Top 10 PS3 games we want on NGP
It only does everything. On the go.
According to Sony, developers who have taken a sneaky peak at the console, and some publishers in the know, the NGP is capable of pumping out PS3-quality visuals.
And the easy-peasy development kits apparently allow for slick PS3-to-NGP conversions. After a few days' work and a few lines of code, your PlayStation 3 title will be running on the quad-core processor-toting, 5-inch screened portable.
So with that in mind, here are ten games that should make the leap to NGP, and some ways they’ll make use of the powerful portable’s cache of features.
Flower.jpg)
What is it? Flower is an arty farty digital poem from indie favourite thatgamecompany. You play a petal, gliding on a gust of wind, which has to float over nearby plants to pick up more petals.
Soon enough you're a monster snake of coloured petals, darting and spiralling over the landscape. Its emotive, atmospheric, and zen-like gaming, which leaves quite an impression after endless games about guns, gore, and burly men.
Why do we want it on NGP? The portable's three accelerometers would give more accuracy than ever when controlling the floating petals, and its breathtaking summers-day aesthetic is like a calming shot in the arm on a dull, dreary day. Perfect for lethargic tube trips. Motorstorm: Pacific Rift
What is it? Reckless off-road racing from British developer Evolution. The game doesn't discriminate between bikes, cars, and hulking great monster trucks - instead it puts them all on the same course.
It's up to you to decide the best routes and shortcuts based on your vehicle type. The franchise has already done the desert, jungle, arctic, and apocalypse - but I'm sure they can find somewhere else to destroy.
Why do we want it on NGP? Not only is it gorgeous and brutally fun, but it would also be fun to hold the rear touch panel to boost, giving the game a real visceral, tactile sense of speed as you grip onto your console for dear life, hurtling around some white-knuckle bend or other. Buzz
What is it? Quick-fire questioneering from a red-suited muppet, voiced by Jason Donovan. On the PS2 and PS3 editions of the game, you're handed a bespoke quiz controller with coloured buttons and a mushroomoid buzzer up top. The questions? Music, film, video games, National Geographic, Ant and Dec, wrestling. And a lot more.
Why do we want it on NGP? Recently, the Buzz games have plunged into the murky depths of crowd sourcing, and asked the web to think up new questions and answers. It'd be fun to wile away a train journey coming up with tricky new quizlets, and upload them to the Buzz network when you return home.
Singstar.jpg)
What is it? A hip karaoke game from Sony's British studios, which comes packed with a pair of red and blue microphones and armfuls of different collections, versions, band-specific editions, and regional packages.
Don't worry if you forget the words - the game only recognises pitch and tone so you can hum your way to a gold star on Robbie Williams, if you wish.
Why do we want it on NGP? Okay, portable karaoke probably sounds like some nightmarish dystopian future. Public transport DJs belting out tinny MP3 ringtones are bad enough. But sometimes, you just need to get your Gaga on, and the NGP has a built-in microphone and front-facing camera to capture the entire awkward event.Joe Danger
What is it? One of last year's big indie hits, Joe Danger is like Nintendo's Excite Bike, mixed with rock-hard XBLA stunt bike game Trials HD. You play the eponymous daredevil Joe Danger, who has to get through wacky obstacle courses while collecting coins and going up against buddies on the leaderboards.
What is it? A spiffy, 3D remake of an obscure Amiga shooter. Super Stardust HD has you jetting around a tiny spherical planet, blasting nuisance space rock and cosmic nasties. It's got great weapons, some inventive boss fights, and brilliant neon-lit graphics.
Why do we want it in NGP? There's never been a great twin-stick shooter on handhelds. Thanks to the single analogue stick of the PSP and the slippy-slidey touchscreen of the iPhone, games like Geometry Wars and Minigore have always been at the mercy of awkward controls. Not any more: here's a console that is, finally, legitimately "twin stick".Noby Noby Boy
What is it? Barmy toybox fun from the warped mind of Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi. You play a squidgy, colourful caterpillar with no real purpose in life other than to explore and have fun. You can eat stuff, have chickens ride on your back, twirl your stringy body around the doughnut clouds, and eat your own bum. It's mental.
Everyone's stretchy stats are added together to form GIRL, who will unlock more levels as she reaches new planets. The NGP's 3G connection would keep everyone's elasticated antics in sync.
Shatter.jpg)
What is it? A modern take on Breakout from Kiwi studio Sidhe. It has power-ups, futuristic vector visuals, and a pumping electronica soundtrack. It's also maddeningly addictive.
Why do we want it on NGP? The PSP might have balked at the game's firework of luminescent pixels, but the NGP could render Shatter with ease. Which is great, because the block breaker would be perfectly suited to on-the-go gaming.
Eyepet
What is it? A fluffy futuristic tamagotchi, which uses the PlayStation Eye camera and a bucket full of augmented reality wizardry to drop a fuzzy-haired critter in your living room. You can then dress him up, play with him, and give him a little shower.
Why do we want it on NGP? Sony has already tried Eyepet on the small screen, and it sort of worked. But the NGP packs a much higher quality camera, so the game will look even better.
Also, the new forms of interactivity would get you closer to your creepy monkey pet, as you stroke his nose on the touchscreen or tickle him from underneath with the rear touch panel.
God of War 3
What is it? Gory button-mashing action game from foul-mouthed gaming celeb David Jaffe. You play as Kratos, the titular deity of conflict, in an ceaseless quest to dismember, decapitate, and discombobulate everyone who's set foot on Mount Olympus.
