In this monthly column, I will discuss the latest in video gaming news and releases, and relate that information to anybody who isn't part of that infamous gaming niche (and maybe a couple of you who are a part of it).  Hence, I will be writing to the "everymen" of gaming: the "everygamers."

Now that you know what this column is about, how about who I am?  I am Evan Minto, the Editor-in-Chief of long-running anime and video game website Ani-Gamers, where I write under the name "Vampt Vo."  I have been playing video games since before I can remember, and writing about them for nearly as long.

This month, the big topic of discussion is a huge video game trade show in Los Angeles called the "Electronic Entertainment Expo," or "E3."  At this event, the "big three" console manufacturers (Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony) as well as various smaller publishers, showed off their latest titles to the gaming press.  Sony and Microsoft were happy to advertise their heavy-hitting "hardcore" games, but at this E3, in the aftermath of the crushing success of the casual gamer's trophy, Nintendo's Wii, there was an underlying desire from those two companies to compete on the casual stage.

Microsoft held their press conference first and showed off various triple-A titles.  However, they also announced a major update to the Xbox 360, which includes digital movie rentals from Netflix and, most notably, a new feature called "Avatars," which, like Nintendo's "Miis," will serve as digital representations of each player on the console. 

In Sony's court, the Playstation 3 is being furnished with a couple of nice new offerings, including digital movie rentals and purchases from a smattering of major studios and dozens of brand new pick-up-and-play downloadable games from their online store.

Last, but certainly not least, is Nintendo, which was the first of the big three to move their focus almost exclusively to the casual demographic.  On the Wii, players will be happy to learn that a new Wii Sports, entitled Wii Sports Resort, will be coming to stores this Spring, featuring games like frisbee, wave racing, and swordfighting.  This one will come with an attachment called the Wii MotionPlus, which Nintendo claims will make the Wii's motion control track motion exactly as you perform it.  

On the music side of things, Nintendo finally unveiled their Wii Music project, which will attempt to bring music games to those who aren't really in on the Guitar Hero loop.  In this game, players will choose from over 40 instruments (all played using the Wii Remote, Nunchuk, and/or Balance Board), and either freestyle or select a song to play through.  Sadly, this game has no real element of competition, and features very little actual musical control for the player.  It's a disappointing showing, but perhaps Nintendo will sweeten the offer in the coming months.

The last interesting bit of information that Nintendo revealed was their new entry in bestselling simulation franchise Animal Crossing, titled Animal Crossing: City Folk.  In addition to the primary Animal Crossing elements, this game will feature online play, and the ability to voice chat with friends through this online play.  This is made possible with a new attachment for the Wii, called the "WiiSpeak."  It is a group microphone, so that all the players in the room can talk to others online.

This is sure to be a contentious issue for many parents who want to protect their children from bad influences online, though everybody should remember that Nintendo protects players from encounters with strangers though its extensive (and often cumbersome) friend code system.  

Overall, this E3 was generally considered to be a severe disappointment for so-called "hardcore" gamers.  They forget, however, that this year's E3's casual focus is sure to be a boon for the "everygamer" in the next fiscal year.

God of War III (PS3): a brief trailer was shown, no gameplay footage however. Release date set for sometime next year.

Infamous (PS3): this dark superhero title is set for a Spring 2009 release date.

MAG (Massive Action Game) (PS3): the last game shown at the Sony event, MAG is an online FPS which supports a whopping 256 players divided up into 8 teams. Skill trees for individual characters were mentioned, as well as a progressive campaign mode. Release information was missing.

PS3 Game Montage: Quantum of Solace, MGS4, Socom: Confrontation, Ghostbusters, SCIV, The Agency, Naruto: Storm, Mirror’s Edge, Resident Evil 5, SingStar, Guitar Hero: World Tour, NBA08: The Inside, Killzone 2. These titles are all said to be coming later this year.

Resistance Retribution (PSP): a brief trailer was shown which had you controlling your hero in a third-person perspective. The game was dated for Spring 2009.

PSP Game Montage: Patapon 2, LocoRoco 2, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Madden 09, NBA09: The Inside, Super Stardust Portable, Lego Batman, Buzz: Master Quiz, and Valkaria Chronicles. These titles are coming between this and next year.

Ratchet and Clank Future: Quest for Booty (PSN): this expansion for the original R&C Future will be available for download from the PSN store this summer for $14.99.

PSN Game Montage: Crash Commandos, Fat Princess, Pixeljunk: Eden, Pain: Amusement Park, Flower, Siren: Blood Curse, Ragdoll Kung Fu: Fists of Plastic. No general release information given.

PS2 Game Montage: Madden 09, Tiger Woods 09, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Warriors Orochi, SingStar: Pop Star 2, Yakuza 2, Madden XX, Mercenaries 2. These games, Tretton said 130 PS2 games total, will be release in 2008.

Also announced during the conference was the formation of the PS3 Greatest Hits series. Greatest Hits titles will retail for $29.99.

Tretton also spoke at length about the streamlining process Sony has been doing with their PSN network. Now you will have only a single PSN log-in account to take you anywhere in the service whether you’re on your PC, PS3, or PSP.

Also unveiled for the PSN was a new video distribution service. This service will allow PS3 owners to rent or buy movies or TV shows on their PS3 in either HD or stand definition. Content that you’ve purchased can also be viewed on the PSP. (Ed: America's largest anime distributor, FUNimation, is listed as one of the partners bringing videos to the service)

A new pay-per-view automotive enthusiast channel was also announced as part of Gran Turismo V: Prologue. The service starts August 1st and will available within PSN, presumably, for the owners of GTV: Prologue.

The $399.99 80GB PS3 was also officially announced and is coming later this year.

Phew, that was a lot to cover, but now the big three are finished. It’s been an interesting E3 to follow thus far, with more to come both today and tomorrow. Personally, I’m going to go enjoy a little break from all the news and go play some games!

Guitar Hero on Tour: Decades (DS): set for sometime this Fall, the ability to share songs between the two DS titles was mentioned.

Spore Creatures (DS): touted as the only non-PC Spore title that will be available this year, includes the Spore creatures creator and the ability to trade creatures.

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (DS): another title for this holiday season, this title will be set in Liberty City and feature the “free roaming” gameplay of the previous GTA titles.

Pokemon Rangers: Shadows of Almia (DS): release date set for November 10, 2008.

Cooking Navi (DS): set for November 2008, not so much a game as it is an interactive cook book.

Wii Sports Resort (Wii): plans are for a global release next Spring, the mini-games that were shown were: flying disk, a Wave Race 64-esq game, and a sword fighting game.

Wii Music (Wii): no release date plans were mentioned, the game was said to include 50 instruments, including drums, sax, piano, guitar, and violin. There can be up to 4 players at a time and no grades or scores are given during the game, it’s all about just playing the music and having fun with your friends. The ability to record video and create your own music video was mentioned.

To go back to Wii Sports Resort for a moment, a new device for the wii-mote was announced that will be included with this game: the Wii Motion Plus. Basically, it’s a small device that plugs into the back of your wii-mote and increases the precision and accuracy of the device.

Also worth noting was a comment made by Nintendo’s president Satoru Iwata who said that the teams that brought us the Mario and Zelda titles shall “bring new titles to the Wii.” How will these titles manifest themselves, we shall have to wait and see.