Sony’s E3 Press Conference has concluded and as expected, it was filled to the brim with exciting announcements – which included the unveiling of yet another motion controller.
Additionally, there were a number of demonstrations and bits of news that shooter fiends will find appealing – those will be the focus of this summation.
The first title demonstrated was Naughty Dog’s highly anticipated Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. Admittedly, I was somewhat hesitant to include my thoughts on this walkthrough in this impressions article, as technically, the Uncharted games are classified as “action-adventure” titles. However, the third person shooter and cover elements will make this an appealing title for those with itchy trigger fingers – even though it’s not officially classified as a shooter. Plus, it looks too good to ignore.
Now that the logistics are cleared up regarding that, let’s dive into the demonstration. In short, what was shown looks phenomenally addictive and fun. The level being showcased opened with some climbing and platforming elements, while the basic play mechanics appeared as though they can be performed with ease.
Graphically, Uncharted 2 appears to be an absolutely beautiful game. Rich, detailed environments are featured, while the character models and animations looked spectacular. This game is, without question, a work of art from a visual standpoint.
Shortly into the demo, Drake and his partner were confronted with helicopter fire, which they promptly fled by jumping and shimmying across ledges until they were able to enter a building for refuge from the pursuing chopper.
Inside the building, some brief firefights against troops ensued, and this is where the seamless cover and over-the-shoulder aiming fundamentals were shown off. The game simply seems like it’s going to be a riot to play – luckily, the wait to sample the action will be short, as the MP Beta starts this evening at midnight.
Moving on, Zipper Interactive’s MAG was also showcased – which marked the first public demonstration of a 256-player online battle.
Not to dismiss the crisp visuals and realistic battle sounds by any means, the game essentially looks and plays as you would expect an online multiplayer shooter to. The draw will be the numbers – and the fact that the live battle was issue free despite the massive level of participants.
A certain degree of strategy will come into play as well during these colossal online battles, as you can give commands, order air strikes, and monitor the positions of your teammates or enemies via an overhead map that can be accessed. Overall, the game appears as though it will deliver a competitive and solid online experience for PS3 owners.
Other highlights from the show included the announcement of Agent, a PS3 exclusive being developed by Rockstar. Few details were given, though it’s said to offer espionage action and focus on assassins during the late 1970’s. Lost Planet 2 was also confirmed for a 2010 release.
The Playstation 3 wasn’t the only Sony machine discussed during this conference – it was announced that a new Metal Gear Solid game, called Peace Walker, will arrive on the PSP, along with a Resident Evil game – although like Uncharted, these games technically fit the descriptions of other genres better.
Aside from the exclusives mentioned during the conference, a variety of multi-platform shooters slated to arrive on the PS3 will be on the floor this week as well – such as Modern Warfare 2, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Army of Two: The 40th Day, to name a few.
Overall, I’m suitably impressed by Sony’s E3 offerings for those that enjoy shooters.