Now that the press conferences are over for gamescom 2014, chances are most of the big news are out of the way. Seeing as there’s more than a few bombshells dropped, we here at PlayStation LifeStyle thought it would be best to see which moments were the most shocking.
Note that some of the stuff listed below aren’t really “announcements” or reveals in their own right, but they still surprised us nonetheless.
Essential Reading:
Do you agree with our picks? What’s your most surprising gamescom reveal this year? Sound off in the comments and let us know.
Biggest Surprises of gamescom 2014
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1) DayZ Confirmed for PS4
While no gameplay footage was shown off, it was still a treat seeing DayZ head honcho Dean Hall come up on stage and confirm that the zombie survival horror game is coming to the PS4.
According to Hall, it won't be just a straight port, either. While we don't know at this point when the game will actually be released, we're cutting it a bit of slack since it's DayZ on the PS4 for crying out loud!
Soon (we hope) PS4 gamers will know just what the big hook is with the survival game -- that and learning that people will kill for can openers and other supplies.
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2) EA's Entire gamescom Press Conference and That Sims 4 Demo
It wasn't really an announcement or reveal, but EA's gamescom presser certainly surprised us -- and for the wrong reasons.
Not only did we have to suffer through a Sims 4 demo that felt like an eternity, we were even subjected to a shirtless virtual Peter Moore!
Unfortunately, Bioware's latest game (Shadow Realms) is PC-only, so we were left with nothing but trailers for Dragon Age: Inquisition and Battlefield: Hardline.
If you thought EA's E3 presser was bad, this one was worse...way worse.
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3) Until Dawn Remade on PS4 and Looks Grittier and More Mature
Originally unveiled to be a PlayStation 3 game with PS Move support, we were pleasantly shocked when Sony rolled a new trailer for Supermassive Games' Until Dawn and showed a grittier, more mature horror title in its stead.
At this point, all we have to go on is this very short gameplay clip for Until Dawn; but that's enough to get us excited.
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4) PS Vita Once Again Gets Ignored
Another Sony press conference has come and gone, and once again, the PlayStation Vita was a no show. Sure, there were a few games for the PS4 that feature cross-buy, which meant a Vita version was also incoming, but where were the Vita-only games, Sony?
At this point, should we just accept that all major Sony press conferences will focus on just the PS4? With Shuhei Yoshida's latest statement heavily hinting that this year's Tokyo Game Show presser will focus on the PS4 once more, we're thinking that might be the case.
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5) PS Vita Games Exist! Sony Just Didn't Announce 'em
While Sony wasn't in the mood to indulge PS Vita owners at this year's gamescom, fortunately for us, PlayStation Strategic Content executive Shahid Kamal Ahmad was!
Over on Twitter, Ahmad enumerated new games that were coming to the Vita that Sony didn't have the time to discuss on stage.
For starters Lucas Pope's hit indie game Papers, Please (pictured) is one of those games, with Bodycheck, Flame Over, Final Horizon, Nuclear Throne, Axiom Verge and a TON more on the way, too (seriously, read Ahmad's timeline for a list of games coming to the handheld).
Those might not be your typical AAA fare, but games are games and the Vita will have a lot coming its way.
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6) PS4 Share Play Feature Could be a Game Changer
On stage, Sony announced some of the big features coming to the PS4's v2.00 firmware update later this year. This in itself might not be terribly exciting, but one of these features will be Share Play. And if Sony's vision for it comes true, it might be one of the best features implemented in a console in a long while.
Just imagine it: You have a friend playing a game that you don't own. Now instead of renting said game, your friend can "share" his game with you. Heck, you can even play co-op or competitive online with just one copy!
Unless you're filthy rich that you can buy every game that gets released, then this new feature should be a godsend.
You can read up here on Yoshida's explanation of this unique feature.
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7) Rise of the Tomb Raider is an Xbox Exclusive...for Now
Microsoft announcing that Crystal Dynamics' Rise of the Tomb Raider will be an exclusive Xbox game is easily the most controversial announcement of the entire show.
Insults have been hurled about among gamers, and we suspect, that's not the end of it.
However, there is a light at the end of that Tomb Raider tunnel for PlayStation gamers. Xbox boss Phil Spencer confirmed that the exclusivity deal they have with Square Enix regarding the title has a "duration." No other specifics were divulged, but given Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition for the PS4 managed to beat its Xbox One counterpart with a 2:1 ratio, we expect Rise of the Tomb Raider to come to Sony's platforms at some point down the line. Unless, y'know, Square Enix hates money.
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8) P.T. + Stealth Game Announcement = New Kind of Megaton
On stage, Sony announced that it has rolled out an interactive demo for its new horror game, P.T. For some strange reason, the game was given little fanfare and it was being developed by an unknown studio in 7880s.
But things took a turn for the weird and awesome when someone finished the demo, and found out it was a surprise announcement for a new Silent Hill game. If that wasn't enough, it's been revealed in the same teaser that legendary game director Hideo Kojima will be helming it with the help of film director Guillermo del Toro, and that it will star The Walking Dead's Norman Reedus!
Not only did Kojima and Sony unleash a timed megaton to the unsuspecting masses, it's interactive demo P.T., is actually not a bad game in itself. In the future, don't be surprised if other studios follow suit with this kind of game "announcement."
Needless to say, this is one megaton no one was expecting. You win this time, Kojima. But we'll catch you next time.
Go check out what Hideo had to say regarding P.T. here.
