What will Sony unveil at E3 2010?

E3 is currently just under a month away and as per usual the gaming press is surmising what each of the major games companies will bring to the event. This rumour mill starts up at this time each and every year with journalists theorising what the Sony Playstation bigwigs and developers will be able to deliver for 2010 and 2011. Here at Sony insights we felt that a quick round up of the latest Playstation gossip would whet your appetites for the main event in a month’s time.

First are the rumours surrounding the release of a true second generation Playstation Portable system. Maybe Sony feel that the PSP Go has gone and that a new iteration of the device is required. If the rumours are to be believed, then the Sony PSP2 will have not only a touch screen but two cameras on the front and rear of the device, 3G capabilities and a stupendously powerful 4 core cell processor. Whether these features are correct will have to be confirmed but if production timeframes are taken into account then it is more likely we will see this device at the Tokyo Games Conference ( a theory added credence by the fact that as of yet this geographical area represents the largest market for Sony’s portable device.)

Whether or not the PSP rumours can be believed is a matter of conjecture, what seems more certain however is that Sony will be announcing a premium option for the Playstation Network. Up until this point the PSN has been free to users but according to sources within Sony the company is going to release an online gaming package that coexists with the free PSN costing around fifty pounds a year.

In terms of games fans can expect to see demonstrations of the Playstation Move controller with titles such as Sports Champions and Move Party. In addition it is likely that the latest version of the fabled Gran Turismo 5 project will be on show, (we may even get an official release date….. or not as the case may be). It is also likely that the latest episode in the Socom franchise will also be presented.

Finally, it is believed by many that the Playstation’s XMB (Xcross Media Bar) will be undergoing a major redesign, not just adding a few icons but re-hauling the whole look of the interface.

As always we’ll keep our fingers on the pulse so you don’t have to. Remember these are just rumours at the moment and predicting what will happen at E3 is traditionally like predicting the British weather so if you have any opinions, you know where to put them.

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God of War 3!

2010 is proving to be a strong year for Playstation 3 exclusives with the latest release, God of War III taking top spot in the UK’s gaming charts. This top spot is across all platforms and if rumours are to be believed is helping to shift a large number of PS3 consoles worldwide. Sony has been stating for some time that gamers should be excited by the great games hitting the PS3 this year and March has certainly been a bumper for PS3 owners, with Final Fantasy XIII, Heavy Rain, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and now the impressive God of War III. Heavy Rain and God of War III now make it two number 1 spots in the UK charts for Sony exclusive titles.

God of War’s main protagonist, for those that have not played any of the games in the series, is Kratos, a Spartan warrior involved in a bitter battle for revenge with the Gods of Mount Olympus after Zeus demoted him from the position of God of War. The sheer scale of the game has to be one of its strongest elements although for many the jaw dropping aesthetics and simply the chance to become a true Spartan and take on all that Greek mythology can muster has to be a major draw.

The game aside however God of War III represents a shift for the Sony Playstation 3. Chiefs at Sony computer entertainment have been arguing for some time that the raft of console exclusives coming in 2010 will make this an extraordinary year for the PS3. Whilst it has been in the shadows of other consoles in recent years this year could be a turning point in the console war. With rumours of third iterations of the Killzone and Resistance franchises as well as the widely touted Gran Turismo 5 the games are certainly there to do it, what is certain is that after the impressive God of War III, expectations will be high for the rest of the year.

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So coming in at number 5 we have the Sony Playstation exclusive Final Fantasy XIII. The Final Fantasy game franchise is hugely popular all over the planet and the thirteenth instalment of this now legendary game promises to be one of the great RPGs of 2010. Expect flowing storylines, sublimely beautiful scenery and the now familiar turn based, menu style combat system. Sony Playstation owners will not have to wait long; the proposed release date for this title is March.

Number 4 on this list of PS3 games for 2010 has to be God of War 3. Once again a Sony Playstation 3 exclusive and a series that has already gained a considerable fan base. Gamers will be able to control Kratos and battle through the realms of mythology with new weapons and abilities. Of course the story will have to tie up the trilogy effectively, but equally the awe-inspiring backdrops and sheer scale of the game will have to impress.

Certainly a game of our reality age is Heavy Rain at number 3. The game is striving to be different in an industry with clearly defined and occasionally restrictive genres. Developers state that the game will focus upon real life dramas with a cast of realistic characters. Seemingly player morality will affect the storyline with an emphasis placed upon the decisions made. This may well become a classic, particularly amongst the more mature Sony Playstation owner.

The first Bioshock game was an amazing success and this year the sequel is released. The strange world that players delve into will return in February apparently offering the chance to play as the first Big Daddy. It deserves a spot at number 2 just to see how developers plan to interweave the plot from the previous game in a world set ten years later.

The top spot for us at Sony Insights has to be Gran Turismo 5. The jury is still out on whether this will be a game of 2010 or not but if reports are to be believed it is in the summer that gamers will be able to jump behind the wheel of their favourite racer. Rumours are of nearly one thousand different cars and around twenty locations so it is likely this one will keep us going until 2011 at least.

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