Sony comes into the E3 with their head held high, though with the lack of titles to watch in 2014. As long as Sony doesn’t do anything profoundly stupid at their conference they will remain clear winners.
Sony decided to jump into the virtual reality fray with Project Morpheus, which will allow you to become immersed into a game world while looking like an honorary member of Daft Punk. Even though the Oculus Rift and Valve’s Dota 2 exist, Sony is the only console developer to move into this new frontier. While Sony didn’t push any new title especially hard like Nintendo and Microsoft set out to do, frankly they didn’t need to. Their lead heading into this E3 was massive, and using the opportunity to reveal their exploration into new technologies will certainly suffice, even if they do lose some momentum. Playing for the long-term isn’t a bad idea.
Games to Watch
Bloodborne – From Software: Formerly known as Project Beast, Sony wanted to give people a taste of their exclusive from the developers of Dark Souls, and it certainly did feel like a Dark Souls game. All Sony revealed was a trailer, which is more than enough to drum up interest. Very recently a gameplay trailer did surface, which of course does look very Dark Souls. Though the previous notion that change isn’t necessary is proven once again here. There’s a lot of love for the Dark Souls series, and regardless of what happens, the fact that it feels like Dark Souls will lead to console sales, as Dark Souls 2 is one of the only reasons why Playstation 3s are still plugged in. Dark Souls Dark Souls Dark Souls, Dark Souls Dark Souls (Dark Souls).
Release Date: TBD
LittleBigPlanet 3 – Sumo Digital: Just about everyone knew LittleBigPlanet 3 was going to happen, but when it was announced this year, likely no one figured it would come as soon as later this year. Sumo Digital’s quirky platformer has a reputation for being an oddball title that looks more at home with a Nintendo console than anything. Bringing back its own flavor of sandbox meshed into puzzles and platforming with a few new characters isn’t anything to write home about, far from a groundbreaking revelation of game design, though with the disappointing lack of Sony exclusives it was expected.
Release Date: November 2014
Conclusion
Sony’s focus was almost certainly third-party titles, many of which they managed to obtain exclusive content. With their hyping up of Bungie’s Destiny, one would think that it was a Sony exclusive. Sony had a few surprises in the form of old games, when Tim Schafer’s beard and face made an appearance along with the announcement of a remastered Grim Fandango. While Sony’s first-party titles leave much to be desired, perhaps being too much of a letdown, though their focus on indie games like Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number and third-party titles isn’t a bad idea. Sony seems to be attempting to gain favor with outside developers that realize the lack of profit in console exclusive games, but instead offering more content on one console while still publishing for both the Playstation 4 and Xbox One. It’s crafty to say the least, grabbing these titles and squeezing more meat for their own platform brings more incentive to own Sony’s console, and in the long run it seems as if they’re hoping that the combination of larger third-party titles as well as a healthy collection of indie titles and old classics like Grim Fandango. Sony will attempt to beat the competition not through their own manpower, but with help from their friends.
