The event was packed with tons of PS3 games

SONY HOLIDAY PRESS EVENT 09: A casual analysis.

Ahsan  says:
So then,  let’s talk about the Sony holiday press event

April  says:
You really don’t care about my well being do you? >. < anyways, What did you think?

Ahsan says:
Where do I begin,  I loved the fact that the entire event was held in such an inconspicuous place and just felt like a modern art gallery.

April  says:
I know! It looked like an empty building and right on the upper floor was the event. Like some secret organization having a meeting or something!!!

sony makes some nice scarves

Ahsan   says:
hahaha true say!!!!!
I loved the ps3 scarves we received.
Check it I got a photo of it

April:
Yeah, I know, We walked in at the same time ;p

Ahsan says:
OMG the hors d’oeuvres

April says:
I ate so much >.< but I`m happy ;p
Loving the scarves <3 I wore mine the moment the event was over.

April was on box number 2..

Ahsan says:
Well I might go ahead and sell mine online. Nah, I`m just kidding
but enough about that, let`s talk about what we saw.

April  says:
I`m still dizzy from all the games we saw there! I saw Avatar, Aliens vs Predator, Tekken 6, Assassins Creed II, Heavy Rain, God of war 3, did I get all of them?

Ahsan. says:
You forgot Where the Wild Things Are, Dj Hero, Guitar hero 5, MAG, Mod Nation racers, Army of two, the New Dead to Rights, Need For Speed Shift, another Sonic game, Tony Hawk ride, the new Katamari
In other words A LOT of games. A LOT

April  says:

YEAH!

Ahsan  says:
Something that I’ll mention right off the bat is what was mysteriously missing from the show floor. Firstly we didn’t get a chance to see Modern Warfare 2.

April says:
And let’s not forget Gran Turismo 5. I honestly thought that would be there or at the very  least some video footage.

Ahsan says:
So very true, I had another gripe about not seeing the PSPgo fully playable, I mean the main rep had it, you just had to schedule a personal time with him in order to see it.

April says:
Yeah, it was pretty difficult to see the hand held. There were no displays, so it wasn’t like we could just reach into his pocket and grab the go to test it out >.<
So were there any sports games at the event?

Ahsan says:
Yes Tony Hawk’s Ride was in full display at Activision’s corner.

April says:
I thought I saw you in the distance trying to balance on something, tell me how was the game?

Ahsan says:
Oh Tony Hawk ride was awesome. ThepPeripheral made it as if you were actually balancing on a skateboard, the game even had a casual mode for those of us who can’t steer with proper precision. With a different take on how they used to approach their skateboarding games, I believe this year they may have set themselves apart from the competition. Despite its hefty price tag, the unit was really sturdy and we got to see a real skateboard legend show us the ropes.

Our legendary Skateboarder tries out Tony Hawks Ride, before going underground

April says:
Oh, it’s Jooooosh!!!! = D lols! Speaking about the stuff of legends, who brought the beat down in Tekken 6? which looked gorgeous and seemed to have the largest roster ever seen in Tekken history.

Tekken 6 looked amazing..despite the fact that I kept losing

Ahsan says:
Indeed! The backgrounds were gorgeous and fully animated, tons of stuff was going on. And according to the reps everything in the game is fully unlockable and if there should be any new downloadable content rest assure it will be free.
As for you bringing the pain in Tekken 6, my controller was messing up. It`s not over yet!

April says:
Okay, whatever you say. Was it sort of like how your drums were busted in Band Hero?

Ahsan says:
Whoa there! Ever wonder if it had something to do with your singing? Band Hero was certainly was fun.

April says:
Thank god for Taylor Swift, as long as they keep Hanna Montana away from any music game I`m happy.

Ahsan. says:
Alright changing gears let’s talk about the high points of the show,
run down your top three games of the event.

April says:
That’s easy as pie
my top three have to be:

King of kings?

Assassins Creed II, Just because there’s so much more freedom than in the first one. The inner history nerd in me really is in love<3 with the historical aspect of the game. First the Crusades now the Renaissance how can I not get excited? Throw in Leonardo Da Vinci into the whole shenanigan and I’m ecstatic. Plus he’s an assassin, a darker aspect of history. It was a time where modern ideas were being born and control was being established. So he`s pretty much a ninja like Ryu Hayabusa lol!

the second
has got to be Uncharted 2: Among thieves

I grew up watching movies like Indiana Jones and I played games like Tomb raider. This is pretty much the best of both worlds! I really loved the interaction between the characters. The dialogue really made me laugh.  While the jungle scenery was so lush that it made me want to just hop on a plane and find that forest!  Explore the land, find treasure and literally become the female Nathan Drake.

My number three without a doubt would be Heavy Rain.

It’s no peaches and cream type of game. But the story line is really mesmerizing. The way it plays even reminds me of Shenmue. Which was one of the best games on the Dreamcast. The interaction like asking questions and looking at objects left me thinking of Ryo Hazuki lol. (Please bring him back!)  This also being a story driven game has many puzzles to solve which made the inner Sherlock Holmes in me want to figure out what in the world was happening.

Ahsan says:
Fan boy alert.. I didn’t know Shenmue was so dear to you

Deciphering Heavy Rains controls

April  says:
First of all I’m a girl and besides Shenmue was an amazing game. Seeing elements of it in this game really made me smile.

Ahsan says:
But  didn’t you find Heavy Rains controls a little archaic? I felt like it was akin to the old tank style controls of resident evil. Also, I wonder how deep this game can actually get since majority of it is spent on story elements and human interactions.. Where is the gameplay at?

April says:
I  hate to admit it but the controls were a bit hard to get used to. I wish that it was easier to move the character from one area to another. As for the gameplay,  it’s all in the interaction, for example when the character is scared it’s really difficult to choose the decision you want because the predominant emotion of the character at that moment was fear.

Ahsan . says:
Ok,  so you mean to tell me that the character interactive moments yielded multiple results? That’s pretty cool.
Moving to your other choice-Assasins creed 2. I did love all the gameplay reveals thanks to the in depth demo we had our hands on.

April says:
>.<  AGREED

Ahsan says:
Having factions work for you, looking for good prices on items, and not drowning is a huge plus.

ACII builds upon the original distraction.(MGS4 pictured above)

April says:
Like the courtesans! You can hire a group of woman to distract the guards which will allow you to pass in an area without being detected. No wonder Kojima-san loved this game! LOL it’s like those books you planted to distract the guards in Metal Gear.

Ahsan says:
Ubi was carefully listening to all the feedback from the first game and its clearly evident in the sequel. Heck the lead creative designer who walked us through the demo was kind enough to inform us that they’ve even managed to cut down on the amount of annoying beggars.

April:
To me it’s a perfect example of pivotal game play improved by careful feedback.
Sooooo, how about you?  What was your top three??
What games made your list?

Ahsan says:
Top three games of the show are: Aliens vs Predator-Rebellion’s pre alpha build was visceral, vicious and seemed like a true successor to the pc version. For a pre alpha build it had some amazing gamplay elements, like the predator leap that sort of solves first person platform problem.
Next on the list is Uncharted 2 for its jaw dropping locations and excellent presentation. Last up I pick God of War 3 with its impressive visuals and insane battles. I honestly could not believe these games were running on a ps3.

April says:
Yeah? Why?

Ahsan says:
Uncharted 2 in particular takes a tried and true formula and adds some small tweaks that create a more streamlined experience. Uncharted 2 is already lighting up high review scores and having some hands on time with it certainly illustrates why.

what happens next is complimented by buckets of blood and gore

GOW 3 was the most primeval experience, I HAVE EVER SEEN. This game was brutal and I loved every moment of it. Combos were easy to pull of and you had some insane encounters throughout the demo. Remember when David Jaffe was quoted as calling the game a literal painting come to life; he was spot on. The third title in the series is definitely the best.

April says:
This was so sick, it was so brutal and gory yo! I’m so stoked for this game.

Ahsan says:
I know, I just said that lol but same!! March 2010 can’t come soon enough.

April says:
We saw a lot of good games but what about the other side of the puddle? What didn’t deliver?

Ahsan says:
It’s rather sad but I was disappointed with Army of Two and its lack of co op display thus crippling the morality system that has been hyped up. Instead we got a closed combat area showcased to us with a warzone surrounding it.
I found the new Dead to Rights not compelling enough to play but that’s just me, it seemed like the game was out of place. It wasn’t visually interesting nor did the gameplay seem to be an evolution of the series. What about you?

April says:
Weeeeelllllll…….

EA

Ahsan:
Well???

April says:
Avatar was what disappointed. It has so much potential but it just didn’t cut it for me. Graphically, they need to bring up their A game to the plate. What also kinda bugged me was that we weren’t given the opportunity to actually play the game ourselves. It was pretty much like watching a demo on the computer screen.

Ahsan says:
Yea, I mean the game is supposed to utilize a 3D Tv and uses Farcry 2s Dunia engine but it’s far from looking remotely close to Farcry 2. There was tons of geometry but having no hands on really hurt

April says:
* Imitates Randy Jackson* KEEPIN’ IT REAL DAWG!

Dj hero brought out the Urban DJ in all of us.

Ahsan says:
Yea, yea brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr bap bap

April says:
=P

Ahsan says:
Alright so this was our first press event and the kids these days wont read anything till it has some sort of rating or grade on it. So then give a grade to this press event.

April says:
B+ It was amazing but there’s always room for improvement.

Ahsan says:
Indeed, I’m with you on that. B plus some big hitters were missing but for the most part we had some pleasant surprises like a robust build of Assassins Creed 2 and Aliens vs Predator. So stay tuned for our pick of the show and a detailed discussion of what we learned.

Assassin Creed II - We just couldn't get enough of it

April says:
*Hand raises up* I call Assassins Creed 2!! haha called it  ;p

Ahsan Khan. says:
VERY WELL.
Till then our loyal readers stay tuned.

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