All thriller and no filler is perhaps the best way to describe Sony's E3 2016 showcase. Barring an extended orchestra session at the beginning, there was little else that got in the way of one game trailer to the next. So much so that unlike Bethesda, EA, Microsoft, or Ubisoft, Sony brought out all of three speakers only. With a wealth of games on display, here are the ones you should put on your radar.
God of War 4 is real and it's called... God of War
A prolonged opening orchestra gave way to a new God of War game. Simply called God of War instead of God of War 4, it showed off series protagonist Kratos teaching his son how to hunt. Along the way there were trolls and other monsters to defeat. The demo looked completely on in-game and the combat has been revamped since prior titles, allowing you to wield an axe as well as pummel enemies with your bare hands. The world itself looked Norse-inspired lending credence to the God of War 4 leak a couple of months ago. Needless to say, it looked spectacular. Don't expect it anytime soon though. Sony has not announced a release date yet.
(Also see: EA's E3 2016 Showcase: Battlefield 1, FIFA 17, Titanfall 2, and More)
Days Gone is Sony's answer to Dead Rising
One of the surprise announcements of the show was Days Gone. It's a game from Sony Bend - the studio responsible for the underrated Uncharted: Golden Abyss. The game takes place amidst the zombie apocalypse and has you as a biker slash hired gun. While the initial trailer gave insight into the backstory, the gameplay demo at the end showcased a seemingly infinite number of undead to plough through. The gunplay appeared a tad clunky but barring that, it looked rather smooth. There was no release date announced for this either. Hopefully soon considering how polished it looked.
(Also see: Bethesda at E3 2016: Dishonored 2, Quake Champions, Skyrim HD, and More)
Death Stranding is Hideo Kojima's new game
Furthering his partnership with Sony, Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima took to the stage to show Death Stranding. It's a game with Norman Reedus - his collaborator on the now cancelled Silent Hills. The footage had a crying Norman Reedus as he held a newborn baby, possibly to show off facial animations which looked eerily realistic. Moments later it seems that the child has died with Reedus' hands stained with what appears to be a black ink-ish substance. It's all very enigmatic and looked like it was in very early stages of development what with Kojima only saying that the footage was "in real-time" and little else.
(Also see: Microsoft at E3 2016: Project Scorpio, Gears of War 4, and Xbox Live)
PS VR has a lot of support and a release date
While Sony didn't lift the lid on its PS4 iteration, the PS4 Neo, it didn't mean there was no yet to be released hardware. PS VR occupied a substantial portion of the show. First up was Resident Evil 7 which will be playable from beginning to end in VR (with a demo out right about now), this was followed by Final Fantasy XV (FFXV) touting a VR experience that lets you play as Prompto one of the game's other characters in first-person, wherein the game looked to be an on-rails shooter. Then there was Batman Arkham VR and Star Wars Battlefront X-Wing VR Mission - both of which had teasers and little else. Of these only Resident Evil 7 had a confirmed release date of January 24, 2017. Batman Arkham VR is due for sometime in October of this year while FFXV's VR component should be available when PS VR is out on October 13 in the US this year as the game is out on September 30. No date for PS VR has been set outside the US right now.
(Also see: Ubisoft at E3 2016: Watch Dogs 2, Ghost Recon Wildlands, South Park, and More)
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare looks better than you think
A more in-depth look into the soon to be released Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (CODIW) had space combat, dogfights, and gorgeous set pieces. Despite the poor reception to the game's initial trailer, it looks surprisingly competent with traversal options such as sliding and grappling. Interestingly the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare remaster was also on display and its single-player campaign will be exclusive to the PS4 for 30 days. It's a move that punishes gamers who have decided to buy CODIW on other platforms what with the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare remaster being available with CODIW alone. Will Activision revise this? It seems unlikely.
Other announcements included Spider-Man for the PS4 helmed by none other than Insomniac Games, developer of the Ratchet & Clank series. Horizon Zero Dawn and David Cage's Detroit also made an appearance with some gameplay, but they didn't present anything you don't already know. Also present was Lego: Star Wars: The Force Awakens which has a demo out right now. For those craving a sense of PlayStation nostalgia Sony boss Shawn Layden stated that the company is in talks with Activision to bring remasters of the first three Crash Bandicoot games to the PS4. Oh and somewhere along the way, The Last Guardian got a release date. You can expect the much awaited PS4 exclusive on October 25 this year.
What were your favourite moments of Sony's E3 2016 conference? Let us know in the comments.
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