Features// SPOnG's Review of the Year '09: June

So good news for those without a PlayStation 3 looking for reasons to buy one. But those who already had Sony’s beast of a console weren’t left out of the June news either. Sony released Firmware Update 2.80 online, which did... er, well, “The playback quality of some PLAYSTATION 3 format software has been improved” (“Calm Down! PlayStation 3: Firmware Update 2.80 Up”, 24th Jun 2009). Great! Succinct, we guess.

But hey, there was news about Heavy Rain, Quantic Dream’s PS3 interactive drama. Co-CEO Guillaume de Fondaumiere (fantastic name) revealed to SPOnG that the game is not necessarily “conceptually in line” with the console’s Trophy system (“Exclusive: Heavy Rain Not “In line” with Trophies”, 29th Jun 2009). Right. Apparently, the way the game is presented would make Trophies difficult to implement - “It’s about the journey,” after all.

Rockstar had an announcement to make at E3 as well, confirming a PS3 exclusive in the form of Agent. Nothing was revealed about the game, other than Ben Feder’s comments regarding its console choice. “You’re platform exclusive when you get the right kind of support from first parties,” said the Take-Two Interactive president (“Why Rockstar’s Agent is PS3 Exclusive”, 5th Jun 2009).

“At this phase in the cycle, when you’re trying to launch a new franchise, exclusivity can really help you launch the franchise... I have a lot of confidence in [Sony’s] ability to lead the market, as they always have,” Feder concludes. It seemed Sony was on something of a new-IP exclusivity streak this year.

So what happened to Nintendo at E3? Well, the less said the better really - we saw some cool new Metroid game thanks to a partnership with Team Ninja, and a bizarre looking peripheral that tracks your finger’s pulse. Over in Japan, things were making more sense as the company announced plans to launch a black Wii console and a red DSi in the region (“Wii and DSi: Black and White Not Red All Over”, 4th Jun 2009).

Along with news regarding the demo timeframe for Batman: Arkham Asylum (“July for Batman Arkham Asylum Demo Announce”, 24th Jun 2009), SPOnG was keeping busy playing all the games on the E3 show floor this month. We got a hold of New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Brink, Dark Void and Wet in North America, while Activision held a pre-E3 event in London showcasing DJ Hero among other games. At this presser, we spoke to Guitar Hero 5’s Brian Bright, id Software’s Peter Sokal and Steve Nix about Wolfenstein, Kekoa Lee-Creel for Singularity and Ben Ward from Bizarre Creations about Blur.

The Life President of Eidos, and all-round legend, Ian Livingstone, spoke to SPOnG in June as well, to discuss the Square Enix takeover and interactive entertainment. We had a first look at Shadow Complex, Epic’s first foray into the digital distribution channel proper, and reviewed [PROTOTYPE] (must we type it out like that?) and Ghostbusters: The Video Game.

Finally...

Feminism be damned! With all these ‘booth babes’ - sorry, ‘booth companions’ going around being objectified by ogling trade attendees (except not really, unless you work for Blog #298,000), someone thought it would be a nice idea to create a modelling agency based around that very purpose. Enter the Charisma+2 Booth Babe agency (“Secrets of the Booth Babe Biz”, 23rd Jun 2009)!

Agency leader Yvonna Lynn said there was real money to be made in this booth babe business, “Models tend to average $20 to $25 an hour working a show [like E3 or ComicCon].” Charisma+2 was established to give girls (and guys, remember) a suitable platform to “get their foot into the door in an industry they normally would not have access to.”

Hey, we’re all for it. Hubba hubba. Damn, we just objectified, didn’t we? Bugger.