Sony Press Conference Recap

With the monster that was Microsoft's press conference yesterday, and Nintendo's semi-eventless conference earlier today, Sony had to go in guns ablazing. One of the things they were hoping to make waves with, the new PSP Go, wound up leaking before the conference even started. Still, they managed to surprise most of us with a few things like Final Fantasy XIIV, the new PS3 exclusive MMORPG, and the new motion controller that will work in conjunction with the Playstation Eye. Sony showed a ton of other things, and overall had a pretty damn good show. Read the skinny below, and let us know how you think they ranked in tier of the big three at E3.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves - One of the best PS3 game gets a sequel, with even more eye-popping graphics and plenty of charm to go around. Multiplayer is a go, as we all know, but if the locations are as big as what we saw in the demo, we're going to get lost in a good way.

MAG - Massive Action Game is a ridiculous premise, and looks to be handled just right. I was never into the tactical shooter, but the sheer size of this title is indeed impressive.

PSP Go! - Not something I was looking forward to seeing at the conference, as I thought it was superfluous at best. Then they mentioned it's 16gig flash drive, the release of all PSP games as downloads AND UMD, and the Bluetooth capabilities, which I'm sure mean PS3 interactivity, and I was sold. Also, Final Fantasy VII on PSN is available as of right now. GO GET IT!

Media Go! and Sense Me - Upgraded media creation, purchase, download, and organization between your PC and PSP. Sense Me allows you to share your PSP music and have it recommend songs to you based on your listening habits. The Playstation Network video service has now also become native to the PSP.

Gran Turismo PSP - The GT franchise is wildly popular the world over, but I just never really cared for it. Still, the fact that this game looks as good as it does is impressive, as is the sheer number of cars you can drive.

Metal Gear: Peace Walker - The true sequel to Snake Eater is coming to your PSP, and it looks fantastic for a PSP game. I keep saying that because the PSP still manages to push some polygons in a new way, just when I've counted it out.

Resident Evil PSP - I'm not exactly sure when this takes place, or if it's a new remake of the first game, or just it's own beast, but it is exclusive to the PSP and new. That's enough to make me want it. I'm sure it has to be better than the DS game.

Assassin's Creed 2 - I just got excited for this game. Really, just now. A marked improvement over the original, at least in concept, and the turn of the century Italy setting looks promising. Flying around on Da Vinci's flying machine also seemed damn cool.

Final Fantasy XIII - The same stuff you've known about this title still holds true. The new thing we saw? Characters speaking in English. Sheesh, thank you!

Final Fantasy XIV Online - Somewhat shocking, very interesting, and yet still not enough. An exclusive Final Fantasy game is one thing, but when it is an MMORPG on the PS3, I start to wonder who are going to be the people playing this game. I dunno. Still, I was glad to see a Chocobo in the trailer before being disappointed in its MMO-ness.

Sony Motion Controller - Can I call this the Seven-Axis? Maybe the Playstation Toy since the Playstation Eye already exists? Well, this motion controller works with the eye, has a color-changing bulb on the top, and is recognized by the Eye as a device. The tech demo showed much promise, and shows how it could work for hardcore games, unlike a control scheme without a controller or buttons. The satisfaction of feedback and something with weight in your hands while playing a game, especially one with a gun or sword, make this the winning tech demo of E3 in my eyes. It may not have had VirtualBoy, or basketball, but the potential applications for an action or RPG game (read: not casual) are superior. 

ModNation Racers - A possible contender for some form of E3 Game of Show, with the exception of what ever the indie developers will have for us, this spiritual successor to Little Big Planet  takes the create-and-share DIY aspect to cart racers. It looks awesome, with a fantastic level creation system. I generally don't get behind any wheel, except for Burnout, but I'll get behind this one.

The Last Guardian - Guaranteed to make you cry, Team Ico's next masterpiece seems to smack Ebert in the face, proving that once again, games can = art.

Gran Turismo 5 - We've seen this before, and judging by the crowd's reaction, no one really wanted to see it again till release. Still, the graphics are insanely good, but eh... its GT again.

God of War III - More of exactly what you expect this game to be. Is that a bad thing? Of course not. The demo went on for quite a bit, and when it was over the crowd let out an "Awww...." because they still wanted to see more. Yeah, we've got a guaranteed hit on our hands.