Pre-E3 2006: SCEA Blowout
A look at the company's up and coming PS2 and PSP games that just may have you screaming "I <3 SONY!" all over again.
Published: May 1, 2006
In a matter of months, Sony will be conducting its perpetual system war on three fronts: charting unprecedented territory and evolving games as we know them on the PlayStation 3, continuing its mission to make the PSP an all-media encompassing handheld system, while still trying to keep PlayStation 2 owners happy in propelling a system that hopefully still has a few more years in it. Not an easy task, when you think about it, and with E3 2006 approaching at a frighteningly fast rate (and heck if it's even set in with us yet), this could very well be a crucial milestone for the company.
SCEA recently hosted a pre-E3 event to give the press a sneak peak at the company's premiere first-party PSP and PS2 software, games we'll be seeing plenty of throughout the remainder of 2006 and into '07. While the expected budget-busters like God of War II rocked our worlds just as we expected, we were pleasantly surprised, to put it lightly, to see some of our favorite franchises (even our old pals Ratchet & Clank) getting done proper justice in console and handheld form. We came, we saw, we played, and now we've whipped our honest-to-goodness first impressions on the games to give you, our faithful readers, a glimpse into the future of SCEA titles. Enjoy the read (simply click on the name of the game to be whisked away to the full preview), but be sure to check back next week when our coverage of E3 2006 begins!
[a_img="1" float="left"][/a_img]
Rogue Galaxy (PS2)
"Level-5 has done a stunning job crafting a deep immersive world rife with detail in both the environments and the characters running through it. Not wanting to break that immersion, the developers went to great pains to stream nearly the entire game off the disc, meaning there are next to no load times after loading up a savegame."
[a_img="2" float="right"][/a_img]
God of War II (PS2)
"God of War II might bear the roman numeral of a sequel, but it's not. The gameplay isn't constructed that way, the storyline doesn't flow that way and the developers certainly don't think of it in that way. Instead, the game is a direct continuation of the original game, picking up right where it left off and slowly building in all of the elements that couldn't make it into the first game."
[a_img="3" float="left"][/a_img]
ATV Offroad Fury 4 (PS2)
"The inclusion of more tracks, more vehicles (and name-brand engine parts, wheels, springs and gear) and a deeply integrated experience with the PSP seems to have done the very thing most were wondering was possible: Climax has renewed the series for at least another entry."
[a_img="4" float="right"][/a_img]
Killzone: Liberation (PSP)
"After an hour on a single map we still wanted to play more, and every time we passed the four PSP dev kits with someone invariably glued to the PSP screen, we were greeted just moments later by some kind of scream or squeal of glee."
[a_img="5" float="left"][/a_img]
LocoRoco (PSP)
"The way the locoroco moves, or rather the way it bounces and jiggles is almost hypnotic. Because of the innately simple nature of the world, there's not much to look at beyond large chunks of solid color (at least in the levels we've played so far), so you're drawn to the way the blob wobbles and rolls, and it's adorable."
[a_img="6" float="right"][/a_img]
Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters (PSP)
"High Impact Games, being birthed from the Insomniac womb, is rather familiar with the series, and as such they've managed to bring over the essence of the project, carrying with it a healthy smattering of weapons and gadgets, as well as keeping intact the basic RPG elements for Ratchet so he continues to get more powerful."
[a_img="7" float="left"][/a_img]
ATV Offroad Fury Pro (PSP)
"It gets even better; any of the 30+ Ski-Doos, Rally cars (both of which are exclusive to the PSP), trophy trucks, motocross bikes, buggies and of course ATVs can ride on the courses in any combination."
[a_img="8" float="right"][/a_img]
World Tour Soccer '06 (PSP)
"Studio London made the right move in approaching things from a quick-and-easy perspective while adding in a style of gameplay that's unlike any other portable soccer game out there. If our initial impressions of the game hold up after a while, this could very well be a soccer game people who don't like soccer games."
[a_img="9" float="left"][/a_img]
Gangs of London (PSP)
"Granted, we'll likely see the full fruits of Studio London's labor when we get a proper PS3 Getaway sequel, but if this is what we're stuck with in the mean time, we certainly won't complain."
[a_img="10" float="right"][/a_img]
Lemmings (PSP)
"It had arguably the least flashy showing at Sony's pre-E3 event last week, but Lemmings, in the quiet way only Lemmings can do, was one of the most solid games shown. To be fair, everything at the event was solid, but Lemmings has a sort of undeniable charm to it that seeps into slowly ever after just a few minutes."
SCEA recently hosted a pre-E3 event to give the press a sneak peak at the company's premiere first-party PSP and PS2 software, games we'll be seeing plenty of throughout the remainder of 2006 and into '07. While the expected budget-busters like God of War II rocked our worlds just as we expected, we were pleasantly surprised, to put it lightly, to see some of our favorite franchises (even our old pals Ratchet & Clank) getting done proper justice in console and handheld form. We came, we saw, we played, and now we've whipped our honest-to-goodness first impressions on the games to give you, our faithful readers, a glimpse into the future of SCEA titles. Enjoy the read (simply click on the name of the game to be whisked away to the full preview), but be sure to check back next week when our coverage of E3 2006 begins!
[a_img="1" float="left"][/a_img]
Rogue Galaxy (PS2)
"Level-5 has done a stunning job crafting a deep immersive world rife with detail in both the environments and the characters running through it. Not wanting to break that immersion, the developers went to great pains to stream nearly the entire game off the disc, meaning there are next to no load times after loading up a savegame."
[a_img="2" float="right"][/a_img]
God of War II (PS2)
"God of War II might bear the roman numeral of a sequel, but it's not. The gameplay isn't constructed that way, the storyline doesn't flow that way and the developers certainly don't think of it in that way. Instead, the game is a direct continuation of the original game, picking up right where it left off and slowly building in all of the elements that couldn't make it into the first game."
[a_img="3" float="left"][/a_img]
ATV Offroad Fury 4 (PS2)
"The inclusion of more tracks, more vehicles (and name-brand engine parts, wheels, springs and gear) and a deeply integrated experience with the PSP seems to have done the very thing most were wondering was possible: Climax has renewed the series for at least another entry."
[a_img="4" float="right"][/a_img]
Killzone: Liberation (PSP)
"After an hour on a single map we still wanted to play more, and every time we passed the four PSP dev kits with someone invariably glued to the PSP screen, we were greeted just moments later by some kind of scream or squeal of glee."
[a_img="5" float="left"][/a_img]
LocoRoco (PSP)
"The way the locoroco moves, or rather the way it bounces and jiggles is almost hypnotic. Because of the innately simple nature of the world, there's not much to look at beyond large chunks of solid color (at least in the levels we've played so far), so you're drawn to the way the blob wobbles and rolls, and it's adorable."
[a_img="6" float="right"][/a_img]
Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters (PSP)
"High Impact Games, being birthed from the Insomniac womb, is rather familiar with the series, and as such they've managed to bring over the essence of the project, carrying with it a healthy smattering of weapons and gadgets, as well as keeping intact the basic RPG elements for Ratchet so he continues to get more powerful."
[a_img="7" float="left"][/a_img]
ATV Offroad Fury Pro (PSP)
"It gets even better; any of the 30+ Ski-Doos, Rally cars (both of which are exclusive to the PSP), trophy trucks, motocross bikes, buggies and of course ATVs can ride on the courses in any combination."
[a_img="8" float="right"][/a_img]
World Tour Soccer '06 (PSP)
"Studio London made the right move in approaching things from a quick-and-easy perspective while adding in a style of gameplay that's unlike any other portable soccer game out there. If our initial impressions of the game hold up after a while, this could very well be a soccer game people who don't like soccer games."
[a_img="9" float="left"][/a_img]
Gangs of London (PSP)
"Granted, we'll likely see the full fruits of Studio London's labor when we get a proper PS3 Getaway sequel, but if this is what we're stuck with in the mean time, we certainly won't complain."
[a_img="10" float="right"][/a_img]
Lemmings (PSP)
"It had arguably the least flashy showing at Sony's pre-E3 event last week, but Lemmings, in the quiet way only Lemmings can do, was one of the most solid games shown. To be fair, everything at the event was solid, but Lemmings has a sort of undeniable charm to it that seeps into slowly ever after just a few minutes."