E3 Playstation 3 - Thoughts, wishes and predictions

In lieu of the presence of Microsoft's Natal, Sony are pushing forth their Move. Similar to the Wii remote and nunchuck in design, Move is Sony's attempt to get a slice of the motion control cake. However, like Microsoft they are competing for an audience, which Nintendo already has a firm grip on (and probably doesn't feel like giving it up anytime soon). Impressions have been mixed. Some say it's very cool, and should provide owners of PS3s with an experience similar to that of the Wii. I'd say this is true, but one clear flaw exists, and that is the software. Nintendo has been able to churn out some amazing first party software, which utilises the motion controls perfectly, but can Sony manage this as well? They're very much in the same boat as Microsoft, but one would call both companies foolish to attempt this gamble, with out any credible software to back it up.  Just like with Natal, time will tell with this one. Personally, unless there is some absolutely amazing software, I don't think they'll sell. Why would anyone bother with the price tag, when they can purchase a Wii capable of doing the same thing, with an established library ready to go. This will be the real test for both Sony and Microsoft.

Sony's Move controller is very similar in design to the Wii remote and nunchuck

Outside of Move however, Sony are also attempting to span into another market. One that Nintendo is pursuing with its 3DS, the realm of 3D gaming. In fact firmware updates, and 3D games have already been released in Japan. As to whether this is a good move, it remains to be seen. 3D TVs are both expensive, and technologically primitive at this moment in time. This will probably, although not necessarily correlate with some poor initial sales from 3D games. That being said, it's interesting that Sony are placing themselves in such a vulnerable position of potential loss, but it wouldn't be the first time - remember when every said Blu-Ray wouldn't last? Personally I think it's a bold move, and indeed a strong statement to its competitors, first of all a challenge to Nintendo who would have otherwise entered the market uncontested, and a sharp jab into Microsoft, who currently have no revealed any plans to implement 3D into their endeavours. Of course the dynamic is a little different from the Blu-Ray incident - the PS3 functions as a Blu-Ray player, but it can't add 3D to a TV. Or can it? I suppose E3 will tell us.

3D Glasses - hopefully, a thing of the past

Once again like Microsoft, Sony are lining up some big titles for release, and most of them are sequels. It seems Sony are looking to establish their first party franchises, with follow ups in Killzone 3, LittleBigPlanet 2 and God of War: Ghost of Sparta. Killzone is obviously quickly becoming a staple series. Now in its third iteration (the original appearing on the PS2), the franchise is moving into 3D, expanding the variety of environments (including jungle and glacial areas), giving the melee system a little bit of a refresher with extra levels of "brutality" and even taking a leaf out of Halo: Reach's book by throwing in some jetpacks. Personally I'm not quite sure how well this will go, but I am adamant that it is important that one of the system's flagship franchises utilise the 3D technology - it could be the difference between whether it picks up or not, and at the very least its much needed support for the new tech. LittleBigPlanet 2 on the other is taking its concept to the next level. The original title was a great tool for creative gamers to show off their imagination and design skills, but the sequel is said to relinquish even more control in its revamped level editor. Such additions include AI behavioural control and even create entire games, rather than just levels. It reminds me of when I used to dabble in fan-made Zelda games. The main problem there was people just weren't gifted enough, or lacked the time to complete all the coding and all the various amount of sprite/graphic related preparation. LittleBigPlanet 2 is obviously a great way for developers to promote fan-made content, and I think all developers should take note of it. It's simple, content editors are fun, and people like to mod. Ghost of Sparta is the latest addition to the God of War franchise, following the release of the God of War III earlier this year. Obviously the developers have a tried and true formula, but the question will be what they introduce that's new, that will set this title apart from its previous iterations.

LittleBigPlanet 2 - a new level for fan-made content?

However, there are still quite a few more titles to get excited about in regards to Sony's E3 showing. Infamous 2 has been recently confirmed and Resistance 3 is also rumored to be a possibility. Outside of this is a plethora of third party games including Dead Space 2, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. I've never played Infamous, but I did like the concept of a sandbox-type superhero game, however it apparently had its flaws, so if the developers have focused on fixing those, it could become a must own title. The Resistance games are a great piece of work by Insomniac Games and provided the level of quality and detail present in the first two installments is still found in the 3 iteration, I can't really see myself having a problem with it. Some new gameplay elements should be added to keep it feeling fresh, but there's no need for any drastic changes to the game structure or formula. Dead Space was obviously a hit in the survival horror genre, and it's prequel for Wii, Extraction, also received positive reviews, so its hard not to back the developer to bring out a third title that stays true to the series. The original Force Unleashed, was a fun game, but as a avid Star Wars fan, I found it lacking. Whilst the polish was there, some of the controls felt unnatural, and because of this the gameplay felt disjointed and unflowing. If Lucasarts have managed to fix this gripe in the sequel, it could be the best action based Star Wars game to date - in regard to being a force user, Battlefront II is king of Star Wars action games. Castlevania is a series I enjoy, having played several of the iterations in the series. My favourites are most likely the Sorrow games, which both star Soma Cruz. However they followed the very popular and addictive "Metroid-vania" style, which has been present in the series since Symphony of the Night, way back on the original Playstation. So, I like many, was reluctant to see the series break away from this. However, once Hideo Kojima was revealed to be directing the title, all my fears were nullified. Kojima makes incredible games, and you need look no further than Metal Gear Solid. The fact that Castlevania is one of Konami's biggest franchises almost garauntees Kojima will have plently of resources for which to build this game upon. It will be huge and take the series in a completely different direction, but I have faith this could be the refresher the series needs, and that this game could be the best in the series. However, E3 has begun so these answers will come sooner than later.

 This is Sna- err, Gabriel!