Today is a great day for this humble gamer. I am graced with the opportunity to get my mitts on the newest games that PlayStation® has to offer this E3. It seems like just one thing after another keeps going my way and today iced my cake. I got a chance to tussle with a few games that I've really been looking forward to, knowing that I can take my time and come back tomorrow. So, I migrate towards the ones that I'm interested in and am pleasantly surprised to see that the game developers are personally taking people through the games that they've created. Here's my chance to let the developers know that I'm excited and ready for their titles, while also gratifying my selfish gaming needs. And both me and the developers will feel it in the morning.

The first game I gravitated towards was PAIN, available exclusively on the PLAYSTATION®Network. It's refreshing to not be able to describe exactly what a game is about, because it connotes that there aren't very many predecessors like it. I was able to spend some intimate play time with a big developer of PAIN, Travis Williams. At first, Travis might seem intimidating because he's one tall drink of water, but as we played together, his giggles at the game that he's been working on for the last some-odd years were a great example of how engaging, frustrating (in a fun way), and friggin' consuming a game that PAIN is, even if you're the guy creating it.

I was able to play PAIN at Gamer's Day in San Diego and was very happy with the gameplay. The object is to fling your character through the air via giant slingshot and try to use the environment around you to cause as much destruction as you can before the timer runs out. Playing this only makes you want to explore every inch of the city you're taking out, and a special bonus for this E3 was the addition of a bowling mini-game. While you have two chances to clear the pins, your opponent has one "distraction" that he can use against you. Distractions like grandmas on exploding boxes, huge donuts, jettisoned cereal, hurling dumpsters, and swinging steel beams. There are also two more mini games in the works for PAIN's anticipated Christmas release, which Travis was very tight-lipped about. Also, Travis couldn't talk about price, but my guess about it being "reasonably priced" wasn't denied. Travis made it clear that release of PAIN is only the beginning, saying that there will be updates based upon consumer feedback. He was quite adamant about pleasing the audience on PLAYSTATION Network,

Next, I tried out the updated demo for Heavenly Sword™. It still looks and plays wonderfully. One of the new levels involved Nariko manning a cannon to take out a enemy catapult hundreds of yards away. One sweet feature is being able to guide anything you throw or shoot through the air using the SIXAXIS™ wireless controler for spot-on accuracy. This is not only used in battles, but in solving puzzles, which are gratifying ones at that. The more I play it, the more I appreciate the three different attack styles that lead right into one another. My only problem is stopping once the enemies are lying on the ground. And yes, the combination and counter system look amazing with updated attack cinematics. Personally, I love making the enemies look a fool when they try to attack me. Heavenly Sword butters my toast.

I saw a familiar of Paul Purdy from the Home beta and he was kind enough to show me some of the new things popping up in the world of Home. First, the desperate call for the ability to run in Home has not fallen on deaf ears. The in-game avatars now move 2-3 times faster, pleasing everyone in the beta. But if you're gonna run, you need some open space to do it, and that's why the addition of the open square has added a gorgeous touch to the area where Home players will congregate. This open square features running water, foliage (with fruit), buzzing, yet docile bees, and prominant displays of popular areas like the bowling alley and the theatre. After the next update, these things will be implemented, as well as 1080p trailers for upcoming games. Also, Home players can challenge others to play Chess, Checkers, Tug-o'-War, and Frisbee. So nice.

Paul then invited me back to his apartment for a nightcap, and I carefully accepted. There, Paul displayed the new furnishings available for Home. This includes couches, night stands, and with the next update, barbeque. Avatars now can further customize body types and clothing styles. The most exciting talk of new updates comes with the 1.9 update that lets players stream media directly from the PS3™ hard drive. With the price of the 60 GB PS3 dropping to $499 and the soon to be released 80 GB PS3, players will be able to use Home for cheaper and to a fuller extent.

The cherry-topper for the day was checking out the new gameplay for LittleBigPlanet™ (“LBP”). And I was really excited to be joined by Media Molecule's co-founders Alex Evans, Game-engine designer of LBP, and the creative designer, Mark Healey. At the Gamer's Developer Convention and Gamer's Day, the focus of the demos were working as a team and pure gameplay. Today, we focused on the creative aspect of LBP, which is in-depth, and growing. First, players are able to spray-paint new designs on anything, including yourself. Using the in-game currency, Sponge, players can create and cut-out many obstacles in front of them, making the puzzles easier to progress through, as long as you can afford it. An unbelievable addition is making vehicles out of regular objects like wood and thread spindles. Players can customize these vehicles and save them to pull out at a later date when playing multiplayer. This not only helps everyone, but gives players a chance to save the day with sweet, personal designs. What shows you that LBP will be good is that the developers are just as excited about creating a game like LBP as I am about playing it. This one will be big!

So, I finished off the day as satisfied as possible, as I'm sure you'll be when you get a chance to see these games for yourselves. I'll be back later with oh, so much more!