The Games, Part 1
The second half of the press conference was dedicated to the showcasing of new games, and began with releases that would be exclusive to the new console, all bar one of which were original properties, a welcome sign in a market that is currently dominated by an endless array of sequels that whilst impressive, rarely bring anything new to the table. The first game demonstrated was Mark Cerny's Knack, a fantasy game in which players take control of a transformable robot in a war between humans and goblins. With cartoon-style graphics (shown in the above screenshot), the game seems aimed at a younger audience, with the somewhat adorable character of Knack likely to serve as a console mascot of sorts.
This was followed by the Guerilla Games showcase of Killzone: Shadow Fall, a first person shooter that was the only exclusive game shown that is already part of an established franchise. With impressive graphics and effects, the game was an excellent representation of what we can expect to see from the world's most popular game genre in the near future. From first-person-shooters to first-person-racers, the next game to feature was Driveclub, a team-based driving game that has apparently been ten years in the making. Those of us who waited many years for Gran Turismo 5 may raise an eyebrow at such a statement, as that game ultimately turned out to be highly disappointing, but Driveclub looks to be both a highly enjoyable and social experience, as players engage in real-time racing in an array of fully licensed cars against other teams from across the globe. The Infamous-esque Second Son was introduced next. Set in a world where freedom has been replaced by constant surveillance, the brief demonstration showed a lead character imbued with superhuman abilities fighting the system. A worrying social commentary, given the current culture of fear and government intrusion into our private lives, the game also shows that developers are still working on single-player focused games, despite the pressure for them to focus on online multiplayer releases.
Small game studios were then given a platform, as Braid creator Jonathan Blow took to the stage to introduce his new game, The Witness, a compact yet dense experience in which players explore a colourful island and solve puzzles to progress. With the rise of studios who focus on releasing small games such as this through the Playstation Network, expect to see more little gems as independent developers are given the option to self-distribute their work to the masses. Also expect to see more detailed human expressions than ever, as the likes of Beyond (the Ellen Page starring game that was introduced briefly by Heavy Rain creator David Cage) seek to make games seem as lifelike as computer-animated films. Finally, expect to be able to interact with games like never before, as LittleBigPlanet creators Media Molecule brought an end to the exclusives section of the conference with an as-yet untitled project which will give users the opportunity to sculpt huge 3D characters and worlds with the Playstation Move, allowing their imaginations to flourish.