Sony 1st party: GOW3 and The last Guardian 1080P at launch

[Reasonable]

Slimebeast said:

Torillian said:

Slimebeast said:
The Last Guardian looks so beautiful. But I'm afraid it will be very linear, just because Ico are so eager to tell their story to the player.

But so were Ico and SotC.  If you're looking for a WRPG or open world game you're of course going to be dissapointed.

Well, of course I cant expect anything near open world. But Im thinking... isnt there at least some freedom in SotC compared to ICO?

(In SotC, can you explore with the horse, like go off path anything? Or go back and forth between the monster sites? Can u go to the monsters in free order or is all of them in a set order?)

They're in a set order.  Mostly, I believe, games struggle with narrative and freedom at the same time.  Take GTA IV - because you can, to an extent, mix up the mission order, you can produce frankly ridiculous narrative order.  If you want to built a narrative there has to be guidance (so far as I can see).  I love the idea of open world myself, and enjoy such games, but for the life of me I just can't see a way out of the linear narrative barrier.  Take titles like Oblivion and Fallout 3 - great open world, but would each titles main antagonists really just put their invasion plans on hold every time I want to wander around the world ignoring the plot?  Nope.

I sometimes feel titles like Olbivion, etc. would be better without a central narrative at all.  A flexible world with changing factions and nothing but side quests to me would actually feel and play better.  I feel too many games feel they have to have a central plot or narrative - and it's not the case.  ICO and SOTC contain some of the best (if simple) narratives and evokation of theme in any game I've played - and its because that's their focus.  I expect more of the same from Last Guardian - but their needs to be a trade of in other areas to get that focus.

Speaking of open world, thanks for the tip on Far Cry 2 - I'm enjoying it (even if it does have some flaws) as another excercise in that area.  If you have a PS3 inFamous is another interesting hybrid of open world and central narrative (even if it shares the same issues as Oblivion, etc. with a central plot happy to wait for you to get up to other stuff yourself).  It's setting and approach does make this seem more reasonable (sorry for pun) than most such titles though.