During their 15 minute E3 press conference, Konami announced the long awaited fifth game in the Silent Hill series, cleverly titled Silent Hill V. A teaser trailer featuring nothing more than a logo and some groan-worthy voice over was the extent of what was shown, however. Kotaku dug a little deeper and confirmed what rumors stated and fans feared: the game is being created by US based developer The Collective, whose last two games were The Da Vinci Code and Marc Ecko's Getting Up, both for PS2. They also did The Fallen, a PC title based on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, that was actually supposed to be pretty good.

It makes you wonder what exactly Konami is making themselves nowadays, with both Silent Hill Origins and Silent Hill V as well as Contra IV being developed by Western developers. Handheld titles I can understand, but you'd think the first next-gen entry in one of their biggest franchises would be something they'd do inhouse. As a huge Silent Hill fan I'm more than a little apprehensive about this.

SHV will be the cover story in the October issue of EGM, which hits newsstands in early September, so we should get the full story then. In the meantime, keep your fingers crossed that the next Castlevania game isn't outsourced to whoever does the Backyard Baseball games. Then again, there hasn't been a good console Castlevania in ten years…

The platform holders have all had their moment to shine and now that the dust has settled, it’s easy to be a bit disappointed by the press conferences. There weren’t really a whole bunch of surprises mixed in this year. I suppose with a downgraded event, no one wanted to take a chance. Better to save that secret weapon for a rainy day. With no Megaton announcements, it was interesting to see the direction that each company focused their message on. 

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Think fast:  What was the highlight of E3 2007?

Time's up.

The correct answer is that the entire event sucked dirty balls.  I've been looking for something (anything!) E3-related to write about, but I keep drawing a blank.  Every announcement was either something we all saw coming ten miles away (PSP redesign, yet another 360 SKU), or something so fucking asinine that words fail me (PSP redesign, Scene It?).

Here's a quick re-hash for those who just absolutely need it:

Nintendo

You still can't buy a Wii unless you're willing to turn tricks behind your local Circle K.  The DS is still a phenomenon.  And I think Reggie said there was a slim possibility that they might be making some sequels and spin-off games for a few of their popular franchises.  Sounds like a lovely change of direction.

Microsoft

Yep, there's another version of Xbox 360 to consider.  Halo 3 is in development.  The rumors were true, it seems.  They're looking to strengthen online gaming or something.  I didn't catch it all.  At this point I was looking for free Scandinavian foot fetish clips in another window.

Sony

In an effort to breathe new life into the PSP and gobble up some handheld market share, Sony unveils a redesign that… looks exactly like the original.  Brilliant.  There was also something about Metal Gear Solid 4, which knocked me right the hell out of my chair.  Don't read this if you hate spoilers:  Snake is a lot older this time.  

Big Finish

And now, I humbly submit to you my personal favorite moment from E3 2007:  Tecmo's refusal to so much as appear.  Apparently, their VP had some unambiguous words about the new format and the people running the joint.  That made me smile more than any game I saw covered.  (Okay, with the exception of Super Mario Galaxy.  The immature bastard child in me really, really wants to be Bumblebee Mario…)

That's my take on E3 2007.  Drink it up.

PS - I know this is juvenile, but did anyone else giggle when they read "Wii Zapper?"  It made me think of an old girlfriend… and why I'm no longer allowed within 500 feet of her.

Microsoft

What can be said about Microsoft’s briefing? Easily the most boring of the three because Microsoft chose to focus primarily on games that will be available this year and only briefly mentioning big 2008 titles like Too Human, Alan Wake, Fable 2, and Banjo Kazooie 3. The entire thing just felt like a giant rehash of things everyone already knows. Don’t get me wrong, MS is in an enviable position being the only system on which you can play both Halo 3 and GTAIV and they made sure no one forgot it. That’s going to be a hard combo for Sony to counter, especially when the 360 is cheaper, to boot.

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Unlike the rest of the crew, I could pretty much sum up my thoughts in a few words or less: underwhelming. Just about every conference left me wanting more. More games. More surprises. More to actually be genuinely enthusiastic about. While there's a few out there who actually miss the E3 of old, the rest of the industry has more or less embraced the leaner, quieter atmosphere which now resides within select posh hotels and the new epicenter for featured demos: Barker Hanger.

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