PlayStation Experience Announcement Recap

Games, games and more games!

When Sony announced their PlayStation Experience event earlier this year, it was pretty much implied that there would be a lot of game announcements. However, I don't think any one was ready for the slew of great news that PlayStation gamers would receive. Let's just say, if you were disappointed with this holiday's lineup, you won't have to wait much longer for games, because they are coming, and there are a lot of them.

• Showing off the AAA for PS4 -The PS4 is a great console, but despite the great selection of first party studios, Sony only has a handful of exclusives for it's newest console, and they are not all winners. But rest assured, the games are coming.
  
  Sony announced MLB The Show 2015's release on 3/31/15 for all three Sony platforms. A new gameplay trailer of The Order: 1886 was shown  and a brand new demo was playable at the experience, showcasing the puzzle solving and stealth mechanics that are sprinkled through out the game. The more of this game that is shown, the better it looks. February can't come any sooner!
  
  New gameplay for Tearaway Unfolded was shown off, which is an assurance, because the gameplay tweaks and changes look so fresh that it may be an adventure worth taking if you've already played the Vita iteration. Street Fighter V has been confirmed as a PS4 console exclusive, with a trailer to show off just how gorgeous the game is. Bloodborne was shown with a new co-op trailer, confirming multiplayer for the spiritual successor to the Demon and Dark Souls franchise. Fat Princess Adventures has been announced, which looks to take the franchise towards friendly co-op rather than competitive with 4 player hack and slash gameplay.
  
  The two biggest reveals came later in the day. Santa Monica Studios has confirmed that a brand new God of War is in the making, though it won't be out for a few years. That's right: new God of War! Uncharted 4: A Thieves End first gameplay was shown off, revealing the fluid gameplay and Nathan Drake's older brother at the end of the trailer. It's a 15 minute trailer, but well worth the watch. From all of these announcements, it looks like Sony is doubling it's efforts to ensure that the PS4 is full of great, AAA experiences.
• Double Fine Doubles Down on PlayStation - Many of us were surprised at E3 this passed year when Grim Fandango was announced for PS4 and Vita, but it looks like the love from Double Fine will not stop there.
  
  After showing off a brand new trailer for Grim Fandango Remastered, a slew of other Double Fine games were announced for both PS4 and PS Vita, including the complete Broken Age and a remake of Day of the Tentacle in the form of Day of the Tentacle: Special Edition. Gang Beasts, a new project from the studio, was also announced for PS4.
  
  Grim Fandango and Day of the Tentacle are almost impossible to play through legitimate means these days, so these re-releases are very exciting, and should fit right at home on PS Vita in particular. Speaking of PS Vita...  
• PS Vita is Not Dead! - Many fans worry that Sony's handheld will slowly be phased out, but it looks like that is not the case. Not only is Vita getting a slew of new games (including a bunch of indie games we will talk about soon), but the handheld is getting a bunch of games that will fit perfectly on the platform.
  
  A few of the PS4's current games will be making their way over to the handheld, including Octodad: Daddliest Catch and Towerfall: Ascension. On top of some games that have already been released, new games, such as Resident Evil: Revelations 2 and The Banner Saga will make their way to the handheld as well. This is incredibly exciting, as Resident Evil: Revelations 2 can be considered a AAA title, so keep buying Vita owners! The more you speak with your wallet, the more likely we are to get more large games.
  
  PS Vita is even getting it's own exclusive title from Drinkbox Studios, the guys behind Guacamelee! Titled Severed, the game is a dungeon crawling RPG in which you utilize the touchscreen to slice enemies apart and use their body parts to make you even more powerful.
  
  These games are just the tip of the iceberg, and it is so exciting to see the handheld being treated with the same respect as PS4 for a change.
• The Indies are Taking Over - PlayStation gets a lot of flack for receiving a lot of indie games, which makes absolutely no sense because, guess what, they are great games! And the amount of them that release are overwhelming, creating the greatest problem to have: too many games to play. So let me add to that list of game you are playing next.
  
  Smaller, more traditional indie games are coming to PlayStation consoles in spades. One of the biggest announcements comes in the form of Shovel Knight, a Mega Man inspired platformer which is making it's way to PS4, PS3 and PS Vita. Cappy Games announced that Super Time Force Ultra will be coming to all three PlayStation platforms as well, with Sony Computer Entertainment President Shuhei Yoshida as a playable character! Supergiant Games is bringing over it's seminal work Bastion, which will release on PS4 and PS Vita (so excited to play this on Vita!). Dodgeroll and Devolver are bringing the radial shooter Enter the Gungeon to PS4. If you're looking for an RPG fix, Red Hook studios will be bringing over Darkest Dungeon for PS4 and PS Vita. Skytorn, a 2D exploration game, will be available for PS4.
  
  If the smaller titles are not your thing, fret not, because there are plenty of larger, 3D indie games heading to the PlayStation ecosystem as well. Giant Sparrow, the studio behind The Unfinished Swan, showed a new trailer of their latest project, What Remains of Edith Finch, a PS4 exclusive. Hello Games showed off some more of No Man's Sky, the space exploration game which looks so beautiful on PS4. Orcs Must Die: Unchained, the fortress siege game will be making it's move to PS4. Survival game The Forest will be making it's way to PS4 and seems to include first person combat and fort building elements and looks a lot like the TV show Lost. The Killing Floor 2 is coming to PS4, bringing first person shooter chaos to the console. The creator of Katamari and Noby Noby Boy, Keita Takahashi announced his newest game, Wattam, though little else is known about the game at this time. And, finally, David Jaffe announced his latest project, Drawn to Death, which is an arena shooter that takes place in a high school students doodles.
  
  I think it's safe to say that, regardless of your feelings about indie games, there are plenty of new titles worth looking at.
• And Everything Else -  And that is not all!
  
  Yakuza 5 will be coming west for PS3 as a digital download. Suikoden I and II will be making their way to the PSN for PS3 and PS Vita. Batman Arkham Knight showcased the final trailer in it's three part teaser series, showing off combat with the new Batmobile and some of the sweet melee combat. Bungie showed off some more PlayStation exclusive content for Destiny, including the PS exclusive Mars Strike The Undying Mind. Square Enix has announced that Final Fantasy VII will be ported over to PS4, though not as a remaster, but a port of the PC version from a few years ago. And, finally, Sony has announced new face plates are coming to PS4, allowing players to customize their console with their favorite games. 

It's a great time to be a PlayStation gamer. With plenty of games coming to all three platforms, it's hard to not be excited for Spring of 2015 and beyond. For more news on PlayStation, the PlayStation Experience and gaming news today, keep your eyes on The Jesters Court.