Sony’s E3 press conference started with a very nice montage of different up-coming games for PS3, PSP and even PS2?! Afterwards, PlayStation of America President & CEO, Jack Tretton was introduced on stage. He talked about how Sony’s ten-year plan would bring a home entertainment device into thousands of home which was more than just a games console, but a device for the whole family and that they are taking great strides towards that ten-year plan goal.
Tretton then introduced the President and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, Kazuo Hirai where he wanted to talk about 3D technology. “PlayStation will take both it’s innovation and it’s new content to a whole new level,” said Hirai as he claimed that the PS3 will do to 3D what it did to Blu-Ray. 20 games including the like of Pain, Motorstorm: Pacific Rift and WipEout HD will all be available in 3D via the PlayStation store. Hirai then brought out Hermun Hulst to show off the 3D capabilities of the PS3 with Killzone 3.
Hulst said that Killzone 3 will incorporate full use of the 3D technology, rather then being used as a gimmick. He showed off two scenes from the games fourth level set in the Artic North of the planet Helgan. The audience where then asked to put on their 3D glasses as the gameplay trailer started. It showed two rangers fighting against a group of jet-pack wearing enemies on what appeared to be an oil rig. We then saw the player wearing one of the jet-packs, hopping from platform to platform fighting enemies along the way. The next scene featured our player operating a gun turret whilst onboard a vehicle blowing the oil rig-like structure to bits. As the trailer ended, Hulst announced that Killzone would be available worldwide from February 2011 and will be fully functional with PlayStation Move.
Hulst said that Killzone 3 will incorporate full use of the 3D technology, rather then being used as a gimmick. He showed off two scenes from the games fourth level set in the Artic North of the planet Helgan. The audience where then asked to put on their 3D glasses as the gameplay trailer started. It showed two rangers fighting against a group of jet-pack wearing enemies on what appeared to be an oil rig. We then saw the player wearing one of the jet-packs, hopping from platform to platform fighting enemies along the way. The next scene featured our player operating a gun turret whilst onboard a vehicle blowing the oil rig-like structure to bits. As the trailer ended, Hulst announced that Killzone would be available worldwide from February 2011 and will be fully functional with PlayStation Move.
Hirai returned to the stage and told everyone about other 3D games like Crysis 2, Mortal Kombat, The Sly Collection and Gran Turismo 5. He then asked the audience to put their 3D glasses back on to watch a compilation video of all the 3D compatible games announced so far.
Jack Tretton returned to talk about the tenth anniversary of the PlayStation 2, saying that it’s a great testament to not only the software on the console, but also the consumer support. He also mentioned that more people are buying PS3’s and connecting them to the internet, not just for online gaming but to also download movies, surf the web and to stream music. Tretton them turned his focused onto the PlayStation Move and introduced Peter Dille onto the stage to explain more about the new controller.
Dille explained how the PS Move controller worked, using the PlayStation Eye camera to track the motion of the light at the top of the Move controller, resulting in precise movement. A video was then shown featuring different developers talking about the PlayStation Move and the possibilities it held. Once the video had ended, Dille explained that because the Blu-Ray disc can hold so much data, developers are able to put two versions of one game on the same disc -one with Move compatibility and one without- offering great value to the consumer.
Dille explained how the PS Move controller worked, using the PlayStation Eye camera to track the motion of the light at the top of the Move controller, resulting in precise movement. A video was then shown featuring different developers talking about the PlayStation Move and the possibilities it held. Once the video had ended, Dille explained that because the Blu-Ray disc can hold so much data, developers are able to put two versions of one game on the same disc -one with Move compatibility and one without- offering great value to the consumer.
Dille then showed off some brand new games to utilize the PlayStation Move. First up was Creative Director from The Workshop Christian Busic and his game Sorcery, where by using the Move controller the play can cast spells to defeat enemies in and action/adventure game. Next up was Andrew Wilson from EA Sports who brought Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 along with him. The game looks very nice, but as Wilson was taking a few swings, he missed the ball. Poor programming on EA’s part or rubbish skills from Wilson? Hard to say. Finally, Dille returned to show us a new game, Heroes on the Move featuring Ratchet & Klank, Jak & Daxter and Sly Raccoon in a platform game. The fans in the audience then started to cheer as Kevin Butler, the man from the American PS3 adverts, came on stage to bring some light-hearted humour to the event, basically saying how gaming on the PS3 is awesome. Dille wrapped up his PlayStation Move presentation saying that the new motion controller will be available in Europe first on September 15th , then on September 19th in America and October 21st in Japan.
Jack Tretton then came back onto the stage and began to talk about the PSP and started with showing the audience a new ad campaign for North America, which was very similar to the Kevin Butler commercials expect it’s got some black kid called Marcus in it. Tretton then went through a list of various PSP titles that fans can expect to see in the near future such as Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, Ace Combat: Joint Assault and God of War: Ghosts of Sparta.
Things then moved swiftly on to the PlayStation Network where Tretton talked about how popular PSN has become within the past couple of years, with over 50 million registered users. He also mentioned that the Sony PlayStation booth at E3 had been replicated in PS Home, so that people who were unable to attend the show now had the chance to join in on all the fun. Attention then turned to the contend aspect of PSN, with Tretton saying that with games such as LittleBIGPlanet and ModNation Racers, players are able to bring their own ideas to life. He then introduced Alex Evans from Media Molecule to talk about LittleBIGPlanet 2. Evans talked about the new features that fans can expect to see in LBP2 along with some of mini games that are possible to create in the game. A puzzle game, a bumper car game and a free-for-all action game.
It was then announced that PlayStation Network would be getting a subscription based service to work alongside the current PSN, known as PlayStation Plus. “PlayStation Plus give gamers the opportunity to expand and enhance their gaming experience,” said Tretton where exclusive content will be available for gamers including beta invitations, free themes and wallpapers and even some free PSN games. The service will launch at the end of the month and will cost $49.99 (£39.99) for a years subscription or $17.99 (£15.99) for 3 months, with the first 3 months free for everyone.
It was at this point in the press conference where it seemed as if Sony had said everything they could about the services and products that have lined up. So, for some reason, they introduced various developers on stage from different companies. EA where introduced first and talked about some of their games. Medal of Honor and Dead Space 2 where shown along with a mention of the new Need for Speed title. Following them was Valve Entertainment’s Gabe Newell who showed off a teaser trailer for Portal 2. Other games shown from third-party developers where Final Fantasy XIV, Mafia II and Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, along with a trailer for inFamous 2 and a concrete release date of November 2nd for the highly anticipated Gran Turismo 5.
It was at this point in the press conference where it seemed as if Sony had said everything they could about the services and products that have lined up. So, for some reason, they introduced various developers on stage from different companies. EA where introduced first and talked about some of their games. Medal of Honor and Dead Space 2 where shown along with a mention of the new Need for Speed title. Following them was Valve Entertainment’s Gabe Newell who showed off a teaser trailer for Portal 2. Other games shown from third-party developers where Final Fantasy XIV, Mafia II and Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, along with a trailer for inFamous 2 and a concrete release date of November 2nd for the highly anticipated Gran Turismo 5.
Sony then closed the show with a surprise announcement that no-one saw coming. A brand new Twisted Metal game. Co-founders of Eat, Sleep, Play David Jaffe and Scott Campbell where on stage to show of the new game in action along with a few of the games modes. The two men also announced that Twisted Metal is exclusive for the PS3 and will be available in 2011.
Did any of your predictions come true or are there still things that you thing Sony are missing out on let us know in the comments bar below.
Did any of your predictions come true or are there still things that you thing Sony are missing out on let us know in the comments bar below.
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