PS3 Previews

We've got the goods from Sony's big Pre-E3 press blow-out. Follow the links below for the latest info on all the new stuff in store.

Sony has had a tumultuous 2011 so far. Highs included LittleBigPlanet 2, Killzone 3 and all the positive buzz about its follow-up to PSP, and the lows included its hardware being hacked to the point of a total online shutdown that ended very recently. Sunnier skies seem ahead, including more concrete details on the NGP (perhaps an official name that may or may not be Vita?), plus probable appearances by Resistance 3 and Uncharted 3, we couldn’t wait to soak in Sony’s E3 press conference...

It may feel like World War II games have been done to death, but City Interactive hopes to breathe new life into the crowded space of games covering the conflict between the Allies and the Axis by capturing the essence of what makes flying fun – and for creative director Jakub Majewski, that means making Combat Wings: The Great Battles of World War II more like Wing Commander…

The slow motion, bullet-time thing went through a purple patch after the original Max Payne in 2001 but it quickly turned into a brown, rotting, stinky patch. Publishers fell over themselves in an effort to sign the next dual-wielding, sideways diving, gravity defying shooter – from John Woo’s Stranglehold to the under-rated Total Overdose. While it was fun for a bit, people became weary of the tired gameplay and all of a sudden the trend died out quicker than disco.

Fast forward ten years and we’re sat in Rockstar’s office watching Max Payne’s third outing and we can already sense the inevitable clones trying to match the slick skills on show.

No doubt about it: PlayStation Home has its hardcore devotees. And their numbers aren’t negligible: According to SCEA, 24 million users have visited Home worldwide, and the average time spent in Home is 70 minutes per session. Still, plenty of PlayStation gamers have completely eschewed Home, while others have visited at one time or another, to never return. How to lure more people into Home? It’s a challenge Sony is taking seriously, and their answer lies in the complete redesign of Home, launching tomorrow...

Near 200 national teams. All the stadiums, carnival atmosphere and glamour of the world’s biggest sporting event. A refined, sexier version of the most sophisticated footie engine ever. Yup, it’s safe to say EA’s latest World Cup game is shaping up to be pretty tasty. We got hands-on with the game recently and can confidently state its set to become this generation’s finest footie title yet.

Every player old enough to remember a previous console will have favorite old-school games that – to them – still stand up to the very best games of today. Gears of War? It rocks, but it’s no Contra on NES. Batman: Arkham Asylum? Give us Duck Tales.

Something happened as soon as we were handed the controller. Without a moment’s hesitation or guidance, we slashed at the nearest patch of grass and picked up the money that popped out, fired our hookshot-esque device at a wooden post to cross over a gap, pushed blocks around to make our way to a cracked wall, and then exploded said wall with a bomb - but not before poking our sword against the wall to hear if the resulting clanking was different

10 minutes into being shown 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand by developer Swordfish Studios (who thankfully had nothing to do with the terrible Bulletproof) we got the strangest feeling that this self-proclaimed 'long awaited' sequel might actually be, well, a pretty decent arcade shooter.

“%#&@!! Step up %#&@! and come on and %#&@! get it, %#&@!!” At least, that’s what multi-platinum rapper 50 Cent says. If you need a translation, it means he’s about to bust a cap in some major terrorist ass. And the best part about busting those caps, at least in his upcoming shooter 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand, is that he can now bust them with a buddy.