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Sore Thumbs

7/2/2014

SONY AT E3

Sony2While Nintendo and Microsoft kept the focus squarely on the games at last month’s Electronic Entertainment Expo, Sony elected to dedicate a lengthy portion of their press conference to new PS4 multimedia services, while the crowd of hardcore gaming onlookers let out a collective groan. Beginning this fall, the PlayStation TV service will allow PS4 owners to stream their games on multiple TVs and will provide original programming as well, including the animated show Powers (based on the comic of the same name) and a Ratchet & Clank feature film. However, the content will only be free to those with a PlayStation Plus subscription. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get on to the games.

It’s been under a year since the launch of the Xbox One and PS4, and the software lineup on both consoles remains sparse, though less so on PlayStation. Sure, Metal Gear Solid V looks amazing, and the mere mention of Uncharted 4 raises hairs on the back of the neck, but those games are on the distant horizon. Current gen players want content, and they want it now. Fortunately, Sony seems to be aware of this. Their booth had a much wider selection of soon-to-launch games than those of their competitors. New DLC for inFAMOUS will be out this August. The whimsical new game Entwined was announced at the conference and is out already. The prospect of getting an exclusive TV show isn’t particularly exciting, but the prospect of being too busy playing new games to watch it is.

LITTLEBIGPLANET 3littlebigplanet

Release Date: November 2014

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Sackboy is coming to PS4, and he’s bringing his friends, which include a wall-jumping dog, a size-changing pal and a bird capable of carrying any players who have trouble making those tricky jumps. As usual, players will have the tools to craft their own levels, and if they’ve already done a fair share of that in the previous PS3 entries in the series, they can import those levels into the new game, where they’ll look better than ever, rendered by the PS4’s more powerful graphics engine.

THE ORDER: 1886TheOrder1886

Release Date: February 20, 2015

Set in an alternate universe version of 19th century London, this game involves an order of gun-toting, steampunk-styled knights defending the city from half man/half animal abominations. The demo showed an encounter with one of these creepy beasts, promptly followed by a cinematic action sequence. Even more impressive was the suspenseful lead-in to that event, as the third-person avatar crept through the dark with a lantern, highlighting The Order’s subtle and gorgeous lighting effects. It all has the makings of a moody masterpiece.

ABZUabzu

Release Date: 2016

In Sumerian, “ab” means “water,” and “zu” means “to know,” but all you really need know about this title is that it comes from both the art director and composer of Journey—a game renowned for its stunning visuals and Grammy-nominated score. The release date is quite a ways off, but the press conference still managed to show off a brief gameplay clip, featuring a diver exploring some breathtaking underwater vistas.

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