E3 2014: New Games, New Hardware, New Sony
From The Show Floor
At the 2014 E3 Expo, Sony had an impressive mixture of hardware and new games to exhibit on the floor. There was a good portion of the floor dedicated to allowing players to test out all of the new hardware Sony discussed during their press conference. Sony’s PlayStation T.V was set up with chairs and couches giving gamers that “living room” home-like setting it was designed to work for. It was a cozy experience to sit on a soft couch while enjoying Street Fighter on a crisp Sony HD T.V.
On the other side of the PlayStation T.V.’s were stations where you could play various games on the PS Vita all while hearing the audio through one of Sony’s latest gaming headphones. Next we visited a wall that was lined with Sony T.V.’s connected with the latest generation PlayStation allowing us to play a great title like Metal Gear Solid 4 without even using a system.
Across from the PlayStation Now was another couch set up where four people could take a seat and enjoy the new games offered by the PlayStation Camera via the Ps4’s Playroom. The Playroom utilizes the camera to emerge the players in various group friendly games. Taking over the space Diablo occupied last year was Bungie’s highly anticipated Shooter/RPG Destiny.
After waiting in a somewhat long line we were greeted with a ten minute video that gave us a little more insight into the Destiny plot as well the opportunity to play a mission for twenty minutes. The combat and RPG elements blend together smoothly, definitely living up to the hype. Next to Destiny there was another large booth reserved for the Ps4 version of Far Cry 4. The demo allowed for co-op play as one person could shoot from the sky via gyrocopter while the other tackle the stronghold head on. For all of those speed junkies out there there were booths setup for upcoming racers, The Crew, and Drivers Club. Both games give you the feeling of a high speed criminal as if you were in the Fast and Furious.
Around the corner was a big billboard that read “Bloodbourne” and behind it we were able to experience the newest edition to From Software’s collection. Bloodbourne definitely feels like it’s predecessors (Dark souls & Demon Souls), but with an even more twisted feel to it.
On a completely different note, Little Big Planet 3 demo shown on the floor was colorful and whimsical as ever. This demo also provided a co-op experience as players were able to work together to solve puzzles whilst using the abilities of one of the new characters. There were even more games such as Alien: Isolation lined up and available to play for the gamers.
With a combination of new titles and the new gear that supports them, the Sony show floor had definitely made it’s mark at this year’s E3 convention.