Sony's E3 Press Conference: Ben's Impressions
First of all, I would just like to say that I believe Arnold and I did everything we could to bring you the fastest and most detailed coverage of Sony's press conference. Arnold's live updates were literally second-to-second and I nearly broke my fingers and roasted my eyes in turning it all into actual headlines and stories in record time. We had no less than seven updates on the main page before the conference was even over, and we just keep bringing you more. Many of the screenshots are already here, three previews are already done (with many more coming tomorrow), and the videos are right around the corner. Really, there's not much more we can do to bring E3 directly into your living rooms. ;)
Anyway, Sony really needed to step up after Microsoft's conference and I'm happy to say that it did. For me, it's always all about the games and as I've been saying right along, Sony's software lineup vastly outstrips Microsoft's. As much as I want Alan Wake, there's just no comparison to the likes of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, God of War III, MAG, Heavy Rain, Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time, etc. It's too bad we didn't see more of the last two, but I loved to see The Last Guardian; Project ICO's mystery game that we've only recently known as "Project Trico." That was the same video we saw several weeks ago but it was still downright gorgeous in every sense of the word. Really, I've always been all about the games, which is why I focus so heavily on them in my analysis of anything, including E3 press conferences. Let's not forget the huge bolstering of the PSP lineup, what with Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, Gran Turismo and that new exclusive Resident Evil. And not to mention that slick PSP Go! which admittedly doesn't interest me.
Something else that I didn't think would interest me is that motion sensing tech they showed off. I just never care for that type of thing, but after seeing similar technology at Microsoft's conference yesterday, I was intrigued...and what was shown at Sony's conference really blew me away. It was the first time I've ever looked at motion-sensing anything and said, "I gotta try that." I still would've rather seen Kingdom Hearts III or Twisted Metal or something, but even so, that was pretty damn special. Oh, and while I kinda sat back in my seat and frowned at the idea of a game called ModNation Racers, I quickly recalled my appreciation of LittleBigPlanet. Then I began to watch the presentation with interest and I figured I'd have to give it a try. It doesn't sit super high on my priority list, but it's just another step in the right direction for Sony, in my honest opinion. But getting back to the games for a second...
I think I watched the Uncharted 2 and the God of War III gameplay presentations in the same manner: rarely blinking, fingers clasped tightly around around the edges of my chair, whispering to myself every ten seconds, "holy fu**, this game will rule ALL!" Who didn't laugh sadistically when Kratos ripped the horn off that awesome enemy and stabbed him through the eye with it? Seriously? And although I'm really not into MMOs, MAG just looks so effing creative and innovative; I will have to give it a whirl. Unbelievable. As for that surprise announcement for Final Fantasy XIV, I believe the conversation between Arnold and I, when Tretton was speaking, went something like this:
Me: "wait...wait..."
Arnold: "what?!"
Me: "WHAT?! WHAT?!"
Arnold: "WTF!"
Me: "This can't be..."
Arnold: "WHAT?!?! WTF?!?!"
After hearing Tretton say he's revealing FFXIV footage for the first time ever, that it's coming in 2010 and that it's exclusive to the PlayStation 3-
Me: "HOLY FU***** SH**!!!!!!
Of course, this was before I realized it's going to be a MMO, but even so, it's a great announcement for Sony. I was hoping they were talking about the distant future, and the next true installment after FFXIII would once again be a PS3 exclusive. But whatever. I don't care at all that FFXIII will be a multiplat; I just know that after viewing that trailer at Sony's press conference, I was smitten...again. And I think that just about sums things up for me. Hopefully, you enjoyed our coverage and make sure to read the previews I just did for Assassin's Creed II, Tony Hawk: Ride and Heavy Rain. Much more to come! Oh yeah, and I'm pretty much in love with ACII right now. Let's not forget that.
P.S. ...this is the kind of non-stop work that can make you ignore other aspects of your life, like women calling you at exactly the wrong time. That's all I'll say. LOL
6/2/2009 Ben Dutka
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Comments (87 posts)
LimitedVertigo
Tuesday, June 02, 2009 @ 11:49:17 PM
LimitedVertigo
Tuesday, June 02, 2009 @ 11:47:16 PM
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My favorite moment was the FF13 footage, I'm a whore for FF anything and the extra footage melted my soul.
WorldEndsWithMe
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 12:56:19 AM
Scarecrow
Tuesday, June 02, 2009 @ 11:57:04 PM
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A day where my laptop's been on 24/7
Gran Turismo 5
If GT PSP is gonna have 35 tracks then I'm dying to see what GT5 is gonna have.
I'm so getting a psp, psp can kick it with rich people. I'm getting me one of the current ones.
In any event that little thing is gonna have some games! Can't wait to get Ultimate Ghosts N Ghouls, being dying to get that.
--------
*Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker starts*
Phone rings: Hey Ben I need to talk to you
Ben: Oh hell no!
PS: I'm hoping to see some jrpgs at The Tokyo Game Show.
Last edited by Scarecrow on 6/2/2009 11:58:00 PM
Qwarktast1c
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 12:03:47 AM
Scarecrow
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 12:37:59 AM
WorldEndsWithMe
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 12:57:27 AM
LimitedVertigo
Tuesday, June 02, 2009 @ 11:58:52 PM
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Qwarktast1c
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 12:01:47 AM
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i loved the FF13 footage, and i like how FF14 is exclusive to playstation (that's how it should be Squenix!! lol)
except it's online, so meh.... maybe worth a try
i like FF to be just straight up single player
OMG!! GOW 3 is gonna rule all!!
apart from the eye stab, did anybody notice how when kratos sliced open the centaur guy and all the guts fell out?
WICKED!!!
b3mike
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 12:14:03 AM
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*ps I'm still not buying aything from SE unless they release a sequel to FF6!.....................Oh wait, they need to release something before you can actually buy it!*
shadowpal2
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 12:15:52 AM
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Then...motion sensing which I was glad since it showed Sony had something to counter M$' NATAL or whatever.
Oh and also...when I was hearing Tretton going to talk about another Final Fantasy...I said to myself - "OH SWEET FINAL FANTASY VERSUS XIII GAMEPLAY HERE THE FUCK WE GO WOOOOOOOO!!!!!"
"Final fantasy FOURTEEN!!!!"
"........dude it's Versus XIII, did he just make a mistake?!?!"
"and now we have some exclusive footage of it which will be exclusive for the PS3"
"...................oh ...............fucking......................crap.................microsoft JUST GOT POWNED!!!"
Then when it said online at the end...I said to myself "Well...it may not be a normal Final Fantasy...but hey THIS IS A GOOD FUCKING STEP FOR SONY!!!
Jeese I loved that conference. So many people are complaining saying that Sony failed today. But they are seriously a bunch of morons who can't look at the bigger picture. All they care about is A PRICE DROP. To be honest the price is extremely low CONSIDERING WHAT UR GETTING.
Sony won E3.
WolfCrimson
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 12:46:09 AM
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WorldEndsWithMe
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 12:54:54 AM
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Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 6/3/2009 1:00:47 AM
Qubex
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 12:56:23 AM
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Good show reporting B&A, great to review everything once the show was over :)
Q!
"i am home"
WorldEndsWithMe
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 1:02:43 AM
jaybiv
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 10:59:28 AM
WorldEndsWithMe
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 1:02:06 AM
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cLoudou
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 2:31:05 AM
Thrill Kill
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 7:39:23 AM
Superman915
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 1:06:02 AM
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Deleted User
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 1:08:24 AM
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You can probably do some of those things, but not that much. And if it is real, I seriously don't think anything will use it to that extent anytime soon. Peter Moloneux (whatever) said they had their hands on the project for a few months. It's gonna take years to get a real game out.
Can someone please answer me this... Is the MGS exclusive to the 360? I thought I had this all figuered out, but after it being a no show and no mention for Sony, I'm starting to wonder.
WorldEndsWithMe
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 1:10:08 AM
OverlordZero
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 1:15:05 AM
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Ultimadesires
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 1:22:49 AM
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WorldEndsWithMe
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 1:33:32 AM
Qwarktast1c
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 1:29:22 AM
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karneli lll
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 4:28:09 AM
fluffer nutter
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 1:32:18 AM
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WorldEndsWithMe
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 3:20:31 AM
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SNAKEHOUND
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 4:04:14 AM
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HOODGE
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 4:22:53 AM
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As For this years E3, all I can say is OMG!!! Hands down a big victory for Sony. All those xbots making fun of Sony's show are really just crying deep inside their mindless/heartless bodies and cannot deny that they saw Power,Greatness,Innovation,and only can dream of seeing games like that on the 360. They will need the next Xbox to possibly see that type of quality.
I was sweating and laughing and had a huge smile on my face through that whole presentation. OMG I even had some tears in my eyes. SOB can someone give me a tissue..Lol's
Many times I got off my chair in front of the computer and yelled loudly, YES YES YES.
I was truly worried after seeing Microsofts Project Natal yesterday at how Sony could equal that. Well what I saw at Sony's conference just shot the ball right back in Microsofts court. Yes Natal is very very cool, but like WorldEndsWithMe said that he would rather have something in his hands than move around like a freakin loser and have his neighbor catch him looking gay through the window out of shock..Lol's.
To Sony thanks very much for the amazing ride and thank you for this E3. You are the champions!!!
www
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 5:05:25 AM
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Yea and i was a little bit down when i heard FFXIV was an MMO.
Yea i haven't also really been interested in that controller-motion-sensing thing but after hearing of project natal and ps eye am kinda interested.
No ps3 slim,no?
No price cut,no?
Lord carlos
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 6:11:25 AM
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Whats this about a new Resident evil on PSP????
The last guardian is gonna make alot of grown men cry like babies !!!
New MGS on PSP! i wonder if this is why big boss gets super pissed off with zero & co,having to work with 3 clones of himself ???
it would rule if the whole game was 4 player co op and at the end the four snakes(naked snake = big boss)had to fight to the death and the last snake standing is big boss(from all the players POV),at the start your just snake and if player 3 wins the 4 way duel he's big boss in the ending cut scene,i'm allowed to dream!!
THANKS AGAIN BEN & ARNOLD !!!!!!!!!!
Last edited by Lord carlos on 6/3/2009 6:17:05 AM
BikerSaint
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 11:10:53 PM
It think it was the PS2 sitting next to the PS3 and later, allduring the time they showed all the X, O, triangle, &Square buttons going around.
BTW, anytime you add a "link" in your post, it always goes into moderator approval mode automatically. Then there's a waiting period until a mod's free to check it out & then it posts. They're usually quick with it & I've found that it's usually less than 1/2 hour tops(unless they're all extremely busy like during this E3, LOL)
Last edited by BikerSaint on 6/3/2009 11:17:56 PM
Belazor
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 8:55:29 AM
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I'm sorry, it just doesn't.
Regardless if you have a tiny bit of plastic in your hands or no plastic at all, you're still flailing and if that makes you feel stupid, motion control isn't for you.
What IS, however, a valid point is that I do not believe the Archery scene from Sony's presentation can be re-created in Natal.
Everything else (beyond not using controllers, obviously) can be re-created using Sony's PlayStation Eye.
The PS Eye already has a camera sensitive enough (obviously) and a microphone with enough noise cancelling to support voice commands. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Playstation_Eye
Facial recognition is all software-based and thus if Sony partners up with a firm similar to what Microsoft did, Sony can re-create the remaining features of Natal with no problems (beyond getting developers interested, obviously, though MS shares the same problem).
Returning to my original point; while I don't know much about the physics involved, I still think that in order for the game to know that you have tilted your bow in the horizontal position, gyroscopes like what is found in the PS Motion Controller are required.
Therefore, one could conclude that Microsoft have sacrificed some functionality for the "wow"-factor of controller-less motion sensing.
Whether that is good or bad, that would be down to the individual person to decide.
Me personally, I don't mind the controllers, so long as they do come with wrist straps so that I don't have to fear dropping them.
jaybiv
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 11:16:41 AM
HOODGE
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 5:07:04 PM
Last edited by HOODGE on 6/3/2009 5:07:37 PM
BeezleDrop
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 10:00:41 AM
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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 10:19:16 AM
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Karosso
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 12:26:14 PM
Lotusflow3r
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 10:34:31 AM
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Thanks for your hard work guys! i agree, Sony really came at the competition hard, and they could of done it even harder shockingly!
Last edited by Lotusflow3r on 6/3/2009 10:35:22 AM
Highlander
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 10:50:57 AM
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Microsoft's big emphasis was on peripheral functions, like the Sky TV thing, and the Facebook/Twitter thing, the motion tracking and interaction thing. Overall, they spent less time talking about games and less time talking about truly exclusive games than I expected, There was also no real emphasis on the new ZuneHD as a mobile partner to the Xbox360. The big take aways for me from their presentation were the impression that they felt that the announcement of a Beatles exclusive track was worth moving their whole press conference for - it wasn't, they talked about a very small number of exclusive games two of which were Halo, and they clearly implied (well, they stated that all games after a certain point in their presentation were exclusive to Xbox360) that the Metal Gear game was exclusive - and it clearly is not. The emphasis from MS was not on games it was on other things, and the presentation on games was ultimately pretty hollow.
Nintendo appeared to think that they are a medical company now. The finger sensor attachment that monitors your vital signs is simply the same thing that a nurse sticks on your index finger to track your pulse and blood oxygen levels. Nintendo seems to want to move more in the direction of being a health device than a gaming device, and their presentation had the clinical sterility befitting of a medical device.
Sony arrived with the bombastic sound of Queen, and the hits kept on coming. I believe ti's true to say that they showed more games for PSP than MS showed for the 360, and then they got started on the PS3. They did weave in other elements of their Home and PSN services, so the focus was not exclusive to games and of course the PSP Go! got it's launch and the motion control thing was demo'd. However at the end of the day, Sony spent the vast majority of their time showing game after game after game, and the majority of them were actually exclusives. And the thing that really blows me away is that Sony spent two whole hours doing this and still could have gone on for another hour as they just couldn't get all the games into the presentaion. Heavy Rain and Ratchet & Clank are just two games that really got very little in the way of mention, and yet we know they are coming. There were PSP games such as Namco's Soul Calibur - no real mention. And yet we know of these already, and Sony couldn't find a way to squeeze them into the two hour show. I guess they felt that it would be too frenetic if they kept stuffing more games into the time slot. I don't know. But the impression I took away was that Sony has games, games and more games on it's agenda for the PlayStation brand. Notice they are launching the PSP Go at a higher price, no price cut talk there. Sony's strategy for growing the PS3 is crystal clear now, it's about the games, not price.
To re-cap. Microsoft is back to trying to take over the living room and games are secondary. Nintendo has hired too many medical professionals and started believing it's own press when it comes to the health enhancing benefits of Wii Sports. Sony has decided to be a games company again, and is happy to let the software sell the hardware.
Looking forwards, Microsoft has already cut the price of the 360 to the bone, another cut and they make no money on the device. I'm not sure where they go next. Nintendo appears to be coasting and I have no real idea what they will do long term, in the short term it seems it's more of the same, perhaps they are hoping that the same folks who paid for Wii Fit will upgrade to the Plus version? I just cannot see where Nintendo is going any more. Sony looks to me like thy will not reduce their price until the Holiday season, I still believe that a Slim PS3 will arrive then. Mark my words, the $299 price point for a PS3 may be the sweet spot, and you may not see another cut until late in the life of the unit. The strategy is to let the software sell the units, not the price. Long term, I think we will see Sony continue to push the software, and $299 will be the final price point for PS3.
Long term, Sony is acting like a gaming company, Mirosoft is acting like Microsoft and Nintendo is gunning for shelf space in my local Walgreens store (pharmacy/Chemist for those in lands without Walgreens).
Karosso
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 12:18:32 PM
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 12:25:39 PM
Highlander
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 12:25:43 PM
JCARROLL
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 11:50:25 AM
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Highlander
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 12:24:54 PM
Bo0mKiiD
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 12:20:08 PM
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P.S The wand?....Can anyone say Bu++hole pleasures?
Highlander
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 12:42:40 PM
SaintX
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 12:54:23 PM
maxpontiac
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 2:10:33 PM
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I am very envious of the two for being there for all that Sony goodness (specifically GT5).
Question for you Ben. Was the "secret" game you were talking about revealed at E3? I apologize if this was already asked somewhere else.
WorldEndsWithMe
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 2:41:10 PM
karneli lll
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 2:42:40 PM
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Lotusflow3r
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 3:15:24 PM
Highlander
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 4:19:09 PM
smileys_007
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 5:49:07 PM
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556pineapple
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 8:39:01 PM
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BikerSaint
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 11:40:23 PM
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BTW, that "Lord of Shadows is actually the next in the "Castlevania" series, but it will play differently than the past games.
It's an action game, you can explore an open world, with magical spells, and the hero is looking for retribution & salvation.
According to Kojima, the game is by Spanish developer, "Mercury Stream", but Kojima's going to be working with them on their title.
BikerSaint
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 @ 11:53:38 PM
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Highlander
Thursday, June 04, 2009 @ 9:40:06 AM
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Highlander
Thursday, June 04, 2009 @ 5:20:26 PM
BikerSaint
Thursday, June 04, 2009 @ 4:02:44 PM
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My thinking.....of course that's what happen when you let the public vote, just because there's more 360 owners(at the moment) than PS3.
And I scoff at them calling themselves media, more like stealers & repeaters, I say.
Hey, remember what you said about adled monkeys?
These so-called-media types probably just got an all-expenses paid month's vacation from MS, to South America so they gorge themselves to their hearts content at the Chiquita Banana company.
Ahhh yes indeed......
it must be nice to be able to swing across vines all morning long, hang out in tree branches while making alpha male screeching chants, take long whiffs of their own armpits, or inspect their own balls in public, & throw their feces at their other co-working Howler Monkeys.
Geobaldi
Thursday, June 04, 2009 @ 4:29:33 PM
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Uncharted 2: Among Thieves









LegendaryWolfeh
Reply
Tuesday, June 02, 2009 @ 11:45:44 PM