First Byte: Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

Two weekends ago, Sony held an event in Las Vegas called the PlayStation Experience.  This event was open to the public and press with the keynote conference and demos streamed on Twitch for those unable to be in attendance.  A lot of big news came out of the PlayStation Experience such as the reveal of David Jaffe's new game Drawn to Death, Bastion, Shovel Knight and Super Time Force all making the jump to PlayStation and Street Fighter V being a PS4 console exclusive.  The next God of War game was even unintentionally confirmed by series director Cory Balrog during a panel at the event.  In addition to the news, the PlayStation Experience gave gamers a comprehensive look at the upcoming projects from all the first and third-party studios working on both PS4 and Vita.  It served as a great way for Sony to continue their upward momentum while simultaneously enticing undecided consumers to buy a PS4 during the holiday season.

The biggest thing to come out of the PlayStation Experience was the 15 minute gameplay demo for Uncharted 4: A Thief's End.  Sony revealed the new Uncharted over a year ago at the launch party for the PS4.  Sony followed up that reveal with a brief cinematic teaser at E3 which revealed the game's subtitle and setting.  While these two teasers got many excited for Uncharted 4, I personally needed to see more to get behind the hype for this game especially since so many games have fallen short of their hype in the past year.  After the gameplay trailer from the PlayStation Experience, my doubts over Uncharted 4 are now nonexistent.  Although it was a 15 minute snippet of gameplay, Naughty Dog packed a lot of information about Uncharted's PS4 evolution into this demo.

The demo starts with protagonist Nathan Drake standing on a cliff overlooking the dangerous terrain the island setting has to offer.  This view and the following movement of the camera shows off Uncharted 4's gorgeous graphics and great water effects.  Drake then enters a nearby cave which provides ample opportunities to see that the game's platforming mechanics in action.  In short, the platforming looks to work just as great as they did in previous entries in the series.  More platforming sections follow once Drake exits the cave, but with an added twist.  He finds a spike which can be used on certain rock formations as an anchor point in order to grab out-of-reach ledges and cervices.  The demo showed a few exciting instances where using the spike while jumping is necessary to reach new areas and save Drake from falling to certain death.

As Drake makes his way around the island, he eventually meets up with some hostiles.  While this encounter lasts rest of the demo, it perfectly showcases Uncharted's next-gen evolution.  Since Drake is usually placed against insurmountable odds, stealth has played a huge part in the Uncharted series.  It certainly takes centre stage in Uncharted 4 as Drake can use the large patches of flora and fauna to get the jump on enemies and for hiding when spotted.  In addition to the stealth mechanics, combat has received some retooling especially the hand-to-hand combat.  These hand-to-hand fights look a lot more fluid and dynamic as Drake and his opponents can use the environment as a part of their offence, transition to different positions like belly-to-back and throw grapples such as an arm drag.  These new combat scenarios can even occur when platforming around a firefight.  During a particular moment in the demo, Drake is trying to climb up a cliff only to be cut-off by a boot to the face.  Drake takes the boot in stride, punches the enemy and throws him off the cliff in a similar fashion to ledge takedowns from past Uncharteds.  Instead of falling to his doom, the enemy grabs onto Drake's foot thus leading to more input in order to escape the enemy's grasp.  Moments like these should make Uncharted 4's combat unpredictable and exciting throughout the entire game.

The last thing I want to touch on from the Uncharted 4 demo is the grappling hook.  While it is only used two times throughout the entire demo, it leaves one amazing impression.  The first time we see it is in the heat of battle as an enemy throws a grenade at Drake's feet.  With only a few seconds to react, Drake jumps to the right and throws out his grabbing hook at a nearby branch with the press of the R1 button.  In that brief instant, he sours through the air directly toward the grenade-throwing enemy to deliver a devastating punch to the face.  In my opinion, this sequence is one of the most exhilarating parts of the demo and perfectly shows the combat capabilities of the grappling hook.  Aside from its use in combat, the grappling hook adds new dimensions to Uncharted's exploration and platforming as it gives Drake more versatility in maneuvering around the environment.

All-in-all, this 15 minute demo has completely sold me on Uncharted 4: A Thief's End.  It looks like a spectacular showcase of the PS4's power and solidifies Naughty Dog's position as one of the elite developers in this industry.  Now sitting upon my list of most anticipated games of 2015, I really look forward to playing Uncharted 4 next holiday season.  If you do not agree with my analysis, the gameplay video of Uncharted 4's demo is included below so you can see for yourself.

The Seventh Generation: PlayStation 3

The third and final console to look back on is the world's best Blu-Ray player, the PlayStation 3.  All joking aside, the fortunes of the Playstation 3 were the exact opposite of the Xbox 360.  The PlayStation 3 had an extremely rough first few years on the market.  Coming off the incredible success of the PlayStation 2, Sony got complacent with the PlayStation 3.  Sony's ignorance cost the company as the PlayStation 3 fell far behind the competition.  It took a large price drop and a console redesign before the PS3 started moving off the shelves.  While Sony had problems getting consumers to buy the PS3, their first-party development in both the downloadable and retail spaces and their extensive library of third-party exclusives made convincing arguments for owning Sony's third console.  Once Sony turned their string of bad luck around, the PS3 became the console of choice for many gamers this past generation.

Out of the gate, the PS3 was struck with a seemingly never ending string of problems.  The over 600 dollar price tag was far too steep for most people even the most enthusiastic gamers.  Programming for the PS3 was much harder than the other systems of this generation due to the PS3's Cell Processor.  Sony executives were making outrageous claims about the PS3's "monster" sales.  Game developers and publishers from Valve to Activision were voicing their disdain against the system.  The one glimmer of hope in the early days of the PS3 was Blu-Ray's win over HD-DVD as the definitive format for high definition home entertainment.  Despite Sony's PR nightmare with the early years of the PS3, things eventually turned around for the system.  Even with the better standing of the PS3 in later years, there were still a good number of mistakes made by Sony.  One big problem with Sony in general is the company's lack of commitment to an initiative or product if it does not have immediate success.  During the life of the PS3, Sony relentlessly tried to shove two different initiatives down the throats of gamers only to completely abandon them less than a year after announcing them.  These two initiatives were the PlayStation Move and 3D compatibility.  The PlayStation Move was Sony's answer to Nintendo's Wii and Microsoft's Kinect.  Much like the Kinect, the Move tried to bring in a casual audience to the PS3 only to alienate the system's primary audience of hardcore gamers.  Sony tried their hand at 3D compatibility with the PS3 when stereoscopic 3D was all the craze back in 2009.  Sony put 3D compatible logos on all their major games and even released an extremely overpriced 3D monitor to get people to adopt stereoscopic 3D into their lives.  Both initiatives were just gimmicks that Sony used to extend to life of the PS3, but neither caught on and Sony ceased to promote them.

While Sony has made a good number of mistakes with the PS3, they have made some good decisions as well.  People made fun of using Blu-Ray discs as the default format for all PS3 games upon first release, but it is the biggest strength of this system.  While Microsoft faced numerous problems with their dual-layered DVDs for the Xbox 360, Sony's Blu-Ray discs are nearly indestructible.  One would have to make a considerable physical effort to damage a Blu-Ray discs.  Also the PS3 never felt the need to chew up games like the Xbox 360.  Apart from the great success of the Blu-Ray format, Sony's first-party efforts during this generation were among their strongest.  From established franchises like Ratchet & Clank and God of War to newfound properties such as Uncharted and Infamous to experimental titles such as Journey and the PixelJunk series, Sony's first-party had an incredible amount of variety compared to that of Microsoft and even Nintendo this generation.  This vast library of first-party titles was complimented by the great number of third-party exclusives especially in the later years of the PS3 such as Metal Gear Solid 4, Valkyria Chronicles and 3D Dot Game Heroes.

One cannot talk about the PS3 without discussing the biggest event in the console's life-- the PlayStation Network Outage.  This outage happened during the spring of 2011 when hackers attacked PSN causing Sony to shutdown all online functions for about a month.  This outage served as the biggest scare for gamers to this date as hackers got ahold of millions of peoples' personal and even credit card information.  The outage is considered one of Sony's greatest debacles, but personally this writer believes it is a significant turning point for the Sony PlayStation brand.  This outage was a wake-up call for Sony.  They nearly hit rock bottom in the eyes of the gaming community due to the outage.  Many people to this day do not fully trust saving their credit card information to any online store including the PlayStation Store.  This outage showed Sony the horrors of not protecting their customers and has brought forth a brand new direction for the PlayStation brand as a whole.  While Sony has not entirely turned the company's consistent problems around after the outage, they have made greater efforts to push games like the slew of Sony exclusive indie games and initiatives such as PlayStation Plus which actually please and benefit gamers rather than bring in the most cash.  Personally, this writer does not believe Sony would be in such a great position with all the good will surrounding the PS4 if it was not for the lessons learned during the PSN outage.

While things started out the worst possible way for the PlayStation 3, things eventually turned around for Sony's third outing in console gaming.  Hard lessons learned from the PS3 has definitely changed the PlayStation brand for the better as seen with the overwhelming success of the PS4's launch.  Although the PS3 may never be considered in the same league as its predecessors,  it is arguable the best console of this past generation.

Launch Station: PlayStation Game Collections

Yes, it is Madden day, but I do not enjoy doing sports game previews.  There is not much to talk to about other than the incremental improvements that I honestly do not care about.  If you are a football fan, you have probably already bought Madden NFL 13 and have been playing it for the past 24 hours.  You do not need my preview.  Instead of highlighting the umpteenth edition of Madden NFL, I am going to highlight the four, yes four, game collections that Sony released this Tuesday for the PS3.  These games are going for 30 to 40 dollars and include 3 full games at the least.  If you missed any of these games the first time around, these are the collections that you should definitely pick up no ifs, ands or buts.

This collection brings us all the way back to the PS2 days.  The days where Sony had three mascot platformers all competing for your attention in Jak and Daxter, Sly Cooper and Ratchet and Clank.  While Jak and Sly have gotten their times to shine in the HD Collection high, Sony fans have waited quite a long time to see Insomniac's beloved characters join the party.  The Ratchet and Clank Collection runs 30 dollars and includes the first three Ratchet and Clank games (Ratchet and Clank, Going Commando and Up Your Arsenal), a 10th Anniversary Ratchet and Clank Avatar item and early access to the Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time demo.  Along with the obvious HD upgrade to the graphics, there is trophy support for each game and online multi-player exclusively for Up Your Arsenal.

After Sucker Punch made a name for itself with Sly Cooper, this team moved onto the more mature darker superhero game in the Infamous series.  For being a new IP when it released in 2009, Infamous did very well.  Enough to get a sequel in 2011 and a special Halloween-themed DLC.  For those who missed out on this series when it first released, they should look no further than the Infamous Collection.  The Infamous Collection includes both Infamous 1 and 2, the Festival of Blood DLC and all other extra DLC missions, costumes and weapons all for 40 dollars.

Easily the most bang for your buck, God of War Saga includes the entirety of the God of War series leading up to the release of God of War: Ascension next year.  There are five games packed onto one disc for only 40 dollars.  You get God of War 1, 2, 3, Chains of Olympus and Ghosts of Sparta.  Five high quality incredibly cinematic hack-and-slash action game classics that has spanned the PS2, PSP and PS3.  On top of that the God of War Saga includes exclusive bonus content and a one month trial of PlayStation Plus, which is also included in the Infamous Collection.

thatgamecompany has made a name for themselves by releasing incredibly unique and artistically splendid downloadable games exclusively for the PS3.  Their latest effort Journey made waves in the video game industry when it released earlier this March, which easily made it one of the highest selling PSN game of all-time.  Capturing the hearts of many including yours truly, Journey is one of the video games you have to, and I emphasize have to, experience this year.  There is no way to not to experience now considering Sony and thatgamecompany just released the Journey Collector's Edition for the amazingly affordable price of 30 dollars.  The Journey Collector's Edition does not just include Journey.  You get Flow and Flower, thatgamecompany's previous games, three game prototypes created during thatgamecompany's Game Jam and art galleries, commentaries and soundtracks for Journey, Flower and Flow.  That is not all as this package also includes exclusive PSN avatars and a one month trial for PlayStation Plus.

Launch Station: Darksiders II

At the beginning of 2010, the original Darksiders took many people by surprise.  While Darksiders did borrow heavily from God of War and The Legend of Zelda, it had enough of a new atmosphere, setting, characters and interesting level design to capture the hearts of many gamers.  At first, I was not anywhere close to interested in Darksiders as I thought it borrowed too much from God of War and The Legend of Zelda to stand on its' own.  Once I played the demo, the opinion made a complete 180 and fell in love with this incredible series to the point that Darksiders II will be one of the first games I pick up for the Wii U once it comes out later this year.

Unlike your regular sequel, the story of Darksiders II runs parallel to the story of the first Darksiders.  Only this time around, you control Death, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, on his quest to  restore mankind and clear the name of his brother War, the protagonist of the first Darksiders.  Death is very different character than War.  Death focuses more on speed, magic and quick feats of raw power than the slow pace and brute force of War.  While Death's primary weapons are his two scythes, he is able to switch between other weapons at a lightning quick pace, which makes it easy to set-up huge combos.  Darksiders II is set in the Nether Realms, which is a massive open world that is easily multiple times bigger than the firs Darksiders.  Death is able to explore the Nether Realms at his own leisure completing side quests, fighting enemies for loot and finding tons of secrets from hidden areas to secret bosses.  You progress in Darksiders II by completing dungeons interspersed throughout the Nether Realms.   Darksiders II also includes some light RPG elements where you are able to customize Death's skills, armour sets and weapons.

Out of all the games releasing this week, Darksiders II is easily the most anticipated game.  All thanks to all the fans that spread the word about how good the first Darksiders was and got their friends, family and other acquaintances to try the game.  No matter what anybody says about Darksiders II, I will definitely be picking it up for myself and seeing how it continues the series.  If you are interested at all in Darksiders, I highly suggest picking up the first game.  If you enjoyed the first Darksiders, help support Vigil Games and in turn THQ, whose financial woes have been well documented, by picking up Darksiders II.

Hump Day Video: Darksiders II

While July seems to be a slow month for games, August looks to pick up for the slack with some big releases.  Among these big releases is one that holds the fate of a company in it's hands.  THQ's financial woes have been well documented and it has seem to come down to this game to bring them back from the brink of destruction.  With the weight of an entire company on their shoulders, Vigil Games looks to be creating a phenomenal game in Darksiders II.  When the first Darksiders was released back in 2010, it was easily overlooked by many as just another God of War clone.  I was among those that overlooked Darksiders for it's heavy influences from God of War and The Legend of Zelda until I tried the demo.  While Darksiders did borrow a lot of key mechanics from God of War and The Legend of Zelda, Vigil implemented them in such a way that it was just fun to play and explore this rich new world.

With Darksiders II only a few weeks away from release, THQ and Vigil have released a new story trailer that I would like to share today.  Unlike the story trailers that were released before, this trailer is made up of all in-game footage.  This trailer gives gamers one last glimpse at the game before it releases and it is one great glimpse.  There are brief snippets of action mixed with little teases of what will be in the game from riding Death's horse to fighting a dark version of War that get me excited to play this game.  First I need to complete the first game then I will most likely pick up Darksiders II when it releases for the Wii U later in the year.  Until then enjoy watching this great trailer.

E3 2012: Sony Press Conference Impressions

As the first day of E3 comes to a close, we saw Microsoft, EA and Ubisoft show their cards.  Some were more impressive than others, but ultimately today we saw what the future holds in gaming from the biggest publishers in the industry.  To close out day one is Sony to either end it with a bang or a whimper.  Surprisingly the result is somewhere in the middle.

The Sony Press Conference had a good starting and ending, but the middle dragged and bad.  The best thing about this year's press conference was that it was much better than last year's boring affair.  Sony gave a good amount of time to each demo, maybe too long for one in particular, and showcased some pretty solid games.  Much like Microsoft, Sony did jump from topic to topic with no sense of focus or direction and it ultimately hurt them and the conference in the end.  Some important topics such as meaningful additions to PlayStation Plus and pushing the PlayStation Vita as more than a port/sequel machine and game showings like The Last Guardian were no where to be found.  Sony's conference started out with the unveiling of Beyond: Two Souls, Quantic Dream's new IP.  It was a very interesting demo that showed off the game's very realistic graphics and gripping story, but like always I would have liked to see more gameplay.  As a first look of a game that will not come out until 2014, it was a good showing nonetheless.  That was followed by PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, Sony's Super Smash Bros. clone, now for both PS3 and Vita.  It was a boring demo that really showed nothing new about the game.  They did reveal two new characters for the game in Nathan Drake and the Big Daddy, but who cares unless they make Kevin Butler one of the fighters.  After that Jack Tretton ran through a bunch of stuff no one really cared about before going into more demos of Assassin's Creed III and Far Cry 3.  While they were new demos for each game, they did nothing to outshine the demos Ubisoft already showed off at their press conference.  Maybe manning a ship in Assassin's Creed III is neat, but the demo really did nothing to make it look that entertaining or interactive for a matter of fact and Far Cry 3's online co-op had some obvious problems with lag and loading textures.  Right in the middle of the show, Sony decided to shift gears and target the casual gamers with Wonderbook, a neat concept that Sony will never fully support in the long run.  They demoed the J.K. Rowling's Book of Spells for Wonderbook, which was absolutely terrible and soo long drawn out that I almost fell asleep due to boredom.  Also on top of that the PlayStation Move was so finicky and non-responsive that it made the demo even worse.  That was clearly the lowest this press conference could go as things got much better with a demo of God of War: Ascension, which is really more of the same God of War experience, but still good.  To end the conference, Sony went with The Last of Us.  While the demo was very impressive yet looked like it played a lot like Uncharted, I thought Sony would save at least one surprise for the very end.  After The Last of Us demo, which has got me a little more interested, the conference just seemed to end and it felt odd.

Overall, Sony's E3 2012 Press Conference was a decent event.  It had quite a few good moments, but nothing that surprised me and got me excited.  Beyond: Two Souls would have been a big surprise only if Sony kept their mouth shut and did not reveal that Quantic Dream was going to announce it at their conference.  The big dip in quality right in the middle along with the omissions of some big topics and The Last Guardian, which I now believe sadly will not see the light of day, hurt this conference more than Sony has actually realized.

Grade:  C+