E3 2014 Sony PlayStation Press Conference Recap
Sony’s strategy the past few years now has been a strong emphasis on games and gamers. That has propelled them to have well received E3’s of late and in turn helped the PlayStation 4 sell 5.3 million units in 3 months, an unprecedented amount of units for a home console.
With Sony having all this momentum would they continue their success this E3? Well, you be the judge. Here is the E3 2014 Sony Press Conference recap.
Destiny
Sony’s press conference opened up with a trailer of Bungie’s ambitious Destiny. We got a good 4 minute trailer of it and Sony announced that their would be a special exclusive Destiny bundle.
This exclusive features Destiny, a special white PlayStation 4, a white PlayStation DualShock 4, and a 30 day PlayStation Plus membership. This will be available September 9th, 2014. Also, PlayStation 4 owners will have exclusive access to the Destiny beta that will be coming July 17th.
The Order: 1866
We got a new trailer of The Order: 1886. It looks as though it’s coming along nicely and in the trailer features a nice little surprise.
Entwined
This was a nice, unexpected surprise. Just announced Entwined is available now – as in right now – for the PlayStation 4 for $9.99. It’s not everyday there’s a new game announcement and on the very same day the game is out. With that said, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita users will have to wait a little while longer, though.
InFamous: First Light
InFamous: First Light is a stand alone DLC from Sucker Punch. You don’t need InFamous: Second Son to play InFamous: First Light, but if you do have Second Son you will get extra perks and bonuses. InFamous: First Light will be available this August.
LittleBigPlanet 3
This was one of the biggest ovations during Sony’s E3 as this was a big surprise that seemed to catch a lot of people off guard. LittleBigPlanet is back and introduced 3 new characters: Oddsock, Swoop, and Toggle, for LittleBigPlanet 3. Along with the surprising announcement, another surprise was that LittleBigPlanet 3 will be available this November for the PlayStation 4.
Bloodborne
From Software’s rumored “Project Beast” was announced and it is called Bloodborne. Bloodborne will be directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki, who worked on Demon Souls and Dark Souls. Bloodborne is scheduled to come out in 2015.
Far Cry 4
Sony showed off some Far Cry 4 gameplay footage. Far Cry 4 features co-op and an exclusive feature that will be available for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 is that if one of your PSN friends has Far Cry 4, that friend can invite you to play in co-op, even if you don’t have a copy of Far Cry 4. That’s a pretty neat feature that got a big reception from the audience.
Dead Island 2
Deep Silver’s initial announcement trailer of Dead Island was one of the best trailers in all of gaming. Deep Silver today announced Dead Island 2 and while it wasn’t as dark or as it was still very good. It was a different tone as you can see from the trailer. Dead Island 2 will also feature a 30-day exclusive beta on the PlayStation 4.
Diablo III
It was quick mention, but the PlayStation 4 version of Diablo III got a quick mention that it will feature Bloaters and Clickers from The Last of Us.
Battlefield: Hardline
Sony showed off a new gameplay trailer of Battlefield: Hardline, and Sony reminded folks that a beta was available now for Battlefield: Hardline.
Grim Fandango
The 1998 classic, Grim Fandango, is being remastered and coming to the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita.
Disney Infinity: Marval Super Heroes 2.0
Disney and Sony are partnering up to bring exclusive content to the PlayStation 4.
Magicka 2
Magicka 2 will be coming to the PlayStation 4, and I gotta say – and there were a lot of great trailers – but this was a really good trailer; I really enjoyed it.
Let It Die
Again, what a fantastic trailer. This was just a massively violent trailer and I thought this may have been Manhunt. But, it wasn’t. Instead, this is Let It Die, developed by Suda 51’s and coming exclusively to the PlayStation 4 in 2015.
Azbu
If this art looks a little bit like Journey or Flower, well, it should because Matt Nava who worked at thatgamecompany is now the creative director at Giant Squid and this project is called Azbu. It’s coming to the PlayStation 4 and PC in 2016.
No Man’s Sky
Last December, we got our first look at No Man’s Sky. We haven’t heard or since it since – until now. It made its return and my word is it beautiful. Just take a look at the trailer, it’s pretty amazing. Sony also announced that No Man’s Sky will be making its console debut on the PlayStation 4.
Developer Digital
Once again, Sony showed off and talked about the Indie games that will be coming to the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita such as Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number, Broforce, Titan Souls, Not a Gero, and The Talos Principle.
PlayStation Now
On July 31st, PlayStation Now will launch for the PlayStation 4 in the United State and Canada. PlayStation Now will be coming to the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita a little later this year.
PlayStation Now will be spreading away from the consoles as PlayStation Now will be available on certain Sony TVs later this year. To play, you will need a DualShock 3 controller. This is the first step to expand beyond consoles and Sony devices.
PlayStation TV
PlayStation Now will be available on PlayStation TV as well and it’s coming to the United States and Canada. PlayStation TV will launch this year for $99. And a bundle version will be available for $139 and it will include a DualShock 3, 8GB memory card, HDMI cable, and a copy of LEGO Movie: The Video Game.
Entertainment Features
With about 30 minutes left in the conference, Sony took a little time to discuss some entertainment features. YouTube is coming to PlayStation 4 this year and this will enable users to directly upload their gameplay to YouTube.
An exclusive Sony TV show called Powers will be coming to the PlayStation and will be free to watch for PlayStation Plus users.
Ratchet & Clank
The original Ratchet & Clank is getting remastered for the PlayStation 4 and will be coming out in 2015 to coincide with the Ratchet & Clank movie.
Mortal Kombat X
We got to see gameplay for Mortal Kombat X for the first time and we got a look at two new characters. You can take a look at both of them in the trailer. Mortal Kombat X will be available in 2015.
The Last of Us
A trailer for The Last of Us remastered version for the PlayStation 4. It will be coming July 29th of this year, and beware of spoilers in the trailer.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
It’s a Kojima trailer. Enjoy.
Grand Theft Auto V
Rockstar Games had announced that they would be releasing a game at the end of the fiscal year and now we know what it is. It’s Grand Theft Auto V for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. If you have GTA V for the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 you can bring your online saves over to the PlayStation 4 and it will carry over.
Batman: Arkham Knight
The PlayStation 4 will get exclusive Scarecrow themed missions.
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
When CEO Andrew House stated that there was one more thing to show, was there any doubt to what it was? Of course now. It could have been one game and one game only: Uncharted.
Probably the biggest cheer of the night was when that Naughty Dog logo popped up. We saw a glimpse of where the Uncharted series is headed with Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley leading the way. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End looks gorgeous and it’s coming out in 2015. I already know my most anticipated game of 2015.
Bonus after E3 2014 Sony PlayStation Conference Information:
Ready at Dawn has confirmed that The Order: 1866 will launch February 20th, 2015 for the PlayStation 4. There are also a couple of different editions you can buy. The Order: 1866 Collector’s Edition will include the game (well, I would hope so…), collectable steelbook, digital content: DLC, official soundtrack with bonus tracks, and behind the scenes footage. Also, stickers, and “Galahad Under Fire” statue. All this will be for $79.99.
The Premium Edition of The Order: 1866 includes all the above (except for the Galahad Under Fire statue) and “The Endless Duel” statue, art book, blackwater vial, and collector’s box. This will cost you $149.99.
One more note on Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. In a post on the official PlayStation Blog, Naughty Dog Community Strategist Eric Monacelli posted some interesting notes regarding the difference between Nathan Drake in Uncharted 4 and Joel of The Last of Us for the PlayStation 3.
That’s Nathan Drake rendered in full 1080p glory, using the power of our PS4 engine. All footage you see in the trailer was captured completely in engine. We’re targeting 60fps for Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, and as you can see, the visual fidelity for our character models will reach new heights. In fact, thanks to the power of PS4, right now Drake’s Uncharted 4 model is over double the polygons of Joel from The Last of Us PS3.
The next generation of Nathan Drake is going to be very real and will explore what it means when Drake is forced back into the world of thieves. He will embark on a globe-trotting journey in pursuit of a historical conspiracy behind a fabled pirate treasure. It’s his greatest adventure yet and will test his physical limits, his resolve, and ultimately what he’s willing to sacrifice to save the ones he loves.
