Sony puts E3 2017 spotlight on VR, Spider-Man, God of War
Six new PSVR games were shown, including Skyrim VR, and Insomniac's Spider-Man is a "true exclusive" says Shawn Layden
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With EA, Ubisoft, Bethesda and Microsoft already having showed their goods, this evening was Sony's turn to impress PlayStation fans at E3 2017 and those watching the live broadcast around the world. Unlike previous years, Sony kept things short and sweet with a presentation that was very light on talk, but big on trailers, and lasted barely over an hour. Here's the complete rundown, if you missed the show.
PlayStation VR shows that it's more than Resident Evil 7 and Farpoint
- While Microsoft chose to ignore VR, Sony decided to capitalize on its PSVR installed base (over 1m) by showing off six games. Notably, however, release dates were not explicitly stated.
- Bethesda confirmed that Skyrim VR is coming to PSVR.
- Playful showed a futuristic-looking game published by GameTrust called Star Child
- A Final Fantasy themed fishing title called Monster of the Deep is set for September.
- Supermassive Games unveiled a narrative driven title called Inpatient.
- Also from Supermassive is a new shooter called Bravo Team.
- Perhaps the most interesting was a new IP from Polyarc called Moss, featuring a mouse roaming dungeon-style in a magical world.
Sony's heavy hitters
- The conference began with an endearing musical performance and trailer for Uncharted The Lost Legacy.
- An expansion for Guerilla Games' Horizon Zero Dawn, called The Frozen Wilds, is set for later this year.
- A much more gameplay detailed demo than we saw last time showcased Bend Studio's post-apocalyptic adventure Days Gone.
- Japan Studio unveiled a remastered (remake?) Shadow of the Colossus, coming in 2018; it was one of the few surprises at the show.
- Quantic Dream's Detroit Become Human demonstrated what a real android revolution could look like. You get to lead the revolution as Marcus and can choose violence or pacifism. Your actions impact the world.
- The latest God of War demo was shown, and the title continues to look even more polished. It's a father/son story at its heart. Sony said it's set to release in early 2018.
Big games from partners and third parties
- Insomniac's rendition of Marvel's Spider-Man received a big focus at the event, and some would argue it's the top highlight of Sony's conference. Shawn Layden boasted that it's a "true exclusive" for PlayStation. It's coming next year.
- Capcom showed off a brand-new game in the Monster Hunter universe called Monster Hunter World, which was not announced as an MMO but looked like it may fit the mold. Monster Hunter is huge in Japan, so it'll be interesting to see if it can catch fire in the West.
- Capcom also showed a new trailer for Marvel vs Capcom Infinite. The game is coming on September 19 and a story demo is available for download today.
- The newest trailer for Bungie's Destiny 2 was shown and Sony was happy to announce that the "ultimate Destiny 2 experience" is on PlayStation where you can get exclusive content like weapons and maps. The game is out on September 6.
The requisite Call of Duty World War II trailer was shown, but the title didn't get a big spotlight at the show the way past Call of Duty titles have.
Notable tidbits
- Sony did not talk about sales stats, did not hype up PS4 Pro, ignored Vita entirely and did not suggest a price cut.
- Shawn Layden was the only one to really talk and he barely did that. There were no notable personalities or big studio heads. Some were expecting Hideo Kojima and Death Stranding, but it didn't happen.
- In what might be considered a blow to the indie community, Sony did not talk about or showcase any of the great indies on PlayStation Network as it did in years past.
- While Microsoft pushed 4K and HDR because of Xbox One X, Shawn Layden merely mentioned it once at the outset and none of the trailers specified any visual enhancements.