After the resounding thud that was Nintendo’s E3 conference, I was pacing nervously; wondering if Sony would pull the manhole cover over themselves upon completing their keynote today. Seeing as the PSP GO had leaked and everyone already knew God of War 3 was en route, it was important that Sony redeem itself to its core audience and breathe new life into the most expensive console on the market. I couldn’t speculate how they would combat Microsoft’s tsunami of motion camera innovation, incredible software and user-friendly apps from Monday without looking like the desperate and defeated champions of yesteryear. (Announcing a longer wait for Gran Turismo 5 isn’t something worthy of a keynote, people.) When Jack Tretton proclaimed that 2008 was the year of the PS3, he probably didn’t mean the billions of dollars lost by 2009. And I am one of the few skeptics who can’t believe that Kratos can resurrect a console that Snake could not. As the curtain rose for Sony’s presentation, I held my breath and sat poised at the keyboard…
Jack Tretton Knows Best
After an overproduced opening movie set to the music of Queen, the familiar symbols of triangle, circle, square and x give birth to the PSP, PS 3, and the (gasp!) PS2. We were thrust into the PSN and screen shots of Singstar, 3rd party IPs and a few familiar faces…Queen keeps on singing…until we see a purple, I mean “Lilac” PSP..and oh no…a reminder of Sony Home. And then the ever elusive DC Universe MMORPG flashes on screen again. My neck hairs stand up, hoping we might hear more about that special project which keeps my childhood dreams alive…
Mr. Tretton then comes out to explain his billion dollar loss…oh wait…never mind. Instead, he mentions the fact that the press leak will not out-do anybody and that he’s about to have a heart attack regardless. Perhaps he could use a “Wii Vitality Sensor” to help him monitor his condition. He then tells us that there are 364 games coming out this year. That’s nearly one a day!!! And only the PS3 can pump out resolution in live code for a 40×80 ft. screen behind him. Yay. He then goes on to remind us that “Sony has been committed to ground breaking innovation and creativity for 15 years….” Tretton had vapid teleprompter eyes by this point and I zoned out until he mentioned “Rachet and Clank 2″ and “Heavy Rain” amongst the exclusives. Yet no trailers. Harrumph.
The Console That Will Never Die
His next bit surprises me: He talks about the seemingly eternal behemoth that is the PS2, which contrary to the Drudge Report, invaded Canada and Latin America with record numbers in the 9th year of its lifespan. That means Canada and Latin America should get the PS3s sometime by 2016. Sony is committed to keeping the PS2 alive past the 10 year life cycle as long as they see fit. They are pumping out 100 new titles, including major franchises. “Today’s ps2 owners are tomorrow’s ps3 owners.” Tretton mused. Yeah, If tomorrow is $200 bucks cheaper. Then there’s something about 22 million units sold last year drowned out by monotone delivery, boring graphs and maps depicting world domination…I mean “global reach”.
Mr. Tretton spews some more numbers, citing that PSN has 24 million registered accounts as of today. (This will be an important number later in the piece, so remember it!) He then accuses of everyone having insomnia from playing some game called “Infamous” and doles out the metascores from the mega-awesome reviews. Infamous is one of 35 exclusive titles for the PS3 in 2009. Now that our math class is over, he hands it over to Evan Wells from Naughty Dog, who gives us our long awaited look at hands-on play of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. But before that, he makes sure to remind us that they have maxed out the PS3’s processors on this one, so if you have ever imagined the PS3 will look better in the future, think again, Bubba. He then lets the crowd know that the Uncharted 2 multi-player Beta starts tonight at midnight. I hear someone faint. And that’s before the demo.
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
When I bought my PS3, the first game I grabbed was Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. Naughty Dog had buried Tomb Raider with its intuitive gameplay and lush visuals. What they showed today has raised the bar so high, I don’t think Lara Croft will ever recover. With seamless cinematic moments streamed into gameplay that boasts the best visuals I have ever witnessed on any platform, UC2: AT was the perfect game to remind Sony owners why they owed their machines beyond the nifty Blu-ray player. I uttered the following during the video: “The depth of field in the uncharted demo is simply outrageous…How does Drake not jump into the helicopter fire?!? What a great cover system! Graphics and lighting are top notch! God, how does he keep from bleeding to death?”
Yet no release date is uttered. Speculation has put it anywhere between September and December 21st, 2009. I simply cannot wait.
M.A.G.
Short for Massive Action Game, M.A.G. is the largest console online FPS ever. And to prove it, Andy Bowden of Zipper Interactive came out to demonstrate it, complete with 256 real-time live players. The minute he entered the mapping interface, it became intimidating to see the scale of it. Also, trying to manage 4 squadrons and keep track of 128 live enemies turned my hair white. Andy’s crony played as squad leader, earning points for the execution of every order by his squad mates. This involved tackling a bunker with compact explosives (which you must defend from the onslaught of enemies before they detonate) and securing a forward position by taking out the anti-aircraft guns (which in turn permitted concentrated cluster bombing on the front wall of the main base and new respawn points within helicopters). They then elicited a million screams of delight from the audience after announcing that the server would be up for the remaining 3 days and playable on the E3 floor.
Sony continued its teasing ambiguous with another “Fall ‘09″.
The Worst Kept Secret of E3: The PSP GO
Jack’s eyes have not secreted any fluids at this point due to his teleprompter trance, but he finds enough strength to summarize what makes the PSP 2000 so great: Skype, Internet Radio, 400 proven titles like Final Fantasy, God of War, etc. And he plugs a few PSP upcoming exclusive games- the only one that caught my dwindling interest was “Asssassin’s Creed: Bloodlines” due November 10th. Shortly thereafter, the crowd gets in a fervor when its announced that Disney Interactive has signed on with a Hannah Montana game and Lilac PSP. I smell sarcasm. With new partners Disney and Nickelodeon and games like Petz, Loco Roco, Patapon and Hannah, the PSP is looking to crack the wallets of the pre-teen market in a whole new color: Purple. I mean “Lilac”.
Mr. Tretton finally gives his eyes a rest and gives way to the indomitable Kaz Hirai who can only be here for one reason: To spin a yarn about going on a road trip to engage customers in what specific changes they wanted made to the PSP. (Sounds like last year’s Wii ads, if you ask me…) The result is, drum roll, “the worst kept secret of E3″: The PSP GO. Declaring digital downloads as the future, hollers and woos erupt as Kaz pulls the mini PSP from his pocket. Specifically designed for the “digital lifestyle” its 50% smaller than the first gen PSP, chock full of 16 gb flash memory, Wi-fi, Bluetooth and a m2 memory stick port.
In an effort to streamline just about everything, Sony has launched the new app: Media Go. Media Go is now the way to access PS store via a more intuitive interface from your PC. In an effort to fight iTunes’s “Genius” Sony’s “Sense Me” is a music mix tape creator, based on “moods” and “occasion.” Kaz then silences the crowd by mentioning a price reduction of 75%; only it seems he was talking about a “Development Toolkit price reduction.” Not quite the price cut we were looking for today, Kaz. And then the rub- The PSP GO will retail for $249 dollars in North America and $249 Euros. Ouch. Economy what?
PSN and Gran Turismo (PSP)
Kaz switches gears briefly to reassure loyalists that PSN is growing bigger everyday with new partnerships with G4, E!, HDNET, TNA, Magnolia Films, Anime Network and Shotime as well as a video delivery service for the PSP GO, seeing as it has no UMD drive. As if on cue to peoples skepticism of the processing power and memory of the PSP GO, Poliphony founder Kaz Yamauichi comes out to announce (through a horrendously lazy translator) that Gran Turismo P will launch side by side with the Go as the first big downloadable game ad he has one in his hand! Running at 60 fps, GTP will feature 800 cars, 35 tracks with 60 variations, Time trial mode, SP mode, drift trials, GT mission challenge mode, and of course the instruction-laden Legacy License Mode, GTP has all the bells and whistles of the console version. Wi-fi plays its role in GTP with an ad-hoc mode that allows you to race together with 4 other players, trade and share cars and mock each other’s Yugos. Much to the chagrin of attendees, the PSP GT would be on display on the show floor whereas GT5 remained noticably absent until the end. Perhaps Yamauchi should have concentrated on finishing GT5 before announcing another portable incarnation of GT. He exited stage left to a mild applause. I could almost hear a fan yell “Go finish yer gahddam game already!!”
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (PSP)
Kaz returns to save the day by bringing Microsoft’s Man of the Year Hideo Kojiima out to the crowd. Only, the English-speaking Kojiima of yesterday has been replaced with a Japanese-translated Kojiima! Instead of revealing that MGS: Rising is multi-platform, Hideo smiles and lets everyone know Snake (albeit Solidus) is returning to the PSP in MGS: Peace Walker. “It’s a true sequel to the MGS franchise,” Kojima noted. Taking place 10 years after Snake Eater, Peace Walker follows the military coup of Costa Rica and the missing link story of the formation of Outer Heaven. Hideo assures that he has written the script and is producing the project as well. Peace Walker will serve as an integral part of the Metal Gear canon, bridging the gap between MGS3 and MGS. The trailer is chock full of clones getting into hairy situations and professing team tactics. And then there was the credits, the part where a homo-erotic Easter egg startled the crowd. You have to see the trailer to believe it.
The Rest of the PSP and checking in at HOME
Several more new titles including a stand-alone Resident Evil and Little Big Planet are heralded followed by a montage featuring the new SOCOM, Monster Hunter, Motorstorm, Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny, Final Fantasy: Dissida, and (wait for it…) Hannah Montana! Tretton then crawled back out to reiterate the attraction of PSN: 475 million pieces of content downloaded! 90 exclusive titles, and available today? FINAL FANTASY VII. Take that, e-bay gougers!!
Sigh. Tretton has squashed all that was wonderful by bringing up Home again. Feigning pride, he accolades the 6.5 million people using home, of whom 85% are return users. I don’t care. That only means that 18 million other PSN users hated it too.
Another montage film fires up, this time PS3-centric with glimpses of Tekken 6, Ice Age, Saw, Batman, Ninja Gaiden, Tiger Woods, Madden, G Force, Rock Band 2, Ghostbusters, Lost Planet 2, Guitar Hero 1000, Final Fantasy 13 AND 14, Heavy Rain, Hustle Hogs, Patapon, Katamari, Fat Princess, Singstar, DC Universe (gasp!!!!!), Motorstorm, Bioshock 2, Jak, God of War 3 and more. Mild applause preludes Tretton reminding people of the glory days of Sony when GTA was an exclusive to the PlayStation. Well, guess what? Rockstar North is coming back with an exclusive. Sure, no pics. But it has a really cool font…
The press release says it all: “AGENT takes players on a paranoid journey into the world of counter-intelligence, espionage and political assassinations during the height of the Cold War at the end of the 1970s.” Sounds great. How about a picture or two to whet our appetites, Rockstar North? No? How about a…Okay. I get it. No Release Date.
Assassin’s Creed 2
The first real time demo of AC2 by the French boys who made it. While not as visually arresting as yesterday’s trailer, it still looks simply gorgeous as played on PS3. Your new assassin Ezzio is another descendant of Desmond’s, who of course, is still playing around in the Anibus. It was revealed that Leonardo da Vinci plays an important role as your gadget man. All your gear, hidden or not, is a product of the Renaissance’s largest contributor. The demo showcased the Flying Man glider straight from Leonardo’s sketchbooks which is kept aloft by open flame’s updrafts. Once Ezzio was relieved of his glider, the dual hidden blades were revealed in a rather showy fashion, taking down to dapper guards in a split second. Also introduced was The Seeker archetype, a guard who doesn’t believe you can just fall into a bale of hay and disappear. As the close battles ensued, complete with weapon stealing and combo kills, the Franco said that 30 different weapons were available with more unlockables should you complete and synchronize the PSP game “AC: Bloodlines”. Finally, Smoke bombs and the Italian ninja that can swim escapes. Ships November 1st.
Final Fantasy XIII…er, I mean XIV?!?
While Square Enix got plenty of accolades from Tretton, one can still smell the sour grapes left over since FFXIII went multi-platform. While Square provided a knock-yer-socks-off, spoiler-laden montage movie of in-game action, CGI and cut scenes, Jack sped along to tell everyone how hard and quickly Square has been working to get Final Fantasy XIV ready for launch in 2010 as a PS3 exclusive…wait, what?!? Tretton smirks and presses play, showing a CGI trailer suggesting what looks like a great return to basics in the Final Fantasy universe. I almost got excited thinking it might be linked to FF VII just because of numerology but then something awful happened: The Title faded in “Final Fantasy XIV…..pause……ONLINE.” While perhaps one of the bigger surprises of the games, you could hear the WOW lovers groan in the distance. But who knows: A self contained MMORPG on PS3 might be a fabulous thing- assuming there’s no subscription costs.
PlayStation Motion Control
OH NO…. “Motion Control Gaming” comes out of Tretton’s mouth. Dr. Richard Marx and some kid named Anthony (who have no idea how to read a teleprompter) acted like nervous girls who didn’t get invited to the prom showcasing their “late-to-the-party” prototype (which is like a wii-mote Plus on steroids). During the 1-to-1 tracking demo, Antonio humiliates himself and curses that he cant hit anything with the most precise controller ever made. They continue to apologize for the controller, citing it as “in development.” That phrase reminds me of the first time Sony showcased Home. I’m holding my breath. Compared to the slickly produced presentation of Project Natal, the Motion Control Gaming demo felt half baked and clunky. While the MCGs uses both the PS Eye and Wi-fi to operate with a level of precision just not possible with the Wii Mote, “plus”, it remains just reinventing the wheel.
While the “true pointing” was precise and archery/melee combat raised eyebrows and expectations ( Not to mention WAAAAY better than the Wii Sports Resort Archery) the stripped down demo sans actual game to prove its merits was a little underwhelming. It felt more like two guys showing off what they have been cooking in the lab to combat the Wii and Project Natal. The PlayStation Motion Control Gaming will remain as a relatively pointless demonstration until we actually see some radical software that utilizes it. Tretton came out trying to save the day by slipping in “The PMC will launch in the Spring of 2010″. Um…okaaaaaaay. I’m gonna sit on my hands until then.
ModNation Racers
In what many of us at Games Are Evil are championing as the “Sleeper Hit of the Year”, Mod Nation Racers woke me up from the yawn fest that was Motion Control Gaming. Embracing the new genre created by Little Big Planet (“Play. Create. Share”) United Front’s take on the Kart Racer is a welcome change to the genre. Adopting the designs aesthetics of Kid Robot, Tokie Dokie and other niche toys, Mod Nation Racers fuses cute and edgy together with a great racer. By harnessing the FULL Power of the PS3, United Front created a track editor that is so powerful they were able to create a full course (complete with intersecting curves and artistic nuances) in 5 minutes in front of the excited crowd.
“Way to drive, Coder boy!”
ModNation Racers actually might be cooler than Little Big Planet just thanks to the speed of building a track and the fact that its your own personal Mario Kart. Set for release sometime in 2010.
The Last Guardian
Hands down this was the best kept surprise for me of E3. I don’t even know what to write. I worship Fumito Ueda and believe he can do no wrong. Even the trailer for the next installment in the “Eco” and “Shadow of the Colossus” family was near perfect in pacing and delivery. After a solitary feather fell near an enormous chain, two talons come crashing down, causing a young tatooed boy to run aimlessly away from the beast lurking in the dark. Once we get to the chasm and the child runs out of room, the beast erupts from the ruins- It is part bird, part fox and something else to be determined. Yet it’s wings are badly damaged and clipped. Saving the boy, the beast lightens up and happily welcomes him on to his back. The music cue and montage that followed suggested that we should brace ourselves for another Ueda tale of love, high adventure, and heart wrenching loss all with a gorgeous ethereal backdrop that is as much a character as the player. Release date is “NOT SOON ENOUGH”.
Gran Turismo 5
Literally a 60 second trailer of nothing. Fia World Rally. NASCAR. Car Damage… Launches whenever its done.
God of War 3
Let me start off by saying I am the wrong guy to write this blurb. I have just purchased GOW 1 and 2 in an effort to learn why Sony puts so much stake in Mr. Jaffe’s creation but have yet to remove the shrink wrap. All I know is that I salivated as I watched Kratos disembowel the Harpy and stab the Minatour in the eye with HIS OWN HORN during the live game play that closed the show. Switiching weapons on the fly, blood and nipples everywhere, and Gods battling it out on the slopes of Mt. Olympus? Maybe I do understand the hype. Whereas I stated earlier I couldn’t believe that God of War would sell PS3s, I am now eating crow. Price drop or not, I have a feeling that Kratos can save the day. And Sony, despite its choice offerings at E3, is in need of a savior. By next April, we should know whether their efforts have paid off or not.
