Much has been made of this year being the year of the PS3. If you believe the hype, then 2009 will be the year that sees the PS3 finally defeat the Xbox 360 in some sort of virtual mortal showdown.
While fanboys love stoking the flames, we can’t help but feel that the entire debate is a pointless one. Consoles are not gladiators, and the whole console war is getting very tired. Each console possesses a different value proposition, and each is very attractive to different consumers. A big part, if not the main part of a console’s value proposition however, has to be its exclusive content.
In this regard, we will admit that 2009 is looking like a good year for the PS3. In February, Sony sent out a press release detailing its five most important titles for 2009.
The focus of the press release was Killzone 2, but other games mentioned were God of War III, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, inFamous, Heavy Rain and MAG.
inFamous
This sandbox super hero game is set for international release in June this year. After spending some time in development hell, where the game was delayed so that it could be polished up, gamers will finally get a chance to step into the shoes of an electricity wielding bicycle courier. The concept sounds just a little bit silly, but from what we have seen, infamous is shaping up to be something quite special.
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
The original Uncharted was a surprise hit in late 2007. Amazing visuals, fast paced action and a vibrant setting made it one of the PS3’s early killer apps. We all know that sequels sell, especially when they are the follow up to a strong title, so it is no surprise that Sony is hedging their bets with Uncharted 2. The screen shots that we have seen indicate the Uncharted 2 is going to be one of the best looking games to grace the PS3.
Heavy Rain
It has to be one of the most ingenious marketing tricks ever conceived of. Spend copious amounts of capital hyping a game without providing too much actual information, leaving the fanboys to guess the rest in accordance with their wildest fantasies.
Let us not forget that that the studio that is developing Heavy Rain played a significant role in Atari almost going under in 2007 when it released Indigo Prophecy which not many people bought. At any rate, if Sony feels confident that Heavy Rain will be a success, then who are we to argue?
MAG
MAG, or as we like to refer to it by its full moniker – Massive Action Game, makes no pretentions, and is aiming to be exactly what its name suggests. Zipper Interactive has created a unique server architecture that is capable of hosting up to 256 players online on a single map. There is not really much more to say about this one at this stage, but we can see why Sony is placing a lot of faith in MAG.
God of War III
Last, but certainly not least, God of War III is likely to be Sony’s next truly massive selling title. After all, if Killzone 2 could achieve the hype it did in spite of the fact that Killzone was nothing special, then God of War III should be able to suck even more juice out of the hype machine as it is coming from a line of critically acclaimed titles.
From what we have seen, God of War III is looking absolutely breathtaking.
God of War info Leaked
God of War Screen shots
Discuss PS3 exclusives in 2009 on the forums
Loading ...
