NCSoft doesn’t reveal much new product information, but it’s worth a read because you can see that NCSoft is clearly committed to PS3 development.

I get the impression that NCSoft appreciates the freedom and control that the PS3 platform provides. Sony seems much more liberal and PC-like than it’s competitors in that they provide third party studios with more freedoms.

Specifically:

• Studios can handle their own subscription systems and customer billing directly.
• Studios can do their own customer relations directly without having to go through Sony or some other middle-man.
• Maximum freedom in choosing from various middleware tools such as XFire and alternatives
• Minimum mandated feature sets. While some fans wish that Sony would force studios to implement certain features such as an achievement point type system, I would much rather these content decisions left in the hands of the artists. Let them choose which features will provide the most value to gamers rather than force some marketing buzzword feature list on them.

I’m glad to see such enthusiasm from developers, and I hope these freedoms lead to increased quality and originality in upcoming titles.

NCSoft Interview

The first three hotly anticipated Sony published PS3 exclusives of the season haven’t been received too well.

Lair

I’ve never played this game and it always seemed like a wildcard, but I never would have thought it would have bombed this bad. Sometimes reviewers are known for becoming overly-emotional and giving an unfair irrational review. Unfortunately, it seems like that isn’t the case; Lair just seems like a genuinely failed game. IGN actually used the sub-title, “a sixaxis suckfest”. Ouch!

Does anyone else feel bad for the developers? Hey, if a game is bad, it’s the obligation of the reviewers to score it as such, and fans such as myself definitely don’t want to buy it. But, those developers put so much work into that title it’s hard not to wince for them.

Heavenly Sword

This looks like an OK title with very mixed reviews rather than the spectacular game we were hoping for. I expected this title to turn out this way, but I’m sure it will make an awesome rental.

Warhawk

The best received game of the bunch. Those scores are very hot and cold. Some people love it, others hate it. Plenty of people are clearly ecstatic about this title and are getting their money’s worth several times over, while others, such as myself feel that the multi-player shooter genre is very crowded and competitive, and there are better alternatives.

Conclusion

I’m really disappointed with Lair, but this is a small disappointment at the start of the season. All the big releases are still ahead of us. September is looking to be a very strong month, but October and November are the peak months with the real AAA titles!

UPDATE: Fixed 1UP Warhawk Score.

Pretty exciting times ahead for PS3 owners:

That Skiing game makes me want a new SSX game badly! Gran Turismo looks stunning aswell. The video also seems to confirm that demos of Ratchet & Clank, Unchartered and Lair are coming to the PSN at some point, although a date would be nice…

PSN Games Montage

Sony exec David Karraker said regarding the 60GB SKU,

“We no longer have any inventory in SCEA warehouses. All inventory has been purchased and shipped to retailers,”

It sounds like there is still plenty of stock for the moment, but the time is drawing near where there are supply issues with the 60GB SKU.

Now, place your bets everyone!

Price Drop: Point of Entry stays below $599

I’m betting on this one. While Sony definitely doesn’t always do what seems to make the most sense to us, I’m still betting they will continue to provide sub-$599 points of entry. Ozymandias bet on a $399 point of entry, which seems a little optimistic, but we shall see.

While Sony has been clear about their intent to return to a single SKU approach, I suspect that may not rule out different bundling options as they are doing with the forthcoming revised PSP launch.

No Price Changes: Point of Entry returns to $599. No cheaper options available.

IGN, Arstechnica, and other sites have assured us that this is what will happen. I don’t think they have any insider information, they just seem to be reporting their speculation as fact and adding a negative spin.

There is a ton of amazing PS3 software coming out this year. I count nine titles that I am dying to purchase at full price. That’s an excellent year for the PS3, however, I have one complaint:

Why is every last title that I really want being released in a tiny four week release window from 10/23 to 11/20? Months like January we got nothing. Months like February through September we get some high quality products, but still not the games that many people such as myself really, really want.

Do all the big studios really think they have to put out all their software right before Christmas?

Or is it due to the newness of the PS3, that this is when the really good stuff is just starting to roll in?

Next year seems like the great releases will be spread out a little better: Burnout, GTA4, MGS4, GT5, RE5, and Killzone2 should all scheduled to be released throughout the calendar year, well before Christmas. Then again, anyone remember this post that I made in November of 2006? Most of the the titles we were expecting to hit at the beginning of 2007 got delayed to the end of 2007.