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Calendar clarification: God of War 3, MAG before March 2010
Had your hopes up that God of War III and Zipper Interactive's "massive action game," MAG, would be all up in your PS3 before January 1, Ought-10 rolled around? Better let them down ... gently. Following two disparate announcements -- one saying both games (among others) would hit within calendar 2009; the other citing fiscal 2009 -- Sony has confirmed to Joystiq that the release window is, in fact, the latter: before March 1, 2010. Two other games listed in the original press release are pretty much locked for release within the year, though. Heavy Rain, Quantic Dreams' dreamy-looking adventure game, was confirmed for calendar '09 release last August. The Sucker Punch developed action-platformer, inFamous, is coming "this spring," according to a packaging insert going out with tomorrow's major release, Killzone 2.
Sony: God of War III, MAG coming within the year
A triumphant Sony press release which heralded next week's arrival of Killzone 2 and, effectively, the kick-off for its 2009 line-up, contained a tentative list of the games that will likely cause PS3 owners to foam at the mouth with anticipation over the coming months. The list contained two mammoths in particular -- according to Sony, both God of War III and Zipper Interactive's MAG: Massive Action Game will be among the "blockbuster exclusives" which will land on the console "throughout the year." The imminent launch window for the two titles (which were mentioned alongside inFamous, Heavy Rain, MLB 09: The Show and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves) is just a bit surprising -- though we suppose Sony's selective wording ("throughout the year") could mean that the listed titles will be dropping by this time in 2010. Still, barring any delays, 2009's shaping up to be a heck of a year for the enthusiastic supporters of Sony's monolithic home console.
NYCC 09: Infamous hands-on (PS3)
Click to embiggen. A huge shadow has been cast over Sony's upcoming Infamous -- and it's called Prototype. It's strange that two very similar games are coming out so close to each other. Both games involve learning superpowers in a post-apocalyptic, open-world environment, but Prototype seemingly has more hype due to the over-the-top nature of its presentation. In spite of their similarities, the two games play very differently. Whereas Prototype has an immediate hook, Infamous is a more meticulous affair, taking its time to draw the player into its world. Prototype is more of a beat-em-up, with easy lock-ons and quick melee combos. Infamous, on the other hand, plays a lot like a traditional third-person shooter, with the slow progression of a RPG. It may be a bit less flashy than its competitor, but it has the potential to be far more substantial and rewarding. %Gallery-44232%
CES 2009: inFamous videos show off a lotta lightning
Straight outta CES, Sony's offering two videos of its open-world shock-em-up, inFamous. On display here: open-world gameplay, various lightning attacks, and some grating sound effects (bzzt bzzt bzzt!). What's really got us, though, is this: Sony first revealed Sucker Punch's inFamous in July 2007 at E3, just one month before Sierra (now Activision) took the wraps off of Radical's Prototype, an exceedingly similar concept. It's like when two movie studios, operating totally independently, plan big-budget movies about asteroids colliding with Earth. Just replace "asteroids" with "super-powered dudes" and replace "Earth" with "Empire City" and "New York City" respectively. Just like it.
inFamous more about quality than quantity, dev says
Typically, developers don't start apologizing for how short their games are until they're released. But Sucker Punch creative director Nate Fox is ahead of the curve, talking quality over quantity before inFamous even has a release date, citing games like God of War and GTA IV as titles that left people wanting more. "It seems to me that it's not about length, but about quality," Fox told Eurogamer. "And because I love both of those games, I hope that developers never try to shoot for a long game, but instead for the most fun they can pack onto the disc - at any length. That's what we're doing for inFamous." The way we see it, discussing the game's length this early could only mean one thing: inFamous will only be 27 minutes long, 30 if you get all the trophies. You heard it here first.
TGS 08: InFamous eyes-on
It's been over two months since we last saw InFamous, but developer Sucker Punch took some time at TGS to show us how it's progressing. So how's it look? Pretty much the same as last time. The demonstration was set in a different part of the in-game city, but very little new gameplay was actually revealed. Sucker Punch's Ken Schramm guided us through a mission, titled "Blood Trail," while senior producer Grady Hunt talked us through what was going on. The level is fairly early in the game -- about five missions in -- and has protagonist Cole discovering a new power. "Post-Cognition" allows you to read people's memories; in this case, giving you a new objective. A dead woman's mind (do dead people still have minds?) reveals an "echo" of her running through the streets towards a Reaper hideout. %Gallery-34052%
Five minutes inSIDE inFAMOUS
The first PS3 title from Sly Cooper creator Sucker Punch was shown behind closed doors at E3, which is a shame. inFAMOUS looks great, leveraging its developer's talents in art design, animation, and platforming to create an electrifying open-world action experience. We've already reported on what we saw of this promising 2009 title; now it's your chance to get a five-minute guided tour of the game. There are no edits in this HD vid (courtesy of G4), so you get a feel for what it's like to have a developer walking you through its creation. Of course, this also means there's plenty of running around not doing much, since all the cool bits haven't been condensed into a trailer. The parts of this video that stand out most are the platforming (strong Assassin's Creed vibe there), a moment in combat when the player "restrains" a foe to the ground with electricity, and a very unique use of his powers – acting as a human defibrillator to jump-start the heart of a dying pedestrian. Click here to watch the full clip at G4. [Via PS3 Fanboy]
Joystiq E3 eyes-on: inFamous
An explosion obliterates a six-block area of your city, killing everyone but you in the blast. During the following weeks and months, society breaks down. People take to the streets, comitting crimes and cultural suicide. The city is quarantined and abandoned. You wake up from a coma, the sole survivor of the original blast, with the power to control electricity at your finger tips. In the power vacuum of the city, you are able to make a difference, but will you be a benevolent savior or a malevolent power titan? This is the question you're asked when you load up inFamous. Sucker Punch delivered a behind closed doors gamplay demonstration of the game this year at E3, demonstrating the direction they're going in with the title. Gameplay during the presentation consisted of exploring a small part of the city, which felt very similar to Assassin's Creed. Cole is an urban explorer, a hobby he had since before the blast, so he has ability to climb around the city at ease. How convenient. Cole's more supernatural abilities are all related to electricity. Those demonstrated consisted of a thunderbolt zapping power and telekenesis (manipulation of electro-magnetic fields, apparently -- that's electricity related, right?) In order to remain powered up, you must continue to syphon energy from the city, drawing it out from electricity pylons and other sources. Sometimes the city will suffer from a blackout, leaving you without any way to refuel should you come across any particularly brutal enemies.
Shockingly pretty: Direct-feed inFAMOUS trailer
Sony isn't letting anyone get their hands on it, but inFAMOUS, Sucker Punch's super-hero-or-is-it-villain action-platformer for PS3, is still making a stir at E3. We've gotten our eyeballs on it – now you can, too. The formal trailer shows off some very smooth platforming (something to be expected from the developer of Sly Cooper) as hero/anti-hero Cole scampers up walls and along rooftops. What's equally impressive is the apparently wide variety of ways he can use his electric powers to generally make a mess of the game world. As pointed out during Sony's E3 press conference, inFAMOUS is a 2009 title, so there's every possibility it will turn out even more drool-worthy than it looks now. Erm ... electricity and drool? Probably not the safest combination.
Electrifying new inFAMOUS screens surface
click to electro-size Zap! Bang! Pow! Those are the names we've given to three new screens of Sucker Punch's open-world superhero/villain game that have appeared on the official PlayStation blog. We think they're only fitting since each shot depicts Dylan, the good/bad guy from inFAMOUS, using his electric bolts to tear the town a new one. The game continues to look great, albeit very ... brown. Maybe these screens are just from the game's Brown District. (Okay, so we don't actually know that it has such a district, or even districts at all, but please play along?) Along with the screens, Sony mentions that it will have "a bunch of news" about inFAMOUS at E3. We hope the "news" is that the game is actually playable at the show (and less brown). Gallery: inFAMOUS
