Roundtable: Expectations of Sony’s E3

BrodieSony
With Sony’s cover-based answer to Gears, The Order: 1886, being slid down the schedule to next year, I’m beginning to wonder what PlayStation is going to have on offer come the holiday season when things go a bit crazy.

Don’t get me wrong, Joel and Ellie’s adventures in The Last of Us resonated with me as much as the next guy, but I don’t think revisiting their pandemic play-about is going to cut it as far as big names go for the system this year. Speaking of The Last of Us though, with a date still being kept under lock and key by all involved, I wouldn’t be surprised if Sony casually let fans know mid-conference that it can be downloaded “right now” before confetti falls from the rafters.

One title that feels like it’ll inevitably appear, probably to close proceedings, is Uncharted.

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This Naughty Dog adventure series served as reason numero uno for me buying the PlayStation 3 just a couple of years ago. Throughout the week that followed, I ploughed through all three games in a blaze of hero quips, khaki pants and bitter old men; the games were great, too. While a resolution was met at the trilogy’s climax, I still felt a sense that not all the boxes were ticked off. For example, if our hero assumed the identity of Drake, who was he really?

That’s a question, perhaps an irrelevant one, which has weighed on me for some time.

I fully expect Santa Monica to roll out a big budget, largely CGI trailer for a new God of War title, which’ll be received with a handful of golf claps throughout the auditorium. After the colossal stinker that was Ascension, the last thing I want to see is Kratos emptying a Minotaur’s entrails out onto the cold cobblestone. If I had to define “franchise fatigue” in three words, those words would be God of War*.

If Naughty Dog want to make me as happy as a pig in poo, however, they could drop a megaton and revive Jak and Daxter. It is still one of my favourite franchises of all-time, and its return would please me to no end.

(* Interchangeable with Gears of War.)

KevinSony
Coming out as top dog from last year, all Sony really had to do was let Microsoft screw up at its own game. Seeing as how Microsoft are (hopefully) buckling down and proving to up the ante, Sony will definitely have to pull out some big guns. Seeing as how the PlayStation 4 is the biggest current generation console on the market right now, momentum is key towards even bigger success.

Project Beast. Project Beast. Project Beast.

As a huge fan of Demon’s, Dark and Dark Souls II, I’m very excited to see if Project Beast is real. Much like Halo 2 Anniversary for the Xbox, if Project Beast is a PS4 exclusive, it’s more than enough to convince me to shell out the money for one. Hype levels are through the roof for Project Beast, and if it turns out to be nothing more than a practical joke I will be very devastated.

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Is it too early for another Uncharted and God of War? I say yes to one franchise in question. After the monumental success of God of War 3 and the fairly terrible Ascension, there’s not much further the God of War games can do. I say let it retire in peace and let Santa Monica Studios move on to a new IP. In terms of Uncharted, it seems absolutely brainless to stop that train from running. One of last generation’s biggest franchises, I expect big things from Uncharted 4.

How about Gran Turismo 7? Seeing as how Gran Turismo 5 had its online components shut down and the sixth wasn’t too well received, it doesn’t seem outrageous that work on a seventh iteration in the franchise has already begun.

And finally, will Sony ever let The Last Guardian go? Much like a necromancer that keeps resurrecting the dead, I simply don’t want to see The Last Guardian anymore. It has been too long, I highly doubt the expectations can be met for this game and I just want it officially confirmed to be either cancelled or released. I’m sure I’m not alone with the frustration, especially considering Team Ico have been doing nothing else for the past five years. People who have played the absolutely fantastic Ico and Shadow of the Colossus may think there’s some hope with The Last Guardian, but I’m one who just lost hope.

JakeSony
Sony are going to reveal some sales figures for the PlayStation 4 and dedicate a section of their conference to their indie games support. Some people with love it, others will loathe it (depends on your individual taste). Comparison videos from The Last of Us’ port will roll, followed by a release date (expect it to be a short turnaround). 

There are a lot of unannounced titles that Sony first-party developers are working on; Guerrilla Cambridge, Studio Japan, Polyphony Digital, Santa Monica, Sony Bend, Sucker Punch, those are just naming a few examples.

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It is probably a bit too early for Polyphony to be announcing games anytime soon after Gran Turismo releasing late last year but for Sony Bend I definitely think some sort of tease could be on the horizon for them. Rumours were spreading about Sucker Punch releasing a substantial DLC package for Infamous: Second Son, personally I am more inclined to believe that they are working on the Infamous series, but will be bringing the next instalment to the Vita. 

Sony Santa Monica have been helping out Ready at Dawn with The Order: 1886 but haven’t committed their entire team. So a lot of people will be waiting to hear what else they have been up to, particularly after rumours of a cancelled game surfaced earlier in the year.

Another game under some controversy was Uncharted for PlayStation 4. After losing some influential company figureheads, people started to believe that the series was doomed. Frankly, I am willing to bet that some of those figures had completed their contractual agreements and it was time to move on. So I would definitely say that there will be a gameplay demo for this blockbuster. There also is the question of what the other half of Naughty Dog are up to.

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