 |
Sony 2008/2009 lineup - when is Nintendo going to do this? Friday / 05.16.08 / 08:59PM / Joe / comments: 3
Sony sent out a press release detailing their major first-party games for the rest of 2008 and into 2009. When is Nintendo going to clue us in about their big games? Animal Crossing Wii is so incredibly due. And anyway, I need time (and rationale) to con all my new Wii owner pals into buying it.
But here's Sony's list... although I cut out some of the crap, like NBA 09:
Hot Shots Golf(R): Open Tee 2 -- PSP (Available June 3, 2008 / E for "Everyone")
Developed by Clap Hanz, Hot Shots Golf(R): Open Tee 2 introduces six challenging new courses, along with new characters to customize using hundreds of accessories. Robust Internet play allows players to challenge other Hot Shots across the globe in tournaments of up to 16 players. Players can tee-off locally with up to eight others via Ad Hoc mode, or engage in a number of single-player modes such as Challenge, Training, and Stroke Play. With the franchise's signature over-the-top visuals and pick-up-and-play action, fans of the series can once again look forward to hitting the links on the go with the most fun and wacky golf experience available.
Never really cared much for gaming golf in general - I don't even own any of the various Mario Golfs - so this is a non-starter.
Secret Agent Clank(TM) -- PSP (Available June 17, 2008 / E10+ for "Everyone 10+")
Ratchet, Clank, and Captain Qwark return to PSP this summer in Secret Agent Clank(TM), an all new adventure where Clank takes the lead as the titular character. Taking cues from spy classics of the past, Secret Agent Clank presents the Ratchet and Clank universe with a spy themed twist, including Clank as the Galaxy's greatest undercover agent dressed in a tuxedo. Developed by High Impact Games, the studio that brought Ratchet & Clank(R): Size Matters to PSP, Secret Agent Clank brings the humor, quality gameplay and action that fans have come to expect from the franchise back to PSP.
You guys. Captain Qwark is the WORST part of the Ratchet franchise. He's not funny; he's a boring, predictable cliche. (Speaking of boring and predictable, did you hear that they might actually make Beyond Good & Evil 2? Ba-zing!) The Ratchet team ought to be doing everything they can to veer away from Qwark, and yet he figures into every damn game.
wipEout(R) HD -- PSN (Available Summer 2008 / Rated E10+)
One of the most beloved PlayStation franchises of all time returns with wipeout(R) HD for PS3. Available exclusively for download on PlayStation Store, players race at blazing speeds and experience adrenaline-filled, anti-gravity racing action in full-1080p High Definition (HD) running at a breathtaking 60-frames-per-second. Featuring a selection of the best tracks from previous versions of the wipEout franchise meticulously reworked for PS3, wipEout HD supports up to eight player online multiplayer racing in addition to various other race modes like Tournament, Time Trial and Speed Lap. Featuring a new Pilot Assist option to help players navigate tracks at blazing speeds, wipEout HD also includes a Photo Mode, support for the SIXAXIS wireless controller's motion sensing controls, and a bumping soundtrack with Dolby 5.1 surround.
The way they insist on spelling wipEout makes me giggle. Not especially interested, although I would like to see all that HD stuff in action.
Elefunk(TM) -- PSN (Available Summer 2008 / E for "Everyone")
Elefunk(TM) is a PS3 construction puzzle game exclusively for download on PLAYSTATION Network. In Elefunk, players are tasked with building bridges and structures capable of supporting elephants as they stroll across treacherous ravines, rivers, fire pits and swamps. Using various materials with real world physics applied to them -- ranging from metal to wood and rope -- players must select the proper materials and pieces to build a structure that will hold up the crossing elephants. With single and multi-player gameplay both on and offline, Elefunk delivers simple and fun gameplay for the casual fan, with leaderboards and challenging modes for the more competitive gamer.
This is the first I've heard of this one. Sounds interesting. I'm always up for an elephant-based civil engineering puzzle game.
PixelJunk(TM) Eden -- PSN (Available Summer 2008 / Not Yet Rated)
PixelJunk(TM) Eden is the third PSN title from the addictive PixelJunk series by Japanese developer Q-Games. In this stunning platform game, the player feels like a small insect seeing a garden for the first time. Within this constantly evolving and vibrant 2D plant environment, the player leaps and swings between lush plants, smashing into approaching enemies and navigating around the undergrowth to gather treasures. Through various levels, the player is treated to stylish 1080p graphics, a dynamic soundtrack and addictive gameplay. PixelJunk Eden supports both single and co-op play.
The PixelJunk guys are 1 for 2 with me, but that 1 is a biiiiiiig 1. So I'm well primed for Eden.

SIREN: Blood Curse -- PSN (Available Summer 2008 / Not Yet Rated)
Released in twelve downloadable episodes, SIREN: Blood Curse delivers a haunting and horrifying story exclusively to PS3. Set in the Japanese village of Hanuda, an American TV crew has arrived to research and film an expose on the legend of a "vanished village." Controlling seven different playable characters, the player must discover the mystery behind the curse that grips the eerie village of Hanuda. The unique "sight jack" system allows the player to see from the point of view of the Shibito, or living dead, to avoid their detection or watch as they close in on the crew. Intense graphics, realistic character animation, and a gritty film-like graphical presentation add to the horror of SIREN: Blood Curse.
I liked the idea of Siren, but I found the first one just about unplayable. However, Siren is very similar to Fatal Frame, so I can see me giving this one a go.
SOCOM: US Navy SEALs Confrontation -- PS3 (Available September 16, 2008 / Not Yet Rated)
With the power of PS3, SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation will deliver the most intense and authentic high definition modern combat action. Delivering a global-scale combat experience that has been refined over four generations of the SOCOM franchise, SOCOM Confrontation gives players the opportunity to battle against the best and brightest from the U.S., Europe and Asia. Players will be able to modify their appearance through facial and physical customization and battle across seven North African environments, including a 32-player version of the most popular SOCOM map of all time "Crossroads." Additional themed packs containing new Special Forces, weapons, maps and features will be made available for download via the PLAYSTATION(R)Store.
"Four generations"? That many? Oy. No thanks.
LittleBigPlanet(TM) -- PS3 (Available October 2008 / Not yet Rated)
Developed by Media Molecule, LittleBigPlanet(TM) is a new and hugely innovative PS3 title that establishes a new genre called "creative gaming." LittleBigPlanet allows players to Play, Create and Share inside a glued-together and hand-stitched 3D landscape. Players customize and control their burlap Sackboy (or Sackgirl) character and can PLAY alone or with up to three others, exploring a variety of developer-created levels. Also, using a simple tool system, players can CREATE their own objects and even full levels. Players can then SHARE these creations with their friends or with the world through the online PLAYSTATION Network community.
A million yes's. Hurry up hurry up hurry up. I have such moist anticipation for this one.
BUZZ!(TM) Quiz TV -- PS3 (Available Fall 2008 / Not Yet Rated)
This fall BUZZ!(TM), the popular quiz show franchise, makes its way for the first time to PS3 with BUZZ!(TM) Quiz TV. BUZZ! Quiz TV comes stocked with five different channels of questions including Music, Movies & TV, Sports, Brainiac and Lifestyle, combining to deliver over 5,000 questions. Extending the quiz show network beyond the disc, up to four players from anywhere in the U.S. can team up for trivia showdowns in the online multiplayer mode, Sofa vs. Sofa, and new quiz packs to be available for download from the PLAYSTATION(R)Network. Also, for trivia fans wanting to see if they can trump others with their own vast library of knowledge, Mybuzzquiz.com will provide a global community for players to create and share their own quizzes online and make available to download on PS3.
I have to say I'm interested in this, but not intensely so. I guess it's a modern You Don't Know Jack. The only current Buzz is a very late (like, last year late) PS2 edition with special game show-style controllers. Shouldn't there have been a Wii game like this by now?
MotorStorm(TM) Pacific Rift -- PS3 (Available Fall 2008 / Not Yet Rated)
The most brutal offroad racing festival is back, with players this time attempting to tackle the diversity and unpredictability of a remote Pacific island environment. Developed by Evolution Studios exclusively for PS3, MotorStorm(TM) Pacific Rift revisits the intense racing action introduced in last year's MotorStorm(TM), this time allowing players to navigate a radically different tropical environment chock full of lush jungle, towering peaks, and crystal-clear water. Players will experience a greater selection of tracks and vehicles to choose, as well as extensive multiplayer options including four player split screen and races with up to 20 players online. Additionally players will be able to utilize a new photo mode to save images within the game and for the first time be able to take music from their PS3's HDD to create a customized soundtrack.
Go ahead, guess what feature I like out of that.

Resistance 2(TM) -- PS3 (Available Fall 2008 / Not Yet Rated)
On the brink of annihilation, mankind resumes the fight against the unstoppable Chimera on the shores of the United States. Thus the stage is set for Resistance 2(TM), the highly anticipated follow-up to Insomniac Games' best-selling PS3 launch title. Players will once again step into the war-torn boots of Sgt. Nathan Hale, who not only faces near impossible odds on the battlefield, but also struggles with the Chimera virus raging inside his own body. In addition to an epic single-player campaign, Resistance 2 will offer a truly unprecedented eight-player, class-based online co-op campaign and 60-player online competitive multiplayer built upon a 'massive battles, greater intimacy' mantra. Also, players can expect tightly integrated community support via MyResistance.net.
Eh. Whatever. I really hated the Resistance print ads (they ran those for a solid year!), and the demo wasn't terribly compelling, so I've got nothing for this.
Killzone(TM) 2 -- PS3 (Available February 2009 / Not Yet Rated)
Developed by Guerilla Games, Killzone(TM) 2 is the highly anticipated first-person shooter created exclusively for PS3. Killzone 2 brings a highly detailed, ultra-realistic "theater of war", where players encounter lifelike and adaptable artificial intelligence (A.I.) from enemies as well as fellow soldiers, destructible environments, and stunningly detailed scenery. Set on the hostile enemy planet of Helghan, players will once again join the ranks of the ISA with a directive to battle through the harsh environment to capture the Helghast emperor and bring the enemy war machine to a halt. With an extensive single-player campaign and thrilling multi-player mode, Killzone 2 delivers a host of new weapons, vehicles, and gameplay elements all wrapped in an intense storyline.
Whatever again. You have to be a pretty damned imaginative shooter to catch my eye these days, especially with console controls. These "ultra-realistic" "competitive multiplayer" "tightly integrated" "lifelike and adaptable" "on the brink of annihilation" games just all fail me somehow. See also Haze, The Darkness, Kane & Lynch, and whatever that time warper game was called.
Hey, why wasn't Home on the list? I know, because it sucks? Seriously, if Sony keeps delaying and delaying this thing, it ain't because they want to add more features to it. It's because it's been flawed from the start. Sony knows it, and at this point they're just desperate to find some way to save face. Anybody in the beta want to change my mind? Because it has been so long and I just don't have any faith in this concept anymore.
I wonder, will I really be done with GTAIV and MGS4 by the end of the year? |
Killzone was a great game. I also agree Home will not be as good as Sony says.
Motorstorm 2 will be AWESOME. I mean the first one was good, but it didn't have splitscreen....which really doesn't make any sense to me. This one is splitscreen, and everything isn't brown like in the first one.
LittleBigPlanet looks interesting. I'm not that good at user created stuff though. I simply cant design a good level.
Wow I need a PS3.
-Taylor
P.S. Sorry if this double posts.
System sellers on that list? ZERO.
I sit out another year of PS3...
If you're not already swayed by GTAIV, MGS4, LittleBigPlanet, Rock Band, Soulcalibur IV, PJ Monsters, plus non-sucky versions of multiplatform games, well I don't know what will get you in. Aside from a Wii-level price, I suppose.