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PSU: GDC 08 Predictions

With the Game Developer’s Conference of 2008 get ready to launch on Monday, PSU.com is preparing for its busy week ahead.  With that in mind we’ve decided to bring you the predictions and expectations from three of our staff regarding this event, two of which will be attending the conference live.  Obviously this is a busy time of year for the gaming community as a whole and we look forward to bringing you the best news possible.

Justin Pinter
-Senior Journalist & PR

Since I will be attending the event next week for PSU, I can confirm a few things that readers can expect to hear about from the convention. Just to name of a few things, here is a quick list of scheduled stuff I will be seeing:

– Insomniac Games "Special Presentation" (possibly Resistance 2)
– Dark Sector (first look and hands on with multiplayer)
– Interstellar Marines
– Echochrome
– GT5 Prologue
– Secret Agent Clank
– God of War Chains of Olympus
– New Warhawk DLC
– Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds
– King of Fighters XII
– Star Wars Force Unleashed
– Prototype
– Street Fighter IV

And that’s just for starters. Some other things readers can possibly look forward to include EA’s Mirrors Edge and Battlefield Bad Company, as well as Steel Monkey’s 2 Days to Vegas and Fantasy Lab’s Danger Planet.

However I do have some disappointing details about GDC that may ruin some of the excitement for you. Apparently Sony will be keeping a low profile this year at GDC. This means that people can expect such games as Killzone 2, The Getaway, Motorstorm 2, and possibly even Home to not make an appearance.

When I spoke with SCEA, they told me that they were not planning any full-scale media events for GDC, however their plans were not 100% nailed down yet.


 

Mike Harradence
-Editor

With 2008 unanimously regarded by many as the ‘year of the PlayStation 3’, next week’s Game Developers Conference looks set to provide Sony with the proverbial launch pad for showcasing a wide variety of upcoming attractions for its latest home console.

With some luck, we can even hope that it may finally silence those who categorically refuse to believe that the system remains nothing more than an exorbitantly hyped piece of kit in the face of its rivals (yes, believe it or not, they still do exist despite PS3’s impressive showcase throughout 2007, which successfully converted yours truly)

With obligatory introductory ramblings over, we start with one subject that has no doubt taken up permanent residence at the back of everyone’s mind; namely the debut of Team ICO’s elusive PS3 title, which has been drumming up speculation only weeks prior to GDC. While it may be wishful thinking on my part, GDC would present the ideal opportunity to finally lift the curtain on this eagerly awaited project, and potentially steal the show away from the competition in the process.

Titles that stand a good chance of making an appearance include the PS3 port of Lost Planet, along with LittleBigPlanet, which should hopefully rear its head in playable form. There’s also the possibility that Sony may finally decide to unveil concrete details on the next instalment in The Getaway franchise, which has been in limbo now for quite some time.

Of course, it would be disingenuous to suggest that Sony should maintain its focus purely on software at the event, considering the PS3 has more than it’s fair share to prove in other avenues, most notably the integration of the forthcoming online community service, PlayStation Home. Hopefully, the company will see fit to demonstrate any new additions to the service (especially in light of recent modifications) and, more importantly, unveil exactly how third parties are looking to take advantage of it.


Sarad Jackson
-Journalist

I can already tell that GDC is going to be hectic as I am still currently working out my schedule which is constantly a work in progress. From industry parties, to hands-on demos, to Videogames Live that Friday, GDC 2008 is going to be a great experience for PSU, staff and readers. Furthermore, GDC 2008 is also the first major videogame event of the year. While CES was primarily a show focusing more on technological gadgets and other items expected to enhance our experience in the realm of technology, GDC is a smaller and personal event focused on the development of the gaming community from a developer and consumer standpoint. So this means that Sony will have a nice substantial presence filled with much surprise.

Honestly, I cannot make out what will happen at GDC in terms of announcements from Sony. It also seems that everything about the PlayStation Portable was poured into CES, so I would not expect anything major coming from the PSP side of things. Beyond all of that, I would certainly love to finally hear more on Killzone 2; this game has been under much secrecy since its showing at E3 2007. Finally there is the possibility of a new PS3 SKU being announced, such as a 120 or 160 GB console.

The possibilities are endless, but because Sony has no major press conference this year at GDC, it is going to be interesting to see how it all pans out for PS3/PSP owners. Hopefully they are not holding all of their information for E3 which will be this July 15-17 in the LA Convention Center. No matter what happens though, PSU will be there to bring you all of the action. We will storm the show floor during the day, and bring you a plethora of updates each night as soon as we get back to the hotel.

Regardless of the outcome, be sure to stay tuned to PlayStation Universe for our exclusive GDC coverage, starting this Monday.