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Lollapalooza 2007: Gaming at the PlayStation Tent
By Louis Bedigian

SingStar, Heavenly Sword, Folklore, Uncharted, and Lair drew crowds of gamers away from music.

In between performances at Lollapalooza (and in many cases, instead of performances), gamers crowded in and around the PlayStation tent to check out the latest PS2, PS3 and PSP offerings. Many of the E3 07 champions were there, including Heavenly Sword, Folklore, Uncharted, and Lair. SingStar Pop, last year’s hit karaoke game for PS2, was also on display and received consistent attention at both of its kiosks.

Game Time – Heavenly Sword

The most anticipated PlayStation 3 game of the year, Heavenly Sword has a monumental amount of hype resting on its shoulders. Jaded gamers might think, “There’s no way it can live up to the hype.” I too was skeptical. The graphics are gorgeous, but the trailers didn’t excite me as much as Folklore, which I’ll talk about next.

Then the line cleared and I finally got to play what should only be described as being the most Heavenly single-player fighting game experience. How it looks, how it sounds, and how it appears cannot even begin to compare to what the game actually achieves. You are not merely in control of another cool character in another hack-n-slash world (in fact, calling this a “hack-n-slash” would be a huge insult – there’s much more to Heavenly Sword than that).

You are in control of a character that can diligently and completely deal with her enemies in more ways than most action stars combined. Dante’s got nothing on her. Every hit is multi-directional. If I’m beating the tar out of someone and another guy approaches, a mere push of the left analog stick allows me to change direction mid-combo. It doesn’t work for every move, but if you plan accordingly, there won’t be many opportunities for an enemy to get the upper hand.

Despite this advantage, the game is definitely not a cakewalk. I lost a fair chunk of health during the demo, primarily toward the end when enemy encounters began to multiply. There were tables, chairs, barrels, and other items available as one-time-use projectile weapons. But it wasn’t easy to use them, as any time taken to pick them up could lead to another unavoidable assault.

Things got a little salty when the demo ended – but that’s what happens when you forget to bring tissues to a gaming event. Tears will fall, it’s inevitable. Luckily, we only have one more month to wait before the sun will rise and Heavenly Sword will be released.

For more, don’t miss Michael Lafferty’s full preview.

Folklore

Another action game with a lot of promise, Folklore takes elements of action/RPGs and adventure games like The Legend of Zelda and combines them with the unique feature of monster manipulation. By assigning various monsters to specific attack buttons, players can unleash those monsters’ power at any time. Each attack is faster than a typical monster summoning (like the ones in an RPG) and impressively displays the PS3’s graphic capabilities.

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Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune

Taking cues from ICO and King Kong, Uncharted is an adventure game that stresses world exploration. There are enemies to shoot and kill, but that doesn’t appear to be the point of the mission. The goal is to navigate the world, which is designed to be like one giant puzzle. You’ll have to climb, swing, and jump across each location, and though that doesn’t sound like something you haven’t done before, the eye-popping graphics and thoughtful environments help the game stand on its own.

Lair

Lair is the first title that shows gamers how much power is hidden within the SIXAXIS controller. Every major move of the dragon is tied to the controller’s motion capabilities, which allow you to steer in any direction by tilting the SIXAXIS. It takes time to get used to for certain – unlike Buzz! The Mega Quiz, most grandmas won’t be playing this one. But the hardcore crowd (which Factor 5 designed it for) will be in awe of the subtleties and sensitivities tied to every movement. The action is very intense and the water effects are the best of any game (even superior to the stunning effects featured in ICO and Splashdown on PlayStation 2).

Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction

I didn’t have much time with Ratchet and Clank Future, but this PS3-exclusive sequel looks amazing. The controls are silky-smooth, the animation is impeccable, and the backgrounds and character models are like a CG movie.

All Photos and Story by Louis Bedigian

Stay tuned for more from Lollapalooza 2007.