Sony’s E3 Media Briefing: Additional Impressions

By Matthew Kellar | July 15, 2008

The Sony conference started with the type of hyperbole we have come to expect from the company. However, whenever the games were finally brought out, there was a lot to get excited about. This was, by and large, the best press conference of the show.

To start off we were given another glimpse of Resistance 2 showcasing a truly epic battle with the largest enemy I have seen in a FPS. The game takes place in America with environs including Chicago and Idaho. The Chimera are spreading across the country. The game is large in all aspects, with 8 players able to engage in co-op and over 60 players able to face off in competitive modes. While this is mostly old news, the game was impressively epic when displayed.

The next star of the show was “Sackboy” and his game, Little Big Planet. The game was used to create a level illustrating the usual boring business part of media briefings. The ability to customize the game for this sort of purpose was quite frankly, incredible. It seems anything can be created in this game. Some highlights from this portion include the news that Sony is expanding Playstation availablility to Latin America. In addition, a PS3 Greatest Hits line is coming soon including the following games for $29.99: Resistance, Motorsotorm, Warhawk, Call Of Duty 3, Fight Night, Need for Speed: Carbon, Rainbow Six Vegas, Assassin’s Creed, Oblivion, and Ninja Gaiden Sigma.

Continued support of Playstation 2 was detailed next with many games continuing to receive release on PS2. No new titles were announced for the system, but gamers who have not made the next-gen jump will still have plenty to play, it seems. In a strange move, Sony announced a Lego Batman PS2 bundle that also includes the animated film Justice League: New Frontiers for $149 this fall.

Next up was news regarding the evolution of the Playstation Network. Ratchet and Clank Future: Quest for Booty was officially announced. It is a shorter game and will be less costly ($14.99). It seems to be a glorified expansion pack that offers some new gameplay elements. Several other downloadable titles were displayed such as Crash Commando, Pixel Junk: Eden, Ragdoll Kung Fu, a new Siren game, and an interesting title called Flower.

Sony then pimped Gran Turismo TV which allows for viewing of actual automotive races as well as other racing related videos available on a pay-per-view basis through Gran Turismo 5: Prologue. This content will be available August 1st.

Playstation Home was again on display and we were reassured that our patience will be worth it (I’m not so sure about that). One of the most interesting features were the game spaces. Who wouldn’t want to observe a bottled-up Chimera corpse while socializing with friends?

One of the bigger surprises was that Sony will have a downloadable video service available TONIGHT through the Playstation Network with new titles added every week. The pricing structure is as follows: $1.49 to $2.99 for television programs, $2.99 to $5.99 for movie rentals, and $9.99 to $14.99 for movie purchases. The best part is that the films are portable and can be watched on PS3 or PSP. The content can exist on multiple devices at the same time. It seems Sony has a lot of partners participating in this service and a VERY large number of titles were scrolled through in the demonstration. Another neat feature is that you can watch streaming previews of the movies before purchase. It supposed to take an hour or so to download movies, but you can watch the film while the latter parts of it are still downloading. There is also the potential to use the PSP video out feature to use the PSP to watch the film on any television anywhere without having to lug your PS3 around.

A new PSP bundle was also announced which includes Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters, Echochrome voucher, 1GB Memory stick, and National Treasure: Book of Secrets, available in time for the holidays.

Sony’s next surprise game was for the PSP, Resistance: Retribution. It is a techinically impressive third person shooter that allows gamers to blow stuff up on the go. Video footage was also shown of Loco Roco 2, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Super Stardust Portable, Lego Batman, Patapon 2, Valkyrie Chronicles, and Buzz: Master Quiz.

DC Universe Online was displayed by Sony Online by none other than comic book superbadass Jim Lee! Despite being my favorite artist ever, he also appears to help produce videogames. In this massively multiplayer game you get to create your own hero or villain and fight alongside your favorite DC characters. For example, you might be able to help Lex Luthor kill Superman!

The next major showing was a teaser trailer for God of War III that everyone saw coming. This was followed by another trailer of the not oft shown game, Infamous. In a word, it looks…impressive. It showcased some impressive environmental navigation not unsurprisingly reminiscent of Sly Cooper. It seems there will be a lot of badass jumping from building to building as well as other feats of acrobatic prowess.

Arguably, the biggest surprise of the show came from Zipper Interactive of SOCOM fame. They are working on the uncleverly titled PS3 game, Massive Action Game (or MAG). The game was incredibly impressive. It allows 256 players to play simultaneously separated into 8-player squads led by higher ranked players. The game boasts a command structure that actually has a purpose. Faction-based campaigns will be included to encourage continued play. The game features large scale combat with squads and character growth.

Sony also announced that the 80GB Playstation 3 will now cost $399.99 giving consumers more system for their money. This was one of the bigger PS3 announcements. Overall, Sony’s press conference was impressive and did well to increase anticipation for the future of Sony’s systems.

Press Conference Viewed Via: IGN