Sony caps a stellar year with even more announcements.
You’ve gotta hand it to Sony, there’s only three and half weeks until Christmas and they are still pulling new game announcements out of the hat.
Yesterday’s news from the PlayStation Experience completes a fine year for a company that has already impressed at E3, GDC and Paris Games Week.
Encouragingly, they went big with PlayStation VR. Mainstream virtual reality finally feels like it’s going to happen, and the reveal of Rez Infinite – helmed by Tetsuya Mizuguchi – is as good a way to grab headlines as is possible. It’s an idea that makes absolute sense and will hopefully be an early killer-app for the device.
Elsewhere, there was more flying with Ace Combat 4, a PS4 title that includes VR support. There’s an instinct to shrug this one off but it’s quite possible that VR will breath new life into some of these older, more staid franchises.
The quirky, experimental side of VR was covered by Job Simulator and The Modern Zombie Taxi Co. The later looked sparky but perhaps a little too chaotic. Meanwhile, Golem from Highwire Games hinted at a more considered experience, evoking the tone of Ico and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons.
There was also news of a VR-based sequel to the cult favourite, Psychonauts. The trailer showed little but was the latest in a long line of fan pleasing reveals from Sony, who are evidently trying to pitch their new headset to as wide an audience as possible.
As well as the focus on VR there were also plenty of other surprises. Perhaps most charming was Hob, the new puzzle platformer from the team behind the beloved Torchlight.
We also had our first look at gameplay from Epic Game’s new MOBA, Paragon, which looked pleasingly rambunctious, with some beautiful pyrotechnics. And following on from the remakes of Grim Fandango and Day of the Tentacle – which received a lovely new trailer – it was announced that Full Throttle Remastered will also be coming to PS4 and PS Vita in 2016.
Other games on show included 100ft Robot Golf, the multiplayer-focused Don’t Starve Together and Fat Princess Adventures – which is available to buy right now.
And then there was the coming-out party for Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom. The glorious trailer delivered everything fans have been asking for and looks simply beautiful.
Speaking of trailers there was also a first look at Final Fanstasy VII Remake. From what we saw it’s safe to say we expect a mixed reaction. We’ll likely take a closer look later this week.
All in all the PlayStation Experience was a demonstration of just how strong a position Sony and the PlayStation 4 are in right now. The mix of games we have seen this year has been nothing short of amazing; featuring a mix of new and experimental titles, remastered classics and, finally, some tangible VR products to be excited about.
2015 was all yours Sony. Let’s hope you deliver on the promise in 2016.
