By Anne Marie Beach
If you tuned in to watch Sony's E3 conference then you probably heard the many buzz words and phrases thrown around during a presentation that was wholly underwhelming. While there were quite a few games that actually caught my attention, the rest of it as a unit was boring and I continually longed for it to end. Having been raised on Sony products I found this to be massively disappointing. This is no Xbox/Nintendo fangirl hate I'm dishing out. The presentation wasn't bad. It just wasn't up to the standard set by last year’s E3 presentation, although to be fair how can anyone measure up to an E3 with two console release announcements?
If you tuned in to watch Sony's E3 conference then you probably heard the many buzz words and phrases thrown around during a presentation that was wholly underwhelming. While there were quite a few games that actually caught my attention, the rest of it as a unit was boring and I continually longed for it to end. Having been raised on Sony products I found this to be massively disappointing. This is no Xbox/Nintendo fangirl hate I'm dishing out. The presentation wasn't bad. It just wasn't up to the standard set by last year’s E3 presentation, although to be fair how can anyone measure up to an E3 with two console release announcements?
A female 'guardian' in Destiny Some of the most underwhelming reveals came from Sony’s Zombie Department. Dead Island 2 appeared with a fun and entertaining trailer, The Last of Us is being remastered for PS4 as well all knew already, and Diablo III will be getting some zombie-based DLC. With other games popping up like the Order 1886 and Bloodborne, perhaps we will get to see some games that bring a fresher take on the supernatural thriller.
Destiny is a hotly- anticipated release that, Sony has claimed, meets the vision it has for its fans. If you recall last year's E3, there were some footage and teasers of Destiny. However, instead of focusing on the more unique features of the game they opted on trying to up sell the PS4 and all the perks that come with it. Touting a beta release on July 17th and a First Look album this Thursday, one feels they are trying perhaps too hard to talk about how much they care about the consumer. However they really hit their mark by promoting their new White PS4 Destiny-bundle which will be dropping this September. The conference put a lot of focus on trying to change the look of Sony as a multi-function, entertainment, all-in-one, Social media device; a stance that many mocked the Xbox One for taking in just the past year.
While the features are certainly cool, you can't help but feel a sour taste in your mouth as they continue to claim “It’s all about the games” while trying to push add-on products and promote the social media aspects of the consoles. They're bringing out Project Morpheus as a selling point on the PS4 camera which certainly seems innovative, but as innovative as the Oculus Rift was when it first appeared on the market. They also mention that you will soon be able to upload videos directly to your YouTube channel from your device, via the Share Button. They also announced a PSN feature that at first glance seemed interesting, but might quickly become annoying when you stop and think about it. That being spectating and interacting with another player’s game in real time. While I feel a bit iffy on the spectating feature I'm willing to stick it out and see how they implement it.
Destiny is a hotly- anticipated release that, Sony has claimed, meets the vision it has for its fans. If you recall last year's E3, there were some footage and teasers of Destiny. However, instead of focusing on the more unique features of the game they opted on trying to up sell the PS4 and all the perks that come with it. Touting a beta release on July 17th and a First Look album this Thursday, one feels they are trying perhaps too hard to talk about how much they care about the consumer. However they really hit their mark by promoting their new White PS4 Destiny-bundle which will be dropping this September. The conference put a lot of focus on trying to change the look of Sony as a multi-function, entertainment, all-in-one, Social media device; a stance that many mocked the Xbox One for taking in just the past year.
While the features are certainly cool, you can't help but feel a sour taste in your mouth as they continue to claim “It’s all about the games” while trying to push add-on products and promote the social media aspects of the consoles. They're bringing out Project Morpheus as a selling point on the PS4 camera which certainly seems innovative, but as innovative as the Oculus Rift was when it first appeared on the market. They also mention that you will soon be able to upload videos directly to your YouTube channel from your device, via the Share Button. They also announced a PSN feature that at first glance seemed interesting, but might quickly become annoying when you stop and think about it. That being spectating and interacting with another player’s game in real time. While I feel a bit iffy on the spectating feature I'm willing to stick it out and see how they implement it.
Sackboy returns in Little Big Planet 3 The buzz word of the night was ‘PlayStation Now’ which is coming July 31st. From what I gleaned, this service offers a library of games free to the player (with fees applying to certain features of those games) that are not restricted to just the PS4 console. They announced that PS Now will be available on select Sony TVs, with no PS4 console required. While the idea is certainly welcome, at the moment it seems like it was created solely on supporting the (failing) PS Vita system. The PS Vita has been a non-starter since it dropped and Sony can't seem to let it die with dignity since it is Nintendo which is dominating the handheld market at the moment with their 3DS device. It speaks a lot to the community when some of the year’s biggest games were overshadowed by something as innocuous, loveable, and innocent as Little Big Planet. Dropping its third title, Little Big Planet 3 stole the spotlight of the Sony conference. Many people love the creative Co-op game known for its adorable hero, Sackboy. Well Sackboy is alone no more, joining the little big planet family are Oddsock, a dog like creature who can wall-jump; Toggle, a humanoid object that can morph between big/small and heavy/light as well as offering a strength that goes beyond the capacity of Sackboy; and lastly Swoop, a bird creature that can fly and carry other members. Not to be outshone by his new cohorts, Sackboy sports his own new ability, wall climbing.
The news that stirred up some of the biggest fervor was the announcement that not only was GTAV coming to PS4 but that you can port your saves and data from your PS3 AND Xbox 360 saves. Yes. They actually said that. Out loud. In front of everyone.
The conference finished its presentation by rounding up the most anticipated titles like The Last of Us Remastered, Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain (Which looks amazing), Batman Arkham Knight, and Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. The presentations for these games were amongst the most underwhelming; perhaps Sony thinking that the games alone would speak for themselves, they let the hype of the games do all the work and it fell short of expectation.
While Sony has a lot to offer in the coming year I felt that the way they presented themselves sold the products short. But that could just be the bitter in me speaking due to Square Enix stating there will be no new info on Final Fantasy XV or Kingdom Hearts III. Hopefully Sony will step up their game at the Tokyo Game Show this September and give us all something to talk about.
The news that stirred up some of the biggest fervor was the announcement that not only was GTAV coming to PS4 but that you can port your saves and data from your PS3 AND Xbox 360 saves. Yes. They actually said that. Out loud. In front of everyone.
The conference finished its presentation by rounding up the most anticipated titles like The Last of Us Remastered, Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain (Which looks amazing), Batman Arkham Knight, and Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. The presentations for these games were amongst the most underwhelming; perhaps Sony thinking that the games alone would speak for themselves, they let the hype of the games do all the work and it fell short of expectation.
While Sony has a lot to offer in the coming year I felt that the way they presented themselves sold the products short. But that could just be the bitter in me speaking due to Square Enix stating there will be no new info on Final Fantasy XV or Kingdom Hearts III. Hopefully Sony will step up their game at the Tokyo Game Show this September and give us all something to talk about.
Sometimes it helps to be honest!
Other times, not so much...
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Do you agree or disagree with our summary of events regarding this conference? Come let us know via our Twitter account or Facebook page.
We'd love to hear from you!
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