Recent gatherings encourage gamers
Last week was a busy one for the videogame industry, as news from the inaugural gamescom in Cologne, Germany and the annual BlizzCon convention in Anaheim, Calif., gave gamers lots to look forward to in the near future.
First off was Sony's not-so-shocking announcement that the long-fabled slim version of their PS3 would not only be a reality, but that it would also be coming in at the lower price point of $299.
And while the slim version of the company's next generation console was definitely well received, as proven by the heavy amount of pre-orders on online retailer Amazon.com, the real win for the company is the lowered cost for the system.
For months analysts, as well as developers, have pushed hard for Sony to reduce the price of the console stating the high cost as a key reason for the system's sagging retail sales.
However, with the drop, many analysts are predicting that Sony could expect to see as much as a 60 percent increase in sales.
Unfortunately, while many hoped the slim version would also see the return of backward PS2 compatibility, the company quickly dispelled those rumors by stating that they feel most people buy a PS3 to play PS3 games.
Microsoft also had a few tidbits for attendees at gamescom, as Peter Molyneaux and his team at Lionhead Studios unveiled "Fable III" exclusively for the Xbox 360.
As with the other two titles in this series, players will return to the land of Albion, where they can choose to either use their heroic powers for good or for evil.
However, new to this latest version of the game is players will be charged with ruling over the land instead of being just another one of its many citizens.
So the question now is whether they will choose to be a benevolent ruler or an evil dictator?
Other standouts from the event included a new trailer for "Guild Wars 2" and a first look at "Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker."
When all was said and done more than 245,000 attendees made their way through the five day event, making the first-annual gamescom the largest event for gamers in the world.
Organizers have already scheduled next year's festival and general sentiment amongst attendees, as well as exhibitors, has been positive.
Meanwhile, across the pond at the Anaheim Convention Center, Blizzard Entertainment gave fans their first look at the third expansion for "World of Warcraft" during BlizzCon.
Titled "World of Warcraft: Cataclysm," this latest addition to the games puts players in control of two new races: the wolf-like Worgen, which will be available to the Alliance, and Goblins for the opposing Horde.
As with previous expansions, "Cataclysm" will raise the existing level cap from 80 to 85 and players will also get a few new areas to explore.
Although no firm date has been set, Blizzard has stated that it expects "Cataclysm" to ship sometime in 2010.
