Official PlayStation Blog

[cliffbo]

http://blog.us.playstation.com/wp-content/panels/lpanel2.jpg
Welcome, You’ve Been Waiting

+ Posted by Patrick Seybold // Sr. Manager, PR

It’s with enthusiasm, eagerness and, honestly, a little bit of relief that we lift the cover on our first official Sony Computer Entertainment America company blog - welcome and sorry for the wait.

PlayStation.Blog is a bit of work in progress, we see it as a place where we can share with you our company’s collective insights, opinions and perspectives on all things related to SCEA, PlayStation and the industry we play in.

At the moment, we’re thinking about sharing all sorts of things here, ranging from product news and title announcements to developer updates and industry opinion posts – all of which will come straight from the people here inside SCEA who are working, thinking and playing with this stuff everyday. Look to the categories on the sidebar for some initial thoughts we have on future post themes.

Now, what we’ve learned, perhaps the hard way, is that a blog like this is really about you and the things you want to hear, share and discuss with us. With that in mind, you’ll notice that comments are enabled – and encouraged – so tell us what you want to see here and we’ll do our best to make it happen. And yes, like most blogs, we have a comment policy, please just keep this in mind when you’re leaving a comment.

We imagine it may take us a short while to find our pace with this, but bear with us as we get underway and we promise we’ll quickly make this blog a valuable stop in your daily info hunt for PlayStation news.

Like we’ve said, we’re excited to finally have a platform for conversation and connection. Much more is in the works too, so we hope you’ll consider sticking around, kicking the tires of our shiny new blog and sharing what you think.

Enjoy!

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2007/06/11/welcome-you%e2%80%99ve-been-waiting/

nothing much yet but this could become a place worth visiting from time to time.

[EvilTaru]

It's about time they started a SCEA blog, even if they don't listen to feedback at least this can help manage their PR a bit better.

[cliffbo]

It's about time they started a SCEA blog, even if they don't listen to feedback at least this can help manage their PR a bit better.

at least we can get ourselves heard if we post there. this could be pretty exciting in the coming weeks.

[Epix]

Hopefully this thing will end up being functional.

Good find.

[cliffbo]

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/193/493761429_0a9d7c2df3.jpg

[BruceWayneIII]

Arrgghhh, EVERYTHING I wanted to post here today was minutes earlier posted by someone else...

Anyway, thanks guys - all of you :thumbr:

[qzak]

at least we can get ourselves heard if we post there. this could be pretty exciting in the coming weeks.

Hmmmm....



Cliffbo | June 11th, 2007 at 2:23 pm

Harrison! get blogging!


Maybe he heard? :beer:

[yoshaw]

The first thing I wanna write to Sony staff is this.


Get the price of your machine down to earth! n do it ASAP!

[curryking1]

^^LOL @ cliffbo, that's a good post hahahhaa.

^Yes.. asap would be best lol.

[cliffbo]

Hmmmm....




Maybe he heard? :beer:

i figured that they would want to impress early on, so maybe we may get a few words from the main man! now if everybody joined and asked the same thing! :)

[AC!D]

nice!

[cliffbo]

nice!

i've just given them my conditions... and put a little nod in towards E-mpire :)

when are these rolling out:

http://www.us.playstation.com/EP/Trucks/276

[dnpmakkah]

A great way to start off the blog with none other than Jack Trenton himself. No new information but a very good read.
A Quick Look Back, A Strong Push Forward (http://blog.us.playstation.com/2007/06/13/a-quick-look-back-a-strong-push-forward/)
Posted by Jack Tretton // President & CEO

I hope you’re enjoying our official SCEA blog. Personally speaking, it’s great to finally have a place where we can talk candidly about the things we (and you) care about. While it’s no substitute for a one-on-one conversation, I’m excited to have a chance to listen and talk with you here. With that said, everything communicated in any form these days has to be considered an “on-the-record statement” so as much as I’d like to, I can’t completely throw my corporate hat out the window.

From where I sit, this industry has the most passionate consumers of any I’ve ever encountered. For some, gaming is a way to kill some time, for others it’s a favorite hobby, but for many it’s a way of life. As a gamer myself, I fall somewhere between a low to mid level enthusiast mainly because of free time. My day job is ironically eating away at my gaming time, although lately I’m finding the PSP has helped me reclaim some of this lost time on long plane trips.

For twenty one years I’ve worked exclusively in the industry. The last twelve have been with Sony Computer Entertainment. It’s been just over six months since I became President and CEO here and I can assure you that gaming is clearly my life. Now that we’ve got the hardware to drive the business, we’re putting all our efforts into insuring that we help create the best games possible for you to enjoy. My pledge is that we will continue to put you first and foremost, to understand what you really want from us. In fact, this blog is one way that I’m hoping this happens.

In 1995, when we launched the PlayStation, the majority of the gamers were twelve to seventeen year old boys. 2D platform, fighting, racing, and sports games were the norm. Platforms were born and died within five years maximum. There was minimal difference between hardware platforms. We here at Sony championed 3D graphics, CD based technology and a more mature diverse library of games. We believed that our platform had a lifecycle that should survive well beyond the traditional five years. Some of the initial criticism we received was that the hardware was a bit pricey, the system was hard to develop for and the early software line-up needed some work. When we introduced PlayStation 2 in 2000 we received much of the same criticism. When we introduced DVD based storage we were told that CD had more than enough capacity to store game data. In a few short years DVD had all but replaced CD and that storage capacity was being squeezed by the development community. In 2006 the song remained much the same. Most of you know what transpired: 100 million PlayStations and thousands of great games later, the PlayStation had a ten year run and could still be selling today. PlayStation 2 left our original success in the dust and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.

We fully realize that past success is no guarantee of future success, but it does give you some perspective. We have to bring the games to market that will showcase what the PS3 can do and ultimately entertain you like no other games have. We need to provide proof of what the PS3 can do for you and work tirelessly to improve the value and justify your investment. At the end of the day, it’s always been about the games. To push the boundaries of gaming beyond where they currently lie takes a great deal of risk. I think all the hardware manufacturers are doing that in some way. We could have easily produced PlayStation 2.5 at a slightly increased price over the older model, and driven some nice profits and marginal innovation for a few years but that’s not how we got where we are today. You have to gamble and make major investments in the present that will pay dividends in the future.

We’re working hard to put the best tools in the hands of the development community so they can take you places you never imagined possible. We have more than 15 games coming from our own internal studios alone this year for PS3. Our third party partners will weigh in with a host of great games giving us more than 100 titles by year end on that system alone. At our Gamer’s Day event a few weeks back, we announced 18 exclusive games for PSP. This year, PS2 owners will get a little something for everyone with games like Buzz! and Singstar. Oh, and you certainly can’t forget the PlayStation Network. Right now, we are working on a slew of games and game packs that will be offered through the PlayStation Store in the coming months, including Warhawk, which personally speaking, is the PS3 game I’ve been playing most lately.

We are heading into one of the biggest shows of the year for the videogame industry. E3 is only a month away. Everyone here at SCEA is working very hard and is dedicated to pushing the development envelope to show you not only new stuff for games like Heavenly Sword, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune and Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, but also a few surprises we have up our sleeves that no one has seen. You can check in here for updates as we head into the show, and I will be sure to report back once E3 begins.

So, that’s it for now from me. I really hope you enjoy our new blog. I think it is a great way for us to share information and for you to communicate back with us. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and posting more here in the weeks to come!

[KnightRiderX]

Hmmmm....




Maybe he heard? :beer:

lol I just realized something. Cliffbo's comment got erased. hmmm...

[curryking1]

It didn't get erased. You have to look at the blog article for the PS3 upscaling. There's dif. comments for dif. articles.

[Red_Eyes]

...but also a few surprises we have up our sleeves that no one has seen.
Can't wait. A month! A fucking month!!!

[Acason79]

E3 should be killer!

[Diresu]

At the end of the day, it’s always been about the games.
I love that Sony believes and is very aware of this. I think we will see more agressive strids from Sony to getting 3rd parties on their side

To push the boundaries of gaming beyond where they currently lie takes a great deal of risk. I think all the hardware manufacturers are doing that in some way. We could have easily produced PlayStation 2.5 at a slightly increased price over the older model, and driven some nice profits and marginal innovation for a few years but that’s not how we got where we are today. You have to gamble and make major investments in the present that will pay dividends in the future.

Quite simply, this is why I love Sony and will always be a Playstation gamer. They know they don't follow, they lead.

[cliffbo]

lol I just realized something. Cliffbo's comment got erased. hmmm...

which comment was that?

edit: on a side note, baring in mind that this is the Playstation Blog thread, could we post all posts from the blog, including PSP/PSN/PS2/PS3. as long as this is limited to this thread, i see no problem. mods... what do you think?

[Domination]

http://blog.us.playstation.com/wp-content/panels/lpanel2.jpg


http://blog.us.playstation.com/2007/06/11/welcome-you%e2%80%99ve-been-waiting/

nothing much yet but this could become a place worth visiting from time to time.


Maybe I over-looked it, but this blog isn't attached to PlayStation.com (http://www.us.playstation.com/) website. It would really impact a larger number of users, I think, if they some how knew the Blog page existed in a place where they could easily access it.

the Blog page is definitely a great idea, though.

[VG Aficionado]

Can't wait. A month! A fucking month!!!27 days and a few hours, actually :-p

[cliffbo]

i think the point in this site is to stop the fud. clearly Sony are expecting it to get dirtier from here on in. now that they have shown their hand, everyone else is going to be playing from the bottom of the pack.

[Domination]

i think the point in this site is to stop the fud clearly Sony are expecting it to get dirtier from here on in. now that they have shown their hand, everyone else is going to be playing from the bottom of the pack.


EXACTLY, which is why I'm wondering why it isn't linked to their PlayStation site where everyone there can be well aware of it. By it being an independent page, many will overlook it rather easily and be reduced to bogus information all over again.

[cliffbo]

EXACTLY, which is why I'm wondering why it isn't linked to their PlayStation site where everyone there can be well aware of it. By it being an independent page, many will overlook it rather easily and be reduced to bogus information all over again.

i see your point Dom, but i think links will start to appear all over the place and i doubt if anyone will overlook it in a month or so. i'll be visiting the site regularly and hopefully they'll have some exclusive content

[section]

I'll be having a holiday during the next E3. Wondering already what this year will be like here, people spamming the official E3 thread like maniacs :) Last year it was on the brink of being a lunatic asylum. Which was good.

[Sephiroth_VII]

I'm probably going to be at an internet cafe during the entire press conference, lol!!! Damn family vacation!!!

[curryking1]

It's possible they've linked or created threads or news to announce the launching of the site on Playstation.com, I wonder if they did. I would imagine they'd think of that lol.

Edit - Whoa.. lots of replies inbetween the one I thought was the last :P

And man, I'm so excited what there is to see at E3!!! Gamer's Day was like mini-Sony E3, and that was huge in itself! It's hard to imagine what and how many amazing things Sony will have to present, can't wait!!!

[Jasonps3]

Very cool update from Dave:
Is the PS3 Really Harder to Develop for?+ Posted by Dave Karraker // Sr. Director, Corporate Communications

Our friends over at GamePro.com have written an interesting article on a topic I get asked about all the time — Is the PS3 harder to develop for than other systems? I gave them some feedback on this and the reporter, Blake Snow, does a nice job of presenting a well-rounded story. For this piece, I spoke to our PD group and asked them for input on this question and thought you might be interested in reading their full reply:

This is an interesting question and hidden within the question is an enormously complex subject! If the game starts life on PS3, then man-hours per feature or costs related to asset production are comparable with industry norms. For that, you can include Xbox 360 and high-end PC games, and exclude PS2 and Wii. However, since PS3’s Cell processor allows MORE features - better physics, more complex graphical processing, lighting or sound, etc. — there is inevitably going to be more cost in supporting those extra features. It’s not that PS3 is harder to write for, it’s just that you can do more with it.

Middleware tools like Havok and other specialist graphics tools are now customized to exploit Cell’s SPUs. These mean that developers don’t have to reinvent those particular wheels themselves. Also, PlayStation Edge does some very difficult and performance-critical aspects of the graphics pipeline on the SPUs: geometry processing, animation, compression - delivering performance unachievable on other systems. This is available for free to all developers from SCE. So, given that PS3 can draw more on screen, the assets required to fill that capacity go up, too. This can, but not always, require more people - however depending on the game, much of that extra content can be produced automatically - procedurally in software, not by hand. Compared to PS2, the SPUs are much easier to code for. In PS2 we had some custom chips called VU0 and VU1 which were powerful, but tricky to write for. The SPUs use a more standard programming language.

Now, it’s not without challenges:
1) SPUs are not ‘normal’ processors like the PPU. There is a trade-off between performance and versatility. A Ferrari is not the best car for a visit to Home Depot…

2) If you are porting:
If your game starts on Xbox 360 you will have to re-engineer aspects of the game to run properly on PS3. This means additional effort. Some developers have been complaining about this but I don’t believe we can solve that. Xbox 360 is a different machine with good, but lower powered hardware in a different architecture. Developers have to view them as two different machines not as a common platform.

3) If your game has heavy online use:
XBL provides more and better standard libraries for online gaming to developers. For the same features on PS3, developers have to do some extra work. We’re catching up, but there is a difference.

BTW: Glad you guys and gals are enjoying the new blog!


http://blog.us.playstation.com/2007/06/13/is-the-ps3-really-harder-to-develop-for/

[Diresu]

Sad that the comments are already being trolled but it was expected.

[cliffbo]

Sad that the comments are already being trolled but it was expected.

where?

[masteratt]

I thought this would be really dull but it's actually proving to be a very interesting blog to read covering all sorts of news and reactions and it will definitely put people more into the Sony mind-frame.

Very interesting stuff, unexpectedly great....umm, well done Sony.

[cliffbo]

i saw the potential that's why i frantically posted it to be first lol Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! ;)

[OmniCloud]

nice stuff...

[Epix]

More than 15 first-party titles due this year

Sony Computer Entertainment America president Jack Tretton has said that new PlayStation 3 games willbe unveiled during the company's E3 conference next month.

In his first post on SCEA's new PlayStation blog, Tretton also confirmed that "more than 15" titles from Sony's internal studios are coming this year alone.

He went on to state that Sony is "putting all our efforts into insuring that we help create the best games possible for you to enjoy". Turning to PlayStation brand history, including early criticisms, he implicitly drew parallels between the current state of PS3 and the burgeoning PS1 and PS2 businesses - which ultimately went on to top 100 million hardware sales each

However it's the short term that PS3 owners will be focusing on, and Tretton had this to say: "We have more than 15 games coming from our own internal studios alone this year for PS3. Our third party partners will weigh in with a host of great games giving us more than 100 titles by year-end on that system alone.

"Right now, we are working on a slew of games and game packs that will be offered through the PlayStation Store in the coming months."

With E3 just around the corner, Tretton indicated that the show's diminished profile (limited invitations and booth sizes, most notably) hasn't diminished Sony's enthusiasm for showing off when the July dates roll around.

"Everyone here at SCEA is working very hard and is dedicated to pushing the development envelope to show you not only new stuff for games like Heavenly Sword, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction," he said, "But also a few surprises we have up our sleeves that no one has seen."http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=25793

[GTAce]

=-o Holy mother....

[Kabbage]

**Does the Cabbage Patch**

[curryking1]

:O

Sexy.

[yoshaw]

"But also a few surprises we have up our sleeves that no one has seen."

The days can't pass fast enough Mr.Tretton.

[cliffbo]

good job Sony! the net is full of stories and articles from this blog! it can only get better...

[Diresu]

where?

Comments section on the blog.

[Segitz]

The comments section is already doomed to be a location for fanboys and antifanboys alike. (although Maj. Ns blog is not that ravaged by Sony fanboys imho, although I dont read them very thoroughly).

I hope the "fanboy" fan frenzy is going to stop soon... Why cant we just get along nicely, then we'll see, which console will win in the end (If anyone cared, as long as good games get released)

[VonGak]

Can't be bothered to read the comments, not like they ever contain anything useful.

[Diresu]

Well as I said it was expected so I don't usually read it either. Maybe the first 2-3 posts. I am just glad they are going to be active with the blog. Props to Sony and Dave so far for stepping up

[Z]

hilarious!

http://www.penny-arcade.com/images/2007/20070615.jpg (http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic)

[Sephiroth_VII]

Try reading the right column as well!! Lol!!!

[yoshaw]

LMAO!! Look at the QUICK POLL with only one choice.

LOLCopter

[cliffbo]

LMAO!! Look at the QUICK POLL with only one choice.

LOLCopter

LOLLlOLOLOL i didn't see that! :)

[cliffbo]

shouldn't there be a playstation blog link at the top of the page by now? this is a PS3 forum! :)

i thought Psinext was working closer with Sony now. give us that link

[Domination]

Sony finally included the Blog at the PlayStation web site on the PS3 page.

[cliffbo]

Sony finally included the Blog at the PlayStation web site on the PS3 page.

why haven't we got one here!

THIS IS A MISSED OPPORTUNITY E-MPIRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
get a link up and maybe they will thank you on the blog site....

get on with it

[cliffbo]

566325560_7a15094fb4.jpg
My name is Greg Phillips and I’m a line producer here at SCEA. For the past seven years, I’ve been fortunate enough to work with Insomniac Games on everything from Spyro the Dragon 2 and 3, also as a tester to every Ratchet & Clank game and most recently Resistance: Fall of Man.

I wanted to let you know that registration for the first inaugural national Resistance: Fall of Man tournament starts today. This is something we’re really fired up about. It’s time to start identifing some of the best ROFM players in the US. Click here for tourney details. The folks in our legal department have asked me to remind everyone that you must be 18 to participate and a US resident. Space is limited, so get in there quick if you meet all of the requirements.

A big thanks to Insomniac Games, Global Gaming League, GameStop and GamePlay HD for helping us make this happen. While those of us that work for SCE and Insomniac are ineligible to compete, you can find various Insomniacs online every first and third Friday of the month from 5-6pm PST for Resistance Fridays. The players differ from week to week, with everyone from the studio including Insomniac head honcho Ted Price joining in the fun. The next Resistance Friday is, coincidentally, this Friday, June 22nd. Also, check back on this blog soon for an update on the map pack and global server.

And, finally, as E3 draws closer, I’ll have an update to share on Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, featuring a sneak peak at what we will be showing at E3. As a hint, this level, along with Kerchu City, was briefly shown in our first trailer back in March.

http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/playstation-network/

[VG Aficionado]

The city level? :)

[chartwel]

man i hope ratchet is looking even better than before.

[NeoPlayStation]

Sony Gamers Day preparation video (http://blog.us.playstation.com/2007/06/19/right-around-the-corner/)

[Epix]

^ Blocked at work. :( If the video is interesting can someone MegaUpload it?

[cliffbo]

^ Blocked at work. :( If the video is interesting can someone MegaUpload it?

Epix what exactly do you get paid for?

[Sephiroth_VII]

He mentions that the demo people can play at GDC is an unfinished demo they're preparing for E3. I'm not sure whether he mentions it in the video NeoPS posted, but it's somewhere on Gametrailers.

[Epix]

Epix what exactly do you get paid for?I'm a Computer Systems Engineer at a company that babies their employees.

EDIT: Shhhhh. I didn't say anything. (they could be watching......)

[VG Aficionado]

The preparation video is nothing special, it just shows that getting ready for GD was hard work and that E3 will be even harder.

[Sephiroth_VII]

I heard that some firms are installing keyloggers on all company PCs... Scary.

[Sephiroth_VII]

New entry

I thought you might be interested in seeing this short time-lapse video from the recent May Gamers Day held at our Motion Capture Studio in San Diego. I thought this might give you a taste of what we have in store for everyone now that E3 is only three weeks away. If nothing else, this should give you a sense of how much effort and planning goes into organizing a press event, and just imagine, the SCEA E3 Press Conference is typically 3-4 times larger than our annual Gamers Day!

There is a lot of talk out there about the new format for E3. You probably heard that it has been moved from the LA Convention Center to a smattering of hotels in Santa Monica. I guess the show’s tagline says it all — “Get Ready for Something New.” The crew over here is racing like mad to get everything ready, so while we’re preparing for setting this year’s benchmark, take a look at this video and we’ll have more on E3 soon….

Source with video (http://blog.us.playstation.com/2007/06/19/right-around-the-corner/)

[Coded-Dude]

nice lil vid, make me excited about upcoming events!
First is the FF party, then this!

[VG Aficionado]

And Konami's Gamer's Day this week.

[Coded-Dude]

wasn't that back in february?

[VG Aficionado]

Hmmm, I got that mixed up. Konami will have their own conference at E3, but they might also unveil a number of things at the NEW GENERATION WORLD HOBBY FAIR (23rd June 2007).

More details here. (http://forums.e-mpire.com/showpost.php?p=1544913&postcount=78)

[Coded-Dude]

http://www.whobby.com/

[Sephiroth_VII]

June 23rd is my birthday!!:birthday:

New MGS4 info = Best gift ever.

[cliffbo]

nothing much but it's on the blog:

Hi everyone, I’m Jill Grabenkort, associate promotions manager for PlayStation. From time to time, I’ll chime in here with updates on some of our promotional work. Back in mid-March, we kicked-off the 4th annual PlayStation AM JAM tour in conjunction with Camp Woodward. This series of events is a nation-wide talent search for amateur action sports athletes. After hosting these events in 11 cities across the nation with more than 850 of the best action junkies showing off their stuff, we narrowed down the competition this month and I think we’ve found the best-of the best.

Over the past week, the PlayStation AM JAM finals were held at Camp Woodward, and it was definitely a cool site to see. If you’re not familar with it, Camp Woodward is the *premiere* actions sports training facility in the country. Check out the above pic of the PlayStation AM JAM winners. Chris O’Reilly (Skate Vert), Cody Porsche (Inline), Louie Lopez (Skate Park), and Kyle Kelsey (BMX) each took home a check for $5,000 and a scholarship to Woodward Camp for the 2008 season. In the next few days, I’ll try and drop in some video here from the finals.

Our congrats to the PlayStation AM JAM winners! For those of you looking for info on upcoming events, stay tuned….

http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/find-us/

[NeoPlayStation]

We wanted to introduce you to a new series of posts we’re going to have here starting Monday that we are affectionately calling “Inside the Developers Studio.” If you’ve ever seen Inside the Actors Studio (http://www.bravotv.com/Inside_the_Actors_Studio), you are familiar with how host, James Lipton (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Lipton), asks the same questions to every guest on the show. Inspired by this ritual, we thought it would be fun to develop our own set of E3-specific questions and have the developers of some of our most anticipated first-party titles candidly give insight into their titles and E3.
Over the next two and a half weeks we will post a different developer’s responses every day, so stay tuned and hear directly from the creative minds behind some of your favorite games…

http://blog.us.playstation.com/

[Z]

in other words; "Sony Doing Pre E3 Developer Interviews Starting 6/25/07 till E3"
nice. should entertain us till the event. though, don't expect any info at all; just typical GG interviews.

[BruceWayneIII]

Could someone please change the thread title? Platstation somehow doesn't resonate well with me... ;)

[VG Aficionado]

E3 anticipation increasing :) 2 weeks and 4 days left!

[Z]

just a candid quick post: (http://blog.us.playstation.com/2007/06/25/inside-the-developers-studio-cory-barlog/)
1. What game do you have at E3 this year?
God of War: Chains of Olympus

2. Describe it in five words or less.
Kind of limiting, huh? Well I think the best description is that it’s ‘God of War for PSP.’

3. If you could sit one person in front of your game for an hour, who would it be?
Jack Thompson. I think after 5 minutes of playing the game that hard crunchy exterior would melt away and reveal his candy coated liberal center.

4. What game do you most want an hour to sit in front of yourself (besides your own)?
Bioshock. That game looks pretty amazing and I’m dying to see how it feels. I think I would want more than an hour though…how about two?

5. How many E3’s does E3 2007 mark for you?
Does this really count as an E3? I mean, it’s like a mini-E3…so I will count it as one-half of an E3. So with that in mind, I would say 7 and 1/2.

6. Describe the pre-2007 E3 experience in five words or less.
A loud, stinky, electronic orgasm.

7. Most over used phrase or expression during E3 season.
You have a ticket to the (insert company name here) party?

8. You are asked to make suggestions for an E3 survival kit- what three items HAVE to be included?
A fifth of Jack Daniels, a bottle of ibuprofen, and a package of hand sanitizing wipes, and some AXE body spray along with some Altoids for some of the people you have to talk to.

9. What advice would you have for someone who has never experienced E3?
Swing away Jaoquin Phoenix, swing away. I really don’t know what advice to give for this years E3 since it is going to be so totally different, so I will just go with don’t start drinking before noon.

10. Describe what you anticipate from 2007’s newly formatted E3 in five words or less.
I expect to ACTUALLY have time to actually play games this year - Nice!

[cliffbo]

nothing much but something new. i wonder what we'll see on this blog site during E3! might be worth visiting from time to time

[cliffbo]

Inside the Developers Studio: Travis Williams

+ Posted by Travis Williams // Sr. Producer, SCEA

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1268/632003401_6c523fb9de.jpg

Hey everyone, I’m Travis Williams, I’m a senior producer for SCEA in San Diego and working on an upcoming title for the PlayStation Network called “PAIN.” In the spirit of this Q&A series, I, along with many other first party developers, were posed with the following questions from the SCEA PR team. Here are my answers…enjoy!

1. What game do you have at E3 this year?
PAIN for the PlayStation 3 PlayStation Network and it’s being released soon. I would love to give myself the “finished game” Christmas present.

2. Tell us more about your game. What’s the story?
PAIN is cool in that there is no story. I could come up with a reason why seemingly “normal” people climb inside of a huge slingshot and fling themselves into dangerous situations, but you wouldn’t buy it.

SO NO STORY FOR YOU, SORRY!

The “more” I would like to say about PAIN is that although PAIN is meant to be funny it’s really a skillful sandbox game. The challenges start off pretty easy but trust me the game gets pretty daunting at the PAINful levels. You can play for five minutes or five hours.

3. If you could sit one person in front of your game for an hour, who would it be?
I dunno. Maybe Super Dave. That dude could take a hit for real.

4. What did you do on this game that you couldn’t do on another platform?
PAIN is different in that it’s made specifically for the PlayStation Network. Before PSN, we didn’t really have a dialogue with the people who play PlayStation games. That’s changed with PS3. That means we’re looking to the PSN community to help us shape future PAIN themes. So there’s a level of interaction with the game players that we couldn’t achieve until now. We’ve got cool ideas, but I’m really looking forward to see how other people play PAIN. We are also always making launchable characters for PAIN so if you guys have some ideas for characters you wanna fling (famous or not) chime in here on the comments thread. Of course, no guarantees, but we’ll do what we can.

5. Do you have any “firsts in this game that have never been done before?
If you can find a game where you can Toss Mimes and Spank Monkeys for points that I can play then I can stop working on this one.

6. What do you think is the coolest aspect of this game?
I’d say the coolest part of PAIN is how I never get tired of playing it. I know that might sound self-serving but it’s true. I’ve made some games that I was just sick of playing near the end. I can actually sit down with Coker (the associate producer on PAIN) and play for hours. When you first start playing PAIN it’s all about the funny. Soon, it’s all about your skillz.

7. What game do you most want an hour to sit in front of yourself (besides your own)?
Killzone. I hear it looks AMAZING.

8. How many E3’s does E3 2007 mark for you?
Been to EVERY one. Man I am old.

9. Describe the pre-2007 E3 experience in five words or less.
It’s hectic, but exciting too.

10. Most overused phrase(s) or expression during E3 Season.
- Dude! Have you seen the new Metal Gear Trailer?
-Huh? I can’t hear you. (Because there are explosions in the background)
-So, what company you working for NOW?
-I’m not waiting in that line to see a demo (and then you go wait in THAT line)

11. You are asked to make suggestions for an E3 survival kit- what three
items HAVE to be included?
Breath mints – To make sure you’re fresh to def
Comfortable shoes – To make sure you’re a Gellin
A Backpack – To make sure you can carry all the schwag

12. What advice would you have for someone who has never experienced E3?
Don’t ask me for Sony Party tickets. I don’t have any!

13. Describe what you anticipate from 2007’s newly formatted E3 in five
words or less.
A lot less booth babe-age.

14. What’s your favorite part about developing games for a living?
My mother told me that my knowledge of elves and magic was would never pay off…Having the last laugh on that one makes my whole career worth while. IN YOUR FACE MAMA!!

Was that disrespectful? Sorry Mom….

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2007/06/26/inside-the-developers-studio-travis-williams/#more-108

Final Fantasy Celebration Tonight in SF

+ Posted by Sonia Im // Square Enix North America

So tonight we are holding our FINAL FANTASY anniversary celebration in San Francisco at the PlayStation Store… It’s going to be a big party and I’m pretty sure we’re ready, but when are you ever 100% ready for an event like this?

It’s been a while since Square Enix had an event at the PlayStation Store, so I can’t wait to see the turn out! I’m wondering if some of the people I saw at the last event will be there—I actually asked the folks over at PlayStation if I could blog here, just in case some of you will be returning (if you are let me know!)

And there will be an added bonus for those who show up tonight. People liked the packaging for the FF & FFII anniversary editions so much, we decided to make shirts out them just for the event. Here’s a peek….

More details on tonight’s celebration are provided here. Feel free to pass the news along. See you tonight

http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/find-us/

[Segitz]

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2007/06/26/inside-the-developers-studio-travis-williams/#more-108



http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/find-us/

Do I see this right, a Square Enix rep posting on Sonys blog??

[jako]

7. What game do you most want an hour to sit in front of yourself (besides your own)?
Killzone. I hear it looks AMAZING.


woowoo !!

[VG Aficionado]

Killzone will be unveiled in 14 days :hugegrin:

[yoshaw]

Can't wait for teh zoooonee n all the killing in it =-o

[Z]

I can't remember it was two freakin' years ago! 2005? and I still have my E3 Access DVD and watch the trailer over and over. damn exciting!

*gotta contain myself in one thread**gotta contain myself in one thread**gotta contain myself in one thread**gotta contain myself in one thread**gotta contain myself in one thread**gotta contain myself in one thread**gotta contain myself in one thread**gotta contain myself in one thread**gotta contain myself in one thread**gotta contain myself in one thread**gotta contain myself in one thread**gotta contain myself in one thread**gotta contain myself in one thread**gotta contain myself in one thread*

[OmniCloud]

Pain would be awesome if you can save your videos and put on the PS store and your Hdd...

Yeah, they should really do that...

[Epix]

Sony just released public access to their flickr account via the Official Blog. Now we can see official media in it's native resolution: :hugegrin:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8309149@N08/

I've added the link to my sig since this will probably get popular.

[Passive]

holy crap nice find :D rep for you! (ha! i know how to rep now ^^ i feel so proud)

holy mother of god thats a nice screen
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1286/697668150_421c8b043e_o.jpg

[OmniCloud]

WHOa=-o That dude looks straight outta Abe's Oddessey!!!

[Passive]

im really impressed at how R&C looks :) the really high res is freakin awesome. and if im not mistaken thats motion blur on his tail! XD and personally ive always had a thing for this artstyle.

[yoshaw]

Post the image on xs.to for me please. Can't see pics from flikr, proxy blocked :(

[LaLiLuLeLo]

howabout we all point and laugh at you?

http://xs217.xs.to/xs217/07272/697668150_421c8b043e_o.jpg

[cliffbo]

WOW that picture is awesome... hope everyone can see it

[yoshaw]

I see it!! -rep!! I asked to post Ratchet pic not a Pixar pic of their next CG movie.

*Oh wait a minute*

=-o no way!? lol

PS: The background normal mapping gives it away though, lmao . DOH >_<

[Z]

no, no, no. I mean, come the freak on! is that for real?!
that pic looks so amazing, they should have made it the official PS3 system cover. you don't even need a logo or name anymore!

[LaLiLuLeLo]

wtf...PLATstations? I need to edit this title.

[BruceWayneIII]

Weeks ago I asked someone to do that... Thanks :thumbr:

[Leedogg]

WOW at the picture :shocked:

[cliffbo]

Hey everyone, I’m Ryan Hamlyn, I’m the associate producer for Lair. It’s been a long haul—almost 2 years for me, and even longer for some of the team over at our developer, Factor 5—but putting the finishing touches on the game and now seeing all our work culminate into a finished product is very exciting.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1030/707558128_9be00694f1.jpg

I’ve spent every free moment I’ve had lately playing this game, looking for bugs and places to add polish. And yeah, I know I’m biased, but I have to say, the more I play this game the more fun I’m having, which certainly speaks to the depth we’re achieving with the gameplay. Plus we’re getting screenshots like this one of our Spiderwasp boss above, and the game is just looking gorgeous. I love the sense of scale that you get in this shot, and that the Spiderwasp itself has so much detail. In order to get this guy in the game, Factor 5 created a physical model (or maquette), had it scanned to the nth detail and then worked from the scans to get it modeled and textured digitally. A long process to say the least, but the results were worth it and speak for themselves… and wait until you see it move! In fact, you won’t have to wait much longer, as Lair is set to launch on Aug. 14th. In the meantime, you can whet your appetite with some brand new videos and other cool content that’s on our recently updated official Lair site.

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2007/07/03/lair-nears-the-finish-line-full-speed-ahead/

[LiquidEagle]

HOLY MACARONI! That screen looks sweet as hell.

[VG Aficionado]

1920x1080 (http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1030/707558128_a09670aa75_o.jpg) :-p

[yoshaw]

Me no want flickr images!! Can't see 'em :(

[LiquidEagle]

I want to give you +love VG, but I can't. Will rep work for ya?? ;)

[VG Aficionado]

Me no want flickr images!! Can't see 'em :(xs'ed (http://xs117.xs.to/xs117/07272/707558128_a09670aa75_o.jpg) for you :-p

[Epix]

Me no want flickr images!! Can't see 'em :(This is why I suggested we all try and post new images as attachments to our posts. :thumbl:

[OmniCloud]

F*&*#&#*& @*&@...

Lair is getting close to wowing me like Ratchet=-o

August 14:huh:

Demo should be coming soon!!!!

WEEEEE-PS3 finally starting to please it's early adopters on a more frequent basis....now drop the price so everyone can see how awesome it is Sony!!

[cliffbo]

Inside the Developers Studio: Sarah Stocker

+ Posted by Sarah Stocker // Sr. Producer, SCEA

SingStar SingStore

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1426/710718290_56b7d3e208.jpg

1. What game do you have at E3 this year?
SingStar for the PS3, developed by our Sony London Studio.

2. Tell us more about your game. What’s the story?
SingStar is a competitive singing game that comes packed with two extremely high quality professional-feeling microphones. You and your friends sing along with the authentic songs and videos by chart-topping artists and are scored on your performance based on your pitch. SingStar is developed by the talented folks in our London Studio, lead by Exec Producer and Game Director Paulina Bozek, and has sold over 8 million units worldwide. It’s just an absolute blast to get your friends and family up and singing (and laughing) together with SingStar.

3. Do you have any “firsts” in this game that have never been done before?
The online catalog of the SingStore is definitely a first. There’s no other music-based game that offers you that variety of content and the ability to tailor your experience to your own tastes the way SingStar PS3 does.

4. What did you do on this game that you couldn’t do on another platform?
The huge leap that the PS3 allows for the SingStar Franchise is in customization and community. Because the PS3 is online all the time, for the first time, we can offer the player the ability to pick their own songs from a wide online catalog available through the power of the PlayStation network. Whatever mood you or your friends are in, there’s something for you up there in the hundreds of available songs. You like indie? Go grab some indie. You like 80s? Go get yourself some of that new wave action. The combinations are limitless and the catalog will grow continually over time with fresh new songs and favorite classics coming on line every month.

5. What do you think is the coolest aspect of this game?
Personally, my favorite piece is the community and performance aspects of My SingStar Online. By hooking up the PlayStation Eye or EyeToy, you can capture your singing performance and upload it from your PS3 to My SingStar Online – our global community – where your friends (or the general public if you’re brave enough!) can check it out and, of course, rate it! I’m blown away by the creativity in our Beta tests alone, and I can’t wait to see what players post when we go live. Of course I also plan to leverage this for personal gain and attain international pop stardom with my brilliant renditions of classic arena rock tunes. So rate away – but be aware that any taunts and derision will merely be read by me as thinly veiled statements of envy for my mad singing skills…

6. When is it being released?
SingStar PS3 releases in the fall in the US. In the meantime, hone your skills by picking up one of our great SingStar games for the PS2: SingStar: Rocks! SingStar: Pop, and very soon SingStar: Amped and SingStar:80s. You can get one of them bundled with the mics, then grab standalone versions of the others to expand your collection. One of the great features of the PS2 collection is that you can swap discs in and out on the fly, so you have a seamless experience for lovers of all genres at your own SingStar party.

7. How does this game use the PS Network?
The PS Network makes the SingStore and My SingStar Online possible. We’re able to offer a massive, ever-increasing catalog of content to choose from, and also to host a global community of SingStar players and their user-created content.

8. Describe one of the boss fights in the game?
Me and Associate Producer Ryan Hamlyn singing duets in different octaves. No really…you haven’t lived until you’ve heard this.

9. If you could sit one person in front of your game for an hour, who would it be?
Bono from U2. He is soooooo the SingStar. Actually, I would sit him in front of the plant on my desk for an hour if I thought that would get me time with Bono… Are you reading this Bono? I worship you!

10. What game do you most want an hour to sit in front of yourself (besides your own)?
Lair! Oh wait, that’s mine too… um…let’s see… Little Big Planet, for sure. Army of Two. Oh…and Bioshock (although it may be too scary for me).

11. How many E3’s does E3 2007 mark for you?
I refuse to comment on the grounds that I can’t count that high. Suffice to say that I never missed a one…not even that weird one in Atlanta.

12. Describe the pre-2007 E3 experience in five words or less.
Demos! Videos! Press packs! Oh my!

13. Most over used phrase or expression during E3 season.
“Next-Gen” “HD” and this year… “Downloadable content!”

14. You are asked to make suggestions for an E3 survival kit- what three items HAVE to be included?
Water. Asprin. Ticket to the Sony party (and no, I can’t get you one - please stop calling)

15. What advice would you have for someone who has never experienced E3?
Imagine if you will a sea of exhausted unwashed developers, giddy with gamelust, all bathed in the glow of a thousand million video screens each throbbing with 180 decibels of brain-jamming hard rock riffs and explosion SFX (and the occasional “In a world….” bass montone) and now … let go of that. You missed it. To you it will be like the fabled Summer of Love.

17. Describe what you anticipate from 2007’s newly formatted E3 in five words or less.
Less hearing loss. More bathrooms.

18. What’s your favorite part about developing games for a living?
The brilliant people I have the honor of working with on a daily basis – artists, musicians, designers, programmers, producers, marketing and PR, all of it. I’m stunned by the talent by which I’m surrounded on any given day. That, and the swag… sweeeeeeeeeeet…

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2007/07/04/inside-the-developers-studio-sarah-stocker/

[VG Aficionado]

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1287/728519208_28022e5230_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1049/728519256_54aa6b7d67_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1209/728519062_ded12533f0_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1207/728518960_e4ba9b40c1_o.jpg

Inside the Developers Studio: Dylan Jobe (http://blog.us.playstation.com/2007/07/05/inside-the-developers-studio-dylan-jobe/#more-124)
+ Posted by Dylan Jobe // Game Director, Warhawk

1. What game do you have at E3 this year?
Warhawk, baby!

2. Tell us more about your game. What’s the story?
Warhawk isn’t about a story – plain and simple. Warhawk is about fast, fun, full spectrum warfare with the stuff that players should expect to see in a war game. While there are numerous clever elements in Warhawk that we’re very proud of, we actively tried to adhere to proven conventions that players are already familiar with.

I’m not about to write a bunch of marketing and PR spew here…if you’re interested in learning more about Warhawk, check-out Warhawk.com.

3. Describe it (your game) in five words or less.
OPTION#1 = The love child of Unreal Tournament and Battlefield.
OPTION#2 = The fastest war-game you’ve ever played!
OPTION#3 = One of our Public BETA testers referred to Warhawk as a “Super Hot, psycho, girlfriend”. This description works pretty well.

4. What did you do on this game that you couldn’t do on another platform?
It’s hard to answer this and not sound like a gratuitous SONY sales pitch :)

Although I would say it’s the sum-total of all of our natural phenomenon in the game. Our clouds, procedural water, atmospheric scattering, terrain, etc. All of this stuff runs in parallel on all 7 SPUs simultaneously every frame – I’m still not sure if the game community is giving enough credit to just how fast the SPUs really are.

5. What do you think is the coolest aspect of this game?
I’m really proud of our Quick-Split technology. It’s something that once people see how easy and fast our split-screen works, they are often left wondering why it isn’t done like that in other games.

Players might remember back to the last game I produced, War of the Monsters; we had a cool split-screen to single screen transition in that game. Split-screen is really important to me as a developer and I’m a firm believer in “couch-appeal”. Games that are not only fun to play, but fun to *watch* being played.

“Couch-appeal” is a common denominator among most successful titles. I kinda got of topic there for a second :)

6. If you could sit one person in front of your game for an hour, who would it be?
Jade Raymond (Assassins Creed) – I have a purely innocent, *professional* crush on her :)

7. What game do you most want an hour to sit in front of yourself (besides your own)?
Hmmm, probably Starcraft 2 — I’m a Protoss Zealot IRL! Most people don’t know that about me. I have a Pylon in my office. One of the other games that I am dying to play isn’t announced yet – The PR folks will shank me if I say anything about it.

8. How many E3’s does E3 2007 mark for you?
Since ‘99 – so this year will be 9…OMG, I feel so old now!

9. Describe the pre-2007 E3 experience in five words or less.
Well last year’s E3 was insane – needless to say my pre-E3 experience last year was not spent refining my SIXAXIS interpretive dance!

10. You are asked to make suggestions for an E3 survival kit — what three items HAVE to be included?
Who knows what the kit should have in it for this new format? Probably a great map or GPS since people are going to be driving all over LA!

The old-school E3 kit would have included earplugs, Excedrin and a small sketch book. It was always great to play so many games and take notes about what they were doing well and what elements didn’t work.

On an unrelated note, I’ve always wondered what it would be like to attend E3 with a high-powered directional mic. It is *truly* staggering how open some people are with confidential information. An acute ear at the cafeteria can yield some really interesting info :)

11. What advice would you have for someone who has never experienced E3?
Wow, not even sure where to begin! It’s like 3 separate high schools having high-budget pep-rallies all in the same gymnasium.

Sadly, people won’t be able to experience the sensory pressure cooker of E3s past – Who knows how this new format will turn out.

11. Describe what you anticipate from 2007’s newly formatted E3 in five words or less.
Not much – I’m skeptical. (that’s actually only 4-and-a-half words so I should get some kind of prize)

12. Most over used phrase or expression during E3 season.
The team and I are soooo sick of devs saying that they are “taking things to the next level!”

I think the press should call shenanigans on any dev who drops a line like this in an interview. “So what we’re trying to do here with Super-Ultra-Tea-Party-Turbo EX-HD is take the first-person, turn-based, MMORPG, Tea and Biscuits simulation genre to the next level!!”

*dylan vomits on floor*

*dylan takes note of stomach’s evacuated contents*

*corn is observed*

13.When is it being released?
Warhawk is coming to the PlayStation Store *and* on Blu-ray at brick-n-mortar Stores nationwide in early Fall.

14.What’s your favorite part about developing games for a living?
This will sound giga-dorky but…I really like the people. This industry pulls together such an eclectic group of people – it keeps work very exciting.

[user friendly]

Holy shit, I dont know if it's because those shots are smaller but it look's even better than the beta build. I know there was rumours of the newest build being better but damn.

[LiquidEagle]

Yeah, and that interview was cool -- Dylan Jobe is awesome :)

[Leedogg]

wow i didn't know dylan was the director of WarHawk, I knew he was a developer for it, but not the director!!!! Sweet

[BruceWayneIII]

One of the other games that I am dying to play isn’t announced yet – The PR folks will shank me if I say anything about it.


Yes! Something new we haven't heard of. Wow, there might be a couple of great surprises at this E3.

And btw, those screens look really good. Despite their size, it's clear that the lighting is spot on.

[Jay Gee]

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1049/728519256_54aa6b7d67_o.jpg

Loop de Loops? Are you F&@KING kidding me?!?!?! That's the first I've ever seen of that. I really need to find a store to buy a PS3 without interest for a year.

[Nameless]

Warhawk is looking nice...
It's a day one purchase without a doubt and we could be playing this title next month!

[LiquidEagle]

Considering the beta went well and has already run its course, there's no reason for this game to hit another delay. Soon it will be our time as PS3 owners to truly rejoice!

[Z]

this game is still looking better and better? wow.

[julps31]

Damn...WarHawk is lookin kinda saucy lol. Man I love to see games improve. We all know how far MotorStorm came and i love seeing other games doing it. Its really starting to look impressive now.

[Passive]

6. If you could sit one person in front of your game for an hour, who would it be?
Jade Raymond (Assassins Creed) – I have a purely innocent, *professional* crush on her

haha!! dont we all? :P

[yoshaw]

Dylan is a funny ass guy. I like how he makes a joke out of his sixaxis dance at E3'06. Then that Crush on Jade Raymond lol and then the vomit. LMAO at the corn!! This blog is making people aware of all the cool people that make SONY what it has become in the last decade!! People like Jaffe who are a bit on the shy side to go public. Now we're seeing them in numbers. The more the known figures, the better the word across IMO

[TEEDA]

Dylan is a funny ass guy. I like how he makes a joke out of his sixaxis dance at E3'06. Then that Crush on Jade Raymond lol and then the vomit. LMAO at the corn!! This blog is making people aware of all the cool people that make SONY what it has become in the last decade!! People like Jaffe who are a bit on the shy side to go public. Now we're seeing them in numbers. The more the known figures, the better the word across IMO

:pinky:
http://www.enregistrersous.com/images/187846443820070706144901.gif
:pinky:

[Passive]

I remember seeing that vid, i was pissing myself at how he was moving around.

[LaLiLuLeLo]

Teeda the guys in your sig are REALLY excited about the PS3.http://www.enregistrersous.com/images/203178511420070701221036.gif

[VG Aficionado]

Inside the Developers Studio: Evan Wells & Richard Lemarchand (http://blog.us.playstation.com/2007/07/06/inside-the-developers-studio-evan-wells-richard-lemarchand/#more-125)

+ Posted by Evan Wells // Co-President, Naughty Dog

We were lucky enough to interview not one, but two Naughty Dogs for this latest Inside the Developers Studio post. Evan Wells leads our Q&A here with help from Richard Lemarchand. Enjoy!

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1171/739858639_69ad001f44.jpg

1. What game do you have at E3 this year?
EW: Naughty Dog will be showing off our new PlayStation 3 game, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune.

2. Describe it in five words or less.
EW: Modern day, pulp action/adventure.

3. Tell us more about your game. What’s the story?
RL: Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune is a new character-action game for the PlayStation 3 from the insanely talented videogame makers here at Naughty Dog, creators of Jak and Daxter. It has a mature, realistic, slightly stylized look, and is set in a world that reinvents the classic action-adventure genre of games and movies.

The game is a blend of problem-solving traversal, great cover-based gun combat, hand-to-hand brawling and puzzles, and is huge leap forward for us in terms of what we’ve been able to accomplish in a storytelling action game.

The story centers on Nathan Drake, a fortune hunter and occasional con man, and his quest to uncover the mystery of a family legend linking him with the famous English explorer and pirate Sir Francis Drake.

Hooking up with a young cable history show presenter called Elena Fisher, Drake finds himself stranded on a mysterious island in the Pacific Ocean, battling present-day pirates and dark, unseen forces in a hunt for the mythical treasure of El Dorado.

4. What did you do on this game that you couldn’t do on another platform?
RL: There are so many things that we can do on the PlayStation 3 that simply aren’t possible on any other game system, but probably the biggest thing to mention is our animation system. In a realistic game like ours, it’s a massive challenge to create a character that is incredibly responsive but whose moves still look perfectly smooth and seamless, and so the animation system was one of the first things we started work on at the beginning of the project.

We’ve created a huge number of animations for Nathan Drake that we combined together on the fly using our blending system, so that Drake responds immediately to what the player does with the controls. That’s really important in a triple-A character-action game, where an ‘on the button’ feel is essential. But even more radically, we’ve built a very innovative layered-animation system, which is what gives our hero a staggeringly believable look.

At any given time there might be up to fifteen layered animations playing back in the game at once, so that Drake can be coming out of cover, reloading his weapon, stumbling on a rock, grimacing with exertion and flinching away from incoming gunfire, all at once. When you see him in action in gameplay it’s almost hard to believe that he’s a videogame character, and it’s the unique processing architecture and power of the PlayStation 3 that gives us the ability to pull this off.

5. What do you think is the coolest aspect of this game?
RL: I think that the coolest thing about Uncharted is also one of the things that make it unique. When we made Jak and Daxter we really wanted to push the bounds of what’s possible in an action game that tells an excellent story, and to find new ways of bringing great gameplay and terrific storytelling closer and closer together.

We feel like we achieved a lot with the Jak series in that regard, but we knew that we could do even more if we kept pushing ourselves. So it’s the new ways that we’re combining play elements from platform games, shooters and puzzle games - all the while spinning an enthralling character-driven tale - that makes Uncharted stand out.

The quality of the writing and acting in Uncharted is something special for games – I guess we’re always trying to raise that bar as high as we can. We’re doing more with in-game story sequences than we’ve ever done before and have figured out some techniques to embed concepts from the story in the puzzles and the rest of the game world that we’re very excited about.

Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune is a realistic game with more mature themes than previous Naughty Dog games - we’ve done some growing up and we know that the gamers who play our games have too. That said, our main focus is still on getting as much pure fun out of the hardware as we possibly can!

6. When is it being released?
Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune will ship this holiday season.

7. If you could sit one person in front of your game for an hour, who would it be?
EW: Daxter. So he could see what we’ve been up to lately.

8. What game do you most want an hour to sit in front of yourself (besides your own)?
EW: Little Big Planet

9. Describe the pre-2007 E3 experience in five words or less.
EW: Hectic as always.

10. Most overused phrase or expression during E3 season
EW: Pixar quality graphics.

11. You are asked to make suggestions for an E3 survival kit- what three items HAVE to be included?
EW: Based on E3’s from the past I would have said earplugs, comfortable shoes and a cell phone set to vibrate. This year things should have changed substantially, but I doubt you could go wrong with comfortable shoes.

12. What advice would you have for someone who has never experienced E3?
EW: With the new format, I feel like E3 is going to be a brand new experience for me too, so I’m looking to receive some advice instead of giving it.

13. Describe what you anticipate from 2007’s newly formatted E3 in five words or less.
EW: I’m managing my expectations.

14. What’s your favorite part about developing games for a living?
RL: Wow, where do I start? Game design is a great profession, and every day presents incredible opportunities for fun, engaging work that’s both creative and technical. I’d recommend game design – or any kind of game development career – to anyone smart and artistic who’s passionate about videogames.

I love media; games, movies, books, music, comics, art, and the web are all just pure brain food to me. I see games as a super-medium that can incorporate and eventually exceed every kind of creative human endeavor that has come before them – perhaps most importantly because they’re interactive.

That immense possibility for self-expression, communication and creation is what keeps me jumping out of bed each morning and racing into the office to see what challenges the day holds! So maybe my favorite thing about making games for a living is all the stuff we haven’t done yet! I just can’t wait to see what amazing things – like Uncharted - the future of videogames will bring…

Also See:
Three Speech Q&A with Evan Wells (http://threespeech.com/blog/?p=453)

[Z]

At any given time there might be up to fifteen layered animations playing back in the game at once, so that Drake can be coming out of cover, reloading his weapon, stumbling on a rock, grimacing with exertion and flinching away from incoming gunfire, all at once. When you see him in action in gameplay it’s almost hard to believe that he’s a videogame character, and it’s the unique processing architecture and power of the PlayStation 3 that gives us the ability to pull this off.
respect.

7. If you could sit one person in front of your game for an hour, who would it be?
EW: Daxter. So he could see what we’ve been up to lately.
lmao!

[KnightRiderX]

Teeda the guys in your sig are REALLY excited about the PS3.http://www.enregistrersous.com/images/203178511420070701221036.gif

That will be P Diddy and Ginuwine. LOL

[Z]

That will be P Diddy and Ginuwine. LOL
you mean that would be the silliest thing grownups could do. it like kids doing an Indian fire dance.

as for Uncharted, I said it before and I'll say it again; Tomb Raider am cry- along with any similar game. and I mean that in all aspects.

feel the power that is SCEWWS!

[KnightRiderX]

^LMAO. its called the crip walk.

[PUNK em 733]

^LMAO. its called the crip walk.


The farthest thing from being a Crip are those two.

[NeoPlayStation]

Lastly, to keep up with the latest news, you can view a live stream of the official E3 SCEA press conference this Wednesday, July 11th, starting around 11:30 a.m. pacific time. About a half hour before the conference (11 a.m.), CLICK HERE (http://www.us.playstation.com/) and we’ll have a live conference feed available.

[cliffbo]

is it going to be a full screen feed though?

[VG Aficionado]

Yeah, if you can stand 320x240 at full screen :dur:

[yoshaw]

^lmao! So true. Atleast it is better than nothing and a good alternative to have for the Gamespot feed.

[VG Aficionado]

Well, there's no way I'm paying for a live video feed this year only for it to crap on me throughout the whole show, that's for sure :-p

[Z]

Killzone dev speaks: (http://blog.us.playstation.com/2007/07/10/inside-the-developers-studio-hermen-hulst/#more-131)

1. What game do you have at E3 this year?
We are very excited to be presenting Killzone 2 this year.

2. Describe it in five words or less.
Killzone 2 is a Hostile Theatre of war where every hit has a dramatic impact (sorry, Killzone is just too big for five words).

3. Tell me about the game, what’s the story?
It’s two years later and the ISA are invading the Helghast home planet of Helghan. The goal is to capture the Helghast leader and bring the war machine to a halt.

4. What did you do on this game that you couldn’t do on another platform?
For us, we need a great deal of processing power to make our vision come to life. The PS3 really allows us to build Killzone 2 on a grand scale with a level of detail that is truly eye-catching, and something that we knew we could do, but needed the source of raw horsepower to make it happen. To give you an example, our character models on screen use the same amount of polygons as an entire level of Killzone on PS2.

5. What do you think is the coolest aspect of this game?
One cool thing to note is that we can now do many of the things we envisioned when we were creating the original Killzone. The PS3 hardware really gives us much more freedom in the development process. In my opinion though, at the end of the day, the thing I think about as a coolest aspect of the game really is the iconic Helghast image with the glowing eyes (as you can see in the screen above).