Standing in a huge line near the Shrine Auditorium was terrible. It was crowded, hot, and noisy. After some minutes of feeling impatient and bitching about the pre-registration process only to stand in line, someone walked up to us and said, “You guys have bracelets? You can go right in!”
Hooray! We moved ahead of everyone to find tables, seats, an open bar and food. Lots and lots of food! Woot! Thank you Sony! I grabbed a yogurt parfait, some quiches, and the most awesome chocolate cupcake ever. Shortly after licking chocolate icing off my fingers, a voice announced that we should proceed into the auditorium and “don’t forget to pick up your 3D glasses on the way in”. 3D glasses? We were in for a treat!
Strangely enough, Jack Tretton used the “something for everyone” line regarding the PS3. The console has something for everyone in the family, be it video games, blu-ray movies or internet access. Innovation and content take the console to a new level, with a 3D world created by Sony. There is no place where 3D is more definite than with the Playstation.
The presentation continued with a pre-alpha demo of Killzone 3 in 3D, a PS3 exclusive coming in February 2011, fully compatible with Playstation Move from launch.
By March 2011, the console should count with 20 3D titles, and some existing games will receive 3D updates (such as Super Star Dust HD, Pain and Wipeout HD). Many other titles were not just adapted for 3D, but created for 3D.
Some of the games that will be using 3D and Playstation Move technology include The Sly Collection, Gran Turismo 5, Crysis 2, Mortal Kombat, Shaun White Skateboarding, Tron Evolution, NBA 2k11, The Fight and EyePet.
2010 marks the 10th anniversary of the PS2 and the 15th anniversary of the Playstation. Now a new technology comes to life with the Playstation Move, where what happens in your hand is how it happens on screen, offering experiences for both the casual and the hardcore gamer. Playstation Move introduces new levels of precision, with three sensors in the Move controller and the eye camera tracking light.
We then saw a demo of Sorcery, where a sorcerer’s apprentice casted spells and defeated enemies by using Move as a magic wand. Other announced titles were Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 and Heroes on the Move (featuring Ratchet, Clank, Sly Cooper and Jax). Move games will be in the same disc with their respective non-Move version, so even if you don’t have the motion controllers you can still play them.
A partnership with Coca-Cola was also announced, with prizes (Playstation Move controller and games) hiding in the packaging of Coca-Cola products.
Pricing for the new Sony products was then revealed. The console and Move controller bundle will cost $399; the controller itself $29.99; Move games will be retailed for $39.99; a Playstation Move bundle with Sports Champions will be available for $99.99. The release dates were also announced: September 15 in Europe, September 19 in North America, October 21 in Japan, with 15 titles available at launch, 40 expected by the holiday season, including Ruse, and Singstar Dance. Some games will have software updates, one of them being Heavy Rain.
As for the PSP/PSPgo, there is a new campaign being launched: check out marcuspsp.com for details. Titles announced for the PSP include Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, Invizimals (which uses the PSP camera), God of War: Ghost of Sparta, Tron Evolution, Toy Story 3 and Kingdom Hearts.
Regarding Playstation Network news, Canada is finally getting video delivery service (about time, no?). User-created content popularity was emphasized, with news of Little Big Planet 2 and an option to direct cinematics in the games.
We had already heard rumors of a subscription plan for PSN, and now it is confirmed. The Playstation Plus subscription package includes options to expand and enhance your gaming experiences, with exclusive digital content, demo invitations, early betas and Playstation Store discounts. You can get a 3 month deal for $17.99 or a full year subscription for $49.99. Any content that you own will be available for the duration of your subscription (and this was stressed a couple of times too), which makes you wonder, if you cancel it, do you lose it all? Probably.
We were reassured that there will be an increased amount of exclusive content for the PS3, one of them being Medal of Honor (coming October 12) which includes a remastered version of Medal of Honor: Frontline and the other being Dead Space 2, which comes with a Move-enabled version of Dead Space: Extraction.
Several other titles were mentioned, including Portal 2, Final Fantasy XIV Online, Mafia II, The Shoot, True Crime, Start the Party, EyePet, The Fight: Lights Out, Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Shooter 2, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, DC Universe Online, Motor Storm Apocalypse, Echochrome, Dead Nation, Infamous 2 and last but not least, the return of Sweet Tooth in a new Twisted Metal game.
That about wraps it up for Sony’s media briefing. What part of it are you most looking forward to?