The PlayStation Experience: The Best Announcements

Sony just held its first-ever PlayStation Experience, a fan event dedicated to showing off new games, giving more details on some that were announced previously, and revealing all-new titles.

Just like you can live-stream your gaming sessions, Sony made the entire conference available to view online. Since there was so much announced, and you probably don’t want to watch hours of video, here’s the coolest details that we got this weekend.

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

Even before its announcement, the newest Uncharted was sure to be a great exclusive on PS4. The game wasn’t announced at this event; this conference instead has revealed a substantial amount of gameplay footage. From the name, it can be assumed that this will be Nathan Drake’s last outing.

He looks considerably older in this title, and the game’s official page explains that he was retired before this game’s events were set in motion. At the end of this clip, we also find out that Drake has a brother; something that’s never been brought up in the series before.

Even cooler, he’s voiced by Troy Baker, who you might recognize as the voice of Joel in The Last Of Us, Pagan Min in the recent Far Cry 4, and as protagonist Jack Mitchell in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (our review).

"Good to see you're alive, little brother." Yes, that was me. Damn proud.

— Troy Baker (@TroyBakerVA) December 6, 2014

Naughty Dog has had an awesome history working on PlayStation consoles, from Crash Bandicoot to The Last Of Us, and Uncharted is no exception. It’s exciting to see what they’ll pull off on the new hardware in 2015.

The Forest

The Forest, currently available on Steam’s Early Access program, is a survival-horror game whose gameplay resembles Minecraft. In it, you are the only survivor of a plane crash, and must fend for yourself in the woods. It’s been receiving excellent feedback, and at PS Experience we found out it’s coming to PS4.

This game won’t be for everyone, of course. It’s an inexpensive horror game, but shouldn’t be thought of like Resident Evil or Silent Hill. Rather, it’s atmospheric horror, because survival is up to you. If you can’t build shelter, fend off monsters, and explore, you’re doomed to fail. There’s no word on a release date or whether it will be a completed version coming to PS4, however.

Notable Ports

It’s no secret that Sony loves indies, and thankfully, the PS4 will finally be getting some of the best indie games it currently lacks.

Bastion, an action game released in 2011 that’s been put on nearly every platform except Sony’s, will be released on PS4 and Vita in 2015. Bastion is worth playing for its amazing soundtrack and narration (which you can hear in the teaser video below) alone, so don’t miss it.

Shovel Knight, which released in June of this year, recently surpassed 300,000 copies sold and is one of the finest indie games ever created. PS4, PS3, and Vita versions will join its existing PC, Wii U, and 3DS platforms. As an added bonus, Kratos from the God of War series is set to be added to the game. Will he be a villain or an ally? Stay tuned to find out!

The Vita exclusive Tearaway, made by the same folks who created LittleBigPlanet, is getting a PS4 release, titled Tearaway: Unfolded. Since a big focus of the game was the touch screen on the Vita’s back, it will be interesting to see how it’s modified to fit the PS4. Developer Media Molecule is surely more than capable.

One re-release that could have been monumental is Final Fantasy VII, one of the most-loved RPGs of all time. Unfortunately, it turns out that the PS4 version of FFVII will be a port of the existing PC version, which features the blocky graphics of the PS1. So, instead of a full HD remake, this is just the PC version ported to PS4.

Craig liked the PC port, so if you haven’t picked it up yet, it might be worth waiting for it on PS4. For everyone else, however, this was just a big disappointment and one of the low points of the show.

No Man’s Sky

No Man’s Sky has a lot of people’s attention. We haven’t gotten much in terms of gameplay or details, though the PS Experience has revealed a bit more. We know is that the title is procedurally generated, meaning that virtually infinite worlds can be created in it. It’s all about exploring space in this timed PS4 exclusive. Check the teaser for more.

Customizable Faceplates For PS4

This isn’t as cool as a new game, but it’s still notable. Sony is starting to roll out faceplates that replace the shiny cover of your PS4 — the same piece you remove when you replace the PS4’s hard drive. Sony’s site seems to already have them for sale, so if you’re interested you can place an order. Currently, only LittleBigPlanet 3 and The Order: 1886 themes are available, but the selection will surely expand soon.

The faceplate is easily removed, but if you need a refresher, check out the official tutorial.

Excited?

Sony had a lot to show off at their first annual PlayStation Experience, and anyone with a PS4 should be getting really excited right about now. No matter what types of games you’re into, something shown at this weekend’s conference is worth looking forward to.

What was your favorite game shown at PlayStation Experience? Leave a comment and let us know what you can’t wait to play in 2015!