Sony was the second of the "Big Three" to hold its press conference, and here is a rundown of what happened during the presentation.
Things started off with a fairly lengthy preview video showcasing various games including Uncharted 3 and Resistance 3 among many others. Then company president and CEO Jack Tretton took to the stage to address the "elephant in the room," and apologized on behalf of Sony for the recent security breach and PlayStation Network downtime.
Naughty Dog then came out to show a gameplay demo of the highly anticipated Uncharted 3. At the start Nathan Drake finds himself on a large boat in the middle of the night. The stealth aspect of the game is highlighted as Drake enters a room with huge chandeliers and performs a stealth takedown on an enemy.
Eventually Drake is cornered by enemies but manages to avoid the gunfire. After an explosion the room starts to quickly fill with water, and Drake starts shooting at enemies as the boat tips over. The next part of the demo shows Drake trying to swim to safety and navigating corridors as even more water starts to spill in. Then a huge wave starts barreling down one room as Drake runs for his life.
At this point the demo ends, and then Naughty Dog announces a partnership with Subway that will allow fans to have early access to the game’s multiplayer in October. And the company isn’t just talking about a beta, but the full multiplayer aspect of the game.
Then a full trailer is shown, where fan favorites like Elena, Chloe, and Sully all make an appearance. Exciting set pieces are featured, including one where Drake must jump onto a moving plane.
Next up was Insomniac with Resistance 3. The gameplay demo that was featured took place in St. Louis and found the main character attempting to ambush a Chimera dropship.
Various familiar weapons were shown off, and a new electric weapon that leaves enemies swirling in the air was also included in the demo. Then things took a turn for the worse, and the main character was running for dear life with a power core amidst all kinds of chaos.
A sharpshooter bundle was then announced for Resistance 3. It will include the game, the sharpshooter peripheral, a Move controller, a navigator, and a camera all for $150.
Sony then turned their focus to 3D for a little while. The God of War: Origins Collection was announced, which will include the two PSP titles released in previous years. In addition there was a mention of the Ico/Shadow of the Colossus Collection, and both updated titles will be playable in 3D.
A completely new Sony television was then announced. The 3D-capable 24-inch display will come bundled with 3D glasses, an HDMI cable, and Resistance 3 for just $499.
A new feature in which split-screen multiplayer won’t be required was also revealed. Instead, players will be able to have their own two full screens at the same time due to the capabilities of the TV and glasses.
Then the PlayStation Move started to take the spotlight. Some people from the 2K Sports team came out to show NBA 2K12 gameplay, specifically the Move functionality. Players will be able to target teammates for passes with the Move controller, and they will also be able to attempt steals and blocks in the same way.
Then the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant came out to a big round of applause and played the game for a little while. He wasn’t doing that great, but his stardom helped overcome that.
A new Move title from the creators of Sports Champions was then featured: Medieval Moves: Deadmund’s Quest. This fantasy action game allows players to easily switch between a sword and shield, a bow and arrow, and throwing stars without having to navigate any menus. The game will be coming out in the fall of this year.
At this point a quick inFAMOUS 2 trailer was shown, which actually comes out tomorrow. Tretton then explained that the game will feature user-generated content, where players can use the Move to create their own unique missions. Also, more Move functionality will be coming to LittleBigPlanet 2 in September, where players will have even more freedom over their creations.
Then a short trailer for Starhawk was shown. This new game from the creators of Warhawk will still feature plenty of vehicular combat as indicated in the video, and it looks like there will be space battles as well. Unfortunately no gameplay was shown.
After that, another short trailer for the next installment in the Sly Cooper series followed, which also did not feature any gameplay. The game will be titled Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, and it is coming out in 2012.
The creators of EVE Online then talked about Dust 514 for a little while. This persistent online shooter focuses on ground combat, and a little bit of gameplay was shown.
But the big hook is that Dust will be integrated into the EVE Online universe, and the two will somehow coexist. No specific details were revealed regarding that, but a beta will be coming to the PlayStation Network at the end of the year.
BioShock Infinite was next up on the lineup, where a trailer was shown. Then Irrational Games’ Ken Levine took the stage and started to take back some comments regarding the Move. He recently said that BioShock Infinite will not feature Move support, but after that Sony contacted him and convinced him to change his mind.
His reasoning was that it will allow a new audience to experience BioShock without alienating the franchise’s core fans. Irrational Games is also working on a portable game set in the BioShock universe, and that will be coming to Sony’s next-generation portable in the near future.
Tretton then came back out to reveal exclusive content for some of EA’s upcoming games. The PS3 version of SSX will feature an extra track set in Mt. Fuji, Need for Speed: The Run will come with seven extra super cars, and Battlefield 3 will come bundled with the downloadable title Battlefield 1943.
Kazuo Hirai came out next, and the rest of the press conference was dedicated to Sony’s next-generation portable. The new handheld has been officially revealed as PlayStation Vita. It will come with two analog sticks, front and rear touch pads, multi-touch capabilities, and dual cameras.
There will be Wi-Fi and 3G/Wi-Fi models, and Sony will be partnering with AT&T for the new portable. This partnership was met with quite a few boos from the audience.
PlayStation Vita will allow people to chat with each other with a headset or the built-in microphone by using the party system. In addition, a social connection tool called Near will be featured. Near allows you to connect and play with others, compare trophies, and recommend games.
Games exclusively for Vita were next up in the presentation. Bend Studio, the developer behind the Syphon Filter franchise (PSP) and Resistance: Retribution for the PSP, then came out to demonstrate Uncharted: Golden Abyss. The game sported incredible-looking visuals, and some innovative touchscreen controls were showcased.
Players can use the touchscreen to climb by simply selecting the ledge they want to grab. They can also sweep across a series of ledges to highlight a path for Nathan Drake to take. Six-axis support was also featured in the demo, which is used for climbing as well.
As for combat, players can tap on enemies to perform stealth takedowns, and touch controls can also be used to reload and pick up new weapons. The core gunplay will remain the same though, and players are not obligated to use the new control scheme. They can ignore it altogether or choose to use both.
The next game to be demonstrated was Ruin, an action-based RPG. After seeing gameplay, it seems to be a dungeon crawler that is most similar to Torchlight. Players will be able to have their own dungeons, and so will their rivals. By connecting online, you can explore your rivals’ dungeons and fight through them. But as your rival gets more powerful, so does their dungeon.
But the biggest feature highlighted was the ability to play on both the Vita and PlayStation 3. Using Sony’s cloud-based saves, you can pick up where you left off on either platform. So if you saved after completing a big battle on the Vita version, you can resume from that exact point in the game on the PS3, and vice-versa.
Then the creators of ModNation Racers revealed that they will be creating an entirely new version of their game for Vita. They showed how creating tracks with the handheld’s touchscreen capabilities makes things much easier. Just with a few simple finger motions tracks can be drawn, turns can be created, and terrain can be manipulated. Also, owners of ModNation Racers for Vita will have access to creations from the PS3 version on day one.
After this a quick announcement was made regarding Wipeout 2048. The new title in the series will allow gamers on both Vita and the PS3 to play with each other, and the feature will be available at launch. Then LittleBigPlanet for Vita was announced, followed by a trailer.
The last game in the Vita lineup to be featured was Street Fighter X Tekken. Cole from the inFAMOUS series will be in the game, and he was shown in a short gameplay demo.
Hirai then returned to the stage to address some key details regarding PlayStation Vita. The new handheld will come out this holiday season, and the Wi-Fi model will cost $250.
The 3G/Wi-Fi model, on the other hand, will cost $300. These price announcements were met with a huge round of applause from the audience.
At this point Jack Tretton came back out to make some closing statements, and that wrapped up Sony’s E3 press conference.
