After last year's awkward conference, Sony looks to step up with this year with more exclusives for the PS3 and something, anything for the Vita! Did they forget about the Move? How will they respond to what Nintendo and Microsoft revealed? Let's found out!
The Exclusives
Jack Tretton, President and CEO of SCEA walks out. He says a bit about how Playstation customers are the best in the world then quickly transitions onto the games! He brings out David Cage who reveals Quantum Dream's new game, Beyond. It's about a girl named Jodie who will be played by Ellen Page, image and all. Not much is revealed about the game other than players follow her over 15 years, looked intriguing to say the least. No release date given immediately.
Next up is Super Sony Sash Bros.-I mean, Playstation All Stars Battle Royale! It looks exactly like that Nintendo game featuring all of those beloved characters. They're not even trying to hide it. It will be available on both the PS3 and Vita (yay Vita!) . Supports 4 players and online, Big Daddy from Bioshock and Nathan Drake from Uncharted are revealed as new chracters for the game.
The Vita and DLC
Cross controller compatabilty for Vita is announced along with new DLC for Little Big Planet 2. The new pack will contain a new story and other content not revealed at this time. Looks like the cross-platform features between the PS3 and Vita was Sony's way of contending with the Wii U gamepad.
Tretton mentions how Journey is the most downloaded title for the PSN, revelas that they will have over 200 downloadable titles for the PSN this year. Playstation Plus will add 12 games for free this month and will rotate in games each month. Press gets 1 year of Playstation Plus for free! (Thanks, Jack). A bunch of PS1 classics will be heading to Vita this summer including the original Tomb Raider and Final Fantasy VII.
Call of Duty: Black Ops: Declassifed is announced for Vita. No footage is shown. It's coming this holiday. Assassin's Creed 3 for Vita is announced soon after. It features a female assassin and can cross link with console versions of AC3. Will be available on October 30. Gameplay is shown with missions on the high seas! You can command your ship to fire at other ships, reminded me a lot of Master and Commander. Looked neat. AC3 will also have a PS3 bundle and exclusive DLC only on Playstation.
Far Cry 3 is brought out with a live demonstartion showing off 4-player co-op. ultiplayer will include a map ediot and PS3 will have free exclusive DLC.
The Future
There is where things got weird, Sony brings out Wonderbook, a new product, an interactive book. Harry Potter author, J.K. Rowling wrote a story for it called Book of Spells. The demo doesn't look good, too goofy, there's a lot of promise here, but I'm not sure what to make of it. You can use Move to cast spells while reading or playing along with your kids, nieces, nephews. Coming this holiday.
Sony partners with HTC for Playstation Suite, coming to Andoid devices in the future.
God of War: Ascension is shown, apparently Kratos hasn't killed everything yet! Looks like God of War alright! Lots of hacking and slashing. Kratos stands off against an Elephant Minotaur? My mind was just blown. Release date is March 13, 2013. Quarter 1, 2013 is looking stacked!
Lights are dimmed and things get quiet quick. Looks like this might be Uncharted 4? Nope, The Last of Us. Wow, you really have to see this to understand how great it looks. Naughty Dog is at it again. Brutal, gritty, the game looks fantastic. Exclusive to PS3, of course.
Parting Thoughts
Sony started off great announcing games for not just the PS3, but the Vita. The conference then came to a screeching halt after the reveal of the Wonderbook. The demo didn't sell me, but it's defintiely intriguing, I'll give it that. Nothing about The Last Guardian again, but there are games coming out this year and next to definitely look forward to! Big step up from last year for Sony. If you're a PS3 or Vita owner you're feeling good right now.
