Shaolin

@get2sammyb Hey Sammy let's not compare them. I didn't get to see the Xbox press event but I've heard that it went well.

From what I did see Sony made a fairly solid performance. I know that it would have been a lot shorter but I would have preferred it if they had just shown us a barrage of game after game rather than breaking it up with the chat which actually felt a bit like they were trying to pad out the 90 minutes. Having said that, when you look back on it there was something exciting for every PS4 owning gamer and that's a good thing, in fact the main thing.

@BLGDADDY-D90 I'm totally with you on that.

Oh and I just finished watching Sony's press event and I didn't think it was too shabby at all. I felt that if you have a PlayStation that there was definitely something for everyone.

Personally speaking, Destiny isn't really my kind of game but that wasn't too bad of a press event though from Sony.

Lara Croft & the Guardian of Light was such a charming hidden gem of a co-op adventure. I'm really looking forward to co-oping this with some good friends.

I hope everyone sees this and respects the class act that is Jack Tretton. This is how to be a proper PlayStation fan, by having friendly consideration and not toxic hate towards your fellow Xbox fans. #schooledByJack

I don't think this is a problem at all. If we couldn't get the game that would be a big issue for me but not getting beta access or early DLC is the least of my concerns. It certainly doesn't help me at all but it might help others to know that the Destiny beta is exclusive to PS4 so Xbox fans won't be getting that.

Yes this footage did seem very similar to Titanfall which by the way I heard rumours that Titanfall 2 is coming to PS4 & Xbox One. Can anyone confirm whether they know if this is true and not just some cruel rumour. If it is true then woohoo!

I don't think Sony needs to "topple" anyone at all. I'm sure that Microsoft (and Nintendo for that matter) will provide very well for their customers and I wish them all the best. Sony will reveal some top class gaming and that's the main thing regardless of what Microsoft or anyone else has revealed. Devs are working really hard behind the scenes and anyone who says that Sony's or Microsoft's presentations are meh need to get their heads examined.

@Cloud7794 Yes power-gloves could definitely be better for games where you have empty hands in-game. I own a couple of Moves and they already do have wrist straps of the lanyard type. The problem with that is even though you're not patting round on the floor you still have a long stick of a controller dangling from your wrist which isn't easy to get back into the right position in your hand even when you're playing conventional Move games on a TV. I'm sure Sony will make enough progress on all the major problems with VR so that even if it's not perfect it'll still be a novel and engaging experience. Right now though, in the short-to-medium term, I'm finding the concept of Augmented Reality more practical because it doesn't cut you off from your surroundings. I know it's not as immersive as Virtual Reality but I can't say that I find the level of immersion lacking when playing on a TV.

I'm sure that by the time the PS5, PS6 or even PS7 come along that I'll be very excited to try it out and that there will be lots of excellent content available. I only hope that Sony can be a little bit more careful with how it presents Morpheus between now and then because the video above makes it look like goofy tech (which it probably isn't).

Since my initial enthusiasm when Morpheus was first announced I'm actually starting to find the concept of Augmented Reality more practical as opposed to the Virtual Reality on show here. A simple blunder like dropping one of those Moves would trigger an awkward fumbling around for the controller experience. I'm sure that Sony will eventually iron out the issues but I'm a tad sceptical that this technology is anywhere near ready for prime time.

@get2sammyb I see why you might see it like that but Sony could (and by all rights should) occasionally emphasise AAAs and indies separately or even categorise them together in meaningful ways (e.g. by genre) rather than trying to do what my mother used to do by mixing the vegetables in with the mash potatoes hoping I wouldn't notice. There is no doubt in my mind that Sony does promote indies by giving them booth space but that's not what we're talking about here at all. The on-topic issue is Sony's repeated use of these silly unordered long lists where Sony is clearly trying to put across an overwhelming sense of quantity above all else. Spewing out an unfocused big list like the one above is actually counter-productive to those hard-working devs on it and as you know from your previous article it attracts unwarranted sentiment from gamers who (incorrectly, I might add) complain about PS4 being too light on AAA and too heavy on indies.

To be honest Sony has always been a bit lacking with regards to streaming their events. However, this app does represent a real step forward though so fingers crossed that better availability of next year's E3 comes to all PlayStation fans.

Indies do absolutely count! I must say though that I begin to question Sony's continued use of multiple indies in lists like the above to pad out the AAA titles. It's like some sort of paranoia as if there is a lack of AAA games which there certainly isn't. I just start to feel that indies deserve a bit better than to keep being repeatedly used as padding in these lists.

No doubt Sony will have saved some news for the press conference but I must say that I've recently found myself questioning whether the overblown media circus of E3 is starting to spiralling out of control. The hyped-up expectation for the announcement of a million jaw-dropping reveals all at a single event is becoming akin to the pressure to have the best night out of your year on New Year's Eve. Personally I subscribe to the idea of great games being announced when they're good and ready to be revealed and not just rushed to be slotted into the programme. PlayStation games have always been a mark of quality rather than quantity so I don't have any problems if Sony chooses to make their announcements later on away from the noise of E3.

in DOG we trust!

The Japanese have always been extremely innovative and way ahead of the curve. Looking at them has often been like looking at a window into the future for the rest of us. I hope that their muted response to the new console technology is the exception rather than a sign of things to come for us. Mind you, if it means we turn out to experience something better instead then that's probably a good thing....... right?

The point about there being a drought on PS4 is that a lot of people feel that there isn't something for them, particularly in the AAA department that people know and love. That sentiment is born out of a shortage of available choice. I certainly don't blame anybody who feels that way and I'm just really happy to see Sony are acknowledging and listening to their fans. The drought (and I do personally believe there is a drought) is the wrong thing to dwell on here because it's Sony's response that is all important.

@Davros79 I completely agree, I've only ever done any serious gaming on PlayStation and that's not because I've got anything against Microsoft but Sunset Overdrive is one of the only games that have caught my interest which happen to be exclusive to Xbox. It's funny because I'll probably end up following all the news and watching all the trailers for it - strange eh.

I don't begrudge either Microsoft or Sony for having exclusive games because it's always been the way but Sunset Overdrive just feels and screams of PlayStation. In all fairness though I think that the relationship between Insomniac and Sony had started to cool off after Resistance 3 and it was particularly telling that Insomniac came out and said that Sunset Overdrive was the game that they'd been waiting 20 years to make - ouch.

@Davros79 Like you, I too am sad that Sunset Overdrive won't be coming to PS4 (well not for a long long time). However, I don't blame Microsoft for that - no not one bit at all. I blame Sony because they were too aggressive in demanding that Insomniac give them the ownership rights to the IP whereas Microsoft was happy to do business with them whilst letting them keep their rights to their IP. Sony seems to have better terms for Indies but not so good terms for their AAA studios.

@MorriganIsHot I disagree with you when you say that Insomniac are garbage. Maybe you didn't like their games but the words you choose say more about that and about you than they do about them.

I'll be honest, I find articles like this much more useful and interesting than the individual reviews and ratings. If I'd seen the Eurogamer score in isolation then I wouldn't have known how out of step it is. To go by an individual rating is sometimes like just stopping someone randomly on the road to ask them how they'd score it, even if some of the reviews are eloquently worded and explain their scoring system.

Seeing all these scores together is handy - thanks for that.

I've got to admit that I'm not really interested at all in how many Xbox Ones sell (or not). However, I do think we should be cautious about how we look at these figures because if Titanfall is topping the charts that might mean Xbox are making more money from fewer consoles. Considering that it's generally accepted that the real money is made from game sales perhaps we shouldn't be prematurely celebrating yet.

Yusuf Mehdi making this statement was unnecessary and uncalled for. There was no need for him to specifically mention PlayStation or draw comparisons like that. I didn't like it when Andrew House was smack talking about flip-flopping and I certainly don't like this.

I make a point of not participating in console fanboyism but what Yusuf Mehdi said was out of whack. I know they're under a lot of pressure at the moment but he should maintain some semblance of professionalism and concentrate on how he can improve Xbox One instead of making pointless comparisons regarding the competition or upgrade paths.

Delays aren't necessarily a problem per se but realisation is starting to dawn on gamers that when they see a fancy CG game trailer revealed at E3 that said game probably isn't even at an early alpha build stage yet and won't be ready any time soon. I can understand that these reveals are as much a recruitment and marketing drive than anything else but personally I prefer the Apple-style reveal technique where they make a new product announcement and BOOM it's ready to buy.

These 3rd party controllers don't look too bad actually, unlike the old days when they would look like awful knock offs. Having said that, I tend to prefer Sony's own controllers and particularly when I play competitively I like to know that I'm using stock kit meaning that I don't have an artificial advantage over the rest of the player base.

Thanks for such a thorough article and I particularly align with the last point about...... er.....aligning. But in all seriousness it's a very interesting point you make because third parties are currently doing a very nice job of relieving the pressure on the first party studios. If there is any scope to further develop this already decent situation then it could really make things extra special on PS4.

@get2sammyb "Don't worry, we'll have a more measured look at Sony's response today now that the news has sunk in."

Looking forward to it because that's some of your best work

The PlayStation brand is my passion and that will continue to be the case for the foreseeable future but it's becoming apparent that there's a real risk of PlayStation being underfunded. There are some new kids on the block now in the form of Samsung, Google, Apple, Amazon, etc. and they have extremely good credit ratings meaning that they'll be able to get all the funding they need. If any of them were to make a strategic move into hardcore gaming then I fear that Sony would have big problems keeping pace. It's sad but I can't live in denial about that.

@get2sammyb "Thanks for your feedback, and for reading. As with everything on the site, we try to find a balance. I know this isn't strictly PlayStation news, but it does have huge implications on the PS4 and Sony's strategy moving forwards, so it's definitely a topic that we feel fits."

You are most welcome for the feedback and I do mean it in the best possible sense. After all this is your show so to some extent my opinion on this matter is purely academic.

If you were coming at this from the "implications for the PS4" point of view then that's fine but it would be much more palatable if it could be done whilst maintaining a bit of dignity by having some sportsmanly respect for MS/Xbox as the competition. I fully understand that you wanted to make Microsoft's announcement relevant to your readers who are PlayStation fans but the resulting article comes across primarily as click-bait mockery and that's not nice at all.

I mean come on, claiming that an Xbox One is "impersonating" a PS4 because they are unbundling Kinect is weak and you know it is. At the very most Microsoft is replicating the original situation they had with Xbox 360 where they sold the Kinect separately. Their recent decision does not change the hardware at all so Xbox One no more impersonates a PS4 than it did before the decision.

I will grant you that there is a similarity in the marketing decision to unbundle Kinect as per the unbundling of the PlayStation camera so perhaps in that respect we can say Microsoft followed Sony's lead. However, Microsoft's decision to unbundle was made for a completely different reason so any similarity is merely on the surface.

The bottom line is that Microsoft tried for 6 months to bundle Kinect with Xbox One and now they have decided to unbundle. I've never had an Xbox but as a gentleman I can respect and appreciate that they are just trying out different strategies to see what works best for them and their customer base. As far as I'm concerned they could do a thousand 180s and it could still be for the better. If the shoe was on the other foot and it was Sony making these changes I'd feel the same way.

@get2sammyb Could we have some PlayStation news instead seeing as this is a Push Square and not Push A.

The anti-Microsftness of this website really reflects badly on the whole PlayStation community and makes us all look like we're only marginally interested in the great games available via PlayStation. It also makes us seem like not very nice people which is a shame because not all of us choose PlayStation out of some sort of dislike for MS. It's really bad form to report Xbox or Kinect news on this website with such a negative slant.

Whatever happened to reporting about great games, enjoying them and improving skill to get good at them? Instead what we have here is a tasteless meta-game about the games. I simply must apologise to any newcomers to this site on behalf of all decent PlayStation fans because although it may not seem like it we do exist!

@Carl-G Microsoft is Sony's friend right now and they are working well together competitively and cooperatively to keep the concept of games consoles alive and relevant. They are both making money out of this market and rightfully so if you ask me. In fact, it could be argued that as Microsoft increases the money they make from Xbox then so too does Sony with PlayStation.

Instead, it is the likes of Samsung, LG, Lenovo and Huawei who have really stolen Sony's lunch and have put the pain on their house. If you must regret that other companies have made money while Sony has not then these are the ones you should be targeting with your disdain because they are the ones who have dealt much more devastating competitive blows to Sony's business.

Whilst it's admirable that they are returning their bonuses due to the company underperforming as a whole I question whether $10 million saving will do anything in the face of the $1.3 billion loss.

Also, it seems unfair if those people that worked their skin off to produce excellent results individually are penalised through no fault of their own just because the company as a whole has made a loss. It's one thing for specific staff members to forgo their bonus if they individually fall short of expectations within their job roles but this mass forfeit of bonuses does not make Sony look attractive for ambitious and aspiring talent to seek employment and promotion within. Sony need that talent now more than ever and the last thing they need is an outflow of potentially their best and brightest.

On the other hand, if it turns out that lots of those staff members who returned their bonuses did so because they didn't meet their individual job responsibilities then that's a very different and real problem all of it's own.

@SimonAdebisi Fair enough, that's a good answer.

@SimonAdebisi I'm not trying to be funny but just out of interest in what way do you find Sunset Overdrive to be similar to Second Son? Is it the art style or perhaps the traversal?

To me they look like very different games, both good games but very different. Sunset seems far more cartoony tongue-in-cheek than Second Son and being a classic Insomniac game it has a bigger focus on weird and wacky weaponry. Then there's the open world multiplayer aspect to further differentiate it. I particularly found the "next gen respawning" thing hilarious. I don't doubt that there are small similarities but nothing anywhere near like Battlefield-COD similarity.

Have you seen this recent video which gives more detail on Sunset and highlights the differences? http://www.computerandvideogames.com/462820/video-watch-sunset-overdrives-first-in-game-footage/

To be honest, Titanfall seems cool and I'm really happy for those X1 gamers that get to play it in the here and now, but Sunset Overdrive is the first X1 exclusive that I actually find myself keeping tabs on even though I probably won't ever get to play it lol!

@JaxonH "If a great game comes out on a console I don't own, you won't see me minimizing it. Not in the least."

You left some very good balanced comments and I felt compelled to acknowledge them because it doesn't happen all that often nowadays. I consider you to be a true PlayStation fan and whenever I come to this site I pray to find normal sane people like you in amongst all the anti-whatever drivel.

@get2sammyb A very thorough consideration of the Titanfall issue and interesting too - thanks for that.

My only concern is that if we as the PlayStation fan community continue to bang on about this that we'll start to come across as whiners and that the PS4 will start to live up to the accusation that it's a console that isn't in the here in now but instead only with hope for the future. So even though this is an interesting enough topic I'd personally vote for us moving on and prefer to concentrate on our own exclusive greatness awaiting.

Having said that, I believe the only reason that Titanfall appeared to be such a big deal is because it was a launch game that we didn't have on PS4. A much bigger issue for me and the real coup here is that Sunset Overdrive isn't launching on PS4. I'm sure that Sony follows it's own solid business policies but I can't help but wonder about their overbearing demands to own the new IPs that studios create. I see this as much more of a problem to us because it drove away Playdead when Sony insisted on owning the rights to Limbo and now it has driven away Insomniac with Sunset Overdrive. I think it was a very telling indication when Insomniac proclaimed this week that Sunset Overdrive is THE game that they've been wanting to make for 20 years. This game appeals to me much more than Titanfall and that's not to say that Titanfall is a bad game (it actually sounds really rather good) but from what I've seen Sunset Overdrive strikes me as being a better fit for the PlayStation community and I suppose that makes sense considering that Insomniac was one of Sony's first party stable.

I love PlayStation, I really do but instead of blaming everyone else (i.e. EA, Microsoft, etc.) I have to accept the possibility that Sony's relentless pursuit of IP rights could be playing a large part in some great games not launching on PS4. However, even when certain games don't come to us I still feel that Sony is doing a good enough job of arranging and curating content for us on PS4.

The bottom line is that Titanfall is a good game and it'll be a pleasant surprise if it comes to PS4 but let's not dwell on it and instead let us look forward to our own greatness that awaits. E3 for the win!!

Yes this is very concerning news indeed. Whilst I'm thrilled that the PS4 is selling nicely it would seem that the games business isn't that strong of a money maker. I know that $172 million sounds like a lot to you and me but in business terms it represents quite a poor return on investment. For certain PlayStation is a superb extra string to Sony's bow but it becomes a problem when it is the string, the bow and the whole instrument.

It's a tough situation for Sony to be in without a doubt because at the moment lots of other companies are actually expanding and diversifying their product ranges but Sony is having to cut back just in order to reduce their losses. The likes of Netflix and Microsoft are moving into TV and movies as well as Lenovo and Samsung mopping up in areas of the hardware market that Sony is retreating from.

The PlayStation brand isn't going anywhere in a hurry and nor is Sony. As a PlayStation fan I'm enjoying some really good gaming of late. My real and biggest concern isn't Microsoft (as some simpletons think) but it's Sony's ability to raise healthy funds and attract talent to their group operations. Sony and PlayStation won't die but I dearly hope that they don't turn into a different beast altogether. As a fan I care about that.

We should be careful how we interpret this. I am interested in PlayStation first and foremost so I don't really hold too much of an interest in Xbox related matters. However, I do know that the real money in console gaming comes from the games, that much I know. So we shouldn't scoff at Titanfall sales (particularly as the majority appear to have been on Xbox One) and we can't necessarily compare console sales as a mark of success because they're making a small loss on the hardware. Business can be a funny thing you know and I'll always remember Tim Cook when he said that Apple don't need to sell more than the competition to win - wise words indeed. Don't get me wrong though as I'm absolutely thrilled with Sony's achievement of 7 million because the direct benefit for me personally is a large and varied base for multiplayer.

Updates are definitely a good thing in my book, big or small. Okay they were a tad bit of an inconvenience on PS3 because of how long they took to download and install which meant you might as well postpone those plans you had to party up with your friends or forget about quickly jumping into a game before heading out somewhere. By contrast there is a marked difference in updates delivery on PS4 and that's the key.

Ooh-hoo-hoo-hoo PHEW! I can't begin to imagine a world without those games!

Thanks Sammy for covering such a topic as it truly makes one appreciate the games even more. Even if Sony merely reduced its emphasis on first party that alone could have been enough of a disaster.

I think the idea of a PS4 TLoU is solid and will be worthwhile to a LOT of people.

I've only recently platinum'd it a few weeks ago (which meant playing the game several times over) so I would have to wait at least a year before playing again just so that I can forget all the details. If Sony could additionally bring something else new then everybody will be happy.

@get2sammyb Hey thanks for the heads up on that because I was literally just about to get one of the previous versions to assess the series so perhaps it might be prudent for me to wait.

I downloaded the trailer from the Naughty Dog blog and it certainly does look the business..... so smooth.

However, I'm not sure whether I could play it again so soon seeing as I only just enjoyed platinuming the PS3 version a few weeks ago. After I've forgotten the details of the story it would be a real pleasure to replay on PS4..... possibly next year then if I'm not too busy with Uncharted on PS4 (fingers are crossed for that one!)

I've never played a UFC game before, can anyone here vouch for whether the gameplay is good?

@get2sammyb Yes agreed, these issues are always best merely mentioned and not explored deeply as it has a tendency to bring out the political and this is not the forum for that as you rightly pointed out. Still, awareness of them is unfortunately relevant to the topic at hand and might be worth bearing in mind for future articles as I've noticed from a couple of your posts over the past 6 months or so that you understandably seemed unaware of how certain companies and products are perceived in China. It's nice to see that you're actively moderating this site and pulling us commenters into line so keep up the good work.

Hmmm I don't know about Xbox but I do know that Japanese companies and products are very often boycotted by the Chinese. In fact, it was only a month ago that China had it's own anti-Japanese video game:

http://www.polygon.com/2014/2/27/5454928/chinese-game-shoot-japanese-war-criminals

To be fair, there are many issues that the Chinese seem to take with Japan but I suppose one the most poignant is the fact that during the war they kidnapped about 300,000 Chinese & Korean women and enslaved them so that the Japanese army could rape them. I believe they referred to them as "comfort slaves" which I suppose gives it more of a civilised ring to it. Interestingly the Japanese don't teach their schoolchildren of Japan's involvement in the wars so sadly they don't get to learn from the lessons of history although their military still remembers as it wasn't long ago that one of their top brass made the condescending statement that there must have been a good reason at the time for the army to keep all those women for raping - how quaint.

To be honest, there is a strong argument for moving on and letting the past be the past. However, I suppose Japan will always rile the Chinese dragon and the Koreans by demanding that the Americans & British stop commemorating the wars but at the same time having Shinzo Abe paying the first visit by a Japanese prime minister in seven years to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine war memorial last December.

Christian Bale fairly recently starred in a revealing fictional portrayal based on wartime fact called The Flowers of War but be warned you will need a strong stomach.

I hope that this isn't the start of a trend where soft bribes are used initially to encourage developers to set games in various locations and then from there goodness knows what else they'll want to add as part of the "cultural" requirements.

Hmmm, it could be good news, it could be bad news, or perhaps even something in between. The point is that nobody on the outside can say for certain what these departures mean. I don't think we know enough to optimistic or pessimistic about the future.

I will say one thing though which speaks of my personal feeling about all of this, and that is Uncharted 2 is my favourite PS3 game of all time. If Amy Hennig was the only person to have left, or if it had been any 2 random people going then I wouldn't think twice about it. It's just a little bit concerning that two fairly senior and fundamental members of the team are leaving. I will always be grateful to Justin for being part of the team that brought multiplayer to Uncharted 2. I've never seen multiplayer attached so well to an existing single-player game series.

@Gamer83 That's very balanced. Well said.

@Cyrso An excellent set of posts, very balanced.

@Gamer83 I mean this with all due respect, you're an interesting one. It's like you're an anti-fanboy, so that would be like an anti-hero. You don't proclaim diehard loyalty to any single console brand in the way that lot of drivelling fanboys do but instead you seem pessimistic in the extreme about all of them lol! Funnily enough, there is some logic in what you say but I can't help but wonder whether it would have to be a really bad luck day for Sony to go down the toilet as badly as you foretell. Bad luck for Sony and bad luck for all of us too.

I'm excited but also intrigued to see what both companies can do and how they can bring Virtual Reality to the masses. Now all we have to do is make sure we don't end up with a VR equivalent of the silly Xbox vs PlayStation fanboy war then we'll have made real progress.