PS4 Reveal Event – The Studios
Sony’s PS4 announcement event has come and gone giving gamers a glimpse at their newest console.
Along with PS4 specs and new IP’s, numerous studios took to the stage to either announce the release of a new game, the demonstration of a new engine or simple potential of the console within their studios. Here are the main highlights:
David Cage - Mastermind between Heavy Rain and emotive gaming David Cage took to the stage explaining his desire for more emotion and feeling along with the PS4. As always, he delved into our minds with concepts of heart wrenching games, made all the more possible by the new hardware.
He went on to explain how Jodie Holmes, the protagonist from Beyond Two Souls will contain 30,000 polygons (compared tot he 20,000 of Madison from Heavy rain). This neatly lead on to a facial demo, showing the level of character emotion possible on the new hardware. Simply put, it made LA Noire look like Max Payne in the facial department!
Media Molecule - They may not have announced the rumoured LittleBigPlanet 3 but Media Molecule took to the stage to discuss their new found possibilities with the Playstation Move. They showed an adorable demo featuring characters which were sketched from scratch by the Media Molecule team with the Move controller. It certainly showed that the peripheral still has potential and life, although it may not have been the most revolutionary thing on show.
Blizzard - Making their first ever stage appearance, Blizzard appeared to some surprise with the exciting news that Diablo III will not only be coming to the PS3, but also the PS4. It was probably the evenings biggest surprise, even though there were rumours of a console port a few months back. Blizzard continued to explain their decision by exploring the PS4′s power and future potential.
Capcom - Capcom’s Yoshinori Ono arrived on Sony’s stage with the discussion of Capcom’s history with Sony from Resident Evil in the PSOne days to the latest Monster Hunter on PS Vita. He continued to describe Capcom’s future support for the Playstation 4 as well as the reveal of a new engine, code named Panta Rhei. To demo this new engine, Ono showed us a trailer for Deep Down, a new Demon Souls-esque dungeon crawler. It was great to see a major company like Capcom so enthusiastic about pushing the new console to its limits.
Ubisoft - Ubisoft have had a big year partnered with Sony, elevating Sony’s E3 conference to a higher level. So, it was great to see Ubisoft supporting the PS4 and this time it was with E3 2013 darling, Watch Dogs. Ubisoft confirmed its arrival on PS4 before showing the audience another brilliant live demo from one of 2013′s most intriguing titles. Much like previous gameplay, the demo showed the shadowy main character hacking into phones, lights, pylons and even automated bollards to help stop an incoming cop-car. Once again, Watch Dogs looked awesome with early demos such as this one hinting to a cynical stand against the intrusion of the digital age.
Activision – Activision, possibly the largest publisher today, were present at the PS4 event too claiming they are excited to see where the next generation can push them. However, the big story here was the appearance of Bungie and their new game Destiny. Officially unveiled less than a week ago, Destiny is a new shooter from the studio behind Halo, set in a new planet with unparalleled customisation and a co-op experience that will ‘blow your mind’. Whilst we may have only caught a tiny glimpse at Destiny’s footage, Bungie act as another new developer for Sony’s PS4, continuing to expand their library of games.
Square Enix - The Final Fantasy series is one of Playstation’s most beloved franchises so it was no surprise to see Square Enix take to the stage. Much like the other developers, Squenix discussed the open possibilities and potential with the new console, hinting at a continued FF universe. This was partnered with a pre-announcement of a new Final Fantasy game at this years E3 as well as an extended trailer for Lightning Returns – the third installant into the Lightning series. No news on a FFVII remake though. Sad times.
