The new city hub world in JAK II
© 2003 Sony

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SONY GAMERS' DAY 2003

On Tuesday in San Francisco, Sony held its annual Gamers Day in order to give the press a look at its upcoming videogame lineup, as well as a bit into the future. There was the back patting and cheerleading that is to be expected from these events, as well as hands on game time for the media. After the day, we walked away with a bit more info, and a good hour of playtime with the best title shown, GRAN TURISMO 4.

The day started off with the announcement of the Hard Disc Drive's release being next March, and that FINAL FANTASY XI would come installed on the drive. Retailing for $99, Sony believes the time is right for the unit to hit shelves. The company also divulged some minor details about its upcoming portable PSP but mainly teased the press that E3 2004 would be the big unveiling of their hopeful Game Boy Killer.

Afterwards it was time to take a look at the games, and they didn't disappoint. Both JAK II and RATCHET AND CLANK: GOING COMMANDO look great. Perhaps the biggest improvement in a sequel though was that of SOCOM II. The game looks stunning in comparison to the original, and many gamers will not believe all of the enhancements that have been made, especially to the graphical portion of the game.

Sony also showed off the EYETOY, it's digital camera based game. While the games themselves are pretty simple, it's a lot of fun to play. The most interested part of the demonstration though was some of the future uses the gadget might have. For instance, in a first-person shooter a picture of where your head is could be taken, then when you move your head, it could move your character's head in the game. It'd make for an interesting feature, especially for an FPS or something like ESPN NFL FOOTBALL.

SYPHON FILTER: THE OMEGA STRAIN, was also shown. The part of the game that makes it the most appealing is that of the 4-player online co-operative gameplay. With massive branching path levels, this one should be a big hit. 989 also showed off its lineup that looks much improved.

The biggest game of the show was GRAN TURISMO 4. Showing a new track in Italy the City of Air was the highlight of the demo. The new track is extremely narrow maybe enough for two cars in some places and looks absolutely stunning. The sense of speed on the narrow track, even when driving a roadster, is quite incredible. There were networked units up and running along with the new Logitech steering wheels. Needless to say, GRAN TURISMO 4 plays incredibly well and is already shooting sky high on the top of my most wanted list. I'm probably going to dig up GRAN TURISMO 3 again just because of my craving (although the physics engine in 4 is several times better than in A-SPEC).