Sony had a whirlwind of announcements last night (I counted well over 30), however, quantity is not a substitute for quality as well over half of the announcements were lackluster partnership deals , free DLC for select third party games and stats and charts on how well PSN is doing. Being one of the longest conferences of the night Sony made some huge announcements that where diminished by a terribly slow middle section, but we still had some crackin’ games announced.
If I were to mention all of what was announced during the conference we would be here until E3 2015, so lets just stick to those games!
The Order 1886
The conference set off on the wrong foot as Sony Bend’s exclusive Victorian era shooter had a brief gameplay trailer that left A LOT to be desired, confirming my fear yet again that The Order 1886 may just turn out to be a generic, linear corridor shooter with a unique environment. The game has a long way to go, hopefully allowing it to pick itself up in the mean time.
Entwined
Previously revealed through an online listing, Entwined is a very colourful 2D game where both characters are controlled by the thumb sticks – similar to last year’s fantastic Brothers A Tale Of Two Sons. Sony surprised us with the game being available RIGHT NOW on PS4 for €9.99. While it looks charming and the story of two souls in love that cannot be together is an interesting premise, the trailer really forgot to show the actual gameplay element.
Infamous First Light
Taking a page out of Far Cry Blood Dragon Sony are releasing a standalone DLC Infamous game that does not require Second Son. However, owners will get additional bonuses if they do. The game follows Fetch, a character those who played Second Son will be very familiar with.
LittleBigPlanet 3
The first major surprise announcement, being the first numerical title in the series not developed by Media Molecule instead falling in the hands of Sumo Digital and Sony XDev Europe who both previously worked on the series. LBP3 is the first in the series to not only have more depth perception but multiple protagonists, Oddsock – a wall-jumping sock puppet, Toggle – the heavy of the group who can also become the smallest character to maneuver obstacles when pounding them with his fists isn’t an option and finally; Swoop – a bird who can fly around the level with ease whilst picking up and carrying the other characters. On top of this, all 1.7 million user generated levels from all the previous games will be carried over with a 1080p make-over, LBP3 will be available during the “Holiday season” so except a November launch.
Bloodborne
From Software’s previously teased this title under the pseudonym “Project Beast” – a brief teaser showed off mobs of the undead wielding torches, giant monsters and ominous cobbled streets. Following the popular trend of most titles showcase – Bloodborne is set for release during 2015.
Far Cry 4
We finally got to see Far Cry in action following the cinematic trailer shown during Ubisoft’s conference, in my analysis you may remember me praising the team for the great character design and hoping for similarly epic gameplay and well – as you can see for the gameplay trailer they got that much to a tee! My only slight concern is of the setting, while the Himalayas are a great place to stage a game I wonder will traversing up the mountains be as fun as going down as we see the protagonist effortlessly glide down the mountain on a wingsuit! Although, the presence of a gyrocopter when the player sets down may prove otherwise. Also yes. There is drop in drop out co-op, with players who don’t own the game being able to drop in if you invite them via PSN.
Dead Island 2
Only a humorous CGI trailer was shown (the polar opposite to the trailer for the first game) which suggests California is the victim of the savage zombie outbreak. Sounds like none other than Jack Black will be a character this time around.
No Man’s Sky
My most anticipated game was given a lovely amount of air time! For those not acquainted with the majesty of No Man’s Sky it is the sci-fi game you always wanted; procedurally generated planets and wildlife means no planet is same and there are an infinite amount of planets each with their own minerals, wildlife and landscape! Also SPACE EXPLORATION AND COMBAT! This game has literally everything one could ever want. I could write a thesis on this, instead let Hellogames tell you what it’s all about – seriously if you watch any trailer from E3 make sure it’s No Man’s Sky – exclusive to PS4.
Mortal Kombat X
We finally got to see Subzero and Scorpion slug it out, everything from the previous Mortal Kombat has returned (X-RAY MOVES BABY!) and the environmental interactions from Injustice make a welcome appearance, allowing players to use the environment to kick the snot out of enemies in even more drastic ways!
Grand Theft Auto V
Finally, after months of smoke and mirrors and wild speculation the critically-acclaimed Grand Theft Auto V will be hitting shelves for PS4, Xbox One and *drumroll* PC! You online activity can apparently be carried over from platform to platform, too.
The Last of Us: Remastered
The game that dam near defined an entire console generation is getting a next generation overall this Summer. Confirmed for a July29th release date, we got a heartfelt trailer for the game. WARNING – SPOILERS
Batman: Arkham Knight
The Dark Knight never looked so good, and you can see for yourself as he swoops through the streets of Gotham! Although I must say, the Batmobile transforming into a tank and blowing apart cars can’t be “Non-Lethal” right?
Grim Fandango
Doublefine’s beloved game will be making it’s appearance exclusively on PS4 as a remastered edition! God I love Tim Schafer!
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
We see Drake wash up on a beach at night while a conversation between both Nathan and Sully plays overhead as both agree this adventure will be their last. The camera pans out, revealing numerous decaying corpses suspended in cages above the tree line. This may be Drake’s darkest adventure and I’m already praying for a happy ending! It’s Naughty Dog so the longer they take the better, but so far it’s set for a 2015 release.
Sony had a huge number of high notes that were unfortunately matched with lackluster announcements overall weighing down the conference. Let us know, what are you most anticipating? For me it’s a tie between No Man’s Sky and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.
