How Sony can win E3

It’s fast approaching that special time of year when the three platform holders strip down to their underpants, oil themselves up, and then grapple in a public arena whilst grunting like a glamour model in a soon-to-be-super-injunctioned hotel romp. Yes, E3 is almost here, and it’s time to fan the flames of the Great Console War. We’ve already asked How Microsoft Can Win E3, and now we turn our eyes to how Sony can rule the roost.

Move on from the PSN Debacle

Whether you think that the PSN hacking debacle was a serious error on Sony’s part or an unpreventable crime in which the company was the innocent victim, one thing is clear: Sony needs to move on from PSN-gate, and pronto.

That’s not to say that recent events should go unacknowledged. There’s room for another apology at the front-end of Sony’s E3 conference, but after that it’s time to move on. Sony needs to show the world that it hasn’t lost any self-confidence in all of this, that’s it’s simply learned the hard lessons and that it’s ready to get back to the important stuff.

A few new PSN reveals would be nice – a couple of new services, perhaps, or an exclusive download title. A new PixelJunk title would be just what the doctor ordered.

Failing that, they could just give us a new game where you try to hack people’s pers- OH WAIT, WE HAVE THAT ONE ALREADY.

Give us the NGP soon, and with a decent price

While the 3DS isn’t exactly a dead duck, few people (if any) would describe it as a supremely healthy waterfowl. Clumsy metaphor aside, the point is that Sony has a clear opportunity to score a point over Nintendo.

For starters, we want the NGP to come out before the end of the year. That’s not such a tall order, so let’s ask for something less certain: a launch price of £200, or perhaps a penny less. As nice (and as expensive) a piece of kit as the NGP looks to be, the lower the asking price the more people will be prepared to take a gamble on early adoption. And yes, it will seem like a gamble to some of us: there’s a lot to like based on what we’ve seen of the machine so far, but quite a few people got their fingers burned on the PSPgo. A competitive price will help to win more people over, and will provide hardcore gamers with an alternative to the 3DS and its anorexic line-up.

Uncharted and Call of Duty for NGP, please!

Alright, so we already know that there’s a new Uncharted on its way to Sony’s new toy, but what would be really nice is an E3 confirmation that it’ll be out at launch. Let’s not have any messing about with non-existent release dates (I’m looking at you, Snake Eater 3DS); we want Uncharted to be the killer app for our shiny brand-new pocket brick.

And you know what else would make for a great launch? A proper, “full-fat” Call of Duty game. It’d put those twin sticks to good use, and provide a great way to show off the NGP’s online capabilities. Perhaps more importantly, it’d no doubt sell by the truckload, establishing the machine as a serious platform for hardcore gaming. Seriously, an announcement along these lines would have people trading in their 3DS’s in droves.

Exclusive DLC for Battlefield 3

As we’ve already mentioned in our article about How Microsoft Can Win E3, DLC exclusives are a massive deal these days. Microsoft have long been snug with Activision with regards to Call of Duty map packs; PS3 owners only ever have to wait a month, but that’s a fairly long time in gaming. If Sony could set up some form of similar arrangement for Battlefield 3, that would go some way to restoring the balance of things.

It’s not like this kind of partnership would come out of the blue, either: remember how much time EA had in Sony’s E3 conference last year?

Keep taking risks with the PS3 exclusives

Sony has done an admirable job of cranking out the PS3 exclusives over the past year or so, leaving Microsoft in its dust. Aside from the spread of releases, it’s been pleasing to see a few games that depart from the safer, conventional blockbuster recipes. Experimental titles like Heavy Rain and MAG don’t really have equivalents in the world of 360 exclusives. True, the former was more successful than the latter, but that’s not the point. Sony is prepared to back developers who are trying new things, and we like that.

So, for this year’s E3 conference we’d like to see the new game from Quantic Dream, new footage of The Last Guardian (plus a release date), and confirmation that Sly Cooper 4 exists. Oh, and if Sony really insists on revealing a new WipEout or God of War, we won’t throw the toys out of the proverbial pram. And let’s not forget Rockstar and its Agent game announced two E3s ago. A proper reveal would certainly get people talking.

Check back Friday for our thoughts on how Nintendo can win E3.