E3 2016: Sony Press Conference Overall Review: 9/10 A masterpiece in conference management and announcements. Sony had 3 people present with one of those being legendary designer Hideo Kojima as they showcased 16 games one after another in rapid succession. If you watched all the YouTube videos it would practically be the same length as the conference itself. There were a few surprises and one that made me say “Holy Fuck” and started my wife as we were view the conference. The major letdown is that no release date was provided for any of this software outside of The Last Guardian and VR games – some of these titles will come out in 2017 others maybe 2019. Freebies announced during the conference include – Resident Evil VII demo and Lego Star Wars Demo. God of War Buy – No colon, no number. The title looks to be a continuation of the God of War series as Kratos finds himself in Norse mythology and with a family once again. Combat looks slightly less arcade and QTE than other GoW titles but still expect those familiar tropes to return. Kratos is slightly softer with his son but still angry at pretty much everything – this could turn out to be the most well rounded story in the franchise as Kratos’s traveling companion grounds him. Days Gone Buy – At first glance you might think, another zombie game? But these are fast moving World War Z type-swarming zombies. The first CGI trailer shows a compelling story blending a mix of the collapse of civilization and 28 weeks later events. The gameplay trailer shown at the end highlights a tightly scripted world for the protagonist to travel through in hopes for survival. Bend is one of Sony’s lesser-known studios but this demo looks like it could have come straight from Naughty Dog. The Last Guardian Skip – October release date, only 9 years in the making. Horizon: Zero Dawn Buy – Gameplay trailer highlights a huge world to explore, travel and battle in. The hero uses projectile weapons such as a bow, smoke bombs and grounding hooks to defeat roaming robot-dinosaurs terrorizing the land. The demo looks to show the first part of a much larger story that is upsetting the ecosystem. Graphics are beautiful, combat looks engaging and this title has all the potential to be a stellar new IP. Detroit Buy – Quantic Dreams third PlayStation exclusive, Detroit looks to be a promising narrative focused adventure. Players control an android solving the kidnapping of a human child, but the choose your own adventure setting branches off in numerous ways. The demo highlighted five plus different ways one conflict could end and it appears exploring those permutations is part of the gameplay itself. Resident Evil VII Rent – Demo is available right now. This was an excellent bait and switch as “The Kitchen” started as an eerie, horror walking simulator but then morphed into REVII in the final title screen. This is horror gaming returned and doesn’t appear to have any action elements. Check out the demo to help make up your mind. VR support will be included. PlayStation VR Rent – Speaking of VR, Sony had a healthy smattering of games which they showcased off in rapid succession. Farpoint, Star Wars Battlefront: X-Wing VR missions, Batman Arkham VR and Final Fantasy XV VR. All look spectacular and excellent enhancements to the base game. VR is release October 2016 for $399 but I am still on the fence to see if it pans out or is a fad. Call of Duty Infinite Warfare Skip – Wow – COD has moved very far away from its WWII roots. The game looks great and seems interesting but I’ve never been a COD fan and there is almost too much going on. The demoed level showed the player jumping into a ship for dogfighting antics, using a grappling hook to move around in zero-g and standard gunplay battles where enemies could come from any direction. It will be interesting to see how this does against Battlefield 1’s more historical and grounded approach. Crash Bandicoot Skip – Crash is coming back to PS4 in a remastered trilogy of his original titles. Also, Crash is now a playable character in Skylanders. Lego Star Wars Skip – Dialogue ripped straight from the film. Cute cutscenes. You already know if this franchise is for you Death Stranding Rent – Hideo Kojima Production’s first game after leaving Konami looks very Hideo Kojima. He is teaming up Norman Reedus from their failed Silent Hill project and bringing a trippy, sci-fi experience. The trailer was all CGI so no info on gameplay or release at this time. Spider-Man Buy – PS4 exclusive developed by Insomniac. Game of the show. ‘nuff said (though the logo on the suite does look messed up). 5 Buys, 3 Rents and 4 Skips make Sony the undisputed winner of E3 2016. What were your thoughts about the conference and announcements? How awesome does that Spider-Man game look, right? Level Up, Friends!
