Sony’s Playstation 3 platform already has a lot going for it as a Blu-ray player and media centre, so it’s nice to see developers taking advantage of the machine’s graphics potential in the newest crop of games announced at E3. The only thing wrong with this news is that we won’t see most of them on our televisions until 2010!
Some highlights, in no particular order:
I loved Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune for its attention to honest storytelling and believable character acting. It was the perfect length and felt like a tightly-spun movie. And it looked incredible in HD. This sequel looks better in every way, if that’s possible.
While the first game was not without its problems, it remains a tour-de-force of high-resolution graphics and easy, intuitive parkour running. The most common complaint has been the repetitious nature of the mission system, which this Renaissance-era sequel seems to correct. Ubisoft has also outdone themselves with graphical improvements which will really shine in 1080p.
I enjoyed the first God of War, but never managed to finish the second. The trailer for the third game is bordering on parody, as Kratos stabs everything in his path, from skeletons to ogres to innocent-looking birds. BUT… (you knew there was a but…) I could honestly not tell where the cinema scenes ended and the playable moments began. This game has been described as a painting come to life, and I’d have to agree. Worth a look just to marvel at the visuals and chuckle at the gratuitous violence.
Ico and Shadow of the Colossus are some of the best games of all time – lush, subtle, and the story is delivered via gameplay rather than overt cinema cutscenes. Playing each of these games was like running around the imagination of Hayao Miyazaki, but far more melancholy. I’d have bought this third installment sight-unseen, but this new trailer really amped up my excitement. In under two minutes, I felt an emotional attachment to the main characters, and I have the utmost respect and admiration for an artist’s ability to pull that off.
5. Motion Controls
It remains to be seen how this will play out in software, but Sony’s new motion-control technology looks to improve upon everything Nintendo has made popular in the last few years. True one-to-one motion sensing allows detection of depth as well as lateral motion, so users can, in essence, reach into the screen to manipulate objects, navigate through on-screen items, etc. The tech demo was impressive and very responsive and, most importantly, appears to be ready to hand to developers! I think we’ll be seeing some really interesting applications of this technology very soon.
There was more. Much more. My hope is that in addition to the improved graphics and audio, Sony game developers pack these Blu-ray discs full of interactive extras, features and commentary.
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