The two day event made its debut at Sands Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2014 celebrating the 20th anniversary of the PlayStation and then moved to the Moscone Center in San Francisco and then again to the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim California the following years. I originally questioned the decision to move the event to Anaheim, but having compared it with the Moscone Center, I can safely say the move has brought some much needed improvements.
This year, it was much easier to navigate throughout the area as much of the traffic that was caused by having a smaller space at last year’s venue. Taking up nearly as much space as E3 in the Anaheim Convention Center, PlayStation Experience is huge. This year's PlayStation Experience hosted some fantastic booths that not only offered exclusive game play demos and chances to win prizes, but also a look at some great set pieces from many popular franchises. The Horizon Zero Dawn booth had a rotating cast of cosplayers. The Last Guardian booth was breathtaking and felt like a set straight out of the actual game itself. The Resident Evil VII booth we have seen from E3 made its return to the Anaheim Convention Center and it looked just as great as it did then. With less congestion, I could easily get from one end of the exhibit hall to the other with minimal problems. It felt significantly less claustrophobic compared to the PSX held at Moscone Center in 2015.
There were also several big announcements made at PlayStation Experience Keynote this year. Uncharted 4 is getting a new chapter titled, The Lost Legacy. The stars in this instalment are Chloe Frazier and Nadine Ross. Both Yakuza 6 and a ground-up remake of Yakuza Kiwami, the original game from 2005, are on the way to PS4 in the West. The venerable dogfighting series Ace Combat is back with Ace Combat 7. Crash Bandicoot is remastered in the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy and is expected to be coming next year as well. Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 has been absent from both Xbox Live and Playstation Network since 2013 is back for next gen on PlayStation 4. Marvel Vs. Capcom Infinite the latest entry in the all-star fighting game will arrive in 2017. The highly anticipated The Last of Us Part 2 is confirmed with Ellie and Joel making a return.
With the overwhelming amount of games to play, I still managed to attend two panels, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, and The Last of Us Part II. I enjoyed seeing the staff staying upbeat and organized while keeping the crowd under control. All in all, PSX was very enjoyable. Another treat to the show was the Capcom Cup, featuring many of the top Street Fighter players from around the world. As I am not much of a fighting game enthusiast I was overjoyed that the game exhibits were still open during the Capcom Cup, making the main exhibit hall less crowded and giving me a chance to visit more booths. Overall there was a good variety of news and excitement at PSX.
PlayStation Experience has become my new favorite gaming event next to E3 with the same level of hype. This is twice a year I get to be excited for big announcements and I am excited to see what will be in store for 2018.
Photos courtesy of PlayStation
