When’s It Happening?
June 15th: Playstation Media Briefing, the Shrine Auditorium
Why Should I Care?
Hard to say – Sony leak more than a BP oil spill during the run-up to E3. In the past few weeks we’ve became aware of the “leaked†first details on LittleBigPlanet 2, inFAMOUS 2, Killzone 3 and Motorstorm 3 – so why does this keep happening? Even one of last year’s big E3 reveals, the PSP Go handheld upgrade, was known for weeks ahead of its “official announcement†and sadly little appears to have changed this year.
If Sony’s show may turn out to be free of huge surprises, it certainly won’t be free of content. Aside from the aforementioned titles, look out for Final Fantasy XIV, the Playstation Move-enabled SOCOM 4 and The Last Guardian, a stunning title from the creators of PS2 classics Ico and Shadow of the Colossus. Click that link, pick your jaw off the floor and remember that in a few short days we could be looking at real-time footage.
Hopefully Sony has some unforeseen first-party exclusives to add to an already heavy duty software lineup. In addition, the main focal point of Sony’s conference will be the much buzzed-about but little seen Playstation Move, the company’s Project Natal and Wii motion control rival
What Should I Look Out For?
Playstation Move – Look familiar? Bearing a striking resemblance to Nintendo’s Wii Remote and Nunchuk, the once-dubbed Wand motion controller was officially unveiled as Playstation Move at this year’s Games Developer’s Conference (GDC). Essentially a Wii HD, the controller will replicate the exact movements of the players through an included motion sensor, with the big advantage of state of the art graphics and greater character control – a three-axis gyroscope, a three-axis accelerometer and a terrestrial magnetic field sensor you say? Don’t mind if we do.
Of course the Wii’s main problem has been Nintendo’s inability to bridge a gap between the demands of its core customer base for hardcore titles and the expanded audience desire for simpler fare such as Wii Sports. With a software library at GDC boasting mini-game collections (Move Party) and more advanced implementation through SOCOM 4, Sony are clearly hoping to strike an elusive balance between the two. Do hardcore PS3 gamers want motion controls? Will your mum and grandad buy a PS3 next? We’ll be a step closer to answering those questions when we get full launch details at E3.
Gran Turismo 5 – Remember this one? It’s been five years since Gran Turismo 4 and long-suffering GT fans could be forgiven for wondering exactly what the hell series creator Kazunori Yamauchi has been up to in the interim. Not that there’s any mystery – no sooner is motor head Kaz photographed at a NASCAR event do developers Polyphony Digital suddenly announce the stock-car racing giant is on its way to GT5, with another interminable delay to follow. With a confirmed 170 cars, 16-player online mode, optional 3D resolution and the official licenses to NASCAR, WRC and Super GT all coming to the Gran Turismo series for the first time, it feels like Kaz is constantly making sequels to games he never even released.
Kaz, we’re all coming to you today as a sort-of intervention. Gran Turismo 5 will be great, you don’t have to worry about letting us down in that regard – we already enjoyed the Prologue version. Even the Prologue version came out two years ago though! So let’s do this shall we – playable version at E3, full details during the press conference and an absolutely set-in-stone launch date for later this year? If Axl Rose was finally able to pull the finger out and release Chinese Democracy we’re sure you can do the same for gaming’s equivalent – and we’ll be forever grateful.
What Not to Expect?
To be able to watch the press conference live stream properly. Let’s not forget that Sony are an electronics company first and foremost so seated journalists will likely be donning 3D glasses for Sony Bravia 3D HDTV first looks throughout the show. Killzone 3 is already confirmed to be shown in 3D so expect any major first-party software reveals for 3D specs-clad journos and rendered useless for viewers with live streams.
Any Crazy Rumours?
PSP 2 anyone… anyone? Industry analysts are expecting a touch-screen PSP successor and a premium PSN service to effectively model the paid-for model of Xbox Live. Both are actually pretty reasonable predictions in any case and not quite the level of crazy we’re looking for so let’s bring out the big guns – Final Fantasy VII remake? It won’t happen but that’s a show-winner right there if you’re listening Sony.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ podcast – listen to the latest episode now!
