Sony looks set to send PS3 off in style as Xbox 360 fizzles out
- Posted June 22nd, 2012 at 06:03 EDT by Mike Harradence
- 40 Comments
Let’s not kid ourselves here. This year’s E3 was always going to be a slightly muddled transition period for the industry, with platform holders eager to squeeze the most out of their current-gen machines before the inevitable unveiling of next-gen systems in 2013.
PS3 and Xbox 360 are quickly approaching their twilight years, and while we expect to see both units supported for the foreseeable future, those triple-A exclusives are slowly drying up. As such, E3 gave us a glimpse at what will likely be Sony and Microsoft’s swansong offerings for their respective platforms.
We at PSU.com game on many systems, Xbox 360 included. But what’s interesting is that after taking a butcher’s at what both PS3 and 360 are offering for 2013, we’d be willing to bet a small amount of money on our belief that Sony’s console offers unequivocally the most diverse, unique software to see us through until fresh hardware arrives.
Let’s talk about the games. Halo 4 and Gears of War: Judgement are easily the two biggest 360 exclusives on the horizon, just as The Last of Us and Beyond (with The Last Guardian a distant possibility) are likely to be PS3’s last crop of exclusives. However, while Gears and Halo’s pedigree cannot be put into question, they’re hardly the most original line-ups, despite some impressive changes to the formula, largely in the multiplayer landscape.
The Last Of Us blew us away at E3
They’re both established franchises, and while that has served 360 well in the past, it would have been nice to receive something fresh to see the console off to that great plastics factory in the sky. Reading around the net, it’s clear that some gamers are tired of the same old series and want to see something new.
PS3 on the other hand offers something that is completely new and unique. Both Naughty Dog and Quantic Dream’s next offerings are new IPs, and are completely disparate in terms of fundamental gameplay mechanics and narrative.
The Last of Us is a bleak, post-apocalyptic adventure game focusing on survival and the relationship between its two heroes, Joel and Ellie.This isn’t just another shoot-‘em-up, and while parallels can be drawn between this and Uncharted in terms of combat, it still stands on its own two feet.
Ammo and supplies are scarce, enemies are highly intelligent, and the game positively oozes tension and atmosphere. These aspects are further accentuated by the utterly stunning visuals, which depict a society that has decayed and totally collapsed, with only stranglers left scavenging around the dilapidated buildings and lonely streets.
Speaking of scavenging, this forms a core component of The Last of Us, with players required to cobble together an arsenal of make-shift weapons and tools by hunting for useful items throughout the environment. You can’t just blast your way through encounters; you could be struggling for ammo and have to find a way of circumventing dangers, or at the very least meticulously plan out how you’re going to make it through with the limited supplies you possess. It’s an entirely different dynamic to your traditional action-adventure.
The fear of surviving and running out of essentials constantly plays on your mind, making it a highly cerebral experience as much as anything else. And for that, The Last of Us is something that’s definitely going to be worth the wait and surely go down as one of the PS3’s most impressive titles to date.
Beyond on the other hand is likely to prove as polarising as David Cage’s previous PS3 effort, Heavy Rain, but that’s beside the point. What we have here is yet another example of an exclusive, highly unique experience that seeks to push the boundaries of interactive storytelling and videogames in general.
Aside from the obvious clout of casting Ellen Page as lead heroine Jodie Holmes, Beyond is possibly the best-looking PS3 game we’ve clapped eyes on, and it’s clear that the visual fidelity in Quantic’s Kara tech demo has been used as the basis for this latest adventure. The graphics are stunning, from the immaculately-crafted facial expressions to jaw-dropping lighting and shadows effects that bring to life the on-screen action.
While mechanically similar to Heavy Rain, what makes Beyond such an intriguing project is the concept and story. Cage said he wants to explore the ... (continued on next page)
- Page 1
- Page 2
Email
Related Content
Comments
-
Soldier 95B |
Solder_95B- 7:06am EDT - June 22nd, 2012
- 1
What are my thoughts? LOL at the opinion. I see both going out in style.
-
Ghost-Rhayne |
Ghost-Rhayne- 8:12am EDT - June 22nd, 2012
- 2
I will bet my bottom dollar that what we have seen at E3 is by no means the entirety of what we will get before next gen on the PlayStation. Props to Sony for having the guts to tread on so much new ground where as MS takes their normal minimalist and safe approach, giving the usual games as their swan song titles.
-
Soldier 95B |
Solder_95B- 8:17am EDT - June 22nd, 2012
- 3
I give props to Sony and MS for having the guts to tread on so much new ground giving us great new games and titles. They are knocking them out of the ball park.
-
Ghost-Rhayne |
Ghost-Rhayne- 8:32am EDT - June 22nd, 2012
- 4
Haha love the way you spin stuff. Sorry but halo 4 and gears 4 aren't new ground, they are what we call "sequels".
-
Soldier 95B |
Solder_95B- 8:40am EDT - June 22nd, 2012
- 5
Haha...good thing we all get more than just gears and halo 4, lol!
-
-
Soldier 95B |
Solder_95B- 8:50am EDT - June 22nd, 2012
- 7
The reason I own both consoles is because I find they have equal awesome exclusives and games, and I want them ALL!
-
-
Michael-Angelo Nunez
- 12:40pm EDT - June 22nd, 2012
- 9
Halo ended for me at 3 and I never cared for Gears.
The 360 died for me when Microsoft started throwing us shovelware Kinect games.
-
Soldier 95B |
Solder_95B- 1:09pm EDT - June 22nd, 2012
- 10
"This article has seem to hit a nerve for some lol"
Indeed. And now Ghost left the forums too.
-
steviej
- 2:13pm EDT - June 22nd, 2012
- 11
There's a large assumption here that MS, who typically showcases near future releases (current year), is somehow addressing all of 2013.
For the record, this is 2012, spring ended yesterday. Next comes summer followed by the Holidays.
MS used E3 2012 to showcase mostly 2012. Some 2013 stuff, Kinect enabled Splinter Cell and Gears of War 3, but mostly 2012.
Fable Journey...release 2012
Fable Heros...release 2012
Halo 4...release 2012
Forza Horizon...release 2012
Sony was the opposite. Allsates to release in 2012.
We saw One game with a 2013 release...GOW and 2 games with no release date...Last of Us and Beyond.
Those are the facts.
If MS follows it's usual routine they will release 2013 info closer to 2013 just like we got all the 2012 info nearer to the 2012 releases.
"Fizzles" doesn't accurately describe being the best selling console of 2011.
-
-
AaronSOLDIER |
AaronSOLDIER- 2:42pm EDT - June 22nd, 2012
- 13
Thats because MS over shipped during the holiday season so they could claim #1 for 2011, and now they are trailing in 2012 because the stores are still selling those overshipments.
-
James Konrad Barden
- 2:53pm EDT - June 22nd, 2012
- 14
PS3 going out? PS3 still has a long shelf life, not only longer than XBOX 360, but longer than PS4. Why!? Because the Playstation Vita's specs are on par with a PS3, and it only takes ONE week to port games between the handheld and the console. Long after the PS4 is released, you will still see Vita ports pop up on the PS3, making it machine worth buying, even now.
-
KyleOnTheRun
- 3:30pm EDT - June 22nd, 2012
- 15
@11 The Last of Us and BEYOND have both been confirmed for 2013. That would bring Sony's total of "big reveal" 2013 games up to 3, among the 6 or 7 that were really given a lot of time during their E3 media briefing. Also, I'm not sure where Wonderbook and Book of Spells stands in all this.
-
-
-
wojocid
- 5:53pm EDT - June 22nd, 2012
- 18
I'm just curious at what point all the crapBOX fanboys will admit their console is an inferior product. The sale #'s for the crapBOX are misleading at best, which is their primary argument Of course it sold more >>>> 1st off, it had a year head start, 2nd the amount of broken consoles repurchases only confirms the crapBOX is an inferior product. And yes .... I own both. Hands down the PS3 treats the crapBOX like a "red headed step child"! If it weren't for the "exclusives" Halo (oooohhhhhh) and Gears (so-so), the crapBOX would have been sent to its room a loooong time ago. Sony Playstation FTW!!!
-
-
dogwalker4000 |
dogwalker4000- 7:09pm EDT - June 22nd, 2012
- 20
1st and foremost, interesting article. 2nd, I'm a PlayStation fanboy, I won't deny my love for all 3 consoles that Sony has produced, but if I were not a fanboy I would still completely agree with you. All the facts are there too see imo, it could be easy for Sony to get Naughty Dog to plow out Uncharted 4 before the end of PS3 but the fact that they more than encourage developers to try new things at this late stage in the cycle is not only refreshing but only confirms for me that the next generation of PlayStation will offer more than cash cow sequels.I don't deny that I'm biased when it comes to gaming but for me Microsoft are all about the money, whether it be making as much outta franchises as possible or spending bucket loads on third party DLC exclusives on old stale IPs. Microsoft need to change their ways for the good of the industry and more importantly its consumers who are spoon fed the same tripe year in year out.
This will permanently ban this user and delete all associated comments. This action is irreversible, are you SURE you want to do this?!
