The Shed's pick of the PS3 launch line-up.

I know we bang on about it a lot here at The Shed, but we really are quite excited about getting our hands on a PS3 this March, even in light of Sony’s announcement regarding watered-down PS2 backwards-compatibility for European consumers. Cheers again, Sony.

Resistance: Fall Of Man (Sony) – Blast ugly scum and take back Britain’s rubble strewn streets, then play this to wind down when you’ve finished. An array of exotic weapons like rifles that shoot through walls and round corners as well as
deadly spike spewing grenades make this an enticing prospect. Can't wait.

Motorstorm (Sony) – Buggies, dirt bikes, big rigs, pick-up trucks and much more face-off against one another in this chaotic motorised mash-up. Thrash around dusty or mud strewn tracks that change in real time as you churn up the surface. Fly-off cliffs (unintentionally), roll, crash and explode realistically (if you’re rubbish). Make obscene gestures towards rivals! What more could you ask for?!

<~ A normal day during the M6 rush hour.

Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (UbiSoft) – We’re sick and tired of everyone (high-spec PC owners especially) raving on about this whilst we’re unable to see what all the fuss is about. Well, come March 23rd, we’ll get to find out. Including add-on pack Knights of the Nine as standard; we’re shining our helmets and polishing our broadswords in anticipation. Our lives are more than dull enough to be consumed by such a beautifully polished RPG, which is why we're seriously looking forward to this. (Landon isn't, and would like to state for the record that he hates RPGs of all types).

Virtua Fighter 5 (Sega) – With no Tekken on the launch schedule, perhaps it’s time that The Shed’s allegiance shifted to the fighting purist’s choice. No mere button-masher, Virtua Fighter has always required more than a modicum of panache and actual skill, which is why it scares the bejeesus out of us. Never ones to shy away from a challenge however, The Shed plans to give VF 5 a serious run for its money come launch day (funds pending).


<~ Cirque De Soleil's latest stunt was a disaster.


Ridge Racer 7 (Namco Bandai) – A PlayStation launch wouldn’t be the same without the garish, eye scorching arcade stylings of Ridge powersliding onto Sony’s latest endeavour. This time is no different, with RR7 looking slicker than ever. Visually smooth and crisp, there’s no doubt that the unique arcade-handling will remain intact meaning that Ridge will always be that irresistible, creamy middle ground between Gran Turismo’s stuffy simulation and Burnout’s extreme arse-puckering speed and pyrotechnics. For that, we will always reserve a special place in our gaming heart for Ridge Racer.

PlayStation 3 will be out in 22 days on March 23rd. We can almost taste it.