E3 2017: Sony Press Conference Recap

Sony’s popularity has risen quite a bit since the release of the PS4, so it comes as no surprise that their press conference at E3 was very much anticipated. Their showing the year before was great, so many were awaiting further greatness. What they showed was a flurry of trailers for upcoming games with the only monologuing coming at the very beginning and end by CEO Shawn Layden. The surprises were plentiful, and there were plenty of jaw-dropping moments to get us excited about the coming years for the PS4.

Sony kicked things off with a familiar franchise: Uncharted. We already knew that the new title, “Uncharted: the Lost Legacy” was coming, but we were still introduced to a new trailer featuring the characters Chloe and Nadine. It looks to be very similar in tone to the previous games, just with no Nathan Drake. This title will only be $39.99, however, and release August 22nd of this year.

One of our favorite games of this year so far was “Horizon Zero Dawn”, and Sony unveiled DLC for the new intellectual property called “The Frozen Wilds”. Aloy has a new snowy area to explore with the promise of a new mechanical beast to tackle. The DLC will release later this year.

Next up, we were given a lengthy look at the upcoming zombie survival game called “Days Gone”. This gameplay trailer included a visual treat for the audience and real actors were hanging from the ceiling in front of the screen to give an eerie effect. No release date was given during the presentation.

Two big surprises were up next for the conference. The first was the announcement of the Monster Hunter series coming to the PS4. “Monster Hunter World” looks much sharper than it’s previous iterations and should make fans of the series very happy. All we know for a release date at this point is early 2018.

The other big surprise from this press conference was the announcement of a remake of “Shadow of the Colossus” from Ico, a game that originally appeared on the PS2. Although the game was given the HD treatment on PS3, this looks to be a from-the-ground-up remake. This game is a cult classic that should make a lot of fans very happy. It releases sometime in 2018.

We already knew about “Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite”, the latest fighting game in the popular series, but Sony unveiled a new cinematic trailer. Not much to say other than it looks stunning, releases on September 19th, and has a playable demo that is available right now.

“Call of Duty WWII” is one of the more hotly-anticipated games of the year, and we were given a new trailer and an official release date of November 3rd. The game is currently available for preorder via digital download and physical release.

Sony spent the next portion of their press conference covering their PlayStation VR games. The first was a gameplay trailer for “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim”, which we had already seen a portion of during the Bethesda press conference.

The next VR title is a new one from developer Playful called “Star Child”. The gameplay features a 2-D sidescrolling sci-fi adventure featuring a female traveler. No release date was given.

“The Inpatient” is the next new VR title shown. This comes from developer Supermassive Games, who was responsible for the hit title “Until Dawn”. The game takes place in a sanatorium over 60 years prior to the events of that game. No release date was given.

“Final Fantasy XV” was a very successful title last year, and it included a fishing mini-game of which many people were fans. Sony’s next VR trailer was for an expansion on that mini-game called “Monster of the Deep” that allows players to fish in virtual reality. It releases September of this year.

Sony refused to let up with the VR titles and announced another that is currently in development. “Bravo Team” is a military style shooter that also comes from Supermassive Games. No release date was given.

The final VR title unveiled during this segment of the press conference was a whimsical game called “Moss” from developer Polyarc. The main character is a female mouse by the name of Quill, and the player manipulates the environment around her by interacting with the Move controllers. No release date was given.

The next trailer shown was a combination of cinematic scenes and gameplay from the upcoming “God of War”. The game is taking a sharp turn compared to its previous titles. Kratos now has a son by the name of Atreus, and there is a heavy Norse mythology theme. Even the gameplay has been reworked; it still has the hack-and-slash gameplay, but is done from a 3rd-person over-the-shoulder perspective. It releases early 2018.

Sony’s next trailer was for Quantic Dreams’s “Detroit: Become Human”. You play as Marcus, a character leading an android uprising in a futuristic Detroit. The trailer gives the impression that you can alter the course of your story, similar to how the gameplay in “Heavy Rain” worked. No release date for the game was given.

Another eagerly anticipated title in the gaming world is “Destiny 2”, and Sony secured the rights to release the new trailer during their press conference. The story looks to be fleshed out more than the original, introducing a new enemy in The Red Legion led by Dominus Ghaul. Very little gameplay was shown, but Bungie appears to be listening to fans and giving them what they’re asking for in a sequel. The game releases September 6th with an open beta starting July 19th.

After months of waiting, we were finally treated to the first look at “Marvel’s Spider-Man”, and this looks like a winner. This over eight minute gameplay segment features multiple gameplay types including web-slinging through the city, offing enemies Batman style, and cinematic sequences with QTE’s. This trailer should not be missed as it looks much more epic than we ever imagined. Developer Insomniac appears to have delivered with the beloved character, and 2018 can’t come fast enough.

And that’s it from Sony this year. If you’d like to watch the full press conference, you can watch the entire show at the link below. Also, be sure to listen to our reactions of the Spotlight on our Day 3 Podcast episode. You can also hear our reactions to the other press conferences including EA, Microsoft/Bethesda, Nintendo and Ubisoft.