E3 2012: Sony keynote wrap-up
Like Microsoft, Sony’s E3 2012 keynote was about software program, not hardware — Nintendo is the only 1 speaking about a new console this year. Sony didn’t have a lengthy list of new titles to announce, and a lot of their presentation was elaborations on currently identified games, like Far Cry 3, Assassin’s Creed 3, and God of War: Ascension — all of which had gameplay footage or live demonstrations.
Playstation All-Stars, though it has taken some flack for becoming a clear knock-off of Nintendo’s Smash Brothers series, looked great in its PS3/Playstation Vita cross-platform play demo. Following the entertaining and chaos was carried out, Sony announced two new playable characters for All-Stars: Nathan Drake from the Uncharted series (no surprise) and a Large Daddy from Bioshock (somewhat far more of a surprise).
Quantic Dream, the developer behind the acclaimed PS3-exclusive Heavy Rain and the impressive KARA tech demo, unveiled their new game Beyond Two Souls. The game’s trailer didn’t reveal any actual gameplay (although the secure bet is that it will be the same sort of adventure game as Heavy Rain and its predecessor Fahrenheit), but it is clear that the new title will stray into supernatural themes with its mysterious, psychokinetic female lead.
One particular of the highlights of the keynote was Wonderbook, which is launching this fall. It’s a new augmented reality peripheral that seems to be a clear evolution of Sony’s Move-focused Eyepet. The concept behind Wonderbook is to produce interactive storybooks. J.K. Rowling’s Book of Spells, a tie-in to the author’s Pottermore internet site, will let players use Move controllers as wands as they learn spells from the Harry Potter universe. Sony teased another Wonderbook title, Digg’s Nightcrawler, but didn’t have any details beyond its extremely cool name.
Sony finished their presentation with a chilling demonstration of Naughty Dog’s The Final of Us, and its grim, potent depiction of video game violence. Although the gameplay shares specific similarities with the Uncharted titles that precede it, the atmosphere is entirely distinct. Naughty Dog has endeavored to develop a game world exactly where violence is taken seriously, and it shows. If you only watch one trailer from Sony’s keynote, this should be it. (Watch out, it’s NSFW.)