E3 2015 Playstation Press Conference

By Shamus Posted Friday Jul 3, 2015

Filed under: Industry Events 53 comments


Link (YouTube)

And so our E3 2015 coverage comes to an end. Again. My thoughts on the various games and ideas being shown:

Last Guardian: I’ve been following gaming news and part of a gaming site for over half a decade now. Would you believe I’ve never heard of Last Guardian before now? Actually, I’m sure that’s not true. I probably skimmed past headlines with the words “Last Guardian” in it at some point, but it never stuck.

Horizon: Zero Dawn: My favorite game of E3 this year. Every single thing about that looked exciting. I loved its fresh approach to the apocalypse. I loved the look of the combat, the art style, the world, the character designs, everything.

Hitman: Who else is still mad about Absolution? I know I am. Please tell me I’m not the only one. I dunno. This could be a return to form like the trailer shows. But if they are looking to restore my faith in the series, then they should have skipped the trailer and just brought the writers of Absolution out on stage to be booed for the same length of time.

Street Fighter: The shame of it is that I do like to take a fighting game, put it on easy, and mindlessly button-mash my way through the content. The games are irresistible to me at $10 or $5, but they almost never come down that low. This is a classic case where they need to drop the price and go after downmarket sales once the original run is over. I love the art style here.

No Man’s Sky: It’s like FUEL. Even if this game is dumb and boring, I’ll probably still have a great time with it.

Dreams: I don’t know what to think. It looks like an amazing little sandbox to play around in, but I can’t tell who its for or how they would use it. It looks like a game everyone will play for 20 minutes.

Firewatch: Love the art style. I hope the game itself isn’t that talky. The trailer made it look like Crysis 2, with this constant stream of needless chatter in your ear while you’re trying to take in the sights.

Destiny: In the thousands of years since videogames were invented 30 years ago, this has never happened before. This expansion is truly remarkable. We’ve really never seen anything like this. It changes everything. It’s completely unprecedented. This is so new and so unexpected. Maybe the legends were true after all.

Assassins Creed: Another One: Yup. That sure is another one of these things again.

World of Final Fantasy: How excessively twee.

Final Fantasy 7 REMAKE: Be careful what you wish for. You might get it.

A bunch of stuff to look at: Oh, it’s Ronin. No, Eitr. No, it’s… wait. Mother Russia something? Damn it. What’s the point in this montage if you don’t tell us anything about what we’re being shown?

Shenmue: Having never met, played, eaten, or fought whatever a Shenmue is, this doesn’t have a lot of impact with me. I understand it’s a big deal for some people though.

Arkham Knight: Man, this game looks sweet. I’m betting the new Batmobile will be awesome!

Morpheus: I plugged my Occulus in again now that I have a new graphics card, and I have to say that after a little while, even the generous 120 degree viewing angle feels kind of tight and uncomfortable. I have no idea how Morpheus is going to get by with just 90.

Calling of Various Duties: Really not my thing. No comment.

Uncharted: I’m not into the whole “Overly-restrictive setpiece design of Michael Bay explosions” genre, but I might check this out just to compare and contrast with Naughty Dog’s other major recent work, The Last of Us.

 


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53 thoughts on “E3 2015 Playstation Press Conference

  1. Jokerman says:

    Ive been looking into the new Hitman a bit, it really looks like they are attempting to make a true sequel to Blood money, im really looking forward to it. Story told between hits, every misson has a target and starts in a neutral area so you can scout the place out and unless i am mistaken, they seem to have the old diana back.

    Kind of surprised though, it’s not like Absolution was reviewed or sold badly, as much as fans like me hated it… i thought they would keep going with that style of game.

    1. Henson says:

      Yes, there are a significant number of people who really, really liked Absolution. Makes it feel like TwentySided’s new Fallout 3.

      The big story with the next Hitman game, though, is how it’ll be sold and released. Getting bit-by-bit content for a flat AAA price is risky territory, both for us and for them. Are consumers willing to pay $60 for a game that has yet to be finished? Does the developer need strong initial sales to finish making it, or to not cut corners on future content? Can the game not go on sale until the game is fully released, in order to not cheat day 1 purchasers?

      1. Jokerman says:

        They did say there will be a lot of content at launch.

        There words “It is fully complete at launch but it is not finished” Nice oxymoron there, but i think i get the meaning.

        and then

        “Everything we ship on December 8 will be completely finished, it will be a very polished experience. It’s also going to be a very big game. There are other products that sell a game for $60 and then try to sell you a Season Pass for another $40 on top, so you spend $100 or $120 for all the stuff that happens later on. We said no, we don’t want to do that.”

        Sounds pretty good, if it lives up to what they are saying now.

        1. Sleeping Dragon says:

          While I don’t care for this particular title, and I’m one of the people who generally can’t afford games at launch prices anyway, it does sound pretty good. Basically the benefits of the DLC (extra content) without the downside (extra price). We’ll have to wait and see how it gets executed, at this point I’m so jaded about AAA development I fully expect them to release another semi-beta mess.

  2. Daemian Lucifer says:

    Man,remember when our software engineers were so careful about bugs that every time something broke during a conference it would be laughed out for months.But now,its like we expect it to break down at a drop of a hat,so we dont even care.

  3. Daimbert says:

    I’m the same way with fighting games, and some of them are better than others. On the PS3, Persona 4: Arena is the best, as on Easy mode with the auto-combo you’ll have no problem winning it, and the story is detailed and in-depth enough that it’s worth going through the story mode with it, although it’s best if you’ve played or at least know the story of Persona 3 and Persona 4. The sequel is also pretty good, but I found it harder to play even on Easy and so let the auto-fight do it for me. Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe and Injustice also have pretty decent stories that aren’t hard to beat on Easy, and I’ve liked the Blazblue games — the same company did the fighting part of Arena — but on my first run-through I couldn’t beat the final boss and so haven’t played it since.

    Other the other hand, Marvel vs Capcom 3 was a game that I played through and TRADED. I NEVER trade games, so that’s a pretty good indication of how much I disliked that game.

  4. Deadpool says:

    Wait, Chris, you haven’t killed Crota yet?

    Dude, if you need a team, we are here for you. Just say the word…

    That said, despite the over the top hype, I am kind of excited about Taken King. It’s a good popcorn kind of game. Get some friends together and just mindless shoot crap.

    1. IFS says:

      I’d certainly be willing to pitch in to help him beat the raid, its actually the easier raid now too.

      I too am excited for the Taken King, and am actually surprised by how hard its been for me to be cautious about it. Its probably the Sunbreaker (new titan subclass), just every time I see that I can’t wait to play it. Plus Destiny is basically the game that I boot up every night to hang out with friends.

      1. Deadpool says:

        We should create a twenty sided team.

        I too use it more as a social platform than as a game. And Nightstalker fits my support style gameplay better. Especially not with Khelpri’s Sting to provide invisibility…

        1. IFS says:

          I’d certainly be up for creating a Twentysided team (though I’m already part of a clan with a few friends), if anyone wants to add me on PSN I’m deadfish2.

          (also all the new subclasses look pretty cool, I’m just most excited about Sunbreaker because my main is a titan)

  5. Gunther says:

    “Horizon: Zero Dawn: My favorite game of E3 this year. Every single thing about that looked exciting.”

    Apart from the god-awful name, surely? Maybe the worst since Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.

    I mean, it LOOKS great, but yeesh.

    1. Henson says:

      “Eternity: End of Days”

    2. Shamus says:

      Agreed. Like “Horizon” woulda been okay, if sort of bland and meaningless. But “Zero Dawn”? Is that just number + time of day? What does that mean?

      Horizon: Two Sunset
      Horizon: Seventeen and a Half Late Afternoon
      Horizon: Negative One Noon

        1. Sleeping Dragon says:

          That could actually make for a somewhat smart title, for a different game but still.

          Also Horizon: Five More Minutes

    3. Henson says:

      “Nightfall: Seventh Sky”

    4. Eruanno says:

      Yeeeess. The game itself looks amazeballs. Love the art design, world design, the (admittedly short bit) gameplay… but the name is just someone throwing darts at words nailed to a board.

      Maybe it means something else/something better in german? (Guerrilla Games is a german company)

      1. Thomas says:

        Looking it up, it’s a Dutch company with a UK office.

        But whilst looking it up, I found out it’s writer was the lead writer for Fallout New Vegas =D

        1. Vipermagi says:

          Well it’s also gibberish in Dutch, for the curious. :p

    5. Dreadjaws says:

      It’s this new trend of sticking subtitles to everything, no matter how little sense they make or how stupid they sound.

      1. krellen says:

        You can’t start a franchise if you don’t preload the subtitles, you know.

        1. Henson says:

          “Star Wars: The First One”

          1. “Star Wars Zero: the Phantom Integer.”

        2. “Title: Subtitle: The Subtitling.”

    6. Nimas says:

      I’m just praying that it gets a PC release and doesn’t just stay on PS4

      1. Majere says:

        Guerrilla’s games are pretty much all Sony console exclusive and there’s no word saying Horizon will be any different so I wouldn’t get my hopes up. If it reviews well it might actually be the thing that makes me get a PS4 in tandem with that Uncharted collection.

        1. AileTheAlien says:

          Aww, man. I can’t justify buying a PS4 for this one game. :S

    7. AileTheAlien says:

      I’ll have to be the voice of dissent, but…I actually don’t like the aesthetic of this game.

      Well, the combination of aesthetic and level of realism. Like, I can dig games that do a lot of hand-waving, or that have fantastic tech in them, but this game looks pretty much photo-realistic, and the pre-apocalypse world looks like it’s just plain old Earth, with about 100 years of tech improvements. If they had a more stylized aesthetic, like the Last Guardian, I wouldn’t have noticed, but the combination of very photo-realistic graphics, looks-like-modern-day history/backstory of the game, and the cartoony hand-wavy technology just felt jarring to me. :S

      I’m sure once I’m actually playing it*, I’ll be happy to suspend disbelief. Especially considering that it looks very fun, and innovative** in the gameplay department. However, the whole time the cyber-tech was on the screen, I was constantly being pulled out of the world, thinking stuff like, “Wait, why is that big T-Rex not modem-calling in reinforcements?”, and “Why do these robots look like animals, instead of nice efficient tractors or tanks?”

      * As long as it gets ported to PC. Pleeeaase get ported to PC.

      ** Holy crap do I want innovation in the gaming industry. I’ll probably buy this game* when it’s brand new.

  6. Da Mage says:

    I really love having a PC gaming background at times. Really lets you avoid any hype from these events.

    Final Fantasy 7 Remake? Don’t care, never played any final fantasy.
    Shenmue? Never even heard of it before.

    But obviously most of the things in this conference are platform exclusive, but what is entertain is hearing how Shamus and Josh can make fun of this. Though I am a bit unhappy that I’ll never play some of these PS4 (or Xbox One) exclusives because of the controller, cause they do look good.

    1. Jokerman says:

      I have only played 30mins of FF13 and never played Final Fantasy 7… but that is exactly why i have some interest in this remake. Time to see what the fuss is all about.

      1. Syal says:

        Unfortunately, the fuss about FF7 was mostly about the leap from 2D to 3D. The game’s not that impressive anymore; it’s far from the worst Final Fantasy but it’s also far from the best. What came before had better mechanics, what came after had better graphics and the game’s story is competent enough but not mind-blowing and mostly aimed at teens.

        If you want to see the fuss about Final Fantasy in general, check out some streams of the Final Fantasy 5 Four Job Fiesta, charity challenge runs of arguably the best game in the series.

    2. Andy_Panthro says:

      Final Fantasy 7 & 8 were both on PC though (it’s how I played them, before I ever had a Playstation).

      I am looking forward to the FF7 remake, I do hope they get it right. If they just make it exactly the same but with better graphics it probably won’t work (too many weird bits that would seem out of place in a more “realistic” looking game).

      1. Majere says:

        Half the point of the game is those weird bits though. Without them it’s actually pretty bland.

  7. kunedog says:

    Thanks a lot for posting these. There’s no way I could have tuned in live, nor would I watch the presentations at all without some kind of running commentary. These are great to keep playing on the second monitor while grinding activities in SR2.

  8. ChristopherT says:

    There’s a bit of me that’s really disappointed in people not caring about Shenmue, like at all. I understand not hearing of it, we Are talking about a two part game series that was exclusive to the Sega Dreamcast. But, really. I BEG, anyone with the time, to just look into Shenmue and Shenmue 2. I’ve Never played either of them, but, for the time, they seemed so unique, and engaging. I DO NOT promise you’ll be impressed, or will like the games, at all. But, please, instead of “not interested” just look into them. The English voice acting is pretty bad, but, besides that, just look at what the games offer, and what they are made of, because you Might really get into it, you might find a new series to care about and love, maybe.

    As for Final Fantasy 7, I’m also getting a little irked with the reactions going around on the internet. Just a little irked, a little taken a back, if you will. If you do not like JRPGs or just the Final Fantasy brand, then I understand, do not go near it, you will hate it, do not force yourself anywhere near Final Fantasy. But, for years all I would see around the internet in regards to a Final Fantasy 7 remake was the idea that they should just do it, just remake the game, and get lots of money, its the smart choice, because fans would cobble that shit up, and it’d shut them up about a FF7 remake. Yet, here we are, it’s announced, and the response has been “why do this?” “what’s the point” “Does anyone even want this?” WHAT!? HOW!?

    Why are they remaking Final Fantasy 7? Cause it Will make them money, and the fans have been asking for it for years. Yes, they could balls it up, it’s happened recently with HD upgraded releases, it Could happen here. Do not go in overjoyed and eyes blind. But We Are talking about a Final Fantasy 7 remake, IF Valve were to announce redoing all of Half Life 2 and it’s Episodes in a New Engine, I bet you’d all be wetting your pants.

    1. Deadpool says:

      To be fair, FF7 is a pretty meh JRPG. Sure, it’s cool, but it isn’t really amazing. Both mechanically and story wise.

      Problem is any mechanical changes are likely to be for the worse, and any story changes will cause riots. So it’s either more of the same or worse.

      Had it been 4 or 6 I may be curious… Or Chrono Trigger… Ogre Battle…

      1. ChristopherT says:

        I’ll agree to that. I’m not really into 7 myself, a remake might be the only thing to get me to actually pick it back up -shrug-. I like 4, 8, and 9 usually. Hell, I got excited over the news of After Years on the Wii. Finally have the PSP version that includes After Years, just haven’t gotten to it yet, replayed the part of 4, and got to the moon, took a break and just haven’t returned, mostly because got stuck on the end of the remake of 3 and its final dungeon.

        1. Sleeping Dragon says:

          You know nothing! FF7 was the best Final Fantasy, no the best JRPG evah! It was amazing! I know cause I played it back… way back… in the 90s… … … Shut up!

          On a more serious note I wonder how much of the FF7 hype is due to nostalgia. I have been actively avoiding replaying it, or even rewatching the gameplay despite it being one of my formative gaming experiences. To be fair JRPGs weren’t really a thing on PC before it… was it as crazy popular with the PS crowd when it was released?

      2. Henson says:

        I badly want the Ogre Battle games ported to PC. Got my fix with Valkyria Chronicles, but could still do with scratching that itch a bit more.

    2. Majere says:

      When Shenmue can be played on a console that I’ve at least seen before I’ll bother to care about it at all. As for FF7 the only reactions I’ve seen have been excitement bordering on ecstasy or worry that Square Enix will cock it up and cut out the hilarious nonsense that gives the game all of its charm and character in an attempt to stay with the contemporary “serious business” approach to games.

      1. ChristopherT says:

        Oops, I looked it up and I was WROOOONG! It also came out for XBox as well. And, the only reason we are talking about Shenmue at the moment is that it’s been announced to come out on PS4 and PC. I hope, you’ve seen at least seen one of those three things, if you are unfortunate enough to have never seen a Sega Dreamcast.

        ‘Cause, while it had some faults, and Sega was part of the biggest fault, it was a really interesting console. Capable of Online play before Playstation 2, XBox, and Gamecube. Had memory cards that could also play, though completely simple, games. Though the memory card could also display play data for the player, health status for example. It really was a nice little console.

        1. Majere says:

          No I mean the actual first game “Shenmue.” Its sequels are irrelevant if the first game is essentially unobtainable legitimately. I actually owned the second one for a time but I never got into it because it was completely incomprehensible plot-wise without having played its predecessor.

          1. ChristopherT says:

            Well. I am sorry I was a little rude then.

          2. Otters34 says:

            Yes, truly “Some asshole killed my dad for a weird mirror, and I’m after him in a Hero’s Journey of learning wu kung, the mystery behind all this and the meaning of friendship for revenge.” is just too complex a concept to grasp.

  9. Ed says:

    While uncharted might be working from an inherently flawed premise as a video game, the quality of them plus the lack of the pulp adventure genre in modern films leads me to like them quite a bit. If Indiana jones was on its 15th movie, the. Uncharted may have never gotten off the ground.

    1. Jokerman says:

      I love the first two uncharted games i played, never played the 3rd since the ps3 broke down.

      Since they are doing a HD release of the first 3, ill just get that. I think Shamus should too actually, since he like Tomb Raider so much and that sequel is locked into xbox for a year.

    2. Majere says:

      Calling it an inherently flawed premise seems a bit harsh. Yeah, a game that is built around moving you through a linear series of set-pieces fueled by spectacle isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea but that hardly means it’s a wrong way to design a video game.

      1. Ed says:

        Yeah, you are right, I was being excessive. Perhaps a better way to put it would be that it’s framework and style inherently do not utilize the mediums strengths.

  10. Ayegill says:

    Really? Nobody? Not a single joke about Nathan Drake Tom Braider standing still? Come on, guys.

    1. AileTheAlien says:

      Hey, at least that meant they were playing it live, instead of a pre-scripted scene using the game-engine. Which itself would be better than a pre-rendered cutscene. :P

  11. Phrozenflame500 says:

    The thing you need to understand about this conference is that The Last Guardian, Shenmue 3 and to a lesser extent the Final Fantasy 7 Remake were all “Half Life 3” level announcements to Playstation fans. So this conference is pretty huge for them.

    But otherwise yeah my thoughts pretty much mirror yours. I’m probably more optimistic with the new Hitman since all the details so far seem to show that Eidos is at least trying to recapture the Blood Money lightning. But it could just be them lying in our faces so let’s wait until it gets closer to release.

    1. Ranneko says:

      Why would Shenmue 3 be a Half-Life 3 style announcement for Playstation fans? Neither of the previous games were on Sony platforms.

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