The annual celebration of PlayStation kicked off Friday night when thousands of PlayStation fans packed into the Anaheim Convention Center for the Opening Celebration of the fourth ever PlayStation Experience. Taking a different tone than the traditional conferences we’ve seen at E3 and Gamescom, this year the stage was set with couches and chairs where various PlayStation executives and designers wearing ill-fitting blazers and graphic tees sat down and had a more personal presentation for the PlayStation fans watching.
The show lasted well over 2 hours and a lot of the awkward improvised conversations and silence filled by unsure clapping can be distilled into a concise list of new announcements and trailers. So here is all the big news from PSX 2017, in one easy and convenient list. Enjoy!
New PS4 Game Announcements
Donut County Announced for PS4
Previously announced for Steam and iOS, Donut County is a vibrant and quirky puzzler from the mind of Ben Esposito, the developer on stellar indie hits like The Unfinished Swan and 2017 TGA Award Winner What Remains of Edith Finch. The premise is simple, you control a hole in the ground that gets bigger as you make stuff fall into it. But there’s more to it, there’s puzzles revolving around what you put into the hole, how fast you move it, etc.. The trailer shown at PSX was delightfully self aware, check it out!
Blazblu Cross Tag Battle Announced for PS4
Featuring characters from Persona and Rwby, this new 2D fighter is coming exclusively to PS4 in 2018. Check out the trailer below!
MediEvil Remastered Announced
After PlayStation brought back Crash Bandicoot, LocoRoco and most recently The Jak and Daxter Trilogy to PS4 it was announced that the PlayStation classic action adventure hack-n-slash title MediEvil is getting remastered for PS4. No release date as of yet, you can check out the trailer below!
Patapon 2 Remastered Announced
The sequel to the rhythm-based 2D platformer will be released for PS4 sometime in 2018. This remastered port will feature 4K support on PS4 Pro, brand new mini-games, new Patapon types and evolutions, and 8 drum rhythms. Players will also be able to create their own Patapon Hero.
New PSVR Game Announcements
Firewall Zero Hour coming to PSVR
A new tactical FPS from First Contact Entertainment, the developers of ROM: Extraction, is coming exclusively to the PSVR in 2018. Following the success of other tactical shooters like Rainbow Six Siege, this new title makes full use of the PS Aim controller although players can play with a DualShock 4.
Wipeout Omega Collection VR Mode Announced!
An update to previously released Wipeout Omega Collection will add free VR support to the game. Including new tracks, ships, interiors and music the update will go live early in 2018.
The Last Guardian VR Demo Coming this week!
PSVR owners will be able to check out a free demo of The Last Guardian, Studio Japan’s 2016 action-adventure game, now in VR. Guide Trico from a first-person perspective, a change from the traditional third-person perspective of the original games and Team Ico’s other work. The demo will be available December 12th.
Bird dog!
Jupiter & Mars Announced
“Two dolphins embark on the adventure of a lifetime” in the new first-person exploration debut game from Tigertron studio. Looks pretty enough, but I’m not sure what there is to the game besides swimming around… see for yourself.
Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality Announced for PSVR
Released on PC earlier this year, Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality is coming to PSVR in 2018. Developed by Owlchemy Labs, the creators of Job Simulator, this game follows similar stationary interactions of that title but now in the world of Adult Swim’s Rick and Morty.
Updates on Previously Announced Games
God of War (Sony Santa Monica)
Creative Director Cory Barlog announced on stage that the game will take about 25-35 hours to complete, meaning it will be the biggest God of War game to date. That’s a lot of game, and with the focus for this new title being much more on the story it makes sense, assuming Uncharted 4 is any indication 5-10 hours of that will be cutscenes.
Dreams (Media Molecule)
Siobhan Reddy from LittleBigPlanet developer Media Molecule got onstage to talk about their mysterious next project Dreams. Revealed in 2013, the game has been relatively quiet as it’s been in development for almost 5 years now. Now at PSX there has been a comprehensive gameplay demo shown, and Reddy stated that the game will feature a story mode but will also rely heavily on fans creating content using the in-game tools.
Like something out of a dream…
Detroit: Become Human (Quantic Dreams)
After a disturbing trailer at Paris Games Week showcased a level based on domestic abuse, this latest demo revisits a level shown at E3 earlier this year. An android hostage negotiator for the Detroit Police Department has to talk down a rogue android who’s taken a little girl hostage. It’s like David Cage needs to work with a distressed or abused girl into every scene he writes…
Riveting stuff…
Monster Hunter World cross Mega Man???
A new story trailer for Monster Hunter World ended with the reveal that Mega Man will be an available companion in the game and there will be weapons and classic chiptunes from Mega Man history available for players. Monster Hunter World launches January 26, 2018, and there’s a demo available right now on the PlayStation Store exclusive to PS Plus members until Tuesday, December 12 at 11:59 AM EDT!
The Last of Us Part II Details
At a panel on Saturday, director and writer Neil Druckmann, along with co-writer Halley Gross, provided new details on the highly anticipated sequel to The Last of Us. Druckmann confirmed that the main setting is Seattle. He also went on to say that “no one is safe, not even [Joel and Ellie].”
Two new characters to The Last of Us Part II (from left to right): Yara (Victoria Grace),
Lev (Ian Alexander).
It’s not all doom and gloom. There will be lighthearted parts, much like in the first game (coughGiraffescough). Druckmann says that Gross, who’s previously written for HBO’s Westworld, has been instrumental in writing a large section of the game. Drukmann said he had a pretty solid idea for the beginning and the end of the game but was lost for how to fill the “big giant middle part.” That’s where Gross has come in to provide “awesome ideas,” one of which he teased saying “after the first day, Halley goes home and talks to her husband, and she’s like, ‘I think I got someone pregnant.’ And you’ll see what that means.”
There’s no release date for The Last of Us Part II yet but Drukmann estimating “We’re like 50 to 60 percent? I don’t know how far.”
More PlayStation News
Players *might* be able to change their PSN ID soon
PSN might let players change their PSN IDs in the near future. What’s long been the most requested PSN feature on PlayStation’s own site, PSN remains one of the only major platforms where players don’t have control over their online ID. President and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment America Shawn Layden said in an interview with KindaFunny’s Greg Miller, “It’s a large piece of work. It’s more complex then I think we-” (to which the crowd booed) “Let me put it this way: I hope events occur where you don’t have to ask me that question next PSX” (Source – See 02:06:00).
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That’s all the big news from PSX! There’s loads of other teasers and panels to check out if you’re interested. What was your favourite announcement? Was has you hyped? I’d love to know in the comments!
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