Along with new games that boasts top acting talent and new entries in existing favourite franchises, Sony has revealed that both the PS3 and its Vita portable gaming console are set to receive a serious infusion of superlative titles in the months ahead.

 

The company showcased what it has planned at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, currently underway in Los Angeles.

 

Jack Tretton, the president and chief executive officer of Sony Computer Entertainment America, began by promising that “the PlayStation world is growing to meet every gaming need wherever and whenever you play.”

 

 

The presentations then  kicked off with Quantic Dreams’ Heavy Rain follow-up title, Beyond:Two Souls, which boasts Ellen Page’s participation as a central character and which accounted for one of the more riveting and intriguing game trailers we’ve seen to date.

 

In it, Page lends her voice and acting intensity to a mysterious girl, Jodie Holmes, who is discovered by a well meaning cop. The rainy night goes south when a SWAT team bursts in, apparently with all eyes (and guns) trained on Holmes, who definitely has more to her than just being the strong silent type.  

 

It followed this by showcasing the new PlayStation All Stars Battle Royale, which pits the like of God of War’s Kratos, Sly Cooper, Nathan Drake, Fat Princess and Sweet Tooth against one another in an all out brawl that no doubt will continue to draw comparisons to Super Smash Bros, but looked like a great deal of fun nonetheless.

 

  

 

Amid announcements of Microsoft’s Smart Glass technology and Nintendo’s Wii U tablet like controller, the important news coming out of Sony though was its approach to offering game experiences that span one’s TV set and portable device, most particularly via its new portable console, the PlayStation Vita.

 

Tretton explained that the company continued to invest heavily in cross platform features. He added that PlayStation All Stars Battle Royale, for example, will support cross play with up to three friends online, as well as cross save, meaning that players will be able to start playing a game on the PS3 and  continue from where they left off on the Vita.

 

Additionally, he added that Little Big Planet would receive a new cross controller DLC that allows owners to play, create and share games using the PS3 and Vita together.

 

“Utilising dual screen gaming for single player, the Vita becomes an enhanced controller for the PS3, enabling enhanced touch and tilting capabilities while adding another dimension that provides different viewpoints,” he continued.The DLC would further enable simultaneous multiplayer on PS3 and Vita, along with a new story mode and costumes.

 

 

The company made no bones about the fact that, along with PS1 classics, its Vita would also receive new triple A game treatment, including Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified and Assassin’s Creed Liberation for the portable console. Playing the latter on the Vita would then unlock special content for use when playing Assassin’s Creed 3.

 

 
On the PlayStation 3, Far Cry 3, the welcome return of Kratos for God of War: Ascension and the ultra-gritty survival action game The Last of Us were showcased, promising their fair share of brutal action and suspense.

 

 

The question that no doubt will be asked of Sony, as it will of the Microsoft and Nintendo, will be: has the company done enough at E3? Based on Sony’s 90 minutes presentation at the expo (and considering the fact that we are invested in the PlayStation ecosystem) we believe the answer is a resounding yes.

 

We were particularly heartened by the quality releases that are being planned for the PS3 and Vita alike, most notably Assassins Creed, which joins the excellent Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Rayman Origins and the promising Gravity Rush on the latter.