If GamesCom 2012 can teach us anything at all, it’s that 2013 (and perhaps the latter part of 2012) is going to be a very exciting indeed. There are so many juicy PS3 news bits to report from Gamescom 2012 in Cologne that it’s difficult to know exactly where to start.
First off, gamers in PAL countries/regions are going to be seeing an exclusive budget range of essential games coming their way. The aim of this project is to offer up affordable pricing for some of the Playstation’s biggest and most highly visible titles. Currently, there are 3 games slated for release onto the PAL essentials platform in late 2012 – LittleBIGPlanet, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune and InFamous.
EA unleashed a whirlwind of excitement with their presentations for Dead Space 3, Need for Speed: Most Wanted and lastly, Army of 2 (3): The Devil’s Carte, Medal of Honor: Warfighter and Crysis 3. All five titles are shaping up to be heavy hitters in their respective genres with Crysis 3 and Dead Space 3 perhaps being the most “in-demand” or anticipated titles of the lot.
Dead Space 3 continues Isaac Clarke’s ravaged space-bound survival horror descent through space. It seems as if they’ve touched up some of the visual elements of the series and expanded several other recently added features from DS2 like the multiplayer. Serious survival horror fans are truly going to love this one. Then there was Crysis 3, which is by all accounts, an absolute visual feast for the eyes (and a treat for the other senses). During the conference, EA provided insight into Crysis 3’s upcoming “Hunter mode” for multiplayer. Basically, it is a mode which is a twist on survival type multiplayer features of other games. Players are divided into two classes, hunters (who are super soldiers) and troops (who are more conventional fighters). For troopers, the goal is to simply stay alive. As more and more troopers fall, they are in turn respawned as hunters as well. Naturally, players earn more XP as troopers the longer they are able to stay alive.
The Hitman franchise is due to add another entry soon, “Absolution”, which will stealthily creep its way onto the PS3 market soon. Expect more of what we love from the series (multiple tactics, entry points, objectives, interactivity, etc…); however, this time around, we’re actually getting an honest-to-goodness multiplayer component. That’s right; Hitman: Absolution will actually feature an entirely new game mode (contracts) which allows players to place contracts online which other gamers can then fulfill in direct competition with other players around the globe.
For those who adore fighting games, you should know that Tekken Tag Tournament 2 was prominently featured at GamesCom 2012. It’s basically everything you’re expecting and more. Graphically speaking, it certainly won’t disappoint and great though has apparently also been put into character design this time around.
One of the most anticipated games for the Playstation crowd is Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. Instead of focusing on some of the trademarks of the Metal Gear series, Konami has instead opted to push things toward a more action-oriented experience featuring Raiden, the lead character from MGS2: Sons of Liberty. Whether or not this will turn out to be a good idea remains to be seen; however, that being said, the game looks fantastic.
At the Playstation conference, there was plenty of Vita fever and hype in the air as a great number of very exciting release for the handheld console were previewed. Killzone Mercenary looks like it might very well turn out to be one of the best shooters for the Vita, featuring stunning graphics and visuals along with silky smooth gameplay. The PS3 is also seeing the release of some utterly fantastic titles in the near future; Puppeteer in particular, is a title to keep an eye on (creepily cartoonish and fun). The upcoming launch of “The Last of Us” also made waves during the conference, particularly among those who crave post-apocalyptic gaming madness. Then of course there was the cross-play / cross-control presentation which demonstrated how all Playstation products are becoming more and more compatible with one another. Particularly interesting is the ability of the Vita to act as a controller for its big brother, the PS3 (mega-exciting)!
Bethesda’s “Dishonored” is another game that’s garnering quite a lot of attention from PS3 gamers. It features an entirely new approach to first-person combat which combines tactical assault, possession and acrobatic maneuvering (not to mention an absolutely twisted storyline).
On the sports front, NHL13 and PES 2013 are pushing the envelope in terms of player control and visual spectacle. Both games really give serious fans / players a lot to do and love. NHL13 in particular looks to be one of the finest Hockey games ever released, so much time and effort went into producing this upcoming game.
Square Enix generated a ton of excitement with their upcoming release, “Tomb Raider”, which is essentially a gritty reboot of the fabled franchise. There’s quite a bit more emphasis placed on the element of survival in this one, and the graphics have been significantly ramped-up to reflect modern capabilities and tastes as well. All of the signature elements which put the Tomb Raider franchise on the map are still here, only this time, in super-concentrated amounts.
Lastly, we have Beyond: Two Souls which is being release by the crew that brought us Heavy Rain. One of the biggest stories surrounding this game is the fact that it features voice work by none other than Ellen Paige (Inception, Juno, X-men, etc…). Although not much is known about the game at this point, the title seeks to push the concept of “video games as serious art and entertainment for adults” to a whole new level. All-in-all, it’s a psychological thriller that will certainly be well-received among elite PS3 audiences.
And there you have it; those are your notable PS3-related news factoids from GamesCom 2012 in Cologne. If the buzz around the event itself is an indication of anything, it’s that there are some very exciting things happening in the video game world right now which will greatly affect the coming months and years in terms of releases and future developments.