E3 2009 from a distance: Part 3: Sony Style
Yeah, apparently Sony had a conference too, and they also had a few surprises. But when its presenters weren't intent on surprising, they merely sought to thrill the audience, near and far. For what it's worth, they actually did quite a good job, making it a lot better than the by-the-numbers mind-numbingly boring affair that was last year's. Of course, every conference was better this year, but this was quite the turn-around for Sony.
A shame the same can't be said for the way they're handling their marketing. The PS3 is still a hard sale at $400, regardless of the superlative exclusives in the pipeline. And I'm wondering how well a $250 PSP Go is going to sell, though I and many will agree with its intent (and it's not like the current PSP models can't do most of what that one does). I do think the Go will succeed in drawing in a new audience with its aesthetics, working cooperatively with a renewed game lineup. But the question is will that audience be big enough.
But enough about that. Sony displayed a couple of great looking games at their conference, and really, isn't that what this is all about?
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is one of those games that I'd love to play if I ever get my hands on a PS3 in the near future. And while that game still looks good, here comes Uncharted 2 to take things to the next level. Not that I'd expect anything less from a development company as venerable as Naughty Dog, though sometimes taking things to another level isn't a good thing (see Jak & Daxter). But Uncharted 2 looks like a step in the right direction for the franchise. So the question now will be whether PS3 owners notice that it's a good game and actually buy it. Of course, lowering the price of the current game would help sell the game to people who've yet to play the first game, but it's not like the words "Sony" and "sensible" have gone together too much this generation.
Oh, and they also showed off Trico, Ico and Shadow of the Colossus creator Fumito Ueda's new game, which has been given the official The Last Guardian in the US. Half of the trailer shown was comprised of the unfortunately leaked footage from a couple of weeks ago, but the other half was full of footage running on the game's engine. I have to say that it looks completely stunning, and that's not entirely because of the tech it's running on, but because of it's art style. I think Ueda and his team will have a lot more room to work with so their ambitions aren't held back by outdated technology like SotC was. I think I'll need to get a PS3 by the time this game comes out, though I'm willing to bet that it's probably a good ways off -- it's probably Fall 2010 at the earliest.
It was no surprise at all to see that God of War III looked fantastic, and the demonstration to wrap up the conference was great to look at. And brutal, too; which was also expected seeing as how more realism means more graphic violence. Though it's nothing anyone who's played the previous games can't handle. I'm sure it was a bummer for PS3 owners to hear that the game won't be making it out by the end of the year -- it's coming March 2010 -- but I think it'll definitely be an experience worth waiting for.
Oh, and Final Fantasy XIV was announced, while Final Fantasy XIII still isn't out yet! Though that's only because XIV is an MMORPG, and a spiritual sequel to Final Fantasy XI. I'm not too much of a fan of MMO's, but from what I've heard from Square Enix's press conference (i.e. FFXIV Q&A session) from yesterday afternoon, it's sounding pretty good. It was announced as a PS3 exclusive at Sony's conference, though Square Enix gave a "well, not necessarily" response.
The most shocking aspect of Sony's press conference is the lack of attention on some games, specifically some Sony published games. While the above three were the first-party titles that took the spotlight, attention for games like Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time, Heavy Rain, and White Knight Chronicles was mainly relegated to brief demo reels with other third-party titles. That's a shame, especially after how much Ratchet & Clank: Quest for Booty was kind of a centerpiece last year. Sony overall did a pretty good job in presenting their lineup to everyone, now here's hoping they make more steps towards selling PS3s.
A shame the same can't be said for the way they're handling their marketing. The PS3 is still a hard sale at $400, regardless of the superlative exclusives in the pipeline. And I'm wondering how well a $250 PSP Go is going to sell, though I and many will agree with its intent (and it's not like the current PSP models can't do most of what that one does). I do think the Go will succeed in drawing in a new audience with its aesthetics, working cooperatively with a renewed game lineup. But the question is will that audience be big enough.
But enough about that. Sony displayed a couple of great looking games at their conference, and really, isn't that what this is all about?
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is one of those games that I'd love to play if I ever get my hands on a PS3 in the near future. And while that game still looks good, here comes Uncharted 2 to take things to the next level. Not that I'd expect anything less from a development company as venerable as Naughty Dog, though sometimes taking things to another level isn't a good thing (see Jak & Daxter). But Uncharted 2 looks like a step in the right direction for the franchise. So the question now will be whether PS3 owners notice that it's a good game and actually buy it. Of course, lowering the price of the current game would help sell the game to people who've yet to play the first game, but it's not like the words "Sony" and "sensible" have gone together too much this generation.Oh, and they also showed off Trico, Ico and Shadow of the Colossus creator Fumito Ueda's new game, which has been given the official The Last Guardian in the US. Half of the trailer shown was comprised of the unfortunately leaked footage from a couple of weeks ago, but the other half was full of footage running on the game's engine. I have to say that it looks completely stunning, and that's not entirely because of the tech it's running on, but because of it's art style. I think Ueda and his team will have a lot more room to work with so their ambitions aren't held back by outdated technology like SotC was. I think I'll need to get a PS3 by the time this game comes out, though I'm willing to bet that it's probably a good ways off -- it's probably Fall 2010 at the earliest.It was no surprise at all to see that God of War III looked fantastic, and the demonstration to wrap up the conference was great to look at. And brutal, too; which was also expected seeing as how more realism means more graphic violence. Though it's nothing anyone who's played the previous games can't handle. I'm sure it was a bummer for PS3 owners to hear that the game won't be making it out by the end of the year -- it's coming March 2010 -- but I think it'll definitely be an experience worth waiting for.Oh, and Final Fantasy XIV was announced, while Final Fantasy XIII still isn't out yet! Though that's only because XIV is an MMORPG, and a spiritual sequel to Final Fantasy XI. I'm not too much of a fan of MMO's, but from what I've heard from Square Enix's press conference (i.e. FFXIV Q&A session) from yesterday afternoon, it's sounding pretty good. It was announced as a PS3 exclusive at Sony's conference, though Square Enix gave a "well, not necessarily" response.
The most shocking aspect of Sony's press conference is the lack of attention on some games, specifically some Sony published games. While the above three were the first-party titles that took the spotlight, attention for games like Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time, Heavy Rain, and White Knight Chronicles was mainly relegated to brief demo reels with other third-party titles. That's a shame, especially after how much Ratchet & Clank: Quest for Booty was kind of a centerpiece last year. Sony overall did a pretty good job in presenting their lineup to everyone, now here's hoping they make more steps towards selling PS3s.
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