Journey is the title of the next PlayStation 3 release from thatgamecompany, what the studio is calling an “online adventure experience” in an exotic land where players explore an ancient civilization whilst walking, gliding, and flying. Journey’s immediate hook for your attention is online play that will encourage players to explore this strange land with other strangers met along the way.
June 16, 2010
Under the Radar – Journey
PixelJunk Shooter 2, and Other Sony Bits
Feel like getting eaten? That’s where PixelJunk Shooter 2 plans to pick up, directly following the original. The game’s also bringing online multiplayer and ghosting options along with online ranking when it hits the PlayStation Network later this year.
Other Sony bits grabbing attention from yesterday are on the PSP front, with Patapon 3 aiming for a release this fall – complete with a rather stark teaser promising a demo on June 23.
And least I forget, Valkyria Chronicles 2 has a date with my PSP on August 31.
June 15, 2010
Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid-palooza
Turns out that Metal Gear Solid 3D Snaker Eater – The Naked Sample for Nintendo 3DS is Hideo Kojima’s third mystery E3 title – which severely surprised the hell out of me for what it’s worth. Oh ZOE, shall I never know your future exploits?
Kojima Productions has added a teaser site for the game with some screenshots that seem to leave many of my fellow editors cursing the amount of devices Metal Gear Solid fans are driven to purchase.
As one of those fans, who is still happily chewing through Peace Walker this week, Metal Gear is one of the very few things you can never have too much of, especially when following Big Boss’ story – though even I wonder if Kojima wants a break yet.
Pre Hands-On Epic Mickey Love
This is my favorite screenshot of the day, the Steamboat Willie 2D side-scrolling surprise I wasn’t expecting. Before E3 began it was clear that Disney was pushing Epic Mickey with plenty of resolve, but this one sequence made me forget the uncomfortable reaction when footage released last year – when I thought the game was looking at best like a decent N64 title.
It’s clear when Warren Spector talks about the project that he loves Mickey Mouse more than I ever will, but he’s already made a believer out of me before I’ve laid my hands on it, and I wanted to revel in that a bit.
That sounds a bit crazy, but really, if he convinced Disney on a world of choice based on whether we create to solve our obstacles or simply erase them, and on the stark and incredibly slick marketing already on display, than how can I resist? They even call it Disney’s Epic Mickey now, and stuck with the Wii exclusivity I really wasn’t expecting to hold out.
Again that sounds a bit silly of me, but this E3 is full of earnest surprises, and that Disney could bring this type of title to the show sincerely surprises and impresses me. That I’m feeling a bit of the strange magic I only vaguely remember when I first saw Mickey on the Sega Genesis is probably also a factor.
They’ll be plenty more to say about the game this week, for now I’m just going to fantasize a bit more about jumping into old cartoons via film screens.
Nintendo’s E3 2010 Press Conference In Pictures
Of all the photographs Aileen snagged at the Press Conference this morning, this one is by far my favorite.
The general consensus tonight seems to be that this will be a day long remembered by the gaming faithful, so we’ve added a thorough pictorial play-by-play to our Facebook Page for your viewing pleasure.
The Brave New World of PlayStation Plus
Announced during Sony’s presentation at E3 today was the incoming Playstation Plus subscription service. With the continued success of Xbox Live, plans from Activision to implement a subscription model within the Call of Duty franchise, and this latest announcement from Sony, the subscription model is quickly becoming ubiquitous within the game industry. Sony’s announcement was no surprise, having been the stuff of rumour for months, and a total inevitability, considering certain realities. If you imagine a great, serpentine creature twisting, wringing it’s hands and salivating uncontrollably, you probably have a fair understanding of how Sony has observed Microsoft’s Xbox Live Gold service for the past several years, and know that this day always existed somewhere in the imminent future.
Under the Radar – Don’t Forget Pikachu
The mini-game roundup of PokePark Wii was another title waiting for a date, which now has one, like so many others set as this Holiday season. Feels like an awful lot of games are coming for the Holidays, so we’ll see how that plays out.
Other potentially under the radar Holiday listings on the Wii include FlingSmash, and TRON: Evolution-Battle Grids, which I’m certain I haven’t heard of before today because I’d have remembered the word TRON.
Flip’s Twisted World, a title I saw at E3 2009 has a date of September 21, 2010, along with another Majesco title that seems to move around a lot, Dawn of Heroes on the DS, which is now marked for August 17, 2010. Ghostwire: Link to the Paranormal joins the party on October 26, 2010 at the moment, and Nintendo’s list dates Ivy the Kiwi? for August 24, 2010.