PS3 vs Xbox 360: The release calendar showdown (Page 2 of 4)
- March 31, 2008 23:39 PM PST
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PlayStation 3 2008 Release Date Calendar
Gran Turismo 5
April 15, 2008 (Prologue)
The most realistic racing sim.
In Gran Turismo 5, grass and flowers bend and flex with the wind of passing cars.
System seller? Yes. Gran Turismo is the preferred racing simulation for car enthusiasts, with its mammoth library of cars and near-real car handling. But Gran Turismo is a casual favorite, too, a fact that's sent the series into the top ten-selling PlayStation games. GT5 is the first game in the series to feature high-end Ferrari cars and online play with up to 16 racers. The real GT5 is a ways off, but fans of the series will be racing it up on April 15th (April 17th for PSN download) with the appetizer Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, which features over 70 cars and six different tracks. Despite its 10 year run, Gran Turismo is still a selling point for Sony and the PS3.
Haze
May 20th, 2008
The long-delayed PS3 shooter approaches.
Haze is more serious and story driven than the developer's cult TimeSplitter series, but it's not a system-seller.
System seller? No. PS3 owners will be interested in Haze, a first-person shooter that plays with some sensitive social topics. As Commander Shane Carpenter, players fight for the multinational Mantel Global Corporation which manufactures a pharmaceutical drug called Nectar to manipulate its soldier's emotions and performance. A single dose of Nectar enhances the player's perceptions, speed, and strength. But an overdose can lead to dangerous side effects: hallucinations, loss of control, and more. With four-player cooperative play, all-terrain vehicles, and heavy-duty military weaponry, a quick glance at Haze will instinctively remind players of Microsoft's heavy-hitting Halo. Haze looks to be a solid exclusive for the PS3, but we don't see the lasting appeal with Killzone 2 and Metal Gear Solid 4 on the horizon.
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
June 12, 2008
The biggest game of the year?
Once an unstoppable force, the legendary stealth operative Solid Snake is starting to show his age.
System seller? Yes. Metal Gear Solid 4 is, quite simply, a deal breaker. Every Metal Gear Solid game has seen rave reviews and huge sales, but Metal Gear Solid 4 may be the most important game yet - it's positioned as a PS3 system-seller, with a copy of MGS4 and a DualShock 3 being the centerpiece of an upcoming PS3 bundle. We suspect MGS4 will be the top-selling PS3 game this year (the bundle is already sold out on Konami's Japanese website), making it a tremendously important game for Sony in establishing the PS3 as a can't-miss game console.
MGS4 continues the epic story of Solid Snake and his last-ditch battle against nanomachine-augmented soldiers, a worldwide nuclear threat, and his struggle as a rapidly deteriorating genetic construct. Mastermind Hideo Kojima has showed lengthy MGS4 trailers that showcase the game's graphical prowess. So far, it truly is the best-looking PS3 title we've seen, at least as good as Gears of War, and it may be the first game to take full advantage of the 50GB Blu-ray disc. For these reasons and more, Metal Gear Solid 4 is far and away the most important game for the PS3 in 2008.
Metal Gear Online
April 21 - May 5, 2008 (Beta)
Online play: the missing ingredient for Metal Gear 4.
Metal Gear Online plays much like MGS4, a fact that should bolster the popularity of both games.
System seller? Unknown. Metal Gear Solid 4 looks exceptional, but it's primarily a single-player game. Enter Metal Gear Online, a standalone squad shooter with a focus on online team battles. MGO is the spiritual brother to MGS4, sharing the same control scheme, graphics technology, and combat techniques. Though MGS4 may include a limited trial version of MGO, the real experience will be in the standalone game due out later this year (or next) for the PS3.
We played MGO at the 2007 Tokyo Game Show, and we were impressed by game's feel. The third-person shooting feels like a combination of Call of Duty 4 and SOCOM, while an array of quirky Metal Gear equipment (cardboard box disguises, porno mag distractions) add a breath of fresh air. MGO isn't likely to be a huge system-seller for the PS3, though it will benefit from MGS4's success and possibly become the PS3's top online shooter. It's an important game for the PS3, but mostly because of its affiliation with MGS4.
SingStar
June 2008
Sony's lead vocal hero.
Thanks to Blu-ray's storage capacity, HD music videos will play in the background while you sing.
System seller? No. SingStar is the vocal equivalent to Guitar Hero, but with less sales (at least, in North America) and not enough rock power. The PS3 version of the karaoke mega hit will, for the first time, feature an online component called My SingStar Online which allows users to record photos and videos using the PlayStation Eye and upload them for others to rate, comment, and download to the PS3 HDD. The original SingStar for PS2 sold better than you think in Europe, coming in just under the original Guitar Hero's two million. We think this karaoke franchise still has some work ahead of it in North America, but the PS3 version may be a big moment for the series - early crowds at GDC and E3 have loved its slick look and interface.
LittleBigPlanet
September 2008
Introducing Game 3.0.
LittleBigPlanet's Sack Boy hearts PlayStation.
System seller? Unknown. Cute, creative, and casual, LittleBigPlanet is a breath of fresh air in a 2008 lineup dominated by macho shooters. The game premise is simple: playing as a small doll (named "Sack Boy" by the game studio), you and up to three friends romp through Mario-style side-scrolling levels, jumping over platforms and solving simple physics-based puzzles. The catch? You can edit anything, at any time, in any level, as you play. Online connectivity, completely custom levels, and gorgeous graphics are giving Little Big Planet lots of buzz for late 2008. Whether it'll translate into a massive hit is another question, but the potential is definitely there.
Resistance 2
Fall 2008
The PS3's top gun goes for round two.
It's a worldwide Chimera takeover. They've even taken over Virgin airlines.
System seller? Yes. During the PlayStation 3's troubled 2006 launch, Resistance: Fall of Man was easily the most worthwhile PS3 game available. Set in an alternate future, Resistance pitted players against a horde of hungry Chimera adversaries and introduced 40-player online play, earning it a loyal PS3 following. Resistance 2 takes the epic WWII alien invasion to the next level with a full-scale aerial invasion on both the eastern and western front of the United States, and includes two campaign modes: a single-player story that continues Nathan Hale's battle against the Chimera, and an 8-player online cooperative play mode that runs parallel to Hale's crusade. That's in addition to planned 60-player online battles. The little info we have already places Resistance 2 amongst Sony's heavy hitters for 2008, and we expect it'll be a top-seller and a key draw for the system this fall.
Killzone 2
Fall 2008
Guerilla Game's gritty shooter aims its sights high.
Can Killzone 2 clear the battlefield of games like Gears of War 2 and Resistance 2?
System seller? Unknown. After much hype and anticipation, the first Killzone fell flat on its face in November 2004 with an average critic review score of a mere 70%. Despite those middling reviews, Killzone went on to be a bonafide cult hit, amassing a legion of devoted fans despite its graphical glitches and wonky controls. Killzone 2 looks far more promising: its superb HD visuals and promises of online-centric play are tantalizing. On the flipside, Killzone 2 will face an uphill battle with Gears of War 2 and even Resistance 2 arriving in the same time frame. If Killzone 2 can deliver its payload to spec and on time, we expect it'll be a key shooter for the PS3....but don't rule out a delay to 2009 for extra polishing.
Motorstorm 2
TBA 2008
The best-selling PS3 game.
Motorstorm 2 leaves the desert plains and heads into the tropics.
System seller? No. The follow up to the PS3's biggest off-road racer was recently announced, and it looks like a suitably epic encore. The pre-rendered trailer showcases a thick, tropical jungle with destructible tracks and vegetation, plus monster trucks galore. The first Motorstorm is still the best-selling game on the PS3, topping Call of Duty 4 and Resistance: Fall of Man...though that's due to its 80GB PS3 pack-in status. Motorstorm 2 will support 16-player online play with 4-player splitscreen, and we expect that Burnout fans will groove to the slo-mo collisions and crisp HD visuals. It's likely to be a big seller, though it probably won't move PS3 hardware.
SOCOM: Confrontation
TBA 2008
Sony's realistic online shooter may bring in PS2 converts.
You can buy or download SOCOM Confrontation, but it's an online-oriented shooter.
System seller? Unknown. SOCOM is still the PlayStation 2's top online franchise, and it looks to continue that success on the PS3 with Confrontation in September of 2008. Like Rainbow Six, the series is a realistic tactical shooter, but specifically built for the PlayStation console. SOCOM Confrontation supports 32 players online, with support for North America, Europe, and Asia Tournaments, Clan Ladders, and Leader Boards. SOCOM is a big name for PS2 owners, so it's possible the series' success will translate to the PS3. Still, with its online-only play, Confrontation may end up being a tide-me-over until SOCOM's true PS3 inaugural.
InFamous
TBA 2008
An open-world question mark.
Shown at GDC 2007, InFamous looks like a sinister version of Crackdown.
System seller? Unknown. It's difficult to say whether InFamous is a crucial title or not in the exclusive PS3 release calendar, but Sony obviously felt it was big enough to show a brief trailer at their E3 2007 keynote. Developed by the team who made Sly Cooper, the game is said to be a third-person open-world sandbox (read: Crackdown) in which players can try super-powers such as psychokinesis and massive jumps. The key hook here is the player's choice to be a superhero or anti-hero. Information is still scarce, but the game was originally scheduled for a 2008 release, so we may know more soon. Whether it'll be a key game for Sony is still a question mark.
The Agency
TBA 2008
A PS3 MMO with a lot to prove.
The Agency is the first PS3 cross-platform MMO.
System seller? No. The concept of a console-oriented MMO is tantalizing, but so far Final Fantasy XI is the lone success story. Little is known about The Agency, a cross-platform spy versus spy game designed by the makers of EverQuest, but the developers have stated that the game is primarily a realistic shooter. Players choose between two factions, a la World of Warcraft's Alliance and Horde, which determines the type of missions received during gameplay. There's no word on whether you'll have to pay in order to play The Agency, but PSN is a free service, so it's in a better position to support an MMO than, say, Xbox Live. The jury's still out on The Agency, but it's an intriguing premise nonetheless.
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- Apr 23 2008 at 04:18:39:PM PST
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Metal Gear Solid 4 and God of War 3 were the reason I invested in a PS3 and the the list of up coming exclusives I am sure I made the right decision. I can't wait for these titles to drop!!!!
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Hey Goofball1, your name says it all huh? Since you obviously havent been reading on the latest info on the Wii, let me fill you in. The Wii is steadily continuing to lose its fanbase because of the lack of good third party titles. Thats not to say stellar titles dont come to the console(hint: Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Mario Kart). But there aren't enough stellar titles like these to keep the Wii's fanbase up. Sales of the Wii are steadily falling and PS3 sales are steadily rising, especially since amazing titles like Metal Gear Solid 4 and Killzone 2 are coming to the console. PS3 sales will soar even higher when the next price cut hits. Thats why I believe that pretty soon the Wii will fall flat on its face just like the Gamecube did while the PS3 and (unfortunately) the 360 will rise to the top of the gaming food chain. If not this year then next year in 2009.
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