Playstation Gamer UK

E3 2009 is over and this year’s was definitely one of the best in a while. It had everything you wanted to see really. Tons of new games, and new hardware, and even somethings you didn’t want to see, new motion controls. So, there’s really no doubt what my blurb is going to be about this time, and that’s E3. This year’s was the return to the big spectacle of year’s past. It was obvious following last year’s that E3 can’t be a smaller show, that it has to be huge and intimidating. So, as a result this year’s was the hugest and most intimidating of all. Okay, so maybe the show itself wasn’t as big as before but the lineup was even bigger and more badass than ever. The press conferences were far better than in the past years with the graphs and sales figures being largely ditched. I am going to go on the record by saying that this year’s E3 is the best I’ve ever seen (I’ve followed and watched the past five, unfortunately though, I’ve never been able to go to one). Of course, what matters is the games and with Mass Effect 2, The Beatles Rock Band, Modern Warfare 2, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, MAG, God of War III, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Heavy Rain, and so, so many more. The quality of games announced/shown here is just unbelievable. In past years there have been a few standout games but never anything like this. From demoes to trailers to announcements to… booth babes… everything at E3 looks gorgeous regardless of what console you’re on (yes, even the Wii had a few things that looked good). But, since I’m not covering the games themselves here, lets get to some questions!

Will Natal make all other motion controllers unnecessary? And does it mark the end of the Wii?

Well, my answer to the second question is no and my answer to the first question is that they were always unnecessary (Natal itself included in that). I’ve said this several times since Natal was announced (because people won’t just let me say I don’t like it and leave me alone) I don’t think Natal is going to be adopted by hardcore gamers. If you want to know why there’s a huge article on it right below this one (or if you’re too lazy, link!). And as far as the Wii, the Wii has something that the Xbox 360 doesn’t, Nintendo. Nintendo hasn’t posted a loss since the 80s. This is a huge company and a huge name. If you’re a new gamer and you’re thinking, “hmm, do I get an Xbox 360 or do I get a Nintendo Wii? Well, I love Mario” and then they grab the Wii. The Wii has brand power behind it, a brand that extends far outside the gaming community that the Xbox just doesn’t have.

Will Sony’s Motion controller succeed?

I don’t know what it’s succeeding at so it’s hard to answer this. I think it’ll work, whether or not it’ll be adopted by the world at large, I don’t know. I think this controller is far closer than Natal (maybe even late next year) so I think it will get the jump on that but I don’t think it’s going to be used greatly. I could be wrong about this, I was about the Wii, but I don’t think it’s going to be widely used by developers. I think it’ll go the way of the sixaxis and be completely forgotten with the exception of a few games. Although, that said, I do like Sony’s more than Nintendo’s, but I still don’t like it.

Is Uncharted 2: Among Thieves too similar to the original?

Well, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune is still one of the best games on the PS3 so I don’t see how Uncharted 2 being similar to the original is a bad thing at all. Honestly, if you haven’t played Uncharted you’re missing out. It came out of left field when it was released and then review scores rocketed and within week’s of launch, everyone loved it. The word coming from Naughty Dog is that Uncharted 2 takes the things that were great from the original and amplifies it. So I can’t wait for it. Plus, now it has multiplayer and looks even better.

Will Final Fantasy XIV actually be PS3 exclusive?

Yes, sort of. If you listen to what Jack Tretton said he said “[PS3] will be the only console you can get [Final Fantasy XIV] on at launch.” What that says to me is that Square has already started development on the PS3 version so it’ll be finished before any of the others. So it’ll be a timed exclusive and not a full exclusive.

Mass Effect 2 wasn’t announced for the PS3 at E3, does this kill the rumours?

It should, but I doubt it will. I don’t think there’s any way that Microsoft will allow EA to put this on the PS3 and will do anything they can to keep it exclusive to their platforms (PC and Xbox 360). That said, I wish they would announce it, I really want to play those and don’t have a gaming PC.

Do you think Forza 3 has overshadowed Gran Turismo 5?

I don’t think anything can overshadow GT. That said I do believe that it was only there in the form of a trailer so I don’t know what they expect from it. GT is one of the best sim racers out there but with Forza now having full damage modeling Gran Turismo’s gonna have to step it up if they want to keep their crown. That said, I think that Need for Speed: Shift was the best looking racing game I saw at E3.

Will Agent live up to the standard of games that Rock Star North develops and what does the PS3 exclusivity mean?

Well, the first part of this question is impossible to answer. Nobody’s ever seen it. There was no trailer, there was no anything, all there is is a name. So I’ll come back to this question when more is known about the game. As far as the PS3 exclusivity I don’t think it means much. The official word is that Take Two is using the PS3 exclusivity to “launch the franchise” so there you have it. That’s why it’s exclusive and all I know on it.

Alright, that’s all for this week’s edition of The Real Word. If you have any questions for me leave them in the comments or hit me up on twitter. I have a few articles in the work including impressions from the Uncharted 2 beta, an inFamous review (once I beat the game) and an E3 trailer extravaganza, which is going up sometime today.