Spider-Man, The Last of Us, and So Much More
Well, that was thrilling.
Sony just finishing giving their 2017 Paris Games Week conference. While the showcase was light in terms of new announcements, Sony still came to bat with plenty new trailers and gameplay footage in tow. Let’s break it down, shall we?
Sucker Punch’s New IP is Titled Ghost of Tsushima
The conference opened with the unveiling of developer Sucker Punch’s highly anticipated new IP. Titled Ghost of Tsushima, the game puts players in control of a samurai during feudal Japan. According to a post-show developer interview, the game has been in development for three and a half years, will be open-world with an “enormous landscape,” and will retain much of the player choice found in Sucker Punch’s inFamous series. Ghost of Tsushima is currently in development, with no release window.
Concrete Genie Brings Charming Art-Making to PlayStation 4
Next up was a new third-person action-adventure game from Sony developer PixelOpus titled Concrete Genie. As a young boy who is constantly being bullied, players paint the walls and of a gloomy cityscape, bringing monsters and lush scenery to life. Utilizing the motion controls of the DualShock 4, the goal of the game is to “make anyone feel like an artist,” according to creative director Dominic Robilliard. Along the way, players will learn more techniques through a character progression system. Outside of drawing and making creations, the game also seems to incorporate platforming and world traversal elements. Concrete Genie has a release window of 2018.
Sony PlayLink Gets New Horror Title, Erica
The next announcement was Erica, a new live-action horror title under Sony’s PlayLink umbrella of games where gamers vote on what actions the main character should take to proceed. According to creative director Jack Attridge, the game is a blend between cinema and video games in the form of a Hollywood-like film that’s affected by active participation from the audience.
Blood & Truth Brings Heists and Gunfights to PSVR
A pleasant surprise during the conference was the announcement of a new game for PlayStation VR called Blood & Truth. While details on the title are still scarce, it seems to blend first-person shooting with the action set-pieces of a heist movie. The game is currently in development with no release date.
Reaffirmation of Continued Third-Party Support
Sony then proceeded to highlight several third-party games and DLC coming to the platform in the coming months. These included new footage for the upcoming Expansion Pass 1 for Destiny 2 titled Curse of Osiris, a gameplay trailer for Monster Hunter: World announcing Aloy from Horizon: Zero Dawn as a playable character on PS4, and new campaign footage from Call of Duty: WWII and Star Wars: Battlefront II.
Spider-Man and Detroit: Become Human Continue to Dazzle
Rounding out the later half of Sony’s conference were two new, exciting story trailers for Insomniac Games’ Spider-Man and Quantic Dream’s Detroit: Become Human.
The trailer for Spider-Man showcased more of the game’s gorgeous facial and character animations while providing more insight into the relationship between Mary Jane and Peter Parker. The game was reconfirmed for release in 2018, but was not given a more specific window.
Detroit: Become Human‘s trailer took a much darker tone, focusing on a robot’s intervention in the relationship between a daughter an her abusive father. Like the previous trailers and demos we’ve seen from the game, the choices made by the player will ultimately impact how the scene plays out. While Spider-Man‘s release is still shrouded in mystery, Detroit: Become Human received a more specific timetable of spring 2018.
God of War and Horizon: The Frozen Wilds Get Gameplay Trailers
God of War received a short but sweet gameplay trailer of Kratos and his son, Atreus, clearing a room of enemies with a ice-powered ax. Of note is the excellent sound design on display here; throughout the battle, Atreus warns Kratos of the locations of various enemies in the room, shouting “Behind you!” or “Above us!” as the battle plays out. God of War is set for release sometime in early 2018.
Horizon: The Frozen Wilds had an equally short trailer to match. In it, Aloy dashed and dodged around a frozen landscape, felling new, exotic beasts unique to the upcoming expansion. The Frozen Wilds is due out November 7.
Shadow of the Colossus Looks Better Than Ever
We also received an expanded look into the upcoming Bluepoint Games remake/remaster of 2005’s masterpiece, Shadow of the Colossus. In a new trailer, Wander and his horse, Agro, take on a flying colossus roaming one of the game’s massive deserts.
While the trailer itself didn’t offer a release window of the game, a close look at the trailer’s YouTube description reveals a release date of February 6, 2018. It looks like the game is coming a lot sooner than many expected.
The Last of Us: Part II Shakes Things Up With A Spicy New Trailer
Ending the conference with a percussive bang was a new trailer for The Last of Us: Part II. It begins with a female bandit leader stringing up a woman by a noose before two of her thugs drags another woman towards her to be interrogated. When Yara refuses to give the location of “the other apostate,” we’re treated to a gruesome and bloody scene, followed by the appearance of another woman by the name of Lev. According to creative director Neil Druckmann, the game is now in full production, with the entire team moving over to work on it since the launch of Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. As with many of Sony’s upcoming games, we still have no release window for The Last of Us: Part II.
Miscellaneous Announcements
Aside from the contents of the conference itself, Sony also made a number of additional announcements during its hour-long pre-show. Some of the more interesting announcements included:
—Guacamelee 2 is in development, coming to PlayStation 4 “soon-ish,” per the developers at Drinkbox Studios.
—The Hong Kong Massacre, a top-down shooter inspired by games like Hotline Miami, Stranglehold, and Max Payne, is coming to PlayStation 4 in 2018.
—Oure, a downloadable third-person action-adventure with hints of Journey, Abzû, and Bound, is available on PlayStation 4 starting today.
—Spelunky 2 from Mossmouth is in development, coming to PlayStation 4.
—Final Fantasy XV: Episode Ignis received a new trailer, as well as a December 13 release date; will feature multiple endings, as well as music by Chrono Trigger composer Yasunori Mitsuda.
Phew. Did I miss anything? Sound off in the comments below.
Also, I will be attending Paris Games Week from Wednesday October 1 through Sunday October 5. If there are any games from the show you’d like to see The Punished Backlog cover, let us know in the comments as well!
