Sony at E3: Everything you need to know

All the announcements from Sony's conference, and a big bag of trailers.

Sony took their shot at E3 by bringing us a load of new gameplay, and they ramped up the sense of spectacle with a full orchestra and a choir that opened up the conference with an epic score. Microsoft unveiled new hardware at their event earlier in the day, but it seemed that Sony were more content to let their games do the talking (unless they had a hardware reveal planned, but pulled it after hearing the specs for Microsoft's Scorpio).

God of War

The epic music played by the orchestra turned out to be from the new God of War game and they continued to play through a brand new gameplay trailer, which launched Sony's conference (with a lot of cheering from the crowd). Just as the leaks in April said, the new God of War is set in Norse mythology. From the gameplay trailer we get to see new enemies, story and weapons including a magic infused axe. There is even a dragon at the end, what more could you ask for?!

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Days Gone
Shawn Layden then took to the stage and introduced a new trailer, this one for the new IP, Days Gone. The new IP appears to be a post-apocalyptic survival game. The narrator, presumably the protagonist of the game, reminisces about the collapse of the world around him and the loss of his lover, saying that he is now a bounty hunter in this world. No more was said about a release date, but it has us interested.

The Last Guardian

The thought of The Last Guardian ever actually being released was becoming somewhat of a joke, but Sony pulled it out of the bag with a new trailer and release date. The game will be released on PlayStation 4 on 25 October 2016. The trailer shown gave us more of an insight into the game and shows what looks to be a more visually impressive game than the version we saw last year.

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Horizon: Zero Dawn

We got a glimpse of Horizon Zero Dawn at E3 last year in the form of some gameplay footage. This year it seems to be much the same, but with more content, and a release date. The gameplay includes some of the main features, including taming mechanical beats, more of the open world, and even a brief look into the crafting system. It also shows interaction with other humans, proving the player with a choice wheel of dialogue options. Horizon: Zero Dawn is set to release on February 27, 2017, and we will be watching for more news as it appears.

Detroit

Another story-heavy game from Quantic, Detroit is set in a futuristic setting where androids are working for and alongside humans. We were shown a trailer which shows how decisions will affect the story, meaning the possibility of multiple endings and playthroughs. We saw one android try and talk another from a rooftop, defusing a hostage situation. Then we were treated to a quick look at some of the various ways the situation might have changed had different things taken place. We're still not sure when it's coming, but Detroit is heading exclusively to PS4.

Resident Evil 7

Rumours were confirmed and Resident Evil 7 was announced halfway through the conference. Not only are they returning to the main series of games, but it will also be supported on PSVR. They showcased a gameplay trailer that revealed an atypical Resident Evil play-style, but still seems promising. There is also a demo now available now for PS Plus. Resident Evil 7 is scheduled to release January 24, 2017.

PSVR Release Date

The VR train continued just after the release date for PSVR was announced (it's coming to the US and Europe on October 13), and we were shown Farpoint, which looks to be a VR FPS based on an alien planet. We only saw a little combat, but we saw plenty of exploration on what is evidently a hostile planet. In the trailer, the player encountered robotic creatures that were not natural to the planet, and a huge monster that made its home in a nearby rock face.

Star wars VR

Next up we were greeted by the very familiar Star Wars tune, followed by a shot of space and a fleet of X-Wings, with the player in the pilot's seat, headed into battle against Tie-Fighters and an Imperial Star Destroyer. What we saw next was the title-card of our dreams: Star Wars Battlefront - X-wing VR Mission. Once again, we didn't get a release date or anything of the sort, but knowing we can fly through space as an X-wing pilot one day is more than enough for now.

Batman Arkham VR

Batman Arkham VR was also announced, but the teaser was simply panning around Batman's iconic cowl, accompanied by the ominous voice of Mark Hamill's The Joker. This time, we did get a release date, despite having seen much less than we did in the previous two trailers. October this year is when we'll play the PSVR exclusive.

Final Fantasy XV VR

The first thing for Final Fantasy XV we saw was nothing really new, a collection of clips that we've mainly already seen. Just after this, though, we got shown some gameplay of Final Fantasy XV in a bit of a different light: in a VR shooter style. In the demo shown, one of the characters would dash between locations in order to get a better vantage point, so that he could shoot a huge monster. This is presumably how the gameplay for the FFXV VR experience will play out.

Call of Duty + MW Remaster

As is the way now, some gameplay from the latest Call of Duty was shown, but only of the campaign segments; nothing multiplayer. For the purposes of this demo, the player travelled to a huge enemy ship and engaged in space-dogfights before dumping the space-jet and moving in low gravity between platforms. From there it seemed like it was a typical CoD sequence, but it looked fun nonetheless. Some gameplay of the anticipated Modern Warfare Remastered was also shown, with the announcement that PS4 users will get the campaign for the game 30 days before anyone else.

Crash Bandicoot remasters + Skylanders
Crash Bandicoot is back. In the conference the mini orchestra in front of the stage began playing a very recognisable tune, the main theme from the original Crash Bandicoot games, and it was announced that Crash Bandicoot 1, 2, and Warped would all be getting PS4 remasters 'from the ground up.' It was quickly followed with the announcement that Crash will be joining the Skylanders crew as a playable character, so anyone desperate for the beloved mascot before the remasters release can pick that up when it launches this October.

Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens

A new extended trailer for Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens was shown, and we were shown what are presumably cut scenes from the full game itself. It was a retelling of the film, but with typical comedic Lego segments thrown in. The game is set to release two weeks from now, and the game's demo was released on the the Playstation Store last night.

Death Stranding

The Legend himself, Hideo Kojima, made a short but impactful appearance at the press conference, as he announced his new studio, Kojima Productions' new game. The trailer showed a naked Norman Reedus embracing a small baby, that then disappeared and left Reedus alone, on a beach surrounded by dead sea creatures. The trailer was cryptic as all hell, as expected from a Hideo Kojima game, but at least we got a name for the game: Death Stranding. A release date wasn't set, but it's great to see Kojima is back making games he loves.

Spider-Man
Finally, in a move nobody expected, there was the trailer for a brand new Spider-Man game in development at Insomniac Games. The trailer showed Spider-Man donning a hi-tech suit similar to the one seen in the latest Captain America film, and swinging around a beautiful New York City and battling crime. We didn't see a release date, only confirmation that the game was in development.