19 February 2013

The Games we Should See at the PlayStation 4's Reveal


Killzone 4


Keeping in mind that Killzone 2 was infamously shown off during the PS3's reveal at E3 in 2005 there's a precedent for Netherlands based developer Guerrilla to be present at these events.

One of Videogamer.com's 'sources' has stated Killzone 4 is coming this year and it will be for PS4. If true it'll be interesting to see how they progress the IP given Killzone 3's rather abrupt ending. Also notable is that Killzone: Mercenary is due for release on PlayStation Vita on September 17th (the date was announced a day before Rockstar revealed that Grand Theft Auto 5's would be launching on the day).

Presuming the PS4 comes in October there may well be some integration between the titles. How that might work and how PlayStation Cloud may feature is obviously not yet known.  

Guerrilla is also working on a new IP, so there's always a chance that will be there instead, or maybe even both.

Wipeout


Every PlayStation platform launches with a Wipeout title. This time there's a difference in that the studio behind the franchise, Studio Liverpool, is no more. Yet the IP continues to exist.

While it's unclear who Sony might entrust with one of their longest running series there's still a decent chance we'll see more of the anti-grav racer on PS4 and possibly at the console's reveal.

Something from Quantic Dream


Quantic Dream are set to release Beyond: Two Souls but they're also developing several new IPs and they're in New York, or at least the CEO is and there's a more than decent chance he's there for Sony's event.

Also worth nothing is that Sony re-uploaded Quantic Dream's Kara tech demo video from GDC last year on the 18th of February, just two days before their event. It could be a means of throwing people off or it could relate to Singularity, a project they're understood to be developing.

The title Singularity also seems to correlate with Kara's sic-fi tropes. At any rate we can hope Qunatic Dream will have something to show at the event.

One aspect of this project is that the game's registered web domain is SingularityPS4.com, which either tells us Sony aren't breaking from the norm in naming their new system Orbis, or anything else, or that they're again trying to throw people off their intentions.

The Last Guardian 


Yes, we know what you're thinking but apparently it does continue to exist. Despite a tumultuous development the game's creator recently wrote that gamers should:

"Keep an eye out" for an official announcement from Sony. Fumito Ueda went on to say that "as some of you may have heard, I left Sony Computer Entertainment Japan Studio some time ago to pursue my creative passions.

"Nevertheless, I continue working on The Last Guardian as a freelance contributor.

"While it's been a long time coming. The Last Guardian remains under my creative supervision and is still in development by an incredibly talented team.

"I should also mention that details regarding The Last Guardian's release is solely decided by Sony Computer Entertainment, not myself. Please keep an eye out for their official announcement."

While it's nothing concrete it's good to know the title is still being worked on and it's not too much of a leap to believe it will be moved onto PS4.   

Gran Turismo 6


Another racer but also quite likely to make an appearance Gran Turismo 6's "framework" is under development. While there may be hints as to what to expect from GT6 in its predecessor.

Polyphony can take quite some time to roll out a new title and if the PS4 is released in October and Gran Turismo 6 with it there would be a gap of 35 months between it and GT5 or exactly three years should the system emerge in November which is the latest rumour concerning the console's launch date.

The Rest


The above are the games we're likely to see at the PlayStation 4's unveiling but of course Sony have many studios as well as second and third party partners. Any of them could be attending.

Within their own stable Naughty Dog tend to work on a new IP each generation (though The Last of Us is somewhat bucking this trend by being a second franchise developed in cohesion with Uncharted). Even so Nathan Drake's adventures are undoubtedly the studio's greatest success to date so it's reasonable to assume they'll keep developing Uncharted for some time to come.

On the other hand there wouldn't be many who'd oppose the developer crafting an entirely new experience either and the venerable Jak and Daxter series still has many fans ( sadly unless Activision decide to give up the IP we're not going to see Naughty Dog and Crash Bandicoot together again).

SuckerPunch are a another studio which could offer some tantalising new games. Having given development of Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time and the Sly Cooper Collection before that to Sanzaru Games in order to work on InFAMOUS the studio may well follow in Naughty Dog's footsteps and unleash a whole new IP for PlayStation 4 or return to Cole's universe. Anyone's who has played InFAMOUS 2 will no doubt be aware of the two radically different endings making the prospect of a third game very interesting indeed.

Then there's British based Media Molecule, the creators of LittleBigPlanet, a series they've left for others to work on new projects of their own. What those might be remains a mystery, perhaps Vita title Tearaway will get a big console companion, but whatever it is it ought to be interesting.

Of course these are only three of their studios not to mention the many others as well as outside developers. What do you hope to see? What are your hopes for the PS4's launch titles?



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