GameReviewPad’s E3 2015 Reactions: Sony

Going into the Sony E3 conference, I did not want to set my expectations too high in fear of being disappointed. I must say, I was highly satisfied by the end of the conference because Sony dropped major bombs on it’s opposition, finally announcing games that us gamers have been eagerly waiting for, and even showing off a gorgeous new IP.

Sony hit the ground running, finally showing off new footage for The Last Guardian, and announcing that it is indeed back in development. This was huge because this game has a cult following, and knowing that it’s not cancelled should definitely put them at ease. Next, they showed off the gorgeous new IP from from Guerilla Games, which goes by the name of Horizon Zero Dawn. The graphics looked absolutely amazing. The gameplay they showed was different from the norm and was a breath of fresh air. It’s a third=person shooter/adventure, which is always a plus on my book. This was hands down, the best new IP anybody has shown at E3 thus far and I doubt that will change.

Some new No Man’s Sky gameplay was showcased, and I thought it looked interesting, sandboxy, and very atmospheric. I still do not have a full grasp of what No Man’s Sky is all about, but nevertheless, Im looking forward to getting my hands on it when it officially drops next year. Moving on, Media Molecule took to the stage to announce that they are developing a new IP, Dreams for the PS4. In this game, players will be able to craft their own experience from scratch in the form of, you guessed it, dreams. They will also be able to play other players’ dreams, so the online community element found in Little Big Planet is still there. Seeing as they only showed a trailer and no actual gameplay, I do not know what to think of this game. However, Media Molecule has a pretty solid track record, and if nothing else, I’m sure they will continue to push creativity in gaming. Next up, World Of Final Fantasy was announced for PS4 and Vita. Call me crazy, but i’m actually looking forward to this game. I’m not a fan of the chibi, cutesy look of the character models but the turn based combat looks promising.

Now let’s get to the next major announcement, The Final Fantasy VII remake was announced and the whole crowd, including myself, went bananas. Square Enix has been noticeably tight-lipped about this project after teasing it on several occasions, so it was definitely awesome that they finally confirmed that it is in fact, in development. It’s important to note that while The Final Fantasy VII remake is not exclusive to the PS4, it will be coming to that platform first. Sony then went on to show off four new indie titles from gaming developer, Revolver Digital. I don’t remember the names for these games, but they looked fun and I could see myself playing them. And then, we got another big announcement, Shenmue 3. It’s officially in development and will be funded through kickstarter. The crowd went nuts, and I’ve gotten word that the funding was reached in a matter of hours. I’ve never played any entry in the Shenmue series, so this announcement did not do much for me but I will be keeping an eye on this game.

Next Sony talked about Spotify and a lot of TV stuff; This killed the momemtum and I honestly had no interest in any of it. They then talked about Project Morpheus, and announced a new multiplayer game for it. Honestly, Im not buying into this whole virtual reality thing, so I was not impressed. Sony then went on to show off some new Star Wars Battlefront co-op gameplay. I was utterly impressed, the gameplay looked fast, flashy and just downright fun, not to mention, the graphics looked nothing short of amazing. Now let’s get to the biggest highlight of E3 (in my opinion)… Some new Uncharted 4 gameplay was revealed, and man was it a show stopper. The traditional third-person/cover shooter mechanics looked as solid as ever, the graphics are unsurprisingly gorgeous, character favorite, Sully is back, and a new car driving mechanic was introduced, undoubtedly highlighting the open world sandbox approach for this game. I’m a huge Uncharted fan and I can’t wait to pick it up when it drops next year.

So overall, Sony definitely brought the heat, and while I did not have a chance to check out the other conferences, besides Nintendo and Square-Enix, I doubt any of them could top this one.

The top dog of the conferences, Sony started with a bang and ended with a bang. While so many other conferences had the occasional interesting game with gameplay at times rarely found, Sony came out on top showcasing the most gameplay and strong titles.

Sony came out really strong with a game fans have been dying to see, The Last Guardian. Originally thought to be out of production, Sony showed off actual gameplay that shocked the internet and those in the room. It has the same graphic style as Shadow of the Colossus, but with more of a unique puzzle spin to it much like Ico. Not only did they show off a blast from the past, but also a new IP called Horizon Zero Dawn. This new IP looks beautiful with almost the same aesthetic style as The Last of Us, but Horizon has a different unique concept to it. Machines have overrun the planet and you are a tribesman from a future where civilized society is destroyed. The gameplay shown excites me more than anything, as it’s fast paced and precise, with a lot of different ways to attack your opponent. These two amazing gameplay trailers certainly drew the eye for the beginning of the conference, and showed that if Sony was starting with such big shocks then we were certainly in for a ride. After constantly showcasing strong titles, they come to a new idea more like a “Dream.” Sorry for the bad pun, but Dream is more of a unique create your own animation that could have various uses creatively and certainly looks amazing.

Then came the biggest shock of the night, the Final Fantasy VII Remake that everyone was waiting for. Sony pleased its fans with this announcement and I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. Having all of our attention, Sony’s other Final Fantasy game garnered little attention, as World of Final Fantasy is a chibi version of a Final Fantasy game. Not the most interesting title, and certainly paled in comparison to the remake. After a little bit of a ‘meh’ indie showcase in comparison to the Xbox conference, they announced the kickstarter for the final Shenmue game. Fans of the franchise will rejoice, as the original creator comes back to finish the beloved Dreamcast series. Project Morpheus’ presentation paled in comparison to Xbox’s Hololens. Playstation Vue was an alright addition, but it seemed like Playstation was really lacking on features this time around. Then came another big announcement, Call of Duty was doing deals with Sony, which surprised many since COD was usually announced at the Microsoft conferences. They ended it off with a demo of Uncharted 4, which looks like all the other Uncharted games to me.

All in all, Sony stole the E3 press conference platform by storm. The pacing was great, they showcased a lot of gameplay and games many of their fans were waiting for. Despite Microsoft’s attempt to knock them down with the backwards compatibility, Sony showed them why they still have the top console on the market in the coming years with their amazing library.

Before I begin, I would like to say the following, “You suck, Internet!”

Sony started by showing Duke Nukem Forev—I mean The Last Guardian. I was happy that we got gameplay footage of how it works, and there were times where I thought the boy was going to die and the demo would have to reset, but the creature was able to save him at the last second. Thanks to the leak, I wasn’t able to fully enjoy the reveal, and the 2016 release didn’t help either since well (Zelda).

It’s nice to see Gorilla Games make a new IP, and this game (Horizon) has me intrigued. The second bomb to hit is a short CGI teaser of the long awaited Final Fantasy VII remake for the PS4 (started with PS3), but I wasn’t shocked since it was leaked hours before the event. Then the moment that made me happy and confused was the announcement of Shenmue 3. Yu Suzuki tweeted a picture of a forklift (hours before the event), which ruined what should’ve been a special moment for me; then learning that he was there to announce the Kickstarter plan to close the chapter of Ryo Hazuki. Let me stress I am happy that Shenmue 3 is happening, since I played the first game at the age of 17. Wow, I’m old! This news alone is why I will be buying a PS4 in the near future.

Remember when I stated how weird it was not to have Call of Duty at the Microsoft conference? Well, Activision followed the money and will be giving the PS4 the VIP treatment. Sony is getting the message out that we are the place to come for third-party games, and their games as well. No Man’s Sky still has me asking how is this game possible. The latest demo showed just how vast the game is and how the creator went off script by going to an unknown planet. There was VR talk, but they skimmed through it by just stating you have to try it.

It ended with Uncharted 4 with a hiccup, but that didn’t distract from how amazing the game will be. Sony did really well to continue the momentum of the PS4, and like the Wii, it has no signs of slowing down.

I went into the Sony press conference looking for exclusive games to make me want to run out and buy a Sony Playstation 4, but did it? I’ll only discuss my highlights of the Sony showing.

The Sony press conference started off with a bang by showing footage of The Last Guardian, a game most people had written off as never seeing the light of day. I was absolutely blown away! Although the graphics may not be the greatest, it was still very beautiful. The interaction between the boy and the guardian was sensational, making me look forward to the game even more. The game is scheduled for 2016, but I do admit, “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

The next trailer shown was a gameplay trailer of a new IP called Horizon: Zero Dawn. This a girl hunting down mechanical dinosaurs with a special type of bow. It kind of gave me the ‘Monster Hunter’ vibe, but I am curious to see what else comes out about this game before I go too crazy about it. This is also scheduled for 2016. Are we sensing a theme here?

The announcement of a Final Fantasy VII remake caught everyone by surprise. We didn’t see any gameplay, but some nice pretty graphics. I’m looking forward to seeing how this turns out, but it will be a while before it gets released. I guess we can mark it on our “in the distant future” calendar.

The other announcement besides The Last Guardian and Final Fantasy VII that got the most pop was the announcement of a kickstarter for Shenmue 3. I have never played the Shenmue games so I was not crazy about it, but I thought the announcement of a kickstarter was a little sketchy, considering this was at the Sony press conference! Sony did not disclose that they were backing the game already, giving the false perception that the kickstarter was a “sink or swim” proposition.

Although No Man’s Sky isn’t a Playstation 4 exclusive, I have to say, I’m starting to get worried about this game. At the press conference they showed gameplay, but nothing new that we didn’t already know. How is this game going to play? Although there isn’t a massive ad campaign for this game right now, No Man’s Sky has been given decent enough promotion to give it expectations I’m having doubts they will meet.

The last thing they showed was Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, but not without an issue. The game seemed to lock up the first try, but the second time it worked. I was impressed the most by the animations and sounds of the environment in the demo. They showed Nathan Drake walking through a crowded outdoor market, bumping into people with the people saying stuff back to him. This showed a level of detail that we hadn’t seen in any of the of previous Uncharted games.

A lot more stuff was shown at the Sony press conference, but those were my biggest takeaways. This was a very good showing by Sony no doubt, but there was something missing…2015 releases! As an ad for 2016, this press conference was good, but I also have to say, they did a poor job of selling their console for the rest of 2015. The Playstation Vita was missing from this press conference. Sony deserves praise for their presentation, but once all the hype has died down, it was far from perfect. I am not running out to get a Playstation 4 or Playstation Vita this year, but The Last Guardian will be system seller for me later.