You could call it a camaraderie, but perhaps it’s better described as a lack of barriers. Gaming shows have a unique sense of community and inclusion beyond anything you could find in the Comic Con world. PAX shows across the country and Twitch Con are pretty good examples but no show celebrates its community or makes its fans feel as though the “celebrities” of the gaming world are just fans the same as you, quite like PlayStation Experience. Taking place in Anaheim California, December 9-10, thousands of the video gaming giant’s fans are in for two full days of games, meet-and-greets-, signing giant walls, and surprise announcements. Here’s what you’ll be in for if you can make the trek just across the street from Disneyland.
Starting at 8:00pm Pacific time Friday night December 8th, early bird ticket buyers can listen in on candid discussions with some of PlayStation’s top developers, get updates on some key titles, and hear some special announcements. This special Friday kick-off event will be taking the place of the usual Saturday morning keynote speech. While the company announced many of its surprises during the recent Paris Games Week presentation there are still lots of questions to be answered. Perhaps the top two being why the post-apocalyptic Sons of Anarchy feeling game Days Gone was not mentioned or have a 2018 release date yet? The other… where the f**K is the Spider-Man release date? With this being a fan-centered event, Sony doesn’t have to speak to numbers in order to impress shareholders. Instead, the company gets to hype up its game slate in weird ways and pull out a few wacky surprises, but let’s not have any more Street Fighter producers in Ryu gear on stage. If you can’t make the Friday night event or weren’t lucky enough to get early bird tickets, all the announcements and talks will be streamed live at live.playstation.com. In addition, fans have a chance to unlock digital rewards if you log in using your PlayStation Network account.
Dem Panels Yo!
All the PlayStation Experience panels happen on Saturday, December 9 and will be streamed on live.playstation and Twitch. PSX has never been known for booking hundreds of hours of programming for their show, instead focusing on specific blockbuster discussions and quite frankly it’s better for it. Also, I miss you PS I LOVE YOU XOXO. Just check out this year’s line up:
(ALL TIMES LISTED PST)
11:00am: PlayStation VR Game Panel
We can’t wait to tell you more about this one! Experience a candid conversation between two legends as they discuss developing their new PS VR title and lessons from VR development.12:30pm: Media Molecule Presents Dreams
Join Media Molecule studio directors Siobhan Reddy, Mark Healey, and Alex Evans alongside a very special guest to take an in-depth look at the development of Dreams during their exclusive Saturday panel at 12:30pm.2:00pm: IGN Ranks the Top 10 PlayStation Games of all Time
IGN’s Podcast Beyond crew is here to figure out the 10 best PlayStation games ever, and they need your help! Uncharted 2 or The Last of Us? Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy VII, or Castlevania: Symphony of the Night? Journey or Shadow of the Colossus? Is it too soon for Horizon Zero Dawn to make the list? Help us build the best of the best that PlayStation has to offer. Help us celebrate 20+ years of PlayStation at PSX!3:30pm: Ghost of Tsushima: From Concept to Reveal
It’s been a month since we announced our newest title, Ghost of Tsushima. Here at Sucker Punch, we’ve watched so many reaction videos and read many of your comments with smiles on our faces, so we thought PSX was a great opportunity to share a little more with you all.Join us on Saturday at 3:30pm as Nate Fox (Creative Director), Jason Connell (Creative/Art Director), Billy Harper (Animation Director), Ryuhei Katami (Associate Producer, Sony Interactive Entertainment) and moderator Brian Altano (IGN) discuss how we approached making the debut trailer and what inspired us to make this game. We’ll share epic concept art that’s driving the tone and visuals for the game, and share a little about our reference trips to Japan and working with new team members that are helping make Ghost of Tsushima even better. Also be sure to stop by our signing session after the panel and come say hi. Stay tuned for more info on time and location.
5:00pm: Uncharted 10th Anniversary Celebration
Join us as we celebrate the Uncharted 10th Anniversary at PSX 2017 with an unprecedented gathering of the cast from throughout the series! Nolan North, Emily Rose, Richard McGonagle, Claudia Black, Laura Bailey, Troy Baker, Graham McTavish, and Robin-Atkin Downes reflect on the series and share their memories with guest moderator Greg Miller (Kinda Funny). We’ll also be hosting a special signing session with the cast prior to the panel. Keep an eye on the PlayStation Experience app for time and location!6:30pm: The Last of Us Part II: Meet the Cast
Join Naughty Dog and the cast of The Last of Us Part II as they discuss the making of the cutscene teaser trailer that was revealed just a few short weeks ago at Paris Games Week. Director and writer, Neil Druckmann, co-writer Halley Gross, and key members of the game’s cast discuss the writing process, casting, performance capture, and more. For those attending the event, there will also be a signing session following the panel.
PS Cards Come Back!
Back in October, PS announced that collectible cards are coming back for PlayStation Experience 2017. For those unfamiliar, there’s about three dozen limited-edition, foil-embossed cards scattered throughout the show for you to discover. Since the second PSX show, the trading cards have been gorgeous collectibles featuring art from key PlayStation titles like God of War or 2017’s edition Moss and this year there damn well better be a Spider-Man one. These cards are acquired through playing demos, finding the right employee at the right time, or attending panels. It’s a fun way to enjoy the show and feel rewarded.
Games, Games, GAMES!
Just look at the list of titles you’ll be able to try on the show floor:
- 20XX
- A Duel Hand Disaster: Trackher
- Aegis Defenders
- At Sundown
- Boundary
- Brawlhalla
- Call of Duty: WWII
- Chasm
- Children of Morta
- Code :Hardcore
- Crossing Souls
- Dead by Daylight
- Dead Rising 4: Frank’s Big Package
- Deadbolt
- Destiny 2 – Expansion I: Curse of Osiris
- Detroit: Become Human
- DJ MAXRespect
- EarthNight
- Fantasy Strike
- Far Cry 5
- fault milestone one
- Fight Knight
- Fighting EX Layer
- Flipping Death
- Fortnite Battle Royale
- Frantics
- Gang Beasts
- Gran Turismo Sport
- Guacamelee! 2
- Guns of Icarus Alliance: PS4 Edition
- Hidden Agenda
- Horizon Chase Turbo
- Hover
- Iconoclasts
- Immortal: Unchained
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance
- Knights and Bikes
- Knowledge Is Power
- Lost Soul Aside (PSX 2017 Special Version)
- Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite
- MLB The Show 17
- Monster Hunter: World
- Moonlighter
- Mothergunship
- Mulaka
- Night in the Woods
- No Heroes Here
- Omen of Sorrow
- Pig Eat Ball
- Pinstripe
- Riverbond
- Russian Subway Dogs
- School Girl/Zombie Hunter
- Shadow of the Colossus
- Shape of the World
- SkullPirates
- Sonic Forces
- Sonic Mania
- Strange Brigade
- Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition
- Super Daryl Deluxe
- Super Meat Boy Forever
- Tera
- That’s You!
- The Adventure Pals
- The Cat and the Coup
- The Church in the Darkness
- The Forest
- The Gardens Between
- The Night Journey
- The Swords of Ditto
- Tokyo Xanadu EX+
- Tower 57
- Trove
- Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection
- Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
- Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
- Under Night In-Birth EXE:Late[ST]
- Vane
- Walden, a game
- War Theatre
- Way of the Passive Fist
- World End Economica
- Yakuza 6: The Song of Life
- YIIK: A Postmodern RPG
PlayStation VR
- Anamorphine
- Bow to Blood
- Bravo Team
- Dark Eclipse
- Farpoint
- Golem
- Gungrave
- Knockout League
- League of War: VR Arena
- Medusa and Man
- Moss
- Resident Evil 7 biohazard
- Shooty Fruity
- Sprint Vector
- The American Dream
- The Inpatient
- The Persistence
- X Animal
- Xing: The Land Beyond
With more to be announced after the Friday presentation.
Be sure to go on the iOS and Android stores to download the Experience PlayStation app. It’s a handy guide to the show with maps, schedules, and a module that Sony uses to book appointments to try major release titles along with VR demos. Search PlayStation in your app store.
Beyond the bells and whistles, what makes PSX a special show is its sense of community. People travel from all over the world to attend. This isn’t a crowd which gets out to every convention in the realm of pop culture, they know they’re part of something special and enjoy it as such. It’s hard not to fill up your PlayStation friend list just by talking to people waiting in line, great for someone who can’t stand jaded con crowds. We’ll be there doing the damn thing and having 95% of the fun.
Find more info on PlayStation Experience including the few tickets remaining on the show’s website.
In preparation for the show, you should also peep this book that came across my desk.
The PlayStation Anthology is a celebration of a console that brought wonder into the lives of so many, and a brand that reshaped the whole entertainment industry, the authors and Geeks-Line retrace Sony’s incredible journey. Read about the creation of the company following World War II, to the machine’s retirement in the early 2000s. Featuring 26 interviews with important figures, from throughout the era, recount their experiences with unabashed honesty, painting a detailed picture of the great venture led by Ken Kutaragi. Much like the successful Nintendo 64 Anthology book, the PlayStation Anthology is unique in both form and content.
PlayStation Anthology, hardback book, offers a wealth of fascinating facts and insight into the development of the PlayStation console, the people behind the machine, the games, along with the complete collector’s guide (available only in collectors edition) to 4500 titles released in every territory. With never before information, a list of canceled PS games, and a guide to every accessory ever made; the book could be the ultimate encyclopedia to the PlayStation brand. We’ll have a full review once we finish reading through, but so far it’s definitely a must for anyone who considers themselves a part of the PlayStation community.
You can find more information about the book at Geeks-Line publishing.
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