After three straight days of too many candy bars and not nearly enough sleep, the wheels of E3 finally stopped turning around 4 o'clock in the afternoon last Friday.
With images of Killzone™ 2, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune™, and Ratchet & Clank® Future: Tools Of Destruction™ still dancing in my head, I caught a cab, sped to the airport, and managed to board my plane just before it pulled away from the gate.
As we taxied down the runway, my thumbs involuntarily twitched as I recalled all those memorable E3 moments.
Like the first moment I saw the upcoming puzzler Echochrome (working title). Or, when I got my first glimpse of WipeOut™ HD. Or, when the one and only Chewbacca took the stage in all of his furry glory during the PlayStation® press conference and stood next to Jack Tretton.
Who knew Jack was so short? Then again, even Han Solo looked short next to the overgrown Chewie…
And then I stumbled on a memory that I'd somehow neglected to report on: Infamous™ (working title).
Infamous™ was one of the biggest surprises of the show. Sucker Punch Studios, the same folks who brought you the terrific Sly Cooper™ games, is currently developing the game for the PLAYSTATION®3.
The sneak peek of Infamous during the PlayStation® press conference opened with an ominous quote from Abraham Lincoln. "Nearly all men can stand adversity," the quote in the trailer read. "If you want to test a man's character, give him power."
Then the screen went dark. You could practically feel everyone in the Culver City Studio where the conference was held holding their breath.
Though details were scant, what I could deduce from the Infamous trailer was this: you'll play the game as a superhero-like entity who possesses some pretty awesome powers. Depending on your mood, your character can either use his powers either for good or evil. The game's noir-ish cityscape looks downright terrific, with each and every building sporting a ton of realistic detail. The game's atmosphere and mood were appropriately dark and nuanced. And the gameplay will obviously put you, the gamer, in a position where you'll have to make moral choices. Do you help people…or do you harm them?
Three words: I can't wait.
It's clear that across the board PlayStation® has raised the bar this year. Without a doubt, this is one of the most impressive crops of new games I've ever seen. There were so many games that I'm absolutely craving right now, that the final thought that hung in my head as my 747 lifted off the tarmac was this: Just how the heck am I going to get through the next couple of months until these games start coming out?
That's all for me, folks. See you next year.