Sony starts public prep for Gamescom

Sony's PlayStation division will present its slate of upcoming titles on August 12 at 7pm from the annual Gamescom event held in Cologne, Germany.

Sony's PlayStation division will present its slate of upcoming titles on August 12 at 7pm from the annual Gamescom event held in Cologne, Germany.

Significant PlayStation 4 launches for the rest of this year include gorgeous social racer 'DriveClub,' superhero spin-off caper 'Infamous: First Light' and the imagination-sparking, all-inclusive 'LittleBigPlanet 3,' while a rumored remaster of 'Beyond: Two Souls' could help tempt over those who skipped on the PlayStation 3.

'Bloodborne' is another exclusive that is highly sought after, in development at 'Dark Souls' house From Software, though not expected until 2015. Sony will need to manage its presence carefully so as not to cannibalize sales of 'Deep Down,' Capcom's more imminent PS4 title which likewise takes inspiration from the 'Souls' games -- though it may be too late for that already.

'The Order: 1886' has another opportunity to prove that it's more than a reskin of 'Gears of War' or a third-person, Victorian 'Resistance: Fall of Man,' while Danish developer Guerilla Games has been relatively silent since the release of PS4 launch title 'Killzone: Shadow Fall' and is at work on something new.

In terms of support from external developers, the highly anticipated 'Destiny' has a habit of showing up at PlayStation conferences and is due to launch not long after in September, while a console version of PC hit 'Diablo III' is due mid-August, again on both PlayStation and Xbox, while existing relationships suggest a PlayStation coup once again.

Similarly, 'Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare' launched first on Xbox and is now due on PlayStation in August too. If shown, it's a chance to continue a tradition of light-hearted, cheeky digs at Microsoft, PlayStation's age-old console rival -- but not too much, lest the tide of popular opinion start to turn.

In addition, Gamescom is another window for PlayStation's stable of indie titles, such as procedurally generated interplanetary explorer 'No Man's Sky,' wistful island mystery 'Rime,' and intricate puzzler 'The Witness.'

Streaming service PlayStation Now will have just launched, while the Vita TV set-top device awaits a firm 2014 date for territories outside Japan and South East Asia.
And with PC gaming strong in Europe, there may be extra room for mentions of several exciting crossover projects set for both computer and PS4 console: online MMO 'EverQuest Next' and zombie survival project 'H1Z1' have both been talked up in 2014.