First of all, I would just like to say that I believe Arnold and I did everything we could to bring you the fastest and most detailed coverage of Sony's press conference. Arnold's live updates were literally second-to-second and I nearly broke my fingers and roasted my eyes in turning it all into actual headlines and stories in record time. We had no less than seven updates on the main page before the conference was even over , and we just keep bringing you more. Many of the screenshots are already here, three previews are already done (with many more coming tomorrow), and the videos are right around the corner. Really, there's not much more we can do to bring E3 directly into your living rooms. 😉
Anyway, Sony really needed to step up after Microsoft's conference and I'm happy to say that it did. For me, it's always all about the games and as I've been saying right along, Sony's software lineup vastly outstrips Microsoft's. As much as I want Alan Wake , there's just no comparison to the likes of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves , God of War III , MAG , Heavy Rain , Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time , etc. It's too bad we didn't see more of the last two, but I loved to see The Last Guardian ; Project ICO's mystery game that we've only recently known as "Project Trico." That was the same video we saw several weeks ago but it was still downright gorgeous in every sense of the word. Really, I've always been all about the games, which is why I focus so heavily on them in my analysis of anything, including E3 press conferences. Let's not forget the huge bolstering of the PSP lineup, what with Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker , Gran Turismo and that new exclusive Resident Evil . And not to mention that slick PSP Go! which admittedly doesn't interest me.
Something else that I didn't think would interest me is that motion sensing tech they showed off. I just never care for that type of thing, but after seeing similar technology at Microsoft's conference yesterday, I was intrigued…and what was shown at Sony's conference really blew me away. It was the first time I've ever looked at motion-sensing anything and said, "I gotta try that." I still would've rather seen Kingdom Hearts III or Twisted Metal or something, but even so, that was pretty damn special. Oh, and while I kinda sat back in my seat and frowned at the idea of a game called ModNation Racers , I quickly recalled my appreciation of LittleBigPlanet . Then I began to watch the presentation with interest and I figured I'd have to give it a try. It doesn't sit super high on my priority list, but it's just another step in the right direction for Sony, in my honest opinion. But getting back to the games for a second…
I think I watched the Uncharted 2 and the God of War III gameplay presentations in the same manner: rarely blinking, fingers clasped tightly around around the edges of my chair, whispering to myself every ten seconds, "holy fu**, this game will rule ALL!" Who didn't laugh sadistically when Kratos ripped the horn off that awesome enemy and stabbed him through the eye with it? Seriously? And although I'm really not into MMOs, MAG just looks so effing creative and innovative; I will have to give it a whirl. Unbelievable. As for that surprise announcement for Final Fantasy XIV , I believe the conversation between Arnold and I, when Tretton was speaking, went something like this:
Me: "wait…wait…"
Arnold: "what?!"
Me: "WHAT?! WHAT?!"
Arnold: "WTF!"
Me: "This can't be…"
Arnold: "WHAT?!?! WTF?!?!"
After hearing Tretton say he's revealing FFXIV footage for the first time ever, that it's coming in 2010 and that it's exclusive to the PlayStation 3-
Me: "HOLY FU***** SH**!!!!!!
Of course, this was before I realized it's going to be a MMO, but even so, it's a great announcement for Sony. I was hoping they were talking about the distant future, and the next true installment after FFXIII would once again be a PS3 exclusive. But whatever. I don't care at all that FFXIII will be a multiplat; I just know that after viewing that trailer at Sony's press conference, I was smitten …again. And I think that just about sums things up for me. Hopefully, you enjoyed our coverage and make sure to read the previews I just did for Assassin's Creed II , Tony Hawk: Ride and Heavy Rain . Much more to come! Oh yeah, and I'm pretty much in love with ACII right now. Let's not forget that.
P.S. …this is the kind of non-stop work that can make you ignore other aspects of your life, like women calling you at exactly the wrong time. That's all I'll say. LOL
You're not flailing if you have a controller in your hand. We'll maybe some gamers, but not the majority. I, for one, don't want to combine aerobic exercise and video games. Did that many years ago with Decathalon on the Atari 2600 and Track & Field. I want to relax and have fun. Not tire myself out and get frustrated. If it makes your day, more power to you.
See that Microsoft demo video with the 5 family members together interacting with that thing, from the racing to the soccer, etc? They all looked like a bunch of retards. Imagine the neighbors actually seeing you do that through the window having no clue that you are interacting with a xbox camera? Downright funny. Close the blinds people. lol's
Last edited by HOODGE on 6/3/2009 5:07:37 PM
Ooooooh snap son! Sony killed it, great coverage, and additional generic complement ben and arnold! What did microsoft bust out?
Thanks everyone. We try. 🙂
As for the motion sensing, it's just a tech right now but from what I saw, I do believe it's more advanced than Natal. Both put Nintendo's gadgetry to shame, though. 😉
Great job Guys!
Have I goner insane or is that the PS3 Slim I see on Sony's Press Conference?
Please Ben you're the only one who can get to the bottom of it…
Ben, you probably already know but Fumito Ueda has done an interview with Famitsu detailing more details regarding The Last Guardian. May be good for yet another news insert!
Thanks for your hard work guys! i agree, Sony really came at the competition hard, and they could of done it even harder shockingly!
Last edited by Lotusflow3r on 6/3/2009 10:35:22 AM
Looking over the E3 thing so far forgetting the winners and losers what intrigues me is the emphasis of the big three.
Microsoft's big emphasis was on peripheral functions, like the Sky TV thing, and the Facebook/Twitter thing, the motion tracking and interaction thing. Overall, they spent less time talking about games and less time talking about truly exclusive games than I expected, There was also no real emphasis on the new ZuneHD as a mobile partner to the Xbox360. The big take aways for me from their presentation were the impression that they felt that the announcement of a Beatles exclusive track was worth moving their whole press conference for – it wasn't, they talked about a very small number of exclusive games two of which were Halo, and they clearly implied (well, they stated that all games after a certain point in their presentation were exclusive to Xbox360) that the Metal Gear game was exclusive – and it clearly is not. The emphasis from MS was not on games it was on other things, and the presentation on games was ultimately pretty hollow.
Nintendo appeared to think that they are a medical company now. The finger sensor attachment that monitors your vital signs is simply the same thing that a nurse sticks on your index finger to track your pulse and blood oxygen levels. Nintendo seems to want to move more in the direction of being a health device than a gaming device, and their presentation had the clinical sterility befitting of a medical device.
Sony arrived with the bombastic sound of Queen, and the hits kept on coming. I believe ti's true to say that they showed more games for PSP than MS showed for the 360, and then they got started on the PS3. They did weave in other elements of their Home and PSN services, so the focus was not exclusive to games and of course the PSP Go! got it's launch and the motion control thing was demo'd. However at the end of the day, Sony spent the vast majority of their time showing game after game after game, and the majority of them were actually exclusives. And the thing that really blows me away is that Sony spent two whole hours doing this and still could have gone on for another hour as they just couldn't get all the games into the presentaion. Heavy Rain and Ratchet & Clank are just two games that really got very little in the way of mention, and yet we know they are coming. There were PSP games such as Namco's Soul Calibur – no real mention. And yet we know of these already, and Sony couldn't find a way to squeeze them into the two hour show. I guess they felt that it would be too frenetic if they kept stuffing more games into the time slot. I don't know. But the impression I took away was that Sony has games, games and more games on it's agenda for the PlayStation brand. Notice they are launching the PSP Go at a higher price, no price cut talk there. Sony's strategy for growing the PS3 is crystal clear now, it's about the games, not price.
To re-cap. Microsoft is back to trying to take over the living room and games are secondary. Nintendo has hired too many medical professionals and started believing it's own press when it comes to the health enhancing benefits of Wii Sports. Sony has decided to be a games company again, and is happy to let the software sell the hardware.
Looking forwards, Microsoft has already cut the price of the 360 to the bone, another cut and they make no money on the device. I'm not sure where they go next. Nintendo appears to be coasting and I have no real idea what they will do long term, in the short term it seems it's more of the same, perhaps they are hoping that the same folks who paid for Wii Fit will upgrade to the Plus version? I just cannot see where Nintendo is going any more. Sony looks to me like thy will not reduce their price until the Holiday season, I still believe that a Slim PS3 will arrive then. Mark my words, the $299 price point for a PS3 may be the sweet spot, and you may not see another cut until late in the life of the unit. The strategy is to let the software sell the units, not the price. Long term, I think we will see Sony continue to push the software, and $299 will be the final price point for PS3.
Long term, Sony is acting like a gaming company, Mirosoft is acting like Microsoft and Nintendo is gunning for shelf space in my local Walgreens store (pharmacy/Chemist for those in lands without Walgreens).
Excellent analysis.
Hey Highlander,
Since you are the most tech savvy here and Ben seems to be ignoring my posts, can you take a look at the intro from Sony Press and tell me is one of the hardware shown is the PS3 Slim?
Good stuff Highlander.
Karosso: No offense, but I'm a little busy these days. I saw your posts but I'm pretty sure what you're seeing isn't the PS3 Slim.
@Karosso
I just now tried looking there and the video isn't playing for me.
Perfect analysis
I'm new here but I have to say that your site is great. I really think this was the best e3 ever. I think the highlight was definately GT5 having damage and WRC and Nascar licenses. @ karosso. Yeah I noticed the picture of the ps3 slim too, unless I was still delirious from the smell of BS at the M$ conference!
Anyone got any screen caps or stills of that PS3 Slim sighting from the start of Sony's video presentation?
My opinion is that the Ps2 has to go as well as the UMD format. Having to support those sony is losing money. Let's be honest, when are you gonna pull out the Ps2 to end god of war again? Get rid of that then they can focus on great exclusives.
P.S The wand?….Can anyone say Bu++hole pleasures?
No Problem Ben I know you been shooting out articles like there is no tomorrow… Great Job as always.
I see a PS3 logo that is different from the regular one and it looks really thin, its driving me insane…
Sorry if I am a bit crazy, its just that nobody else seem to have noticed 🙁
Probably the vast majority of people weren't even watching for it. I have to find a link…
I've just checked the video, and i believe that you are mistaken it with the PS2 slim. The video first introduced the PSP, followed by the PS3 and then the PS2. I dont see the PS3 slim in it. And thats the logo for the PS2 slim, which is why it looks different
Did you try this one? I am watching it right now.
Sorry guys I looked at it in slow motion and its just that video is so crappy I could not see it well enough, its a CG redered PS2 slim, it just looks to shinny in the freaking video, got me for a moment there…
Sorry, sorry, sorry…
Excellent job Ben and Arnold. Top flight coverage. It's just another reason as to why PSX is my site for PS3 news.
I am very envious of the two for being there for all that Sony goodness (specifically GT5).
Question for you Ben. Was the "secret" game you were talking about revealed at E3? I apologize if this was already asked somewhere else.
in case he doesn't get to it I'll answer, Ben has said that no, it wasn't there.
Thanks for the heads up.
Square is considering FF XIV for other consoles. Talk about a kick in the groin for Sony. Still think square can be redeemed?
Last edited by karneli lll on 6/3/2009 2:43:43 PM
just read that, what the hell is wrong with Enix!? oh, i just said it.
Crack addled chimps with typewriters – SquEnix PR department.
HA. 🙂
@karneli III
you're right here's a link to the latest update:
http://news.zergwatch.com/2009/06/03/square-says-final-fantasy-xiv-not-necessarily-ps3-exclusive-1upcom/
I managed to see G4 on someone elses tv for part of the MS conference, but not for Sony. I'll have to watch it when I get a chance, though I already know all the major announcements from it.
My "THANKS" go out to all of the staff here for your diligent work during the 2009 E3
BTW, that "Lord of Shadows is actually the next in the "Castlevania" series, but it will play differently than the past games.
It's an action game, you can explore an open world, with magical spells, and the hero is looking for retribution & salvation.
According to Kojima, the game is by Spanish developer, "Mercury Stream", but Kojima's going to be working with them on their title.
And imo,
Sony kicked some major butt yesterday!
I really hate to admit, but microsoft's conference is really impressive this year e.g., project natal
Have a look at this folks. This is the way that the Mainstream media handles it's E3 'analysis'.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-10256539-17.html
They are being sarcastic, aren't they?
No, the author of that article is always like that, his world has a very limited scope.
@Highlander,
My thinking…..of course that's what happen when you let the public vote, just because there's more 360 owners(at the moment) than PS3.
And I scoff at them calling themselves media, more like stealers & repeaters, I say.
Hey, remember what you said about adled monkeys?
These so-called-media types probably just got an all-expenses paid month's vacation from MS, to South America so they gorge themselves to their hearts content at the Chiquita Banana company.
Ahhh yes indeed……
it must be nice to be able to swing across vines all morning long, hang out in tree branches while making alpha male screeching chants, take long whiffs of their own armpits, or inspect their own balls in public, & throw their feces at their other co-working Howler Monkeys.
My under the radar award so far goes to Warhammer 40k: Space Marine. The preview of it looks really promising and it hasn't gotten a word of mention anywhere that I've seen. And with the great job that Relic has done with that license so far, I see this one being successful as well. And it's an RPG as well from what I gathered. Another plus 🙂