God of War 3 to be shown at E3

There are a few games known by the world to be Playstation games but God of War sticks out from the crowd. The franchise so far has spawned 2 PS2 games and a PSP game, and everyone assumes there is going to be a God of War 3.

Sony itself was quoted at the Paris Game Developer Conference as saying God of War 3 will be shown at this years E3, though Sony has denied this as a mistranslation. PS3 Fanboy and Joystiq are both in agreement that a God of War 3 announcement would be amazing, but both doubt that Sony would announce it at this years E3 and if they did, would only be a teaser and nothing more.

E3 is still the biggest gaming shown on earth and all eyes will be on Sony to outdo Microsoft; what better than to announce God of War 3? One thing we do know is that it won’t be released yet for a very long time, with some retailers having it down as Christmas next year, so maybe this E3 is too soon, and instead could be revealed later on in the year. With Sony formally denying and a release touted for next Christmas, there is only one verdict.

TGR Verdict: Rumor Killed

Microsoft to drop price of 360

When Microsoft dropped the price of the Xbox 360 in Europe, it boosted sales and ever since that price drop, the 360 been selling well there. Microsoft hasn’t until now needed to drop the price in North America as the 360 been outselling the PS3 on a regular basis. With the PS3 picking up some needed steam from Metal Gear Solid 4, it’s now up to Microsoft blow away some of that steam and a price drop would certainly help.

CVG contacted Microsoft but got that "we don’t comment on rumor and speculation." To add more fuel to the fire, a sales leaflet from retailer K-Mart shows the Premium Xbox 360 at $299.99, which is $50 off the original price. Games analyst Michael Pachter believes that a Xbox 360 price cut makes sense; speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, Pachter says:

"Microsoft has historically been a price taker - meaning that they typically wait for Sony to cut first, however, they haven’t been in the position of having a cost advantage before, as they do now. Putting Microsoft’s cost advantage together with Sony’s reticence to lose more money, it’s easy to conclude that you will see Microsoft reverse course and be a price leader. I believe that every 360 sold is one less potential PS3 sold - and vice versa - and expect Sony to behave rationally."

The price at that value would see the 360 enter what Microsoft says is “mass market” price. I agree with Pachter that an Xbox 360 price drop is indeed incoming and, with Sony stating they don’t want to loose anymore money on the PS3, could see the 360 run away with the majority of sales in the United States.

TGR Verdict: Alive and Kicking