PSX 2016 Review
It’s December again and Playstation Experience has already come and gone. Hailing this year from the Anaheim convention center, Sony showed off their top games to their most devoted fans, along with a slew of indies and developer panels. This is Sony’s 3rd year for the show and it again proves to be a hit with the fans.
Sony spared no expense making this event a big deal. From the giant banners outside the convention center, to the elaborate show floor packed to the brim with games, this event was a love letter to their biggest fans. What I love about Playstation Experience is how it’s tailored specifically for fans. You’re not going to see games like Prappa the Rapper or Danganronpa on stage at E3. E3 is not just for gamers, but for retailers and mainstream press. PSX puts that aside and is truly a fan event through and through. But that doesn’t mean Sony holds back on big announcements. The showcase on Saturday morning was bookended with announcements from one of their biggest studios, Naughty Dog. Uncharted 4: The Lost Legacy and The Last of Us Part 2 are heavy hitters, and fans went wild. Sony also showed off big titles from 3rd party, such as Marvel vs Capcom Infinite, Resident Evil 7 and Ni No Kuni 2. Along with the big games were smaller titles that meant an enormous amount to the fans. Fan favorites such as Crash Bandicoot, Whipeout, Parappa the rapper and even Patapon are getting remasters on the Playstation 4. Sony made sure to please existing fanbases as well, with new content for Destiny, localization for Yakuza 6 and even a port of Windjammers for PS4 and Vita. And yes, Knack 2 is a thing now.
The show floor was a sight to behold. Games such as The Last Guardian, Farpoint and Uncharted had booths that evoked the style of the game in immersive ways. Indie booths were buzzing with people to check out new unknown games. I really liked how Sony encouraged you to go and visit as many booths as possible through check in rewards and collectible cards. I got a few free games, just for going and checking something out. The collectable cards are great as well, dawning art from games around the show. Though I understand the cards are limited, I did find it frustrating at times when trying to acquire certain cards. Resident Evil 7s card was only available for people who played the game, and getting a ticket to see the game was difficult due to the extremely limited amount of demo time slots. Some of the highlights of the show floor for me were Persona 5, Crash Bandicoot and Horizon Zero Dawn.
One frustrating thing about the event were the lines. Yes, I understand the lines were much better than E3, and I understand that waiting in lines is part of being at a convention. What was frustrating to me though was the fact that there was few demo stations for certain popular games, mostly 3rd party. For example, Persona 5 had four demo stations for a 10 minute demo, causing the line to be over 3 hours to play. I’d like to see 3rd parties get more floorspace in the future, as it appeared there was more room in the convention center that could be used. Sony first party games fared much better. Horizon Zero Dawn and GT Sport, though having long lines as well, moved quite quickly due to ample amount of game stations. I overheard some issues with autograph signings as well, such as impromptu ticketing systems leavings some fans burned, and an overall miss management of autograph lines as well. I know that planning an event like this takes an insane amount of work and organization, and on almost all fronts Sony nailed it, but I wanted to bring up these issues in hopes of an even better experience in the future.
One final thought about the conference is the general quality of people at the event. It was odd being around so many people people that were so kind to one another. I found myself talking to people around me in lines everywhere I went. I talked to people as I was walking to getting in more lines. I even found myself talking to people outside the event and at the airport waiting for my flight home! I’m not sure if it’s the Playstation community, or just the fact it’s a conference focused around one thing that the attendees love, but there was a strong sense of community and friendship at the event.
It would appear that after three successful years, Playstation Experience is here to stay. If you ever have the opportunity to attend, go. You won’t regret it.
