a laughing matter."

Bungie teased a reveal of its next Halo project on its official website, with a countdown suggesting that more information would be made available during last week's E3 Media and Business Summit.

A letter from Ryan later appeared on the website the day before the scheduled revealing, claiming that "those plans were just changed by our publisher... Read more

The Mission: It's the last day of E3, and a tired team of Gearbox Software employees are willing to sit down for an open interview. Your stomach is growling, and your schedule is tight, but there will be lunch involved, and the developer's upcoming post-apocalyptic co-op shooter Borderlands (PC, 360, PS3) was easily one of the most interesting titles shown at the expo.

The Reward: More information on Borderlands, which takes the best of Diablo--procedurally generated loot and instances, for small group online cooperation--and combines it with gory shooter gameplay and Halo-esque vehicles. And a great burrito.

Randy Pitchford: As a shooter gamer, my bar for plausibility is higher. We forgive so much when we play WoW. There's so much that, if we ever made a shooter where I press the action button and [my character] does this same generic animation three feet away from the object he's interacting with, we'd just get crucified. But we forgive it because of the kind of game it is and the way it's presented. But that plausibility is actually important. Why does it make sense that when I kill that Murloc he has a fin, but the other one doesn't? And why does he have a sword on him? He didn't have a sword when I fought him. That's weird. Read more..

Following our flood of content from last week's E3 Media & Business Summit, we'll be highlighting noteworthy previews and features that may have gotten lost in the shuffle.

Imagine a game that takes Dawn of War, mixes it with Company of Heroes, removes base building altogether and adds RPG elements. If you can paint that puzzling picture in your mind, you'll have Dawn of War 2. And this is no exaggeration.

In fact, Dawn of War 2 directly borrows graphical and gameplay elements from Company of Heroes. For instance, CoH's cover system--wherein cover was rated with colored shields, and soldiers' future positions were marked with green dots--is exactly copied in Dawn of War 2. Sticky bombs and grenades are deployed with timers in exactly the same fashion as the World War II shooter.

No longer a traditional RTS, developer Relic has actually deviated from the genre even more with this project than they did with Company of Heroes. Dawn of War 2 could now be described as a small-scale tactical RTS, with a surprising amount of RPG flavor.

The focus of the sequel is clearly on micromanagement and squad-based... Read more

Following our flood of content from last week's E3 Media & Business Summit, we'll be highlighting noteworthy previews and features that may have gotten lost in the shuffle.

Straight from the Take-Two press conference, here is footage shot during the Borderlands (PC, PS3, X360) presentation. Gearbox president Randy Pitchford was on hand to show off his company's upcoming post-apocalyptic shooter.

For more on Borderlands, including details not immediately evident in the videos below, check out our E3 2008 preview. Shackvideo users can use the HD Stream. Click through for more videos ... Read more

Amidst criticism from publishers, developers and media alike, the Entertainment Software Association revealed that it plans to carry on with the E3 Media and Business Summit next year.

"As we do every year, we're beginning the process of surveying exhibitors and attendees to determine potential changes to the summit," an ESA representative told GameSpot. "Once this is completed and shared with the ESA's Board of Directors, we will make an announcement about the specifics of the [E3 2009], which will occur."

Following last week's E3 2008, several industry figures have since spoken out on the relevance of the exhibition. Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello plainly stated he hated the conference, which has seen drastic revisions over the last few years... Read more

In every way but its name, Project Origin (PC, PS3, 360) is unquestionably F.E.A.R. 2.

Though former publisher Vivendi has retained the rights to the F.E.A.R. name, developer Monolith Productions has retained all of the shooter's hallmarks and story: slow-motion shooting, unsettling atmosphere and creepy dead girls galore.

Getting my hands on an early build of Project Origin's Xbox 360 version at last week's E3, it was immediately clear that the developers have worked hard to improve upon F.E.A.R.'s previously established foundation.

The demonstration level took me to the streets of a ruined city populated with shock troopers, but these punks were different than the soldiers I mowed down... Read more

"This is no joke," said Gearbox president Randy Pitchford, and I had to agree. The more we hear about Aliens: Colonial Marines (PC, 360, PS3), the more exciting it sounds for fans of the original films.

Gearbox seems dedicated to staying faithful to the source material, and smartly expanding on it with a solid creative team. Four player co-op doesn't hurt, either.

Last week I had the chance to catch up with the Gearbox squad during a quick E3 lunch. During the interview, Pitchford explained the lengths that his company went to in order to make their game feel like an authentic piece of the Aliens franchise.

Randy Pitchford: One thing that's cool is some of the people we've been able to work with to help us [on Aliens]. The guys that write the Battlestar Galactica series, Bradley Thompson and David Weddle, they wrote our script. They're amazing guys. They gave us a lot, too. We could make a whole season of TV with the stuff they gave us. [laughs] We profited from the writer's strike, let's just put it that way. We talked with a lot of people, but those guys are so good.

And then a lot of the concept guys that helped make the movies. Like [Aliens concept artist] Syd Mead, that guy walks on water. And to be able to go to his studio, his house, and then have him draw a bunch of stuff. "Here's when I designed the Sulaco back when we made the first movie. Here's the original artwork. You want a copy, Brian?" And Brian's like, "Yes."... Read more

The Far Cry 2 level on display at E3 was the same one we got a look at a few weeks ago, and I managed to play through it in an almost identical fashion.

After embarrassing myself with a flamethrower for a few minutes, I chose to put down the weapon and speak with Ubisoft's Clint Hocking. The Far Cry 2 creative director revealed details on a freshly cut feature, the game's expansive multiplayer functionality, and a few detailed examples of what we'll be doing in the full version of the open world shooter.

Clint Hocking: I wish we'd made [the game] shorter in hindsight. Because it's so hard for us to test everything--the game is so massive. I'll be driving around, I'll get in a chase, and I'll have to take a turn that I haven't taken in a long time. I'll end up off-road, my vehicle will break down, I'll kill the guys chasing me, and I'll be like, "..where the fuck am I?" I'll be looking around in my game that I've been working on for three years. Read more..

Following our flood of content from last week's E3 Media & Business Summit, we'll be highlighting noteworthy previews and features that may have gotten lost in the shuffle.

It's been a good few years for sequels—less of the radical changes and outlandish departures, and a more pronounced focus on making improvements where necessary while preserving what already functioned well.

Capcom's Resident Evil 5 (PS3, 360) is definitely among those games—one of only two titles that successfully inspired cackles of glee as I witnessed my own head cut free from my body.

The other, of course, is Capcom's incredible Resident Evil 4 (GCN, PC, PS2, Wii), a game from which this latest chapter in the company's long-running survival horror saga draws a great deal of inspiration. The successes of RE4 are intact and accounted for in this follow-up: a solid control scheme, an excellent camera, and the ... Read more

Following last week's E3 2008 Media and Business Summit, several industry veterans have weighed in on the usefulness of the conference, with many remarking that the show has outlived its usefulness.

However, Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences president Joseph Olin told Shacknews that no company wants to be excluded from E3, noting that the conference is still the largest annual gathering of its kind in the gaming industry.

"The venue itself, I don't think E3 is as exciting as the products that are within it," Olin added. "I think, perhaps [at] the old E3, the frame overpowered the print. And now, I think it really is the opportunity to focus on the work, which is the most important thing."

Olin's comments bear sharp contrast to remarks made by several industry leaders. Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello offered harsher words for the revised E3, which as of 2007 has shifted towards an invitation-only arrangement for attendees... Read more

Following our flood of content from last week's E3 Media & Business Summit, we'll be highlighting noteworthy previews and features that may have gotten lost in the shuffle.

EA Redwood Shores' sci-fi survival horror effort Dead Space (PC, PS3, X360) can best be summarized as Resident Evil 4 in space, and no, that's not a bad thing.

Capcom's Resident Evil 4 represents some of the best that survival horror has to offer. Dead Space expands on that, adding in a delicious layer of sci-fi goodness.

One such example of that sci-fi application is the holographic projector in main character Isaac's visor. Instead of switching to a different screen, maps and videos are projected directly in front of Isaac. Item selection is likewise handled... Read more

Shacknews editor Nick Breckon is a sleepy bear. Why's he so tired? Because the Shack Staff was quite busy at last week's E3 Media and Business Summit, and Nick is a beast fueled by coffee.

With the week completed and the staff safely returned to our own corners of the world, we've amassed our heap of E3 previews and news, along with some of the assorted media. For an ungodly amount of trailers and footage, check out Shackvideo.

Previews:

• Fallout 3 Hands-on Preview: Mixed Impressions from a Fallout Fanboy
• Halo Wars Preview: Looking Good, Playing Well
• Mirror's Edge E3 Preview: Sweet Flips and Time Trials
• Left 4 Dead E3 Preview: New Characters, New Weapons, New Details
• Dead Space Hands-on Preview: Resident Evil 4 in Space
• Resident Evil 5 Preview: Rock That Chainsaw

Click through for the Complete Highlights of E3 2008

It was somewhere between ordering my army of blue-blooded Max Rebo soldiers to crush an enemy civilization, and conquering the galaxy from the comfort of a spaceship that resembled a four post bed, when I realized they had pulled it off. Spore is great. My primary concern with the game was that there simply wouldn't be enough to do--that the goals or missions provided would be too boring or infrequent to offer much outside of the game's sandbox creation.

Don't get me wrong, the missions are often simple--but they are not boring. While the civilization level of the game is not as fully featured as a real RTS, it is nevertheless fun to play, and comes alive when taken in the context of the game. The galactic stage is a combination of elements, all tied together with a few photon torpedoes and close encounters.

But rather than wax on for a few dozen paragraphs, I'll simply attempt to relate what I encountered while playing the latter half of Spore for a full Earth hour.... Read more

The streets taught him who he could trust, and gave him the skills to survive...perfect now that 50 Cent is stuck in the Middle East. Check out the new 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand (PS3, X360) trailer and screenshots. Shackvideo users can use the HD Stream.

Like many others, I was consumed by the first Geometry Wars on Xbox Live Arcade. The downloadable Xbox 360 title had a simple concept--survive against an ever-increasing armada--and simple multi-directional shooting controls that made it just perfect for either short or long-term bursts.

It was so simple that I've been unsure as to how creator Bizarre Creations could deliver a worthy sequel. Multiplayer and new enemies seemed like obvious choices, but could Bizarre really iterate on the core gameplay all that much?

Well, yes.

Along with the expected new enemies and four-person offline multiplayer, Geometry Wars 2: Retro Evolved 2 packs five new modes in addition to the original's Survival. Why no online multiplayer? "There's too much going on to do this over Live," explained Microsoft director of digitally distributed games Scott Austin.

King fills the battlefield with frequently appearing and disappearing... Read more