PlayStation Experience, the first of hopefully many annual events presented by Sony, had a ton of games to check out. From the just announced Drawn to Death from the mind of David Jaffe, to smaller indie games like Hand of Fate, Dragon Fin Soup and Rockets Rockets Rockets. Picture a smaller E3 or PAX convention hall, but still completely packed to the brim with tons of titles to check out.
We had an awesome time checking out all the different games along with the fans, and really getting to see everyone's reaction to all of them. Here are some of the games we saw that really made an impact, and that we just can't wait to get our hands on when they come out next year.
Bloodborne
One of the main reasons I was excited to attend PlayStation Experience, was to get my hands on Bloodborne, From Software's latest action RPG that channels a lot of Dark Souls and Demon's Souls in its core design, but certainly changes things up a bit to give it its own identity.
Taking place in the town of Yharnam, players will need to survive a terrible plague that disfigures the people that live there, turning them into grotesque monsters.
While it may give off a Souls vibe, the new additions such as the ability to gain back health if you slash an enemy fast enough, or the new dodge system that switches from a roll to a strafe depending on whether you're locked on to the enemy or not, and even the new gunplay system, which doesn't make your character feel overpowered, but instead provides a quick method of crowd control.
We even got a glimpse at some new content revealed at PSX, the Chalice Dungeon, which will be a procedurally generated dungeon that won't be tied down to the main narrative, but instead will be an optional location for players to venture into when they want an added challenge that will always be different.
Bloodborne is currently scheduled for a March 2015 release.
The Order: 1886
Nearly 15 years ago I remember telling myself that I can't wait for the day when games will actually look like and play like their cut-scenes. In 2001, I was incredibly impressed at how gorgeous Final Fantasy X looked, but it still couldn't compare to those pre-rendered cutscenes. We're finally at that stage. The Order: 1886 is that game.
At PlayStation Experience, we got the chance to play through the entirety of the section that was shown off briefly during the Keynote; infiltrating the giant Zeppelin, taking over it, and then dealing with the rebels. The game started off with a cutscene, telling us to rappel down the side of the Zeppelin. I continued staring at the cutscene, where my character just hung off to the side, while the others started their descent. It was only a few seconds I realized that it was no longer a cutscene, it now shifted into gameplay.
The gameplay itself wasn't anything unique or groundbreaking, however, it was very smooth and extremely tight. Movement felt instant and the gunplay had a lot of really powerful impact, making the guns feel extremely powerful, despite some of their smaller sizes. The Order: 1886 certainly looks to be quite the cinematic experience when it comes out February 2015.
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
While we didn't actually get any hands-on with Uncharted 4, it did catch us by surprise when the Keynote opened with nearly 15 minutes of actual gameplay footage. There were two things I took away from this demo. The game is absolutely gorgeous, hands-down one of the prettiest games I've seen. Secondly, the movement seems incredibly organic.
The trailer showcased Nathan Drake in a lush jungle with large cliffs that he expertly navigated on. The presenter made sure to take in the sights so the audience could see how painstakingly detailed the jungle was.
What was more impressive was Drake's movement through the jungle, especially during the firefight. There was one part where he dodged a grenade by jumping off the side of the cliff, seemingly falling to his death, only to save himself with a skillful throw of his grappling hook and swung to safety. It was absolutely phenomenal.
Until Dawn
I wasn't sure about Until Dawn. To me, it seemed like it was an attempt at a slightly more faster paced Quantic Dreams. And while that's not necessarily a bad thing, I figured it would devolve into a bunch of quick time events that all played out the same, or in one of few different ways. Turns out, that's not the case at all.
In the beginning of the demo, the player is asked a series of questions, which actually changes up the way the game reacts. For example, you could either say you're scared of needles, or suffocation. Depending on this answer, the killer will then chase you with a needle, or a mask that suffocates you. That's pretty cool!
Your choices on where to hide, whether to run or not, or even quick reactions like finding a door knob to open the door right before the killer catches you can alter the outcome. The coolest part though, no matter whether the character lives or dies, the story continues on with or without them.
Although no one wants to see Hayden Panettiere in a bath towel die a horrific death, right? Right?!
Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes
This oddly titled game was my first experience with wearing and using Sony's Project Morpheus. The setup was simple. The person wearing Morpheus was the bomb diffuser. He was in an isolated room, with a procedurally generated bomb in front of him. The other player would be sitting opposite of the TV, with just a handbook in their hands. The bomb diffuser then has to describe the bomb in detail, and the other player must then figure out a way to diffuse it.
My bomb was made up of three different segments; 5 wires, a button that said Detonate and six buttons with strange symbols on it. I had to systematically describe each of these segments, as well as other important things such as the bomb's serial number, whether it had batteries strapped to it, etc.
It was tense and nerve-wracking, seeing that countdown timer keep going down as I'm frantically rotating this bomb and trying to describe it in the best way possible. In the end, we were able to diffuse it with just under a minute left. I was told that the final decision hasn't been made on how the game would be distributed, since it seems like it will require a lot of paperwork for the player who isn't diffusing the bomb. The release date was up in the air as well, since it's mostly tied down to the VR technology's release date. Either way, we can see this being an incredibly fun party game that a whole group of people can play, even though only one gets to wear VR.
Amplitude
I'm not going to be one of those hipsters that proclaim "I liked Harmonix way before Guitar Hero and Rock Band," though I can say I did actually play Frequency and Amplitude before they company decided to make games involving plastic instruments. Harmonix launched a Kickstarter earlier this year, wanting to gauge fan interest in an Amplitude remake for current-gen consoles. Luckily, they raised just enough to make the game, meaning I was able to play an early build at PlayStation Experience.
If you played the previous Amplitude or Frequency game, you'll feel right at home. You still control the Beat Blaster, completing sections of the song by pressing the corresponding buttons to the prompt. If it all sounds a lot like recent music games, it's because it is. However, unlike the previous Amplitude which had a heavy emphasis on licensed music, the new Amplitude will instead focus entirely on music produced in-house over at Harmonix.
I played two songs and both of them kicked my ass on Hard. It's still a very tough game so fans that enjoy the challenge in rhythm games will certainly be happy. There will also be a four-player competitive mode, where each player battles for various tracks of the song, all while picking up power-ups and using them to mess with their opponents. It's pretty awesome stuff.
Galak-Z
Take the punishing gameplay from a roguelike, mix it with a sci-fi theme where spaceships and lasers are favored over wizards and long swords, and the aesthetic and structure of a Saturday morning cartoon with a bit of Anime flair, and you got Galak-Z: The Dimensional.
I'll be honest, I sucked hard at the game. It's meant to be punishing though, so kudos to developer 17bit. You'll take on various missions that are spread across episodes and seasons, much like a cartoon or anime show would, and then you're thrust into the open space where you'll need to explore broken down space stations or battle devious enemies with AI that's super aggressive. I was told that sometimes it's even better to run away, regroup and come back later.
The best part, space is always procedurally generated, meaning your adventures will always be unique! The game is currently scheduled to come out sometime in Q1 of 2015.
