E3 2012: Playstation

Sony has done a good job over the years of providing their fans with breathtaking visuals and engaging game play in their exclusive games such as Uncharted and God of War. Coming into this year's E3 event, Sony stayed the course and why would they change it. While Microsoft has control of being the complete package in terms of accessibility due to their party systems and so forth but Sony has focused their system solely on creating video games. The console war comes down to preference, the more hardcore gamers will flock to the Playstation 3 while the more lighthearted fans will ultimately choose the XBOX 360. Sony also has rewarded their fans by allowing Playstation Plus members to download big games for free such as Infamous 2 and LittleBigPlanet 2 among others of the reminder of the year. Even more impressive is the fact the subscribers will notice that twelve games this month will be available to download for free while sixty games are already available to download for free. The Playstation Network is also extending an olive branch to the handheld Vita allowing owners of the powerful system the ability to download Playstation 1 Classics. The big part of their showing came in the form of their presentation of four games that will be exclusive to the Playstation 3 this coming year.

Release: TBD, Late 2012/Early 2013

Let me first start off by applauding Naughty Dog. It is very impressive how stunning this game is and also the Uncharted series. Not only are they visually stunning but also incredibly dramatic. I have stated on multiple occasions that the Uncharted series is the closest thing I have seen in a video game medium to what you experience from a good action film. Their ability to mix dramatic sequences with humor is impressive as is the voice acting. All of which seems to be intact with their new game, Last of Us. The plot follows to survivors in a post-apocalyptic world named Joel and Ellie. Judging by the game play videos shown, you only play as Joel. The world went to hell thanks to a virus that turned people in to some sort of plant like zombie, but the real enemy in the game is actually the human condition. In most of the game play footage shown thus far this is fairly evident due to Joel frequently fighting other survivors off.

Release: March 12th, 2013

Every proud Playstation owner has most likely heard of God of War. It is one of the biggest and most popular video game series on the console as it features a very angry man seeking revenge on the Gods. It features a lot of blood, and a lot of yelling. It is popular though because of the slick gameplay above all else and many are surprised to hear that they are making a fourth installment into the series. Even more so, the new game is a prequel. The end of the third game didn't leave much room for future games, but the main protagonist, Kratos, is getting a prequel to show his past before he became the God of War. It is still hard to see why this game is necessary, but it will sell a lot of copies. The gameplay and visuals look as good as ever but the real surprise is the reveal of this installment having a multiplayer mode. It looks as if it is a free for all slayer type of brawl with some sort of objective basis. Even more impressive is the fact that the player can interact with the arena.

Release: TBA

Quantic Dream could make movies when you take into account how beautiful Heavy Rain was and now they have gone...Beyond. Their follow up to the well-received Heavy Rain takes form with Beyond: Two Souls and this time they used motion capture that James Cameron used for Avatar. Heavy Rain was one of the most unique games I have ever played, and from the look of it, Beyond follows in suit. Beyond has the same dark graphical style that was featured in Heavy Rain. Well known actress Ellen Page is the main character in this game as she plays a girl that is being hunted down by members of SWAT as she attempts to learn more about entity alongside her throughout the game. Ultimately the game is centered around the questions of what happens after death. The game's producer also has hinted that players may be able to find out "what lies beyond" after playing the game. It's a bit cryptic but I doubt he means what lies beyond in terms of death in real life. With a quote like that, my interest is peaked even more.

Release: Q4 2012

I didn't realize they were making another Super Smash Brothers game, oh wait. Playstation adds to their impressive roster of exclusives with a game that everyone can enjoy from all ages as this game allows you to pit your favorite Playstation character against the rest. Wouldn't you want to see what happens when Colonel Radec, Kratos, Nathan Drake and Sweet Tooth fight each other? The game looks good and smooth thus far but the impressive aspect of the game is the arenas. It is a pretty looking game, but it would be nice to see who else will be featured in the game. Thus far we know Radec, Kratos, Drake, Big Daddy, Sweet Tooth, Sly Cooper, Fat Princess, and Parappa. It's not a bad list but I'm sure people would like to see someone from Resistance included as well as Cole from Infamous.