Sony unveils its E3 PSP line-up
Eight titles you can expect to play on your handheld over the next 12 months
E3 fever continues, with publishers tripping over each other to announce the content of their stands at next week's trade-only exhibition in LA. And fashionably late comes Sony, which only today revealed the software it will be too busy bigging up indoors to enjoy stepping out into the sizzling Californian sun.
Taking point is the snappily entitled SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 2, due in the autumn. Offering you command of a secret subset of the deadly fighting force, the new non-linear mission progression system will see you tackling a multitude of environments and getting to grips with over 40 real-world weapons. Online clan-based combat is again promised, while up to 16 players can compete either through ad hoc or infrastructure connections in three new game types across both all-new, as well as original SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo, multiplayer maps.
There's multiplayer antics too in Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters, with four-player support promised for this action platformer that although based on a PS2 franchise (fans of the series may like to know the game is set after the events of Ratched: Gladiator) has been exclusively developed for PSP. Other than a tropical island setting and an enhanced role for Ratchet's robotic sidekick, Clank, there's little in the way of details, although we expect the solid play mechanic – which focuses on Ratchet's trusty wrench and insatiable appetite for a large collection of weapons – and trademark humour to mirror those of the PS2 games. The game is due early 2007.
Also sporting a PS2 heritage is ATV Offroad Fury Pro. Featuring more than 30 ATVs, MX bikes, buggies and Trophy Trucks to race on 64 new tracks based on 30 different environments, the series returns to PSP this October with four-player wireless connectivity, five new events, a host of mini-games and cross-compatibility with the PS2 version. We thought the previous version was pretty awful, so fingers crossed for the new one.
If you favour feet over wheels, then dust off your Air Jordans: NBA '07 is bouncing its way to PSP this October with the aim of becoming the most engaging portable NBA experience available with its fast and fluid approach to the game. New mini-games in which players can participate in a rhythm-based dunk contest, pop-a-shot, skee-ball and pinball events are promised, but the game also boasts a serious side with its Conquest mode that sees you taking a team and challenging rival NBA squads. There's also a new Pick Up option, which enables you to pick from ten randomly selected players for a full game match-up.
Other than those above, you'll probably already know about the rest of Sony's line-up – Killzone: Liberation,
Also previously announced is Gangs of London, a pseudo extension to the popular PS2 title, The Getaway, specifically developed for the PSP. The game is presented in graphic novel style narrative, with dynamic storylines aiming to create a unique free-roaming player experience through 60 different missions set in an elite criminal underworld in modern day London. Various modes are promised, including Story Mode, Gang Battle, Free Roaming, London Pub Games and a distinctive Game Sharing option.
Expect more info and screens on all of the above once we return from E3.
