Regardless of whether you own a PlayStation 3 or not, I'm sure you have most probably heard of PlayStation Home. It's basically an online social hub where players can connect, chat and play various games whilst also being able to create their own avatar and personal Home space. It's all in a similar light to other simulation games, such as The Sims and Second Life.
Within Home, one of it's biggest and most popular spaces is a MMO named Sodium. Sodium is based around a game named Salt Shooter, that invloves a tripod like hovering craft, which the player controls whilst moving across salt plains and destroying various enemies and defeating waves.
Apart from that, the rest of Sodium, or S1 and it is otherwise known as, consists of various other mini-games. All of which will contribute to a player's Sodium credit amount. The collected credits can them be exchanged for a number of special items for both the player's avatar and personal space.
S1 was launched on 17th December 2009 in both North America and in Europe, followed by the Asian launch in June 2010. It seems a little odd to me that the very next day after the NA and EU launch, that the game's developer, Outso decided to announce S1's sequel, Sodium 2: Project Velocity.
To made thing's more odd, after checking my e-mail inbox a few weeks back, I had received an e-mail from Sony, inviting me to the S2 closed beta. It took me by surprise, as I had, up until that point never even played S1. Never the less, I redeemed my beta code felt rather humbled to discover that I could access the S2 space via a teleporter that I could place within my apartment. Lovely.
I was rather taken back once I entered S2. What I came across was a space that seems incredibly cutting edge and more exciting than most other space already launched.
I found out, that as with S1, it's successor will again be vehicular based. This time, it will be focused around a game named Project Velocity (hence the game's full title), which seems to me, to be similar to WipEout in the respect that the crafts are a similar style and the track design is also similar. Outside of that, the game still keeps the craft modification system from Salt Shooter in S1, where you would acquire craft upgrades by collecting them throughout the levels by destroying enemies. It also bares similar traits to Wipeout as the crafts travel at truly breakneck... well... break everything speeds, well in excess of 100mph.
I have since gone back and actually played S1, and I must say that if number 2 does also have other mini-games and a great hub system, then I have no idea why it can't become a great title, hopefully having an interesting mix of other smaller games, like S1's Scorpion Stomp mini-game and maybe a newer version of VICKIE, whick could include a new addition to the Sodium credit system. Although at the moment, the only feature in the beta is the main Project Velocity game, so I am unaware as to whether the other features will also come along.
It could also not be along wait until the full and open verison of S2 is released onto the Home servers, as Sony plan to have S2 released along with their ground-breaking Home 1.5 update, which they promise will bring major changes to Home's graphics and physics.
I would also like to point out now that anything I've said in this post is purely my own opinionand not that expressed by Sony or any other developers and that the other features I have spoken of are purely what I suspect could be later in place. I'd just like to state this before Sony, Outso or Lockwood Publishing believe that I have broken the confidentiallity agreement of the beta. All of the factual things I have writen about is information already avalible to the general public and in the public dormain.
So, I guess that is Sodium 2: Project Velocity. As always I would say that you should go and try it, but for the moment, we'll all have to wait for the full version. But as I always do, I want to thank you for reading, I've been randomthings, and until next time, goodbye.
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