I have to say I’m impressed. The Paris Games Week being the second most-attended video game expo in the world aside, I didn’t expect for Sony to present us with what basically amounts to a full-fledged E3 press conference (minus some of those “megatons” that are so typical of the hypefest that is E3). Nevertheless, we got to see some cool new trailers, reveals, and release dates/windows. Here’s a short overview of what was talked about or shown for Playstation 4, and Playstation VR.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 & Giant Zombies
Call of Duty :Black Ops 3, which is launching next week, will offer 30 days timed exclusivity on map packs for PS4 owners. It will also be available as part of a special edition PS4 console pack. A surprisingly story-heavy and goofy new trailer was shown for the Zombies mode. It kind of looks more interesting than the main game! Oh, and those who purchase a collector’s edition or season pass will get day 1 access to the Giant Zombies bonus map.
Star Wars Battlefront
I have to say I wasn’t very impressed with the Battlefront beta. While the visuals and sound design were stunning, the gameplay didn’t quite capture me, or — in my opinion — the magic of Star Wars. Yet… I’m a lifelong fanboy, and the new trailer goes some way towards reigniting the tiniest bit of hype within my weary heart.
The new footage includes some great shots of massive battles and iconic characters such as Luke, Darth Vader, Leia, a witty Boba Fett, Han Solo, and Emperor Palpatine. The big question, however, remains unanswered: where is Jar Jar Binks?
The game will be available as part of a special edition Darth Vader PS4 console pack.
Street Fighter V
After poking some fun at the recent leaks concerning Street Fighter V, Capcom’s Yoshinori Ono finally confirms the inclusion of Dhalsim, undoubtedly, factually, the best character of the Street Fighter franchise. Additionally, 6 new characters will be made available within the first year after launch. These characters will be unlockable through the ingame currency (or through microtransactions). The identities of these 6 are teased through a picture.
Can you guess them?
No… seriously. Can you? Help us out!
The game is slated to be released February 16, 2016 in North America and Europe.
Ono closes with a last reveal: the last playable character is…
Tekken 7
…Harada, though that sadly appears to be a mean-spirited joke. We do get to see a spiffy new trailer revisiting the history of the series. Tekken 7 continues to look very Tekken-y—which is a good thing!
Battleborn
Battleborn, Gearbox Software’s colourful first-person shooter, gets a new trailer outlining more of the story and gameplay modes. The beta will be made available to Playstation 4 owners first in 2016. There was a lot of love for this game at the local game conference I visited recently, so it’s probably worth watching out for!
Boundless, AVIICII Vector, and No Man’s Sky
Boundless looks interesting enough. It seems to try its hand at Minecraft-like gameplay, though in a graphically more pleasing way.
Avicii Vector is a rhythm action game made in collaboration with famous musician and DJ Avicii. It doesn’t have Miku, but it might not be completely worthless.
No Man’s Sky needs no introduction. It’s still looking gorgeous as ever. Luckily, we can also put the ridiculous rumours of a nearing stealth release to rest: No Man’s Sky is officially set to release in June of 2016.
Matterfall
A new exclusive game by Resogun developer Housemarque! While the sci-fi shooty shooty bang bang premise and art design aren’t exactly the most refreshing out there, Resogun was a bucketload of fun. Housemarque more than has my attention.
Ratchet & Clank, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Bloodborne: The Old Hunters
Trailers ahead!
Driveclub Bikes
I was busy today so the following reveal actually came as a surprise, despite the leak: Driveclub is getting superbikes. The new campaign and game modes can be bought either as an expansion pack or as a standalone game, and is available right now. Grab your booze and hit the roads!
Gravity Rush 2
Gorgeous! I need it! Though I really need to finish the first game first… Still.
Keiichiro Toyama brings us a gameplay trailer showcasing the new combat system which will allow us to switch between 3 different gravity styles. On top of the original combat style, Lunar style will make you light and fast, and Jupiter style will make you heavy and strong. Moreover, the carefully crafted and beautiful environments are deliciously destructible, and players will be able to engage in tag team battles.
Uncharted 4
Uncharted 4’s multiplayer is set to be the most elaborate multiplayer experience in the series, if the new trailer is to be believed. Players can pick from a selection of major and minor characters from all 4 games, and are granted “mysticals” to be used in battle. With the inclusion of these magic objects, Naughty Dog hopes to inject some of the more supernatural aspects of the Uncharted franchise into its multiplayer mode.
March 18, 2016. Remember the date!
Dreams
Probably one of the highlights of the PS4 line-up. After unleashing their creativity in Tearaway, Media Molecule apparently wants to unleash ours as well. Though I’m still very confused about the concept, this game seems to want us to create our own dreams and visit other people’s dreams. When I say “create,” I do mean “create.” All assets seem to be user-generated, including the characters! By crossing any kind of door (be it an actual door, a manhole cover, etc) you are transported into a different dream, with a different story, and different rules. Luckily for the anarchists amongst us, these rules can easily be ignored and dreams defaced.
The beta will launch sometime next year.
Playstation VR Madness
Yoshida bombards us with PS VR news. I’m definitely going to need a second job to afford my gaming habits soon.
RIGS Mechanized Combat League seems to be Guerilla Cambridge’s interesting meta-take on e-sports.
In Until Dawn: Rush of Blood, Supermassive Games invites us to a rollercoaster ride of emotion. An actual rollercoaster ride of emotion.
Crytek brings us Walking With Dinosaurs VR (aka Robinson: The Journey).
Rebellion confirms Battlezone, a “bold homage” to an old Atari game.
Sony Pictures Entertainment gives us The Walk Virtual Reality Experience, an interesting collaboration on a movie, and quite possibly a peak into the future of film advertisement.
And finally a sizzle reel showcasing Eve Valkyrie, The London Heist, Megaton Rainfall, Heavensward, and more!
Bonus surprise: Tekken 7 confirmed for PS VR.
Gran Turismo Sport
Kazunori Yamauchi hops on stage and announces Gran Turismo Sport by Polyphony Digital, to be released in 2016. Besides the obvious graphical upgrades, some pretty surprising new features are introduced.
In cooperation with the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), 2 championships will run simultaneously throughout the year: a cup where players advance their nations’ prestige, and a cup where players represent their favorite manufacturers. What’s really interesting, however, is that the champions of each cup will be invited to the annual prize ceremony around Christmastime, where they will receive their award together with the best (actual) racers in the world. If this sounds like something for you, be sure to look out for the beta early next year.
Wild
Words have abandoned me, so I shall try to express myself with simple maths:
Wild = Michel Ancel + shamans + bonding with animals + summoning gods + riding bears + open-ended problem-solving
= TAKE MY MONEY
This game by visionary director Michel Ancel looks absolutely brilliant. Watch the trailer. Then watch it again. Never stop.
Detroit: Become Human
A long, long time ago, before Frozen and even the iPhone 6, Quantic Dream released a tech demo for the PS3 engine they were working on. This motion-captured short film introduced us to Kara, an android that developed the ability to think. The short had quite an endearing effect, and when a few months later, David Cage finally announced his new project, Beyond: Two Souls, many gamers were disappointed, wishing that we’d have gotten a game about Kara instead.
Well, Cage seems to have listened, because Quantic Dream has finally announced that Kara will be the star of their first PS4 project, Detroit: Become Human. The game will tell the story of what happens after her escape from the lab, as she searches for what it is to be human in a futuristic Detroit.
I for one do not understand the hate that Cage gets… the game looks gorgeous, as usual, and will undoubtedly end up on my “best of generation” list! In my humble opinion, there really is no danger in games exploring all they can be, even if it takes them incredibly close to movies. Embrace variety and experimentation!
– Eduardo R.
Contributor
