Sony PS4 PlayStation Press Conference E3 2015

Reminder: E3 2015 is upon us. If the special homepage wasn't already a good enough giveaway – nifty, eh? – then this editor's apocalyptic stress levels are a sure sign. As gaming fans, the reason that we all love the Los Angeles convention is because it allows us to dream and despair. There are the highs, like Jack Tretton laying the figurative smackdown regarding the PlayStation 4's used games policy – and then there are the lows, such as Kaz Hirai's unforgettable five-hundred-and-ninety-nine-dollars comment. The real beauty is that you never quite know what you're going to get – and in celebration of that, we've grouped together a rabble of excitable Push Square staffers, and asked them to share their hopes and fears for this year's PlayStation press conference.

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Sammy Barker, Editor

I peed off a fair few readers when I claimed that this year's PlayStation presser would be all about third-party games, but I still believe it to be true. As such, I'm currently praying to the gaming gods that I'm wrong. I think the Japanese giant has been smart associating itself with so many multiformat brands, but these aren't the kinds of titles that "win" E3 media briefings – it's the unexpected exciting exclusives that do that. And seeing as I'm anticipating Microsoft and Nintendo to respond to the PS4's dominance with an overwhelming display of first-party software, my personal hope is that Sony's able to keep up. In truth, Horizon and The Last Guardian should do the trick – but will they be on display?

It goes without saying, then, that my fear rests with an overabundance of third-party software; I'll be fine with some, but I pray that it isn't the focus of the show. I'm also anxious it's going to roll out some pot bellied game developer with a Project Morpheus strapped to his noggin; the platform holder's virtual reality push needs to be discussed, but if someone struts out looking all Lawnmower Man, then I'm afraid that Sony's already lost – the two abovementioned titles be damned.

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Robert Ramsey, Associate Editor

Persona 5. That's it. Show me the most stylish role-playing game mankind has ever crafted and I'll go home happy – even if Sony's show is dominated by atrocious live Project Morpheus demonstrations. In truth, there's not much first-party stuff that I'm fussed about. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End will no doubt be brilliant, and I'm hoping that Guerrilla Games' new project takes the studio to new heights, but apart from that, I'm essentially just a cackling observer of the always ridiculous console exclusivity wars. All in all, though, I just want Sony to have a good show - to not get carried away prattling on about things that people don't really want to hear.

I think the real fear, as hinted, revolves around the company's nosedive into virtual reality. I know I'm not yet convinced, and I doubt anyone truly will be until Project Morpheus is on the market and it's got solid developer support. In fact, the more I think about it, the lower my expectations become. Think about all of this logically and we already know what most of Sony's presser will consist of – namely already-announced third-party titles and VR spiel. I'm not saying it can't possibly be good, but I am saying that E3's always a lot more enjoyable when you don't expect a megaton every ten minutes. Prove me wrong, Andy House.

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Ben Potter, Video Editor

While this seems to have been a foregone conclusion in recent years, Sony is going to neglect the ever-loving crap out of the Vita. Deep down inside me, however, there is the tiniest flicker of hope. Could this be the year Sony pushes for a big budget first-party title on the lifeless handheld? The PSP had not one but two Grand Theft Auto games, yet boasted a fraction of the Vita's power. It's true that the Vita's few first-party titles don't have a glowing track record, but Sony has to realise that nobody is going to buy a Vita for indie titles. Those of us who already have one are, at best, tolerating the independent charm barrage, but the rest are getting fed up.

With Project Morpheus' suggested arrival set for the not-too-distant future, it's about time consumers finally got to see what all the fuss is about. That's why it wasn't shocking to hear that Sony plans to dedicate a large portion of its conference to the VR headset – but how much is too much? In previous years, we've seen cringe-worthy demos for both Move and Wonderbook, neither of which managed to outgrow the unpopular precedents set at their respective E3s. Sony needs to smash this out properly: keep it short but sweet, feature trailers for several big-budget, Morpheus-specific titles, and announce a grand tour of the device so everyone can have a try.

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Kell Andersen, Senior Writer

In this writer's humble opinion, Sony easily had the best lineup of games at last year's E3. However, due to a series of pre-show leaks, as well as a poorly executed conference, the Japanese giant didn't come away with the top spot. With that in mind, I am utterly terrified that the platform holder won't be able to keep everything under wraps for this year's show. From Software's already allegedly had a high profile leak, which – after Bloodborne last year – is apparently becoming a yearly tradition, and with a couple of days to go, there's still plenty of time for more big surprise reveals to be ruined. I'm also slightly scared that Sony won't learn its lesson from last year, and will spend entirely too much time talking about sales figures. We know that the PS4 is selling well – you don't have to keep on telling us.

In terms of what I'm hoping for, it always comes down to exciting new IPs for me. Preferably ones that are preceded with a comment along the lines of, "And you can download it right now!" Also, even though it's very much a Tokyo Game Show-type game, I'm still holding out hope for a surprise PS4 re-reveal of Gravity Rush 2. Seeing Media Molecule's new game would be nice, too.

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Chris Harding, News Reporter

Sony has the chance to right a few wrongs at this year's E3, and while many will be hoping for the mythical The Last Guardian to rear its elusive head, I'll be sat with all fingers crossed hoping that Andrew House's recent comments on the PlayStation Vita get shattered with a few surprise announcements – Gravity Rush 2, anyone? Granted, it's a long shot and Sony hasn't really been on the ball when it comes to all things Vita, but there's always the chance that the firm will turn things around. At this point, I'd be over the moon with just a price cut on the ridiculously expensive memory cards. It's a long shot, but a man can dream, can't he?

That said, if the Vita doesn't even get a courtesy mention, you'll find me down the pub, drowning my sorrows – and my Vita.

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Alex Stinton, Reviewer

Well, I'm older and wiser than I was during the last E3, so you'd hope my growing pool of wisdom would result in some insightful hopes and fears for Sony's press conference. The thing is, my biggest hope is the same as during every E3 before, which is to see Sony announce games that push the boundaries. I don't care about the next entry in an annualised series, or the re-releases of games from the last generation no one bloody asked for – I'm on about that game that makes you sit up at take notice; the one that makes your E3.

On the other hand, my biggest fear is that Project Morpheus is going to look increasingly like a boondoggle that Sony feels it has to push no matter how good it actually is. Looking at the sort of PC you need for Oculus Rift, I'm just not convinced that the PS4 has the power to deliver a decent VR experience. I also worry that with developers still trying to puzzle out what works for VR, it'll turn out to be another Kinect where big promises made in press conferences turn into a divided player base, and a piece of hardware starved of third party support.

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Greg Giddens, Reviewer

I hope to see more about Project Morpheus, including a release date, a list of currently compatible games. and what new games will support it. It'd be a terrific reveal if PlayStation announces the peripheral as releasing this year before Hallowe'en [Sorry, it's already confirmed for 2016, Greg – Ed]. Trading heavily on VR horror experiences, it'd be an ideal time to try the VR out and enjoy some scares [Maybe next year – Ed].

On the other hand, one of my fears is for this VR enthusiasm right to turn into a fad that passes quickly. As a consumer all geared up to purchase some VR hardware when it comes out, I'd be furious to spend what's almost certainly going to be a large sum of money on something never fully realised and with minimal software. AR gaming with PlayStation Eye and 3D gaming both failed to make an impact, and although I consider VR a more viable path for enjoying games, it still might ultimately fall flat.

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Graham Banas, Reviewer

Sony past couple of E3's have been really good at showing off lots of promising indie titles. I'm hopeful that we get to see a smattering of new games, including a fresh look at Abzu, which I am particularly excited about. I'd also love to see Sony really give us hope for the holiday season, maybe by giving Persona 5 a release date. I'm really hoping for the firm to make this holiday season look a lot better than that time last year. I'd also love to finally see what some of its first-party developers have been up to. What's Quantic Dream been doing? Guerrilla Games? I want answers!

There's still room for Sony to fall on its face, though. I'm really worried that it's going to spend too much dwelling on the past. I admit, I want the remastered Uncharteds and Journey – but there needs to be a line. Does anyone really want Beyond: Two Souls remastered [Raises hand slowly – Ed]? The PS4 has been out for nearly 20 months now. The time for porting last-gen games has passed. And I'm really worried that while Sony absolutely has a lot of new stuff on the horizon, it will be far too fixated on re-releases. It also needs to watch its pacing, and not get bogged down with too many unnecessary things – like the Powers debacle last time.

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Jamie O'Neill, Reviewer

Despite the lack of a campaign, I hope DICE can demonstrate a single player mission structure in Star Wars: Battlefront which captures key moments from the original trilogy in satisfying gameplay moments. I'd personally love it if Sony announced a release schedule of PSone and PlayStation 2 games on the PS4, something independent of PlayStation Now, to build a retro archive section that rivals Nintendo's Virtual Console. Recently I thought about follow-ups to my favourite games from the last generation, and the two announcements I dreamt of most were sequels to Red Dead Redemption and Vanquish. It's heartening that a mixture of game images tweeted by Platinum Games made a new Vanquish game seem plausible, especially alongside the legitimate possibility of The Last Guardian getting a re-reveal.

However, when combined with the Fallout 4 and Ratchet & Clank trailers, it also felt like the exuberant yaps and yelps of E3 were unable to hold their tongues for one more week. I'm fond of my PlayStation Move setup, but the last motion-controlled release I enjoyed was BioShock Infinite over two years ago, and I'm hesitant regarding Sony's long-term commitment to the more expensive Project Morpheus hardware. Apprehension about tarnished surprises and virtual reality fears seem fairly universal – Push Square discussed them both in greater detail recently – but in truth I'm more optimistic and excited that through a variety of announcements Sony will have a memorable E3.

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Joey Thurmond, Reviewer

Star Wars: Battlefront! I'm ecstatic to see gameplay and hope DICE will surprise everyone with a game mode focused on spaceship battles where players raid something like Star Destroyers in orbit. Look, they said there would be no "space" battles, but that doesn't mean this type of battle needs to take place in space. Anyway, I also think it's time for Capcom to show a glimpse of the next Resident Evil, which should get back to the roots of the franchise. The Last Guardian (never lose hope), RIME, Kingdom Hearts III, more Ratchet & Clank, and Visceral Games' Star Wars project… These are several games I hope to see. Oh, and let's not forget Dark Souls III and Bloodborne DLC. I'm ready to die, From Software!

I've pretty much given up on Sony ever using the Vita as more than an indie and JRPG platform, so I think that this will persevere as this fantastic handheld is continually underrepresented. I'm also anxious Sony may spend too much time on indie titles; No Man's Sky and RIME will be fine to see for a bit, but I would like an equally strong presence of new IPs and sequels to existing franchises. Lastly, please don't cover Destiny DLC for more than five minutes, Sony. I'm interested, but not that interested.

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Matt Adcock, Reviewer

Lots of gamers are complaining about remasters but in the light of Bloodborne being so great I would love Sony to bring the original Demon's Souls to the PS4 – and maybe announce Demon's Souls 2 for good measure. I'm hoping for a Mafia III PS4 announcement which seems realistic, but also a new Red Dead Redemption which may be less so – and a PS4 WipEout which is up there with a Disgaea first person battle-em-up in terms of 'wishful thinking'.

On the other side, a lack of jaw-dropping announcements for the PS4 (and no announcements for Vita) would suck. I'll also be letdown if The Last Guardian doesn't make the cut – not necessarily because I'm interested in the game myself, but because I want to see the web awash with happy tears regarding this release at last.

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Sam Brooke, Reviewer

I'm hoping for some more Mad Max gameplay, mainly because the whole survival theme of the game excites me so much. I also want it because it has explosions, and we could always do with more of those. Also, another Crash Bandicoot.

On the other hand, I'm not really bothered about any Assassin's Creed Syndicate gameplay. I really couldn't care less about the franchise anymore, and it basically looks like the same thing now. It needs a refresh.

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Stephen Tailby, Reviewer

As I'm sure many of us are, what I'm hoping for from Sony is a generous helping of first-party announcements. It's been extremely quiet about its exclusive offerings, and I think it's high time we saw the likes of Santa Monica, Media Molecule, and Guerrilla Games, among others, take to the stage. I would love it if we saw a new God of War, the next Play Create Share experience, and the rumoured Horizon, respectively. Unlikely wishes from me would be a new WipEout, some serious Vita love, and of course, The Last Guardian.

What I'd rather not see is a focus on multimedia. E3 is first and foremost a gaming PR nirvana, and that's how I want it to remain throughout. Don't get me wrong, I watch movies on the PS4 quite a bit, but if Sony spends too much time on TV, film, or music, I'm not going to be best pleased. I also don't want it to talk about sales figures and PlayStation Plus attachment rates for what seems like hours, because it's just plain boring. In fairness, Sony has been pretty good in recent years when it comes to this, but with exceedingly strong PS4 sales to gloat about, this kind of fluff could return to get in the way of glorious game announcements, titillating teasers, and Shuhei Yoshida's cheerful face.


Phew! If we've not exhausted you of all of your ideas, then feel free to drop some of your own hopes and fears in the comments section below. And remember to strap yourself in to Push Square for the next few days – it's going to be a very bumpy ride.