June 12, 2017, 6PM PT
Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
The first game of the evening was the Uncharted 4 DLC-turned-stand-alone Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. The Lost Legacy follows longtime franchise favorite Chloe as well as Uncharted 4 antagonist Nadine as the pair teams up to look for treasure and excitement. It's pure Uncharted gameplay based on the footage shown, but there's a slightly different tone. Chloe and Nadine are both more violent and antagonistic than Nathan Drake ever was, and it looks like their adventure will feature some morally gray antics.
Horizon: Zero Dawn
In the wake of the success of Horizon: Zero Dawn, it's no big surprise it has DLC coming down the line. We didn't get to see too much of what the DLC entails, except that it involves some new environments and the guardian of a giant mountain. Aloy still appears to be the protagonist, but it's difficult to tell from context if this DLC will fit in or after the game's storyline. Still, it's more Horizon, and that's hard to complain about.
Days Gone
While The Last of Us II may not have made a showing at this year's E3 conference, we got to see the similar Days Gone, which wasrevealed at last year's E3 show. Days Gone is a zombie apocalypse simulator where you play as a biker who appears to be focused on odd jobs and surviving. You know, the usual zombie stuff.
Like The Last of Us, it looks like Days Gone focuses on stealth gameplay and sheer brutality. We didn't get to see any straightforward combat in this demo, since the protagonist spent most of his time sneaking around and trying to avoid fights through stealth kills or creative use of tools. At one point, our hero moves a bear trap around, lures an enemy over to it, and sneaks past an enemy encampment.
Days Gone is another in the zombie-apocalypse genre. Its particular flavor appears to be overwhelming hordes. We only got to see the creatures for a few moments, but they were of the dangerous, decaying and shambling variety. They also appear to be as much weapon as obstacle. We saw them used to clear out a bandit camp through clever use of explosives on a barricade.
It's hard to get a feel for Days Gone from only trailer videos. It's easy to compare it to Last of Us in both gameplay and tone, but it also looks like it has its own style. At the very least, it seems far more Walking Dead and far less The Road, but we'll have to see how the final version turns out when it releases next year.
Monster Hunter World
Considering the franchise's oft-portable roots, it was a nice surprise to get a glimpse of Capcom's new console-focused Monster Hunter World. It looks like a traditional Monster Hunter game, if perhaps more focused on stealth and trapping than the franchise's usual focus on arcade-style action. We glimpsed a hunter sneaking around, gathering supplies, using a disguise to evade a monster, swinging on a grappling hook and, of course, cooking up some precious meat afterwards. Hope we'll see more on this from Capcom soon.
Shadow of the Colossus
Also new to the mix was Shadow of the Colossus. Just from the gameplay trailer, it's hard to get a feel about whether it's a full reboot or some sort of enhanced Resident Evil Remake-style redo of the original. However, all of the familiar Shadow of the Colossus-style antics were visible in the trailer, and the visual update looks very solid. We'll have to wait for more info in coming months to understand what this entails.
Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite
While Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite's story mode was announced a while ago, the trailer gave us a better idea of what it will involve. Ultron and Sigma are working together to gather the Infinity Stones to take over both of their home universes. It's a danger so intense that the unified forces of both universes are forced to turn to the evil Thanos for help. Joining the mix are newcomers like Gamora and fan favorites like Zero. We also saw some crossover action, such as Rocket Raccoon borrowing handguns from Devil May Cry's Dante. A story mode demo is available now.
Call of Duty: WWII
It wouldn't be E3 without a Call of Duty game, and this year's iteration gets back to basics. Recent Call of Duty titles have become increasingly futuristic and sci-fi, but rather like Electronic Arts did last year, Activision is going back to the starting point this year. Call of Duty WWII is going to feature "old-school" combat ranging from flamethrowers and bayonets to scoped rifles and simple bombs. It's going to be interesting to see how it pans out when it releases later this year.
Virtual Reality
Sony's VR headset came out last year, and it got some coverage at the conference. We didn't see too much of any individual game, but we saw some interesting additions. Like Fallout 4, Skyrim will also be getting a VR adaptation. Supermassive Games will do an action-based game called Bravo Team and some sort of psychological horror called The Inpatient. A pair of platformers with interactive elements called Star Child and Moss will give players a chance to do something besides shoot things. Finally, Final Fantasy XV will have a VR fishing theme spin-off called Monsters of the Deep.
God of War
God of War was another megaton announcement from last year that made a rather perfunctory showing this year. As we found out last year, it follows Kratos on a quest with his son. Unlike the previous game, this one is more heavily based on Norse mythology, which is made incredibly clear when Jormungandr the World Serpent makes a sudden appearance at the end of the trailer.
We can see that his son will play a part in gameplay mechanics, since he appears to help in combat and in scripted sequences. He's shown using a bow and stabbing creatures with a dagger, and one brief glimpse makes it look like you'll take over playing as him for a brief period of time.
Of course, Kratos is the star of the show, and he's no less brutal than ever. Norse Kratos appears to favor an enchanted throwing ax rather than the blades that his Greek counterpart used. He can throw and retrieve it, and he can also split heads wide open. We glimpsed a retractable shield that can be used to parry and bash in enemy skulls. His method of killing is as violent and excessive as ever, and mercy is the last thing he's showing to anything that's unlucky enough to be an enemy.
Detroit: Becoming Human
Another in the long lineup of "more of what we already know," the latest trailer for David Cage's Detroit: Becoming Human focuses on a pair of renegade robots. Their plan is to start a revolution to draw attention to the fact that they are essentially slaves. The trailer focuses heavily on the idea that you can influence and change the story, and your choices have a dramatic impact on the outcome. The example from the trailer involves choosing to run from the scene of a crime or hiding from the police, which can lead down different paths. It's still tough to get a feel for Detroit, since it's the kind of game you can only satisfactorily judge once you see how the choices turn out, but at very least, the premise is shaping up strongly.
Destiny 2
The original Destiny was probably the single most successful new franchise of the new console generation, but we're finally getting a sequel after the long lineup of expansion packs. It appears to open with a new alien force taking over the Traveler and destroy your home base, so you're forced to start from scratch. While we only got a few glimpses of gameplay, we know that Destiny 2 will feature exclusive weapons, costumes and gameplay content exclusively on the PS4 until at least 2018.
Spider-Man
Insomniac Games' Spider-Man was only given a brief teaser trailer last year, but this year, it was the end-of-show domination. It looks like a very solid game, and it's clearly borrowing inspiration from Batman: Arkham Asylum. It has both "predator" segments where Spider-Man can sneak above enemies, and the free-flowing combat mechanics build up combo meters to unleash special moves. Of course, there's going to be free-roaming web-slinging around the city. We only got a few glimpses of that amidst the QTE-focused battle against newcomer Mr. Negative, though. A final cameo of Ultimate Spider-Man Miles Morales rounded out the teaser.
Overall, this was a very safe year for Sony. The simple and straightforward show was dedicated to the games coming out in the next year or two. There weren't any megaton announcements or surprise bombshells, just a solid lineup of titles with an emphasis on exclusives. There were some noticeable absences, particularly in the form of The Last of Us II, but it has enough content to make it clear Sony fans will have a lot to look forward to in the upcoming years.