ads

Monday, November 1, 2010

42 hot games only on PS3: 15-6

In part one of our countdown of the 42 hottest upcoming PS3 exclusives we touched on games like The Agency, DC Universe and Twisted Metal.

In part two we're counting down from 15 to 6 and will be taking a closer look at games such Ni No Kuni and Resistance 3.

15. Uncharted 3: Beautiful, enthralling, funny - is there a series more deserving of a sequel?


Perhaps fittingly, Uncharted 3 is almost entirely mysterious. However, Emily Rose - the voice of Elena Fisher - recently Twittered her arrival in Los Angeles and announced that she was starting work on Uncharted.

It could be for DLC, of course, but a look at the history proves interesting. The original released in November 2007, and the sequel in October 2009.

Should Naughty Dog follow the pattern expect Uncharted 3 next Autumn: which makes now a good time to begin recording. As for setting, we've seen jungles and snowy mountains. Anyone for sand and maybe the odd pyramid?

14. Journey: Existential crisis in game form?

Most games want you to feel big. Journey wants you to feel small. This sandy, PSN game breaks other rules too. You wake up in a desert. There's a distant mountain beaming light into the sky.

The only enemy is nature, the only friend a lone, unidentifiable player... what do you do?

13. Ni No Kuni: Level-5 and Studio Ghibli spin a classic tale of boy meets, er, fairy.

Set in what looks like a quaint rural European village from the 1950s, surrounded by a moat with a grand castle at its centre, 13-year-old Oliver is looking for a fish.

Not just any fish: he needs to find a rare red piscine specimen to present to King Nyandaru, the king of Goroneru. You see, Nyandaru likes fish very much. And that's because, like many of the residents of Goroneru, Nyandaru is actually a cat.


If all of this reminds you of The Cat Returns by Japanese animation powerhouse Studio Ghibli, well done.

Ni No Kuni: Shiroki Seihai No Joou (or Second Land: The Queen Of White Sacred Ash) is a collaboration between Ghibli and Rogue Galaxy developer Level-5, due in Japan sometime next year (preceded by a DS version this Christmas).

Unveiled in playable form at TGS to massive queues, the game is already living up to the hype surrounding it in Japan.

The attention to detail is stunning. Every pixel has been painstakingly painted, and the in-engine animations are mind-bogglingly close to the likes of Spirited Away; it's the closest you'll get to actually playing an anime on PlayStation 3. Ni No Kuni is an RPG, but it's aimed at the widest possible audience.

"Everyone in Japan loves Ghibli's films," Level-5 spokeswoman Noriko Maruya tells PSM3. "We want all of those people to enjoy the game, so we've been very careful to make it accessible to everyone."

Encounters are easily avoided, as enemies are visible on the field; getting into a scrape reveals a stripped-down command-based combat system, as Oliver commands his lamp-nosed male fairy friend Shizuku to attack, use an item, cast a spell or escape.

Capturing creatures (known as Imagines) will add them, Pokemon-style, to Oliver's team for use in his future battles. Move over, Final Fantasy XIII: the PS3's most gorgeous-looking RPG is on the way, and there's not a Chocobo in sight...

12. Motorstorm Apocalypse: You thought the increase in congestion charging is bad? You're wrong.


Hailed by some as the ultimate 3D game - howling through an earthquake means there's plenty flying at your face -Apocalypse is working hard in 2D too.

The shift to the city brings collapsing buildings, rising slabs, spreading chasms and shifting routes. While much is scripted, it won't be the same each time you play. The pedestrians you slam into will be well pleased.

11. LittleBigPlanet 2: Delayed, but the Beta trial is showing unbelievable promise.

According to devs Media Molecule, the sequel's delay until January was to cut down on the need to patch the game post-release.

This means they can implement fixes and tweaks from the Beta before launch. Sensible, as the Beta seems to be showcasing near limitless possibilities.

We've already seen classics like Pac Man and Geometry Wars, while others demonstrate how to build an RPG - with working inventory - or show off working First Person Shooters.

10. Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One: At last. Crafty, cheery violence for all the family.

There's plenty of conflict out there, so four-player co-op action is welcome. But that's not it. Insomniac has taken great pains to keep all four players on one screen. That's why this is exciting.

Why is one screen good? Visual quality is higher than a split screen, everyone can see everything all the time and gameplay flows seamlessly into cut-scenes.

It zooms when you're bunched and pulls out when you scatter. Simple. Clever. And full of potential for lots of big, group set-pieces.

9. Killzone 3: PS Move compatible 3D shooter aims to be PS3's ultimate technical showcase.


Ever wondered what pushing somebody's eyes out with your thumbs would look like in 3D, but don't live in Newport? Wonder no more.

Killzone 3 combines new Brutal Melee moves with 3D support - and PS Move support, arm-waving fans - so you can find out.

Guerrilla Games is also promising greater variety and, having already used all possible greys and browns the unburst human eye can see, that means trips through jungle, ice plains, nuked cities and space.

PlayStation 3 exclusive DLC & HD remakes

8. Heavy Rain: It has now been patched with Move functionality? Grab it off the PSN now - it is free for Move owners.

7. Dead Space Extraction: The former Wii-only on-rails prequel to Dead Space. It'll be beautified via an HD make-over and will have Move controls built in.

6. Medal of Honor Frontline: Remastered in HD. That beach landing opener doesn't quite have the same impact as it did first time round, but the rest of the game holds up surprisingly well. You'll also get an invite to the Battlefield 3 Beta, which is - sadly - a multiformat thing.

Check back tomorrow to see the final part of the countdown where we'll be revealing a few more of the hottest upcoming PS3 exclusives and unveiling our most anticipated PS3 exclusive.

Order PSM3 here and have it delivered straight to your door.

No comments:

Post a Comment