The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2018 is the 24th Electronic Entertainment Expo, during which hardware manufacturers, software developers, and publishers from the video game industry
Playstation changes up their normal venue strung with halogen lights to a tent. Shawn Layden shares that this year’s conference will change up the formula as well with more in-depth look rather than a bombardment of trailers. This coming year is all about mind-blowing experiences. With that said, Layden revealed that there are four game pillars that the studios are working on which here formed the real meat of this presentation when they weren’t playing musical chairs with the audience. With that said, let’s see their rundown.
The Last of Us: Part II
Gustavo Santaolalla, the original score composer of The Last of Us leads into the trailer with a musical performance on stage. A lighter trailer than what we have seen previously as we are reintroduced to an older Ellie and what hints to be a love dilemma at the base with some other young characters and its suprising how smooth this moment switches into a a brutal stealth kill as we watch a sequence with a hardened Ellie, while demonstrating what to expect from the upcoming game packed with stealth and action as well as quick time events and crafting.
Playstation knows very well that cinematic trailers are all fine and dandy but gameplay is key and certainly here they showed that the gameplay is going to look as good with its detailed environments and cinematic camera movements this is a world equally as dark as the cinematic trailers we have seen. Certainly it’s a much more brutal world that the sequel will take place in though what’s changed in the time between games still remains to be revealed. Needless to say fans have a lot to be excited about here.
God of War Update – New Game Plus
It’s an odd start to Playstation to say the least when they go for an intermission to move its audience into the actual venue. The first news in this intermission is that God of War will be getting a New Game Plus mode.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 will have 4 Black Ops maps returning from its previous installments in their upcoming game including Jungle, Summit, Slums and Firing Range. If you already own Black Ops 3, these maps from the first two installments will also be launching there as well. If you don’t own Black Ops 3, Playstation has remedied that by offering it as a surprise Playstation Plus Free Game drop available now.
Countdown to E3 Recap
The intermission also did a recap of the past 5 days Countdown to E3 announcements. If you missed it, here it is:
- New Game: Tetris Effect
- Days Gone Release Date: February 22, 2019
- Bandai Namco and Dontnod Entertainment Upcoming Game: Twin Mirror
- Upcoming VR Game by Zoink Games: Ghost Giant
- Upcoming VR Rhythm Game: Beat Saber
Destiny 2: Forsaken
Destiny 2 gets a new DLC called Forsaken. It will have new story missions and adventures. This was a cinematic teaser however the game was reveal it will have a gambit mode. Certainly things have been far from smooth sailing for the sequel to the popular original as expectations were failed to be met, so if this DLC helps to bring any of those original players back its hard to say at this point. It will release on September 4, 2018.
Ghost of Tsushima
Another musical performance something which seems to be a popular move for the developers this year as here it precedes Ghost of Tsushima going straight into a gameplay trailer starting with a Mongol Invasion on Day 9 in the Otsuna Grasslands. Picturesque and mesmerizing color palettes rule over the landscapes complemented by a moving soundtrack as we are introduced to Jin, a samurai seen here scurrying off on foot and by horse to confront ruthless mongols.
Thankfully the story goes a little more deeper than being just another hack and slash as we certainly got shade of Tenshu with its stealth segments but here the conflict isn’t only from the invasion but also from a division in the belief within friends and foes to fight and defend what is right.
Suffice to say that Ghost of Tsushima has gone a long way from the teaser that was revealed last year in just a few months as It looks like a great open world title especially with the stunning surrounding and setting which we haven’t really seen done to this scale before.
Frustratingly, no release date has been revealed just yet but the gameplay and the atmosphere shown is enough to make this a strong contender to be one of the standout titles of the show.
Control
Remedy and 505 Games team up for this cryptic vet visually fascinating short teaser as we are introduced to games female lead Jesse. Thankfully the press release has shed some light on the story:
After a secretive agency in New York is invaded by an otherworldly threat, players will take on the role of Jesse Faden, the new Director struggling to regain Control. This sandbox-style, gameplay-driven experience built on the proprietary Northlight engine challenges players to master a combination of supernatural abilities, modifiable loadouts and reactive environments while fighting through the deep and mysterious worlds Remedy is known and loved for.
Hopefully we will get to see more of this game as it heads towards it’s 2019 release date as this already looks fantastic.
Resident Evil 2
Judging from the crowd’s excitement, Resident Evil 2 is a much awaited title to finally get a rebuild something that has been teased for a long time and considering how much of a beloved title it was on the original Playstation it’s great to see it being given not so much a remaster but a rebuild from the ground up.
Noteworthy for being the game which introduced Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield there will will no doubt be plenty eager to revisit Raccoon City when its released – January 25, 2019.
Trover Saves the Universe
It’s hard to pinpoint how to feel about Trover Saves the Universe. It is developed by Squanch Games and Rick and Morty Justin Roiland who will also be doing voice work for this action platformer which might as be set in the Ricky and Morty universe for how similar the writing is something which might prove a breaking point for some especially considering how divisive the show is. That being said it would be nice to have another colourful platformer especially with a more adult edge.
Kingdom Hearts III
Xbox gave us a trailer and then earlier in the afternoon, Square Enix gave us an extended trailer from the first one we saw. Surprisingly not shown at the Square Enix Showcase, but Playstation get the new trailer featuring the Pirates of the Caribbean world packed with Jack Sparrow and Will Turner as Sora and his Disney crew sails the sea and embarks on some ship gameplay. Perhaps we are young at heart like Sora who loves to be a pirate but something about the whole pirate world adventure looks so different and fun.
Kingdom Hearts 3 will also stop off in the world of Monsters Inc, Frozen, Tangled, Wreck it Ralph and Toy Story from what we have seen in the trailers with rumours abound of Big Hero 6 meaning that this will be a real treat for fans of the series who can splash out for the Limited Edition for Playstation 4 Pro but also a bundle package of all three games.
Kingdom Hearts III launches January 29, 2019.
Death Stranding
Unquestionably the game everyone was hoping to see and yess while it might be yet another cinematic trailer the Death Stranding hype never dies. However this time, we get to see actual gameplay as we follow the tracks of Norman Reedus’ character Sam who makes deliveries in a toxic world. Of course there is still a lot of mystery and suspense, babies and floating black monsters that can turn invisible but at least we now have some kind of confirmation that its an actual game and not just a bunch of mind bending trailers.
There is still something incredibly sinister about Death Stranding which we love while Léa Seydoux and and Lindsay Wagner being introduced means that the questions keep coming. Though at this point Its just nice to see some progression. Maybe by the time Playstation Experience arrives later this year, we’ll see a release date or at least more concrete details.
Nioh 2
A popular exclusive for Playstation it’s great to see it getting a sequel but considering the pattern of Playstation development, it might take awhile before we get a release date more so when this was only a brief cinematic trailer which didn’t give us really anything to go off.
Marvel’s Spider-man
Just like last year’s showcase, Playstation ended with Insomniac’s upcoming title, which only continues to impress every time we see it. This time we got a new gameplay demo showing us how immersive and fluid Spider-Man’s moves and wisecracks as well as a few more of the iconic villains as the introduced to this world’s versions of Electro, Scorpion, Vulture and Rhino but does this mean can we expect the full Sinister Six?
Here we also got to see another chase sequence between Spider-man and Electro which played similar to the helicopter chase we saw last year and leading us to believe that there are more of these moments to come in the game. Insomniac Games certainly made quite the gem which has us hoping to give this game a go sooner rather than later. Luckily unlike most of the showcase the wait isn’t too long as it is expected to release on September 7, 2018.
Overall, Playstation’s Media Showcase started a little weird from a rustic location moving to the actual arena where the rest of the show progressed. However, the intermission did do some cool reveals including a free game, which is always welcome. While the show was supposed to be focused on 4 big games, we still got to see a lot of quick reveals and teasers that show promise. At the same time, those four games presented featured some neat gameplay trailers which gives everyone something to look forward to whether you are a fan of The Last of Us, Ghost of Tsushima, Death Stranding or Spider-Man, they all have a different gaming experience to offer while setting up another strong year for Playstation.
What are you most looking forward to? Let us know in the comments section below.