Sony E3 Conference Highlights

The last of todays E3 press conferences has just ended with the kings and queens of last year, Sony Entertainment. With a fistful of IP’s and a plethora of indie games in their belt, did greatness really await? Here is what really stuck out from the finale of Day 0 from the Electric Entertainment Expo 2014.

Destiny – We got a little more footage from Bungie’s new pet project which is basically a Halo/Borderlands combo. Nothing to turn your nose up at, it looks like a solid game. Not much has been seen since the announcement last year and it was good to see a story trailer dropped at the top of the show, with the guest voice of Peter Dinklage no less.

Order 1886 – Again, another title that was kind of announced last year but we’ve seen little to nothing since. We were gifted with a lovely dark trailer that showcases Werewolf-Zombie things. Add that to the steampunk elements of the game we’ve seen previously and boom, there’s an interesting game.

Little Big Planet 3 –Boasts new features but feels like more of the same, which is a shame really. Still, it is good to see Sony bringing back a classic for the new console. New characters, abilities and much more to do in this sequel. I’m sure fans of the series will no doubt jump right back into the action and have a wail of a time.

Bloodborne – From the evil mastermind who brought you Dark Souls comes Bloodborne, the spiritual successor to the rage inducing action role-playing game that had millions throwing their controllers in agony. And what a treat it is. We were shown a brief, but terrifying trailer that confirmed the ‘Project Beast’ mystery. If the trailer is anything to go by, Hidetaka Miyazaki has really got the dark and foreboding tone down to a T. No set release date yet, but it’ll be creeping onto PS4 in 2015.

Far Cry 4 – Therese mentioned this in her Ubisoft Highlights, but I have one extra thing to add. ELEPHANTS BLOWING UP VEHICLES AND SEAMLESS CO-OP. You’ve got to give it to the guys over at Ubisoft, they know how to make a game. My word.

Dead Island 2 – A surprise announcement comes in the form of Dead Island 2, and all I can really say is this: The advertising team over at Techland/Deep Silver are geniuses. I think we can all cast our minds back to before the first Dead Island graced our consoles and all we had was the harrowingly beautiful slow-mo trailer that had us all tearing up. This time around, they’ve gone for sheer madness. Bright colours, car crashes, explosions and a whole lot of running. They certainly know how to make a trailer, have the team at Techland fixed the originals character flaws? We’ll see in Spring 2015.

Grim Fucking Fandango – This was arguably the biggest reveal of the year. Tim Schafer has teamed up with Sony to completely remaster one of the best games ever made – Grim Fandango, exclusively for the Playstation 4. My god. Are you serious? This is a moment to remember, ladies and gentlemen. I have no words.

Let it Die – There were a fair few independently developed games announced tonight, but this one tickled me in just the right way. From the dark and twisted mind of Suda 51 comes the ultraviolent Let It Die, and from the looks of it it’s going to be a real scream. And I mean that in both senses of the word.

No Man’s Sky – This is the other independently developed game that really caught my eye. A gloriously bright and colourful primeval space exploration/shooter/flying game, I can’t exactly put my finger on it. But maybe that’s why I like it so much. The creator boasts infinite worlds and infinite places to travel, if he’s right No Man’s Sky is truly the meaning of next generation gaming.

Mortal Kombat X – Yes. It’s Here. Let’s not fuss about it, shall we?

Playstation TV – Basically it’s like Apple TV but Playstation. The tech seems pretty interesting and cheap for what it is, starting at $99 for the box alone, allowing access to 1000 games at launch to play from any television in your house. Pretty interesting stuff. Keep an eye out when it becomes available later this year.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain – I’ll be honest, I’ve never been a big fan of Metal Gear Solid, and watching the trailer I still wasn’t convinced. But there’s something about these games that keep people coming back, and that’s a-okay with me. The trailer was expansive and seemed to tick all the right boxes with the die hard fans. After a little hiccup last night that caused the trailer to leak last night, the theatre really seemed to enjoy Hideo Kojima’s newest escapade into the Metal Gear Solid Franchise.

Batman: Arkham Knight – Batman in a freakin’ batmobile tearing up Gotham. What more could you want? A terrifying Scarecrow monologue you say? CHECK. Arkham Knight looks seriously serious. No prisoners, gritty fun. Rocksteady just gets Batman, and he looks bloody fantastic on the PS4. Another game to look out for in 2015.

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – We waited until the bitter end for this and god damn does it look fantastic. What more could we expect from the masters at Naughty Dog? Nathan Drake waking up face down in a puddle, only to pick up his gun and carry on like the boss he is. Only a cinematic trailer but enough to wet our appetites and keep us going until we get some gameplay.

Overall, a pretty strong conference from Sony despite the full half hour of boredom that ensued whilst they harped on about TV and stuff that didn’t directly involve games. But the games that were announced are just a small example of what Sony and their partners are capable of. I won’t lie, Ubisoft stole the show this year conference-wise. But the sheer number of games that have been shown and their quality is truly astonishing. Next Gen gaming is here, ladies and gentlemen. And it feels good.

@alexxross