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Sony E3 2016 Keynote
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God Of War, The Last Guardian and Horizon: Zero Dawn at Sony’s E3 Keynote

The E3 press conference gauntlet neared its end with Sony’s PlayStation keynote and after the revelations from Microsoft, Bethesda, EA and Ubisoft, it had tough acts to follow. Not that one would know it; Sony kicked off with a live demo of the latest entry in its flagship God Of War series accompanied by a live orchestra. The message was clear: PlayStation wanted to win E3 and it was prepared to throw everything it had at doing so.

God Of War has moved to Scandinavia

He may look a little older, his beard may be longer and it seems he may have had a son, but Kratos was instantly recognisable when he stepped out of the shadows in Sony’s opening E3 demo. For the latest entry in the God Of War series – simply named God Of War – sees the former Ghost Of Sparta traipsing about in a snowy forest, wielding decidedly Nordic weapons. There’s also a moment in which one of the monsters he runs into mentions Valhalla – so there’s that.

It makes sense in a way; Kratos had pretty much obliterated most of Greece and all of its deities by the end of God Of War III, so he needed some new stamping grounds and a new pantheon of gods to kill. The Viking North looks like a good place to set up shop, but whether God Of War is a sequel or a series reboot remains to be seenIn the meantime, the demo shows blood, bellowing and big monsters so… God Of War, then.

The Last Guardian has a release date

If this game hadn’t taken so long to make it out of development we’d write a gushing paragraph or two about how beautiful it looks, how its soundtrack and characters tug on our heart strings and how excited we are to play it. But this game was announced back in 2009 and we pretty much said a release date for the game was beyond due now.

So instead, we’ll simply say, it’s about bloody time.

The PS4 has some brand new exclusives coming to it

Alongside some cross platform IPs like Call Of Duty: Infinite War and Final Fantasy XV, Sony showed off trailers for two new IPs. Days Gone is set in a post-apocalyptic future where a former biker gang member is making ends meet as a bounty hunter. It looks bleak as all hell, but who knows, it could be fun.

Next up was Detroit: Become Human. Set in a cyberpunk future it seems to centre around an android called Connor who is working with the authorities as some sort of hostage negotiator. What makes this a cut above your average sci-fi thriller is the fact that the trailer shows myriad solutions to the scenario it contains. If this holds true for the whole game, Detroit: Become Human could be a very tantalising prospect.

Perhaps the biggest announcement for a new IP came courtesy of one of the industry’s gaming legends. Hideo Kojima took to the stage to reveal Death Stranding, a brand new title starring The Walking Dead’s Norman Reedus.

Reedus, you may remember, was part of Kojima’s plans for the developer’s shot at the Silent Hill franchise before everything went pear-shaped between him and publisher Konami. We have no idea if he’s just planning to make the same game using a new title, but hell, we’re intrigued to see the finished article.

Horizon Zero Dawn looks luscious

Speaking of new IPs, viwers got their first look at how Horizon Zero Dawn plays. When Sony unveiled this exclusive during last year’s E3 keynote, we have to confess, its world in which humans have returned to their hunter/gatherer roots as robotic animals walk the earth, did have us scratching our heads a bit.

We have to also own up to not being exactly sold on this concept since seeing it in action, but damn if doesn’t look fun to play. Maybe the story will make more sense on release, but even if it doesn’t, after its E3 gameplay demo, we can’t wait to get our mitts on it.

PlayStation VR is a very big deal

Just in case the last year or so didn’t have you convinced, Sony is very serious about pushing its PS VR peripheral. Very serious indeed.

At the E3 keynote, Sony unveiled the device’s price point and release date (which we already knew) and then proceeded to reel off the list of games that would support it. Have at some of the titles included in the 50 that have been promised for launch:

  • Final Fantasy XV
  • Resident Evil 7
  • Star Wars Battlefront X-Wing Mission
  • Batman Arkham VR
  • Farpoint

Would’ve been nice to see something about the PS4K, but hey, one can’t have everything.

 

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