SCEA Announces Sodium One, Home's Ambitious MMO

Sodium One

Almost exactly one year after PlayStation Home launched on the PlayStation 3, Sony has introduced what is perhaps the single biggest step in the social application's existence: the arrival of the first in-Home MMO.

It's called Sodium One and this game space is now available within Home. We've already got over 100 little mini-games to play, 50 spaces to explore and over 2,000 virtual items to collect, but this will offer an entirely new experience; just step onto the Sodium "Teleporter" and be whisked away to yet another world. As of today, this teleporter will bring you a futuristic setting where "interstellar travel, rapid colonization of the galaxy, inexhaustible energy, advanced Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) and the power of travel between quantum realities" all feels very real. The game has been developed by Outso and is published by Lockwood Publishing, and you will start somewhere in the Nevada desert. Your virtual escort of sorts, "VICKIE," will assign objectives that put you into individual or multiplayer combat, which will allow you to earn credits and rewards that can be redeemed later. Sodium boasts several different types of games, including "meta-games, full arcade-style games and community events." The very first section of the game is called "Salt Shooter," which is when you must hunt "self-replacing robots with tanks in order to control their population." The first five levels are entirely free; after which, you can unlock additional levels and new experiences with the purchase of virtual items (ranging from $0.99 to $4.99).

Furthermore, due to the very nature of Home itself, this MMO will continue to expand and grow over time. They will continually add new games, new virtual items, and new community events. And besides, you won't all be forced to do the same thing: if you want a more social - and less combative - experience, you could be a bartender at the "Sodium Hub," or simply wander around and compete with friends in a few simple mini-games. And of course, full customization of your avatar and communication with others comes with the territory. Said SCEA senior vice president of marketing and the PlayStation Network, Peter Dille:

"The launch of PlayStation Home in 2008 pioneered new ground in interactive entertainment and, since then, increasing support and enthusiasm from our PS3 user and game publisher communities have helped to make this a tremendous first year for the platform. Today we further push the envelope with the launch of PlayStation Home's Sodium -- an evolving space that leverages the incredible computing power of PS3 to deliver truly unique, and visually stunning social gaming experiences that you won't find on any other platform."

We just gotta check this out. But I guess my question would be, does this warrant an actual review? Like, a real game review with scores and all that? We do that for PSN titles, of course, but this is a whole other thing...well, at the very least, it's worth trying, right? Home has become something pretty special over the past year. If you want to learn more about Sodium One, watch the video over at the PlayStation Blog, and visit the game's offical website.

Related Game(s): Sodium One

12/17/2009 10:30:39 AM Ben Dutka

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