Microsoft’s E3 2008 Conference in a Nut Shell

Kezins.com wasn’t able to trek out to the smog-filled vistas that the Los Angeles’ downtown sprawl has to offer this year for E3, but we will be filling you in on some of the more exciting things coming out of the week-long “festivities.”

The biggest show stopper was the reveal that Final Fantasy XIII is no longer a Sony exclusive and the PS3 version will be releasing alongside an Xbox 360 version day and date in the U.S. and Europe, as Perez just reported.

Hit the link for a quick rundown of everything else that was revealed, shown, and affirmed (as the pre-E3 leaks can attest to)…

• Bethesda Softworks will be offering up exclusive DLC for the Xbox 360 and PC versions of Fallout 3, similar to what Rockstar is doing with GTA IV.

• Capcom confirmed that Resident Evil 5 will be released out into the wild on Friday the 13 of March 2009 and also revealed online co-op.

• Fable II is, as movie industry folks would say, in the can and will be shipping this October. Peter Molyneux of Lionhead Studios told those in attendance that gamers would have the “ability to play co-op over live, but we’ve added a twist to that.” The twist being that you can play single-player as normal, but your friends will show up as purple “orbs” on your map and you can call them in for a multiplayer match whenever you want.

• Gears of War 2 will “escape” on November 7, not November 12 like previously speculated, and Cliff Bleszinski of Epic Games revealed a new multiplayer “Horde” mode. Gamers will join up as a squad of five and take on a continuous wave of enemies online.

• The Fall Dashboard update will include the already-leaked Avatar system (Nintendo says “Hi.”) and a revamped user interface which will reflect on your Gamercard. The dashboard will also allow you to get a chat together with up to 8 friends and share content amongst yourselves.

• Xbox Live Primetime was announced, which looks like it will run on a schedule where gamers can participate in and win actual prizes.

• Geometry Wars 2 Retro Evolved and Galaga Legions (complete with a Pac-Man: Championship Edition face lift) will release next month on XBLA.

• Portal: Still Alive is a planned 2008 exclusive on XBLA which will include new levels and achievements. Valve sure loves them some Xbox 360.

• Netflix (also previously rumored) has partnered with Microsoft to provide streaming movies through the Xbox 360 which you can share within your Live Party chat. Gold members don’t need to pay extra, but whether all the chat participants need to have a Netflix account wasn’t detailed.

• Microsoft also announced that the original Banjo-Kazooie will be jumping on board the XBLA ship this holiday season.

• For all of you more musically-inclined gamers (i.e. this writer), Guitar Hero will be offering REM tracks before anyone else and it was revealed that Van Halen and The Eagles will be exclusive to that series. Metallica DLC will be releasing for both Guitar Hero III and World Tour when their latest CD, “Death Magnetic,” hits retail in September.

• Lips, the game by Inis who worked on the excellent Elite Beat Agents/Oendun series, will allow you to upload your own tunes from your iPod or Zune for use with the karaoke-style game.

• Rock Band 2 also made an appearance by showing off its play list — 84 in total — with the likes of Bob Dylan (first time in a video game), Guns N Roses, Interpol, and AC/DC (ditto). “Almost all of the original tracks,” said Alex Rigopulos from Harmonix, referring to Rock Band tracks being playable in the sequel.

• Square Enix threw out some RPG release dates with Infinite Undiscovery hitting September 2 in North America, Xbox 360 timed-exclusive The Last Remnant on November 20, and Star Ocean: The Last Hope in Spring 2009. They ended the show with the super-bomb that Final Fanasty XIII would make the jump to Xbox 360.

Thanks to all the sites out there covering show and keeping us up-to-date on the goings-on at the event.