Player 2 Vs The Playstation Experience 2016
If you’re a Playstation fan then PSX is your favourite time of year with Sony gifting thousands of its most hardened fans the opportunity to play the future of the Playstation platform. The hands-on time itself is preceded by the annual PSX Press Conference where games are announced and dreams come true. Player 2’s own Matt Hewson and Paul James sit down to dissect everything they’ve seen and heard from PSX 2016, so read on and get their raw, unfiltered thoughts on everything Sony has shown.
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
Paul: It was no surprise that the Uncharted 4 Single Player was going to be at PSX, but what was surprising is that A. It’s a standalone, self-contained story, and B. That story is centered around Chloe and Nadine and is extremely dark. They teased for an age as to who was in it, and my mind raced at a million miles an hour, but the payoff was immensely satisfying. No release date, but here’s hoping that it’s not too far away.
Matt: Playing as Chloe = Win. She has always been my favourite non-Drake in the Uncharted series so I am super excited to take her on her own adventure. She has leading lady qualities and I am glad Naughty Dog are putting her to the forefront. It should be a super-refreshing change to the Uncharted franchise and I am glad to see it.
Marvel Vs Capcom Infinite + Ultimate MvC3
P: I’m not much of a fighting game fan, but Marvel V Capcom Infinite looked kinda cool. It seems that the rumours of the game not featuring X-Men characters were legitimate, but what was cool for fans of the genre is that the game is coming out next year! Lessons have hopefully been learned from what happened with Street Fighter V and to place a cherry on top Ultimate Marvel V Capcom 3 is coming to PS4
M: I loved Marvel Vs Capcom 3. I was never any good at it, but I loved it all the same. This means I am super pumped for a new one. It is a fighting game series that not fighting game players can enjoy and I can’t wait to suit up and go head to head with my kids for the title of the greatest button masher in the Hewson house. No X-men is a little worry I feel but there are a host of characters that Marvel could include to make up for that. I think it is probably safe to say that the Inhumans will step in and fill the X Void, especially with their recent Agents of SHIELD storyline and their upcoming solo show.
WipEout Omega Collection
P: Blistering speed and multiplayer madness – Wipeout is back in the form of the WipEout Omega Collection. WipEout HD, Fury and 2048 are all bundled together in one package that contains 26+ tracks and local split-screen, online multiplayer and much more. Fans have begged for more WipEout, and they’ve gotten what they asked for.
M: This is where the remakes started and while I am happy with this one, I still feel the industry is producing too many. Grumbles aside…. WIPEOUT. I am excited and hopefully, this sells well enough to encourage Sony to come back to the franchise for a new release.
Crash Bandicoot N-Sane Trilogy
P: CRASH! One of the biggest announcements of E3 2016 was that Crash Bandicoot was coming back, and PSX was the coming out party. Coming in 2017 you’re going to be getting a gorgeously remastered version of the PS1 classics.
M: This is another remake that I can get behind because…. Well, it’s Crash. Many people were introduced to the original Playstation by Crash so it only seems fair that he gets some remake love. It looks stunning by the way and I tell you what I have never seen my wife this excited about a video game so I will be there day one.
Resident Evil VII: Biohazard
P: NOPE! Horror games are not my thing, and the fact that I don’t want to go near Resident Evil VII with a ten-foot pole says that Capcom are hitting the nail on the head. Enough said
M: I have never actually been super invested in the Resident Evil series. Something has always felt a little off for me. That said I am very impressed with what I have seen so far with Resi 7. They seem to be bringing the horror back in a big way and if they can’t get the puzzles right (which Resi notoriously hasn’t) then this could be a winner. As for the VR version…NOPE.
Ace Combat 7
P: I’m not at all a fan of the Ace Combat games, or just flight sims at all really. I took the time that Ace Combat 7 was playing to check twitter – very happy for those who are a fan of the franchise, though.
M: I actually reviewed the last Ace Combat game and that was a solid flight shooter so I am keen to see what is next. The fact it will be in VR is pushing me pretty close to getting a VR Headset because I feel that flight sims are just perfect VR fodder. I am sure it will be another solid entry in the long-running franchise.
Parappa, LocoRoco & Patapon
P: A trio of remasters are incoming. If you’re a fan of either Patapon, LocoRoco or Parappa the Rapper then you’re in for a treat with remasters coming for each of these franchises. Parappa was the central focus with the remaster coming to celebrate his 20th year, but it seems as though Sony is putting these three out there to test the waters regarding future franchise entries.
M: I have zero interest in these. I loved Patapon and LocoRoco on the PSP/Vita but I think they will lose a lot of impact on the PS4. That said I would love to be proven wrong. I think Sony would have been better releasing new versions of these games tailored for the PS4 as opposed to remakes, but I can see why they went down this route. I very big meh from me.
The Last Guardian
P: The dream is about to come true. The Last Guardian is only a few days away, and Playstation hero Shuhei Yoshida walked on stage to debut the final trailer. The artistry is phenomenal, and I know I’m going to sob like a big man-baby when the final game is out this Wednesday. Thank you Shu
M: I am still backing another delay before release. But seriously this game has so much hype and build-up to live up to. I am like Fox Mulder on this one, I want to believe, but I find my cynical side warning me that a game that has been in development for so long is going to have problems. How big will those problems be? Well, we find out this week.
Knack 2
P: One of the biggest jokes in the Playstation Nation is Knack, so I nearly laughed out loud when Knack 2 was debuted. I didn’t mind the first game despite some massive flaws, but Knack 2 will include co-op and more charm. I might give it a go when it releases in 2017.
M: Ha, why? Why bother? Knack should have been relegated to the same bin as Blinx the Cat in the Hall of Crappy Launch Titles. Pass.
Gravity Rush 2
P: Gravity Rush 2 isn’t too far away, initially it would have been out this past week but was pushed because the game was done and they wanted to include some of the planned post-release content with the game… we saw that first slice today and it looks like more Gravity Rush. The sooner we can play this the better.
M: Oh yes, I need this in my blood. I still stand by my belief that Gravity Rush was the best title on the Vita and is actually one of the best games on the PS4. So I simply cannot wait for the first fully fledged console version of the game to get in my hot little hands. Free DLC is just the cherry on the top
GT Sport
P: Another delayed PS4 game, we saw some new GT Sport footage, but it still doesn’t have a release date attached to it. The demo showed how gorgeous the game will look on a PS4 pro, but gave us little more than that. Keep waiting GT fans.
M: Oh GT, you look so good. I really want them to get the menus, UI and non-racing components of the game right this time around because while the driving has always been top notch, everything else has felt a little clunky. I hope the fact that the Forza brand is doing so well has spurred the developers to great heights with this iteration. Still no release date either.
Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom
P: Ni No Kuni II was my biggest announcement from PSX 2015 and it was fantastic to see more of it this year. With a 2017 release now promised we saw gorgeous Studio Ghibli inspired visuals (Ghibli isn’t working on this one), hints of the overworld, combat and some of the key players in the narrative but what was noticeable absent were the familiars. Familiars were Pokemon-like creatures that assisted you in combat, but in Revenant Kingdom’s trailer, they were missing, with the player character doing all the damage – I hope like hell that they return.
M: I can’t really comment on this one too much. Having never played the original I didn’t really know what I was watching. Whatever it was it looked great, but I am in no real position to give an opinion really.
Gio Corsi’s Party Time
P: Yakuza 6 + Kiwami, Danganronpa 3, Nier Automata, Ys Origin, Dreadnought, Pyre, Vane, Absolver, Edith Finch, Nex Machina, Nidhogg 2, Let It Die, Mother Russia Bleeds, Garou: Mark of the Wolves, Surgeon Simulator and Lara Croft Go. He spoke about so much, and it was nearly impossible to keep up. There’s much to enjoy here with something for nearly everyone. My picks of the batch included Nier Automata, Pyre, Vane, Edith Finch, Nex Machina and Lara Croft GO. VITA LOVE!
M: There were some sweet, sweet games in this show reel. Nier: Automata got a May release date and looked awesome (and very Platinum-y). Absolver looked to be right up my ally and the most important announcement of the night (which Paul conveniently forgot) WINDJAMMERS. Frisbee to the extreme.
Star Blood Arena (VR)
P: An interesting surprise this PSX was Star Blood Arena, a VR-based, flying competitive shooter… thing. It looks pretty cool but I can’t help but wonder if my particularly pathetic stomach will be able to handle the intense movement. One to watch for PSVR owners.
M: It kind of has a Decent crossed with Team Fortress feel which is very cool. I hope there is a solid single player though because I think multiplayer numbers will still be an issue for VR.
VR Sizzle Reel – Far Point, Star Trek, Psychonauts, RIGS DLC,
P: There perhaps weren’t as many VR games as I had expected present this year, but we got some updated looks at Farpoint, Star Trek, Psychonauts and what appeared to be some RIGS DLC. The likely issue PSVR faces is that the initial wave has come and gone and now we’re waiting for the next wave… that may still take a bit longer.
M: Psychonauts…. that’s all that matters. Are you the Milkman?
NiOh
P: The Souls games aren’t really my thing, but NiOh is looking really sharp. While it doesn’t come from FromSoftware, NiOh certainly looks the part. It looks great, the combat looks brutal and those of you who are fans of the Souls games look to be in for a treat with NiOh.
M: Another game that looks amazing, plays amazing and will probably make me want to break my controller. But that said I am more than willing to give it ago because of Team Ninja and my love for Ninja Gaiden 1 & 2 (3 never happened.)
Horizon: Zero Dawn
P: Of course it couldn’t be a Playstation event without a little bit of Horizon. Sony is being quite bullish about the fact that they consider Horizon: Zero Dawn to be the beginnings of their next big system-selling franchise. We got a new slice of footage which didn’t reveal too much new, but just maintained the excitement levels for myself and many who are anticipating this change in direction for Guerrilla Games.
M: I think I am done being teased by this one. There is no need to amp the hype train at all. I just want the game and I want it now.
The Last of Us: Part II
P: It’s real! But before I go into detailed thoughts, let me make one thing clear – we won’t be getting The Last of Us Part II until 2019, 2018 if we’re really, really lucky. Moving onto the trailer though we see both Joel and Ellie return in a trailer that’s similar in tone to the debut trailer for the original game. Ellie has grown up and is out for blood, Joel still seems bitter and jaded, while the name Part II oozes class. I can’t wait for more, but the wait is gonna be long.
M: I like the Part II naming convention as well. It suits the epic nature of the game. Honestly, though I just don’t know where they can go with the sequel and my deepest fear is that it tarnishes the original game which is nigh on perfect. Prove me wrong Naughty Dog, please I am begging you, prove me wrong.
That is it for the PSX for another year. There were a host of great games, some big surprises and most of all a healthy injection of hype right into Playstation gamers everywhere. Let us know your favourite announcements in the comments below and stay tuned for more great gaming coverage on Player 2.
