Here’s How Sony Stole the Show At E3

We’ve been talking over the weekend about how certain companies managed to show dominance at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, between Microsoft’s impressive showcase and Bethesda’s unbelievable presentation. But if you thought we were going to leave Sony out in the cold, you’re crazy.

The publisher went all out with its first-party titles during its press conference, and then proceeded to let third parties take over with their announcements, including Koei Tecmo’s Nioh 2 and Capcom’s drool-worthy Resident Evil 2 Remake.

So let’s break down just how Sony managed to steal the show in their own right, even if they didn’t necessarily have to…

Sony’s Press Conference Was Stellar In Person

While those that were watching the livestream may argue otherwise (due to interruptions and a limited view of the action), Sony put on a show at some private studios in Los Angeles.

First it ushered in fans to a small dance hall for an intimate showing of The Last of Us Part II before moving us all into a large theater where it showcased its other games, including the amazing Ghost of Tsushima, Insomniac Games Spider-Man and Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding, which actually gave us a glimpse of gameplay for the first time.

Again, it wasn’t to everyone’s tastes, but the show was certainly different and gave us an intimate look at some of the upcoming games from Sony and third party publishers. And the after party in a faux New York setting with a playable Spider-Man didn’t hurt either.

Third Parties Got Their Place In the Sun

While Sony no doubt wanted to attain its own thunder during E3, it gave lots of room for third parties to do their thing as well.

Leading the charge was Resident Evil 2 Remake, an electrifying retelling of one of the best survival horror games ever made. We got not one but two trailers showing us what to expect, along with a demo that’s still shaking us silly.

Nioh 2 was also revealed; and while it didn’t give us a whole bunch of gameplay, we did get a glimpse of what we could expect from the surprise follow-up.

But then came Control, a surprise out of left field from the creators of Max Payne and Alan Wake. Remedy Entertainment is introducing a whole new kind of action game, with lots of gunplay and cool “force” abilities that will make this go even further than Quantum Break did.

Throw in some new Kingdom Hearts III gameplay based around Pirates of the Caribbean and a surprise look at From Software’s Deracine, and you have a plethora of PS4 games that didn’t disappoint.

The Last of Us Part II Stunned Us Silly

As you can see from the trailer above (and at this link), Ellie is taking main focus with Naughty Dog’s latest. What starts out as a somber moment between the heroine and her girlfriend (yep, we loved that) soon evolves into an all-out battle for survival, as Ellie takes out a number of guards in gruesome ways. No, really, just watch the clip above and you’ll get an idea of what we’re talking about.

The trailer does an amazing job of storytelling in itself, showing both the best and worst sides of Ellie in one shot. And never mind the negative buzz on social media — this girl still kicks ass and takes names, and what we see next from her is bound to be incredible.

Also…will we get a look at Joel in the future? We can’t help but wonder where he’s going to end up. Fingers crossed it’s right by Ellie’s side at some point in the sequel.

Spider-Man Did Whatever a Spider Could, and More

We posted some hands-on impressions for Insomniac Games’ Spider-Man, which easily stole the show for me. Along with a truly impressive gameplay trailer (which can be seen above) that shows our hero in deep trouble with members of the Sinister Six, we also get a glimpse of some of Spidey’s awesome abilities, like being able to shoot webs rapid fire and using the environment to his advantage.

Plus, his swinging abilities are magnificent, especially as he pursues airborne enemies while taking down a thug or two. We have a feeling that we’ve only seen part of the experience between the trailer and demo. Now if we can just make it to September to see the rest…

Ghost of Tsushima Blew Us Away

We didn’t expect Sucker Punch to be showing off gameplay from its forthcoming Ghost of Tsushima so quickly. But, boy, are we glad that they did. This game looks absolutely remarkable, with an art style that makes Infamous: Second Son look like a PS3 effort. Not only that, but the gameplay is truly authentic, with samurai sword battles, slick moves to dispatch enemies with, and the ability to check out the land any way you see fit. And there are bigger battles that are sure to come.

Sure, we still don’t know a release date, but Ghost is bound to be a major hit when it lands sometime in 2019.

Death Stranding Is Still Delightfully Weird

Finally, we come to Hideo Kojima’s latest masterpiece, the weird yet enthralling Death Stranding. Here, we once again get a look at Norman Reedus in action as his character (and his weird baby that can charge an electrical device to point out demons, it seems) journeys across a barren countryside, where all sorts of things lurk. There’s bits and pieces of story here, but overall there’s quite a bit of ambience to Stranding, even if we still can’t quite piece together what’s going on. But, hey, at least the Bionic Woman is here. Huzzah!

Here’s hoping we see more of Stranding in December at PlayStation Experience. We can’t wait to see where this goes next.

What did you like from Sony’s E3 event?