Companies:
Sony
Also, tucked away in the sprawl of Bandai Namco's exhibition, Tetsuya Mizuguchi's new PSP project was playable. Very playable, in fact. It's called Every Extend Extra. You control a cursor this time out, guiding an aim at swimming chains of multi-coloured symbols, and dispatch shots when chains cross to effect combos. Each shot must be made within a five-second window, so the pressure is on to find the optimal location on-screen within that strict time limit. The action takes place in a cylindrical play area, similar to Rez's Lost Area, and a boss character appears at the end of each stage. In many ways, this is halfway between Rez and Lumines, with a dose of Puzzle Bobble thrown in for good measure. Every Extend Extra is due out in Japan early next year.
As ever, Square-Enix was on hand to give a resolute show of support for Sony formats. Dirge of Cerberus is surprisingly engaging for what is essentially a spin-off/cash-in. Like Square's finest action games - Brave Fencer Musashinden, Ergheiz - Cerberus fuses the darkness and gravity of Square's RPGs with a fairly simple and light gameplay model. Kingdom Hearts II, on the other hand, is as jolly a stroll as the original.
There was plenty of Sega support for the PS2 and PSP, but much of it was below par. Sonic Riders and Shadow the Hedgehog were scrappy. Dodgy frame-rates only exacerbated the basic problems of light, throwaway gameplay and middling graphics. Sega Rally 2006, however, was drastically improved from last year's showing. The handling is now spot-on. The frame-rate too, has been bumped up close to 60 and we didn't experience any slowdown. The classic Desert Track was the most complete course. Everything should be in place for the game's eventual release in January. We're looking forward to it...it's been a while.
In spite of a proliferation of fair-to-middling titles on the PS2 and PSP, it's a shame that the most promising games weren't actually playable at the show. Capcom's spectacular video presentation of next-gen BioHazard 5 and the Sony PS3 video (with Metal Gear Solid 4 and Tekken as highlights) left visions of the future chiseled on to our retinas, but our hands could only experience the here and now. Which is not to discredit the PSP and PS2 games on show, some of which -- Every Extend Extra, Soul Caliber 3, Okami and others -- are games of the highest order. But we left this year's TGS with the impression that Sony didn't really need to let Japan play PS3 games just yet: hordes gathered in front of the PS3 video while playable Xbox 360 units were sometimes queueless, and it's clear that the PS3 will be at least as popular as the PS2. TGS 2006 belongs to Sony's new kid.
As ever, Square-Enix was on hand to give a resolute show of support for Sony formats. Dirge of Cerberus is surprisingly engaging for what is essentially a spin-off/cash-in. Like Square's finest action games - Brave Fencer Musashinden, Ergheiz - Cerberus fuses the darkness and gravity of Square's RPGs with a fairly simple and light gameplay model. Kingdom Hearts II, on the other hand, is as jolly a stroll as the original.
There was plenty of Sega support for the PS2 and PSP, but much of it was below par. Sonic Riders and Shadow the Hedgehog were scrappy. Dodgy frame-rates only exacerbated the basic problems of light, throwaway gameplay and middling graphics. Sega Rally 2006, however, was drastically improved from last year's showing. The handling is now spot-on. The frame-rate too, has been bumped up close to 60 and we didn't experience any slowdown. The classic Desert Track was the most complete course. Everything should be in place for the game's eventual release in January. We're looking forward to it...it's been a while.
In spite of a proliferation of fair-to-middling titles on the PS2 and PSP, it's a shame that the most promising games weren't actually playable at the show. Capcom's spectacular video presentation of next-gen BioHazard 5 and the Sony PS3 video (with Metal Gear Solid 4 and Tekken as highlights) left visions of the future chiseled on to our retinas, but our hands could only experience the here and now. Which is not to discredit the PSP and PS2 games on show, some of which -- Every Extend Extra, Soul Caliber 3, Okami and others -- are games of the highest order. But we left this year's TGS with the impression that Sony didn't really need to let Japan play PS3 games just yet: hordes gathered in front of the PS3 video while playable Xbox 360 units were sometimes queueless, and it's clear that the PS3 will be at least as popular as the PS2. TGS 2006 belongs to Sony's new kid.
Companies:
Sony