Sony was the last to present on the first day of E3 2012 and showed some impressive titles. Here’s what we thought of the presentation.
Sony started its conference off with a bang, featuring the next game from Heavy Rain developer Quantic Dream, Beyond: Two Souls. This game looks to top the developer’s previous work. The facial animation shown in the demo was absolutely stunning, and having Ellen Page doing the voiceover for the main character is a plus. I’m really looking forward to seeing more of the supernatural aspects of the game that the reveal trailer set up.
PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale looked good in its showing, though I wish Sony would have revealed more characters than the Big Daddy and Nathan Drake. I’m hoping for 20 characters or more in the brawler and am worried that they are releasing them so slowly. I think Sony has managed to differentiate PlayStation All-Stars from Super Smash Bros. enough to where it’s not an exact clone, just a replicant. The cross-compatibility with Vita and PlayStation 3 is a definite plus for the game.
Speaking of “cross-goods,” it seems like Sony is also taking a shot at the Wii U with its cross-controller DLC for LittleBigPlanet, similar to Microsoft’s SmartGlass. If the company can expand this to more titles, Sony’s suite of Vita and PlayStation 3 could do similar things to the Wii U controller.
While there are plenty of titles that will be cross-compatible with Vita, there were very few primary Vita titles shown at the presentation. Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified and Assassin’s Creed Liberation are certainly good starts, but I was hoping Sony would blow out titles for its latest handheld. Where’s the mention of even amazing Vita games we already know about like Sound Shapes? At least it’s finally getting long-overdue PS One Classic support.
The Assassin’s Creed III naval warfare showing was impressive, but the more important announcement was the PlayStation 3 bundle and white Vita bundle with Assassin’s Creed Liberations.
I was relatively indifferent towards the Wonderbook announcement. Getting J.K. Rowling on board with the first release for the new feature will certainly help, but I have a feeling no one will remember the product two years from now. I would have much rather seen more Vita titles during this time.
God of War: Ascension looked like a God of War game should. The gameplay did look a little faster than previous entries and it will be nice to have new enemies for Kratos to slaughter, but I’m having a hard time getting too excited for this game.
Sony closed out its press conference with a bang by showing The Last of Us. The gameplay demo shown was more tense and atmospheric than most finished games. This was my most anticipated title coming into E3 and after this showing, I will be hard-pressed to change that. I can’t wait to get my hands on this one.
Though Sony had announced The Last Guardian would not be making an appearance at the expo, I was still hoping for a surprise announcement. I wouldn’t be surprised if this title never sees the light of day, especially if it’s a no-show at Tokyo Game Show this year.
Overall, I think Sony had a quality press conference that focused on quality over quantity. There were a few missteps, but the two bookends of the conference in Beyond and The Last of Us left me pretty impressed.
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