Gamescom 2014: Dan's Highlights from the Sony Conference
Posted by Daniel Mann (follow me @danielma861)
Early this Morning in Cologne Germany, Gamescom 2014 kicked off. Both Sony and Microsoft headlined the show with their annual press conferences unveiling what is in the pipeline for their respective consoles. Without further ado, here are my five highlights from this year's Sony Conference.
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5.) Until Dawn: The Teen Horror Game I Always Wanted?
It's been awhile since we last saw Until Dawn. What was once a PS3 title designed and built around the PlayStation Move has now been transitioned to the PS4. The PlayStation Move controls are no more and in their place is a more traditional control scheme, as Sony emphasized in the press-conference itself. For years, I've wanted a "Cabin in the Woods" themed survival horror game and judging by this quick glimpse that's exactly what Until Dawn looks to deliver. Can't wait to see and hear more about this in the near future.
4.) Volume: An Indie Metal Gear?
Volume, the next game from Thomas Was Alone creator Mike Bithell, certainly does look incredibly striking. What is Volume you ask? Volume is an old-school stealth game that takes heavy inspiration from Metal Gear Solid 2. The game is being touted as a modern retelling of Robin Hood that focuses on a thief named Robert Locksley. Complete with a striking art-style and some cool looking stealth gameplay, here's hoping for another tremendous success for Mike Bithell and his small development team.
3.) Hellblade: The New Game from Ninja Theory
Ninja Theory, the talented studio behind such games as Heavenly Sword, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West and the recent Devil May Cry reboot return with a brand new IP titledHellblade. At first glance, the distinct art style could have been easily mistaken for being a Heavenly Sword sequel but don't be fooled, Hellblade is a brand new IP. But of course, you can't scratch out the possibility of it being a spiritual successor to Heavenly Sword since not much more is known about the IP at this point.
2.) The Glorious Return of the Cardboard Box in Metal Gear
It seems a bit trivial to get so hyped over something so trivial as a Cardboard Box, but the lack of Cardboard Box in Metal Gear Solid Ground Zeroes did hurt. The Cardboard Box and Metal Gear go hand-in-hand. As such, the two elements never have been separated. So when Hideo Kojima hit the stage with this quick snippet of footage highlighting the return of the Cardboard Box, it was just glorious. Not to mention absurdly hilarious given the ways in which you can now use the Cardboard Box to distract enemies.
1.) MEGATON: Silent Hills
Granted this news broke after Sony's conference was all said and done, but still its the definition of a Megaton. During the Sony Conference, we got but a mere snippet of what seemed to be staged reaction shots to a horror-themed game simply known as PT. After the trailer, they mentioned that this interactive teaser was now available on the PSN to download. If you couldn't already guess by the spoiler headline above, PT turned out to be a viral tease for a brand new Silent Hill game. But wait, it gets better. Not only is it a new Silent Hill game, but its a new Silent Hill game collaborated upon by Hideo Kojima and Guillermo Del Toro, mind blown. What a fantastic way to reboot a long-dormant franchise.
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So there you have it, my five highlights of Sony's 2014 Gamescom Conference. But what about the lowlights? All I can say is stay tuned.
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