For those bent on seeing a reinvention of the way game stories are conveyed, Uncharted 2’s continued cinematic ambition will leave few convinced. To be sure, this is developer Naughty Dog’s evermore realised attempt at replicating film; peerlessly acted and its action keenly staged. Continue »
The divide between initial imagination and concluding execution is broad and full of obstacles. Some of the most memorable avenues are the early, simpler ones: re-enacting old films from a pile of Lego blocks, hammering out a dishevelled concoction of wood and string, and then, much to the grief of those who have to listen to it, playing the damn thing like a real guitar. And when dreams grow, from sticking together odds and ends, to more complex pursuits, such as building a videogame or authoring a film, most are scared away when the true requirements of their initial aspiration become apparent. Continue »
Like kids in a sandbox entwined in an ego arms race, quarrelling over whose sandcastle is bigger, we’re witnessing the same contention epitomized by a videogame pissing match of measurements. Resistance 2 has a penchant for being the biggest, and while it certainly achieves a lofty goal of blowing the scale up and out, the success isn’t en masse. Continue »
InFamous is a little bit like Brian K. Vaughn’s Ex Machina meets Electro from Spider-Man — and that may not be a bad thing at all. From Sucker Punch Studios, of Sly Cooper fame, their latest PS3 exclusive is a roof leaping sandbox action game full of striking electrical powers. And you can either use those newfound abilities to save a dying city, or destroy it completely.
Hopefully they use the comic-like panels — shown in the trailer — in the game itself. There are few products that can mix mediums well, but with its overt comic style, inFamous may prove to be the right formula.
With the likes of Fallout 3, Dead Space and Gears of War 2, it’s difficult to stand out at E3 in such a cluttered crowd. However, MotorStorm Pacific Rift is a premiere exclusive for Sony and, oddly, it was only given the ever so brief trailer treatment at their conference.
The first MotorStorm was light on content, but made up for it with sheer variety to gameplay. Now, if this next outing can double its predecessor and fix those horrid vehicle loading problems — oh, you know if you played it — we will have one fine racer this Holiday season.
At Sony’s E3 press conference the long rumoured God of War III was unveiled via a tantalizing, albeit pre-rendered, trailer. As expected it features Kratos, looking typically angry, and Mt. Olympus crumbling along with the surrounding landscape. Details are scant about the game itself; all we know is that it’s probably a 2009 release, if not beyond.
Sony has dished out some news on Playstation Home, both good and bad. For those of you looking forward to jumping into your loft and playing as your simulated self, you can take part in the open beta… this Fall? Yes, Home has been delayed yet again.
According to Sony Entertainment’s CEO Kaz Hirai it is for good reasons:
“We understand that we are asking PS3 and prospective PS3 users to wait a bit longer, but we have come to the conclusion that we need more time to refine the service to ensure a more focused gaming entertainment experience than what it is today. Our overarching objective is to provide users with new gaming experiences that are available only on PLAYSTATION Home. Spending more time on the development and on the Closed Beta testing reaffirms our commitment to bringing a quality service, maintaining the PlayStation tradition.“
It’s getting pretty late in game, but it seems as though Sony has enough confidence in Home to delay it over, and over again. Here’s to hoping that all the time and effort pays off — even though the only thing I am waiting for on the Playstation front is in-game Cross Media Bar use.