E3 2006: Three Wishes From Three Editors

Written by GT Staff  on May 08, 2006

Specials: I don't think we're too proud to beg

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A little later today Sony will host their annual pre-E3 press conference where it's expected they'll blow the lid off numerous facets of their PlayStation products, from PS2 to PSP to of course, PlayStation 3. With 3 platforms floating around it will definitely be a busy show for Sony. It's a big show for them and that means there's plenty of opportunity for PlayStation fans to get wowed or surprised. Everyone does have their own wishlist though, including ourselves here at Gaming Target. What do we wish to see Ц or perhaps wish to not see at what is set to be the biggest, most action-packed E3 ever? You're about to find out.

John's innermost desire

With the launch of a new console right around the corner it's hard to expect much at E3. Even though it's the game industry's biggest showcase it's still way too early to reveal your hand to anybody. Just look back to last year at waffling over the is it or isn't it CGI Killzone trailer. And did the Xbox 360 show anything of any real substance at E3 05? Of course not. So my big wish for E3 06 is for Sony to show me the PS2 still has plenty of life left in it.

With 37 million American PS2s in circulation and 102 million worldwide Sony would be foolish to give up the platform just because the PS3 is shipping. Sony executives have constantly talked about their desire for a Уten-year cycleФ for the PS2 and then the PS3 and with God of War 2 set for early year, Sony has shown they plan to keep the PS2 going for a while yet. But they also need to encourage third parties not to jump ship as quickly as they've abandoned the Xbox.

In the years after the PS2 was released the PSone survived on a constant stream of crapware and downgraded EA Sports ports. That's no way to live and four years of that garbage would kill any hope for a ten-year cycle for the PS2.

On the other hand, as much as I'd like to know a release date and a price for the PS3 I know I won't get it. So I won't even bother asking. However, I don't think it's unreasonable for Sony to reveal several launch titles that aren't from the EA Sports family. In the past week we have seen 16 confirmed launch titles for the Wii and several more possibilities. With the Xbox 360 last year we were shown just enough footage of a handful of launch titles to make everybody want one.

Come on Sony. I just want to know why I should consider dropping $300? $400? $500? Or $600 on your console come November 6? 13? 20? 27? December? You can tell me, I can keep a secret.

James's thoughts

I'm looking forward to Sony's big PS3 unveiling- namely the controller. I'm dying to see what they did to the design. Personally, I hope they went back to the good old Dual Shock 2 model, because honestly, why fix something that isn't broken? Seems to me the Dual Shock is the best controller on the market right now. Either way, I'm always up for a change. Oh, and a solid release date would be nice, Sony. Please? Just a little idea?

As for the PSP, I'd like to see what they have in store for their new updates. I know they were planning to have a PSOne emulator for the portable, and I'm curious to see what their game plan is as far as cost and size.

For the games, I'm dying to hear from Konami about Metal Gear 4, and I'm crossing my fingers for a Silent Hill 5, though I'm sure that last one is nothing more than a pipe dream. It'll be nice to hear people's takes on Final Fantasy XII as well as any other new projects Square has coming around the bend, and I'd love to know whether or not us gamers can expect a PS3 remake of Final Fantasy VII- not that we need one. More info on Harmonix's Guitar Hero 2 would be fabulous. Lastly, I'd love to hear what Capcom's plans are for the PSP what with all the great remakes they've brought out as of late. It'd be great to hear about a port of one of the many VS. series coming to the system (i.e. Marvel vs Capcom and Capcom vs SNK), but again, it's only a gamer's dreams.

Adam's hopes
I think I said this last year too Ц hopefully Sony really puts PSP in the limelight this time around now that we all know PS3 exists. At E3 '05 Sony nearly buried their portable behind all the PS3 business and the usual strong PS2 lineup, with a presence that barely could be called minimal. This lack of information and games led to a dead, boring first summer with very little momentum, while Nintendo's DS rose in popularity after a solid showing. This year, things absolutely must be different. We know there's some high profile titles showing; Tekken: Dark Resurrection, Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters, Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth, Lumines II, Loco Roco, Silent Hill Remake, and Killzone: Liberation, for starters. But we should be expecting more beyond what we already know. What's the word on Gran Turismo Mobile? How about Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core? Hopefully these games at least make some sort of appearance after no-shows last year, as these two titles are big enough to push systems. PSP simply cannot afford to have another drab E3 that Sony treated as an afterthought. Every year the show has surprises that aren't discussed before the show starts, let's hope PSP gets some of this love and gets people talking.

Also on PSP, I'm really interested in hearing about the proposed PS1 emulator service for the system. Even though the system is missing 2 shoulder buttons, PS1 games are perfect for PSP play since there was no standard dual-analog setup unless it was Ape Escape. But so many questions are out there and for all we know it might be too ambitious. First of all, how many games will be here, and what will they be? The last thing Sony needs is a bunch of duds; they need the heaviest hitters possible. Being able to play Final Fantasy VII-IX, Metal Gear Solid, Gran Turismo, Castlevania: SOTN, for starters, would be the sort of lineup that could move PSPs just for the ability to play these games on the go. That leads to the 2nd issue: storage. Right now the only 'mass market' memory stick that can handle games of these sizes is the 2GB one, with a 4GB stick out there but very costly. These folks shouldn't have trouble storing huge games like the Final Fantasies, since compression is far better now than it was a decade ago. But what of the people who own less than 1GB sticks, such as the 32MB option that comes with the Value Pack? The result could be a heavily segregated userbase; people who can use the service and who will have to spend 100 dollars or more to get a suitably sized memory stick.

The price of such things should be an issue too; if Xbox Live Arcade shows anything, most people will pay $10 for downloadable games, $5 for old classics. But these are PS1 games, most of which are only 10 years old at the most and more advanced than either of the arcade classics or these casual games that sell like mad on XBLA. Sony has to tread carefully and keep prices competitive; perhaps in line with whatever Nintendo will be charging for N64 games through the Revolution (it hurts my soul to call it Wii) virtual console. Whatever the case, these games need to be affordable or people will just stick to their PSone systems and let PSP continue to gather dust. The whole concept is tricky as it is, so it will be interesting to see how Sony handles it.

This is a make or break year for the PlayStation Portable; Sony needs to generate excitement or it will be sitting on the sidelines while the DS gets all the glory.

Oh, and yeah. I want to see more of the English version of Final Fantasy XII. PS3 what, PS3 who?

So there you have it. That's what we want out of E3 and Sony's Press Conference is only a few hours awayЕ