Sony's Paris Games Week 2017 press conference is done and dusted. This year, the Japanese giant opted for a relatively short show dominated by trailers for games both old and new. In many ways, it was a continuation of the company's E3 event earlier in the year, with many of the same titles popping up for air.
Prior to the presser, Sony had been building quite a bit of hype, but did the PlayStation maker deliver? We've gathered our editorial team to share their thoughts on Sony's latest showing.
Sammy Barker, Editor
I liked that a lot. Sony said last week that “E3 2017 was only half of the story” and it implied that its Paris Games Week 2017 press conference would represent the second act. This was a rapid-pace showcase (around about 40 minutes, I believe) but it was a good one. While some will perhaps lament the lack of new announcements (newsflash: games are hard to make now) practically everything we did see caught my attention.
Ghost of Tsushima (a title I’m quickly going to have to learn how to spell) is just about the last thing I expected from Sucker Punch, but I’m fascinated to learn more about it – I thought it brilliantly opened the show. But it was the updates on games that we already knew about that most excited me. Detroit: Become Human, with its high-stakes android heist, did little for me at E3 2017 – but while its new trailer made for quite harrowing viewing, it’s absolutely the kind of thing I want to see out of Quantic Dream. I don’t know whether David Cage will be able to respectfully meander such tough subject matter as domestic abuse, but surely we’re seeing the medium mature if we’re willing to at least ask the question?
Unsurprisingly, the new footage of The Last of Us: Part II, in tandem with the abovementioned, means that the press conference has come in for intense scrutiny on social media for being far too violent. I must admit I did think Naughty Dog’s trailer lacked context, but it left me asking a lot of questions, which I think was probably the point. That said, I’m not sure I agree with the notion that Sony should have toned things down – I feel like its first-party games are speaking to a very adult audience these days, and I’ve always been of the opinion that the industry can offer more than points and green pipes. Personally, I want these games to challenge me.
But I think to focus solely on the heavy stuff would be to misrepresent the media briefing. This was Sony once again showing that it has a little bit of everything on its platform, and that’s always been the beauty of PlayStation as a brand. Whether it’s the wealth of PlayStation VR content on the way or the imagination of smaller projects like Concrete Genie, I think PGW 2017 reminded me why I continue to believe that PS4 is the best place to play.
Robert Ramsey, Associate Editor
I felt Sony had a solid E3, but a lack of big reveals meant that it was never going to live long in the memory. Once it was over, we all sat here saying "well, there's Paris Games Week later in the year, and then there's the PlayStation Experience after that." The idea that Sony was saving its big announcements for future events seemed entirely plausible at the time -- how else would it make all three of these shows worth watching?
The thing is, the company's Paris Games Week presser didn't offer much in the way of surprises either. The 45 minute conference was stuffed with projects that we've known about for some time -- just like E3. God of War returned for another round, Spider-Man swooped back onto the scene, and The Last of Us: Part II closed things out. There were some great trailers on display here, but again, there was nothing to really make you jump out of your seat aside from that gorgeous Ghost of Tsushima reveal -- my personal highlight of the show by some distance.
Having said all that, I still think this was yet another very good performance from Sony -- the pacing in particular was spot-on. After its hour-long pre-show, the 45 minute presser felt like it was a thoughtful length, and as a result, it never dragged. Bam, here's a trailer, bam, here's a trailer, bam, here's a trailer. While this kind of fast but structured approach is nothing new for the PlayStation maker, it continues to highlight the fact that Sony seems to know what its audience wants. Long gone are the days of execs standing on stage yapping about sales numbers for ten minutes at a time.
But I think what was really hammered home during this event was just how strong Sony's first-party offering is. Many of the titles we saw have been in the oven for quite a while, but when you've got an upcoming portfolio consisting of God of War, The Last of Us, Spider-Man, Detroit, and now Ghost of Tsushima (along with stuff we didn't see, like Days Gone), the future's looking shockingly robust for the PS4 as it enters its fourth year on the market. And as someone who just wants to play good games, that's all I can really ask for.
What did you think of Sony's Paris Games Week 2017 press conference? Do you agree with our editors? Whatever your opinion, let your voice be heard in the comments section below.
Comments 23
With all these worthwhile exclusives, Sony are making it so easy for me to choose PlayStation.
For me the biggest suprises were Quacamelle 2, a game wihch I consider one of the best indies out there and Concrete Genie. That game looks gorgeus! The AAA titles showed us nothing special except the Ghost, but still I am nota big fan of samurais
@BLP_Software Agreed! I actually thought that trailer was for Days Gone until the sound effect of the revolver confirmed for me that it was, in fact, The Last Of Us!
@BLP_Software Agree with you on Days Gone and Last of Us. The tone of these games just feel too much the same.
@Melucine yeah so excited about Guacamelee 2. The first game was so so good! Unexpectedly so. And after (personally) the disapointment of Severed, I am excited to see drinkbox return to Mexico for a second trip
@BLP_Software I don't agree on the heavy themese, though. I saw a lot of lighthearted games, I want: Loco Roco 2, Where Memories Hide and Grow, Guacamelee 2, Oure, Spelunky 2, OnRush.
@BLP_Software Yeah Days Gone from the limited chunks that have been shown off, while it's clearly got its own thing going on, not enough of that has been shining through in the glimpses. Too much of it has looked like a trailer for a Last of Us derivation. God of War, while I think the first trailer felt a lot like the Winter stuff in The Last Of Us (as far as look/feel/pacing definitely already visibly has enough going on that I'm not worried about that one feeling too homogenized.
I tend to agree more with Rob. This felt a lot like E3 2017 and had a lot of the same games rather than Part 2 which you would expect to have a different line-up.
I had predicted that Sucker Punch would revel their new project so not surprised by that. I was very surprised though by its concept as I really didn't think they would have given us a 'Samurai in Feudal Japan' game.
I am not saying that the games themselves weren't 'solid' but the fact it was 'another' trailer/game-play video for games we saw a few months ago, last years E3/PSX etc and yet no clearer to knowing when these games will actually hit the shelf.
Whether I wanted to see a price drop or not on the hardware (its not like I am in the market for another PS4 or Pro), I, like many others, expected some drop - or even a mention of the 'new' PSVR headset with HDR passthrough. Games like Dreams and Wild were noticeably absent and considering how long its been since we last saw anything, I think people expected to see these instead of most of the games we saw a few months ago at E3.
After these events, I tend to remember the 'new' games that I add to my wanted list. Games like Spider-Man (pre-ordered months ago), Last of Us 2 etc were all added a year or more ago and the only 'new' addition was Ghost of Tsushima. I almost feel like I know what E3 2018 and all the other events will show. I would much prefer to see a 'snapshot' of the year ahead rather than see games over and over again, year on year. I know its great that we have a lot to look forward to, but if I have to wait 2, 3 or more years before I get to play them and in the meantime, they are shown at virtually every event, these events lose something for me.
@BLP_Software Well, I don't care too much about what belongs into the show and what doesn't. In the end, it won't make a difference for me as gamer. I'm going to play the best games they'll announce, regardless of what venue they announce it at.0
To me Sony has shown they're going to publish special games and quite a lot of them.
@BLP_Software It seems to me that you just don't understand Sony's marketing. You are not their main target audience. Neither am I, by the way. The target audience is this giant mass, that loves playing the blockbusters (nothing wrong with that too). They're not out there to convince you and the three other gamers, that long for other types of experiences.
And of course, they use different platforms for different types of announcements. They know which type of gamer they reach by announcing games at PGW.
Good to see Guacamelee making a return, nothing else really wowed me though. I have yet to get Nioh, so I really don't have room for two samurai feudal japan games on my plate, so Tsushima isn't even on my radar. God of War is all that has my attention, really. Even spiderman is on the back burner, just because I'm so worn out by open world, arkham based action games, probably why I'm having so much trouble getting through Shadow of War.
sucker punch new game.oh yeah. I love ninja .and samurai games word up son worrrrdddd uppppp
Better than E3, with The Last of Us 2, also the reveals of Ghost of Tsushima and Concrete Genie.
I'm surprised about three omissions that I was sure would be at PGW:
1) PS4 Pro price drop;
2) November PS Plus reveal;
3) Dreams.
The first two I thought were guarantees to counter the Xbox One X launch. The third...well it's been almost four years! Wrong on all three.
@BLP_Software fair point about Days Gone. I'm still hopeful that it's gonna have enough working for it to be its own thing, but the fact I was unsure if it was that or The Last Of Us for more than a minute of a trailer makes it at least concerning (Sure, based on its placement in the conference i figured it was TLOU, but I wasn't positive). I definitely thing God of War is gonna be just fine though, as far as retaining it's identity.
Although even if Sony were to push a little on incorporating some of naughty dog's design philosophies into some of their big games, the games and studios that they are support are so varied and widespread that I don't think we'll ever really have to worry about everything feeling samey. Some things sure, but Sony's always had a gift for digging into every little nook and cranny and offering something for everyone somewhere along the line.
@lacerz yup me too, along with
4) SpiderMan release date
5) anything at all about WiLD
Wrong on all five!
I thought the very last game was going to be Dreams when Jim Ryan was talking it up beforehand. I thought it would be a really cool way to end the show - bring Dreams back into the spotlight, explain what it is and what you can do with it, and affirm confidence in the project. As much as I'm looking forward to The Last of Us Part II, I was a bit disappointed when it appeared instead.
Aside from Dreams being a glaring omission, I thought the conference was very strong, more so if you factor in the pre-show stuff. There was a huge variety on display, from Ghost of Tsushima to Concrete Genie, which I really appreciated. Most of the indies and VR games were relegated to the pre-show, but it was still great to see Sony showing support for projects of all shapes and sizes.
Overall, I was pretty impressed. Here's hoping that Dreams turns up at PlayStation Experience
I think that it would have been a little better to get updates on some games other than those seen at E3 even though the showing for those games was strong. Dreams or Wild would have been rad and really shown a different side to Sony. SOTC was good looking though.
I thought this was the right place to show off PSVR and some smaller games and that they did very well.
As much as I loved TLOU and am psyched, the new trailer did nothing for me. It was almost a story extract and only really showed off how awesome the game is going to look. I guess people will pore over it for meaning but I would have rather had just a glimpse of something else.
That said, 2017 was amazing, 2018 is looking insance and Sony did a bang up job of reminding us of it.
So many fantastic exclusives, it's a great time to own a PS4. I do agree with many about the tone of Days Gone being a bit too close to The Last of Us, though, but from what we've seen, both games will be very good, so I'm fine with more.
It's a solid show, but I wish sony just tell us the release for god of war, detroid and spiderman already.
Spelunky 2 and guacamelee 2 is a good surprise
I have to agree that this show was much better than E3. I am more excited going forward with my PS4 than I did from E3. Detroit is a game that I loved the first time I saw it but then felt uninterested in it during E3. Now I'm back to loving the game with that new trailer. I actually shed a tear while watching it. Also, Spider-Man showed unscripted gameplay that was all over the earlier footage. It wasn't much but I liked seeing real gameplay.
I felt they were a bit the same, apart from this show had the better trailers.
Surprised Days Gone didn't get any show time, the mixed reaction and LoU2 taking the zombie spotlight, Day's Gone is going to have a hard time.
Detroit: Become Human was AMAZING looking I just wanted to be that robot woman and kick that Girl's Dad's ass into tomorrow Was a good show. But I think it's getting harder for these companies to WOW people nowadays. I was was happy tho with the main Big AAA PS4 Exclusives
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