Whenever you get your hands on a new game console or electronic gadget, you want to check out all of its shiny new features. Little Deviants is just perfect for that – it uses a host of different player inputs in a collection of games that is only possible on PS Vita.

It’s developed by Bigbig Studios, the creators of Pursuit Force and MotorStorm: Arctic Edge, bringing a wealth of handheld development experience to what was one of the most popular Vita titles shown at E3. As part of our program of live video interviews, I caught up with Richard Ogden, Game Design Director, to eek out as much info about the game as I could.

We’re not quite done with the E3 replays yet; watch this space.

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How time flies: at E3 2010 we were checking out Sports Champions and just one year later, Zindagi Games is back with Deadmund’s Quest, a very different kind of game using the expertise the team has gained through developing for PlayStation Move. I spoke with Jeremy Ray at E3 while Colin O’Hara played through an early level.

Deadmund’s Quest is an action adventure set in a fantasy world of dungeons and goblins where the title character has been transformed into a skeleton and must overcome the curse. Most interestingly, the team has developed a fluid control scheme that allows you to switch seamless between your sword, your throwing stars and your bow without the need for any kind of weapon change interface – you simply perform the required action with the Move motion controller.

We’ll be keeping an eye on Deadmund’s Quest and will post when we hear of any new information.

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In the beginning of Dragon’s Dogma, you are immediately confronted by a dragon that rips out your still-beating heart and flies away. Your quest is to track down the dragon and discover why he stole your heart and why you can still hear his voice echoing in your head.

At PlayStation’s E3 livestream, Product Manager Mike Schmitt gave a live demo of our E3 build of Dragon’s Dogma. The dragon rears its head, breathes a spout of fire and flies off, paving the way for an intense battle with Orcs and Harpies. It also introduces the Chimera, a monstrosity that combines the attributes of a serpent, goat, and lion. The E3 demo introduces the gameplay concept of “pawns,” or computer-controlled companions that aid you in the fight.

Dragon’s Dogma is not an RPG. The development team has previously masterminded the Devil May Cry games, Resident Evil 4, Killer 7, and many more. This team likes action, and that fact shines in Dragon’s Dogma — a game with fast, stylized combat in an open world filled with massive beasts. This is Capcom‘s first open-world game and is powered by the powerful in-house engine MTFramework, responsible for other PS3 games including Resident Evil 5 and Lost Planet 2. That allows us to have an open world without sacrificing the graphical quality you expect from Capcom games.

Aside from the fast action, we’re also introducing new mechanic that adds an extra dose of mayhem. At any time in the game, you can grab enemies, large or small, and interact with them. If it’s an Orc, you can grab him and slay him. Once he’s dead, you can pick him up and use him as bait to lure a soaring Griffin to the ground. When the Griffin lands, you’re able to tackle the beast and start stabbing. When it takes off, hold on for dear life. Eventually, you’ll set fire to the Griffin’s wings, sending you and the beast crashing to the ground.

Check out gameplay videos of the Chimera and the Griffin on Capcom-Unity.com, and look forward to more information soon! Dragon’s Dogma releases for the PS3 in early 2012.

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I wanted to thank everyone for the great reception we received at E3 when we announced the next installment of the Sly Cooper franchise, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, which will come to the PlayStation 3 in 2012.

In case you missed it last week, here’s a broadcast segment we did with the PlayStation.blog live from the SCEA booth on the E3 show floor. We knew Jeff Rubenstein was a big fan of the series and this was the first time he had a chance to see what we had been up to. He had a bunch of great questions for us, and a bunch more that we’ll be answering over the next few months!

Seven of us founded Sanzaru Games back at the beginning of 2007 and since then we have been hard at work, steadily increasing the size and quality of the games we work on. Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time will be our third game with SCEA; last year we released The Sly Collection for the PS3. It’s been great to work with the SCEA world class production team behind Ratchet & Clank, Jak and Daxter, inFAMOUS, UNCHARTED, Resistance and, of course, The Sly Cooper series!

We realized back in 2008 when we pitched the idea of working on the next Sly Cooper that it was a pretty crazy idea, but we absolutely love the series and are glad that once people saw our hard work they responded enthusiastically.

A question I was asked several times at the show was “Isn’t it a huge amount of pressure to take on such a big franchise like Sly Cooper?” I think my answer really sums up the spirit of Sanzaru: we are infinitely more excited about the fact that we are working on something as cool and fun as Sly Cooper and this excitement feeds on itself as people are constantly coming up with cool new ideas to incorporate into the game. So while I wouldn’t describe the process of making such a big game as easy we are more excited to see how it all comes together.

So thanks again for the support and stay tuned for more cool announcements about the game over the next few months!

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As expected, E3 2011 was crazy fun and a gamer’s dream come true. Every year E3 gets bigger and badder but this year’s show was special for us: we finally got to unveil our multiplayer Capture the Flag mode for Starhawk! So far, the feedback has been great. Starhawk was nominated for a bunch of E3 awards, including Best Shooter, Best Multiplayer and Best PS3 Game from G4TV.

During E3, the PlayStation.Blog team streamed live demos for a host of PlayStation games, including this 20 minute-long Starhawk tour that really shows off one of our single-player missions. Check it out above!

Here are a some impressions from members of the press that played Starhawk at E3:

“What stuck out was the combat from the air, the power of the Hawks, and the surprisingly convenient ability to jump seats in a moving vehicle.”

–IGN

“We’re definitely excited to see more of this game, including its extensive single-player campaign.”

–GameSpot

“Starhawk is full of the same brand of intense aerial dogfights and on-foot combat, takes the war to the stars, further complicating matters with an injection of real-time strategy.”

–Kotaku

“[PlayStation] could have a new king of multiplayer on its hands.”

–GamesRadar

“Even in its early state, Starhawk shines with polish….the game’s not due for another year, but it already sported a rock-solid framerate and some of the best visuals for a multiplayer game on the platform.”

–ShackNews

We definitely appreciate E3 awards…but honestly, what meant the most to us was the feedback and love we got on the floor from fans just like you. We were thrilled that players walked away from the kiosks genuinely liking the game — that’s what counts to us. We even had a huge Warhawk fan fly all the way from Brazil just to play Starhawk at E3…and she played for all three days! And we couldn’t forget our Canadian friends that stopped by the booth to say hi. It’s always a thrill for us to meet loyal Warheads….especially when they seem so normal! Go figure.

At this point, we know we have a long way to go and it’s our job to bring you a game that lives up to your expectations. Our challenge now is to get the game into as many hands as possible. We’ll be at Comic-Con in San Diego July 21-24 so please come on by and check out our game! We’re going to tell you more about our solo campaign and the Starhawk universe during the show, so stay tuned.

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