ClickTickBoom - By Steve

Welcome to my new blog posting for TheRabbitDen.com. Most of you won't know me too well but I hope to be bringing you regular updates on the world of gaming and technology, so that you are all kept up to date and know your iPhone's from your Wii. This column is a condensed version of what can be found over at ClickTickBoom so if you want more details or wish to discuss at length please head on over there and join in!

It's actually the perfect time to be starting this column since the big video conference E3 has just taken place and the developers have shown their hands on what can be expected over the next 12 months. The big announcements to come out of this was the successor to the Nintendo Wii named the Wii U. Some confusion surrounded the machine as to whether it was a new console entirely or just a new controller with a 6inch screen embedded in it. Nintendo have since come out to clarify that it will be a new machine but this hasn't stopped their share price falling. For my money it looks good but I will reserve judgement until they have some games to show running on it, as currently it’s just tech demos of the possibilities.

Elsewhere Sony said an apology for getting hacked recently and announced the PS Vita its new handheld console. It's looking gorgeous in all fairness and the games look impressive. Sadly I think it’s doomed to failure since iPhone and Nintendo seem to have the handheld market all sewn up currently. Microsoft seemed to whimper along in their press conference sadly and, in the absence of exclusive big games, were keen to push the Kinect as a serious gaming choice. They did have a Modern Warfare 3 demo but since this is multiplatform it’s not Microsoft's to claim. Their big announcement was Halo 4 but personally I tired of Halo after Halo 2.

Games-wise E3 was indeed the year of 3. Battlefield 3, Modern Warfare 3 and Uncharted 3 are looking gorgeous and every ounce the great games they will inevitably be. Even Far Cry 3 is looking brilliant! Elder Scrolls: Skyrim looks like a beautiful massive RPG that will suck away your life and Batman: Arkham City is looking a worthy successor to the awesome Arkham Asylum from 2 years ago. Additionally, FIFA 12 looks like it will continue to dominate the football genre and Tomb Raider could be back to its best with its rebirth of the franchise. A notable addition here would also be Bioshock Infinite which is also looking good even if the second one disappointed earlier in the year.

A short hop away from E3 in San Francisco another conference also happened last week held by makers of the world's most expensive toys Apple. Widely expected/hoped by many to announce the iPhone 5 they ignored this elephant in the room and promoted the features of their updated OS for Macs named Lion. I would list them here but frankly they are all too geeky and only Apple fanboys/girls will get excited about them. They also announced their new iCloud service coming by the end of the year which will enable you to sync your iPhone, iPad etc all at once without needing to connect them with a wire providing they have a wireless connection. All very fancy and I look forward to seeing this in action.

All in all, it was a big week! As a whole I am disappointed with E3 due to its lack of surprises, everything that was shown was announced weeks before (with the exceptions of Halo 4 and the Wii U but they were both rumoured anyway) so the show lacked any moments of a jaw dropping nature. However, it's quite clear that without these moments we will still be in for a gaming treat over the coming months. It's just a shame my wife won't agree when I am still shooting things at 2am.

Thanks for reading and don't forget to check out my website,

-- Steve