Sony PlayStation Vita
Sony PlayStation Vita Sony

Sony's press conference Monday evening, ahead of the E3 2012 developers' conference in Los Angeles, revealed some enticing new prospects for fans, furthering the cinematic quality and carefully detailed graphics that long have shaped PlayStation's image. Besides insight into highly anticipated titles, gamers learned of new games and special packages that will launch later this year.

Fans eagerly awaiting Assassin's Creed 3 got an additional sneak peak into gameplay, following an unveiling video made by Ubisoft in its press conference earlier Monday. We've seen protagonist Connor jump through treetops and through colonial cities, and we've heard plenty about the wildlife frontier.

But now players get a glimpse at what naval battles will be like during the American Revolution. Ubisoft has recreated the oceans of the 18th century, and the footage depicted sea battles in which players get to control the ship's navigation and combat simultaneously. It was also announced that Assassin's Creed 3 will launch with a new PlayStation 3 hardware bundle, which will include an exclusive downloadable content package as well.

Assassin's Creed was not the only news to surprise fans. A brand new PlayStation Vita exclusive title taking place in New Orleans during the American Revolution will also launch on Oct. 30. Assassin's Creed Liberation will be the first game in the franchise to feature a female protagonist assassin. Sony's main campaign for this year's E3 is cross-platform gaming, and this applies to Assassin's Creed as well. Cross-goods will be available between Vita and PS3 games, meaning that players will be able to unlock items such as Connor's tomahawk in the upcoming Vita-exclusive title. A new Vita bundle launches with the game, which includes the Crystal White Wi-Fi enabled model with four GB of memory.

Fans of the fighting genre were also pleased to hear more information on Sony's PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale. Chan Park officially announced that the platform-fighting game will be available on the PS Vita, and of course, will be cross-compatible. This function was demonstrated in front of the live audience, with four characters battling head-to-head.

In the game, players score points by earning energy power super attacks. At the end of the round, the player with the most energy power super attacks wins. Gamers also learned more about the fighting style of certain characters, with some such as Kratos and Fat Princess focusing on more melee-centric techniques. Players will be able to play with up to three friends across platforms, and the game will launch this holiday season.

But one of the most prominent question running through fans' minds is which characters will make it to gameplay. Although there are still more characters left to be questioned, two more have made the Battle Royale roster: Nathan Drake of Uncharted and the Big Daddies from BioShock.

A new Vita exclusive Call of Duty game was also announced, known as Black Ops Declassified, which will launch this holiday season.

There were also some less-familiar titles unveiled such as the opening reveal called Beyond Two Souls. With Ellen Page starring as protagonist Jody Holmes, this action-thriller game comes from the same creator as Heavy Rain. This means players can expect engaging story and a heavy emphasis on decisions made throughout the game. The opening sequence was unveiled in the beginning of the keynote, which was enough to keep gamers on the edge of their seats. Beyond Two Souls certainly seems like a cinematic masterpiece.

The Last Of Us, a new survival shooter game, was also unveiled. A gameplay demo revealed some gritty and immersive shooting, and follows characters Joel and Ellie through an abandoned hotel. Be sure to check out the trailer for yourself below.

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