PlayStation at E3 2017
With E3 2017 officially over, it’s time to look back at all the amazing announcements and surprises. For Sony specifically, yet again they had a phenomenal showing demonstrating that the future is bright for PlayStation fans. Here my favourite moments and highlights of what Sony had to offer:
PlayStation pre-show
Before PlayStation’s conference on Monday night, they invited Melanie and I to their arcade games showcase. It was a PlayStation paradise with dozens of game stations filling a huge event hall. On the show floor were titles like Gran Turismo Sport, Knack 2, and Detroit: Become Human. Detroit was the biggest surprise as I didn’t expect this ambitious title would be playable until next year.
As I was playing the roughly 20 minute demo, the producer from Quantic Dream was there to answer any questions I had. When I commented that the game was very reminiscent of Heavy Rain, he mentioned that’s what they were going for. I’m a huge fan of Heavy Rain, so hearing that made me even more excited for Detroit. The demo I played was the one shown at PlayStation’s E3 2016 conference, so it was neat to see it up close and personal.
PlayStation’s E3 2017 conference
With so many huge announcements from Sony’s last two E3 conferences, this year’s show was more focused on updates for titles arriving soon. Beginning the show was a beautiful new trailer for Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. In a surprise twist, it strongly hinted that the relationship between Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross may not be all that friendly. Uncharted was given an August 22, 2017, release date earlier this year, so we’ll soon find out what’s going between these two heroines.
Next, I was totally amazed to see trailers for Monster Hunter World and a full remake of the PS2 classic Shadow of the Colossus. Monster Hunter is a hugely successful franchise and it’s been ages since we’ve had a console version in development. Capcom invited me to a 30-minute demo of Monster Hunter World where I got to check out the incredible animal hierarchy system. In essence, the game incorporates a food chain and you’ll often see large animals attacking and eating smaller ones. It’s like living in a real ecosystem, which is very impressive to see. As for Shadow of the Colossus, it still stands as my #1 PS2 game of all-time, so getting a full remake on PS4 is simply jaw-dropping. I can’t wait.
Other games that looked mighty impressive during the Sony Conference includes God of War, Days Gone, and Spider-Man. All three of these games are expected in 2018 and already come across as epic story-driven experiences. God of War sends on you on adventure through Norse lands with his son Atreus. It’ll be interesting to see how Atreus came to be and what impact he’ll have on the story.
For Days Gone, we saw an incredible trailer that shows how you can use zombies (a.k.a. Freakers) to launch surprise attacks on your enemies. Finally, Spider-Man was given a massive gameplay trailer showcasing the webslingers vast arsenal of moves. Miles Morales made a surprise cameo at the end of the trailer, which made of us in the audience applaud with excitement.
Gaming celebrities in attendance
I had an amazing seat for the PlayStation conference, about 10 rows from the front, but the spot soon got even better. All around me people were taking photographs, and when I turned around BAM there was Hideo Kojima. Best known for his work on Metal Gear and Death Stranding for PS4, seeing this living legend was breathtaking. Then, just a few seats away sat Shuhei Yoshida, President of Sony’s Worldwide Studios. Sitting so close to these industry icons really made the PlayStation conference feel like a magnificent spectacle.
PlayStation VR
Another awesome moment during the conference was Sony’s PS VR sizzle reel featuring six new games for the platform. They are: The Inpatient, Bravo Team, Moss, Starchild, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR, and Monster of the Deep: Final Fantasy XV. The Inpatient I’m very excited for as it’s a prequel to Until Dawn, set 60 years in the past. Bravo Team I had a chance to play in a private Sony area on the E3 show floor. Melanie and I teamed up and stormed a bridge filled with enemies hiding in abandoned cars. It was such an amazing, immersive shooter experience and I’m looking forward to playing more.
PlayStation’s booth
Sony had the largest booth at E3 and it was mesmerizing walking through. From themed game areas featuring their latest games, to actors in costume walking around, it was tons of fun. I especially enjoyed the Spider-Man area that featured the webslinger himself on top of a helicopter spraying it with webs.
I had a chance to get my photograph with some of PlayStation’s mascots including Knack (pictured right) and Ratchet from the Ratchet and Clank series. Kratos and his son Atreus also made an appearance but the photo line was massive. Overall, there was major excitement within the PlayStation booth and fans could wait to try out the games.
God of War trailer walkthrough
On my last day of E3 2017, Sony invited me to an exclusive closed door session with the producer of God of War, Cory Barlog. He gave me incredible insights into the E3 trailer and helped explained what we saw. For instance, he mentioned that Atreus will be able to jump on shielded enemies and disable their blocking ability. This will allow you, as Kratos, to land strikes. Also, Atreus won’t be playable during the adventure but will help Kratos in many ways. One of those ways is his ability to read and speak the Norse language, which Kratos cannot.
Cory reassured me that Atreus will not be a burden throughout the journey and will actively help Kratos. He specifically referenced Resident Evil 4 and said God of War does not make you escort a helpless NPC. You also won’t automatically die if Atreus gets injured. All of these comments were reassuring and makes me look forward to the game even more. The wait shouldn’t be long, God of War launches in Early 2018.
What were your favourite PlayStation moments at E3? Let me know in the comments section below!
Check out Best Buy’s coverage of E3 2017 for more great articles, links to preorder games and more
