The Year Ahead: PlayStation 3 Gaming in 2008
Metal Gear Solid 4
Kojima Productions
PS3
Summer
Kojima's latest (and last) tactical espionage thriller must be seen as a bankable system-seller for Sony. Now that the full-featured multiplayer component Metal Gear Online has been added as a rider, it fits the bill.
(Impressions, Multiplayer impressions, Screenshots)
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PlayStation Home
SCE Studios London
PS3
Spring
While not technically a game, Sony's avatar-based online lobby will finally see its launch this year. Users can trick out their 3D apartments with objects like televisions, which can stream videos from one user's hard drive for all to watch, Second Life-style. All the excitement of obscene emoticons and furniture micro-transactions will be available this spring.
(Screenshots)
Haze
Free Radical Design
PS3
January
A mature FPS directed by Rare veteran Dr. Doak, Haze has been delayed a few times, now finally ending up as a PS3 exclusive--at least temporarily. The game is set in a futuristic world where a drug called Nectar grants super-powers to soldiers, while also conveniently blocking visions of dead civilians from their sight.
(Impressions, Screenshots)
SingStar
SCE London Studio
PS3
TBA
It's karaoke, and it's on the PS3. Included are 30 tracks ranging from Radiohead to Nicole Kidman, with more available online at the SingStore. Now you can upload videos of yourself singing, too, if you are so inclined.
(Screenshots)
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue
Polyphony Digital
PS3
TBA
Gran Turismo 5 may not place this year, but Prologue should provide a potent hold-over product with 16-player online races. Singleplayer races are supposed to be improved with tuned-up AI.
(Screenshots)
Dynasty Warriors 6
Koei
PS3
February
Slash things for the sixth time in this continuation of the button-masher, now with swimming and climbing. Unlimited combos and better AI could be entertaining. (Screenshots)
Final Fantasy Versus XIII
Square Enix
PS3
TBA
Taking place in the same universe as Final Fantasy XIII, Versus will tell a separate story with separate characters, while using an entirely different mode of gameplay to do it. Said to be an action-oriented title, not much is known about the project, other than the fact that Tetsuya Nomura (Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children) is in the driver's seat.
(Screenshots)
Final Fantasy XIII
Square Enix
PS3
TBA
Nobody knows when Square Enix will wrap production on its first PS3 epic, but late 2008 is a definite possibility. Making use of the company's proprietary White Engine, FFXIII will feature flashy real-time battle scenes, with character models far more detailed than those of even Final Fantasy VII.
(Screenshots)
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_PAGE_BREAK_LittleBigPlanet
Media Molecule
PS3
Fall
This delightful Garry's Mod-esque game stars a cast of object-conjuring Sackboys. Players must cooperate with one another to complete the trek through colorful platforming stages, spawning physics-based doodads in order to solve various puzzles.
(Impressions, Creation tools preview, Screenshots)
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Command & Conquer: Tiberium
Electronic Arts
PS3, PC, Xbox 360
February
This just-announced Command & Conquer-themed FPS will feature squad-based combat set 11 years post-Tiberium War. Playing as a GDI field commander recruited to fight the Nod, players will have access to special powers such as the "Orbital Slug." (Announcement)
Tekken 6
Namco
PS3
TBA
Already released in arcades, Tekken 6 will migrate to home consoles this year. 40 characters, online multiplayer, multi-tiered stages, and several new combat systems--including one which gives each character an item to use in combat, such as a shotgun or chicken--should make for a nice addition to the series.
(Screenshots)
Hot Shots Golf 5
Clap Hanz, SCEI
PS3
Spring
Instead of a shot meter, hot shooters will now be judging their swing power by a visual indicator based on their golfer's actual swing. Expect online multiplayer and overhauled graphics.
(Screenshots)
Killzone 2
Guerrilla Games
PS3
TBA
Guerilla's controversial shooter is making a real-time landing this year, with a public open beta of its multiplayer component set to hit ahead of time. Polished graphics, destructible environments, and adaptable AI are the key points.
(Screenshots)
PixelJunk Monsters
Q-Games
PS3
January
A reworking of Tower Defense Force--or DOTA, for those Warcraft 3 players--PixelJunk Monsters will hit the PlayStation Network early this year for a small fee. Defense towers are upgraded by killing enemy invaders, which attack in increasingly overwhelming waves.
(Screenshots)
Echochrome
Japan Studios
PS3, PSP
TBA
By simply rotating the camera, you save the life of the mannequin figure who traverses Echochrome's geometric platforms. It's a game of perspective, aimed right at the heart of Escher.
(Screenshots)
Infamous
Sucker Punch Productions
PS3
TBA
This third-person action title will apparently set you loose in an open-world city, with the choice of using your super powers for good or evil. From Sly Cooper franchise devs Sucker Punch Productions, this one could have legs.
(Screenshots)
Afrika
Rhino Studios
PS3
TBA
Little is known about Afrika, other than the obvious: the African wilderness will be somehow involved. Will you be shooting Zebras with guns, or cameras? Maybe we'll find out this year.
(Screenshots)
Wipeout HD
SCEE Studio Liverpool
PS3
Spring
Another hold-over in the vein of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, Wipeout HD will offer remastered, high-definition tracks from previous titles in the series. 1080p at 60fps, with online multiplayer confirmed.
(Screenshots)
Grand Theft Auto IV
Rockstar North
Xbox 360, PS3
Spring
GTA fans will be back on the streets this year, cruising through a redesigned version of Liberty City as Niko, an Eastern European immigrant on the rise. A robust combat system, a more involved car-theft mechanic, and some kind of 16-player multiplayer mode are but a sampling of the new features Rockstar is hammering out.
(Impressions, Screenshots)
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_PAGE_BREAK_Brutal Legend
Double Fine Productions
Xbox 360, PS3
TBA
Adventure gaming god Tim Schafer is turning to the dark side with a hellish take on third person action. Jack Black alter ego Eddie Riggs will serve as the game's axe-wielding lead, a roadie thrust into a world where humanity has been enslaved by monstrous metal-themed demons.
(Announcement, Screenshots)
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Tom Clancy's EndWar
Ubisoft Shanghai
Xbox 360, PS3, PC, NDS
Spring
This modern-day RTS is set during a non-nuclear World War III, and will incorporate characters from other Tom Clancy titles, such as Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell, and Rainbow Six. EndWar also boasts a massively multiplayer mode, with players choosing a faction and fighting for dominance in isolated skirmishes across a global map.
(Preview, Screenshots)
Silent Hill V
The Collective
Xbox 360, PS3
TBA
The fifth entry to Konami's venerable survival horror series, and the first to be developed outside of Japan. Early screenshots depict visual elements taken from the recent Silent Hill film, though the story will cover new ground, apparently following a soldier looking for his lost brother. Given the weapon-trained protagonist, and Resident Evil 4's success, expect a better combat system.
(Announcement, Screenshots)
Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway
Gearbox Software
PC, PlayStation 2, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PSP, Nintendo DS
Fall
First person World War II squad tactics--now with mobile machinegun turrets, rocket launchers, vastly improved presentation, and a new cover system. Baker will be splitting off from his squad in this one, going solo during Gears of War-styled sequences.
(Preview, Screenshots)
Battlefield: Bad Company
Digital Illusions CE (DICE)
Xbox 360, PS3
February
The first Battlefield title to be specifically designed for consoles, as well as the first to include a major singleplayer component. Expect destructible environments, a crazy Three Kings-esque plot, and a 24-player multiplayer mode.
(Screenshots)
Army of Two
EA Montreal
Xbox 360, PS3
Spring
Designed as the ultimate co-op shooter, Army of Two is less of a realistic combat simulation, and more of a straight shoot-em-up video game--which isn't a bad thing. The online multiplayer mode pits a pair of armies (of two) against eachother, competing in various challenges on the same map. Co-op maneuvers such as back-to-back shooting and air-guitar emotes spice up the action.
(Hands-on Preview, Interview, Screenshots)
Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution
Firaxis
Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, NDS
Spring
Streamlined--but not overly-simplified--Civilization, played from your couch. Online play and content downloads. The first Civ game since number two that Meier himself has been a major contributor on. What's not to be excited about?
(Preview, Screenshots)
Condemned 2
Monolith Prodctions
Xbox 360, PS3
Spring
Cop protagonist Ethan Thomas is back, but given the horror he had to endure in the original first person, skull-crushing extravaganza, he's been reduced to a burned-out bum-killing bum. As a result, alcoholic hallucinations and strange visions will factor into the gameplay now. Multiplayer deathmatch and hobo-fighting to be included.
(Preview, Screenshots)
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
LucasArts, Krome Studios
Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PS3, Wii, PSP, DS
Summer
Players will assume the role of Darth Vader's apprentice post-Sith, hunting down the remaining Force-users throughout the galaxy. The big draw here will be realistic physics, enabling Jedi assholes everywhere to Force-push their enemies into a realistically-dentable metal door.
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Soul Calibur IV
Project Soul
Xbox 360, PS3
Spring
Improved character creation, detailed stages, online play at 60 fps, and less ring-outs could make this the best entry to Namco's fighting series yet. Apparently, the leather straps on Ivy's thighs make real-time indentations into her skin as she fights, so you know it will be good.
(Announcement, Screenshots)
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Mercenaries 2: World in Flames
Pandemic Studios
PC, PlayStation 2, PS3, Xbox 360
Spring
Fully destructible environments and realistic flame simulations should make for deliciously vicious additions to Pandemic's game of wanton razing. Jump into new vehicles such as planes, helicopters, and boats while invading the open-world country of Venezuela.
(Preview, Screenshots)
Alone in the Dark
Eden Games, Hydravision
PC, PlayStation 2, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii
Winter
Follow Edward Carnby, the protagonist of the original Alone in the Dark title, into the nightmare that is Central Park. The survival horror game will be structured like a television series, containing several "episodes" comprising 30-40 minutes of gameplay each. Hopefully its writers aren't in the WGA.
(Announcement, Screenshots)
Burnout Paradise
Criterion Games
Xbox 360, PS3
January
Said to be a total reinvention of the series, Paradise will be set in a seamless open-world, with no lobbies or loading times. Impromptu drag races are instigated by simply pulling up to a traffic light, and a crash mode is initiated with a pull of both triggers during a wipe-out.
(Screenshots)
Dark Sector
Digital Extremes
Xbox 360, PS3
February
This third-person shooter was originally a high-concept sci-fi adventure. Though it's been scaled back a bit since, Shacknews' Chris Remo recently gave it a favorable preview, which you can check out below.
(Preview, Screenshots)
Borderlands
Gearbox Software
PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Fall
Inspired by Mad Max and Diablo, this first person science-fiction post-apocalyptic shooter with RPG elements is set to offer a mouthful of concepts. Fully randomized weapon arsenals and four player co-op stand out on the feature list so far.
(Announcement, Screenshots)
Ghostbusters
Terminal Reality, Red Fly Studio
PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Fall
With Dan Akyroyd and Harold Ramis on board to write, plus Bill Murray and Ernie Hudson joining the party for voice work, this film sequel-in-a-game has a lot of potential. Not much is known about the overarching structure, but you do get to bust ghosts--confirmed.
(Announcement, Screenshots)
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2
Ubisoft
PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Spring
A full co-op mode and enhanced teammate AI headline this sequel to the popular tactical shooter. Expect some new "interaction" between the solo and multiplayer modes, in addition to enhanced terrorists.
(Announcement, Screenshots)
Turok
Propaganda Games
PC, PS3, Xbox 360
February
The dinosaur hunter returns, sans cerebral bore--but with online multiplayer, stealth-based throat cutting, and the Unreal 3 Engine instead. Bow and arrow included. RAM expansion pack not required.
(Interview, Preview, Screenshots)
Devil May Cry 4
Capcom
PC, PS3, Xbox 360
February
This beat-em-up series may have a new poster boy, but it's still as over-the-top as ever. Capcom's combination of hard-hitting combat and giant bosses is set to land on multiple platforms.
(Preview, Screenshots)
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Logged in users can use the HD stream.Resistance 2 (Unannounced)
Insomniac Games
PS3
TBA
Though it hasn't been formally announced, the sequel to Insomniac's alien-infested PS3 launch title has been heavily rumored and is a pretty safe bet, especially since the studio has released a new game every fall for over five years. Resistance-loving Insomniac founder Ted Price was also conspicuously preoccupied by some other matter while the company worked on Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction. More crazy weapons, expanded multiplayer options, and plenty of aliens are expected.
Think I've missed something, or that some game doesn't deserve the attention? Let me know in the comments section.