Aside from Mark Cerny’s presentation, Sony’s marketing for the PlayStation 5 has been a bit low key. Gamers everywhere have been looking forward to more details on the console or to just see the damn thing for some time now. Yesterday, Sony finally delivered. How did it go? These are some of the hits and misses of the presentation.
HITS
Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Insomniac’s Spider-Man was one of the best games of 2018 and between that game’s amazing success and the smash hit film Into the Spider-Verse, there’s been some serious demand to see more of Miles Morales. It looks like we’ll finally get it with the announcement of Spider-Man: Miles Morales, a new Spidey game set to drop in the fall on the PlayStation 5.
Stray
It’s a game about a cat wearing a little backpack. Seriously. That’s it. Don’t @ me.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits
Brothers Josh and Mike Grier of developer Ember Lab showed off a called Kena: Bridge of Spirits. Described as a game featuring themes of personal growth and redemption, the game piqued my interest. The game was visually striking, with a style that appears to be inspired by Studio Ghibli animation. We don’t know a whole lot about it yet, but I’ll definitely be keeping my eye on it.
Deathloop
The folks at Arkane are at it again with another stylistic shooter called Deathloop. In Deathloop, you play as an assassin named Colt, who is attempting to break an endless cycle where he wakes up each day as the target of an island wide manhunt. Colt has to take out eight different targets to end the loop and he’s got a rival assassin on his tail to make things more complicated. The game features the sort of signature gameplay we’re used to seeing from Arkane these days, so I’m expecting to have a ton of fun mixing the bevy of weapons and supernatural abilities in unique ways to overcome the game’s obstacles.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
I’m not a huge Ratchet & Clank fan by any means, but this was one of the few games that actually showed off what the PS5’s SSD, arguably it’s most unique selling point, can do. The game is visually impressive as a next gen title to be sure, but what really blew my mind was seeing how worlds instantly loaded as Ratchet & Clank instantly transported across dimensions.
Resident Evil VIIIage
Resident Evil 8, or Resident Evil VIIIage appears to pick up the story after the events of Resident Evil VII with Ethan Winters returning as the protagonist. Oh, and Chris Redfield is back, and he’s not very nice.
Horizon: Forbidden West
I have no idea what’s going on in this sequel as I’ve been awaiting the PC release to finally play the original. It’s a huge shame of mine, but I just suck so bad playing Horizon on a controller that I couldn’t continue on the PS4. It’s likely going to be a long wait until (or even if!) Forbidden West comes to PC, but the sequel looked amazing, even without context.
Little Devil Inside
Originally Kickstarted years ago, Little Devil Inside has re-emerged as a console exclusive for the PlayStation 5. This charming and stylish action-adventure game looks promising. If not for Horizon and Spider-Man, it would have easily stolen the show for me.
MISSES
The Price
Sony appears to be playing chicken with Microsoft as neither have announced pricing for their next generation consoles. Personally, I don’t have an issue with the price going up. Inflation is real and these are powerful machines, so I’m not going to pitch a fit if “599 US Dollars” is a thing again, but it’s clear both companies are sweating on this. Who will blink first? Who knows? But I’m disappointed Sony didn’t provide the details and get it over with.
The Console Design
My initial reaction to the design was more positive than how I ended up feeling later in the day. The PlayStation 5 has an awesome black-and-white aesthetic, but it looks a little too...futuristic? Almost like something Alienware would have come up with 10 years ago. On the one hand, I’m glad it kind of stands out compared to Microsoft’s understated design, but I think it’ll just end up looking awkward amongst a bunch of other electronics. I do appreciate the digital edition, however. I stopped buying physical media a long time ago, so it’s good to see Sony starting to get with the times.
No Killer App
Aside from maybe Spider-Man: Miles Morales, none of the games shown that will be launching alongside the PlayStation 5 this year grab me enough to make me want to rush out and buy a PS5 on launch day. Most consoles end up having a sort of one or two year transitionary period at the start of a new generation, but for once I’d like to feel like buying a new console day one was definitely worth it. I didn’t end up buying a PS4 until after the PS4 Pro was a thing and there’s a decent chance I may do something similar here. That Spidey game, though...
What's your take on the PS5 event? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
