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I really love watching the Sony Showcases. They are always very much so all about the games, as opposed to false excitement, scripted hype, and cheesy hosting performances that we see at other expos and events. We were greeted first and foremost by Big Boss himself Jim Ryan, CEO of SIE. Big Boss, you got the reference, right? He made a brief introduction, letting us get straight into the meat of the banquet. And oh boy was this Showcase a feast! Jim promised a showing of “new and amazing games”, at first, I was sceptical, but man was I impressed by Sony's PlayStation showcase. And here is why…
Knights of the Old Republic Remake
Yeah, you read that correctly. The starter of Sony's PlayStation showcase's 17-course meal is a game that fans have literally been begging for, for many years. After a slew of disappointing Star Wars games in recent years, (including Fallen Order, fight me) we finally got a taste of the future of the games. And that future starts with a complete remake of what most consider the best ever Star Wars game. Watching the interviews after the Showcase, we learned that this isn’t simply an upscale or remastered version, the game is getting the Spyro & Crash treatment, being completely remade from the bottom up.
I missed this game originally myself, so I am so excited to get my hands on a modern version of the cult classic!
Project Eve
Now, as far as I am aware, this is the first we are introduced to this game too. This game looks to be everything I want in a game. It showed us a helping of hack and slash action reminiscent of Devil May Cry, and a futuristic post-apocalyptic setting. The main ‘big bad’ creature looks like a massive cthulu-esque creature that has spawned tentacle faced offspring, however, in its design, and with several bible related references in the dubbed translations, it is clear to me that it is some sort of Christian hellscape. And I loved every second of it.
From what we have seen, the game appears to be a cross between Devil May Cry, Nier Automata, and the classic Parasite Eve. The main character is called Eve, working in the Parasite Corps. Strange coincidence? I HOPE NOT!
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands
Next on the menu was a game that we were already familiar with, but one I was eager to see more of at Sony's PlayStation showcase. Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands looks like an absolute bonkers game. And honestly, we all need a game that foregoes the usual game tropes from time to time.
We are treated to an overview by Tiny Tina herself, showing us some of the world and enemies we will be facing. From dragons to skeletons and a slew of generic fantasy-style enemies, we know that it is a fantasy world built by Tina herself during a role-playing game reminiscent of D&D. And even though it is completely removed from anything we have experienced in Borderlands so far; it makes complete sense. Borderlands is known for its RNG type experience, which would tie in amazingly with actual dice rolls.
The trailer was accompanied by Baby Metal’s Gimme Chocolate, which honestly, was the perfect music choice for the game. It is a bonkers song for a bonkers game. We are promised metal, magic and guns. I really hope there is a metal soundtrack in this game. I cannot wait!
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is dropping on March 25th 2022.
Forspoken
I hope you are still hungry for more because we are only just getting started!
Forspoken is a PS5 exclusive game from Square Enix, and it shows! We have grown to expect pure fidelity when it comes to Square Enix’s graphics. And Forpsoken looks truly stunning!
Playing as a character that seemingly gets pulled into a ‘not Earth’ reality, she is tasked with saving the world from a malicious enemy. Sounds pretty generic on paper, but looking at the gameplay with delightful vertical traversal, the slick combat, the enemy designs, the magic abilities etc, then this is another game that will be gracing my console for sure.
The trailer also features the cutest cat ever rendered in a game ever. TAKE MY MONEY.
Forspoken is slated for release in Spring 2022.
Rainbow Six Extraction
The sludge monsters return in another plug for Extraction. This was only a small teaser, more to remind us that the game exists than anything else. We don’t learn anything new about the game today, unfortunately. What we do get is a small voice over that kept repeating the word ‘together’ as if we haven’t already figured out that the game will play much better playing with others.
It is due out in January 2022.
Alan Wake Remastered
Yes. Absolutely yes! I will eat this up all day long. Alan Wake, is finally, FINALLY, making its way over to PlayStation in the form of a glorious remaster. It seems Sony really aren’t messing around with this showcase, heavy hitters after heavy hitters. The starters are over, and it is time to make some room for the main courses!
We were only shown about 30 seconds of teasing for this game, but honestly, do we need more? It is a cult classic, Xbox exclusive game, coming over to PS. I feel sorry for my wallet over the coming months.
Alan Wake is coming sooner than you think, on October 5th. That is literally only weeks away!
GTA 5
And here we are, once again, looking at a game that is rivalling Skyrim in its refusal to be lain to rest. As a surprise to absolutely nobody, GTA 5 is once again being improved upon. The newest edition will boast improved graphics, enhanced gameplay, seamless character transitions and ‘much more’. I am sure this excites many people giving the game’s popularity. For me, however, this will be the first game shown tonight that I won’t be purchasing. Where is GTA 6 already!?
GTA 5 is due out 17 September 2013, 18 November 2014, 14 April 2015, March 2022.
Ghostwire Tokyo
We finally got to see a little more about this elusive title, and it looks damn delicious! The story seems abstract enough to warrant an anime show. My notes simply state ‘shadow face, magic kung fu stuff’. It was hard to get a real grasp of what Ghostwire Tokyo is about. If I had to speculate, it seems to be about playing as the only person not affected by the emergence of an otherworldly phenomenon. In which it grants you abilities instead of transforming you into an abomination. We are expected to ‘face the unknown’ on the ‘precipice of transformation’.
Whatever the heck is going on, the game looks completely unique to anything I have seen before. Any kind of kung fu and magic mash-up will secure my money for sure.
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
I am so happy we got to see more of this game at Sony's PlayStation showcase. It absolutely blew me away at E3. Not necessarily because the game looked ground-breaking or anything, but because it was actually happening at all. But my god does it look like a great game! We got to see more of the world as a whole in this trailer, as opposed to the gameplay we saw at E3. With characters such as Cosmo and Worldmind make an appearance, and there was even a snippet of Mantis making an appearance.
Guardians of the Galaxy looks promising to be a great game, like Marvel’s Spiderman ended up being. I have a feeling that they are holding back too as if there is a lot more to this game than we have been shown so far.
We won’t be waiting long to find out as it is expected to be released on October 26th, just over a month away!
Vampire: The Masquerade Blood Hunt
This was a little unexpected to me as we are still awaiting the release of Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2. Initially, Bloodlines 2 was to be released in 2019 but has since been on some sort of troubling hiatus.
Blood Hunt to me is a sign of good fortune though. It looks to be some sort of online multiplayer game based in the world of Vampire: Masquerades. It showed us several different vampire classes, factions, enemies? We are unsure. We were also greeted with a truly amazing character creation system that reminded me so much of the one in Code Vein.
I get the impression that this is a smaller game experience intended to appease us a little until Bloodlines 2 is finally finished. Blood Hunt is due out in 2021.
Deathloop
And here we are, once again feasting our eyes on more repeated footage of Deathloop. Honestly, I presumed this game had already been released. We have seen this game constantly over the last year or so. We did see a small snippet of gameplay however that featured in-game writing that the character was unsure where it comes from. Is Deathloop taking a page from Dark Souls here perhaps with a character hint system?
It is due out this month! I know a lot of people have been eagerly awaiting this game, so this will make many people happy indeed.
Tchia
Now, this is a game we have briefly seen a few times too. The charmingly artistic sandbox game sees you play as a girl who can possess the animals of the island she lives on. We see her able to control birds, turtles, and crabs at the least with seeming transition between them. Most importantly, we can also pet the animals, as they seem to have a natural admiration for her. We can even play the ukulele with actual note selection! I hope this is more than a one-time occurrence.
Uncharted Thief’s End & Lost Legacy
Yeah, it is getting remastered for PS5. But we are here for new games, not games we have played time and time again!
Interlude With Herman Hulst
The starters and main courses have been served and gobbled up by hungry viewers. It was time to take a brief belt loosening break at Sony's PlayStation showcase.
Herman spoke a little about how excited he was about the games that are in development. He emphasised that Sony’s way of approaching games is to deliver great storytelling and push boundaries. He also suggested that they were ‘only getting started’. Could there be even more amazing games in development that we haven’t seen as of yet? I hope so!
And now for the desserts...
Marvel’s Wolverine
A simple teaser trailer, that is all that was shown. Ending in a metal-clawed fist and the title ‘Wolverine’.
I don’t care that this is all that was shown. I want this game, and I want it now!
Gran Turismo 7
There is no denying that the GT series has often delivered some of the most amazing graphics in games to date. GT 7 looks to be continuing that trend with immaculate visuals incorporating ray tracing to sheer perfection. The game promises to be the best of all the games before it. With extensive car customisation that fans have gone nuts for, a whole host of different car types and modes of play, GT 7 looks likely to hold up to being the best of the series so far.
Spiderman 2
Here it is everyone, finally, official news on Spiderman 2! A small bit of gameplay was revealed, having both Peter and Miles team up to take down a group of baddies. And it looks incredible. I am yet to get my hands on the Miles Morales game, but it looks like I have all the way until 2023 to get through it. But I honestly can not wait to battle Venom in this sequel as he is by far my favourite foe for Spiderman.
Also, taking a bit of a deeper dive into the 2023 release date, considering Wolverine is being developed by the same company, then perhaps we will be seeing Wolverine next year maybe?
God of War: Ragnarok
Ok, if everything we have seen so far has been the banquet of the ages, then Ragnarok is surely the aged wine to wash it all down with. This is the game I was personally hoping to see the most at Sony's PlayStation showcase as I adore the God of War franchise.
We got an extended look at the game, and I am still salivating profusely. The story is undoubtedly tackling the story of the end of days, but it is also tackling the personal story of Atreus needing to know who he is, who Loki is. He also appears to be a little older in this game, suggesting some time may have passed since the last game. The gameplay shows him being able to ride spirit animals in combat and Kratos using sled and dogs as a mode of transport. This suggests that the great lake in the last game has frozen over due to the coming of Ragnarök.
We saw Kratos battling a variety of beasts, centaurs and even the elves seem to be making a comeback. He battles them using both the blades of chaos and his trusty axe.
The dwarven brothers are returning, and they now have an official store. This store seems to be in a populated area. Are we finally going to see more normal humans in this series that aren’t placed for Kratos to rip in half for health boosts?
Tyr looks epic, he is a giant!? And who is the girl at the end of the trailer!? So much information in this trailer, and yet, just as much mystery.
Also, watching the interview after Sony's PlayStation showcase, it is revealed that Corey Barlog is not directing this game, instead, he is rearing up something else. And the director of Ragnorok states that this game ‘caps off the Norse chapter’. Is this saying we will see Kratos in other pantheons? Is Corey setting up the next chapter of Kratos? I NEED TO KNOW.
Credit Roll
And there we are. A full recap of Sony's PlayStation showcase. I can honestly say that it was possibly the best showcase I have ever seen. We were promised ‘new and amazing’ titles, and for once, I think we actually got what we were promised.
I hope you are as excited to see the release of as many of these titles as I am!
Now, all this talk of banquets and desserts and mains etc has got me incredibly hungry whilst typing out this article!