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Christmas, New Year... they're both over for a while. We`ve eaten what we can, given eachother presents, and have begun saving towards next Christmas. The cycle has restarted, so perhaps its time to look ahead to the future, in particular, the future of PS2.
2001 ended with a bang bigger than the one potentially responsible for the creation of the universe, caused by the arrival of many shockingly good games (you've all heard the lists, so I'll leave it out this time). The question is, "Will this level of excellence be maintained?". Scattered amongst the release dates of 2002 there are occasional gems such as Final Fantasy 10 that suggest perhaps the quality will be kept up, but what else is there on offer apart from these few main titles?
Metal Gear Solid 2 and Final Fantasy 10 are the obvious two titles that look certain to create huge amounts of interest upon their release. MGS2 looks as if it is going head to head with the X-Box whilst Final Fantasy is perhaps trying to do to this summer what Gran Turismo did to Summer 2001. Two games alone is of course not sufficient for a console to succeed. Another criticism of the two titles above is that they are both sequels. They may be the best sequels of all time, but they are still sequels, so where's the new and innovative thinking?
Originality - Absolutely essential to Sony's success in 2002 is a set of completely original titles, hopefully of decent quality, which should help to bolster the successful sequel games. Prime examples of this are ICO, Herdy Gerdy and perhaps even Stuntman. First up, ICO is a fairly standard adventure game, except for some major differences, it concentrates on atmosphere rather than fast action. This isn't an explosive shoot 'em up or race pace platform, it is instead an incredibly immersive experience. This could be PS2's most peaceful and awe-inspiring games to date.
Another title boasting great originality is Core Design's Herdy Gerdy. This again breaks away from the norm, and takes you into a completely new world with its own food chain, its own interactive communities, and apparently most important of all, its herdability. As Gerdy, you will be required to prove your worthiness as a great herder of beasts of all sizes, surrounded by Disney's finest animation. This game is far from Tomb Raider 6!
Stuntman again provides a fresh style of gameplay. It is perhaps the least original of the three, but it is still a new spin on the use of vehicles. Its not just about racing, or simply bashing your opponents, instead you take the place of the person who does all those insance manoeuvers for real. This game really will need a decent seat belt accesory.
So, originality is satisfied by a few great games in the pipeline, but what about PS2's weaker genres? Final Fantasy will no doubt strengthen the RPGs, there are already plenty of top quality racers and shooters, but what about fighting? PS2's launch saw Tekken Tag, shortly after was Dead or Alive 2. Since then its been quite with only Guilty Gear X and Capcom vs SNK 2 arriving. Where are the killer beat 'em ups that always accompany Sony's consoles?
The middle section of 2002 could rectify the lack of fighting games with the arrival of Tekken 4, Virtua Fighter 4, and Soul Calibur 2. Every one of these games so far looks like it could be an essential purchase. The arrival of interactive walls in Tekken 4 has had a mixed reaction, but the Tekken brand and playability will always have a great effect on people. At the same time, Soul Calibur and Virtua Fighter both look amazing, and if their reputations are lived up to, they'll play just as well.
Another genre that is fairly quiet is platform gaming. Jak and Daxter has arrived to a very large welcome party, and has impressed nearly everybody, but with only one great game in its field, things are a little empty. This looks set to change in the spring though with the release of Maximo. Perhaps not a true platformer - more a cross between resident evil's survival horror and Jak and Daxter's style of environment - but it should help to satisfy most PS2 fans.
Then there are of course the many great sequels, Wipeout Fusion, which is looking faster and sounding better than ever, TimeSplitters 2, a game that hopes to combine the multiplayer thrills of the original, with a plot along the lines of Half-Life (setting its sights high!), and also Jedi Starfighter, which is a game I really hope can stand up to Rogue Leader on Gamecube. It would be nice to see great Star Wars games on both systems.
The real unknown factor in 2002 is the online beginning for Sony's PS2. What will happen when suddenly we are given the option to link all our machines together? Its a tough question to answer, and one that seems not even Smarties have the answer to - though I hope Sony does! However, one thing is for sure, there are a few high profile games out there that are setting their sights on online gaming. Final Fantasy 11 looks as if it will be an internet only game, whilst Tony Hawks 3 is already modem compatible. Similarly Kazunori Yamauchi, the genius behind Gran Turismo has speculated that GT4 or beyond may become online games. Developer support is still not huge, but it is growing, and hopefully firm plans from Sony could prompt further input from big developers.
2002 - There really is a lot to look forward to. PS2 really does look as if it could not only match its November/December 2001 success, but even beat it, releasing more top quality games. Its a fact that with X-Box and Gamecube approaching fast that Sony doesn't have a choice about it, they're going to have to give us the best they've got, and that can only mean its going to be a great 2002!
2001 ended with a bang bigger than the one potentially responsible for the creation of the universe, caused by the arrival of many shockingly good games (you've all heard the lists, so I'll leave it out this time). The question is, "Will this level of excellence be maintained?". Scattered amongst the release dates of 2002 there are occasional gems such as Final Fantasy 10 that suggest perhaps the quality will be kept up, but what else is there on offer apart from these few main titles?
Metal Gear Solid 2 and Final Fantasy 10 are the obvious two titles that look certain to create huge amounts of interest upon their release. MGS2 looks as if it is going head to head with the X-Box whilst Final Fantasy is perhaps trying to do to this summer what Gran Turismo did to Summer 2001. Two games alone is of course not sufficient for a console to succeed. Another criticism of the two titles above is that they are both sequels. They may be the best sequels of all time, but they are still sequels, so where's the new and innovative thinking?
Originality - Absolutely essential to Sony's success in 2002 is a set of completely original titles, hopefully of decent quality, which should help to bolster the successful sequel games. Prime examples of this are ICO, Herdy Gerdy and perhaps even Stuntman. First up, ICO is a fairly standard adventure game, except for some major differences, it concentrates on atmosphere rather than fast action. This isn't an explosive shoot 'em up or race pace platform, it is instead an incredibly immersive experience. This could be PS2's most peaceful and awe-inspiring games to date.
Another title boasting great originality is Core Design's Herdy Gerdy. This again breaks away from the norm, and takes you into a completely new world with its own food chain, its own interactive communities, and apparently most important of all, its herdability. As Gerdy, you will be required to prove your worthiness as a great herder of beasts of all sizes, surrounded by Disney's finest animation. This game is far from Tomb Raider 6!
Stuntman again provides a fresh style of gameplay. It is perhaps the least original of the three, but it is still a new spin on the use of vehicles. Its not just about racing, or simply bashing your opponents, instead you take the place of the person who does all those insance manoeuvers for real. This game really will need a decent seat belt accesory.
So, originality is satisfied by a few great games in the pipeline, but what about PS2's weaker genres? Final Fantasy will no doubt strengthen the RPGs, there are already plenty of top quality racers and shooters, but what about fighting? PS2's launch saw Tekken Tag, shortly after was Dead or Alive 2. Since then its been quite with only Guilty Gear X and Capcom vs SNK 2 arriving. Where are the killer beat 'em ups that always accompany Sony's consoles?
The middle section of 2002 could rectify the lack of fighting games with the arrival of Tekken 4, Virtua Fighter 4, and Soul Calibur 2. Every one of these games so far looks like it could be an essential purchase. The arrival of interactive walls in Tekken 4 has had a mixed reaction, but the Tekken brand and playability will always have a great effect on people. At the same time, Soul Calibur and Virtua Fighter both look amazing, and if their reputations are lived up to, they'll play just as well.
Another genre that is fairly quiet is platform gaming. Jak and Daxter has arrived to a very large welcome party, and has impressed nearly everybody, but with only one great game in its field, things are a little empty. This looks set to change in the spring though with the release of Maximo. Perhaps not a true platformer - more a cross between resident evil's survival horror and Jak and Daxter's style of environment - but it should help to satisfy most PS2 fans.
Then there are of course the many great sequels, Wipeout Fusion, which is looking faster and sounding better than ever, TimeSplitters 2, a game that hopes to combine the multiplayer thrills of the original, with a plot along the lines of Half-Life (setting its sights high!), and also Jedi Starfighter, which is a game I really hope can stand up to Rogue Leader on Gamecube. It would be nice to see great Star Wars games on both systems.
The real unknown factor in 2002 is the online beginning for Sony's PS2. What will happen when suddenly we are given the option to link all our machines together? Its a tough question to answer, and one that seems not even Smarties have the answer to - though I hope Sony does! However, one thing is for sure, there are a few high profile games out there that are setting their sights on online gaming. Final Fantasy 11 looks as if it will be an internet only game, whilst Tony Hawks 3 is already modem compatible. Similarly Kazunori Yamauchi, the genius behind Gran Turismo has speculated that GT4 or beyond may become online games. Developer support is still not huge, but it is growing, and hopefully firm plans from Sony could prompt further input from big developers.
2002 - There really is a lot to look forward to. PS2 really does look as if it could not only match its November/December 2001 success, but even beat it, releasing more top quality games. Its a fact that with X-Box and Gamecube approaching fast that Sony doesn't have a choice about it, they're going to have to give us the best they've got, and that can only mean its going to be a great 2002!
The three titles you have mentioned were in my opinion less important titles. To include every PS2 game for the year would have dragged the topic along even more than it already did.
Soldier of Fortune - All the info is available quite easily at most gaming sites, but the game itself interests me not a lot.
Star Wars Galaxies and Planetside I have heard little or nothing about, though I`m guessing there may be some news available somewhere.
The topic really only includes the titles that in my opinion will be big hits of 2002. There are of course more that I`ve missed, such as Deus Ex, but I really had to cut a lot out from the post I initially wrote a few days back.
Soldier of Fortune - All the info is available quite easily at most gaming sites, but the game itself interests me not a lot.
Star Wars Galaxies and Planetside I have heard little or nothing about, though I`m guessing there may be some news available somewhere.
The topic really only includes the titles that in my opinion will be big hits of 2002. There are of course more that I`ve missed, such as Deus Ex, but I really had to cut a lot out from the post I initially wrote a few days back.
Outlaw_UK wrote:
> Any news on the PS2 versions of Planetside and Star Wars: Galaxies?
was there ever plans to bring these two over...
(i hope so)
they look really good (for the pc at least)
> Any news on the PS2 versions of Planetside and Star Wars: Galaxies?
was there ever plans to bring these two over...
(i hope so)
they look really good (for the pc at least)
Any news on the PS2 versions of Planetside and Star Wars: Galaxies?
Christmas, New Year... they're both over for a while. We`ve eaten what we can, given eachother presents, and have begun saving towards next Christmas. The cycle has restarted, so perhaps its time to look ahead to the future, in particular, the future of PS2.
2001 ended with a bang bigger than the one potentially responsible for the creation of the universe, caused by the arrival of many shockingly good games (you've all heard the lists, so I'll leave it out this time). The question is, "Will this level of excellence be maintained?". Scattered amongst the release dates of 2002 there are occasional gems such as Final Fantasy 10 that suggest perhaps the quality will be kept up, but what else is there on offer apart from these few main titles?
Metal Gear Solid 2 and Final Fantasy 10 are the obvious two titles that look certain to create huge amounts of interest upon their release. MGS2 looks as if it is going head to head with the X-Box whilst Final Fantasy is perhaps trying to do to this summer what Gran Turismo did to Summer 2001. Two games alone is of course not sufficient for a console to succeed. Another criticism of the two titles above is that they are both sequels. They may be the best sequels of all time, but they are still sequels, so where's the new and innovative thinking?
Originality - Absolutely essential to Sony's success in 2002 is a set of completely original titles, hopefully of decent quality, which should help to bolster the successful sequel games. Prime examples of this are ICO, Herdy Gerdy and perhaps even Stuntman. First up, ICO is a fairly standard adventure game, except for some major differences, it concentrates on atmosphere rather than fast action. This isn't an explosive shoot 'em up or race pace platform, it is instead an incredibly immersive experience. This could be PS2's most peaceful and awe-inspiring games to date.
Another title boasting great originality is Core Design's Herdy Gerdy. This again breaks away from the norm, and takes you into a completely new world with its own food chain, its own interactive communities, and apparently most important of all, its herdability. As Gerdy, you will be required to prove your worthiness as a great herder of beasts of all sizes, surrounded by Disney's finest animation. This game is far from Tomb Raider 6!
Stuntman again provides a fresh style of gameplay. It is perhaps the least original of the three, but it is still a new spin on the use of vehicles. Its not just about racing, or simply bashing your opponents, instead you take the place of the person who does all those insance manoeuvers for real. This game really will need a decent seat belt accesory.
So, originality is satisfied by a few great games in the pipeline, but what about PS2's weaker genres? Final Fantasy will no doubt strengthen the RPGs, there are already plenty of top quality racers and shooters, but what about fighting? PS2's launch saw Tekken Tag, shortly after was Dead or Alive 2. Since then its been quite with only Guilty Gear X and Capcom vs SNK 2 arriving. Where are the killer beat 'em ups that always accompany Sony's consoles?
The middle section of 2002 could rectify the lack of fighting games with the arrival of Tekken 4, Virtua Fighter 4, and Soul Calibur 2. Every one of these games so far looks like it could be an essential purchase. The arrival of interactive walls in Tekken 4 has had a mixed reaction, but the Tekken brand and playability will always have a great effect on people. At the same time, Soul Calibur and Virtua Fighter both look amazing, and if their reputations are lived up to, they'll play just as well.
Another genre that is fairly quiet is platform gaming. Jak and Daxter has arrived to a very large welcome party, and has impressed nearly everybody, but with only one great game in its field, things are a little empty. This looks set to change in the spring though with the release of Maximo. Perhaps not a true platformer - more a cross between resident evil's survival horror and Jak and Daxter's style of environment - but it should help to satisfy most PS2 fans.
Then there are of course the many great sequels, Wipeout Fusion, which is looking faster and sounding better than ever, TimeSplitters 2, a game that hopes to combine the multiplayer thrills of the original, with a plot along the lines of Half-Life (setting its sights high!), and also Jedi Starfighter, which is a game I really hope can stand up to Rogue Leader on Gamecube. It would be nice to see great Star Wars games on both systems.
The real unknown factor in 2002 is the online beginning for Sony's PS2. What will happen when suddenly we are given the option to link all our machines together? Its a tough question to answer, and one that seems not even Smarties have the answer to - though I hope Sony does! However, one thing is for sure, there are a few high profile games out there that are setting their sights on online gaming. Final Fantasy 11 looks as if it will be an internet only game, whilst Tony Hawks 3 is already modem compatible. Similarly Kazunori Yamauchi, the genius behind Gran Turismo has speculated that GT4 or beyond may become online games. Developer support is still not huge, but it is growing, and hopefully firm plans from Sony could prompt further input from big developers.
2002 - There really is a lot to look forward to. PS2 really does look as if it could not only match its November/December 2001 success, but even beat it, releasing more top quality games. Its a fact that with X-Box and Gamecube approaching fast that Sony doesn't have a choice about it, they're going to have to give us the best they've got, and that can only mean its going to be a great 2002!
2001 ended with a bang bigger than the one potentially responsible for the creation of the universe, caused by the arrival of many shockingly good games (you've all heard the lists, so I'll leave it out this time). The question is, "Will this level of excellence be maintained?". Scattered amongst the release dates of 2002 there are occasional gems such as Final Fantasy 10 that suggest perhaps the quality will be kept up, but what else is there on offer apart from these few main titles?
Metal Gear Solid 2 and Final Fantasy 10 are the obvious two titles that look certain to create huge amounts of interest upon their release. MGS2 looks as if it is going head to head with the X-Box whilst Final Fantasy is perhaps trying to do to this summer what Gran Turismo did to Summer 2001. Two games alone is of course not sufficient for a console to succeed. Another criticism of the two titles above is that they are both sequels. They may be the best sequels of all time, but they are still sequels, so where's the new and innovative thinking?
Originality - Absolutely essential to Sony's success in 2002 is a set of completely original titles, hopefully of decent quality, which should help to bolster the successful sequel games. Prime examples of this are ICO, Herdy Gerdy and perhaps even Stuntman. First up, ICO is a fairly standard adventure game, except for some major differences, it concentrates on atmosphere rather than fast action. This isn't an explosive shoot 'em up or race pace platform, it is instead an incredibly immersive experience. This could be PS2's most peaceful and awe-inspiring games to date.
Another title boasting great originality is Core Design's Herdy Gerdy. This again breaks away from the norm, and takes you into a completely new world with its own food chain, its own interactive communities, and apparently most important of all, its herdability. As Gerdy, you will be required to prove your worthiness as a great herder of beasts of all sizes, surrounded by Disney's finest animation. This game is far from Tomb Raider 6!
Stuntman again provides a fresh style of gameplay. It is perhaps the least original of the three, but it is still a new spin on the use of vehicles. Its not just about racing, or simply bashing your opponents, instead you take the place of the person who does all those insance manoeuvers for real. This game really will need a decent seat belt accesory.
So, originality is satisfied by a few great games in the pipeline, but what about PS2's weaker genres? Final Fantasy will no doubt strengthen the RPGs, there are already plenty of top quality racers and shooters, but what about fighting? PS2's launch saw Tekken Tag, shortly after was Dead or Alive 2. Since then its been quite with only Guilty Gear X and Capcom vs SNK 2 arriving. Where are the killer beat 'em ups that always accompany Sony's consoles?
The middle section of 2002 could rectify the lack of fighting games with the arrival of Tekken 4, Virtua Fighter 4, and Soul Calibur 2. Every one of these games so far looks like it could be an essential purchase. The arrival of interactive walls in Tekken 4 has had a mixed reaction, but the Tekken brand and playability will always have a great effect on people. At the same time, Soul Calibur and Virtua Fighter both look amazing, and if their reputations are lived up to, they'll play just as well.
Another genre that is fairly quiet is platform gaming. Jak and Daxter has arrived to a very large welcome party, and has impressed nearly everybody, but with only one great game in its field, things are a little empty. This looks set to change in the spring though with the release of Maximo. Perhaps not a true platformer - more a cross between resident evil's survival horror and Jak and Daxter's style of environment - but it should help to satisfy most PS2 fans.
Then there are of course the many great sequels, Wipeout Fusion, which is looking faster and sounding better than ever, TimeSplitters 2, a game that hopes to combine the multiplayer thrills of the original, with a plot along the lines of Half-Life (setting its sights high!), and also Jedi Starfighter, which is a game I really hope can stand up to Rogue Leader on Gamecube. It would be nice to see great Star Wars games on both systems.
The real unknown factor in 2002 is the online beginning for Sony's PS2. What will happen when suddenly we are given the option to link all our machines together? Its a tough question to answer, and one that seems not even Smarties have the answer to - though I hope Sony does! However, one thing is for sure, there are a few high profile games out there that are setting their sights on online gaming. Final Fantasy 11 looks as if it will be an internet only game, whilst Tony Hawks 3 is already modem compatible. Similarly Kazunori Yamauchi, the genius behind Gran Turismo has speculated that GT4 or beyond may become online games. Developer support is still not huge, but it is growing, and hopefully firm plans from Sony could prompt further input from big developers.
2002 - There really is a lot to look forward to. PS2 really does look as if it could not only match its November/December 2001 success, but even beat it, releasing more top quality games. Its a fact that with X-Box and Gamecube approaching fast that Sony doesn't have a choice about it, they're going to have to give us the best they've got, and that can only mean its going to be a great 2002!