Superhero 101
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t: Top 10 Confirmed Games
The following games are going to be at the show, that much we know. The reasons for making the list are numerous, but they are by no means a comprehensive snapshot off all the titles we're going to be covering during the show. Instead, think of it as a pre-emptive highlight reel, showcasing ten titles that have the potential to wow us in addition to all the other goodies we know will be there.
BioShock
PlayStation 3
Why it's hot: Yes, this is indeed that same BioShock that pulled down numerous awards when it hit about a year ago on the 360 and PC, and yes, we're still excited about it. Why? Simple: it's a great game that's going to get even better with extra PS3-exclusive content, and Trophy support. Plus, it paves the way for the inevitable sequel to hit on the PS3.
As amazing as it might sound, there are still folks out there that haven't yet experienced the fallen utopia of Rapture, never experienced the game's twists and never had to make one of the tougher moral choices ever repeatedly thrown at a player. We're also a little curious as to how the PS3 version, which wasn't developed by the same 2K studio that handled the 360 or PC versions, is coming along.
Borderlands
PlayStation 3
Why it's hot: Gearbox has been so entrenched in making recreations of World War II battles for so long that its next original game was a little bit of a surprise to everyone when it was announced. Flung far into the future where mankind has colonized other worlds, these borderland planets (see, now the title makes sense) are home to mankind in its most raw form; brutal, savage and pit against the slowly thawing planet's indigenous life.
By mixing sci-fi and role-playing elements with co-op friendly multiplayer, instanced runs, Mad Max-style vehicles and over half a million procedurally generated bits of loot (think weapons), Borderlands has the potential to be an adventure with ridiculously long legs. We'll get the chance to see more of it very, very soon.
DC Universe Online
PlayStation 3
Why it's hot: Do we really have to tell you how awesome it would be to run around in a virtual representation of Gotham or Metropolis as either a superhero or villain while Batman or Superman went flying by? Granted, it's a tall order for a development studio's first effort, but Sony Online Entertainment's Austin studio thinks it's up to the task.
If they can actually pull it off, DCUO could end up dropping folks right into cities made famous in the pages of DC Comics -- all guided by the knowing hand of DC/Wildstorm head honcho Jim Lee. Given that the PlayStation 3 is still lacking a MMO to call its own, it makes a whole lot of sense that it would come from Sony's very own MMO factory.
Mirror's Edge
PlayStation 3
Why it's hot: If you haven't seen the real-time trailer for Digital Illusions' parkour-flavored, entirely first-person, futuristic courier run, stop reading and watch. It. Now. If the ultra-minimalist art direction doesn't get you, the brief snippets of seeing everything from jumping over massive chasms to using simple pipes as tightropes to melee combat to disarming enemies with leading lady Faith and even a little shooting should have you psyched.
The game, which takes place exclusively in slightly motion-sickness-inducing first-person view, will mix the normal kind of open-world traversals with a storyline that we've only seen hinted at so far. Aided by the mysterious Mercury in an effort to clear her sister's name, Faith looks more than ready to handle the odd scuffle or wall-running challenge.
MotorStorm: Pacific Rift
PlayStation 3
Why it's hot: The first MotorStorm, if nothing else, managed to show us that brown could be beautiful. Caked in mud, the various vehicle types and multi-tiered level designs meant that no two tracks were raced the same way with different modes of transport.
With the move out to an island in the Pacfic, things have gotten an injection of color, but the goal itself hasn't changed: get to the finish before anyone (including new monster trucks). When we last saw the game a few weeks ago, it wasn't looking especially hot, so we're eagerly waiting to see how Evolution Studios' latest project is coming along. There's plenty of potential in pulling the race out of the mud, but we're just hoping the second off-road sequel will capitalize on it.
Killzone 2
PlayStation 3
Why it's hot: At last year's E3, Sony proved that the CG trailer they showed of a year prior wasn't just a bunch of smoke blown up our collective skirts; it truly was a target render, and Guerilla Games proved that it had the programming chops to make it all look almost as good as something pre-rendered. The question now is how it all plays -- or rather how nicely it plays with others. We've seen the single-player portion but what's got us itching to give the game another go is seeing how the multiplayer is shaking out. Hopefully we'll have impressions for you a year after we first saw the game running on the PS3.
Resident Evil 5
PlayStation 3
Why it's hot: When Resident Evil 4 arrived, it blew everyone away. Gone were the static camera angles and the top-down view with tank controls. This Evil was faster, prettier and more action-packed than any of its predecessors. Considering RE5 builds of that considerable hotness, we're more than a little psyched to see how Chris Redfield handles another global transplant, this time to Africa.
The change in setting is more than just a chance to mix things up geographically, the fact that the game takes place in broad daylight means that moving from indoors to outside (or the other way around) finally gives that fancy schmancy HDR lighting a reason to exist. It also gives us a reason to get sufficiently freaked out when trying to find a path through the newer, more open environments teeming with dudes that want to show their new mandibular jaws.
inFamous
PlayStation 3
Why it's hot: When the developers of some of the best platformers on the platformer-rich PS2 decide to take their development efforts to next-gen, it's time to take notice. Though it was only shown in a brief trailer at last year's E3, inFamous' tale of an electrically-charged everyman has plenty of potential -- especially given that the game boasts an open world rife with building to scale and targets for Dylan's electrical dabbling.
Though it's definitely new territory for a development house that became best known for a cel-shaded trio of platformers with anthropomorphic characters, but the boys and girls at Sucker Punch are nothing if not talented, and we can't wait to take their new world for a spin.
Fallout 3
PlayStation 3
Why it's hot: Take the massive world, tons of characters, near-endless quests and character creation of Oblivion and then drop a nuke on the whole mess. The result, if done right, leaves an irradiated wasteland full of mutants, ghouls, fallout shelters and the kind of good vs. evil vs. survival that Bethesda is known for, but in a setting all too familiar to PC gamers.
We've seen Fallout 3 a couple of times now, and every time we do, we want to see more, which is always a good sign. Improvements over Oblivion are numerous, though, from an updated engine to more traditional leveling up to characters that don't look like space aliens. Well, not unless they've seen a bit too much radiation.
Resistance 2
PlayStation 3
Why it's hot: The best game at launch may well end up being the best game two years later, which is saying something considering this has been a year that's seen both Metal Gear Solid 4 and Grand Theft Auto 4. Why so confident? One word: multiplayer. Long after the single-player campaign had built to a slow (but ultimately satisfying) cliffhanger, the online part of the game with its ranks, badges, unlockables and extensive online tracking made playing the game just as fun months after release as it was as fun.
With the sequel, though, Insomniac is cranking things up even more. Experienced-based multiplayer rewards with 60 player maps, a completely separate eight-player co-op campaign and a single-player mode that starts not with a whimper like the first game but one hell of a bang. Yes, it's time to get excited.
DID THIS NEWS HURT SONY??? I THINK IT HURT THEIR IMAGE MORE THAN IT WILL HURT THEIR POCKETBOOK TO BE HONEST!!! I AGREE THOUGH THAT THEY NEED TO STEP THINGS UP WITH THEIR CONFERENCE AND GET THE PUBLIC PERCEPTION BACK ON THEIR SIDE, WE'LL SEE WHAT THEY HAVE UP THEIR SLEEVES TOMORROW!!!
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