From The Other Side: Sony 2013

Ah yes, my favored console maker. I make no bones of preferring Sony to Microsoft or Nintendo, but there was a definite air of mystery and tension going into this press conference. With Sony being absolutely quiet on their used games strategy, I went into this conference with only one thing holding me back: the “yeah, but what about used games?” question.

You already know that I’m going to shun and will take it upon myself to actively speak out against Microsoft’s next console. I value my customer rights more than I value games themselves, especially if I can’t keep them for as long as I want. Sony already said that they won’t need an online connection to play with the PS4, so that gives me hope they won’t go crazy and figure out a new way to impose restrictions.

What you also know from my view of Microsoft’s conference is that every single game that I know is being made for both that console and PS4 will end up being a PS4 purchase. I will proceed to treat any multi-platform games that are only coming to both consoles as PS4 exclusives. The only exception is if a game is coming to PC, which would then heavily sway me toward that platform due to my preferences with certain genres.

Opening Montage

So many games! Sony has always been best at showing super montage videos with a ton of games, most of them going unnamed. I spied some Killzone, Knack, Puppeteer, Deep Down, Tales of Xillia, and many more.

Tretton Takes the Stage

Welcome to the new age
Fitting music. PS4 being the second “next generation” console to be announced, they definitely are ushering in a New Age of gaming.

As a personal mention, I had a gentleman’s bet with Protodude about who would play “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons first, so he won that bet. I thought someone would play Daft Punk first.

What’s New on Vita

Spied some Rayman Legends, Killzone: Mercenary… and some more stuff. Destiny of Spirits definitely caught my eye, since I’m a huge Ogre Battle fan and it definitely looked a lot like that.

I was a bit tickled by the Vita being compatible with almost all PS4 games out of the gate, effectively making the Vita an in-home equivalent to the Wii U’s GamePad. If it works as well as on Wii U, I might just find myself using this feature a lot more. If it doesn’t, I’ll just hope Sony doesn’t actually forget that this portable exists. Indie games or not, it’s definitely not where anyone would want it to be right now.

What’s coming up for PS3

It honestly felt like the PS3 portion of the conference was tacked on for the benefit of Sony’s marketing department, who wanted to push The Last of Us one final time before its launch on the 14th (Friday of the same week).

The Last of Us

I love Naughty Dog. I really do. However, I have an irrational hatred for anything remotely involving zombies. The Last of Us intrigued me when it was first announced, until I saw a mutant zombie on-screen. It was then revealed that they’re a “new” type of zombie, which… well, I’ve typed that word enough.

I know it’s being praised as a “tour de force” in terms of storytelling and a technical marvel in both AI and scale, but I just can’t get over the zombie aspect. Time will tell if I shrug off that factor and go for it.

Puppeteer

This is quite a colorful game. From the minds at Media Molecule, creators of LittleBigPlanet, I’m definitely interested in this game and can’t wait to see what it’s about. From what I could gather, it seems like the main character will have the ability to carve into the world with a large pair of scissors? Well, let’s see how that works on PS3.

rain

This seems like another Journey kind of game. While I’m up for artistic games with great music and wonderful emotions, I’m also hoping this game doesn’t end up costing full retail. The short teaser didn’t show enough for me to make a decision, but first impressions can often make or break expectations: What I saw was PSN-worthy, not full retail.

BEYOND: Two Souls

For a game from the same family as Heavy Rain, this game showed a lot of action. If it’s not all quicktime events, I might actually consider it. If not, I’m not interested.

Gran Turismo 6

I’ll admit that I have a morbid curiosity when it comes to tuning virtual cars. I might actually pick it up, since I played a ton of Gran Turismo 5. The additional aerodynamics could make NASCAR racing actually better than on its predecessor. That being said, I’d need to get a driving wheel to play this game, since playing with a controller is practically suicide when racing at higher speeds (or trying to win those 24 hour races).

Batman: Arkham Origins

I have to admit, I haven’t finished Arkham City and am way behind on my backlog of action games. I might not– Deathstroke. Okay, I’m in.

The “Nightfall” DLC and ’60s Batman skin are kinda cool, but by no means a PS3 purchase. I might just get it on Steam when it hits rock bottom prices, or hope PlayStation Plus actually picks this up as a free game.

Grand Theft Auto V

The GTAV bundle really didn’t get to me. This was a weak partnership. Add to that my lukewarm appreciation of GTA since it went 3D and I’m fairly unimpressed by the whole thing.

Andrew House

Coming out to Daft Punk is a good move. I actually paid attention because of this. I still lost my bet, though.

PlayStation 4 Unveiled

I have to admit, this thing doesn’t look as good as I had hoped. The slanted, PS2-like look didn’t really catch my interest. This is the only point I will ever concede to Microsoft’s new console.

Michael Lynton

Yay, entertainment. Not really interested, but let’s get to it. Unique access to Sony content doesn’t really tickle my fancy, unless they give me enhanced viewing of Community. I doubt Sony would cannibalize its current network or cable TV offerings to make their entertainment services worth it, so I can’t get excited about this. Maybe if they brought back Happy Endings for a final season on their online network… but I get the feeling Netflix would sooner revive it.

Andrew House – Back in the House!

Music Unlimited and Video Unlimited are features I really don’t care about. I haven’t subscribed to them and don’t intend to do so in the near future.

However, I DO use Netflix. I will keep using Netflix and Crackle, but that’s not really what I’m here for. Flixter is a no-go for me, since I can’t use the App where I live. It can’t differentiate show times for movies that are in different languages at a movie theater.

Shuhei Yoshida

@yosp! I like this guy. He always seems jolly, kind of like Nintendo’s eccentric Miyamoto mixed with Iwata’s calm demeanor. He has Iwata’s level of English mastery, which is great. Now, on to his subjects.

On social networks: I only laughed because one of Jim Sterling’s tweets was on-screen. Worth it.

40 PS4 titles, with 20 being launched in the system’s first year. That’s a lot of commitment, especially when 30 of those games are new IPs.

The Order: 1886

This game, made by two of my favorite in-house studios– Santa Monica Studios and Ready At Dawn– looks insane. Combining knights with steampunk dirigibles, this looks awesome.

Then there’s the attack. The driver dies instantly, then everyone starts gearing up, using a steampunk radio– was that a railgun? Were those werewolves?!

I’m in. I don’t even need more of a premise. I’m in. This is by far the biggest surprise of the conference, with it being exclusive, to boot.

Killzone: Shadow Fall

I’m inexplicably interested in Killzone. I love the series with a passion and the short burst of gameplay shown was enough to ensure that Guerilla Games knows what its doing. It’s one of the few FPS exceptions I’ve made on consoles this generation and looks like it will continue to be one of those few.

DRIVECLUB

Not interested. It didn’t interest me during the PS4 reveal and won’t interest me now. This being a new IP is fine, but I’d have rather seen Gran Turismo 7 announced for PS4 instead. Since that’s not happening and this doesn’t seem like it will replace the online greatness of Burnout: Paradise, I really don’t care.

Infamous: Second Son

The new kid can control fire; he’s basically a souped-up version of the Human Torch. Since the first two games were based on a guy with electric powers, it’s nice to see a change in pace for the main character. What bothers me is the trailer showing off the kid’s cocky attitude and penchant for crime from the get-go. Will that make my “good” gameplay skewed in a chaotic way? I really hope not.

Knack

While it looks interesting, it seems like a bargain bin title. It doesn’t seem like a game that does anything more than take advantage of the particle physics. I’d love it if they showed more story, but it seems to have less charm than Ratchet & Clank and looks like it’s clunkier than Crash Bandicoot.

The Dark Sorcerer

This trailer was awesome, and not just because of the unexpected twist. The graphics really do seem to have crossed the uncanny valley and seem to be going up the hill on the other side of human recognition. We’re still in the valley, but we seem to have reached a point where we might be a single generation away from true facial reproduction.

Adam Boyes – Independent Games

I have to say, Sony has not disappointed in their efforts to court and cater to independent game developers. I love this, because many indie games are in genres I actually care about. From platformer to traditional RPG (real-time and turn-based), they don’t seem to let up and also keep adding new and different intellectual properties to the mix.

Supergiant Games – Transistor

Oh. My. God.

This game looks like Bastion and Final Fantasy VII had a beautiful, colorful baby. That cyber-Buster Sword looks awesome and the female protagonist is definitely going against the tides of gaming. While I hope it’s not a carbon copy of Bastion, I wouldn’t be completely against it taking that same base and adding to it rather than trying to be something completely different with a similar style and failing at it

Self Publishing

Oh, this is great. As someone who might take up indie development at some point, it could be worth adding Sony to my known platforms.

Clay Entertainment – Don’t Starve

Hey, it’s Diablo in the snow! This didn’t really interest me because I’ve yet to finish their other games. There’s potential here, but their previous titles haven’t grasped my interest long enough to finish them. What little I played of the PC version also didn’t grab my interest, so this could end up being a bargain hunt item.

Tribute Games – Mercenary Kings

I contributed to their Kickstarter campaign and might actually get a copy for PS4! It might be unfair that I already know details about the game, but that demonstration of the game in motion was a great ad for it. With Diablo-esque weapon collecting and an emphasis on a great 16-bit style, this could be my favorite indie of E3 2013.

Octodad

Aww, no giant enemy crabs… Thing is, I’m not familiar with this game and it looks very strange. I’m glad a university group got extra funding for this port, but I’m unfortunately not enticed by the title since I missed out on its original PC release and have yet to go through it.

Secret Ponchos

Spaghetti shooter! It looks like fun, but the demo only showed a one-on-one battle. I’ll stay cautious for now.

Ragtag Studios – Rays of Dead

Hrm… a zombie game. Nothing more to say about this pertaining to my interests.

Outlast

Horror game. Cool! I really hope it doesn’t have zombies.

Lorne Lanning – Oddworld Remake – New and Tasty

Holy crap, sold! I love me some Oddworld and will definitely get this game. Since I know this can’t possibly be exclusive, I’ll have to weigh which console has the better demo for controls.

17-Bit Games – Galec-Z

An Asteroids-like shoot-’em-up. I’m not that interested, but it looks stylish.

Diablo 3

Not an indie game, but the game will have exclusive content. DLC items for PS3 owners… meh. Once again, much like GTAV, this is a very weak partnership that only pleases Sony fans. Not worth the money if you’ve already played the PC game. If you haven’t, this is barely an argument in favor of buying it on PS3 rather than Xbox 360.

Square Enix – Tetsuya Nomura

Oh yes, Final Fantasy Versus XIII! Can’t wait to see more of it!

Final Fantasy Versus XIII – FINAL FANTASY XV

Oh yes. Oh yes. Finally, some news about this game! It’s also a full numbered game, so they’ve abandoned the horrendous Fabula Nova Crystalis!

The action scenes sold me. The in-game look is awesome. So yes, it’s sold.

Leviathan and the Behemoth made me go nuts. This game is awesome already.

Now, having relaxed a bit, the game does seem to show a lot of promise. The real-time battle system seems like it could finally deliver on Final Fantasy XIII‘s promise to allow seamless transition from movement to battles, though if everything is real-time then there’s not much else to cheat. That is, of course, unless a battle zone is erected the instant an enemy enters your attack field and begins a fight. Since what we saw seems to have been a storyline fight, the details could be very fuzzy on what will actually happen in-game.

Kingdom Hearts III

I… can’t…

No… words…

Well, one: Sold.

I don’t care if it’s not exclusive. I’m getting the PS4 version if Sony doesn’t screw it up with used games.

While there was a distinct lack of notable Disney properties, but that doesn’t really matter since this was just an announcement tease. So long as it doesn’t come out very late in the generation, I won’t mind.

One last thing: if the game includes Marvel’s and Lucasfilms’ properties, it could very well be the greatest action RPG ever created.

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag

Aveline being exclusive to the Sony consoles solidifies my wanting to buy the game on PS3– or PS4, pending how much of a lag there is between the game’s current-gen launch and the PS4’s launch. I quite liked her character in Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation, so her being included is a nice perk.

WATCH_DOGS

The game looks beautiful on PS4. The rain effect is really cool. As for the city itself, it looks dynamic and futuristic.

I’m still not sold on it being a PS4 purchase yet. If I get it for any other system, it’ll probably be PC, pending Ubisoft’s DRM on that platform.

NBA2K14

No, Lebron. Your game version doesn’t look exactly like you. Also, this is a sports game. I’m not interested in this at all.

The Elder Scrolls Online

I’m not a fan of MMOs, but became a big fan of The Elder Scrolls with Skyrim. Still, that’s not enough for me to care about it being on PS4.

Mad Max

Err, I’m not really that interested in this. It looked fun for people who remember the movie or read the books, but I don’t fit in either category.

Jack Tretton – Back in Black!

Okay, you’re back. Now don’t bore me…

140 games in development for PS4? Nice. 100 available in the first year? Great.

PS4 Supports Used Games

What?! Yes. Very much yes. Sony wins E3 this year and possibly this entire generation.

While yes, this is exactly the same as their PS3 model, it’s also exactly what I wanted to hear.

Doesn’t Need to be Connected

Hah! Take that, Microsoft!

Won’t Require You to Check-In Online

Stop winning, Sony! Wait, don’t stop winning.

The Best Gaming Network

All of the network features were introduced in February. Kinda cool, but don’t really care for much of them. I’m still wary of how sharing will affect games and how social network integration could potentially expose information I don’t want known.

PS+ Carries Over to PS4

Cool, I was expecting no less.

PS+ Required for Online Play

The pay-gate for online doesn’t bother me as much as it should, because the value PS+ gave me over my day-one membership has been more than worth the subscription’s price five-fold. However, I hope this doesn’t lead to other online functions being progressively paywalled on PSN.

Destiny

This game looks amazing. The story scenes look like a cross between Star Wars, Halo, Borderlands, and Diablo. The looting system definitely tickled my fancy. Add the Public Event boss fight looking like Lost Planet 2‘s giant enemies and I’m sold.

It could very well be the only other FPS exception I make on consoles, since I’ve seen no mention that this game will come to PC in any timely fashion.

The long-term commitment to exclusive expansions for Destiny on PS4 makes this decision a lot easier. I’m sold on this game due to the premise and looks, but PS4 getting more doodads is going to make it harder to decide on PC, if it’s ever announced for the platform.

GAIKAI

We know next to nothing about this backwards compatibility solution. What’s more, the system being exclusive to the USA in 2014 makes this a non-issue to me for now. I’ll detail my expectations and hopes for this service later on.

PS4 Costs $399

Sony just dropped the mic. Undercutting Microsoft by a hundred dollars is a huge move. In fact, I pre-ordered one within minutes of it being available on Amazon.

In Closing

Sony had one job to do and did it well. My only make-or-break requirement was for them to announce that used games will not be any more restricted that right now and that’s what we got. The $399 price point being a hundred dollars under Microsoft’s console and a whopping two hundred dollars under the PS3’s launch price ensured the very first day one console purchase in my entire life. With so many great games that actually interest me and big support for and from indie developers, it’s clear that I’m going to be a Sony gamer for yet another generation.

Next up will be Nintendo. Can it finally make me buy a Wii U? Will I hold on to my 3DS for yet another generation?

lanceheart