Gamescom 2012: Sony Press Conference Recap

Today, Sony held their annual Gamescom 2012 press conference in Cologne, Germany and performed well by offering details on a handful of anticipated games, as well as announcing some brand new ones. Below is the summary and highlights of that press conference, dressed up with pretty pictures and big, bold headers.

‘Cross Buy’ Titles Announced

PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale (in addition to being delayed) was announced to have “Cross Buy” support, which means that any consumer who purchases the game on PlayStation 3 will receive the PlayStation Vita digital version for the low, low price of free.

Other titles that include Cross Buy support are Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time and Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault (Q Force in Europe).

Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault Coming to Vita

As you may have gathered from the details above, Sony and Insomniac Games announced today that the upcoming iteration in their lombax/robot starring franchise will be coming not only to the PS3 via PSN as originally announced, but to the handheld PS Vita as well. No info on release date was given, but it’s likely safe to assume that it will launch alongside the PS3 version.

New Game Announced from Creators of LittleBigPlanet, Tearaway

Developer Media Molecule dedicated its fleeting stage time at the Gamescom keynote to announcing its newest game for the PlayStation Vita: Tearaway. It’s a 3D platformer based around the concept of manipulating a world of paper with motion, touch, and voice controls supported by the PS Vita hardware.

New Game Announced from Geurrilla Games, Killzone Mercenary

Developer of the Killzone series, Guerilla Games, announced through a live-action trailer their upcoming shooter for the PlayStation Vita: Killzone Mercenary. In the touch-control enabled game, you’ll play a rogue mercenary who kills enemy Helghast for cold, hard cash. No release date was given.

PlayStation Mobile Announced

A new service was announced for Android mobile phones and tablets that lets consumers play small, bite-sized, PlayStation certified games called PlayStation Mobile. The development kit will be available to a range of developers and will support the PSN Store. That said, Sony clarified that once you purchase a game, it will be fully playable on any supported device, be it a tablet, phone, etc. Asus and Wikipad devices will be PlayStation certified in the near future.

PS Plus coming to Vita, PSN Cloud Storage Getting an Upgrade

PlayStation Plus subscribers can soon rejoice – the service will make its way to the PlayStation Vita in September – opening the window for more features (and more free games) on the device for paying members.

Additionally, the PSN Cloud will be receiving an upgrade to 1GB capacity for all those previously mentioned PlayStation Plus folk.

PlayStation Plus Members Getting Red Dead Redemption Free This September

Playstation Plus members will  receive five new Plus titles over the next couple of months including September’s game of the month choice, the phenomenal, multi-award winning spaghetti western from Rockstar Games, Red Dead Redemption.

New PS3 Games Announced

Until Dawn – Set up like a teen thriller movie, Until Dawn has you playing as seven unique characters though a story that takes place over the course of a single evening. Your goal is to keep them all alive until dawn.

The game is being developed by Supermassive Games and will have PS Move functionality. Our own Justin Fassino pins it as “Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Game.”

Rain – Downloadable through the PSN, you play as an invisible boy who can only turn visible in the rain. The narrative takes you through his journey as he attempts to find his significant other: an invisible girl. You’ll use distinct noise and water mechanics to avoid other enemies who, like you, are invisible.

Puppeteer – A puppet theatre-esque sidescrolling platformer that puts you in the shoes (or sockpuppet) of a boy who’s been turned into a puppet.

New Trailer: The Last of Us

The conference closed with a fantastical trailer for The Last of Us, Naughty Dog’s upcoming third-person survival game for PlayStation 3.