Sony is backing 3D gaming big time. In fact, the message made at their E3 conference was that they want PlayStation 3 to do for 3D what it did for Blu-ray. The first game shown was Killzone 3, in 3D, obviously, which showed dual-weapon wielding, jetpacks and dog fights. Sony promise twenty 3D games – including Crysis 2, Mortal Kombat, Shaun White Skateboarding, Ghost Recon, Tron and NBA 2K11 – by the end of March 2011.
Then came the announcement of The Sly Collection – a package featuring the three jolly decent Sly Cooper/Sly Raccoon PlayStation 2 platformers. Sly also appears in newly announced platformer Heroes on the Move, along with Ratchet, Jak and their sidekicks. Yep – all six characters staring in one game. “This is going to be one of the biggest brand partnerships we’ve ever had,” says Sony’s Jack Tretton. The dully titled Sorcery, an adventure game with orcs, elves and spells for PlayStation Move was then demonstrated.
Not only does the PlayStation Move now have a release date, but also a price. Those dates: 15th Sept in Europe, North America on 19th Sept and Japan on 21st October. The Move Controller will cost $49.99 as standalone while the Navigation Controller will cost $29.99. Two packages will also be available – $99.99 gets you a PlayStation Move, a copy of Sports Champions and a camera or if you don’t own a PlayStation 3 yet then for $399.99 you can take home a PlayStation 3, PlayStation Move, Camera and a copy of Sports Champion. Sony Europe may have different bundles up their sleeves though. Sixteen PlayStation Move games will be available at launch including Resident Evil: Gold Edition, Time Crisis: Razing Storm and SOCOM 4.
EA came on stage to show their backing for PlayStation Move by showing a demo of Tiger Woods 11 while also announcing that the limited edition version of Medal of Honor will come with a high-def remake version of Medal of Honor: Frontline. The limited edition version of Dead Space 2 will have former Wii-exclusive Extraction bundled with it too. Also: Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood will have an exclusive PlayStation 3 beta.
If you’re a heavy PSN user then you might be interested in becoming a PlayStation Plus subscriber – for $49.99 a year (or $17.99 for three months) you get a better service, with free PSP Mini and PSone downloads and more. Worry not – the standard PSN service will continue to be free. There are more details on the official website.
Sony rounded off the show by showing a handful of sequels – Infamous 2, Motorstorm Apocalypse and Twisted Metal. Twisted Metal features 16 players online and a new ‘Nuke’ multi-player mode in which you must destroy your rivals’ statues before they destroy yours. Weapons play a big part – it’s possible to use a chainsaw while steering a motorbike. Psycho clown Sweet Tooth is just one of the returning characters. You can view the trailer here.
A decent display of titles, all in all. The PlayStation Move line-up sounds a whole lot more exciting than the likes of Microsoft’s Your Shape: Fitness Evolved and Kinect Adventures while the announcement of a new Twisted Metal makes me want to dig out the PlayStation original, which can only be a good sign.
The idea of PlayStation Plus seemed a bit horrid (I thought paying for online access was just a Microsoft invention!), but the way they’re packaging it seems fair. I’m tempted, if it’s about 30-40 GBP a year and you get all the PSP Mini/PSone games.