PS3 downloadable games revealed?

October 17th, 2006, 20:08 Posted By: wraggster

Source: A posting packed with screenshots and game details on the PS3forums message boards.

The official story: Sony did not return a request for comment as of press time.

What we heard: This week Sony is holding a Gamers Day, a press-only event that gives the company a chance to show off its upcoming games, and make a few announcements. This Gamers Day is a little more anticipated than most, given that it comes less than a month before Sony the PlayStation 3's November 17 launch in North America, and is expected to answer a number of questions surrounding the machine.

One of those questions is "What games is Sony planning for its digital distribution service?" The answer to that may have leaked out a little early, as a poster on PS3forums by the name of "Elder " appears to have preemptively dumped a slew of Sony screenshots and game details onto the Web.

While Elder's post has new pictures of Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom, Full Auto 2: Battlelines, and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, the real attraction is the list of "e-Distribution" games. From Sony, there's Blast Factor, Lemmings 2, Go Sudoku, Swizzleblocks, Criminal Crackdown, and the previously announced flOw.

At first glance, Blast Factor appears to be a shooter in the mold of the Xbox Live Arcade games Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved or Mutant Storm. However, the details promise "integral use" of the motion-sensitive Sixaxis controller, noting, "By tilting left and right, gamers can push enemies around the play field, but need to be careful as some might enemies not react as expected."

While the other new games on that list aren't detailed, some information can be gleaned from the screenshots. Go Sudoku is a flashy version of the puzzle phenomenon that includes a multiplayer mode supporting at least four players. Lemmings 2 appears not to be a port of the early '90s PC and console follow-up to the classic puzzle game, but instead an original game with a visual sheen more akin to the Worms series of games.

Finally, Swizzleblocks is a grid-based block puzzle game with a multiplayer mode, and Criminal Crackdown is a complete mystery, with the only information posted being a cartoon drawing of a criminal crook fleeing the police with a bag of money in one hand and the Mona Lisa in the other.

While the third-party games lined up for PS3 e-Distribution weren't detailed or shown in screens, they were named. There's the TV game show Wheel of Fortune, a PS3 version of the PlayStation Portable racer hybrid Gripshift, and Crash Carnage Ciaos, which is either a typo that should read "Crash Carnage Chaos," or perhaps something combining mass destruction and Italian greetings.

The sheer volume of assets in that thread, the number of new screens for existing games, and the fact that Sony has a press event scheduled for this week (always a prime time for leaks) is convincing enough to buy into this one.

Bogus or not bogus?: Not bogus.

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