10+ must-play PlayStation 3 exclusive games for 2010

If you are a Sony fan, the past few years have tested your faith. Between the waggle-infested Wii and the money-hatting Xbox 360 snapping up exclusives; the PlayStation 3’s image has taken a beating. But that was the past! 2010 is a new year, and with the coming of a new year are expectations and anticipation of new games to come for the faithful fans! When it comes to waiting for exciting new games to be played on one of the world’s best and cutting-edge console — the Sony PlayStation 3 — adrenaline levels are at their peak. With the release of the new, slimmer, Sony PlayStation 3, it will be interesting to see whether this year brings a reversal in Sony’s fortunes. So without further ado, let’s take a look at the most anticipated PlayStation 3 games in the year 2010. You could perhaps use this information to plan your budget for the year: should you make that payment on your life insurance or save up for the special edition of God of War III. Or you could simply use this information to win tenuous Xbox 360 vs. PlayStation 3 arguments.

 Massive Action Game (MAG)

MAG – the brain child of Zipper Interactive – uses new server architecture that can support online battles with up to 256 players. Players are divided into squads of eight members, with four squads forming a platoon and four platoons forming a company. Presently, each MAG map supports between 32 and 64 players. With 128 players on each side, the game definitely breaks new grounds in multiplayer shooter space.

Scheduled release: 26th January, 2010

HEAVY RAIN

Ever encountered a game with human morals into it; more of a personal story instead of a one which is very far from your real life? Heavy rain, as developers Quantic Dream puts it, is about normal people who have landed in extra-ordinary situations. The CEO of Quantic Dream in an interview to Belgian magazine said that, “This is not a game about saving the princess of the world, but it’s about how far you are willing to go to save someone you really love. Hence, we made a game that revolves around a father and his love for his son”. There are four playable characters and all of them are looking for a serial killer known as “The Origami killer”. The game will use a unique control system which will take advantage of the button’s analogue function. Pressing the trigger button harder or softer will control the speed of the character’s movement. Its first tech demo in 2006 astonished everyone by its user interface and realistic facial expressions of characters. 

Scheduled release: 26th February, 2010

Yakuza 3

Amusement Vision started this series of action-adventure games back in 2005 and since then Sega has published three games in the series, with a fourth game already in production. The series explores the underbelly of Japan’s urban landscapes by using a mixture of fiction and real-life places and is known for liberal and gritty depiction of violence. English version of Yakuza 3 is slated for a mid-March release after more than a year spent in localizing the original Japanese version.

Scheduled release: March 12, 2010

God of War III 

Thanks to the first two outings of our man Kratos, the words God of War are now synonymous with the PlayStation brand. In fact, the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of PlayStation, is the God of War series by developers Santa Monica. Good news for the Sony faithful is that the latest and perhaps the greatest entry into the series is a mere month away! With the upcoming launch of the God of War III in mid-March, PlayStation 3 owners are eagerly awaiting for new ways to gouge eyes, maim enemies, dismember, disembowel, and generally cause due distress to the gods of Olympus. If you haven’t already, check out our hands-on impression of the game and hype yourself for its upcoming release! We hope that the loss of David Jaffe from the God of War team would not take away from this beloved franchise. The trailer certainly raises expectations and in parallel assures one that this game will certainly take console graphics to new heights.

Scheduled release: March 16, 2010

3D Dot Game Heroes

This game is neither something you would use to gather your friends to show off PlayStation 3’s technical prowess nor does it have a particularly original storyline. The only thing this game has going for it is its old-school appeal. The game uses art-style that is reminiscent of the 8-bit era and players can navigate only in 2D. Add to this the classic dungeon-crawling, and you have a game that is ideal to revisit days of yore on your high-powered console. 3D Dot Game Heroes has already been released in Japan and publishers SouthPeak Games are all set to bring this title to PAL territories in May, this year.

Scheduled release: May 14, 2010

THE LAST GUARDIAN

The Last Guardian is the upcoming video game that is developed exclusively for Play Station 3 by Team Ico, the makers of Shadow of Colossus. The game mainly focuses on the interaction between a boy and a giant mysterious creature known as Trico. In the game, Trico’s artificial intelligence is driven by animal instincts and so, it will depend on the player to guide and takes advantage of this. The developers said that the game’s animation will be heavily influenced by a new physics engine. The team is focusing on making Trico look and act real, and after watching the trailer and the screenshots, it seems that Team Ico may have pulled it off once again.

Scheduled release: November, 2010

GRAN TURISMO 5

Gran Turismo is acclaimed as one of the best racing simulation video games ever produced for the Play Station. Impressive graphics, ton of licensed vehicles, detailed simulation and the ability to tune performance are some of the highlights of Grand Tursimo 5.GT 5 will feature 1000 cars and 20 track locations and the ability to export cars and garage from the PSP version of GT. Gran Turismo 5 will be the first game in the series to include both mechanical and external damage model, using a real-time deformation engine that will process deformation according to the angle of impact. 

Scheduled Release: TBA, 2010

ModNation Racers

Taking cue from critical and commercial success of Little Big Planet, United Front Games is currently developing a kart-racing game for the PlayStation 3, with emphasis on user-generated content. The game’s built-in content generation tools will allow the players to create or customize racers appearance, vehicles and even race tracks. Mod Nation Racers is scheduled for release later this year on the PlayStation3 and the PlayStation Portable.
Scheduled release: TBA, 2010

Agent

The bad boys of video game industry, Rockstar North, are working on a PlayStation 3 exclusive release for this year. RockStar and SCE have made very little information about this game public and all we know is that the game will be set in the cold-war era of 1970. Take Two has hinted at likely game-play for Agent and it is most likely going to be a spy game.
Scheduled release: TBA, 2010

[Rumored]

Killzone 3

According to a post on Play.tm, their “…sources close to Sony” have hinted at Killzone 3 release for Christmas this year. After Guerrilla Games took about four years to develop Killzone 2, we will be pleasantly surprised to see another Killzone game ready for this holiday season. However, if the rumor turns out to be true, Killzone 3 will be released with full support for Sony’s upcoming motion controller for the PlayStation 3. 
Scheduled release: TBA, 2010

Demon’s Souls 2

Japanese media publication Dengeki, had hinted that a sequel to From Software’s critically acclaimed RPG is in the making. Demon’s Souls is yet to make an entry in the PAL region; however those who have played the game, laud its unique and challenging game-play and also the seamless integration of single-player and multiplayer game modes. If we have correctly identified the game that Dengeki hinted at, then the sequel to Demon’s souls should be releasing towards the end of this year. 
Scheduled release: TBA, 2010

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Faiyaz Shaikh