E3 2015: John's quick takeaway from the Sony Press Conference

There was one thing I was really hoping to see at Sony's press conference and Sony led the show off with it. The Last Guardian made its triumphant return as the game is now set to be released in 2016 for the PlayStation 4.

If you were watching the stream or attended the event, you no doubt heard the rousing approval as the feather fell down the screen. The game looked as beautiful and captivating as when it was originally first shown. The relationship between the boy and the gryphon was really evident from all the actions and emotions exhibited by both parties.

As a pet owner, I was amazed and awed by how much the gryphon reacted like a dog. Scared of certain things, protective of the lead character, graceful and awkward in some of its movements, the gryphon seemed alive and I could relate to many of its facial cues and mannerisms.

No doubt, The Last Guardian looks magical and fun to play. I really hope we get a more definitive date soon and that the long wait for the game will finally end come 2016.

Another long awaited game is the remake of Final Fantasy VII. There wasn't much shown but there was no mistaking Cloud's sword and Barret's gun. Just like with The Last Guardian, the crowd erupted with excitement. Now, the wording at the end says the game will be coming to other systems, but PlayStation 4 owners will be the first to play it. I'm happy to finally see the game be officially announced and I hope it captures the magic of the original for a brand new generation of gamers.

Guerrilla's Horizon Zero Dawn actually surprised me. The world has gone dark and life has gone back to the basics. Without the use of technology, tribes are born and survival means hunting and gathering.

The big twist is that the world's animals are now mechanical. Think robotic, living dinosaurs and you, as the female protagonist, must survive by sneaking around in the thick brush that's spread throughout the world and by using more primitive weapon such as a bow and arrow.

It's an interesting take on a post-apocalyptic world where a marriage of technology and animal life is the main threat to society. We didn't get to know much on what the goal was in the game, but it sure looked great. This will be one I'm keeping an eye on.

The appearance of Shenmue III was surprising and it's already hit the Kickstarter goal. I'm really happy to see the story continue, but a little curious as to why Sony didn't try to fund this. It easily hit the $2 million goal, which is a drop in a bucket for them. It was an odd choice for a Sony press conference to feature a game that needed crowd funding, but hey, it worked.

Morpheus seemed to have been glossed over quickly. I know there's a lot of work into it, but I expected a lot more focus on the HMD. Maybe they don't have that much to talk about now, with title development still in its infancy, but still, surprisingly short for a big peripheral.

I was surprised we didn't get a mention of a new God of War game, but the show ended with a crowd favorite in Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. It just took a second try though to get the game to play, but it looks pretty fun.