Following what I considered a lackluster showing from Microsoft,
Sony at least came to E3 a little more prepared. The company may not have shown
off as much or as many different non-gaming ideas as Microsoft did, but what
was shown was certainly more impressive.
Taking a bold risk that paid off, Sony opened the show with “Beyond: Two
Souls,” a new IP from the makers of “Heavy Rain.” It looked awesome, and it was
nice to see a brand new title open the proceedings. It was moody and dark, and
the main character is played by Ellen Page, so throw in some celebrity cred for
Sony there (no Usher appearances here, for better or for worse).
Next up was “PlayStation Battle All Stars Royal,” which aside from having
the longest title ever, I’m still a little torn about.
It’s a fighting game featuring the system’s biggest and brightest stars. Bringing
in PlayStation universe characters is good idea, and
look how well “Smash Bros.” did for Nintendo. But does Sony have the depth in
its character roster to pull it off? I’m also curious to test how the
charge-combo-based combat works, as I’m a little
worried it may be even more unbalanced than super smashes were in “Smash Bros.
Brawl.” The game is also co-releasing on PS3 and Vita with cross-platform
support, so mobile and console players can duke it out together.
Ubisoft came to show off some of its PS offering, including not one, but two
“Assassin’s Creed” titles. I’ve never been a huge fan of the series, but the
boat-combat footage for “Assassin Creed III” was awesome. “Pirates of the Caribbean”
mixed with assassinations? Count me in.
The real only “new” showing was the Wonderbook, an AR-based addition that is
being pushed with a game worked on and written by JK Rowling. Big news right? One would think. The on-stage demo had to
deal with some glitches, and as much as I love Harry Potter, I’m not sure if
waving a wand and reading small poems will get me to buy something new. It
looked still very much a concept, and perhaps Sony needs something more than a
wand-waggling Potter game to pull it off. But if you want to push a new book
format, props for getting Rowling behind it, even if she wasn’t there to show
her support personally.
Sony failed to mention anything on the PS4 front, but given that Microsoft
didn’t go into its next-gen system either, the company probably didn’t feel the
pressure. Sony and Microsoft don’t want this generation to end and are
extending it as long as possible, so seeing the Wonderbook and Microsoft Smart
Glass as attempts to lengthen their console life cycles isn’t
that surprising. I’m also not sure when fighting over exclusive DLC became so
normal, but that’s another story.
Sony ended on a two-game strong note, “God of War: Ascension” and “The Last
of Us,” both of which are looking awesome. Bloody, but awesome. It was a strong
note to end on, but just like Microsoft there were no real surprises on Sony’s
front, leaving the ball in Nintendo’s court Tuesday morning. And then the floor
opens and the playing of the games begins, so keep an eye for hands-on coverage
here all week.
This article appears in A cultural gem in a high-tech hub.
