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E3 2014: Sony Press Conference

Sony had a lot to follow after last year’s smack down when they revealed the PlayStation 4. This year they premiered a number of new games, as well as some interesting features that expand the capabilities of the PlayStation brand.

Kicking off the night, Sony debuted a Destiny trailer, revealing that PS4 users will be able to play the beta first on July 17th. Furthermore, there is an alpha test scheduled this Thursday through the weekend; you can sign up on their website. Sony also announced a new white PlayStation 4, bundled with a copy of Destiny and a 30 day trial of PlayStation Plus.

Sony then shared a new gameplay demo of The Order: 1886, which continues to be stunningly beautiful. It showcased on of the knights being hunted by a werewolf-like creature. The game is due out sometime next year.

Building off of their previous success with indie developers, Sony took another huge leap forward by entirely handing the stage over to a group of college friends that decided to create their own game studio. Their game, Entwined, is a metaphorical tale of two lovers who cannot be together. The game released directly after the press conference on PSN for $9.99.

One happy surprise that was greeted with a round of applause was the unveiling of the third installment of LittleBigPlanet. LittleBigPlanet 3 adds three characters to the mix: Oddsock, Toggle, and Swoop. The three feature all new abilities and will aid Sackboy on his adventure through the millions oflevels in the LBP universe. All previous 8.7 million user created levels will be playable on the PS4 when the game releases this November.

Ubisoft took the stage next to showcase a new Far Cry 4 trailer. It featured new ways to interact with objects and weapons, including the ability to pilot helicopters and fly wing suits. Sony announced that only on PlayStaiton 4 you can invite one of your PSN friends to play online, even if they don’t own a copy of the game themselves.

From the creator’s of Journey came a new studio by the name of Giant Squid. Their first game is called Abzu, meaning “to know water.” Abzu features a familiar art direction as well as music my Austin Wintory, who was nominated for a Grammy with his score from Journey. The game will make its console debut exclusively on PlayStation 4.

Next came another indie gem. No Man’s Sky is being developed by Hello Games, a small independent developer with a lot of ambition. Every planet in the game’s universe is procedurally generated, and every player starts on a different planet than every other. Not a lot is clear about the gameplay mechanics behind the project but the footage shown was nothing short of artistic.

Sony took the time to briefly tease Project Morpheus, their virtual reality project that is currently in development. With the help of the PlayStation camera, Sony plans to bring virtual reality to the homes of PlayStation 4 owners in the coming years. They also finally announced the integration of YouTube into the sharing capabilities of the PlayStation 4. About time.

Further, PlayStation Now, the game streaming feature that we’ve all been waiting for, is finally on its way. It will be available to the public on July 31st, featuring games like Dead Space 3, Metal Gear Solid V, Ground Zeroes, Ratchet and Clank, Ultra Street Fighter IV, and God of War: Ascension. In addition, PlayStation Now will be available on some new Sony televisions. All that television owners will need to purchase is a Dualshock 4 controller in order to enjoy the service.

Speaking of Ratchet and Clank, a new feature film is being developed, with direction and oversight from original developers Insomniac Games. A remake of the original Ratchet and Clank is also in the works for PlayStation 4. Keeping the train rolling with previously released games, Last of Us Remastered was given a release date of July 29th. Also, Grand Theft Auto V will be making its way to PlayStation 4 later this year.

We had the pleasure of seeing a brief glimpse of Mortal Kombat X gameplay, including two fatalities. The footage was astonishingly detailed, somehow looking noticeably better than the previous installment in the franchise.

Soon after, a long awaited trailer from Hideo Kojima was played for the crowd to a thunderous applause. It held both answers and more questions for the next installment in the Metal Gear franchise. Not surprisingly, it was gorgeous. Check it out for yourself below.

As Sony closed the press conference, the audience was greeted with a final trailer for one of PlayStation’s most beloved franchises. As Nathan Drake walked solemnly through the jungle, he was consoled by his dear friend Victor Sullivan. Not much is known about the next, and possibly last, installment, other than the title. Uncharted 4: A Theif’s End. As the camera pans away we can briefly catch a glimpse of a verse that has been carved into a cage containing a human skeleton: “for we receive the due reward of our deeds,” which some might recognize as Luke 23:41.

Alex Hanavan

Alex is a 23 year old Computer Science graduate working on his Master's of Business Administration. As an enthusiast of all forms of media he loves music, movies, and games. He likes to keep up to date with what’s happening throughout the world of science and technology but wishes that he had more time to actually sit down and read a good pleasure book. Alex plays trumpet and sometimes thinks that he was born in the wrong decade. His favorite video games include the franchises Bioshock, Assassin’s Creed, Legend of Zelda, Uncharted, Fallout, and The Elder Scrolls. You can contact him at alexh@theyoungfolks.com.