One Year Later: Looking Back at PlayStation E3 2016

Sony have made sure that their E3 press conferences are always worth watching. From retro revivals like Crash Bandicoot and Shenmue to gigantic first-party games like God of War, they know what fans are looking forward to. 2015 seemed particularly impressive, as the press conference had announced games that fans had waited years to be revealed, but when looked back upon with further scrutiny it fell apart. It begs the question: is Sony just using misdirection to please fans in the moment like a good magician would?

It certainly seems like that’s one of Sony’s strategies, but if fans are ultimately leaving E3 with a smile on their face then it’s a successful one. Since a year has passed, PlayStation LifeStyle took a look back at the Sony PlayStation E3 2016 press conference. The good news is that it seemed to hold up better that 2015’s showing, which had a lot of spectacle but little in the way of substance.

Check out the highlights (and lowlights) of the PlayStation E3 2016 press conference below:

We hope you enjoyed PlayStation LifeStyle’s look back at the Sony PlayStation E3 2016 press conference. It was certainly an important one as it had some shocking announcements (even if it couldn’t live up to the headlines of the previous year), and some fantastic exclusives were shown off. What’s notable is that several of the biggest games of E3 2015 didn’t make an appearance (Final Fantasy VII Remake and Shenmue III) despite not coming out yet. Sometimes what doesn’t have an appearance can have a huge negative impact, and that was the case here. Sony is starting to see the negatives of announcing big games so early, as if they don’t continually get updates, fans begin to worry and are disappointed. It also signalled the death of the Vita, as the handheld was once again absent as Sony focused on home consoles instead.

Let me know in the comments how you feel about the PlayStation E3 2016 press conference one year later, and what your highlights were from the show!

One Year Later: E3 2016

E3 2016: One Year Later
Old Franchise, New Direction

Before I get to Sony's first big E3 reveal, I have to talk about the ridiculous (in the best of ways) musical opening that the show had. Having an orchestra play during the press conference truly made it feel like a special event, and hopefully it'll be an ongoing feature going forward. As far as the game goes, Sony Santa Monica did the unthinkable and gave God of War, a series that had barely seen any major improvements since its PS2 debut, a major overhaul. Not only was this a risky move (the series didn't need to change to be successful), but it also set the theme for the conference going forward.
The Last Guardian's Final Tease

It's difficult for a publisher to keep player's attention when a game has been in development for nearly a-decade, but that wasn't an issue for The Last Guardian. Players were ecstatic to get a release date finally, and the game's brief trailer showed why fans were okay with the overly long wait. Much like the retail release, it was filled with gorgeous imagery and a masterful ability to evoke emotion.
Underwhelming Debut

The big new IP that Sony showed off was Days Gone, a third-person shooter that has players shooting hordes of zombies. Yeah. That's not a very unique idea in the slightest, and it's even harder to get excited about Sony Bend's project when The Last of Us: Part II has been announced since then. Out of the two post-apocalyptic zombie games only one has my attention, and it's not the one that Sony boringly closed the conference with last year.
Horizon Zero Dawn Delivered

One of the best moments of the conference was when a gameplay demo of Horizon Zero Dawn was shown off. Having played the finished product now, it's impressive how much Guerrilla Games delivered on their promise. The game looks and plays just as good as its demo counterpart. There was no trickery afoot, just a technical marvel of a game being shown off.
How to Show Choice-Driven Gameplay

Sony has struggled with how to show off choice-driven games in the past, with a laughably bad Until Dawn demo showcasing this. Thankfully, their marketing teams got it figured out for Quantic Dream's Detroit: Become Human. The cinematic trailer managed to show how important choice was to the game, while also showing the different ways that the story can diverge. It was a brilliant trailer, and one that perfectly showed off what to expect from the PS4 exclusive.
Resident Evil 7's Shocking Reveal

Some of the biggest franchises in gaming reinvented themselves at E3 2016, and the most surprising change came from Resident Evil 7. By taking the series from third-person to first-person, Capcom was able to create one of the scariest games released in recent memory. It also was the most exciting reveal for PlayStation VR, as it was one of the only full games that were going to support it in a non-gimmick way.
VR Experiences

PlayStation VR has had a mixed line-up ever since its successful launch, and players really should've expected it when they saw how Sony tried to sell the headset at E3 2016. Instead of showing off great VR games built from the ground up for the system, Sony instead opted to use big name franchises that received "VR experiences." That means a lot of incredibly empty support like a five minute mission in Star Wars Battlefront. This certainly helped Sony up how many titles they could brag about were coming on the system, but it also led to worthwhile games sometimes being months apart. It's not bad enough to kill VR's potential, but it hasn't been ideal.
Crash is Back

One of the biggest fan favorite announcements during the show ended up being one of the most lame ones to watch in retrospect. It makes sense why gamers were excited about Crash Bandicoot making a comeback, but Sony made a big deal about the announcement and had nothing to show for it. The game is close to release now, and while it looks like a totally fine nostalgia play, it really didn't warrant the spectacle it was given last year.
What?

It has been nearly a year, and I still have no clue what Death Stranding is about. I like that. Normally that news would be troubling, but few directors have the track record of Hideo Kojima. I loved every second of seeing Norman Reedus and his oil baby. At this point, I hope I'm left confused until the game comes out. Gameplay isn't needed to sell the game, and I hope Sony stays gutsy with it throughout development.
Spider-Man Swings Away

While it wasn't a huge surprise to see Spider-Man at Sony's press conference, it was a bit unexpected that Insomniac was creating the PS4 exclusive game. The sky is really the limit with such an experienced developer at the helm, and the footage that was shown was just as exciting to watch now as it was a year ago. PlayStation owners will likely get something special, and I can't wait to find out more at this year's E3.