Sony’s E3 2016 Conference: Gods, Days, and Death Stranding

With Microsoft out of the way, it was Sony’s chance to impress everyone, and that wouldn’t be an easy ordeal. People tend to have high expectations for press conferences anyway, but those were much higher this year due to (1) the slew of dream games announced at last year’s conference (no, none of those games are out yet), and (2) this E3 being devoid of big surprises thus far. Not much of the Sony conference was leaked or rumored beforehand, so there was a better chance of people being surprised, but others may have still wanted too much.

Sony themselves helped set that bar high with a live orchestra, at the guidance of composer Bear McCreary. The conference started with a beautiful theme, which some people correctly identified was for God of War. It could have been for anything with the way the trailer was introduced, which made Kratos’ entrance especially dramatic. Perhaps they considered the best way to surprise everyone, after some details and concept art leaked two months ago. In addition to the story and exploration aspects of the demo, which showed some heartwarming moments between a father and son (quite an achievement, given who the protagonist is), it confirmed that its gameplay is receiving a complete overhaul. And while it’s still violent, it’s not quite as grotesque as previous entries…at least, from what was shown. The game is due for release sometime in 2017.

Following this was an introduction from Shawn Layden, who made sure to address the Orlando mass shooting. This was something presenters from every conference had to do, given how many games focus on violence, and they all did it well — EA notwithstanding, for some reason.

After being MIA for years, Sony Bend has been working on a new IP called Days Gone, an open world adventure that looks like their attempt at The Last of Us. It’s easy to see the influence, particularly in its undead enemies and the post-pandemic apocalyptic world. No date was given, but stick around for some impressions of the live demo at the end of this post.

The newest trailer for The Last Guardian provided assurance that it’s really a game that still exists, and its conclusion confirmed how soon it’s coming. After all these years, the game will finally release on October 25th, meaning the Sony execs who said it was still coming this year seriously meant it. While its visuals still show it’s PS3 origins, its art style helps it mostly overcome those limitations.

Since the trailer and release date were already provided a week ago, Sony opted for another demo for Horizon Zero Dawn for this conference. Part of the focus here was to show how it was indeed an action/RPG, and not completely a Monster Hunter-style game. This was shown in how protagonist Aloy can have conversations with people, and choose responses using a Bioware-style dialogue wheel. But they couldn’t leave the demo without showing her take down a robotic dinosaur of some sort, using multiple weapons and devices in her arsenal. The game will release on February 28th, 2017, slightly after its original late-2016 timeframe. But this fall is already packed, so it’s fine.

This was the first serious opportunity to show of Detroit: Become Human, a new title Quantic Dream revealed at the Paris Games Show last year. You’ll have the option of playing either Kara, who was introduced in the previous trailer, or Connor, who was shown for the first time in this gameplay demonstration. Here, he has to diffuse a hostage situation, and the gameplay video displayed all the possibilities with how this can happen. The dialogue and voice acting weren’t the greatest (or Quantic Dream Quality, as some would say), but it has potential. It’s due for release sometime in 2017.

The next trailer tried to make the audience believe they were being shown a preview for a new first-person horror game from a smaller developer. But it shocked everyone when it was revealed to be Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. This isn’t a complete reboot, as it takes place after Resident Evil 6, but it represents a complete tonal shift from the last few actionized installments. Those rumors that said RE would be returning to its horror roots weren’t inaccurate after all, though these perhaps aren’t the roots some longtime fans had in mind. It appears heavily influenced by other first-person horror titles, especially Konami’s late P.T., especially in how a demo was made available right after the show. It will release on January 24th for PS4, Xbox One, and PC, and will be compatible with PlayStation VR. Throwing away the franchise’s gameplay legacy like this is a gutsy move, regardless of RE6’s divisive critical reception, so it remains to be seen how this works out in terms of reception and sales.

Speaking of that: PlayStation VR will launch on October 13th, and will arrive with 50 compatible games by the end of the year. Some of those were shown here, including Farpoint, Star Wars Battlefront: X-Wing VR Missions, and Batman: Arkham VR. This segment also showed how VR simply doesn’t demo well on a grand stage, so impressions will have to be heard through hands-on previews before anyone rushes to judgment.

After the messy showing of Final Fantasy XV at the Microsoft conference, Sony received the honor of showing a trailer. The footage looked good, though the dubstep version of the Chocobo theme didn’t sit well with some people. Neither did the VR segment, which looked like an incredibly gimmicky and last-minute addition. At least this will provide the option to play as Prompto instead of Noctis, so that’s something. They have until September 30th to get these presentations and trailers right before some people write off the game.

Also using VR will be Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, which looked like a demonstration for a Colony Wars or Omega Boost reboot initially — at least to me. That’s because most of the demo took place in a space station, and subsequently in space. (I also really know how to set myself up for disappointment.) We’ll see if it’s one of the better installments when it releases on November 4th. Meanwhile, the campaign for Modern Warfare Remastered, a pack-in releasing alongside Infinite Warfare, will be available 30 days early on PS4. You have to love timed exclusives.

Speaking of Activision: Crash Bandicoot is back! …but not in the form people asked for. The first three PSOne titles are being remastered for a PS4 release, which will arrive sometime next year. Also, rumors that Crash will be joining Skylanders were proven accurate. This was far from the conclusion people wanted after Layden wore a Crash shirt during PlayStation Experience, so they trolled people pretty hard. But I laughed, so I’m fine with it.

LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which retells the movie’s events in a more comical and slapstick fashion, will release in two weeks. But a demo is currently available for everyone to play on PS4, in case you want to see if you’ll like it.

Some people didn’t think he would resurface at an E3 conference just yet, but Hideo Kojima appeared and provided an incredibly early glimpse at his next game: Death Stranding. The video showed a naked man picking up a baby off a beach, in an experience which could potentially become philosophical and mind-screw-heavy with explaining the way of life — which is what you’d expect from a Kojima game. The man was shown to be Norman Reedus, who was originally attached to Konami’s Silent Hills before they callously killed it. While it was entertaining, it’s another game that won’t be coming for years, particularly since Kojima hasn’t picked out a game engine to use just yet. At least he’s still making games, and no longer has the shadow of Konami’s hovering over him.

As it turns out, those rumors of a new Spider-Man game coming were accurate. Though Sucker Punch (of the Infamous superhero series) isn’t developing it, as some initially hoped, but you’ll find few of them complaining about Insomniac’s involvement. The trailer wasn’t long, but it looks fantastic in motion. Given their pedigree, this should be the best Spider-Man game since, I believe, Shattered Dimensions, even if Spidey’s default costume here isn’t the best. Unfortunately, there is no release date or timeframe, but expect to see more of it around the time of Spider-Man Homecoming’s theatrical release.

The final showcase was reserved for the aforementioned Days Gone, which received a live gameplay demo. It looked fine from the start, despite certainly wearing its TLOU inspiration on its sleeve. But it quickly became generic when the undead enemies started attacking, especially when they gathered in hordes and the exploding barrels appeared. The protagonist’s seemingly unending ammunition didn’t help matters either. I’m not giving up hope for it, though, and it would be great if they had another chance to provide an improved demo in the very near future; but this wasn’t the best way to end the conference.

Sure, Sony’s conference this year didn’t offer the spectacle that came with last year’s showcase, but it was one of their better showings. At least the games shown here aren’t as far off as last year’s, especially Final Fantasy VII Remake and Shenmue III — which didn’t even show at this event. I appreciated the emphasis on “show, don’t tell” that was on display here, which left it bereft of talking heads. They focused on going from one game to the next, which is the best way to maintain good pacing. For most, they did what they needed to perk up a merely-okay E3, and that’s fine enough.