Sony Wrapup: First-Party Launch Game Report
by GamePro Staff | 09/23/2006 | 7:15:55 PM PST
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Last night, Sony Computer Entertainment held a private function to demonstrate the PlayStation 3 first-party launch lineup. Here's the rundown on what was hot and what was not.
The standout of the evening was easily MotorStorm, one of the most visually stunning games ever seen on a home console. A high-tech off-road racer at heart, Motorstorm's sparkling graphical detail practically jumped off the screen: motorbikes exploded in flaming balls of debris, sending their riders careening off nearby rock formations like rag dolls. Despite the lavish presentation, the game ran at a brisk pace, if not quite up to Ridge Racer 7's lighting-quick standard of 60 frames per second.
Lair also made an impression, and like Motorstorm, showed off the PlayStation 3's brute computational powers by depicting a vast, richly detailed medieval landscape. Players rode aboard a soaring dragon, searing enemy troops and dragons with fireballs. Lair (a working title) was also one of the few games to make use of the PlayStation 3's motion-sensitive controller, which could be tilted to the left or right to guide the dragon's flight path. But like Motorstorm, the visuals were the highlight here: it truly showed that the PlayStation 3 can easily stand toe-to-toe with, and possibly surpass, the Xbox 360 in terms of raw graphical detail.
Resistance: Fall of Man, one of the most-anticipated of Sony's internally developed launch titles, also showed promise. But whether it will represent the PlayStation 3's answer to Halo, the key first-person shooter on the Xbox console, remains to be seen. Resistance's visuals were certainly sharp, but suffered in comparison to those of stunners Motorstorm and Lair. The action was fast and fluid, with a key focus being placed on the unusual arsenal, which included a homing machine gun and several alien weapons.
Other games shown included Gran Turismo HD, a 1080p-enhanced PlayStation 2 racer Gran Turismo 4; Formula 06, a straightforward Formula One racer with outstanding weather effects; Genji: Days of the Blade, a hack-and-slash title with hauntingly beautiful visuals but seemingly shallow gameplay; Everbody's Golf 5 (known as the Hot Shots Gold series in the U.S.), a fun, casual golf title aimed at mass-market audiences; and NBA 07, basketball title which featured a more realistic shooting component and was one of the few games shown running at 1080p.
On the topic of the PlayStation 3 and 1080p support, Sony corporate director Phil Harrison told us that while 1080p was important, it should only be implemented "when appropriate." He also added that "some games actually look better at 720p."
In our discussion with Harrison, he described that he wished to avoid "sounding arrogant" -- an accusation Sony has received from members of the hardcore gaming press as of late. He was also tight-lipped about rumors of future hardware upgrades to the PlayStation 3 configuration, which Sony Computer Entertainment president Ken Kutaragi has alluded to in past interviews. "If we do it, when we do it," Harrison said, referring to PlayStation 3 component upgrades, "the key thing is going to be maintaining the existing library of games. So, nobody need worry that they're going to be left behind."
their overall showing at tgs was definately a good one. i wish though people would stop throwing around the "halo killer" bit. i don't think it matters how good a game will ever be, there are always going to be those who try to downplay things and come out and say the game stinks or nothing will live up to halo. so far i like how resistance looks and as long as the game is fun, i'll be happy. i mean it already looks pretty damn good. i am still shocked at how much of a turnaround they did with motorstorm, that game did not look good at all at e3.
Here's another link. Although the subtitle talk's about the Wii it has some information on the ps3 and other system's as well. Isint much but still some information.
