Last weekend, the Venetian hotel in Las Vegas hosted the PlayStation Experience, a huge gaming convention that spotlighted everything that Sony is up to for the holiday season and beyond. It was a chance for the company to reveal information on games for the Sony PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and Vita, as well as start what might become a new video game tradition.
According to IGN, there were many big announcements made, particularly related to popular video game franchises associated with Sony. One of the biggest reveals is Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. The latest game in the action-adventure third-person shooter that will have all kinds of new combat and traversal systems, along with Nathan Drake's older brother. The release date is TBA but should be available in 2015.
Another big announcement was Street Fighter V, and this offering of the fighting game franchise will be a PC/PS4 exclusive. Apparently, Sony is assisting Capcom in developing the game, and it will be a cross-platform between PS4 and PC players.
Baseball fans will undoubtedly await the March 31, 2015 release of MLB 15: The Show on PS3, PS4, and PS Vita.
Other big release news for franchises was Arkham Knight, the final chapter of this darker Batman series. According to the PlayStation blog, its release date will be June 2, 2015, and it will easily be one of the summer's most popular games.
Destiny, which is already a huge game for the PS4, will have its first expansion, The Dark Below, which will be released on Tuesday, according to the PlayStation blog.
Also announced is that the PlayStation Network is giving away three free games that include Need for Speed: Most Wanted on the PlayStation Vita, Mirror's Edge on the PlayStation 3, and Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare on the PlayStation 4. It is suggested that PlayStation users get these games fast before the free status changes.
There are also a lot of new games coming such as The Forest, and open world horror survival game that was popular on Windows and now coming to the PS4. Another title that shows promise is Bloodborne, an action RPG with a lot of horror elements with a release date of March 24, 2015. Other games that are new to the fray are The Order: 1886 coming in a few months and a PS4 exclusive surreal adventure of What Remains of Edith Finch, coming in 2016.
One of the most mixed announcements was that Final Fantasy VII is planning on coming to the PS4. According to Kotaku, some anticipated a remake, but apparently it will just be a port of the PC version of the game. Perhaps fans of the long-running franchise were expecting a finalized release date for Final Fantasy XV.
Speaking of re-releases, there will be a remastered edition of Grim Fandango slated for January 27, 2015 for the PlayStation 4, Vita, and PC. There will also be a special edition of Day of the Tentacle to those three platforms, and Fat Princess Adventures will be coming to the PS4.
All in all, the PlayStation Experience was an excellent way for Sony to highlight their company. Strangely enough, the Game Awards occurred at the same time, and were almost over-shadowed by what Sony has done. This has led Forbes to speculate whether or not Microsoft will have a similar event at the same time next year for the Xbox One. In other words, the PlayStation Experience might have started a new gaming convention fad for the holiday season.
