Hello, and welcome to our first look at what treats the PSN Store is going to have for us over the coming months. For this special edition of what will be a regular feature, we’ve teamed up with our mate DolphGB over at PS3 Attitude for a fun round-table affair. Even Michael’s involved, look.
Nofi: An obvious place to start, then: Fat Princess. The suprise showing of E3, great name and a wicked idea. Just seems so fresh.
Michael: It’s a bit harsh to name a game after one of Jordan’s children, in my opinion. It’s not like the child won’t get enough exposure via OK and Hello.
Nofi: Heh. The game’s already upsetting a few people with its name. A shame, because if Sony are bullied into changing the title I’ll be really pissed off.
Michael: They won’t. I like my puzzle/action games, especially if they come with a bit of slapstick thrown in.
Dolph: It’s probably best described as a capture-the-flag game, but that is really underselling it. The game features 32-player mayhem where the aim of the game is to capture the enemy Princess and get her back to your base. If players disconnect, we’re being promised some slick AI that seamlessly put bots in play, which guarantees 32 players at once.
Nofi: Ah, cool. The whole thing is one great concept that looks likely to make for a solid game. I love the way it looks with the fluffy cel-shading and bright colours and then all that blood as a complete polar opposite.
Michael: Yeah. Like in all team based stuff like this, co-operation is key, too, and as my gaming skills are legendarily bad, I’m all for co-op where I can blame a team member when I inevitably cock up.
Nofi: There’s a full class system too, right?
Dolph: Yeah. You can play Fat Princess in a lot of different ways – the classes allow you to choose from a range of character-types such as Warrior, Medic or Worker. From what we’ve seen of Fat Princess, it will be one of the PSN’s stand-out titles, sitting nicely alongside the likes of Warhawk, PAIN and Super Stardust HD as ‘must have’ downloads.
Nofi: So, moving on, what about Crash Commando?
Michael: When this was announced I had visions of Ikari Warriors and Commando shooting across my brain. A HD take on classic shooters of the past might not be what the PSN needs more of, but this will be different to the SSHDs of this world. The multi-player sounds absolutely awesome, like mana from Heaven and what with all the hi-tech gloss and effects, the old-school gameplay will feel new again.
Nofi: I thought it looked a bit dull. All this ‘Grunts’ and ‘Jarheads’ is terribly generic. It’s like a side-scroller without any soul.
Michael: Nah. Top of my list and expect future TSAN nights to be made of this.
Dolph: We’re more excited about another ‘Commando’ PSN game right now – shall we say a title that has recently been ‘Rearmed’ – but that doesn’t mean this one won’t get our 2D retro-gaming juices flowing. Our biggest issue with the game, however, is the billing. Any time a PR piece says it’s a “fast-paced, humorous multiplayer game with over-the-top, slap-stick action”, we get worried. That’s probably what was in the Calling All Cars PR too, and whilst CAC was fun for 10 minutes, it was soon turned off in favour of other PSN fodder.
Nofi: Ah, here we go, something quality: Flower. This looks incredible. Big, big fan of fl0w and if this ends up being half as good I’ll be happy.
Michael: Apparently, the title came about in a Sony pre-production meeting.
Dude 1: We need a sequel to Flow.
Dude 2: Flow, er…
Dude 1: That’s it, Flower!
Nofi: I don’t care. It’s not true anyway, but I still don’t care. That Game Company can do no wrong in my opinion.
Dolph: I don’t know what it is about this title that peaks my interest, but it does. It would be wrong to say that Flower is a piece of art, but it reminds me a lot of the sort of thing that was produced out of the ‘demo scene’ back in the days of the Amiga – much like the forthcoming LingerInShadows which will appear on the PS Store soon too.
Michael: Flow wasn’t really to my taste, but that’s not to say I don’t support the release of such a diverse range of titles. In fact, it’s what makes the PSN so great.
Nofi: 200,000 blades of grass all independently moving. One button gameplay. Love it.
Nofi: This was a surprise, too: Rag Doll Kung Fu.
Michael: Fists Of Plastic. Oh yes, indeed. Awesome name, what of the game? Well, it’s looking sublime and you know the exaggerated movement and appealing controls are going to result in some stunning looking battles. I don’t imagine it’ll possess the sublety of control of a Virtua Fighter or a Soul Calibur, but it will probably provide more fun than those two put together with a side-order of Tekken thrown in. Loads of online modes and Trophy support too, so this could be another contender for TSAN game nights.
Dolph: Having seen the original Rag Doll concept, and the finished PC product, all I can say is you’re in for a real treat. The gameplay is fast and frantic. The characters will have you laughing like a drain (without the need for the aforementioned PR hype). It looks sumptuous, in a sort of 2D meets 3D kind of way.
Nofi: It’s not from Media Molecule, though, is it?
Michael: Tarsier.
Nofi: Yeah. Would have been nice to see MM’s original up there too.
Dolph: When the co-founders of Media Molecule got snapped up by Sony, it was on the back of a technical demo they gave of the original. The demo showed how the team could come up with something original that had great ragdoll physics, and it is the development of this that has become LittleBigPlanet.
Nofi: Saving the best ’til last, then: PixelJunk Eden.
Michael: Would you Adam n Eve it, Q Games have done it again.
Nofi: I’m a PixelJunk Whore. I even have a t-shirt from Q-Games to prove it.
Michael: I can’t wait until this is out so you stop talking about it. But yeah, PixelJunk Racers was great, Monsters surpassed it, and now Eden looks set to do the same. Snakes, forbidden fruit, and naked women – Eden’s got it all.
Nofi: I don’t think there’s naked woman, mate.
Dolph: I wasn’t that bothered about ‘Racers’ – it was a little dull for me and, during later levels, too hard to play. ‘Monsters’ on the other hand was brilliant.
Michael: This game will be great too. A sort of platformer with added psychedelia, if it retains the charm of Racers and Monsters, but can add some much needed depth, I think we’re in for a treat.
Nofi: The concept I love, and the music is great too. And more Trophies.
Michael: Which you posted yesterday, spoilsport. Doesn’t matter though, anything with a ‘Grimp’chasing ‘Spectra’ has got to be good, right?
Dolph: Yeah. The game reminds me a lot of LocoRoco on the PSP. Not in terms of gameplay – no – there’s no land-tilting action here, but in the sense that everything in the game just seems – well – ‘nice’. In addition to having gamers glued to the screen, we expect every single one of them to have a smile glued to their face. It’s just one of those PSN titles that really hits the spot, and we predict it will be a smash hit.
Nofi: Can’t wait. And it’s out next week.
We’ll have another of these soon, with a bit of luck. Look out for PixelJunk Eden next Thursday, folks, and don’t forget to bookmark PS3 Attitude for your daily dose of PS3 news with bite!