But that's not necessarily a bad thing. A developer doesn't always have to reinvent the wheel when it comes to hardcore shooters, and SOCOM is about as hardcore as they come.

The team did talk up a few of the changes coming to this latest iteration while they were showing SOCOM Confrontation off during last Friday's SCEA Pre-E3 Judges Day held by Sony in Hollywood.

In SOCOM Confrontation, you can now fully customize your character, tweaking the look of your character head to toe, with the type of special force unit a gamer chooses providing them access to different bits of customizable gear. Customization includes the ability to add armor to your character, though the more body armor you wear the slower they move.

Players can now sprint in game. Running, something that long ago became a mainstay of most shooters, has somehow never shown up in SOCOM titles before. Now that it's in the game, I'm not super impressed with the way it's being implemented, mostly because it doesn't allow you to change directions as you run. It's an odd choice, one that seems to indicates that Slant Six isn't really behind adding sprinting to the game.

The biggest change to actual SOCOM game play would have to be Slant Six Games' use of the Sixaxis motion controls in the game. While you're never forced to use them, you can use tilting and up-and-down motions to go prone, squat or lean. Leaning with the Sixaxis took a little getting used to, but seemed to work well. It was a little unsettling that players don't lock to cover, as with most games that use a cover system, but the end result felt far more organic, and, I suspect, true to life.

These few changes, Sixaxis controls, character customization and running, are so slight that they're not really noticeable. Instead the chief focus of the team, it seems, is to create a next-gen version of the popular PlayStation franchise that emphasizes graphics over any significant shift in gameplay.

And the graphics are a significant step up from the PS2 entries in the series. They don't however leave other PlayStation 3 titles in the dust; instead they seem to be about on par with some of the better titles I've seen hitting the console recently.

The thirty minutes I spent with SOCOM Confrontation was liquid fast, interrupted only occasionally by in-progress bugs. The map I played on, a next-gen version of classic "Crossroads," is as deep as I remember it, with the ability to go through most doors, access most rooftops, and create choke points by blowing select access points. The map is packed with nuance, lots of tiny little details that breath life into it.

But most of the changes I noticed on the map and in the game were cosmetic, changes to the look and, perhaps, the depth of the game, but nothing that really changes the way you play the game, for good or bad.

I think this, coupled with the fact that SOCOM Confrontation is online, multiplayer only, will feel more like a title meant to tide SOCOM fans over until the next full installment hits, rather then quench their thirst for some Playstation 3 SOCOM gaming.

The game is fun, and it's cute—no, strike that, it's fucking cute—and last week I got a chance to sit down with Alex Evans, technical director for the game, and go to town with LittleBigPlanet's "Create" function.

We've all seen the sped up videos of someone whipping out custom levels for the game in less time than it takes to start most games up, but I wanted to know just how easy or hard it was for someone with no experience.

After quickly walking me through the basics of design, Evans set me loose in the world.

My first step was creating a rag doll. The rag doll is one of the few things in LittleBigPlanet that have any sort of limitations on them. The sorts of things you can select to decorate and animate the sackcloth figure is limited to what Media Molecule provides, but they provide a lot.

I, for instance, created a blood-red doll with devil horns, a devil tail, a stitch for an eye, a patch over the other, a pointed goatee, a shock of long hair and a puppet on his left hand. (Later I discovered that you can use the game's control to have your rag doll open and close the mouth of the puppet on his hand.)

Evans stuck to a simpler looking doll, but then placed a piece of cardboard on his head, like a mask, and used a PS3 camera to take a picture of my head, which he proceeded to stamp onto the piece of cardboard, so the doll had my smiling face.

Once we created our dolls we hopped over to "My Moon" which is essentially your PS3's hard drive, the place where all of the custom maps are stored and where you go to start with a blank slate.

Evans dropped a background down for me, one featuring a forest scene, and then I got to work. First I selected the material I wanted to work with, I selected sponge so the rag dolls could grab them. Then I choose to make it a circle. Initially I just dropped a circle of red sponge on the floor of the map, but then I used my controller to drag out a shape of sponge that sort of looked like a large oak tree.

Evans then dropped down sections of rock wall. Since physics effect everything in the game, you can't just float objects in the sky, ala Mario, but have to start with them embedded in the ground.. After Evans placed rock walls next to and over my tree in the shape of a giant upside down L, I created a second section of rock connected to his, holding down a PS3 button and painting the rock out with a thumbstick.

Next, Evans used the same square shape he had been building with to cut out stairs in the rock. Removing chunks of things is as simple as pressing the X button.

Then Evans decided to show me how you can create moving objects, placing a spinning wheel of sponge on the rock. While he was talking I grabbed a hold of the spinning circle of sponge and then let go, sending my rag doll shooting straight up into the air. Evans was intrigued. "Let's create a vertical level," he said.

So we did, in about five minutes, copying the spinning sponge shape, we pasted more of them up the wall and then dropped down a starting line for a race at the base of my red tree and a finish line up top on a precipice of rock.

Next we through down some rock off to the right and turned it into ice. When touched, ice objects freeze your rag doll into a block of ice until you can break them free by vigorously shaking your controller. You can also set things on fire, touching these objects will turn your doll into a puff of ash; or electrify objects which also destroys your doll when touched.

While Evans was busy turning peripheral objects into ice, I decided to go ahead and set my pretty tree on fire. Now we had a level.

Saving the level we created Evans dropped out of the create mode and let us play it. The starting line includes a little countdown that starts once both dolls stand on it and a gate that pops open when it's time to start racing.

The level, it turns out, was painfully difficult, so difficult in fact that Evans was growing increasingly frustrated trying to get to the finish line. Nothing feels better than frustrating a game designer with your diabolic game design... nothing.

We ended up going way over the amount of time I really supposed to be on the game, as the two of us kept vying to make it up the rock construct without either falling on the flaming tree or getting shot into the ice blocks.

Finally I managed to reach the summit and the race was over.

Evans reminded me that while user-created and shared maps are a big part of the game, they're certainly not the only part. In fact, LittleBigPlanet is going to ship with it's own robust, story-driven campaign which can be played solo or with friends.

And the game continues to impress on the cute level too. I was able to catch a glimpse of the menu interface for the first time last week and it's just painfully adorable. You and your friend's rag dolls are hanging out in what appears to be a cardboard cut-out rocket ship. The ships three windows will eventually, I suspect, all show options, but I only saw out one window.

The window neatly framed a hanging moon, the My Moon of your personal content; a felt-decorated Earth, the Craft Earth where other users creations will be shown by location; and a chunk of material currently called the info fridge where you can track your friends and news.

Neatest part? There's a Playstation 3 controller sitting in the rocket ship with you and when you use your controller to move around between the menus your rag doll uses the almost-life size controller to do the same thing in real time. It's this loving attention to detail that lets me know this game is going to continue to impress through launch and beyond.

He has to. Resistance 2 online play will support up to 60 players on one map, and without some way of sorting through some of those problems the matches just wouldn't be any fun to play.

If you really don't care about the confusion of such a mighty match, if you revel in the disorder, you can still play the matches you want, but for the rest of us Price and his team has some pretty neat ideas.

As he announced in Europe, Resistance 2 will feature a multiplayer mode that breaks those 60 gamers into smaller squads. While the matches I saw and played through featured ten squads of six, Price said that other size squads will also be used in the game.

While the members of the squad don't have to stick together, they do spawn together and it pays to stick to your group. Once spawned, the game's AI looks at the larger battle taking place on the map and issues automatic orders to your and your squad, marking your new objective on the map with a star in a circle.

Objectives can include taking a control point, defending an area, even coming to the rescue of another squad under heavy fire or taking out one particular member of an opposing squad.

Resistance 2 automatically matches you up with an enemy squad, making sure to give the two opposing forces the same sorts of orders so they're always fighting one another. The AI also does it's best to make sure that when possible your objectives and the objectives of other squads in the larger army aren't near one another, so team mates will be more inclined to stick together and follow orders.

A player can decide to just run around the map attacking other enemy squads, but an in-game point system awards far more points for doing what you're told and for getting kills on that squad matched to you. And not only do those points let you get in-game buffs of sorts like a shield, but they're also used to help permanently rank up your character outside the game.

There are some other really neat tweaks to squad play as well. For instance, the enemy squad your team is taking on will be marked to make them more identifiable. (In the build I played they were tinted red, but Price says that something more subtle will be implemented by launch.) Those enemy players who are doing well will be marked with a large red star over their head. The longer they are on a kill spree, the more successful they are, more points someone will get for killing them. This bounty-like system can award up to four times the normal number of points for taking out these skilled players and will likely go a long way to help balance the game for new players and make it more challenging for skilled gamers.

I'm a long-time fan of first-person shooters, and like many of my ilk, can get a little touchy when someone starts messing with the formula, but playing through a couple of matches on one of Resistance 2's enormous maps populated with 60 gamers made me a believer.

The spawn locations, the use of orders, the tight-knit squad system, all made me feel as if I was playing a much smaller, more manageable match, more importantly it made me feel as if my effort meant something, instead of it being lost in a frenzied 60 person free-for-all.

While I loved the system, I think it's just as important that Price and his team aren't forcing people to use it. Not only can you choose to play traditional matches in the game, with 60 people on board, you can also just ignore what you're asking to do in the squad play and go-it alone. Player choice is an important factor in shooters, guiding players to make smart tactical decisions is a great thing, but not forcing them to do so is even better.

While the version of Resistance 2 was missing a bit of polish and quite a bit of features, I was still impressed with how far Resistance multiplayer has come since the first title hit. Visually, the game seems a bit grittier, and the play more fluid.

Price wasn't showing off the single player campaign at last week's event or the eight-player co-op, but what I did see of the title left me both impressed and eager to see more.

Evolution may have changed up the setting, but they haven't mucked much with the MotorStorm mechanics, as players of the first will feel right at home. The vehicle line up is almost exactly the same, but handling on the rides felt just a bit looser, making it harder to avoid obstacles than we remember. Unfamiliarity with the new Pacific Rift tracks more than likely accounted for our many, many crashes. It certainly wasn't a skill issue.

The newest, most notable changes come in the form of engine cooling by driving through pools of water—watch out though, motorcycles simply can't handle deep water—the new monster truck vehicle class and splitscreen multiplayer.

We only tested out the splitscreen mode briefly and only with two players. After our hands-on time with that particular mode, we don't expect to revisit it often when the game is finally released. With such expansive tracks and the option of taking multiple routes, slicing one's horizontal view in half doesn't make for the ideal MotorStorm experience.

Taking the monster truck for a spin, however, is certainly something we look forward to revisiting. The vehicle class's pros, cons and quirks weren't immediately apparent in our handful of monster truck races, but its promise—quad crushing and better-than-a-big rig handling—is exciting. As expected, the thing can overturn rather easily, meaning you'll probably do more braking than with other classes.

As we mentioned before, the game was still early; only 40% complete, reportedly. That was certainly apparent, as the frame rate wasn't close to consistent and much of the environmental effects seemed to be missing. We didn't seem to notice much in the way of land deformation, nor did explosions and the kicking up of mud impress. What did, though, were the ragdoll physics. Launching a motorcyclist across the finish line from an exploding bike was far more rewarding than in the original. Visually, though, the game looks rather flat at this point.

MotorStorm: Pacific Rift certainly has promise. We're definitely concerned about the current lack of "oomph" in the build we played and that the tropical setting may make for more cramped, less nail-biting thrill rides. Given that Evolution says it still has a long way to go—and that we still had fun—we're definitely giving them the benefit of the doubt.

But Linger In Shadows can't just be watched in full from the get go, it has to be unlocked. At certain moments in the demo, clues will be given to the player, indicating that some unspecified action needs to be performed. Miss it and the demo will rewind. The display then switches to a letterboxed mode and you'll be shown controller prompts that give you an indication about how to move on to the next scene.

Some of those prompts are more descriptive than others—and sound subject to change—as one displayed a DualShock controller with arrows pointing outward in four directions. The SCEA producer responsible for Linger In Shadows then violently shook the controller, using a single handed, palms down grip on the thing, until the spiral of metaballs on-screen spawned a few dozen more, unlocking the next scene.

The player will have to unlock the demo bit by bit, using all aspects of the SIXAXIS/DualShock. One portion looked to be unlocked by simply rewinding or fast-forwarding through the scene via the L1/R1 buttons, which then kicked off the next segment.

Linger In Shadows also has a few Easter Eggs buried within, shout outs (aka greets) to other demoscene teams. At points in the demo, players will have partial control over the camera. That camera control appears to be mostly limited, but will let the player peek around paused scenes, looking for hidden team logos and tags. Players can bring up a greets reference overlay, giving them clues about where to find them and which ones they've already found.

Graphically, Linger In Shadows looks spectacular. It may not have the high budget production values of a game like Killzone 2, but it more than makes up for it in cool technical tricks, like custom fur shaders, real-time physics modeling and pretty paint filters.

While we didn't get to go hands on with the title, we're certainly curious to check it out in its final form. Pricing wasn't specified— there's a possibility it may be free to download—and it sounds like this is still under discussion internally.

We think that the majority of folks who download Linger In Shadows will find it nothing more than a confounding curiosity, but others may look at it as a graphical showcase—SCEA reps referred to it as an interactive digital coffee table book—and some may even consider it truly interactive art. It may not be for everyone, but we're sure everyone will have a fairly strong opinion on it.

The thing about PixelJunk Eden is that its appealing and addictive qualities might not come across well in screen shots or trailers. Q-Games Dylan Cuthbert showed a trailer for the previous build of Eden at GDC, likening it to "an organic Mario." It's accurate, in some sense, as the game is a platformer at heart, but one that oozes style and originality.

Here's how you play PixelJunk Eden.

The concept is simple. One to three players—we only played in a cooperative trio—will each control their "Grimp", a flea-like creature named with a portmanteau of "grip" and "jump." The goal is simply to build your garden. That will require each player to find a level's Spectras, analogous to a Star or Shine in a Mario game.

Grimps have a few ways of getting around each level, populated with plants, rocks, pollen and enemies. They can jump by double tapping X (or any face button) or launch them selves from a silken tether (tap X once) if launching themselves from a plant—they'll always grip to plants. That tether will keep the Grimp attached to the branch or stem it leaped from, allowing it to rotate around the centerpoint, picking up pollen or using it to fling the Grimp across open space.

The tether also acts as a sort of radar while the Grimp is rotating, with blips indicating where the next Spectra is located, a clever choice that keeps the game's HUD minimal.

Each level begins with a handful of stock plants and flowers that Grimps can climb upon or leap from. As you collect the pollen that floats about, you'll feed unpollinated seeds that will then sprout new growth when you touch them. The level design is more vertical than a traditional 2D platformer, with much of your progress upward. There's a danger to falling, of course, as landing on the ground will drain partially pollinated seeds, slowing your upward mobility.

When playing with a group, however, falling downward off-screen doesn't mean certain doom, as you'll respawn where the rest of your fellow Grimps are after a few seconds, if they're gripping a plant. This is where a good portion of the challenge—and PixelJunk Eden's addictive nature—lies. You'll work as a group to grab more pollen, to catch your teammates if they fall, to build pollen grabbing combos, to stay atop a level, even if the other two plummet downward. You'll take giant leaps of faith, tweaking your fall with the analog stick, delighting in perfectly targeted flying arcs.

Q-Games collaborated with Japanese artist and musician Baiyon to give the game much of its visual and musical style. It's said to feature over 100 minutes of original, electronic music from Baiyon, a soothing pulsing soundtrack that matches perfectly with Eden's zen-like visual atmosphere. The game will most likely see comparison's to previous works like Rez for its gorgeous visuals and throbbing soundtrack, despite the differences in style and energy.

PixelJunk Eden may be hard to describe—and your first few minutes with it may be slightly unsettling—but it's equally hard to put down. Hopefully, Q-Games and SCEA will release a demo soon, so more people will get to experience it for themselves before its release this Summer.

Someone hold me.

Hot Shots Golf®: Open Tee 2 FACT SHEET

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.
Developer: Sony Computer Entertainment Japan / Clap Hanz
Platform: PSP® (PlayStation®Portable)
Genre: Sports / Golf
Release Date: June 2008
Rating: "E" for Everyone

OVERVIEW
Developed by Clap Hanz, in conjunction with Sony Computer Entertainment America's Santa Monica Studios, Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee® 2 brings another chapter of the beloved Hot Shots franchise onto PSP® (PlayStation®Portable). Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2 adds six challenging new courses to test even the most hardened golf veteran, and 12 new characters are available to customize with hundreds of accessories. With the franchise's signature over-the-top visuals and pick-up-and-play action, fans of the series can once again look forward to hitting the links on the go with the most fun and wacky golf experience available.

Players will also have unmatched online access with robust Internet play available for players to challenge other Hot Shots across the globe in tournaments of up to 16 players. Additionally, players can tee-off locally with up to eight players via Match Play or head-to-head in Ad Hoc mode. Individually, players can test their prowess on the links with a number of single-player modes such as Challenge, training, and Stroke Play.

KEY FEATURES
Online Golf Action - Tee off in tournaments of up to 16 players online and challenge others around the world for the Hot Shots title.
Ad Hoc Multiplayer - Players can engage in an eight-player Match Play mode or even hit the links one-on-one via Ad Hoc.
Exotic Courses - 12 challenging courses to conquer, with a mix of new courses as well as fan favorites from the past to challenge golfers of all levels. The environments will take players across tropical islands, vast desert plains, snow-capped mountains, and oceanfront views.

Crazy Characters & Caddies - Choose from 24 different playable characters and five different caddies, each with their own distinct look and characteristics that embody the fun and spirit of the Hot Shots franchise.
In-Depth Customization - Customize characters with more than 300 different options, including clothing, hairstyles, shoes, clubs, hats, and much more. Successfully conquering challenges in the game will allow players to further upgrade equipment, allowing for more accurate shots, longer drives, and impeccable control.
Clothing & Accessory Attribute Boost - Incorporating special combinations of clothing and accessories will provide a unique boost to character attributes as well as overall fashion style.
Unlock A Variety of Equipment - Players can earn new clubs and golf balls throughout each match to execute more accurate shots, longer drives, tighter approaches, and pinpoint putts.
A Variety of Golf Outings - Multiple single-player and multi-player modes of play including VS Mode, Training Mode, Tournament Mode, Stroke Mode, Match Play Mode, and other challenging modes offer a diverse golfing experience for everyone.

Feel free to hit the jump for the fact sheet, however, as it doesn't seem to be exclusive at all. Just not the screens. If you look we shall be very cross.

SIREN: Blood Curse Fact Sheet

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. (SCEA)
Studio: SCE Japan Studio
Platform: PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™)
Distribution: 12 downloadable episodes via PLAYSTATION®Network
Genre: Survival Horror, Adventure
Rating: RP for "Rating Pending"
Release: Summer 2008

OVERVIEW
Released in twelve downloadable episodes, SIREN: Blood Curse™ delivers a haunting and horrifying story exclusively to PS3. In SIREN: Blood Curse, players are pulled into an epic tale with realistic gameplay and graphics complemented by chilling cut scenes. The unique "sight jack" system allows the player to see from the point of view of the Shibito, or living dead, to avoid their detection or anxiously watch as they close in. Intense graphics, realistic character animation, and a gritty film-like graphical presentation add to the horror of SIREN: Blood Curse.

STORYLINE
Set in the Japanese village of Hanuda, an American TV crew has arrived to research and film an exposé on the legend of a "vanished village." Controlling seven different playable characters, the player must discover the mystery behind the curse that grips the eerie village of Hanuda.

KEY FEATURES
Epic Story - spread across 12 dramatic episodes, SIREN: Blood Curse will feature interactive scenarios and gripping cut scenes in each episode to keep players on the edge of their seats.
Enhanced 'Sight Jack' System - the automatic and seamless sight jack system allows players to see exactly what their enemies see
Playable Characters - players will control seven playable characters throughout the haunting story
Fatal Moves - Sneak past the deadly Shibito or take them head on with over 50 kinds of weapons, each with unique fatal finishing move animations
Archive System - lets player unlock a variety of story clues and important background information

Yes! I want to be a zebra! *breaks down*

First up is SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation, due out in September for the PlayStation 3. We've got screens, concept art, and a giant fact sheet after the jump that contains all you really need to know about that latest game in the SOCOM series. Enjoy!

SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation FACT SHEET

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
Developer: Slant Six Games
Platform: PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system
Genre: 3rd Person Shooter (Online Only)
Players: Multi-player (32 players)
Launch Date: September 16, 2008
Rating: Rating pending (targeting M-Mature)

OVERVIEW

Following its success as the number one online PlayStation®2 franchise,
SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs breaches onto the PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system this fall with SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation. The highly anticipated title promises to deliver the ultimate next-generation online combat experience, exclusively on the PS3.

With the power of the PS3, SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation will deliver the most intense and authentic high definition modern combat action. The title's focus is on online play and the global community and clans that support it. With an emphasis on Tournaments, Clan Ladders, Leader Boards, the latest title in the multi-million unit selling franchise is exactly what SOCOM fans have been clamoring for.

Delivering a global-scale combat experience that has been refined over four generations of the SOCOM franchise, SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation gives players the opportunity to battle against the best and brightest from the U.S., Europe and Asia. Additionally, players will be able to modify their appearance through facial and physical customization.

SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation features seven North African environments, including a 32-player version of the most popular SOCOM map of all time "Crossroads." Additional themed packs containing new Special Forces, weapons, maps and features will be made available for download via the PLAYSTATION®Store.

KEY FEATURES
Intense online combat experience with up to 32 players delivered in High Definition

7 highly detailed maps, 5 scalable for 8, 16, and 32 players with night and day versions.

New engine built for PS3 with advanced physics, lighting and ballistics including penetration modeling

Choice of playing as one of five special forces units: United States Navy SEALs, Special Air Service (SAS, United Kingdom), Kommando Spezialkräfte (KSK, Germany), Unidad de Operaciones Especiales (UOE, Spain), 1er Régiment de Parachutistes d'Infanterie de Marine (1er RPIMa, France)

Comprehensive player customization including facial and camo customization

Customizable load outs and gear, including weapons modifications

Up to seven different game modes, including all from previous SOCOM games. Full support of the Dual Shock 3 SIXAXIS™ wireless controller, offering greater control

Advanced voice communication systems and immersive audio

Unrivaled Community Features with increased clan & ladder support

Tournaments available at the regional, national and global levels

Advanced player matching enable players to form teams with their friends and easily join an online game

Integration with SOCOM.com: Stat tracking, clan management tools, My SOCOM pages and more

Just arrived at the top of The Roosevelt Hotel where Sony has kicked off their Gamer's Day. This time around the company has decided to cut to the chase and just let us dive in to the rooms full of games they have present for hands-on.

So far I've seen consoles set up for Buzz! PS3, Killzone 2, LittleBigPlanet, MotorStorm 2: Pacific Rift, Resistance 2 and SOCOM: Confrontation. PSN titles on hand are Linger-In Shadows, PixelJunk Eden and Siren: Blood Curse and Playstation Portable titles playable are BUZZ! PSP, Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee and Secret Agent Clank.

Stay tuned for hands-on impressions of all of these games from myself and McWhertor throughout the day.