2008: The Year of the Playstation

Another feature, the second full one to the site, and this time I consider the Playstation 3 and whether its time has finally come in the year 2008.  Will MGS4 give the PS3 the top spot in the console war?  Has Microsoft managing to get their hands on GTA IV plus some exlusive DLC meant the PS3 is doomed to fail?  Find out more after the cut…

Be aware.  I usually want and try to maintain a balanced and objective view on console news and game releases, but for this feature my PS3-owner hat is firmly on.  I’ve tried to still balance it out with some big 360 and Wii releases, but at times it may feel a little biased or one-sided, even if I’ve tried not to make it sound like that.  And for that I apologise in advance.

Let’s face it.  The PS3 hasn’t had an easy time up until now, with the 360 in many peoples opinions the better system to get.  And who’s to blame them.  It’s had arguably the better exclusive titles in games such as Halo 3 and Gears of War, and obviously had all the same multiplatform titles.  The PS3, on the other hand, has had good exclusive games few and far between, with the launch title Resistance: Fall of Man still being one of the top ones, even though it was released over a year ago in 2006.

But that is all about to change.

I’ve been looking through the 2008 game listings, and I come across PS3 exclusive after PS3 exclusive that I can’t wait for.  And, I think it’s time for the 360 to move aside the the Playstation finally show what it’s made of.  And I think a big part of that is the fact Sony has finally seemed to have woken up.  With the latest PSN store update, although it might not have been perfect, shows they’ve started listening to their customers more (since this was initiated through an opinion poll) and hopefully is an indication of what’s to come.  Online enhancements is probably to come hot on the heels of this, with more features akin to the Xbox LIVE service, while maintaining its no-cost nature.

But, it’s the games which will really makes this a great year to own Sony’s latest console, so I’ve collected five games here which I think will make 2008 the year of the PS3, leaving the 360 and even the Wii out in the cold.  Am I right?  There’s no way to know until December 31st 2008, but I think all these following games will shift systems out of the shops, which can only be a good thing for Sony.  So, here are 5 PS3 exclusives this year which will propel the PS3 from where it is now (which I believe is losing the console war), to leaving the others behind in the dust.  Let’s get started then, shall we?

 

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
June 12th 2008, PS3 

The obvious choice, and potentially the most anticipated PS3 exclusive ever.  I cannot wait for this.  But, what I’m really anticipating is not the gameplay or the multiplayer component (although they are compelling reasons to purchase), but it’s the story.  Having not completely played all past Metal Gear games, I’m not fully up to date with the story, but if MGS4 can wrap up Solid Snake’s story while making it largely accessible to someone like me, who doesn’t know the narrative inside out but has a decent knowledge, then it’s done a good job, and what’s driving me to buy this is to find out what Snake’s final mission will be, how it will progress and ultimately how it will end.  From the gameplay videos I’ve seen, Snake in a warzone works wonders.  Is it good enough to surpass MGS2, which is consider to be the best of the series?  I’m not sure, but I’m willing to find out!  With the MGS4 online beta open to play soon, we’ll be able to find out how the real thing will play.  Plus, unlike other games, this is sure to give us a considerably lengthy (and challenging) single player game for the final chapter of the series.  Add on the multiplayer component and this will give a lot of gameplay, and will most probably be one of the best games on the PS3 ever.  Probably not to everyones tastes, but for people who enjoy this type of game, it will surely be one of the best purchases you could make for your PS3 this year.

 

LittleBigPlanet
September 2008, PS3 

You may be thinking “What the hell is that?”, and I wouldn’t blame you.  It’s not a big hitter like MGS4, but it is one of the most innovative games you’re likely to see on your PS3.  In a market which is quickly becoming saturated with First Person Shooters, LittleBigPlanet breaths a breath of fresh air to the marketplace, and looks to bring a truly enjoyable experience with it.  Co-op online play may be a welcome addition to most games, something to do after the single-player campaign, LittleBigPlanet is built around it, with online play being a major feature and the community being a big selling point.  You play as a sack who, with other players online, navigate a series of different environments through working together.  It sounds a little risky — online people can usually get bored and quit half-way through, so what would that mean for your collaborative effort?  And won’t playing the same levels get boring?  No is the simple answer.  Because that same community you play with can create new and inventive environments.  Anyone can, and it doesn’t require any kind of complex coding or placing systems, it’s been said to just be a case of point and click.  I don’t really know what to make of it, myself, whether it might just be a short-lived novelty or if the user-created content could keep it perpetually moving forward constantly.  It certainly does look great, though.

 

Grand Theft Auto IV
April 29th 2008, PS3, Xbox 360 

Okay, okay, so it isn’t a PS3 exclusive game, but I don’t think that reason is fair to exclude it from the list, and I have my reasons.  This is almost certainly going to be the biggest selling game of this year, potentially of all time (although that’s disputable).  And, Rockstar have most definitely earned it.  Since GTA III, they’ve turned out classic after classic, with Vice City and San Andreas improving on the tried and tested formula, keeping things fresh, and GTA IV is going to be fantastic — I don’t have to have played the game to know that.  Rockstar have earned their stripes, and I can’t see them faltering with their back catalogue.  But, why is it on this list?  Yes, you can get this on the 360, as many people will be, but only on the PS3 can you get GTA and MGS4 in the same year.  The 360 has the current advantage of guaranteed exclusive DLC, but the PS3 has also been confirmed as getting some of its own.  And, to be honest, what would you prefer?  10 hours extra GTA to download in August (possibly for a price) or an exclusive full game like MGS4 or Killzone 2?  It might not be a particularly strong argument, but I know where I stand on it.  That’s why it’s going to contribute to the year of the PS3, because it will work to enhance the other exclusive games available this year.  And it’s going to be damn good fun. 

 

Killzone 2
September 2008, PS3 

The first game was terrible.  Well, maybe not terrible but it certainly didn’t live up to the hype surrounding it.  The gameplay was generic and the numerous technical faults and repetition made it more of a chore to play than fun.  The one thing it had going for it was that it looked great, and Killzone 2 seems to keep that up.  From the trailers, the game looks fantastic, but does maintain its predecessors bad gameplay?  I hope Guerilla games have learnt their lesson and made the fight against the creepy Helghast more enjoyable.  Give us a wider variety of enemies to fight, more inventive weapons and a more compelling story and it will be fun.  There seems to be too much rested on good graphics nowadays, and that’s the wrong stance to take.  Graphics are a part of the experience, and there’s no point having good graphics is there isn’t a solid base to build up from in gameplay.  Killzone proved that and I hope Killzone 2 rectifies that.  I’m actually a little surprised a sequel was even considered after the first one was less than satisfactory, but it’s been a major player in Sony’s PS3 marketing, so I hope there’s an improvement here.

 

Playstation Home
Spring 2008, PS3 

The final game on my list isn’t technically a game, but it’s something which sounds pretty interesting.  It’s basically a ‘Second Life’ type download for your PS3, where you create an avatar and then get your own personal space within this world in which you can do what you want.  Then, as you progress you get bigger houses, more stuff etc.  You can walk around the world, talk with other users (text/voice), and this is all available to you from your own PS3, and you can access this whenever you want from your X media bar when you start your system up.  It’s been in development from Sony since 2005, so I’m expecting something good.  Not really my type of thing, but I’ll give it a couple of tries when it’s released for download, but if it requires any payment I probably won’t bother. But, it’s on the list because I’m sure it will create a thriving large community of PS3 owners, and really show what the console is made of, appealing to another market and enhancing the experience for current owners.

 

There we go, then.  My idea of the five games this year which will prove it’s the year of the PS3 (there are more, but I chose a diverse set of games, excluding ones which were too similar).  Yes, the 360 has Gears of War 2 coming in September which should be cool, but that’s really the only exclusive I can think of right now that’s worth a mention.  I’m not 100% sure what the Wii has to offer, but Wii fit and Okami were games I was looking out for.  But, then, I don’t think it’s really fair to compare the PS3 with the Wii because they’re so different and targeted at different people.  The PS3 and 360 are relatively similar in that regard.  The 360’s time has come and past with Halo 3 and Gears of War, 2008 is the time for the Playstation to step up and show what it’s made of.  Agree?  Disagree?  Leave a comment and give me your opinion on whether the PS3 will show its metal this year and really start its fighting in the console war.