The month of June has progressed quickly and we’ve been treated to some great news but also our fair share of unfortunate news. One of the more disappointing bits of information we learned this month was the exclusivity of Star Ocean 4 to Microsoft’s console with no plans of a PlayStation 3 version in sight and the delay of The Last Remnant. With Square Enix somewhat letting down the company that has supported them through thick and thin over the last 15 years, it left a sour taste in PlayStation owner’s mouths.
However, the month wasn’t an entire loss as it also brought gamers 5 exciting new titles and even details concerning In-Game XMB and Trophy Support. With GRID, LEGO: Indiana Jones, The Bourne Conspiracy, Battlefield: Bad Company and of course, Metal Gear Solid 4 all hitting retail shelves this month, gamers were treated to more than a delight as there was literally something for everyone. This is without even mentioning Civilization’s release in Europe or Top Spin 3’s release as well.
From here, we look forward. We look to Mid-July at the large gaming summit that each of us usually looks forward to year in and year out. The Electronic Entertainment Expo or E3 for short is a yearly gaming summit that always brings all of the news gamers are waiting for. I will be live at the event covering every title you’re anticipating.
So, much like last month, I’m going to include a group of questions below that have been answered by some of our very own readers and a great tidbit of gaming history from the month of June.
1. In your opinion, did Metal Gear Solid 4 live up to the pre-release hype and were you satisfied with your purchase?
“It absolutely did. This isn’t simply the best game in the series, or just "another" masterpiece by Hideo Kojima, this is probably one of the most important video game releases of all time. The vast gameplay options, the rich visuals, and the captivating story, characters, and dialogue- Kojima and company raised the bar for everyone, and it’s going to be a long time before their work can be surpassed. It simply must be experienced in order to believe it.
And to top it off, it’s a technological feat that couldn’t be done on anything other than the PlayStation 3. So yeah, I guess I’d say it warrants a purchase, not just for me but for anyone that happens to be a PS3 owner.” – WonsAuto
2. Two big titles release in July this year, NCAA 09 and Soul Calibur IV. Which title are you looking forward to most and why?
“Soul Calibur IV is the one I’m looking forward to most. The fourth part of the famous sword fighting game is looking rather interesting this time around as we can customize our favorite character, and use him/her in our online battles.
I’m looking forward to try the create-a-character mode, which will make a character look more cool, and give your enemies something to talk about. With guest characters like Darth Vader, Vader’s secret apprentice, Sith Lord, Jedi Knight, and maybe God of War’s Kratos, the game is surely set for success.
Plus with the new characters and other things we’ll be getting, this game should be a must own title for PlayStation 3 users.” – IWAO
3. July is the month when the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) takes over, what are you hoping to see and what are you hoping to take place at the event this year?
“I’m hoping to hear something about the rumoured Team Ico game (Trico as some call it). I’m also hoping Sony announces some decent JRPG titles which aren’t called Final Fantasy or White Knight Stories.
I also secretly hope to see both MS and Sony reveal a new controller which is both creative and better than the Wiimote.
And I also want Square Enix to finally announce a release date for Final Fantasy XIII.” – Baki
4. With the announcement of Star Ocean 4 going exclusively to the XBOX 360, do you feel that the PS3 may not be the console of choice for RPG fans and why?
“I was kind of shocked and upset when I heard the news and I’ve been hearing a lot about the XBOX’s mass amount of RPGs. Well being the nerd I am, RPGs are a favorite genre of mine. So with Star Ocean and Fable both not going b3yond it would seem like we could be left with the FPS end of the stick…But fear not dear readers, the ps3 does have some nice exclusives that I think might help teeter the totter.
One of which is Valkyria Chronicles, which is very appealing and I think the blitz battle system might bring a whole new life to the style of RPGs. There is also Disgaea 3 and White Knight Chronicles even though that one is not set to release until next year, not to mention the rumors of Dark Cloud 3. So do I feel that the ps3 may not be the console of choice for RPGs? No, I think that an RPG fan could still find light in the ps3. Aside from the multiplats, we have a nice little list of exclusives where each one is different in its own little way and all three I listed are worth checking out in the future.” – Ubernerd20
5. What upcoming title are you looking forward to most and why?
“Although many upcoming titles interest me greatly, there is only one I don’t think I could live without. Resistance 2 is by far my most anticipated game of the year. With Resistance 2 having a separate 8 player co-op campaign on top of the regular story mode, it is just an amazing touch.
I played the online portion of R:FoM for well over a year. So if Insomniac Games can match or even surpass the online play with Resistance 2 this will be the Game of the Year in my eyes. I am so curious as to how the story of Nathan Hale will progress. I can only imagine what will come of Resistance 2.” – Vudumonkey
This Month in Gaming History: Can you believe that 17 years ago in June, the PlayStation was unofficially started? It was June 1991 at the Consumer Electronics Show that Nintendo was preparing to announce the SNES-CD that would officially confirm the partnership between both Nintendo and Sony. However, Hiroshi Yamauchi secretly canceled all plans in regards to the partnership and this resulted in Howard Lincoln and Minoru Arakawa flying to Philips headquarters in Europe to form a new alliance. The two top brass of Nintendo made this trip in a stealthy fashion which led to Howard Lincoln blindsiding Sony that sunny morning during his CES conference when he announced Nintendo’s partnership with Philips. Due to this decision, Sony decided to pursue a console of their own and eventually gave the gaming world the original PlayStation.