Recap of the Sony Holiday Preview Event
Last night I was able to very lucky to attend the Sony Playstation Holiday Preview event at the Burroughes Building located in the Queen Street West area. This was my first time attending a Sony event and there were plenty of games and as always there wasn’t enough time to check everything out.
Assassins Creed II
First game I was able to get a demo on and hands on time with Assassins Creed 2 from Ubisoft Montreal. The objective of this demo was to kill 5 archers and replace them with our own guards and then proceed to assassinate our target. In order to get to the area I needed to I didn’t look for a group of monks to blend in with like the original Assassins Creed, I throw some cash on the ground to try and cause a distraction it barely worked. I then hired some courtesans to cause a bit of distraction while the thieves and mercenaries I hired set off to take care of the guards. While I took care of the first 2 archers, the thieves took care of archer’s number 3 and 4 and left me to deal with the last archer who had the chance to meet my sword and ultimately die by it. I then returned back and reported in and was given my assassination target. On my way over there I stopped by a local merchant and bought some clothes for Ezio. Unfortunately I died during assassination and that crashed the demo which happened to be a known bug. I have to say overall I’ m very impressed with the changes and am looking forward to the release date.
DJ Hero
This was my second play through of DJ hero as I briefly had the chance to check it out last week at X09 where I completely sucked at the game. I was determined to get more hands on time to improve my skills and help me decide if I should buy the game or not. I initially watched several people take their turns playing their 2 set mix. Each of the individuals started on easy and gave medium a go. Don’t worry there are hard and expert modes for you hardcore DJ’s. I was able to check out the tutorial and actually learn how to play the game and I definitely going to go buy the Renegade edition when it comes out.
Tony Hawk Ride
As soon as I walked into the event I walked around the area and as soon as I saw the Sony Hawk set up I dashed right for it as I had a blast with it at X09 and I’m hooked on the game. I explained to Kelvin Lu the Activision publicist that I had already played the game and didn’t need the full demo on how to play. I started off on the half pipe where it’s all about busting tricks and getting high scores. When I was done I asked if I could do a free run on medium so I could experience going down the course and having the ability to fully control and move my character using the board. It took a few seconds to get use to the movement as in the beginner mode the game is on rails and you don’t have to worry about moving your character. I ended up with a high score and then it was time to check out the controller. There is no real difference between the Xbox and Sony Skateboard other then the buttons. As long as the pricing doesn’t get out of control on this game I will be picking up.
Where wild things Are
I was told I should check where Wild Things Are developed by Griptonite games by fellow blogger Justin Amirkhani. I was glad he pointed out it to me. As the game title states it’s based off the movie that is coming out in a few weeks. Yes I know generally movie games aren’t that good however this game looked great and played very well. The game pits you as a character named Max as he journeys across the land which is almost destroyed. He helps the Wild Things find a way to escape to a new safe land before its way to late. The game looked great and the controls were easy enough for a child to pick up and play the game.
Also on display were Uncharted 2 Among Thieves, MAG, Little Big Planet PSP, Heavy Rain, Avatar and a slew of other solid titles. With the recent price drop of the PlayStation 3, the new PSP Go! And all the amazing exclusive titles and multiplatform titles on display will surely lead Sony to the forefront during this Holiday season.
read moreMotorStorm Arctic Edge Now Available for PSP
MotorStorm Artic Edge now available for PSP and PSP Go!
Here are some features of MotorStorm Arctic Edge:
“MotorStorm Arctic Edge takes full advantage of PSP functionality by bringing exciting features such as eight-player online and ad-hoc modes, photo mode, and the ability to create a custom music playlist to suit your driving mood
Entering the latest MotorStorm Festival location, players will be greeted by a rugged Alaskan landscape featuring narrow mountain passes, giant ice caves, and slippery ice bridges showcased in 12 amazing new track designs. Players will need lightning-fast reflexes to negotiate the dangerous arctic conditions, including sudden avalanches triggered by vehicle horns, collapsing ice bridges, bobsleigh corners, and three different racing altitudes. Combat-like racing takes center stage as vehicles are treated as weapons to fight off other racers.
Two additional vehicle classes
read moreLittleBigPlanet
Developer: Media Molecule
Publisher: Sony
Media Molecule has made its debut on the Playstation 3 with platformer Little Big Planet.
Graphics
The graphics in Little Big planet are shiny and clean, on par with every other next gen game on the market.
Audio
Actor Stephen Fry has done a fantastic job as narrator in Little Big Planet. His dry, British sense of humour really takes the voice acting to another level. The sound track sets the mood for each level.
Game Play
The minute Little Big Planet loads up you’re introduced to a lovable character named Sackboy. From here the tutorials teach you how to use the controls as well as how to use the six axis capabilities in the game. The D pad controls facial expressions while the pitch and tilt of the controller make Sackboy perform a variety of humorous expressions. You can also control Sackboy’s arms individually with the L2 and R2 buttons in conjunction with the left and right analog sticks. After the tutorials you are brought to your pod, an enhanced menu screen from which you choose which levels to play, download or create. You can decorate your pod as well as Sackboy by either downloading free or paid DLC from the PSN store or by unlocking clothing and accessories in the single player campaign.
The single player story mode is very short at 35 levels. Sure, that may sound like a lot of levels but they aren’t terribly long. That being said, the puzzles are very fun to solve and each level is unique. You should be able to breeze through the single player campaign in 6 to 7 hours; longer if you go for full completion. In each level you can find and unlock various objects, stickers and decorations which are then available to you when designing your own level. After beating the single player campaign the real fun begins: level creation. While I have not yet posted my own levels online to share with the world, I have started to play with the massive tool set provided. I’ve created some small levels and I am impressed with the versatility offered. I’ve downloaded some levels created by other users and all I can say is that the creativity is unbelievable. My favourite so far might have to be the Wipe-Out HD remake. That being said, don’t expect levels like this to be around for too long. Mm is now cracking down on copyrighted content in level design. With the endless possibilities, I would love to see some sort of Hockey or sports level created. They probably already exist, but I haven’t found them yet. I was really looking forward to online co-op level creation, but it is currently not available. This is sort of a letdown as this feature was one of my most anticipated in LBP. Hopefully they will patch in this feature soon!
Conclusion
If you’ve always sought to create your own game but lacked the know-how, Little Big Planet is the game for you. It will help you harness your creativity to design your own masterpieces which can then be shared with the world. There are only thirty-five levels in the single player campaign but, as mentioned, the true replay ability in this game lies in creating your own levels and downloading levels created by other users. The controls are not as tight as they should be and could be tweaked. Only time will tell how long this game will truly last. However, ‘teh good’ outweighs ‘teh bad’. Therefore, if you have a PS3 you need to buy this game. If you don’t have a PS3, well then Little Big Planet gives you a reason to buy one!