Before I say too much else about it, fire up this first-look gameplay trailer to learn a little bit about the premise of the game:

Pretty crazy, right? The trailer talks a bit about the story, but here’s some more detail. Set some time in the 21st century, a mysterious purple ray hits Earth, turning anyone touched by the light into a monster or zombie. With zombies roaming the streets, unaffected people lucky enough to have been inside a building when the ray hit are anxiously holding their collective breath, waiting for someone to rescue them. As The Last Guy, you are the survivors’ last hope to survive this global crisis. Actually, the hero of the game is himself a zombie from the Himalayan mountains, on a quest to save the remaining humans from the zombies that have infested it.
Go forth and save!!

As for the gameplay, here’s a basic rundown. The Last Guy is a fast-paced and addictive classic arcade style game with simple controls. The game uses real-life aerial maps of various cities around the world, including Tokyo, London and Los Angeles. As the player, you are the last remaining hope in each of these cities to rescue mankind from the zombies roaming the streets. As you navigate the city, you gather survivors hidden throughout buildings and other nooks and crannies in the city. Once rescued, the nervous survivors will form a line behind you. The objective is to lead them back to the Escape Zone so the United Rescue Force can pick them up and whisk them off to safety.

To complete a stage, you have to get enough survivors back to the escape zone before time runs out. Which isn’t as easy as it looks, because if zombies get too close, the people in line scream and scatter back into the buildings, meaning you have to rescue them again. So you’ll want to keep everyone as far away from the zombies as possible.

Along the way, you will encounter 10 types of zombies , not including tougher “boss” enemies. As the Last Guy, you possess special powers like thermography or heat vision to help you see where survivors are hiding. You’ll also find helpful power-ups, like freezing time, warping back to the escape zone and temporary invisibility, scattered throughout the city to help avoid the pesky zombies.

Well, that’s it for now. There will be much more about The Last Guy in the weeks to come. Thanks!

PlayStation Gamer Advisory Panel members Colin and Trina are veteran E3 correspondents, and this year (like always) they’re in top form. Check out their video segments on PlayStation.com.

Here’s their recap on what the experience meant to them:

Trina

It’s Friday and I’m back at the office, missing E3 already. The running around, the intense passion, and the small meeting room are all just a memory now. Before E3 started I made a promise to myself to act professional, to not act like a fan girl. But when you meet so many amazing people, and talk about something that you are so passionate about every day, how do you not geek out? It was an amazing week, but there are some highlights that make my inner fan girl happy.

Interviewing Alex Evans about LittleBigPlanet and discussing the excitement for the upcoming release of the title was definitely a great moment. He is extremely nice and very curious about where people will take LittleBigPlanet. I spent about fifteen minutes talking with the guys responsible for PlayStation Home, learning about the decision process around the Home service. The team definitely wants Home to be a constant evolving space which is very exciting. The girl power moment came from my interview with Deborah Mars from PixelJunk Eden. We spoke about women in the gaming industry and our experiences as a female gamer.

I loved every moment. Even when my feet were tired or I couldn’t think of a question to ask. I’ll never forget how to hold a mic or how to sign off. Being on camera is hard work, but it’s so much fun because of the amazing group of people that made it all possible. From the bottom of this girl gamer’s heart, I thank you all. It’s hard to put in words how much I love you all and appreciate this amazing opportunity. So instead, I’ll just say, when can we do this again?

*hugs*
-Trina
GamingAngel

___________________________

Colin

Trina and I have attended E3 through the Gamer Advisory Panel since 2006, the year of the final large-scale E3. That means we got to experience the grandeur followed by 2007’s restructuring that seemed like a blip on the radar. Now that E3 is back at the L.A. Convention Center, it felt closer to what the public views it as: Something to look forward to.

I think that people make games because they want something they and the public can enjoy, and there’s money to be made in that. E3 is a place where developers have that opportunity to show their peers and fans what’s in the works, and the response to their labor is what’s going to inspire them to put extra effort into the games. Developers and publishers take that feeling with them until the next year, and that’s what makes having a proper E3 so important.

This year, I’m proud to say that E3 is taking steps in the right direction to make E3 feel like a “red carpet” event for games and their developers once again. I was a G.A.P. kid in a candy store seeing the newest games being announced and running into developers of the biggest games I love. This year felt great. But don’t stop, E3. It’s not just about the people and press who attend, it’s about those starry-eyed kids waiting to feel like they’re a part of the majesty, too.

All we ask is you dazzle us.
- Colin

_________________________

Thanks Colin and Trina, and we hope you’ve enjoyed their E3 reports… they’ve worked hard! Check out their video segments as we add them over the next couple days on PlayStation.com.

• Do you think huge trade events like E3 are going to last? (Jeigh)
• If you get the chance, what game(s) do you most want to go hands-on with at E3 2008? (Genki-Rocket)
• Who in the industry would you most like to collaborate on a game with? (indigovenom)
• If you could re-make any previous-generation game for the PS3, which title would it be, and what would it be like? (KazeEternal)
• When did you know for sure that you belonged in the video game business? (Sindress)
• What kind of advice would you give those currently in college and would like to pursue a career in video game development? (Voozi)
• What is the hardest part about game development today? (osirisomeomi)
• If you could say one thing to the fans of your game/series out there, what would it be? (Xanog)

Thanks to Ted, and everyone at Insomniac Games and SCEA Santa Monica who helped me put these interviews together. And thanks to all of you that watched (tens of thousands), commented, and asked the questions we’ve used.

While this wraps up our E3 interview, it does *not* wrap up our E3 coverage. Stay tuned to the blog for more, including MAG details.

IDS Series Links:
* Inside the Developers Studio: Brian Allgeier
* Inside the Developers Studio: Matt Morton
* Inside the Developers Studio: Rusty Buchert
* Inside the Developers Studio: Tsubasa Inaba
* Inside the Developers Studio: Kyle Shubel
* Inside the Developers Studio: Deb Mars

Since we had never done anything like this before, I would’ve been *very happy* if 20-25 people had shown up. In reality, it was more like 3x that, as roughtly 75 people showed up at King Taco to play PSP, talk about E3, and eat some of the most delicious quesadillas known to man.

For those of you who missed it, we played a series of Hot Shots Golf Open Tee 2 tournaments, awarding and raffling off prizes such as copies of Civilization Revolution and Top Spin 3 from 2K Games (thanks Charlie!), and awesome autographed swag from Naughty Dog (thanks Arne!).

The grand prize, a limited edition gunmetal grey Metal Gear Solid 4 PS3 bundle, went to Bill of Torrance, CA, on the merit of his Hot Shots prowess. He may not be as good at the game as I am (I had to represent), but he now has a rarer PS3 than I do.

Extra special thanks to Marcelo and everyone at King Taco on Pico – both the hospitality and food were unparalleled. I strongly recommend the carnitas and horchata (which I drank my weight in).

But perhaps the best part was meeting readers of the PS Blog. We’re here for you, and fortunately, you’re all a lot… calmer, shall we say, in person. We’ll definitely have to do this again.

For pics, click here, or check out these links. Thanks again!

* Check Out Blog
* Legit Reviews
* PS Faction
* PS3 Fanboy (this one’s priceless)

See you again tomorrow!

PS3 Store

Downloadable Games

• Fantasy Football: Draft Day Application

Videos

• SONY E3 Press Conference (Part 1 of 3)
• PS3 Compilation Video
• PSN :30 Second Sizzle
• PSN Sizzle Video
• PlayStation Family Video
• PS3 Sizzle Video
• DC Universe Trailer
• Mirror’s Edge E3 Trailer
• Dead Space E3 Network Trailer
• Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa E3 Trailer
• Valhalla Knights 2 E3 Trailer

Themes and Wallpapers

• Resistance 2 PS3 Theme
• PixelJunk Eden Wallpaper
• MotorStorm Pacific Rift Wallpaper
• Siren Wallpapers (x4)

PS Store for PC (PSP)

• PS3 Compilation Video
• PSN :30 Second Sizzle
• PSN Sizzle Video
• PlayStation Family Video
• DC Universe Trailer
• Valhalla Knights 2 Trailer

I caught up with Alex Evans, who piloted the “Jackboy” through this E3 level immediately following the press conference, to ask him if everything was done live, and if we could re-create something like this in the finished product.

Thanks to Alex for taking time out of his incredibly busy schedule this E3. LittleBigPlanet is coming to your PS3 this October.

• What game(s) you have at E3 this year?
• Do you think huge trade events like E3 are going to last? (Jeigh)
• If you get the chance, what game(s) do you most want to go hands-on with at E3 2008? (Genki-Rocket)
• Who in the industry would you most like to collaborate on a game with? (indigovenom)
• How has the existence of PSN affected the way you think about games? (tirminyl)
• What kind of advice would you give those currently in college and would like to pursue a career in video game development? (Voozi)
• How often do you make technical changes to your games half-way through or late into the game development cycle based on something you’ve just seen or played from other developers? (P_tear_griffin)
• If you could say one thing to the fans of your game/series out there, what would it be? (Xanog)

For more info on Ratchet & Clank: Quest for Booty, click here, or download yesterday’s press conference trailer from the PLAYSTATION Store.

We wrap up our E3 Developers’ series interviews tomorrow with one of the stars of yesterday’s press conference, Insomniac Games’ President Ted Price.

1.04 – “If this is year 2 of the PS3 life cycle, imagine what year 10 will bring.” Jack signs off. What did you think?

1.02 – MAG trailer shown. It bears repeating – 256 players! Land and air battles going on (with paratroopers), really, it’s pretty huge. Big applause.

12.59 – A brand new game revealed for the first time – MAG. Andy Beaudoin from Zipper Interactive details this Massive Action Game (get it?). MAG will support up to 256 players (!) MAG is squad-based, with teams broken down into 8 players, with fine-tuned soldier types, ongoing campaigns and character growth.

12.58 – InFamous – it’s up to you to save or destroy an entire city. Trailer shown with in-game footage. Looks awesome, though I invite you to judge for yourself when you see the video. Out Spring 09.

12.57 – Now a look of what’s to come: God of War III trailer shown! “In the end, there will be only chaos.”

12.55 – Now to show the games, in montage: LittleBigPlanet, MotorStorm Pacific Rift, 007 Quantum of Solace, SOCOM Confrontation, Ghostbusters, Soul Calibur IV (Vader!!), Resistance 2, The Agency, Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm, Mirror’s Edge, Resident Evil 5, Singstar, Guitar Hero World Tour, NBA 09 The Inside, Buzz! Quiz TV, Killzone 2, Fallout 3, Valkyria Chronicles, and more.

12.51 – Developers from Treyarch, EA Tiburon, Ubisoft, Bethesda, 2K Marin, and Lucas Arts are shown on video talking about how much more they’ve learned about programming for the PS3, and how that’s going to pay off in games like Far Cry 2, The Force Unleashed, Prince of Persia, Call of Duty World at War, Madden NFL 09, and Fallout 3. “We’re just beginning to scratch the surface of what PS3 is capable of.”

12.48 – New Hardware package: the 80 GB Core Pack coming this fall $399 – 40 more GB at that price, plus DualShock 3.

12.46 – Lee: “You can stop imagining now.” Video shown featuring lots of DC Legends like Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, the Joker, and more.

12.43 – Mr. Lee is a HUGE MMO fan, been playing since Everquest began… so this is a dream project for him. “Imagine being able to create your own superhero… and help Batman take on the Joker… that’s a cool image.”

12.41 – SOE – Sony Online Entertainment – bringing titles to PlayStation 3. Jim Lee (of comic book fame) on stage now to preview DC Universe online. He’s doing 1-armed push-ups. Don’t hurt your inking hand!

12.39 – “Let’s return to PLAYSTATION 3″ – Life with PlayStation will provide live news, weather, and more and it’ll be available by the end of the month.

12.35 With an install base of over 35 million worldwide, many more PSP games are on the way. Montage shown, featuring Patapon 2, The Force Unleashed, Super Stardust Portable, Madden 09, LocoRoco 2, NBA 09 The Inside, Lego Batman, and Buzz Master Quiz.

12.33 – For the first time ever revealed – Resistance for PSP… Resistance Retribution! Out Spring 2009.

12.31 – On to the PSP – announcing a new PSP Entertainment Pack – in October we’ll launch the Ratchet & Clank Size Matters pack, which includes the PSP-2000, National Treasure 2, a 1GB memory card, and echochrome.

12.30 – Eric demonstrates how to copy movies to the PSP. You can do this either through a PS3, or through the PC Store. BTW, this video download service will be available TONIGHT (applause). We’ll be adding new titles each week.

12.29 – “How long will it take to download an SD movie?” The answer is about an hour for a 2 hour movie. However, with progressive downloading, you can begin watching your video almost instantaneously.

12.25 – Eric Lempel takes the stage (you remember him, right), to show a live demo of the video download service – it’s part of the existing PLAYSTATION Store – there’s a new video tab. Each studio has a page. Eric shows how to buy, rent, or preview a movie.

12.23 – Jack talks about the new video download service. On Day 1 – Sony Pictures, Fox, MGM, Lions Gate, Warner Brothers, Disney, and more will have content available. A huge differentiator – you can take movies and tv on the go via PSP.

12.19 – Jack Tretton PlayStation Home: “Your patience will be more than rewarded.” We’ve got great publisher support on game-specific spaces. A new video is debuted showing more of what Home’s experience will be all about.

12.17 – Gran Turismo TV introduced – racing video content coming to Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, shows like Top Gear and other original content in Hi Def. Gearheads will definitely be all over this. Lots of international content. Launches August 1st.

12.14 – Jack Tretton: “We’re not interested in filling up our store with games that nobody wants to play, just so we can say ‘we have the most games.’” He follows this up with a trailer showing a number of upcoming PSN games like PixelJunk Eden, Fat Princess, Crash Commando, PAIN Amusement Park, Flower, Ragdoll Kung-Fu and Siren: Blood Curse.

12.11 – 180 million pieces of downloaded content since launch. New stuff coming to the PLAYSTATION Store – Ratchet and Clank Future: Quest for Booty. “Like a summer blockbuster – high quality, less expensive.” Q4B will answer the questions to Clank’s disappearance at the end of RCF: Tools of Destruction. Price will be $14.99.

12.09 – PLAYSTATION Network – we’re instituting a single sign on this fall – online on a PC, a PSP, PS3. Check your friends list on a PC (I think a few of you have asked for that).

12.07 – New PS2 bundle coming this fall – a new Lego Batman Bundle, along with a Justice League movie, for $149.

12.03 – Let’s talk about PS2: More than 130 new titles coming to PS2. Not bad for a 9 year old system.

12.01 – Among the announcements – we’re turning our attentions to Latin America… and a announcement of PS3 Greatest Hits. Huge applause for sackboy, Alex, and LBP!

11.58 – Alex Evans of Media Molecule is out on the stage to help Jack work through the business side of things… more on this later…

11.56 – Ted has left the stage, Jack Tretton is back out to talk about user generated content. “We’ve seen a glimpse of that future – it’s called LittleBigPlanet.”

11.54 – More, even huger enemies/ships shown in an R2 video. An Idaho location has been mentioned as well. Add that to Chicago, San Francisco, and the California redwood forests.

11.53 – PS video from the Press Conference will be available on PSN, you’ll wanna make sure to see this.

11.51 – Did I mention this thing is huge? Cheers from the audience as the live demo ends.

11.50 – Ted is taking on a 300 foot leviathan (you may have read about this in GamePro) with a rocket launcher. On paper it’s one thing – in full motion, it’s something else entirely…

11.48 – Here’s a look at Resistance 2, Ted Price from Insomniac Games takes the stage.

11.46 – Jack Tretton: “If PlayStation in 2007 was all about hardware, PlayStation in 2008 is all about software.”

11.45 – Jack Tretton: “The PLAYSTATION 3 is the most complete and future-proof Blu-ray player available.”

11.41 – OK back in my seat, as CEO Jack Tretton reacquaints us with the history of PlayStation and Sony Computer Entertainment. “We take a longer look ahead.”

The press conference is just about to get started and I’m up on stage playing Metal Gear Solid 4. You might be able to see me as soon as G4 starts their live video stream (look to the left side of the stage).

I’ll keep updating this post with news from the event, so check back often or keep your eyes on our twitter feed for the latest.

• What game(s) you have at E3 this year?
• If you could choose where E3 was hosted, where would it be? (Dubbedinenglish)
• If you get the chance, what game(s) do you most want to go hands-on with at E3 2008? (Genki-Rocket)
• Who in the industry would you most like to collaborate on a game with? (indigovenom)
• When did you know for sure that you belonged in the video game business? (Sindress)
• What kind of advice would you give those currently in college and would like to pursue a career in video game development? (Voozi)
• How often do you make technical changes to your games half-way through or late into the game development cycle based on something you’ve just seen or played from other developers? (P_tear_griffin)
• If you could say one thing to the fans of your game/series out there, what would it be? (Xanog)

Matt Morton is an Associate Producer at Sony Santa Monica. He has worked on nearly every type, genre and style of video game and continues to look for the next interesting, new, but most importantly: FUN game.

What do you want to know about PixelJunk Eden? Ask and I’ll get the answers.

For the next interview, we leave Santa Monica and head over to Burbank… home of Insomniac Games.

As such, his answers are quite illuminating on the following topics (the Blog readers who asked these questions are in parentheses):

• What are you showing at E3 2008?
• If you get the chance, what game(s) do you most want to go hands-on with at E3 2008? (Genki-Rocket)
• Who in the industry would you most like to collaborate on a game with? (indigovenom)
• If you could re-make any previous-generation game for the PS3, which title would it be, and what would it be like? (KazeEternal)
• What kind of advice would you give those currently in college and would like to pursue a career in video game development? (Voozi)
• How often do you make technical changes to your games halfway through or late into the game development cycle based on something you’ve just seen or played from other developers? (P_tear_griffin)
• How has the PSN changed the way you make games? (tirminyl)
• If you could say one thing to the fans of your game/series out there, what would it be? (Xanog)

If there’s more you’d like to find out from Rusty on Flower or Linger in Shadows, ask your question in the comments area.

Next interview: Matt Morton (PixelJunk Eden)