I sort of walked into the Fantastic Four demo by accident. I was wandering around on the last day of Gamers Day looking at what third-party games they had set up and made eye contact with the Fantastic Four guy. Once that happened I was sort of like a deer caught in headlights.

Don't get me wrong, Fantastic Four is a solid title, very much like the previous F4. They did a decent job with graphics, have the actors' likenesses from the movie and the playing is solid, it's just that F4 is no Uncharted, or LittleBigPlanet or Pain. And it was the first game on that last day I ended up checking out.

The game will mostly follow the plot of the movie, though there will be a couple of extra missions that doesn't come from that plot line. The characters still look dead on, though this time around the developers didn't get the actors' voices to throw into the game. While I couldn't actually play the game myself, it looked fun to play. One of the things I really liked was that you can combine attacks between two different members of the team to make some pretty neat super attacks. For example, you can use Mr. Fantastic to catapult The Thing into the air and slam him back down.

The game also has up to four-player co-op. Overall, it seemed like a pretty fun game, albeit not exactly a ground-breaking one. Brian Crecente

Experience all the incredible movie action, and beyond! Transform into any member of the Fantastic Four to fight enemies from the Fantastic Four Universe including Silver Surfer, Super Skrull and more.

Features:

* Unite and fight! Battle in 4-player co-op with easy pick up and play ability.
* Combine super powers for devastating team attacks with the new Fusion Attack System!
* Truly destructible environments: smash, wreck, wreak havoc!
* Loads of unlockables including alternate Fantastic Four costumes, historical comic covers, and more!
* Enhance your super powers: use the Sixaxis controller for the PLAYSTATION 3 or the Wii Remote for the Wii for mega boost attacks!
* Play as the Silver Surfer and ride in the Fantasticar - only on the Nintendo DS !

SingStar for the PS3 looks just like SingStar for the PS2 but there is one immense difference, you can download songs. They had SingStar PS3 set up at the little pre Gamers Day cocktail party held by the pool, by my window, earlier this week.

People were drinking and singing, and drinking and drinking and singing. At some point I was almost cajoled into trying my hand at public Karaoke, never a good idea when you are surrounded by fellow writers, PR people and developers. But I'd had a few gin and tonics and a beer and another writer was really pushing me to give it a go.

I was actually next in line right after N'Gai Croal, who was singing through some Gorillaz, about to sing up a storm. But when Croal wrapped up, some woman decided it would be just fine to walk to the front of the line with her equally drunk friend and start singing. I was more than happy for the excuse not to sing, but the person I was with got into a short argument with her, finally giving up in the face of her nasty smile and inebriated conduct.

Imagine her surprise, and my relief, when on the last day of Gamers Day the wall-sized projection screen lit up with video taken from the Eye camera connected to the PS3 that night. It showed ever single person who gave the game a try, singing their hearts out to a room now packed with very sober writers.

Saved by the drunk. Woot! Brian Crecente

SingStarTM
FACT SHEET

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.
Developer: Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd.
Genre: Music game
Players: 1-8 Players
Platform: PLAYSTATION 3 (PS3 ) computer entertainment system Launch Date: Fall 2007
Rating: "RP" for Rating Pending

OVERVIEW

Entertaining at home takes on a whole new meaning this fall as SingStarTM comes to the PLAYSTATION 3 (PS3 ) computer entertainment system. Developed by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe's London Studio, SingStar PS3 takes the successful interactive singing experience established with the multi-million selling global PlayStation 2 franchise to the next level with personalization and community taking center stage. SingStar PS3 allows you access to a catalog of hundreds of downloadable songs featuring the real artists and videos, via the PS3 online SingStoreTM. Become a global star as you share your SingStar experiences with friends and the online SingStar community via captured video, audio and photos. A perfect addition to the social gaming genre, SingStar will revolutionize the way you spend time with friends and family.

KEY FEATURES

A true interactive singing experience, where everyone is a star as they sing along with their favorite artists to the authentic videos of chart-topping tracks.
With the SingStore feature, download and purchase hundreds of songs and videos from across multiple genres to build your ideal SingStar playlist. You pick the songs and create your own personalized SingStar party collection!
Exclusively on PS3, experience My SingStar Online, where you can share your personal SingStar performances and experiences by uploading your own photos and videos created from within the game. Meet friends, view and rate videos created by others within the SingStar online community.
Utilizing the Blu-ray disc and PS3's high-definition support, view select videos in full HD.
Perform solo-style or challenge friends and family to a sing-off with multiplayer gameplay.
PLAYSTATION Eye camera compatible, allowing players to capture and share their performances, watch themselves performing as the main act and record special moments in the spotlight for playback.
Multiple difficulty levels and selectable song lengths provide customized gameplay for all-ages and musical abilities.

You got to hand it to Sony, they sure don't abandon past-generation consoles. Granted the PS3 hasn't been out super long, but the upcoming games for the Playstation 2 are still looking pretty good. A couple of them were on hand at Gamers Day this week chief among them was Manhunt 2 and Hot Shots Tennis.

I've long been a fan of the Hot Shots Golf franchise, so it's no surprise that I kind of dug the Tennis version of the game. The game supports up to four players and while it has that Hot Shots aesthetic, don't let that fool you into thinking it's not a robust tennis game.

I played a full match against AOL video games' Libe Goad and it was a lot of fun. I particularly enjoyed the quick pick-up-and-play aspect of the game and the way it managed to balance fun with a bit of skill. I got schooled, but I enjoyed the trip.

Hit the jump for the press release. Brian Crecente

Hot Shots Tennis
FACT SHEET

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.
Developer: Clap Hanz
Platform: PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system
Genre: Sports (Tennis)
Players: 1-4 Players
Peripherals: DualShock 2 analog controller, Memory Card (8MB)(for PlayStation 2)
Launch Date: July 2007
Rating: "RP" for Rating Pending

OVERVIEW

Developed by Clap Hanz, creators of the critically acclaimed and multi-million unit selling Hot Shots Golf series, Hot Shots Tennis is ready to deliver a unique tennis game experience for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system. Featuring the signature Hot Shots attitude, along with the ability to host matches of up to four players (with the PS2 multitap), Hot Shots Tennis caters to the casual and social gamer by offering pick up and play tennis action with a host of wacky characters, exotic court locations, and fun-filled game modes.

Hot Shots Tennis delivers fast-paced gameplay with brilliant graphics, detailed animations, and realistic physics that fans of the Hot Shots franchise have grown to love. With 14 characters to play and more than 10 spectacular court settings including beaches, ancient ruins, and parks, there is no shortage of Hot Shots style and personality. Incorporating an ideal blend of arcade-style action and in-depth strategy, Hot Shots Tennis includes a deep feature set allowing players to practice a variety of strokes, enter challenge modes, and play singles or engage in doubles matches with up to four players.

KEY FEATURES

Multiple Characters to Choose - 14 playable characters, along with five different chair umpires, are available, each with a distinct personality and set of tennis skills.
Wide Variety of Court Locations - 11 different court settings are available to play, each filled with unique and vibrant visuals.
Two player matches or Four-Player Doubles Action - Players can compete head-to-head in a quick match or engage in a party-like four player* doubles session where fun and style go hand-in-hand with match strategy. (* PS2 Multitap required)
Single Player Mode - Play "Hot Shots Challenge Mode" where the goal is to excel in seven different player classes while unlocking additional items such as new players, character costumes, court settings, and chair umpires.
Training Mode - Participate in various on-court drills to improve timing and skill. Players will earn scores that can be saved as a benchmark for skill progression.
Tennis for the People - Hot Shots Tennis utilizes an intuitive control scheme that allows pick up and play arcade fun for casual gamers, but also emphasizes shot direction, timing, and angles to satisfy even the hardcore tennis gaming enthusiast.
Signature Hot Shots Look and Feel - From the zany character behaviors and designs to the colorful locales, dramatic camera angles, and realistic physics, Hot Shots Tennis delivers tennis action that fans of the franchise have come to expect.

High Velocity Bowling feels like the Playstation 3's answer to Wii Bowling. I'm sure it isn't, or at least that's not the intention, but anytime you play a bowling game on a console using motion controls you can't help but thinking that.

To play the game you hold the Sixaxis by the center bit, the place where the start and select buttons are. First you set the left/right of where you want to bowl, then you select the angle, if you'd rather not be bowling straight at the pins. Finally, you swing your arm down and back and then forward as if really bowling.

It's actually a pretty comfortable feeling, but I couldn't seem to put spin on the ball and found that a little annoying. Without the spin, you're essentially using the hand motion as a gimmick because you can't screw up your bowl by accidentally turning the wrist to the left or the right. In fact, if you look carefully, at the end of the video you can see the guy demonstrating the game while he's talking to another writer, he's just flicking his hand forward to bowl, not really even paying attention to form.

The game was OK, and if the price is right I'm sure it will see at least moderate success, but it really felt like something that should just be free inside Home instead of a paid downloadable. Home does actually have free bowling, but this isn't it. Kinda strange. Brian Crecente

It looks like the Playstation Portable is going to be having a really good year. There's Chains of Olympus, SOCOM and another Syphon Filter. Syphon Filter Logan's Shadow takes plac in the Middle East with Gabe trying to figure out what happened to his partner, Lian Xing, and if she is a double agent. The story is written by Greg Rucka, who wrote the Queen and Country novels, and features the music of composer Azam Ali.

While the game takes away rolling, for some odd reason, it now features some new combat mechanics like blind-fire, using enemies as human shields and 360 degree underwater combat. The game will also include grenade launchers, sticky mines, smoke grenades and flash bangs.

Unfortunately, this was one of the games at the show I didn't have time to check out myself. I watched someone play it for a few minutes, but didn't get my paws on it. Looks impressive though. Brian Crecente

Syphon Filter : Logan's Shadow
FACT SHEET

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.
Developer: Sony Computer Entertainment America, Bend Studios
Platform: PSP (PlayStation Portable) handheld entertainment system
Genre: 3rd Person Shooter/Military Strategy
Players: Single-player
Launch Date: Fall 2007
Rating: "RP" for "Rating Pending"

OVERVIEW

Gabe Logan makes a dramatic return this fall in Syphon Filter : Logan's Shadow exclusively for PSP (PlayStation Portable) handheld entertainment system. This original title created by Sony's Bend Studio is the sequel to the award winning action title, Syphon Filter : Dark Mirror and features all-new combat mechanics, weapons and an engaging storyline that will leave you wondering who to trust.

In an all new story, written by Greg Rucka, author of the Queen and Country series of novels and graphic novels, Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow provides a sophisticated and gripping storyline that is sure to resonate with comic book lovers and action enthusiasts. We find Gabe Logan once again using a combination of stealth and "run-and-gun" gameplay as he is called into action when a dangerous new technology is hijacked by a criminal extremist group. In a story that takes him from the depths of the Indian Ocean to the deserts of the Middle East, Gabe is faced with the possibility that his long time partner, Lian Xing is a double agent.

Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow is complete with a variety of combat mechanics including the ability to force enemies into cover with "blind-fire", an advanced melee system that allows Gabe to use enemies as human shields, and 360 degree underwater combat. For the first time in the franchise "interactive moments" have been added for increased player interaction, such as airlifting debris and escaping wrist restraints. Returning to the franchise are buddy missions which have been enhanced with a variety of new objectives.

KEY FEATURES

Havok physics engine provides life-like physical reactions on both characters and environments
New and improved weapons, such as grenade launchers, sticky mines, smoke grenades, and flash bangs
New character actions enable players to force enemies to take cover with "blind fire" or protect health with the new "human shield" features
Underwater physics allows players to experience 360 degrees of water navigation to explore shipwrecks and target enemies with new underwater weapons like the bolt pistol and spear gun
Improved buddy mechanics
New mini game features, brand new to the Syphon Filter franchise.
All new story written by Greg Rucka, critically acclaimed author of comic books and novels (Batman, Gotham Central, Queen and Country)
All new sound track featuring award winning composer Azam Ali.

Check them if you haven't read it all yet, Sony had a pretty impressive showing over all.

SCEA Gamers Day: PS3 SOCOM, Tons O Hands Ons
Folklore PS3 Hotness
Warhawk public beta, Bluetooth coming
New Ratchet and Clank Future gameplay video
Idol Minds bringing the Pain to PS3
SOCOM Tactical Strike for the PSP
SOCOM PS3 announced
Uncharted Impressions
LittleBigPlanet Hands On
Manhunt 2 PS2 Impressions
GOW: Chains of Olympus
Conan PS3 Play
Sega Rally Revo: Love Those Ruts
Heavenly Sword a Mixed Bag
Lair is Not Winning Me Over
Eye of Judgment Judgment

Brian Crecente

Lair keeps surprising and disappointing me. And I know I'm not the only one. When I came back from playing the game this last time around, I told Mike McWhertor that it felt like a mixed bag to me and Mike said he was giving up on the game, at least for now.

I know how he feels. I really want to like Lair, but it just can't seem to deliver a consistent performance for me. The controls take a lot of getting used to, the targeting is confusing, the objective arrow doesn't seem to help me and there's so much going on in the game at any one time that I don't know what the hell I'm supposed to do.

That means one of two things, I think: Either, the game is just poorly designed and in its current form has major issues or it's a deep gaming experience that you can't just drop into and expect to understand how to play. I'm holding out hope its the latter rather than the former, but honestly, I just can't tell at this point, putting Lair in the same mixed bag category as Heavenly Sword for me. The only difference is that I suspect Heavenly will come through in the end and I fear Lair may not at this point. Brian Crecente

I'm not a huge fan of niche racing games. While I can appreciate the aesthetics of games like NASCA 08 and F1-Formula Racer, they just don't appeal to me. But there is one exception: Rally racers.

I'm not sure why I like Rally racing games, but I do. One of the Collin McRae titles was what initially got me hooked on the genre, but it's certainly not the only Rally racer I enjoy from ultra-realistic to an arcade Rally racer like Motorstorm. Sega Rally Revo seems to fall somewhere in between McRae and Motorstorm.

I first got a good look at this game last week in San Franisco during Sega's Gamers Day and was very impressed with what I saw. But they didn't let us actually play the game, so I had my doubts about how it would handle and look once I was driving around in that mud.

Fortunately, it was on hand this week and completely playable and it didn't disappoint. You can indeed perform so many donuts in an area that you not only create ruts, if you're in the right place you'll hit water and that water will mix with the dirt to form mud.

When racing in the Alpines, the moisture turns to slush and then snow as you make your way up the mountain, that snow sticks to your car and when you drive back down it melts away. This is all stuff I saw, not just something someone was telling me.

The handling took a bit of getting used to, but I've found that's common with Rally racers. While I thoroughly enjoyed the game, I'm sure hardcore Rally fanatics will probably give this game a pass because it puts fun before realism on a small scale. For instance, there's no damage modeling for the cars and the tracks are all creations of the developers.

But for me it was a whole lotta fun to play. Brian Crecente

Ru Weerasuriya, one of Ready at Dawn Studios' founders, was introduced by Cory Barlog during this week's Gamers Day. Weerasuriya explained why it was that a development team that had just hit a grand slam with Daxter for the PSP, decided not to make a sequel.

He said the entire team was fascinated with God of War and decided to pitch a PSP version to SCEA. Not surprisingly, SCEA liked the idea. The PSP game takes place before the events of the original God of War in those ten years following the murder of Kratos' family and the storyline is very much tied to the other two games.

The PSP version, Weerasuriya promises, will have solid graphics that match up with the PS2 games, lots of puzzles and plenty of new places to explore.

Later on, after the presentations were all over, I had a chance to talk to Weerasuriya about the game. He said he's pretty happy with the way it's shaping up. He also said that Daxter 2 for the PSP is most certainly not out of the question.

From what I saw of Chains of Olympus (they weren't letting us play it), the game has the same look and feel of the PS2 games, which is, I would guess, exactly what most of us want.

Hit the jump for the presser and a play video. Brian Crecente

God of War : Chains of Olympus
FACT SHEET

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.
Developer: Ready At Dawn Studios
Platform: PSP (PlayStation Portable) handheld entertainment system
Genre: Action-Adventure
Players: Single-player
Launch Date: Holiday 2007
ESRB Rating: "RP" for Rating Pending

OVERVIEW
In 2005, Sony Computer Entertainment America's Santa Monica Studios introduced
God of War , which many publications considered the best videogame of 2005 with over a dozen "Game of the Year Awards." Then in Spring 2007, the original award-winning development team introduced God of War II, the second chapter of this sprawling odyssey that went on to receive critical acclaim and with a 94% rating on GameRankings, supported with the following review scores from leading gaming media outlets: IGN - 9.7, GameSpy - 5/5, 1up - 9.5/10, Gamezone - 9.5/10, GameInformer - 9.75/10, and GamePro - 5/5, and spurred more than one million retail orders prior to launch.

Now, from the creative team that brought you the Daxter on the PSP (PlayStation Portable) handheld entertainment system, Santa Ana-based Ready At Dawn Studios and Sony Computer Entertainment America's Santa Monica Studios bring you God of War : Chains of Olympus for the PSP system. Developed from the outset as an original story, God of War: Chains of Olympus delivers highly detailed graphics, incredible animation detail and yet another adventure in the dark and brutal world of Greek mythology that fans of the God of War franchise have come to know and love.

STORYLINE
In God of War, Kratos, after being deceived into killing his wife and daughter, denounced his service to Ares. In order to seek absolution from his past sins, the Ghost of Sparta pledged himself as a champion to the Gods for the years to follow - these brutal crusades, in the name of
Olympus, became legendary throughout the ancient world.

In God of War: Chains of Olympus, Kratos will journey to lands that no mortal has ever walked upon. With the world plunged in eternal darkness and the Gods rendered powerless, Kratos will face the most feared creatures of Greek Mythology, and ultimately be forced to choose between his own personal redemption and saving the ancient world from certain destruction.

KEY FEATURES
Epic Gameplay on the PSP system: Keeping true to the God of War franchise, experience dramatic camera angles and epic set pieces, offering a never before seen experience on the PSP system.

Mythological Odyssey: This story is set in a time before the events of God of War, where players will experience Kratos' journey during the 10yrs of servitude to the Gods of Olympus.

All New Combat Moves: Players can utilize new brutal combat moves along with their favorite combo attacks from the God of War franchise.

Exploration: From the Gates of Hades to the Depths of Tartarus, the journey will take players through the dark and brutal world of Greek Mythology. Face-off against all new creatures from Greek Mythology and engage in epic boss battles.

Puzzle Solving: As players explore the ancient world, prepare to navigate through a labyrinth of challenging puzzles inter-woven into the story.

Critically-Acclaimed Franchise: Brought to you by two award-winning development teams, Sony Computer Entertainment America, Santa Monica Studios and Ready At Dawn Studios.

I was surprised to find Manhunt 2, due out July 10, on hand at the week's SCEA events. Pleasantly surprised. While we couldn't actually play the game ourselves, we could watch it be played. It has a neat, scratchy look to it and some interesting effects that I initially thought were graphic glitches. In particular, items you can interact with tend to glow and skitter about nervously, instead of sitting still. That's because, I was told, the main character has some "issues" and that's played out, in part, with these visual tics.

Of course, the main way the character's issues are played out is in the way, the extraordinarily brutal way, he kills people. He can, of course, do standard kills with weapons, but he also has the ability to sneak up behind someone and do a cinematic kill. The brutality of the kill depends on how patiently you can stay behind your victim holding a kill button. The longer you hold the button the more brutal the kill will be when you perform it.

Most of the weapons you can use for these kills have several different kill animations that you can trigger, depending on how long you hold the button. Once you pull off one of these executions the game slips to a cut-scene that shows the kill and then jumps you back into play. It was a little jarring, but the version were were looking at was pretty dated.

The developer on hand said the Wii version looks a bit crisper and that the jump to execution cinematic isn't as clunky. From the brief time I watched the game I'd say that Manhunt 2 will be a worthy purchase, but perhaps not as fun as the original. Brian Crecente

I had a chance to actually play some LittleBigPlanet earlier this week. The developers had the level shown at GDC up for play. He would let three people drop into the game with him and play through the level while he talked about the controls and such. I ended up with a little guy wearing a Dragon Lion headpiece teamed up with a woman I didn't know and MTV's Stephen Totilo.

The controls were, for the most part, very easy to understand. Tilting the controller around controlled the head movements, pushing buttons activated the pre-selected emotions for the face, holding in the triggers and wiggling around the thumbsticks controlled the arms and holding another trigger let you grab things and drag them around.

After repeatedly bitch slapping Totilo and the developer, we started running through the course from GDC, trying to get to work together or compete against each other to grab up sponge, which can be used later on to unlock items for the worlds you create.

The fact that the game encourages to smack each other around and grab at each other, but also requires team work at times, is a brilliant touch. It creates this fun sense of competition that I can't imagine would ever get nasty. Instead the game seems to be about, purely, having fun. While the controls were easy enough to figure out, they weren't issue free. For instance, you don't have the ability to move forward and backward in the game, instead you can only move side to side and the game automatically moves you back and forth, like a 3D side-scroller. This is only an issue when you come to something that you can either run in front of or climb up. Typically it seemed to work fine, but I did have a couple of issues with falling off a location.

What was most amazing about my time with the game was the fact that I just played around with one little area that they created, I didn't get a chance to make my own things or see what else could be built. I think this game would have legs even if it was just a straight-up, side-scroller with a pack of pre-created maps, but throw in user created content and I think you've got the potential for a smash hit on your hands. Brian Crecente

LittleBigPlanet
FACT SHEET

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
Developer: Media Molecule Ltd
Platform: PLAYSTATION 3 (PS3 ) computer entertainment system
Genre: Creative Gaming
Players: 1-4 Players
Rating: "RP" for Rating Pending

OVERVIEW

Developed by Media Molecule, LittleBigPlanet is a new PLAYSTATION 3 (PS3 ) computer entertainment system community-based game with a hugely innovative concept behind it. Players meet on a blue and green planet scattered with individual plots - and use their character's amazing abilities to play, create and share what they build with other gamers throughout the world via PLAYSTATION Network.

The LittleBigPlanet experience starts with players learning about their character's powers to interact physically with the environment. There are places to explore, creative resources to collect and puzzles to solve - all requiring a combination of brains and collaborative teamwork. As soon as players begin their creative skills will grow and they will soon be ready to start creating and modifying their surroundings - the first step to sharing them with the whole community.

Characters have the power to move anything in this glued and stitched-together 3D landscape; they have the power to design, shape and build both objects and entire locations for others to view and play. There's no complicated level editor; all of these skills can be learned by simply playing the game. Creativity is part of the gameplay experience and playing is part of the creative experience. Players can make their world as open or as secretive to explore as they like. When it's ready, they can invite anyone within the LittleBigPlanet community to come and explore their patch - or can go and explore everybody else's.

KEY FEATURES

There's not just one way to play. Players craft their own individual experience based on their own creativity.
Unlimited possibilities for user-created content - players can customize everything: their characters, the landscape around them and their own patch on LittleBigPlanet.
Players learn new skills and discover new items to aid them on their creative journey Explore the massive single player game or go online to find user-generated content."LittleBigPlanet will change every day as players contribute their own levels
Online and offline multiplayer modes - play alone, work as a team or get competitive
LittleBigPlanet global community for players to get involved with: includes player comments, rankings and easy communication with new and existing friends

Warhawk public beta, Bluetooth coming
New Ratchet and Clank Future gameplay video
Idol Minds bringing the Pain to PS3
SOCOM Tactical Strike for the PSP
SOCOM PS3 announced
SCEA Gamers Day: PS3 SOCOM, Tons O Hands Ons

I'll be spending the rest of the day sitting in the van writing up a bunch more hands-on from the event while my wife drives us to TEXAS for the week. Perhaps, just maybe, I'll sleep at some point. Brian Crecente

I had only heard of Folklore hours before SCEA's Gamers Day and that was from McMike who told me to keep an eye out for it. It totally wasn't on my radar. But it is now.

The game is amazing, one of the most surprising titles I saw at the two day event. Developed by Game Republic (yes, of historic Giant Crab fame), this game has you wandering the hills and forests surrounding a remote village in search of creatures. Once you battle and stun a creature in real time action play you can yank up their powers and store them for use against other creatures. You capture a creature's powers by using the SIXAXIS' motion controls. The capture motions vary, but the most common seemed to be holding in two trigger buttons and yanking toward you.

Once you capture a power, you can load it for instant use with the press of one of the four face buttons. You can capture more than 100 creatures, so you have to decide which powers best suit the situation and the creatures you're taking on.

To use a power you just press a face button and their spirit jets out of you, performs an attack and then dissipates, it's an amazing thing to behold. The game features two story lines and seven realms. I suspect it could be a title that pushes PS3 sales. I can't wait for it to hit. Brian Crecente

Folklore
FACT SHEET

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios, JAPAN
Developer: Game Republic
Platform: PLAYSTATION 3 (PS3 ) computer entertainment system
Genre: Adventure/Fantasy
Players: Single-player
Rating: "RP" for Rating Pending

OVERVIEW

Developed by Tokyo's Game Republic under legendary game creator Yoshiki Okamoto, executive producer for Onimusha , Devil May Cry and Resident Evil , Folklore is a unique, dark fantasy adventure inspired by western fairy tales and built to showcase the power of PLAYSTATION 3 (PS3 ) computer entertainment system. Set in the mysterious town of Doolin, two strangers, Keats and Ellen, are drawn together to uncover a mysterious legend in a remote village that exists on the border between dreams and reality. They soon learn that the town serves as a gateway to fantastic realms, full of creatures, spirits and monsters. In order to solve the mystery of the town, and their past, the pair must journey through these worlds to uncover its secrets.

STORY OVERVIEW

Despite being a realist, Keats unhappily finds himself a journalist for a third rate occult magazine. One day Keats receives a phone call from a woman asking for his help.
Through the static Keats hears the word "Doolin". Sensing something wrong, Keats rushes to the village, but the woman he believes to have called him, is found murdered. He stays on to find out more about this murder. Strange events follow that night, and he travels to the "Netherworld".

Having lost her mother as a young child, Ellen is prone to dreaming and tends to look away from reality. Strangely, she spends her holidays actively searching England's countryside for folk stories. She is not so good with people but seems to have a rapport with children and the elderly. One day Ellen receives a letter from the mother she lost as a child, the message proposing a meeting in Doolin. She finds herself in the village at the same time as Keats. Here they wander between "reality" and the 7 Netherworlds, in search of the end to their stories.

KEY FEATURES

Journey to seven incredibly vibrant realms, all uniquely designed and tailored to fit their distinct personalities. From the ruins of the Undersea City to the never-ending maze of the Endless Corridor, each destination is different from the next.

Inspired by western fairy tales, players interact with or clash against a cast of over 100 originally designed creatures, characters and monsters.

Using the SIXAXIS wirelsess controller, the player must battle monsters and literally "shake" them into submission and "yank" their powers from them. The absorbed powers will be used to capture or defeat the monsters that lie ahead.

Begin the game as either Keats or Ellen and learn their story and gameplay style. Keats uses traditional direct attacks while Ellen uses strategic methods to trap her enemies. Decisions made in one story line will directly impact the story path of the other.

Insomniac Games showed off a bit more of Ratchet and Clank Future this week, walking the press through a chunk of a level to show off some new weapons like the pyro blaster and the combuster. They also showed off new combat devices, RPG-like items that can be used throughout the game. My favorite? The Grooveatron, which forces the bad guys to do some bad disco while you mop them up.

The video also shows part of an end level fight. This game looks like a must have for me. Brian Crecente

One of the big surprises of the show was when SCEA brought Idol Minds up to the stage to show off a Playstation Network game they were working on for the PS3. PAIN is essentially a physics game. You catapult a guy into a city setting trying to either inflict as much damage to the guy and his environment as possible, or complete a goal, like spanking a monkey or grabbing a mime while you are in flight.

The game is very pick-up and play and while the single player experience could probably get dull, the multiplayer is completely addictive. Pain was the only game that literally had crowds around it during the playtime at the show with people groaning and laughing as they watch it be played.

Controls are fairly simple, you can drift in flight, strike poses in air and try to grab things as you pass by them. Looks like tons of fun and it's due out this holiday.

The game will sell for around the same ballpark as Calling All Cars and Idol Minds plans to later release new areas and flingable characters as downloadable content you purchase down the line.

Second vid after the jump. Brian Crecente

PAIN
FACT SHEET

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
Developer: Idol Minds, Inc.
Platform: PLAYSTATION 3 (PS3 ) computer entertainment system
Genre: Action / Comedy
Players: 1-2 players
Rating: "RP" for Rating Pending

OVERVIEW
The concept of PAIN was derived from an extensive teen market research report. The findings of the report indicated that comedy, random chaos, creativity, community and competition were the central figures driving entertainment choices for the teen audience.

PAIN is much more than a game, it's actually a creative, user-driven comedic experience that presents players with the unique opportunity to control and capture the irreverent style of humor found in television shows such as Jackass or Viva La Bam. The game boldly tackles a rarely explored area of video-gaming... comedy. Many games and products have allowed players to experience scripted, comedic scenes, but none have successfully allowed the end-user to actually be the architect of these situations... until now.

One thing is certain; gamers have never seen anything quite like PAIN...

The core, unique mechanic of the game allows the player to load a character into an extreme launching device, such as a human-sized, ultra-powerful slingshot, and fire the character into an active, physics-controlled environment, filled with precarious and humorous situations. The player receives points by stringing together painful collisions and inducing chaos in the environment. The player must achieve a wide variety of goals and / or reach various scoring milestones in each of the different modes of play.

Available exclusively via download on the PLAYSTATION Network for the
PLAYSTATION 3 (PS3 ) computer entertainment system, PAIN will feature a robust online community where players will be able to upload and share their comedic experiences; while other users can rank and comment on the content shared within the community.

Based on a teen research report indicating that chaos, comedy, creativity, and community are central themes to their entertainment choices, PAIN is the first game of its kind that allows the gamer to be the architect of theses comedic episodes.

Multiple playable characters each with a very unique personality and attributes as well as character specific in-flight poses.

Dozens of ways to play - over 9 different ways to play single player alone, including modes like Spank the Monkey and Mime Toss. With multiplayer modes like HORSE and online competition, PAIN provides both the challenges and the replayability gamers are searching for.

Completely Interactive Gameplay Environment - regardless of what the player does within the PAIN thematic, the overall environment remains completely dynamic and fully destructible, waiting for the player to find new ways to create chaos, comedy or simply wait to see what happens next.

Each time a player launches into the PAINful environment, the physics and animation data is stored on PS3's HDD allowing the player to view a replay instantly. With control over various camera angles and the replay speed - slow motion and fast forward - users can edit and re-record each bruising launch.

Unique physics model created on Havok powered events, allow for amazing ragdoll animations, while insuring that duplicating incidents is almost impossible. Keeping gameplay fresh over and over no matter how many times a player is launched into the same environment.

Available exclusively via the PLAYSTATION Network, PAIN will have a robust online community feature set that will include: head-to- head and cooperative gameplay, leaderboards, the ability to upload and download user generated replays, and contests.

With PAIN's modular backbone, the game is made to expand. More characters, more themes, more gameplay modes and most importantly more PAINful fun!

Sony Computer Entertainment of America this week unveiled a new SOCOM Navy Seals headed to the Playstation 3's online store. A trailer for SOCOM Confrontation, an online only game, was shown during SCEA's Gamers Day at their Santa Monica Studios.

The game will support up to 32 people and be sold both online and on a blu-ray disc. Gamers will be able to form clans in the game and customize their uniforms, the developers said. It will also feature a number of playable special forces units from around the world.

The game, due out this holiday, will be host to lots of online events and regularly scheduled tournaments, the developers said. Brian Crecente

SOCOM 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: November 2007
Rating: ESRB M, PEGI 16+
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 in high-definition this holiday-season. SOCOM Confrontation delivers the ultimate next-generation online combat experience made possible by the power of PS3.

SOCOM Confrontation focuses on online play and the global community and clans that support it. With support for Tournaments, Clan Ladders, Leader Boards, this latest title in the multi-million unit selling franchise is exactly what SOCOM fans have been clamoring for. Additionally, players will be able to modify their appearance through facial and physical customization.

A global-scale experience, SOCOM Confrontation gives players the opportunity to battle against the best and brightest from the U.S., Europe and Asia.

SOCOM Confrontation deploys with five new North African themed maps, including a 32-player version of "Crossroads." Additional themed packs for SOCOM Confrontation will be made available for download via the PLAYSTATION Store.

The embargo just lifted for the SCEA Spring Gamers Day so be prepared for a whole lotta game vids, a few announcements and tons of impressions for the PS2, PSP and PS3.

Here's a quick run down of the top news:

News
Playstation Portable video and music story coming this year.
SOCOM Confrontations: A new online-only SOCOM game announced for the PS3 due this holiday.
Warhawk: While the PS3 game will still be sold online, if you buy it on a disc it will come packed with developer interviews, behind-the-scenes footage and a Bluetooth headset.
Pain: Download only PS3 game that has you catapulting a person into a city, trying to cause as much pain and damage as possible. Incredibly addictive.
SOCOM Tactical Strike: A real-time strategy PSP game in the world of SOCOM due out this October.
Syphon Filter Logan's Shadow: The next step in the popular PSP title.

Impressions and videos
PS3
Ratchet & Clank Future
Heavenly Sword
Uncharted Drake's Fortune
Lair
Folklore
Conan
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
Timeshift
Sega Rally Revo

PSN
LittleBigPlanet
Bowling

PSP
God of War: Chains of Olympus

PS2
Manhunt 2

I'll be posting up individual items for all of this and more throughout the night and tomorrow, make sure to check back. Also, keep your eye out for an interview with SCEA's Peter Dille about Sony's unique approach to downloadable content. Brian Crecente