E3 07 Sony Press Conference Recap

Of the three major press conferences, Sony was without question the best. They focused both on the hardcore and casual gamer equally, showed us why a PS3 purchase was a good investment, and committed to many of the promises the Sony execs had made in the past (Home, PSN, and exclusive titles).

Gone was the cockiness and arrogance Sony is known for and it was replaced by a humble Jack Trenton who not only admitted he was nervous but managed to poke fun at himself and Kaz Hirai. As being someone who couldn’t stand Sony’s arrogance since the PS3 was announced seeing Sony humanize itself was a welcome change.

At the forefront of the whole presentation was Home, Sony’s answer to Xbox Live. All the latest features of Home were on display (look for a more detailed article to be posted soon), and suffice to say while I personally am not excited about the service, it has come a long way since the unveiling at GDC.

Another highlight was the PSP or, more appropriately, pseudo PSP 2.0. The design hasn’t changed (except for being 33% lighter and 19% thinner), but the battery life has been improved to allow for a longer PSP experience. The new ability to stream PSP video directly to an HDTV is also a nice touch and it is obvious Sony is hoping this will push UMD sales. Unfortunately, the only way to your hands on this updated PSP is through Entertainment Packs (one shipping in September and the other in October both for $199.99 and both are loaded with extras).

Playstation Network was also on display, with several new games being mentioned (some of which will also be available on Blu Ray). Beyond the games there was no mention of any additional service, excluding Home. Like Sony said the focus of their press conference was games games and more games.

Third party developers were also in full force for Sony’s press conference. Titles like Call of Duty 4, Assassin’s Creed, Kane & Lynch, Resident Evil 5, Burnout Paradise, Madden 08, Guitar Hero 3, Medal of Honor: Airborne, and Rock Band all had trailers and looked spectacular. At the top of the third party list was of course, Metal Gear Solid 4 which appeared once again in trailer form only (but had the American voice actors and revealed that both the American and Japanese versions would be launched simultaneously in early 2008). Unreal Tournament 3 also was announced as a PS3 exclusive for 07, and brought the promise of PC mods onto the PS3 online arena (something Microsoft has not accepted yet within their relationship with Epic).

Sony then finally showed off their first party games which they had a very solid line up. Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction, along with Folklore, Heavenly Sword, NBA 08, Little Big Planet, Uncharted Drake’s Fortune, inFamous, and GT5 all made Sony’s library finally return to the powerhouse that it was during the PS2 era. To top off the conference Sony once again showed off Killzone 2, which looks as impressive as ever.

Of all three press conferences, Sony’s was the best. They focused on one thing, and one thing only; games. They didn’t lose sight of what E3 was and what it represents, a time to showcase all the new titles coming out for their system. They didn’t bore us with movie license deals or demonstrations of workout equipment, and for that I thank them. Combine this with Sony’s new humble attitude and it is hard to argue against the claim of Sony having the best E3 press conference of 07 (big jump from the worst of 06). Finally, I have a reason to go buy a PS3.

Article By: Cloud890