We tagged along with some folks from Sony to see some of their upcoming titles and gear, and we were not disappointed. They have a great line-up coming down the pipe and they are really putting some muscle behind 3D Technology. To be honest, I’m not sold on 3D just yet, but last night was definitely an eyeopener. I got to demo Virtua Tennis 4, Kill Zone 3, along with U.S. Navy Seals all in 3 D and they all looked fantastic.
Kill Zone 3:
This game is awesome! Not only were the graphics visually stunning, gameplay was relatively smooth and intuitive. I got to play with the Sony Move Sharpshooter apparatus which gives you the ability to play the game standing up and pointing a gun towards the screen. It has shooting options such as automatic, and semi-automatic, and you can reload by striking the bottom of the apparatus as if you are actually changing a clip. Very cool.
Virtua Tennis 4: It looked great in 3D and can definitely become a good work-out with the playstion Move Controller, especially if you play against anyone good! They have completely revamped the Virtua Tennis world and you can now look at a map of events which makes it feel RPG-ish. Your character suffers from fatigue as times goes along as well. There are also a bunch of mini games to sharpen your skills.
U.S. Navy Seals: I was most impressed with their use of 3D with this game. There are images on the screen that represent where your team is and enemies as well as ammo etc that seemingly float above the action. So your most important information is right on the screen with you, but not in the way. The shrubs and other objects in the game really pop out at you and I enjoyed sneaking up on enemies and executing a well thought out plan with my computer teammates!
We did get to check out the XPeria Play which is Sony’s Playstation phone. I think it looks great and it will definitely resonate with gamers who want a more serious gaming experience on their phones. It runs Android Gingerbread which is the latest Android release from Google, and also sports full directional and action button pad. It also has two analog stick touch areas which I thought was a great addition. It will be coming out for Verizon fairly soon.
Oh yes, you read right. If you haven’t heard by now, you will probably be surprised by this news. Apparently Capcom is developing a crossover title with Streetfighter 4 Characters as well as characters from the Tekken Universe. The art style will be the highly paintbrush themed 3d characters of SF4 since Capcom is in the driver’s seat. Should make for great competitive play by die-hards from both franchises.
NBA 2K 11:
One word… Jordan! I love playing these games, but never really shell out 60 bucks for them so I end up playing the title a year late or so. Probably not this time. The “NBA 2K” Franchise has been markedly improving everyear – even downloading relevant stats in real-time, but Jordan has always been missing. The fact that he’s been absent for so long makes this moment sweeter, plus there will be some other oldies as well! Count me in this round.
MGS Rising:
I know what you’re thinking…”Not again with the old/young snake.” Well, doesn’t look like Liquid or Solid snake will be in this one (not that there probably won’t be a cameo) but it looks like you’ll be playing as Raiden. Not only is Raiden cool as an icebox, you get to use his sword that can cut anything. Let me repeat that…ANYTHING. Stop reading now and watch the video.
Virtua Tennis 4:
I like the Tennis games, but a lot of times it really is more of the same. Besides slightly improved AI’s I don’t feel like there are a whole lot more to the Virtua Tennis world that will have me buying every iteration. Some may disagree here, but c’mon. How much more like Federer are you gonna make the 3D Figure be man!? Enter stage left…3D TVs with Playstation “Move” controller and we have ourselves a brand new experience that promises to be quite entertaining and possibly painful.
Normally, I wouldn’t put a NFS title here as the franchise has taken a turn for the worse with weak storylines and a lack of what made the original series so fun ala “Shift” and “Carbon”. Well it seems that EA has wizened up and returned to what made this game fun…breaking the law! The game looks great, and the cars are amazing. Love the fact that you can play a career as a cop as well which is kinda cool. I’d give it a shot.
By the looks of things, this will probably add a lot to the StarWars Universe in terms of story line. You think the Force control and combat was crazy in the first one??? Well they like quadrupled the effects in this game. So much so, I’m kinda wondering who would win between this guy and Goku from DBZ!
Notable Mentions
Deus Ex:
To be honest, the bionically enhanced human is nothing new in the gaming world. In fact it’s pretty standard. So what is so cool about Deus Ex? Well graphics look pretty cool, but more than that – it promises to be a thinking man’s game. I sorta like games which drag you into the universe and make you really feel what’s going on rather than just simply punching and kicking the crap out of everyone with a red bar above their heads. That’s what makes the Persia and Mass Effect Games so fun. It looks to be, if it lives up to the hype, to be cerebral in a similar way Ghost in the Shell is.
Yes, another Call of Duty Game. Well, it says Black Ops – so I wonder how much stealth will be in the game. Doubt it will be anything like MGS, but I would be interested in seeing what they come up with here, and if it is any different from the other Call of Duty games. However, from the looks of things…I wouldn’t hold my breath if you are looking to be a Ninja in this game!
Just another FPS game? How about from the guy that started the FPS Genre as we know and love it today…Mr. Shinji Mikami. Honestly it looks cool and kinda corny at the same exact time. Guess we will wait and see but the concept is kinda cool.
