Burns and I got the VIP treatment at the Scotiabank Theater last night in Toronto at the 2016 Playstation E3 Experience, and we couldn’t have asked for a better event. Playstation came out guns blazing, showcasing exclusives, remakes, remasters and VR in a flow that felt more like movie trailers than a conference. Very little talking by execs and almost all video and gameplay – the way a PS4 event should be. Here’s a rundown of some of the bigger announcements.
The Sony Bend logo flashed across the screen for the first time in a LONG time, leading to the reveal of Days Gone – the new name for the project formerly leaked as “Dead Don’t Ride.” This game centers around a motorcycle club that is trying to hold together during – ugh – a zombie apocalypse. It’s been overdone, but the game – which looks like a happy marriage between the desolate atmosphere of The Last of Us and the pack-running zombie hordes of World War Z – looks incredible.
Kratos teaching his kid how to hunt while smashing giant centaurs brought out a cheer from the crowd when God of War was revealed. Obviously the game looks fantastic (is this even a thing to say anymore?) and hints at RPG-like mechanics, an EXP system and a more humanized Kratos, which could make this an interesting reboot to a franchise that was essentially a way to show off system specs in the past.
The Playstation Vita wasn’t mentioned at all, further confirming that the system is all but dead for first party exclusives – but still a viable option for cool indie games on the PS Store. The parody account for Kaz Hirai said it best:
Quantic Dream made some noise, showcasing Detroit Become Human, a game about an android detective that lets the player choose their own path through a world that appears to be pretty messed up. In true QD fashion, and in the vein of Heavy Rain, this game is choice heavy, letting you likely play out hundreds of different scenarios and various endings.
The Final Fantasy XV trailer showed several fight sequences and detailed its release date of September 30, 2016. There’s also a PSVR component to the game: Final Fantasy XV: The VR Experience.
Playstation VR got a huge showcase, showing everything from Star Wars VR, Batman VR, and even Resident Evil 7, for which Kitchen was the demo all along… #mindblown. We also got a price point and release date for PSVR: $549 CAD ($399 USD) and out Oct 13, 2016 with 50+ games by the end of the year. Not too shabby.
The Last Guardian showed off some more footage, but most importantly got a release date: Oct 25, 2016 – for those keeping track, that’s THIS YEAR!
Among the other games showcased: Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Gravity Rush 2.
Special thanks to Erika Casupanan and Media Profile for the wonderful hospitality!
For more information on the event, check out the conference here:
I love the Detroit Become Human