Sony Press Conference (Semi Live Blog)

Sony Press Conference

• The conference starts off with Jack Tretton coming out. Hopefully he makes some more jokes about dead people (See last year Sony's Conference)

• 300+ games to be released on all Sony platforms. Seems impressive but that was just a numbers plug so it kind means nothing.

• Jack says that they think 2009 will be the best year ever, overtaking last year.

• Jack is now talking about the PlayStation 2 and how they have lowered the price to $99 dollars. It has sold more than some next gen systems this year. They are going to keep supporting the system “As long as people see value in it”. They are saying that there will be 100+ new titles for the PS2 including some favorites.

• Numbers speeches are always boring but hopefully they do something interesting with it like last year with the Little Big Planet level.

• Jack thinks Infamous has kept you up like a crack fiend playing it all the time…

• They are now showing some accomplishments for Naughty Dog (creators of Crash Bandicoot and Uncharted) They are now showing some Uncharted 2 video. It is actual gameplay. Starts off with Drake on top of a ruined hotel. The animation for the climbing looks really good. I was not too impressed by Uncharted 1 it was OK.

• Drake was shimming across a beam and a helicopter started smoked it and he started falling almost to his death. Looks like the game has some flip-able cover. Also gears 2 style cover system. Lots of explosions. Everything looks very impressive. Demo ended with the helicopter exploding.

• Jack is now showing LIVE gameplay from MAG (Massive Action Game). The games main feature is 256 player multi player. Maps look huge. But it looks like your regular brown shooter. Seems very Battlefield Esq. As the leader you can set objectives for your team. Guy in the demo keeps getting shot but I'm sure he has god mode on or something. CHEATER!

• Once you capture an area you will be able to use it as a spawn point. He just called in an air strike which looked very impressive. Game looks like it is going to be really fun.

• Now they are talking about the PSP. I’m sure they are going to unveil the PSP GO! My dog is so excited about the PSP apparently its flipping out. They announced an Assassins Creed game for the PSP and a Final Fantasy 7 game. They are appealing to the girls by releasing a lilac coloured PSP. Well they didn’t announced the PSP GO! Yet but they brought out Kaz. (RIDGE RACER!!!)

• Kaz is now bringing out the PSP GO! He pulls it out of his suit pocket. It looks smaller than the regular PSP but it slides up to reveal the D-PAD and the buttons. The PSP GO! Will not replace the current PSP systems. Kaz admits that this is the worst kept secret of E3 this year.

• It has 8 to 16 gigs of space to store all the download games since you can’t play UMD’s on it. You will also be able to use memory sticks with it to expand the memory. Sony has a new Media Manager called Media GO. It will work seamlessly with the PSP GO! They now have a new feature for music called Sense Me that will make a playlist for you based on the mood you select. All PSP titles from now on will be on the Playstation Store digitally as well as on a UMD at retail stores. PSP GO! Will be released all over the world at the same time for $249.99

• They are now talking about the video service Netflix style. You can now use that feature directly on the PSP. They are now showing a ton of new content from other television stations for more variety.

• Kazunouri Yamauchi the creator of Grand Turismo has just come out on stage and he is talking about Grand Tursimo PSP. The game is running at 60 frames per second on the PSP. Single player mode contains all the modes you come to expect and a challenge mode to improve your skills. This game will be a full fledged Grand Tursimo. You can use Ad-Hoc mode to race against your friends. You can also trade and share your vehicles through the PSP to other players.

• They are now showing a trailer for the game. Looks even better than the PS2 games. Which is crazy considering it’s on a PSP. They got some sweet techno beats playing in the background. The trailer says that the game is coming out October 1^st.

• Kaz is now back on stage.

• The new Metal Gear Solid game being announced. Hideo Kojima is now on stage. The game is called Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. The setting is 10 years after Metal Gear Solid 3. So it is set in the 1970’s. He says that he is writing the script for this game and some of the main team on MGS4 will be working on this game as well.

• The trailer for Peace Walker is now playing. Starts off with some real footage of some guy in a bunker. More political intrigue from the MGS team. See like a sequel to the other PSP game. More emphasis on Outer Heaven. New ways to capture your enemies and recruit them to your team. Now they are showing 4 solid snakes? End of the trailer shows new type of Metal Gear. Some classic comedy at the end there. Of snake going in a box and then another snake going in the same box.

• Kaz brought Jack back out on stage. Still on the PSP they have just shown a new Resident Evil game for the PSP. They are calling it Resident Evil Portable which seems lazy to me. They are showing a new Motorstorm game and a PSP version of Little Big Planet.

• Another trailer for the games coming out on the PSP. Shows some gameplay from the PSP version off LBP. Glimpse of a new Jack and Daxter game. Some Final Fantasy Dissidia stuff. New Socom game. The Expansion for Monster Hunter. Also some good looking gameplay for Soul Caliber on the PSP. The whole trailer is just a big montage. Some of these games look impressive but I don’t know if they will sell all that well. They also showed that Fat Princess will be on the PSP as well.

• They are now talking about the PlayStation Network… some more numbers. According to Jack FF7 will be available on the PlayStation Network TODAY. I’m not a big fan of FF7 but I’ll probably it pick the game up.

• Trailer for Home is now being shown. They are just showing some of the ways it has expanded. Home always seemed like a thing you either love or hate. It has been ok but its not something you go into alone for. You need a lot of friends that are into it also.

• Now a trailer for some of the games that are going to be coming out on the PS3 are coming out. Uncharted 2, FF13, MAG, and some other games are being shown. Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, WET, Saw game. All kinds of stuff being shown. Noticed some clips from Guitar Hero Van Halen in there. New Katamari!!!

• Sony really likes their montages.

• They just showed a new game being made by Rockstar called Agent. It is going to be exclusive to the PS3 but we all know that means timed. They are actually showing some gameplay footage. Game is now set in Venice and it shows some impressive climbing gameplay. You are not Altier anymore you are like his cousin. You will be friends with Leonardo Divinchi and he will be your personal inventor. They are showing off a flying machine that is letting him travel all around this seemingly massive open world.

• They are giving this new main character a lot more assassination moves. Showed him using the double hidden blades and killing two guys at once. Apparently assassins can now swim. Which always sucked in the first game since you died by water.

• Jack is now introducing a trailer or Final Fantasy 13. It’s a brand new trailer and this time in English. That graphics look amazing which is what Square Enix has always been known for. New female character has been shown; she seems to be a villain of some type. Gameplay is way more action oriented.

• SURPRISE! It seems like they are already working on Final Fantasy 14 and it will be exclusive to the PS3. Seems like they are going back to old school FF look with a lot greenery. Also this will be an online game like Final Fantasy 11

• Everyone is doing a new motion controller now. This little wand thing he brought out it the new motion controller. The PlayStation eye will be able to pick up the new controller. The controller will have true one to one tracking. This guy really sucks at these virtual sports. They are showing a variety of different objects being used with the wand. They have their own are demo with the wand using it to write and paint things. This wand seems like the Wii More on steroids.
  

• They are now using the want on a character to the one to one motion of the wands. It seems very impressive. He is using two wands, one for the shield and one for the sword. He is also using the two wands as a bow and arrow and it looks really impressive

• Jack is now talking about the future of Little Big Planet. Now they seem to have a partnership with Disney for costumes and stuff. There is a new exclusive coming to the PS3 called Mod Nation Racers. Seems like a cartoon-y racing game but with tons of modification. Very kid friendly art style and it seems like a very kid friendly game. Looks like Mario Kart on the PS3.

• You can create tracks in the track editor and your crate is while you are just driving around. They have made a fully functioning track in less that 5 minutes and it is very impressive. Everything is incredibly easy to create.
  

• Another PlayStation exclusive trailer is being shown. A game called The Last Guardian. It is starting out like that same trailer that was leaked before on youtube but with the graphics updated. The game looks much more impressive. Lots of wind effects and a nice showing of some vast open landscapes. Looks like the game is going to be an emotional ride based off of the music playing. It turns out this is not the same trailer but an extended one.

• Sony is just rolling out the exclusives with a new trailer for Grand Turismo 5. This trailer also has some sweet techno beats. I guess the PlayStation brands love their techno. I guess they have the official Nascar license now because they showed official cars.

• God dammit this is to lo- GOD OF WAR 3!!!!

• They are showing a live demo of the game and they say this game will be the final chapter in the series. Demo starts off right where God of War 2 left off. Some new grab moves are being shown off as well as a new ranged weapon which is a flaming crossbow. Right from the start you can noticed the blood has been increased in this game. Helios is now attacking the titan Atlas. Some Blades of Chaos action is being shown now and you can actually hear the individual chains hitting against each other. The new Lion Head Gauntlets are also being shown and these things pack a ridiculous punch. New quick time event was shown on a centaur and it ended with its guts and innards all over the floor. Another new enemy is being shown the Chimera. Another quick time kill he rips off the goat heads horn and shoves it in the chimeras face.

• Jack now is saying his closing speech for the 1000 hour conference. There is the end

Every console had an impressive showing this year and I can’t wait to see more from all of them in the future.