PlayStation is getting back to what it’s good at

PlayStation used its most recent State of Play showcase to make it clear where its focus is. After a series of costly live-service stumbles, it’s getting back to focusing on premium, narrative-driven single-player games. That statement was made clear with how it started and ended the hour-long show. The showcase began with an extended look at gameplay from Marvel’s Wolverine , the new superhero title from Insomniac Games. Over seven minutes of bloody action, Logan sliced and diced his way through a bunch of baddies as he tried to rescue some captured mutants, briefly teaming up with Jean Grey for some help taking them down. Insomniac is well-known for its excellent single-player adventures, like Ratchet & Clank and the recent Spider-Man games, and Wolverine seems poised to keep up the tradition when it launches in September. The show ended with a major reveal: God of War Laufey , the next mainline, single-player entry in the God of War series from Santa Monica Studio. Laufey stars Faye, Kratos’ wife, and based on the extensive 23-minute trailer shown during the showcase, it looks to have all of the hallmarks of the recent God of War games: gripping combat, a magical world to explore, and charming, chatty companions. In this case, it’s a gelatinous cube voiced by Jack Quaid and sentient ribbons attached to Faye’s sword. Sandwiched between those showcase titles was a number of third-party games that were similarly single-player focused. …