BY DERRIK J. LANG
AP ENTERTAINMENT WRITER
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Dark Knight and Spidey are among the heroes swinging onto the PlayStation.
Sony announced at its Monday presentation at the Electronic Entertainment Expo that a virtual reality rendition of Rocksteady Studios’ “Batman: Arkham” series is landing on PlayStation VR, while an all-new Spider-Man adventure from Insomniac Games is crawling onto the PlayStation 4.
“We’ve really been pushing for a new era in gaming,” said Peter Phillips, Marvel’s executive vice president of interactive and digital distribution, after the show. “It’s about a franchise approach to our characters. We wanted to find a triple-A partner that could really do justice to this character.
Ted Price, president and CEO of Insomniac Games, said the web-slinging action-adventure game won’t be connected to the upcoming film “Spider-Man: Homecoming” and would center on a more seasoned Peter Parker.
“He’s got a lot of experience fighting crime in New York City,” said Price. “You’ll see this Peter Parker struggling with the challenges of balancing a chaotic life with his responsibility that he feels toward the city.”
Sony solely dedicated its E3 briefing to showcasing games coming to its PS4 and PS VR systems after rival Microsoft announced plans Monday morning for new versions of its Xbox One console that would be slimmer and more powerful than the original Xbox One.
The company said ahead of E3 it was similarly working on a more powerful version of the PS4 but didn’t plan to show it during the gaming industry’s annual trade show.
Instead, Sony showed off such titles as the zombie drama “Days Gone,” android detective tale “Detroit: Become Human,” the long-awaited puzzler “The Last Guardian,” and a Norse mythology-inspired version of “God of War.”
Several games showcased will feature support for PS VR, the $399 headset that works in tandem with PS4 that Sony announced will be released Oct. 13. The role-playing game “Final Fantasy XV,” horror sequel “Resident Evil VII” and sci-fi shoot-’em-up “Star Wars Battlefront” will all have VR modes.
“Metal Gear Solid” creator Hideo Kojima came on stage at the Shrine Auditorium to rapturous applause and introduced a clip of his latest creation, “Death Stranding.” The ominous footage featured a computer-generated version of “The Walking Dead” actor Norman Reedus waking up naked on a beach surrounded by dead crabs, whales and other sea life as mysterious five figures floated in the distance.