It's that time of year again! Mike from Foul ENT is here to take you through the biggest event of the gaming calender; E3! Read on to see the highs and lows of Sony's Press Conference!
THE GOOD
God Of War
Image Credit: kotaku.com
Holy shit, what an opener! Following a questionably long opening score, the God of War sequel/reboot (delete as appropriate, folks!) was revealed with a full live demo. It's seemingly a Tomb Raider style open world 3rd person action survival game, which is a bit of a departure from it's hack n' slash routes. It does, however, look beautiful. Instead of a Greek epic, this Kratos is a Norse warrior and father figure who is training his son (maybe?) in the ways of hunting and monster slaying. It's a bit of a curveball, sure, but it looks astounding. Can't wait to see more!
Days Gone
Image Credit: kotaku.com
This makes it into the good section purely because I was scared it was gonna be a sequel to the awful Ride To Hell: retribution. And then it wasn't. Thank Christ. Anyway, it's The Last of Us with more bikers, seemingly, with a lengthy show-ending demo showing the impressive number of demons that can flood locations at any one time without a drop in performance. The third person style shooter was unknown before today, but I imagine it hitting a spot on a number of people's watch lists. Colour me intrigued.
The Last Guardian
Image Credit: huffpost.com
October 25th 2016. That's the date folks. Jesus Christ, it's finally happening. It was an emotional trailer for sure, but all that we needed to know was that the Team Ico trilogy will be completed this goddamn year. Hell fucking yes.
October 25th. PS4. Save the date.
October 25th. PS4. Save the date.
Horizon: Zero Dawn
Image Credit: dualshockers.com
A new trailer and demo combo which showed off more of the scavenging and crafting elements of the game, an array of new weapons, hackable robot wildlife that double as mounts, roleplaying elements and conversation options, as well as a taste of some visceral combat. The unique approach of the tribal versus technological story has made this game stand out amongst its peers for sure. There was a tinge of the old Ubisoft game with the map system, but otherwise, this game is shaping up rather nicely!
Detroit: Become Human
Image Credit: gearnuke.com
We got a whiff of this last year, but this look is far more substantial. It looks to be a branching decision based thriller that centres around an android detective called Connor, who put his life on the line for humans in his day job. It looks like a cool mix between L.A. Noire, Heavy Rain and Blade Runner. There's a ton of intrigue to this world, and we've barely seen it. I love the idea of the tension between real and artificial life and dystopian futures. I'm itching to see more!
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
Image Credit: kotaku.com
Sony's first VR reveal banks heavily on the resurgence of horror games with the next instalment in the Resident Evil franchise. Building on the critical success of PT and the demo Kitchen, this tense demo was basically a bloke walking though a dishevelled house... and it was terrifying. Gone are the overblown gun battles of the last few games in the series, back is the tense and frightening atmosphere the early games are known for. I will probably never even touch it 'cause I'm a total pansy, but it at least looks terrific.
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard lands on January 24th 2017 with full PSVR support.
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard lands on January 24th 2017 with full PSVR support.
Farpoint
Image Credit: twitter.com/gamesradar
This VR game is looking to immerse you in a whole world. Literally. This first person shooter surival game is set on Mars and looks utterly gorgeous. No solid details, but there was enough to get a taste of how immersive a VR shooter could be. And I'll take anything that's set in space.
Star Wars Battlefront: X-Wing VR Missions
Image Credit: kotaku.com
It's VR X-Wings. There is no way I was going to put this in the bad list. I don't care. Hyped.
Crash Bandicoot Trilogy Remastered
Image Credit: twitter.com/playstation
I am very biased on this, but having Crash back just the best. I don't care that it's only a remaster of the original trilogy and not a new game, I don't care that he's also going to be in the latest Skylanders, Crash Fuckmothering Bandicoot is back. The future is bright. Believe in better. Halcyon days. Fuck. Yes. Son.
Death Stranding
Image Credit: kotaku.com
Hideo Kojima is a fucking rockstar in the gaming world, rivalled probably only by Shigeru Miyamoto himself. When Kojima shows up, you know he means business. We totally didn't expect to see a brand new game this early, but we got a taste of his new IP, which was apparantly running in engine. In it, Norman Reedus, who last appeared in PT, returns to help Kojima make his grand return. It was a load of arty farty nonsense is truth, but it promises us a unique, new game from Kojima. Nothing about that is bad. At all. Get hype.
Spider-Man PS4
Image Credit: kotaku.com
HOLY SHIT WHAT?! Insomniac Games are making a Spider-Man game?! How? What? I didn't know I wanted this until I was shown it! That, ladies and gents, is the sound of Spider-Man 2 on the PS2 quaking in it's boots. I'm so unbelievably ready for this.
THE BAD
Batman Arkham VR
Image Credit: kotaku.com
I'm not sure what the Arkham games stand to gain from a VR experience. Talk about a crowbarred in excuse to bring Mark Hamill back as the Joker. No details as of yet, but a cinematic showing off the costumes of Batman and Joker. A bit odd, really.
Final Fantasy XV
Image Credit: gearnuke.com
So, there's VR now if you want to use the guns? Or sit in a car driven by your side chick? In a tactical RPG? ... But why?
Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare
Image Credit: forbes.com
You cna dress this up however you life. You can make this look as futuristic as you want. This is still a Call Of Duty game. And this is your standard Call Of Duty demo. A bit of scripted single player campaign guff that showcases the scripted nature of these games. I'm sure it's pretty tight mechanics wise, but it's still Call of Duty, and that's a stigma that frankly will not be shifted. Even when this game contains spacewalks, grapple hooks and mechas, it STILL manages to be an utterly boring military shooter. Fucked it.
Anyway, it drops on November 4th for PS4, Xbox One and PC, bundled with the Call of Duty 4 Remaster.
Anyway, it drops on November 4th for PS4, Xbox One and PC, bundled with the Call of Duty 4 Remaster.
THE VERDICT
Sony have been on top of their game for the past three years, making the PS4 the system to own for current gen gaming. This year was absolutely no exception. In lieu of making everyone's dreams come true, this conference gave us a lot of stuff we perhaps didn't realise we wanted, like a Spider-Man game from the Ratchet and Clank team, or VR centric Resident Evil reboot, or naked Norman Reedus surrounded by dead fish and a demon baby. Not a whole lot of 2016 titles in this list, with a lot of this years big titles being surprisingly absent, but next year looks massive, with VR games aplenty, God of War, Horizon and many more. Sorry guys, but Sony have stolen the crown once again.
By Mike Owen
@ThatMikeOwen
The Editor in Chief of Foul Entertainment, Mike edits most of what you see on the site. He runs the production of our podcasts, and currently pens Pop Culture Club and The Death of Video Games
@ThatMikeOwen
The Editor in Chief of Foul Entertainment, Mike edits most of what you see on the site. He runs the production of our podcasts, and currently pens Pop Culture Club and The Death of Video Games