Sunday 24 September 2006
With Warhawk sadly delayed until next year, we zeroed in on the multiplayer sessions running at Tokyo Game Show for some hands-on time to tide us over, and came away happy with how it's progressing.
The PS3 motion-sensitive pad controls were an even cushier fit than we found Lair's to be - perhaps because developer Incognito has had a little longer to get to grips with it, with Warhawk being the first game to publicly demonstrate waggle-o-matic flight at this year's
Sunday 24 September 2006
The recently-announced PS3 RPG Unknown Realms was on the TGS show floor and -like many of PS3's titles - was unmissable from a distance with its glimmering visuals. Starting out in a hazy meadow packed with watercolour-painted flowers that kick up petals as you jog through them, it's very much a next-gen eye-candy workout in the style of Kameo on Xbox 360.
Of the two playable characters, only Ellen featured in the demo, wearing a more fantasy-styled outfit than her
This isn't something we usually do, but we're in Japan, God damn it. We're at the Tokyo Game Show - the all-singing, all-dancing mother lode of Japanese gaming. This thing might go the way of E3 next year, if the rumors pan out - gone forever, with the sound of a booth babe's skirt flapping sadly in the warm September breeze the only reminder that it was ever here.
So it's time to share what TGS is all about in 2006 with you, our readers, the people who obviously aren't in Japan right now -
Saturday 23 September 2006
As much as we love new games, there's nothing quite like the tantalising sense of excitement of knowing that the sequel to one of your favourite series is coming to a new system.
Virtua Fighter has been the absolute deepest fighting game series around for years and it's also one of the most enjoyable to play. The latest arcade version - which you're not going to get to play unless you come to Japan or live near one of those rare arcades that still have real games -
Saturday 23 September 2006
Even with the Tokyo Game Show floor absolutely packed, we could pick out the gold-overload visuals of Lair from across the hall and managed to settle in for a spot of dragon-riding. The demo began with a tutorial, which turned out to be most handy as - to our surprise - Lair controls exclusively using the PS3 pad's motion-sensitivity.
Though it took a while for us to stop fingering at the analogue sticks (which have no effect on control), and a little longer to
Saturday 23 September 2005
PS3 mud-and-metal racer MotorStorm had a rough ride at its E3 showing, not least from us, but happily the Tokyo Game Show version feels a lot closer to that original, thrilling target footage.
The visuals are slowly but surely catching up with the notorious E3 2005 movie, with great lighting and some truly obsessive right-down-to-the-sprockets modelling on the various vehicles. More importantly, though, the physics feel as heavy as they should, and you really get the
Saturday 23 September 2006
Ever since the original PlayStation - and as recently as PSP - Ridge Racer has always been a solid Sony favourite. So it's little surprise that there's another one on deck - and it's not a big shock that the game hasn't evolved greatly from the arcade-style racing we've come to know and love (those of us who are fans) or ignore (those who crave the fine-tuned perfection of Gran Turismo or the mod-obsessed diversions of Need For Speed).
So that's the short of it:
You already know that your wallet isn't going to survive November 17, 2006 - but what about your noggin? Our beloved sister publication of all things PlayStation, PSM, has a must-see video survival guide to getting home in one piece. That is, if you are lucky enough to score a white-hot slice of gaming nirvana - otherwise known as the PlayStation 3.
PSM even brought in a "Security Expert" for the occasion. Well, okay, it's GamesRadar's own PC editor Josh LaTendresse, but apparently he's former
We've yet to get fully acquainted with Fatal Intertia - the hovercraft-racing speedfest that melds Wipeout-style neon-trailing speedsters with huge, incredible racetracks that echo the podracing moments from Star Wars Episode I - but from these images the game looks like a high-speed blast, where overtaking can involve piloting your vehicle right underneath a rival's craft.
And while these screens look distinctly like pre-set renders (that is, not proper in-game action snapshots) the
PlayStation 3's Formula One 06 doesn't so much emphasize realism - it's obsessed with it. And not just visually, either. This set of new images looks amazing, but it's the gameplay touches that invoke the real Formula One atmosphere, from the fully licensed teams and tracks to the newly introduced rules for the 2006 season. There will even be a "parade" lap at the start of each race to warm up your tires, just like real-world F1 meetings.
Formula One is not yet scheduled for release in the US
