PlayStation fans turned their eyes to Paris as the company unveiled more games in its lineup from its press conference at Paris Games Week. The nearly two-hour presentation showed a few games that we've seen in past shows, but there were also new entries that were a surprise for fans. Here are some of the main game highlights from Sony's event.
Explore Space In June
Since its first reveal, No Man's Sky has attracted many fans. However, with each new trailer and presentation, many were wondering when the game would actually come out on the PS4. Now, we know that it's coming next year — June 2016, to be precise. No specific date was provided, but considering that E3 occurs from June 14 to June 16, the game could make one final appearance at the show before or after its release. If the team at Hello Games is crazy enough, they might even launch it during E3.
Fight The Future
We first saw Horizon Zero Dawn at E3. Its unique blend of science fiction in a seemingly-prehistoric setting was more than enough to lure us in, and Guerilla Games showed off more gameplay footage during Paris Games Week. Once again, we're in the shoes of Aloy the hunter, as she attempts to grab the canisters on the back of the strange-looking mechanical creatures called Grazers. Taking down each of these creatures provides materials for Aloy, which she can use to craft new items, ammo, and outfits.
Aside from these small enemies, Aloy also encountered the Thunderjaw, a mighty beast measuring 24 meters (78 feet) long with 93 plates that you can destroy to kill the mechanized terror. However, you can also use Aloy's own weapons to destroy various weak points such as the leg, or dislodge the Thunderjaw's main weapon from its back and use it against the enemy to destroy the armor plates. No release date is set yet, but it's expected to come out in 2016.
Get Ready To Race
Despite its lackluster launch last year (mainly due to server issues), Driveclub is still a big priority for the PS4. Its latest expansion, Driveclub Bikes, takes a brief break from the world of cars and focuses on racing around with only two wheels, and it's available now. Just like the cars, Evolution Studios created a separate set of championship series for bikes, along with multiplayer races, challenges, and of course, customization options. Even if you don't have the original game, you can buy Driveclub Bikes as a standalone title for $19.99. If you own Driveclub, you only need to pay $14.99.
Speaking of racing, Gran Turismo is back. The main racing staple of the PlayStation franchise returns and also makes it debut on the PS4. Unlike its predecessors, this new game will not be numbered. Instead, it goes by the name of Gran Turismo Sport. Polyphony Digital head Kazunori Yamauchi also revealed two special FIA (the governing body of motorsport)-sponsored championships (one where players represent their country and the other where the player represents a specific manufacturer) in the game that will take place throughout the year. Those who win will have a chance to win real prizes and also meet some of the world's famous drivers in real life.
As an added bonus (and yet also expected), Gran Turismo Sport will be the first game in the franchise that supports PlayStation VR, which should enhance the racing experience. No release date was announced by Yamauchi, but he did say that beta testing will begin early next year.
Kara Returns
Finally, David Cage of Quantic Dream closed out the show. The studio is well-known for his story-heavy games such as Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls (both were PlayStation exclusives). Back in 2012, Cage showed a technical demo, featuring the android named Kara, at the Game Developers Conference that highlighted his vision for Quantic Dream's future. At the time, there were no future plans to take the demo and expand it to a full game. However, that seems to have changed, as Cage revealed Kara once again as the main character in a new game called Detroit.
The trailer, which was captured using in-engine gameplay, showed Kara wandering the streets of futuristic Detroit thinking about various things such as the feeling of the sun's warmth or the drops of rain that fall on her. It's a take on the classic tale of robots thinking like humans, and the ensuing conflict that could arise from that simple thought. The game is still in its early stages, and we'll be keeping an eye on it for further developments.
Looking Ahead
The year 2015 is coming to an end in a couple of months, and most of the games shown at Paris provided fans with enough content to fuel them into the next year. While some games will see a final release date next year, others are still up in the air with a potential release in 2017. Still, it's satisfying to know that Sony has a few projects in the works to keep its devoted fans happy all year long.
______________________________________________________________________
Rexly Peñaflorida II is a Contributor at Tom’s Hardware. He writes news on tech and hardware, but mostly focuses on gaming news. As a Chicagoan, he believes that deep dish pizza is real pizza and ketchup should never be on hot dogs. Ever. Also, Portillo’s is amazing.
Follow Rexly Peñaflorida II @Heirdeux. Follow us @tomshardware, on Facebook and on Google+.
