Top secret PS3 game still not unveiled - Sony failed to show it at E3
By Dave Parrack
Sony had a very average E3, and to be honest, so did Nintendo and Microsoft, though the latter won the award for biggest surprise with that Final Fantasy XIII coming to Xbox 360 announcement. In fact, all Sony really showed off was a movie download service, which was already known about, and only mimics what the Xbox 360 already has, and MAG. But it could all have been so different.
MAG is quite an exciting development in the world of console gaming, as it allows up to 256 payers to face off against each other online. Massive Action Game is supposed to be a FPS MMO based on mercenary combat, and could be quite an exciting title when it finally appears. But there could have been an announcement made about a new game much more innovative, innovative, and currently top secret, and Sony bottled it.
Back in February, Darren Waters, editor of the BBC News website’s technology index, reported that he had been shown a new, top secret game due out on the Playstation 3 in 2009, which could mark a “change in what games consoles are capable of in terms of story-telling and immersion.”
Supposed in-game footage was shown to him at the Game Developers Conference, and left him speechless. Waters was then sworn to absolute secrecy, and the nature of this secret was confirmed when he mentioned it to Phil Harrison, then head of Sony Worldwide Studios, who at first even failed to admit the game existed.
Waters has now responded to a reader’s question by saying that MAG was NOT the game he saw back in February, and that is a game still to be unveiled. He said:
And so I still can’t talk about it. Or even tell you what it’s called. In fact when I referred to it in passing and without detail in front of a BBC colleague this week, the Sony PR man drew a sharp intake of breath and shot me a withering look. Some of you might be thinking the game is pure vapourware. But I promise you it’s real.
There’s now speculation ensuing again over what sort of game this could be, and when it will finally be shown to the eager PS3 owners publicly. Some are arguing the case that this could be a game titled Heavy Rain, of which there is an early tech demo floating around, but Waters has denied this, and seeing as this is a title already announced, it does seem unlikely.
It’s possible that whatever this game is, it could be unveiled at the Leipzig Games Convention, which runs from August 20th, to the 24th. Or it might not. It seems Sony wants to keep this one up its sleeve until the time is right to reveal it. But that doesn’t stop us wondering, does it.
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July 21st, 2008
Leipzig!!! yes!!! i knew it was still around! i hope leipzig will blow e3 out of the water?… This article is strange, i was just reading the same story on another website… oh well. I hope its something unrivaled.
July 21st, 2008
Bourne, you find it strange that we cover stories which other sites also write about?
You realise I can’t produce stories from my butt right? And believe me, I’ve tried!
July 21st, 2008
LOL yeah im sure Kevin will vouch for that, but i was just saying that i was googling PS3 in the news, and i was wondering if and when gamer.blorge would cover the same story, because you usually do it in more depth, and hey presto i come here and its already posted! I hope its not a phony story, for the BBC writers perspective and as a PS3 owner.
July 21st, 2008
davep- you don’t? you could’ve fooled most of us…
July 21st, 2008
and low and behold, the prodical spawn of satan rears himself as if on cue.
July 21st, 2008
bourne - hey..i need a laugh…tell me again how GTA on the ps3 is in 1080p.
July 21st, 2008
I hope they don’t say a word until it is within months of being released. I don’t need to hear about a game and then have it delayed and not see it until 2011. Hopefully this whole HOME fiasco has taught Sony to keep their mouths shut until it is ready. But I doubt it.
July 21st, 2008
wylie - i wouldn’t bank on it. without hype, sony would have very little…
July 21st, 2008
They will save it until April 1st and do a funny on us. April Fools! Oh Sony, you cheeky monkey.
July 21st, 2008
Kev - You uncheck the lower HD resolutions in the ps3 menu (i.e 720p/1080i) which then upscales the game to 1080p Granted its not native to 1080p and has to upscale, but it still runs it.
July 21st, 2008
bourne - bah..i’m just yanking your chain. if MORE ps3 titles did this, it may be an issue, but one or two titles isn’t anything to get worked up over. beside gta has never been about great graphics, only huuuuuuuuuuge maps. and dead hookers…
July 21st, 2008
actually i have to agree for once. I still havent finished Gta4 and i cant bring myself to it, it just drags on with same old ….everything really….
July 21st, 2008
Wylie,
Agreed x 10. Maybe all Sony is REALLY doing in conducting a sociological experiment in the patience of large groups of people.
-Arvis
July 21st, 2008
Lol, lets hope this game isn’t a sequal like heavenly sword 2 or something (which wouldnt be too bad if the ironed out the creases) but a truly new gaming experience not like haze or kz2
July 21st, 2008
Kev, don’t let the developers at Rockstar hear you say that. Apparently they die a little inside when people say ‘GTA has never been about the graphics’. I read an interview about it.
I agree though, it has never been about the graphics.
What impresses me about GTA is that they manage to maintain the WHOLE city, and with cars / pedestrians online with 16 people. No lag (that I have experienced anyway).
Then Skate, for example (may be diff on 360, I duno), only allows small ‘level’ sections of the city, no cars or pedestrians, and only 4 people. TERRIBLE lag.
Now what is up with that.
July 21st, 2008
Bourne: Got ya, glad you come here to read the in-depth version of a story
Agree that I hope this isn’t a non-story.
Kev: How are you intimate with what I do or don’t pull out of my butt? Should I be worried?
July 21st, 2008
this site has an undertone of sexual fantasies. First i think it was CAD talking about cross dressing or some kind of foot fetish? and now DAVE PARRACK?
DAVE - Most other websites just give a dumbed down brief version, Blorge is where its really at
July 21st, 2008
Kev- I think keeping it top secret might bring more hype though. Instead of this, come see the new screenshot, crap we usually get. It peeks my interest more by not knowing. Then again, it might get all hyped up and be a complete let down. That’s what I think HOME will be. But atleast this way we don’t need to guess when it is coming out.
July 22nd, 2008
wylie - absolutely. sony lives on hype. they would rather talk it up than show it, anyday. and why? becuase the actual game NEVER lives up to the hype (looks at MGS4).
July 22nd, 2008
MGS4 did live up to the hype though.
July 22nd, 2008
Sorry Kev MGS4 not a good example. I know you didn’t like it, but many did. I guess we’ll wait and see how this secret game turns out. Now if you want to bring up the two games everyone brings up bring up Haze and Lair.
July 22nd, 2008
royzy, wylie - research the mgs4 movie they showed last year and compare it to the gameplay of the actual game. no, it did not match the hype that was shown and promised. it’s a good looking game no doubt, but nowhere near the quality of the movie shown. go ahead, squint and swear it does…you’re in the minority…
July 22nd, 2008
Kevin,
I’m sorry, but a 10 from both IGN and GameSpot says that it lived up to the hype. It may not be YOUR cup of tea, but… you’re in the minority.
-Arvis
July 22nd, 2008
ARVIS - since you like using scores, mgs4 is only ONE point higher than GeOW at Metacritic. GeOW was a first gen 360 title… one point isn’t much to brag about.. if it had met the hype, it would be much higher from many more reviewers instead of those proven to take money for reviews, ie; Gamespot.
July 22nd, 2008
Kev- I have learned long ago not to go by the movies they show for previews for games. That is all games including 360. They always spice them up to look better. Do you watch commercials, see the big whopper, go to burger king, and then bitch that it doesn’t look the same or taste as good as you expected it too from the commercials? All companies market like that. I’m still waiting for the double mint twins to offer me a piece of gum!
July 22nd, 2008
Kev only doesn’t like MGS4 because :
1. He can’t get it
2. It’s not a 360 game.
Bet your bottom dollar, if it was a 360 exclusive game, it would be top of his all time great great games.
Too many times has Kev been proven a hypocrite, and he still has the hyde to show his egg stained face.
For the record, I have no interest in MGS4. In saying that, I haven’t played it either and will wait for it to rent. Not everyone goes for the hype.
July 22nd, 2008
Spideydog
We all know that if MGS4 was a 360 exclusive, then Kev wudn’t even mention Gears.
LoL!!!
Let him unload his crap just to satisfy himself
July 23rd, 2008
I would love it to be Heavenly Sword 2. I loved the first one, even if everyone else seemed to think it was just ‘meh’. One of my favourites on PS3.
MGS4 was great, but I felt a little underhwhelmed at times. Never played a MG game before, so maybe I was expecting too much :/ i dunno.
July 23rd, 2008
spidey - stop pretending to know me. heck you don’t even know gaming, much less people…
i’ve said before, i’ve outgrown MGS as a franchise. it’s old, tired, and kojima apprenatly agreed.
beside with the mounds of awards heaped on Splinter Cell by the AIAS (go ahead and ask who that is, noob..lmao..), i get my stealth fix from Sam Fisher. Snake just doesn’t do it anymore…
so you’ve proven me a hypocrite? really? how… SPECIFICALLY.. you’re such a pathetic little liar… lol..
July 23rd, 2008
spidey - isn’t it odd that you only piggyback your insults on things i’ve said…
the “egg on face” routine was being used in another sony story, yet here you are, using my lines…
think for yourself…oh wait..you own a ps3..you can’t…
July 23rd, 2008
good one kev…..
cause everyone who owns a PS3 is a total retard and doesn’t possess the basic human skill of thinking for themselves. Right.
Also, the fact that kojima said he’s tired of the franchise doesn’t mean that MGS4 wasn’t any less of a good game. From what I’ve read, he’s a bit of a perfectionist, so i wouldn’t take what he says too seriously.
And although I said before I thought MGS4 was just ‘great’ as opposed to all the perfects floating around, doesn’t mean I didn’t think it wasn’t best at what it is. A stealth game. Personally I ain’t too bigger fan of the stealth genre, but Snake does do it best, and that includes Sam Fisher. And I think he’ll continue to out do him for a long time to come.
July 23rd, 2008
Kev,
I try not to throw around the word “stupid,” but implying that Splinter Cell is an upgrade from MGS…. well, it’s “out there” as far as opinions go.
-Arvis
July 23rd, 2008
arvis - tell it to the AIAS.. you know, the Academy made up of developers and artists who KNOW what makes a great game… maybe their opinion is “out there too”..
personally, the first time i hung upside down and snapped the neck of a baddy as sam fisher, i knew MGS was old hat…. i won’t even get into the special moves, outstaning online play or very cool gadgets….
mgs was great…for it’s day… but like most sony franchises, is showing it’s age…
July 23rd, 2008
looks like 2009 is going to be worse for the ps3 than 2008 was…
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/897169/gran_turismo_5_sets_to_arrive_on_the.html
2010 for gt5? yep..the WaitStation is at it again…
July 23rd, 2008
Kev- that’s a big statement just because one game is delayed! Or two, or three, how many games are being delayed, I’ve lost count. Maybe you do have a point. Oh well, not worried, I’m sure Sony will be right there anyways. After all its catching up and you guys still say it has no games. What would the numbers be if the libraries were the same size? In the short this doesn’t worry me.
July 23rd, 2008
Dont tell Kevin anything, he knows the “industry” inside and out and anyone that disagrees with him…”knows nothing about the industry”, purely because they disagree with him.
If you hate this site so much Kevin…bugger off some where else….you won’t be missed.
July 23rd, 2008
2010?!?!?! That’s hilarious!! I guess that’s why there are more P$3 owners here than 360, they don’t have any games to play, so they need to kill time on the internet. For me, this is a good time filler while at work.
July 25th, 2008
Harry,
Is it really “hilarious?” What’s the punchline? Where’s the irony? Is there a pun somewhere in there? Or do you have a mental defect that makes you think the number 2010 is thigh-slapping funny?
If there’s one thing that really irks me about fanboys it’s their constant hyperbolizing.
-Arvis