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| PlayStation's answer to Nintendo [Sony ©, Image Source: PlayStation Blog] |
Sony announced last week that a new State of Play live stream
was planned for Tuesday 24th of September, giving gaming fans
something to get excited about for the final week of September. The hype train
only escalated when Naughty Dog (developers of PlayStation hits Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter, Uncharted
and The Last of Us) revealed teaser
image across various social media channels, that new information would be
revealed during State of Play about the long awaited sequel The Last of Us Part 2.
- For those who aren’t aware, earlier this year Sony began its own series of live streams called State of Play where they unveil new games launching on the platform as well as updates to already unveiled games. The format is almost identical to the well-established Nintendo Direct live steams happening for a number of years.
While the streams have had a very mixed reaction since their
conception, this latest has garnered significantly more attention having had The Last of Us Part 2 make an
appearance. The rest of the stream had a semi-lukewarm response with most of
the smaller announcements being rather outshined. However, we are nothing if
not committed so, since the stream is a couple of days old at this point we’ll
be going over everything that was revealed/announced during the latest State of
Play
You can watch the Sate of Play in its entirety over at the
PlayStation YouTube channel here à
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FekB7shVUC8
When the PlayStation Instagram account announced the stream,
they used this little video showing a huge crowd of faceless people jumping off
a wall and forming the numbers spelling out the date. I don’t think anyone
expected that the little people in that video was actually a tease at a new
game. The first thing shown is this new puzzle game (?) called HUMANITY; a game
whereby the objective appears to be directing these huge crowds of tiny
faceless people to a goal through different means and mechanics. It gives me
similar vibes to Lemmings from back in the day, but it seems to be showing off
a similar thing to when Sony first unveiled the PS4 by showing how many objects
could be on screen without frame rate lag.
Verdict: All in
all, not a horrible looking game. Probably have a very niche appeal or fly completely
under the radar. Depending on amount of levels, I shan’t see it being too
expensive either.
Now, I’ll be the first to admit it (and I have done in a
previous review) but I don’t like Call of Duty or Battlefield or other game
series of that ilk. If I’m going to spend however many hours shooting guns,
then there had better be some kind of gimmick or it at least be funny. From
what I know of this year’s Call of Duty title, it’s essentially a remake of the
old Modern Warfare title from 2007. It’ll still have all the usual stuff you
expect from a Call of Duty title i.e. big guns, explosions and other such
noise. This trailer however seems to show off a heavy emphasis on story.
Correct me if I’m wrong but single player campaigns or at least a compelling
narrative have always been on the back burner for Call of Duty, so it’s
surprising to see this be such a focal point this time around. Once the trailer
had finished, I said something I thought I’d never say in my life… “The new
Call of Duty actually looks pretty good.” Scary times indeed.
Verdict: Obviously
this is a well-established franchise, anyone who likes CoD will probably get
this game so nothing I say will change that. But I must admit, even I’m looking
at it with a little curiosity this time around. Who knows, maybe I’ll get it…
on sale of course.
… I… am so indescribably confused by this game… I can only
hazard a guess as to what on earth the purpose is in this game. According to
the announcer, it’s made by the same people behind Katamari Damacy which is one
of those series I really didn’t think people even remembered. It’s incredibly
bright and colourful and weird as hell; I’m pretty sure I saw a sentient toilet
with a face going around picking up piles of poo and throwing them into its
bowl… Oh Japan!
Verdict: Seriously,
I’m more confused than anything else surrounding this game. Like its predecessor
I probably won’t be playing it when it releases but I can see this being a fun
little series for one of the hundreds of YouTube gaming channels to play. I
however, will pass.
Now THIS is definitely the most intriguing of all the newer
small game shown off here. It gives off a vibe akin to Journey and Limbo or
Inside; it doesn’t have huge cut scenes or lines of text, only what you can see
on screen. How much this will occur in game is yet to be seen, I also like the
art style and the platforming that was shown off. I’m reserved however as it
isn’t definitively shown how what was contextual and what was gameplay.
Verdict: Definitely
interested! I don’t know if it’s a game that will be bought day one but
depending on what else is shown off up to the release, I may just pick it up
sale or no sale.
Most surprising here is that the infamous L.A. Noire is
getting a VR versions. It’s unclear yet as to wither or not this will be a VR
version of the whole game or new cases remade in PSVR or just a few of the
cases from the main game. Despite it being something of a cult classic and
being on multiple platforms, I haven’t played the original L.A. Noire before as
it never really intrigued me which is surprising as I love detective games and
crime solving games.
Verdict: I do
love my PSVR, I play it whenever I get chance and I have a good library of
games on my account. I’ve enjoyed previous puzzle games in VR and price
depending, I may enjoy this. Again, I’d like to know what it involves in terms
of content; are we doing the same cases from the main game in VR? Are we
playing brand new cases? Is it a full on VR re-release? All the questions, no
answers.
So they stuck to VR for the next bit and showed off a bunch
of VR titles on the way, so we’ll just rattle through them and see what they
have on offer.
- Gorn (Winter 2019): I’ve seen clips of this all over YouTube and other apps. It looks like complete unbridled lunacy in VR and I couldn’t be more excited for it. This will be one to look out for if you just want to have pure dumb fun in VR.
- Espire 1: VR Operative (September 2019): So I think I’ve seen this one before, I’m really not sure. However it looks like fun; kind of a Blood & Truth meets Sci-Fi thriller in VR. You get to shoot things, climb things and be sneaky so what’s not to love. And it’s releasing in this month (there’s only a few days left of it too so that means very soon).
- Stardust Odyssey (Winter 2019): Not totally sure on this one. You’re in space and you shoot stuff as far as I can tell. It seems rather trippy with how the ships controls look but this seems like one of those PSVR titles they should make a demo for first.
- After the Fall (2020): There’s guns, zombie mutant looking things, spooky dark rooms and strange weapons. I’m intrigued. Although I was intrigued by The Persistence and that let me down, so I’d like a demo please.
- Space Channel 5 VR: Kinda Funky News Flash! (Autumn 2019): … I don’t even know with this one. The title alone is bizarre enough as it is and I’m not clear as to what the gameplay is either. Is it like a Just Dance in VR situation? Apparently this is a revival or sorts for an old franchise but I can honestly say I’ve never heard of it.
Verdict: It’s
great to see Sony committing to the PSVR. I really enjoy mine despite its
technical issues and I hope that when the PS5 releases, we’ll still be able to
use our current headsets and games.
I think it was inevitable that they would release something
like this for MediEvil Remake. When they remade Spyro and Crash, those were the
kind of games that nearly everyone had played and didn’t need a demo in order
to know they’d like the remakes. MediEvil however didn’t have such a cult
appeal so this probably needed a bit more of a sales pitch for the remake. It
looks like they’re doing that thing with demos these days where you have incentive
to play it because it carries over an exclusive item to the main game, this
time being Dan’s Helmet. Wither or not this helmet is going to make you
stronger of simply be a cosmetic item is yet to be seen.
Verdict: I was
already kind of sold on this game. I have some memories of it as a child
because my dad would play it all the time and he enjoyed it (from what I can
remember). Now I’m a bit older and a bit more adept at games, maybe I’ll enjoy
it too.
I’m pretty sure this is a port of an already existing game,
the big announcement here is that it’s now coming to console (or PS4 at least).
It’s adding the expansions too for a price, but you’ll get “Nubia + Khmer and
Indonesia CIV & Scenario Packs” for free. I have no idea what that means unfortunately
as this is a series I’ve never even had a passing glance at; it’s just really
not for me this genre of game. Not that it’s a bad series or genre, just not
for me.
Verdict: I’m
happy for any fans of the Civilization games out there if they’ve been pining
for the series on consoles, it looks like it’ll be a very well made port with
plenty to offer those who may be buying it again. I’ll pass though thanks.
I was kind of glad they didn’t show another lengthy trailer
for this game, I don’t think I could take another nearly 10 minute video of
some kind of story that makes no sense yet. Don’t misunderstand though; I’m
definitely intrigued by Death Stranding. The only reason I’m not foaming at the
mouth for the game however is I don’t have the best track record with Kojima
games in the past (i.e. the Metal Gear series). I could never get into those
and while this obviously isn’t going to be the same thing, I’m still hesitant. However
as I said, this isn’t a trailer as its showing off a new PS4 Pro bundle which, if
you’ve already got a PS4 then you probably won’t be picking this up. Any new
comers out there may want it though, if they’re excited for the game too
Verdict: A good friend who I know is excited for
this game has promised to let me know what he thinks when he plays it though.
So I’ll be relying on him to tell me what the actual game is like. I’ve already
got a PS4 though so I’ll pass on this limited edition print. Looks cool though.
It says something when the basic premise of this game is “Outdrink
Satan to escape hell” and my firth thought was “This sounds like the kind of
thing that would happen to my girlfriend”. I’m not sure if this is also a port
of an already existing game or something entirely new but I will say I’m
intrigued; the story is unique enough and it strikes me as one of those ‘sting
of mini games’ kind of things. Whereby you only progress when you win at each
mini game. The two characters seem engaging enough too and the concept that you
have to out drink demons of hell just sounds like it can only be funny.
Verdict: Interested.
As I said, the premise is unique and as ironic as it sounds, it could be a fun
game to play with friends when you have a few drinks. Just not too many though;
I can’t even outdrink the missus, never mind Satan!
Oh dear… things were going so well for PS Plus. I covered
this month’s game previously here, in that article I talked about the
rollercoaster ride that is the PS Plus free games each month for 2019. I’m
saddened to say that in one respect, Sony dropped the ball massively here (no
pun intended). I can’t speak for all player of course but who the hell wants a
sports title as a free game for the month? It’s October, the month of
Halloween; at least give us something scary, not MLB the Show 19! I’m English,
I don’t even like baseball or watch it or anything. Sports games while they
sell stupid well are a niche, made for those who will buy each yearly iteration
of a game because that’s basically all they play. Oh yeah, the other game is
revealed too as The Last of Us Remastered. Now that’s good, practically
everyone who owns a PS4 probably already has it but it’s still a quality title
for subscribers in case they didn’t play it on PS3.
Verdict: It became a running joke for a while back on
the podcast whenever the PS Plus games were revealed that I’d already have them
or had no interest in them. This month is both of those things. I’ll claim The
Last of Us Remastered and trade in my disc copy, but I will not be claiming MLB
the Show 19 because I can confidently say I will NEVER play it.
Holy shit, the moment
we have all been waiting for! Everyone who saw this had high hopes that this
news dump would have a release date and they didn’t disappoint! After a
decently length trailer giving us even more story hints and beats, more gore
and an intense looking encounter with the ever terrifying clickers, they went
and gave us a release date. February 21st 2020 we will FINALLY get
our hands on the next title from Naughty Dog and I cannot wait! UK readers may
want to direct their attention to the GAME website as pre-orders have gone live
and there are a few different editions you can get obviously. Also Joel is
back! I’m definitely invested in Ellie and her story but I loved Joel as a character
in the first game and I’m glad he isn’t getting too side lined in the sequel.
Verdict: Obviously
this is a must have! I don’t know if I will be pre-ordering it but I’ll be
buying it on or around release day because it’s The Last of Us Part 2, anyone
who has played the first will be foaming at the mouth for this game. Those who
haven’t can play it in October anyway so you can see for yourself why people
love it so much. Roll on 2020!
As I said at the top of this post (you may have to scroll
back because this is a big one), the PlayStation State of Play livestreams have
had a rather bumpy start since they started but I feel like they’re slowly
starting to get it. It helped that they had some Last of Us news to show, that undoubtedly
brought some attention to this stream, but they wisely saved that until last in
order to show off the rest of the stuff first. I don’t doubt that fans would
have stuck around for the whole stream had they opened with Last of Us, but I also
don’t doubt that many would have simply switched off had that been the case.
All in all, not a bad State of Play. They’re still finding their feet in this
sort of thing so we can only wait for the next one to see what they have next.
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