E3 2006 Wrap Up

E3 2006 has officially come to a close and this has been one of the most intense weeks in gaming, as it seems to be every year at this time. Sony had an expansive game line-up and a few surprise announcements. Let's take a look at how things turned out for Sony.

PRESS CONFERENCE

Sony had one of the most highly anticipated press conferences for E3. The future line-up of games for the PS2, PSP, and PS3 showed a great deal of variety. There was also the announcement for the release of the PS3 for later on this year and the inclusion of the new six-degree sensor controller. The free on-line service by Sony will also be available upon the PS3's launch.
- More on the Sony press conference here.

THE GAMES

Sony has a strong line-up of games for both the PSP and PS2, and some interesting titles lined up for the PS3. You can check out some of the games below for the PS3, including highly anticipated titles and long awaited sequels being built from the ground up.

Resistance: Fall of Man
Visually, Resistance: Fall of Man was probably the best at the show for Playstation 3. This will be Sony's major first person shooter for the PS3 console.

Warhawk
Warhawk takes full advantage of the Playstation 3's motion sensing controller. This action airplane combat game has outstanding visuals and interesting controls.

Heavenly Sword
This is next-gen fighting at it's finest! Intense combat, insane moves, and scary weapons: Heavenly Sword seems to have it all. Heavenly Sword

Singstar
SingStar game has a full online environment, much like MySpace, where people can download menu skins, music and videos, and even upload what they've recorded using their EyeToy. They can then go on to share them with the world via the in-game shop. Your custom playlists, recorded music videos or pictures, and fully licensed music.

Unreal Tournament 2007
The continuation of the Unreal Tournament series expands onto the Playstation 3, utilizing the new Unreal 3 engine and sporting next-generation visuals. This game is expected to be released in 2007.

Final Fantasy XIII
The project is called Fabula Nova Crystallis, and will feature Final Fantasy XIII as a world that will be explored in a series of games. Each game will have its own characters and stories, though at the heart of this new series they will all connect. This game is being built from the ground-up specifically for the PS3.

No Killzone 2
Killzone 2 was the big talk at E3 2005 after it showcased some insanely realistic graphics. Soon people began to realize that the trailer was in face pre-rendered and didn't really represent an actual game accurately. And now at E3 2006, Killzone 2 is an absolute no-show...that doesn't go over too well!


THE HARDWARE

The Controller
In a bold new step to further innovate the industry with the release of the Playstation 3, Sony announced a new design for the PS3's controller. The new wireless controllers sport the standard Dual-Shock look, but won't support any rumble features. In place of the controllers' vibration feature, Sony has implemented six motion-sensors in the controller that will change the way gamers play their Playstation.
- More on the controller

The Packages
In addition to the new six-sensor motion activated controller, Sony unveiled two different PS3 SKUs (stock keeping units). The 20GB unit will be priced at $499 but won't have HDMI output or flash card support. The $599 unit will support HDMI, flash card storage and has a 60GB storage unit. Both units still support Blu-Ray and bluetooth technology, with the Cell still being the main processor for the high-end console.
- More on the console

THE OUTLOOK

A lot of weight was on the shoulders of Sony, and there were some interesting facts that came out regarding the company's direction for their new console. The $499 and $599 PS3 SKUs will provide an element of competition to Microsoft and the Xbox 360's separately priced units. The inclusion of the new six-sensor controller will also add an element of competition to Nintendo's “Wiimote”. Dispite the price tag, the Playstation 3 is packing a lot of new technology and good looking games. At this point, the games don't seem to be anything that can't be done by the Xbox 360, but this will probably change as developers learn how to harness the PS3's full power. The outlook for Sony is good, but they need to step up there game and prove that the Playstation 3 is well worth its price tag!

Report Card
The Games - 7
The Hardware - 8
The Outlook - 7
Overall Playstation E3 Score - 7.3

Article By: VGcore Staff