E3 2009: Sony press conference (God of War 3, Uncharted 2, MAG, Gran Turismo PSP, and more)
Microsoft and Nintendo have had their time, and now Sony get to amaze us with the games we will be seeing in the coming year. Games shown during the press conference were:
• MAG
The attempt at 256 players in a single game at one time continues to roll along, with a live demo being played (8 of the players were on stage during the demo). It feels like 16 Call of Duty 4 matches all linked into one big shoot-fest, but it could work if they can build a good network to handle all that bandwidth running along.
Release Date: Fall 2009
• Gran Turismo PSP
One of the original games that were shown when the PSP was first announced a few years back, Gran Turismo for the PSP will finally become a reality; running at 60fps, it is a full scale GT, boasting 800 cars and 35 tracks. The single player mode will have the standard races, as well as time and drift challenges, as well as a licensing mode. Ad-hoc mode will also be available, which will allow for up to four players to race against one another; another feature that was touted is the trading and sharing of your cars as well as your friends’ cars.
Release Date: October 1, 2009
• Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
Continuing the MGS story on PSP, Peace Walker will star Solid Snake once again, taking place 10 years after the events of MGS3. Hideo Kojima stating that “it is not a side story, it is not a spin-off”, Peace Walker will take place within 1974, when Costa Rica was attacked by an unknown group, and also involves the rise of Outer Heaven. If reports are right, there are four Snakes (HUH?!).
Release Date: 2010
• Resident Evil Portable
Not much else was said regarding RE, except it would be on the PSP; good guess would be it will be an in-between story or a re-make.
Release Date: 2010
• Agent
Being made by Rockstar North, it will take a player amidst the shadowy world of espionage and assassins in the 1970s. As of this moment, this appears to be a PS3-exclusive title.
Release Date: Unknown
• Assassin’s Creed 2
The sequel to the first game starts right off where the first game ended, with you placed back in the Italian Renaissance; various inventions from Leonardo Da Vinci will be implemented in this game (his flying machine/wings are one example; think hang glider); there will be more then 30 different weapons available in the game, as well as 6 that you can unlock by playing the game on the PSP and connecting it to your PS3.
Release Date: Holiday 2009
• Final Fantasy XIII
While this is already old news, a video was shown for the game and that was about it.
Release Date: Spring 2010
• Final Fantasy XIV
Nope, this is not a typo: Final Fantasy XIV exists, and it is a PS3 exclusive. It is akin to Final Fantasy XI, in the sense that it is an online game.
Release Date: 2010
• ModNation Racers
In the style of LGP, it is a racing game where you play and create custom tracks, and share them among friends and other users; real-time physics, weapons, and launchers are some of the game’s prominent features.
Release Date: 2010
• The Last Guardian
Formerly known simply as Project TRICO, it is pretty much the same trailer that was leaked out a few weeks before E3. Nevertheless, it is beautiful.
Release Date: Unknown
• God of War 3
Easily one of the most anticipated titles of this year’s expo, a live demo was presented to showcase the graphical improvements after going from the PS2 to PS3. Described as the final chapter of the trilogy (not counting Chains of Olympus for the PSP), it takes place right after the second PS2 game, with Kratos seeking to destroy Mount Olympus; expect this game to sell like hotcakes when it drops.
Release Date: March 2010
The following games were all part of a PSP montage, so there is very little info (some we already know of, while others are new):
LittleBigPlanet
SOCOM
Monster Hunter
MotorStorm
Hannah Montana
Harry Potter
Soul Caliber: Broken Destiny
Persona
Invisianimals
Warriors Orochi 2
EchoChrono
Fat Princess
Unbound Saga
Petz
Rock band: Unplugged
PS3 montage:
Uncharted 2
Infamous (already out in stores)
Madden 10 (out in August)
FF XIII
MAG
Batman: Arkham Asylum (out in August)
Brutal Legend
White Knight Chronicles
Dirt 2
Ghostbusters
Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2
Mafia 2
Tekken 6
Buzz: Quiz World
SAW
Overlord 2
Tiger Woods 10
Dark Void
Red Faction: Guerrilla
G Force
Guitar Hero: Van Halen
Pixel Junk Shooter
Fat Princess
Zombie Apocalypse
EyePet
SingStar Queen
DC Universe Online
Fuel (out in June)
GI Joe
LittleBigPlanet (already out)
Saboteur
Bioshock 2
Ratchet and Clank: Crack in Time
God of War 3
That’s it for Sony; with the big three already out of the way, time to focus on the rest of the pack. Ubisoft, Konami, and EA reports will be up soon.
