A Die-Hard PlayStation Fan’s Response To Sony’s E3: “Meh”

Yes, the fan in the headline is me.

For the record, I don't think Sony's E3 2014 conference was bad. In fact, I think it was just fine; if I was to assign a grade, I'd go with a B or a B-. Above all else, the emphasis was on the games (despite some slight VR and TV-related deviations), and that's what PlayStation has always been about.

I also loved some of the new trailers, and I still say Uncharted remains head-and-shoulders above any other established franchise in gaming. Bloodborne could be amazing as well, and it was nice to see LittleBigPlanet 3 , because Sony really needed another exclusive for the holiday season (you can't just rely on Driveclub ). It was also pretty clear that shooter fans will want to play Destiny on the PS4, exclusive betas are never a bad thing, and that Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain trailer was awesome .

However, it lacked that trademark "oomph" we often see from Sony at E3. Perhaps the biggest problem is the lack of surprises, and while a few new exclusive IPs are great, I really wanted to see The Last Guardian and either a new God of War or Gran Turismo (or both). Guerrilla Games didn't show off their new game (supposedly a PS4-exclusive RPG), and with no Final Fantasy XV or Kingdom Hearts III , the show just didn't feel very…I dunno…"PlayStation-y," I guess. Maybe the problem is that it felt too much like Microsoft's conference, and those are rarely all that exciting.

The only part that really felt like PlayStation was when they showed off that upcoming suite of smaller PS4 exclusives; i.e., Abzu , Let it Die , No Man's Sky , etc. Beyond that, I was never really enamored with that show, were you?

P.S. Here's one problem: No Jack Tretton! 🙁