E3 2009 is just about to wrap up, and already, we have a date for next year's event. Talk about having an early start. Waaaay early. But we can't complain. After all, with all the preparations they did for this year's Expo, we saw one of the most exciting gaming conferences in quite a while. So bring the early preps on!

The ESA is planning to bring more hype to the E3 in 2009, starting with a "huge" event in LA. Plans have been tightly guarded, but we'll know more on X-Play, tonight at 8PM ET on G4. Read more in the full article.

Activist lawyer Jack Thompson has been on the case of violent games and their developers for years now, and he's provoked the ire of gamers time and again. We're looking back at some of the most memorable quotes he's ever dropped, and we've chosen the twenty best out of them all. See the full list of Jack Thompson's most memorable quotes right after the jump!

If you've already finished Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PC) and are now looking for your next conquest, this rumor might interest you.

On G4's TheFeed, it was mentioned that one of their sources has given word that Activision is conducting testing for Guitar Hero IV already. More information on this rumor can be found in the full article. Follow the "read more" link below to get there.

Tomorrow may be a big moment on the history of gaming as broadcast giant CBS formally becomes the first network of its class to show a video game tournament as a regular sporting event like other athletic spectacles such as the Masters and March Madness.

"There are an enormous amount of people of all ages who play video games these days, so we’re going to try to see if video games’ popularity can translate into a viable television audience," says CBS Sports Vice-President Rob Correa as he explores the possibility of people looking at this moment as a poignant event after a decade or so.

The tournament concerned is the World Series of Video Games which will be held in Louisville, Kentucky. Edited footage from the event will show highlights of face-offs between players in games such as Fight Night Round 3, Guitar Hero and other non-violent titles. First-person shootouts in Halo and Quake will sadly not make it on air because of the nature of the content.

The idea of the tournament and the coverage by CBS is pegged on the South Korean model which has an entire nation embracing gaming and making it a part of pop culture. A full-time coverage in the manner that ESPN covers sports isn't possible for video games just yet but for now, this is the biggest step game broadcasting can take in the US.

The CBS coverage is also a pilot test of sorts on how game programming in cable TV initiated by G4 and Gameplay HD can work in a bigger scale. The response of viewers will determine future plans on the coverage of electronic gaming as a sport on the network.

Earlier, we updated you on what's new with Suda51's upcoming title for the Nintendo Wii, No More Heroes - now, here's the video version of that update in all its bloody, cel-shaded glory, courtesy of G4's X-Play.

As you can see, Travis not only can cut up the bog-standard soldier and not-so-standard boss with his Beam Katana, he can also take them down using different pro wrestling maneuvers such as a Full Nelson Slam or a Body Slam to Backbreaker throw - that is, if he can get close enough to pull them off. The results are visually satisfying, and they usually come with a slick finisher courtesy of Travis' beam katana.

We also get to see the beam katana recharging waggle in action, and suffice to say it's definitely going to look weird pulling it off in the middle of a tension-packed boss fight. Well, that's Suda51 for you.

Updates as we get them. In the meantime, enjoy the video!

 

Gamasutra received details on IDG Entertainment's E For All (can we get to calling it E4 sooner or later? Saves on the keystrokes) that shows how the post-E3 is shaping up to the legacy of its predecessor. Never did the phrase "Meet the new boss; same as the old boss" ring any more true: heading up E For All for IDG is Mary Dolaher, previously operations head for E3.

And to that, as so far as Gamasutra had received updated info from IDG (as of March 6), E For All shall feature (subject to change):

• Currently, Sony's and Nintendo's booth presences in E For All, while considerable, will actually be a tad or two smaller than their E3 presence, because the main show floor is limited to the LA Convention Center's South Hall (nothing mentioned for Microsoft; we assume that IDG is still receiving details from Redmond about that)
  
• Other booths include Future Publishing, G4, DirecTV, and the World Series of Video Games Tournament.
• Noise caps are being enforced: nothing above 85 decibels, just like in previous E3.
• Also like in previous E3s: "family friendly fare" that prohibits full or partial nudity, "including live models" and "bathing suit bottoms." No booty calls here either.

There's a report over at eitb24.com that pretty much declares the Wii as the winner of the 2006 Holiday season segment of the video-game console wars. The article takes time to focus on several (actually just Kevin Pereira's) G4 celebrity opinions on the Wii. Given that we've reported on Wii's success already, you guys are probably sick of that bit of good (doubly good if you're a Ninty-fan) news. So we won't focus solely on that.

Instead we'll just give you guys Pereira's bottom-line take on the Wii and then we'll give you Morgan Webb's picks for this season's five hottest games - just because Morgan's hot (despite the man-jaw), and we're greasy, sleazy, man-pigs. Oink.

Kevin Pereira on the Wii's holiday success:

It's a whole new way to play where you are standing up. You are off the couch and you are physically involved with the game that is popped in to the console. So people are discovering that while they are serving a tennis racket their hand goes through a ceiling fan.

Wii related accidents plus thousands of dollars worth of broken home electronics equals sign of Wii's success. Joy!

On to Morgan Webb's top 5 holiday list:

Gears of War – Because everyone is playing it. That, and its duck-for-cover style game play is innovative.
Madden NFL 07 – Because the ball throwing and ball catching is a lot more interactive this year.
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess – Because it is a game for any GameCube owner... or Wii owner.
Lego Star Wars 2: The Original Trilogy – Because Leia's got humps.
Viva Piñata – Because it is a nice innovative Xbox 360 game that nobody is buying because they're too busy killing each other with chainsaws that are built into their primary weapons.

If you manage to score one of these five games as a gift this Holiday Season, consider yourself lucky. Everybody else is probably asking/buying these games for Christmas. Given the games in Morgan's list, you probably already know why we're not posting this in the PS3 blog. Happy Holidays folks!

Activision is responsible for a lot of good titles. One of its more known series, Call of Duty3, will both see action on the PS3 and the X360. The same will happen to its Marvel Ultimate Alliance (PS3, X360) title. The publisher decided to port both games on the Wii. With Nintendo's revolutionary console, it's going to be quite an experience. But that doesn't always mean a good thing, or so says the guys at G4.

After trying all versions of the two games in an Activision’s presser, G4 doesn't really have something bad to say except for the Wii versions. Well, not necessarily bad. Rather, it was more of an expression of discontent. "The Wii’s graphical limitations are impossible to ignore. I was honestly surprised at how rudimentary and old-school the graphics looked," reports G4 about the Marvel game.

Call of Duty 3 on the other hand, seems to be having issues with the controls. G4 laments, "The game seemed nearly unplayable, with the sights jerking around and the view changing with the smallest flinch of the controller." The game becomes usable after turning the sensitivity of the remote way down. Usable, take note, is their word. Not ours.

Nintendo indeed, have signed up a number of titles that seem compatible with the Wii. But being new in the the next-gen arena, it might need some help from successful games like the ones mentioned above to be able to gain ground.

Jack Thompson, whose 15 minutes of fame were up, is back yet again to try and steal some extra seconds! G4's 'Attack of the Show' featured Jack Thompson, Adam Sessler (X-Play co-host), and Mark Friedler (GameDaily CEO). The topic? The upcoming PS2 and Xbox title, Bully. Of course, it all revolved around the entire "Violence in Games" issue in general which is something relevant to every single console from the Wii to the PSP. I won't comment too much on the argument because I don't want to spoil anything. It's fairly short at just seven minutes. If G4 were smarter, they'd have dedicated the entire hour to this argument so you guys could watch some fireworks!