Sony Reveals upcoming PlayStation Releases
Monday, October 12, 2009 at 12:57PM By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla
Sony recently filled up a downtown Toronto loft space with wall-to-wall screens demoing the latest titles coming to the PlayStation. This annual preview event stokes the fires for the coming holiday season and is replete with new titles, sequels to old favorites and even the return of titles that have long been missing from Sony’s console. Here are the highlights of what we saw.
Daft Punk DJ Hero – Activision
You’ve got guitar gods galore and a bunch of rock band spin offs so what’s next? How about simulating beat matching, scratches and fades on the wheels of steel? Set to launch on October 23rd, Daft Punk DJ Hero puts users behind the turntable and offers exclusive mixes and cuts from Daft Punk as well as a bevy of popular tunes ranging from Hip-Hop, R&B, soul, disco and rock.
Using a turntable controller with three stream buttons, players need to play notes while adding samples to the mix and minding the crossfader button to match onscreen symbols. Clark Gables of the turntables will be well stocked as 100 individual songs and 80 exclusive mixes come with the game. Two players can go on a mixing beatdown and the game also accepts input from Guitar Hero guitars.
God of War III – Sony
By far the most visually arresting and impressive game that was previewed at the Sony event was their own God of War III. Coming in March 2010, God of War III is a visceral experience not only for players but also for spectators. Running at full 1080p HD resolution, the game’s layers of action, lighting, soundtrack and immersive environments are just phenomenal.
The demo showed Kratos tearing through a glorious ancient city leaving behind a trail of bodies and gallons of blood as the war of the Gods and Titans continues. Kratos decimates foes with the Blades of Athena and uses giant lion-shaped gloves to smash through rocks and buildings. He can also tear heads from bodies and impale creatures using their own horns.
The speed, range and scale of user control and character movement is equaled only by the game’s brutality and violence. This is definitely the game to watch for in 2010.
Tekken 6 – Namco Bandai
The much beloved PlayStation fighting title Tekken is back and for the first time totally re-jigged for the PlayStation3. This latest version will be released in October 27 in North America and offers 42 playable characters, most of which will be unlocked as the game progresses.
The King of Iron Fist Tournament 6, offers a lot of what Tekken fans are used to, great characters with carried martial arts styles and moves but now with even more customization to costumes and environments as well as a new scenario mode which is a co-op mode for two players and that allows them to make weapons out of objects in their environment. A new Rage system powers up players when vitality is low and now characters bounce when dropped from higher ground, allowing for even more combo-move possibilities.
Tekken 6 will also be available for the PlayStation Portable and on the Xbox 360.
Alien vs. Predator – Sega
Another blast from the past, Aliens vs. Predator comes back after 10 years but now offers a multiplayer option aside from the requisite campaign mode. The demo offered a first-person view of a cloaked Predator moving along in a lush jungle ready to open fire on opposing players. Releasing in February 2010. Aliens vs. Predator takes allows players to play campaigns as Aliens, Predators or a Marines.
The first-person shooter, suspense, sci-fi cocktail works well and the environments are gritty and accurately rendered but don’t get too caught up admiring the landscape. AVP is action packed, full of claustrophobic corridors and evil-slimy things that are out to get you in the most vicious ways imaginable. AVP will be available for PS3, PC as well as Xbox 360.