E3 2009 Preview: A Look at Sony and the PS3/PSP

The Playstation 3 has had a rather interesting background. While it hasn’t quite reached its potential yet, Sony continues to deliver the best possible service it can offer on the console. Having a free online service certainly helps that a lot when looking in comparison to the Xbox 360 where you have to pay for premium online service. The Playstation Network has been continually evolving as time goes on and new content gets added everyday. The only problem the Playstation 3 faces is its pricing structure. Sony knew they were going to have problems when they announced the PS3 at a starting price of $599.99 and thankfully they dropped it shortly after release. What can we expect from them at E3 this time around? Take a look at some of the rumors that we believe will ring true come Tuesday, June 2^nd.

Speculation: Kojima Productions will announce a new Metal Gear Solid. Could it be MGS 5 or a side project? We’ve already seen a couple of these from Kojima and one would think he would continue on that route. But, with the countdown image on Kojima Productions’ official website revealing more and more information, even the picture of the face of Big Boss, one has to wonder what is cooking up at the studio. What is Kojima thinking, what is he working on that has everyone talking? Their press conference is all lined up for E3 and they promise to reveal exciting new games that both the core and casual can enjoy. 1up tried to decipher what the Famitsu scan really meant after trying to decode its censored interview with Hideo Kojima. Unfortunately we will have to wait until E3 next week to know any concrete information.

Speculation: Sony will announce the PSP Go! A new redesign for the Playstation Portable is inevitable and absolutely necessary. This may be why the PSP has suffered much in the handheld race with Nintendo. The PSP isn’t quite as attractive as the DS or DSi and there is nothing noticeable that would make the casual gamer interested enough to purchase the handheld at a price of $199.99. While one would understand why the pricing structure is the way it is, surely there must be a time that the handheld could be priced at $149.99? Either way, the PSP Go certainly looks a lot sleeker and would be a big plus for Sony considering it’s also UMD-less and would finally confirm thoughts about heading into digital distribution. The Playstation Store will see gold mines of old PS One classics and new PSP titles developed for it much in the vein of DSi Ware it would be PSP Ware. 1up again confirms the scoop that the PSP Go will be releasing this fall with about 100 premiere launch titles and a possibility of Gran Turismo Mobile will be one of them. Imagine playing the newly redesigned Marvel vs. Capcom 2 as a portable? See for yourself.

Speculation: Sony may be thinking about a Playstation 3 price drop to go into effect around the time of the Tokyo Games Show perhaps. Rumors have surfaced that a slim Ps3 was in the works and caused quite the stir over in Japan. Joystiq posted up a rumor back in early February of this year detailing some mock-up images from T3.com of what a slim PS3 could look like if it came into reality. However, T3.com claims this information from there own inside source, so take this rumor with a grain of salt until conference day. The biggest thing Sony can do at this point would be to announce this Slim PS3 and reduce the price of the original ps3 in an effort to compete with the Xbox 360. Check out the story on T3.com and Joystiq.

Speculation: More “Greatest Hits” additions announced by Sony continue to build the library of discounted games of the past. Sony has already announced new titles to be added to the list, including Metal Gear Solid 4, Ratchet and Clank Tools of Destruction and others. Other hits that could be included in the library would be games like Uncharted, Valkyria Chronicles, and Haze. Sony continues to be strong on software sales even with the likes of the Playstation 2 still among the living dead of the last generation.

 

What can we expect from Sony this year in terms of software? We’ve already heard about most of their titles under the land of the rising sun and some of them have already been previewed in-depth. However, some titles still remain a mystery and some that haven’t had any concrete information released about them until recent weeks. Here are some of the games we think will make an impact at the conference on June 2^nd.

God of War 3: How can you not have God of War at a press conference? Last year we were treated to the first teaser trailer for the game and since then all we were given was a brief preview from Game Informer and a new trailer to bite our tongues on. We’re hoping to see a date set and a demo in confirmation for sometime around the late summer early fall with the game releasing possibly early 2010. What we will see at E3 itself? Hopefully an in-game demo from developers showing us the first level of what is possibly one of the greatest third-person fighting-adventure games of all time.

Gran Turismo 5: The original Gran Turismo turned itself into a phenomenon when it debuted on the original Playstation. It was quickly a fan favorite for being one of the most realistic racing games to date. We haven’t heard much about Gran Turismo’s 5^th entry into the series other then teaser trailers. Sony would do well to finally date the game and give us an expected demo release. Racing fans have been eagerly anticipating this next installment and I am one of them, believe it or not. Kazunori Yamauchi, creator of the franchise, has even claimed himself that the game would be due out in stores in early 2010 according to Joystiq.

Heavy Rain: As with Alan Wake on the Xbox 360, Heavy Rain is a narrative heavy focused quick-time event game with high expectations set upon it. The PS3 certainly isn’t without its own original games, but Heavy Rain will certainly manage to hit towards the top if its story and narrative manage to sustain a high level of interest. The recently released gameplay trailer gives some hope as if you remember with Indigo Prophecy, you control the story through quick-time events and while it may be a heated discussion topic, if mapped correctly, could make the game an entertaining experience.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves: While we have already heard all we possibly could about this game thanks to all the previews and video footage, this one is a personal favorite to add to the list. There are still some things we don’t know about the game, and with the new story adventure, Naughty Dog is surely tight-lipped about it. I believe Naughty Dog will confirm details of Uncharted 2’s immanent release, especially with the multiplayer beta getting underway from the release of inFamous not too long ago.

 

More support will be heading through the PSP this year, considering the all too obvious confirmation of the PSP Go. Sony might be heading towards the casual route to keep up with Nintendo and the DS. It would certainly help Sony’s public image of the handheld and keep it from being a strictly hardcore device. With the PSP being able to do a lot more then the DS is capable of, Sony has all sorts of advantages on its hand, it’s just a matter of breaking through the mold and them acknowledging that the PSP needs this help. With the games, we could see more announcements on Sony’s part at the conference giving the library a bit more variety. Here are some possibilities.

LittlebigPlanet: I believe will make an appearance on the PSP and with the PSP Go I could see it as a possibility to make it a download only title much in the same fashion that Patapon 2 was. Digital distribution offers a whole new world for developers to make it easier to control their games and their profits. With LittlebigPlanet, you can easily take your Sackboy on the go. There were rumors of Media Molecule considering it; 1up has the official story claiming that Media Molecule has confirmed it and we’ll see its release this fall. Hopefully at E3 we will see some gameplay and explained features of the title.

New Metal Gear Solid: With the news breaking that PSP Go was accidentally revealed in that June issue of Qore, a new metal gear solid would be a good move for Sony. Kojima Productions always like to tease us and with the new project for the Playstation 3, you would think they were thinking about cross-platforming their title? It would certainly make for an interesting mechanic.

Gran Turismo Portable: One of the biggest racing franchises for Sony has yet to go portable. E3 would be the perfect time to announce that they are bringing the simulator series to the PSP. With connectivity online you open a whole new world for PSP owners to race against their friends and compete for bragging rights. Gran Turismo is one option to reel in prospective PSP buyers and raise those profits. Apparently a source inside Sony revealed that the game was in development and would be revealed at E3 this coming week. The game apparently will be releasing this Fall. Who knew? 1up seems to be getting all the good stories lately.