The Highs and Lows of Sony’s E3 2015

E3 is over; let's review Sony's showing.



With E3 coming to a close it's time to sit back and cast judgement on the big three. Overall, Sony had a great show. Despite the fact that it had very little to get excited about in 2015, the company dropped some serious megatons. Our assessment of its press conference is split up into three sections. The first highlights the most important and exciting moments. For Sony, these happen to be the announcements of a highly-sought after remake, a sequel for one of the most beloved series of all time, and the return of a project thought abandoned. This is followed by some areas we would have liked to see improved which, surprisingly, includes more time on the PlayStation Vita. Finally, we end with games they actually showed.


Highlights: Final Fantasy 7 Remake



It finally happened! At Sony's press conference, Square Enix announced it is remaking one of the most beloved Japanese role-playing games of all time. This is exciting for multiple reasons. Firstly, because everyone can now get on with their lives and stop constantly bringing this up. Secondly, because it seems this is more of a reimagining than a remake. Project director Tetsuya Nomura has indicated that the story is likely to deviate from the original's. Of course, there is one downside to all this: That Aerith scene is back in valid spoiler territory again.


Highlights: The Last Guardian



Good news! That adorable bird, chicken, dog thing from The Last Guardian is alive and well. As is the game, for that matter. After years of no-shows, Team ICO's latest has finally resurfaced, and boy did it win us over. Just one look at the main character skipping down the stone stairs, raising his knees to his chest, and doing his best not to take a tumble, erased all the frustration created by the ambiguity of its release. Better yet, Fumito Ueda, the mastermind behind ICO and Shadow of the Colossus also showed up to give the game his approval. It looks like The Last Guardian will be as magical as the studio's previous games.


Highlights: Shenmue 3



Sony's third and final meltdown inducing announcement was the reveal of Shenmue 3. Like Final Fantasy 7, this is one of those projects that fanboys lose sleep over. Well, it's time to rest easy, it's happening. The project is being crowdfunded on Kickstarter and shot past its goal in a matter of hours. Although initially cagey on the business side of it, Sony has confirmed it will be forking up some cash for the project too. Forklifts will return, and look better than ever.


Highlights: Horizon Zero Dawn



After years of creating nothing but Killzone, Guerrilla Games is finally developing something new, and it. Looks. Awesome. Horizon: Zero dawn is a third-person action game in which a lone hunter battles against giant robot dinosaurs. As dude-bro as that sounds, it feels like there's also a lot of heart to it too. We're not quite sure what's happening in terms narrative; we have a lot of questions, and that's definitely a good thing.


Needs Improvement: PlayStation Vita



Hey Sony, not sure if you noticed but people did actually buy the PlayStation Vita. Sure, it's not as many people as you'd like, but we're still out here, and we'd really like it if you show us some cool, unique games you're making for the portable gaming device we spent our hard-earned cash on. Sure hope you have some at GamesCom.


Needs Improvement: Games We Can Play Soon



Sure, Sony basically made dreams come true this year, but we're not so easily fooled. Behind all the grand announcements was a severe lack of games being released in 2015. Sure, there was Call of Duty and Batman, but those are third-party games. Where's the big new 2015 titles from Sony? Oh, there are none. No, HD re-releases don't count. Sorry Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection


Biggest Games: Uncharted 4



Holy moly! Did you see Uncharted 4? It looks fantastic. Along with the obvious visual improvements (that market got torn to shreds), it looks like Naughty Dog is making big changes to gameplay. At various points it almost looked like areas were going a bit open-world, instead of the usual guided down a set path series fans are used to. Of course, there was also plenty of the crazy over-the-top set pieces we all know and love.


Biggest Games: No Man's Sky



Yes, we're right there with you, we still don't completely understand what No Man's Sky even is. However, Hello Games has got demoing that game down to an art. Every time nervous Sean Murray shows up on stage and shows us just how insanely large the galaxy of No Man's Sky is, our minds begin to run wild with possibilities. More than anything, the idea of finding something cool that no one else is likely to ever see keeps us hanging on to the hype. We still can't wait to get our hands on it.


Biggest Games: Dreams



In typical Media Molecule fashion, the studio's latest game, Dreams, was really weird and also really charming. We're not completely sold on the whole creation element, especially since it relies on the DualShock 4's motion capabilities. Also, were not exactly confident that we'll be able to create anything that won't induce horrible nightmares. However, the idea of exploring a web of interconnected worlds created by other players definitely interests.


Biggest Games: Destiny: The Taken King



Destiny. Yes, Destiny. We will not be ashamed of how much some of us here at GameSpot enjoy Bungie's Destiny. And the upcoming expansion, The Taken King, looks like it will introduce interesting new content. Destiny is finally starting to realise the vision Bungie originally set out with, and The Taken King is a big step towards doing that. We are excited and there's nothing you can do about it.


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