Playstation 4 Information Guide

In New York, Sony held a press conference that they have been hyping for months and everyone believed this would be the unveiling of the Playstation 4. Well, everyone was right.  Sony didn't take long to cut to the chase and let us know the goal of this event was to introduce the world to "the future of play" and show off some of the new features of the much-anticipated console. This page is essentially a rough breakdown of what was shown off, and some basic information. Expect to get many more details, including what the system actually LOOKS like at E3 this summer.

Now I'm not gonna even try to lie to you; I don't know a lot about computer/video game hardware specs. So I'm going to provide you with a handy link to the Wikipedia page for the PS4 so you can check out the technical specs yourself. Meanwhile, I'm going to cover all the fun stuff!

DualShock4 Controller

Meet the PS4's controller: the DualShock4. As you can see it looks very similar to the current DualShock3 model with some new enhancements. This controller will still offer motion control with a more accurate six axis sensor, the two control sticks offer distinct precision with a new surface for comfort and better control. There's a built in speaker as well as a headphone jack on the underside to allow players to get better sound quality and communicate with fellow gamers easier. To take advantage of this, every PS4 will come packaged with a compatible headset. As for the new features, the rectangle on the face of the controller is a touchpad, allowing for new ways to interact with games.  The light located at the top of the controller is an LED light bar that serves multiple uses, the most simple of which is showing which player you are. Instead of just a red dot next to a number, your controller will be color coded. The LED light bar will also show other player interactions such as flashing when your character is searching for hidden items, or changing colors when a player is shot at.

Playstation 4 camera accessory

The light bar will also be used in combination with a new camera accessory. This item will be able to see depth of the environment, as well as follow the light source on the controller, and be compatible with the Playstation Move device.  Overall this new controller will be comfortable and familiar enough to deliver a solid gaming experience but with new features and technology integrated in we will interact with games in ways we never could before.

Another couple features of the DualShock4 are the two buttons located on either side of the touchpad.  The button on the right side (closest to the action buttons) is the Options button. This will essentially combine Start and Select into one single button for various menu purposes.  The other side of the touchpad houses the Share button.  This feature enables players to rewind their gameplay and crop a desired amount of video feed, or even stream their gameplay live and send the result to other PSN users, or even upload it to streaming sites such as UStream.

Another feature with the Share button is allowing other players to not only watch your game as you play, but also provide help via messages, voice chat or depending on the game, even giving you items such as health potions. What if you're really truly stuck and your friend who already beat the game is watching? Let them take control of YOUR game from THEIR house, and get you past those tough challenges!

The PS4 is aimed to be very social, and the main home page will reflect this.  The interface technology Sony has incorporated will study your likes and dislikes, along with that of your PSN friends and show you games and content they believe will be the next thing you will purchase.

Now let's move on to the meat of this subject: the games.  Sony had quite a display to show for the launch window, as well as projects that are being worked on.

The first game shown was a title called Knack.  This game is developed by the same creative mind who was behind the Spyro series, as well as Ratchet & Clank, and Jak & Daxter. It's a little cartoony, and looks to be an action/adventure type, but it looks like it might be fun. From all the tiny objects whizzing around, you can definitely see the computing power of the PS4. Sony also used Knack to demonstrate Remote Play with the PSVita. Transferring gameplay from the PS4 straight to the Vita and it looks flawless. Check out the trailer!

Knack was cutesy but somewhat more unrealistic and I was disappointed that this is what the PS4 was capable of.  But then they introduced a demo of Killzone: Shadow Fall and I was immediately shut up. This game was so beautiful it was literally stunning.  The action is fast-paced, the environment is realistic, the lighting effects are superb.  Just let the video talk for itself. The demo for Killzone was also used to show off the Share feature of the PS4. As soon as the demo was completed, the on-stage player used the Share button and uploaded the stream directly to the Killzone Facebook page, right there live on stage.

Next up is a game that has apparently been in the works for years called Drive Club. This isn't just your usual racing game, the goal here is aiming for social gaming. Much like first person shooters such as Call of Duty have teams and clans, Drive Club will be based on team racing. Get together with friends, make clubs and teams.  Race against other people in their own clans as well. As with every new HD system, any game based on realistic cars and locations is bound to impress. The amount of detail and design they put into the game is incredible right down to the different interior materials having their own grain directions so that light will reflect differently on various surfaces. I'm not a big car fan so I won't pick this up myself but I cant wait to see more of it.

Sony talked about how it loves indie developers, and showed off a title called The Witness. It's a type of puzzle game, mixed with an open world environment. The developer described it as a vastly different, unique environment is always a 20-second walk away in any direction. Puzzles will open up new areas, and benefit gameplay in various ways.

Next one of the lead designers of Quantic Dream took the stage. You may know Quantic Dream as the brilliant minds behind The Indigo Prophecy, Heavy Rain, and the upcoming Beyond: Two Souls. Last year Quantic Dream presented a demo called Kara to show off their newest engine, and how realistic and emotional they can make appearances seem. Then a demo of an old man's head was shown and this might have been the most impressive display at the press conference.

Next we got a trailer from Sucker Punch's new project exclusive to the PS4. Sucker Punch, and people with superhuman abilities? Could it be...?  Yep. A new inFAMOUS game.

 
Capcom took the stage and primarily discussed their long and friendly history with Sony, strolling down memory lane looking at various games and franchises that have appeared on Sony systems over the years. Then they revealed their next title tentatively called Deep Down, which looks to be set in a medieval time period, with everyone's favorite mythical creatures: dragons! This demo really shows off what the system can do with light, shadow and especially fire effects.

Square Enix made an appearance, but instead of sampling an actual game, they had a tech demo to show off, coincidentally also featuring a dragon. We were then teased by being told that we'd have a lot more to look forward to at E3 2013, including Final Fantasy news. Check out their tech demo below.

Media Molecule, the company known for LittleBigPlanet, had new ideas to show off as well but this time Sackboy wasn't present. Although they did continue to emphasize imaginative gameplay with creation skills.  They showed off an unnamed title that demonstrates how the Playstation Move can be used to sculpt creations in real time, and brought to life through the power of imagination.

Keeping the hits rolling, Ubisoft took the stage to once again show off their upcoming title Watch Dogs. I've personally been excited for this game, and they showed off a new demo. An open world adventure game, where all electronics in a city are linked, and personal data on everyone is also stored electronically, you play as Aiden Pearce who is an expert hacker and a vigilante of sorts. Check out the newest gameplay demo.

A representative for Blizzard Entertainment took the stage.  I was kind of shocked and curious to hear what Blizzard would be announcing, but much to my disappointment it was just an announcement that Diablo III would be coming to PS3 and PS4.  Not worth a video clip.

And the closing act for the show was Bungie taking the stage to show off their newest title Destiny and announcing that not only will it also be available on PS3 and PS4 but there would be exclusive content for the Sony gamers to look forward to.

That pretty much wraps up the press conference, and I will close this article with some questions that people have been asking me recently.

FAQs

When will the Playstation 4 be available?
While an official date has not been released, it has been said that it will be holiday season of 2013.

How much will the Playstation 4 cost?
No official price point has been released yet, but the rumors are around $500, but again this is just a rumor as of now.

Will the Playstation 4 be backwards compatible with PS3 games or older?
 Natively, the Playstation 4 will not be able to play PS3 games, so make sure to keep your PS3 on hand. However Sony is teamed up with cloud gaming service Gaikai to allow players to stream games from PS3, PS2, PS1 and the PSNetwork.

What does the system itself look like?
 We don't know yet. The system wasn't shown off at the press conference, but will probably be on display at E3 this summer.



That covers all the PS4 information we have at the moment! Are you excited for it? Which features do you think are the coolest?  Do you have any questions that didn't get covered?  Please make sure to contact me with all your comments and questions!  Until next time, game on.

Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale Review

Available for Playstation 3 and Playstation Vita

What happens when you take a Spartan warrior, a two-dimensional rapping dog, and a cyborg ninja then make them fight each other? Well if you're not playing Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale then you should put your action figures away and lay off the LSD. Seriously, get help. Your family is concerned. Many people mistakenly think that All-Stars is just a clone of Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. series and although they are both in a similar genre, the games are extremely different.The concept of pitting famous gaming mascots against each other is the same, but that's about where the similarities stop.

 The starting roster is a diverse group of 20 characters from some of Playstation's most beloved series including Twisted Metal, Sly Cooper, Ratchet & Clank, and LittleBigPlanet. Every character has an arsenal of moves mapped to the circle, square and triangle buttons, as well as using those same buttons plus a direction. The way All-Stars sets itself apart from the competition is it's not as simple as just knocking your opponent(s) off the edge. Every hit landed builds up your AP meter which has three levels. Similar to the Super Moves of  Marvel Vs. Capcom you can execute a powerful Super Move at levels one, two, and three, with each being significantly stronger than the previous level but also harder to reach. Super Moves are the primary method of getting points/kills in this game and are the only way to win. It doesn't matter how many hits and combos you use on your opponent if you don't land any Super Moves. The strategy of the game comes in knowing your characters moves and knowing the best time to get aggressive with your Super Moves. Do you keep trying to do your Level 1 Super frequently? Maybe you prefer to store up for a Level 3 and turn the tide of battle in the final moments?

One thing I love about this game IS the amount of strategy. Some Super Moves can be stopped by a well timed regular attack, or countering with your own Super. It's intriguing to watch your opponents' movements, and keep track of who has the most AP, and who might be the next candidate for activating their Super Move  and planning how you can defend yourself. Most standard matches are three minutes and the winner is whoever gets the most points at the end. Every kill is two points, and every death is minus one so landing a few Super Moves while dodging your opponents' advances will produce winning results.

There are a number of creative stages to choose from as well. They're each based off one franchise, but a crossover aspect from a different series is incorporated. Like in the stage Hades from God of War, you and the other combatants will fight while dodging attacks from Hades himself, until the cute creatures of Patapon show up to attack him. Then you have to worry about dodging THEIR attacks. In the stage known as Dreamscape it's straight out of LittleBigPlanet, complete with new platforms and hazards being added to the arena over time, eventually leading to a crossover to the Buzz! franchise, complete with interactive quizzes. All of the stages have hazards which can be turned on or off and I think it really adds to the chaos of the game when you leave them on. A lot of competitive fighters encourage you to play on hazardless, flat stages with no items to maintain a sense of balanced gameplay. But All-Stars is a lot more fun and you get more out of it by keeping everything intact. Hazards and items will knock AP out of your opponents, giving you faster chances to increase your AP meter.

The game offers a variety of modes to play through. In single player you have a bunch of tutorials and practice modes to help you learn the ins and outs of your characters and prepare you for battle. There is an Arcade Mode which gives you a small, measly excuse of a story for each individual character, being vaguely summoned to "an area where warriors/fighters/creatures are gathering" and each character has their own reason for being there. Arcade mode consists of playing through other characters each increasing in number and difficulty. First you play one opponent, then two, then three, then three again but they're more difficult. Lather, rinse, repeat. An Arcade play-through takes about 20 minutes to complete depending on how well you utilize your Super Moves, and which of the five difficulties you have it set to. Unfortunately Arcade is fairly lackluster and easy.

Multiplayer is the bread and butter of this game, and there are more varieties available. You can play local or online in 2-on-2 team matches or Free For All rounds, and though the default is set to Time Limit you can also set it for Stock, or Kills for new ways to win. The online mode is great, as matches take almost no time to set up, little to no lag, and give you great competition. There is a Playstation Vita version of the game as well as the PS3 version, and they're cross-compatible online so you can play against either version without any obvious changes.

My biggest beef with this game is there is a major sense of imbalance with some characters. Play one round against someone using Kratos and you'll see what I mean. While some characters like Parappa and Big Daddy rely mostly on melee attacks and close combat, others such as Kratos, Nariko, and Colonel Radec have ranged moves that are somewhat overpowered. Some moves will stun or cause knockback while others will only inflict damage and increase your AP but your opponent can still move and counterattack even while being hit.  I hope the developers are just taking in a few months worth of player critiques and plan to release some kind of patch to balance out the character roster to make it as even as possible.

Overall, Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale is a great game for multiplayer but not so much by yourself. It's not a Smash Bros. clone and if you give the game a shot I think you'll discover this for yourself. It's very easy to pick up and learn but mastering each characters' individual moves and the overall strategy of the game is a challenge.  If you think you're tough and learned all you need to, head to the online mode, get schooled, then go back to practicing in shame. Great game, maybe play it at a friend's house or rent it before deciding if you should buy it or not. Also if you have a Playstation Vita and you buy a new copy of All-Stars for the PS3 you'll get a free digital copy of the Vita version as well!

Are there any characters who didn't appear in the game that you want to see? Do you have videos of your best matches you want to share?  Maybe you have some questions about the game? Be sure to contact me for all your gaming needs!