PlayStation 5 Showcase Recap

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After months of speculation, along with rumors that have been around for a year or more; Sony finally decided to reveal what will be coming to its newest console releasing this holiday season. From AAA first-party developers like Insomniac and Guerilla, to smaller Indie devs like Housemarque and Ko_Op, there is a lot to look forward to in the coming years. To start things off, I wanna focus a bit on the smaller side of things as I believe that these smaller titles are just as (if not more) important than the big AAA games like Horizon or Spider-Man.

Housemarque, a studio that created the PlayStation 4 launch title Resogun and PlayStation 3 title Stardust HD, is known for its tight twin-stick shooters and great gameplay. The studio had been silent after they decided to move away from arcade style games, and their most recent title Stormdivers was put on hold. They have been out of the spotlight, until today.

Housemarque has been hard at work on a title called Returnal. Returnal looks to be a third-person action-adventure game with the same great gameplay that the studio is known for. This time around though, they’ve added a storyline to the mix. Returnal looks to be a sci-fi “Groundhog’s Day” with your main character dying and being stuck in a seemingly endless loop of death. It is up to you to break the cycle before it breaks you. No release date was given for this one.

Next on the docket was a game by Bluetwelve called Stray. Stray sees players take control of a cat that lives in a future where humans don’t exist. In this world, robots have taken over and seem to be facing the same issues as humanity. Stray Is set to release on PlayStation 5 and Steam next year.

Next we have Bugsnax, a new game from Young Horses, a developer well known for its quirky “octopus pretends to be a human father” simulator Octodad. This game is a weird intriguing experience in the form of bugs that are also snacks. Questions are bound to ensue after this reveal trailer and I honestly can’t make heads or tails of it. I’m not sure if it’ll be fun to play but I know the reveal trailer had a rocking theme song. Bugsnax is due out this Holiday season.

Kickstarted action RPG Little Devil Inside made an appearance in today’s reveal event as well, and oh boy does it look unique. The trailer is full of charm, action and mystery. Style-wise, the polygonal characters stand out with the semi-realistic backgrounds. With action and a bit of comedy, Little Devil Inside looks to be a treat.

Destruction All Stars is a car combat game mixed with a bit of third-person action. With it taking heavy inspiration from Rocket League, this game by Lucid Games looks to capture a fun and engaging gameplay experience. It also seems to have fun, zany characters and a lot of car destruction mayhem.

One of my now most anticipated games of 2021 is Goodbye Volcano High. Goodbye Volcano High is developed by KO_OP games, and looks to to be heavily influenced by Night in the Woods. I was dazzled the anthropomorphic dinosaurs attending high school in a beautiful comic art style. In this teaser trailer alone I could feel so much emotion from the characters, and I immediately wanted to dive headfirst into this narrative adventure.

Oddworld Soulstorm is the newest game in the Oddworld series. I have never been a fan of this series, as I could never vibe with the style or the gameplay. However, this new title seems to add a bit more story and lore to Abe’s adventure.

Earlier I mentioned that Goodbye Volcano High is my most anticipated game for next year. Adding to that list is Ember Lab’s Kena: Bridge of Spirits. Kena is an action-adventure game that tasks players to free spirits called “The Rot”. As you free more of these cute little spirits you will unlock new abilities which you can use to traverse the world and fight enemies.

Jett: The Far Shore was shown off as well. It is developed by the same studio that brought the world Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP. The game will see players “Carving out a future for a people haunted by oblivion”. Jett: The Far Shore is due Holiday 2020 for PS4 and PS5.

Solar Ash is the successor to Hyper Light Drifter. It is a16-bit RPG developed by Heart Machine. The developers are hard at work creating a gorgeous, gravity-defining environment. I have never experienced Hyper Light Drifter, but seeing the eye-popping colors and intriguing world of Solar Ash makes me more than happy to take a look back at it before this title releases next year.

All the smaller titles are out of the way. Honestly I was so happy to see some of these titles during the world premiere of the PlayStation 5, but now it is time to move on to the big announcements that are sure to get PlayStation fans excited.

Firstly Rockstar showed off a port of Grand Theft Auto V which is said to be “Expanded and Enhanced”. There was no word of what they really meant, as no details have been given just yet. This will mark the third console generation that GTA V will be appearing on. In the lead up to its 2021 release date all PlayStation Plus Subscribers will receive $1 million dollars of GTA Online cash per month.

The next announcement really got my nerves tingling. Insomniac showed off the next chapter in the Marvel’s Spider-Man series titled Spider-Man: Miles Morales. I couldn’t tell from the trailer if this would be a full game or a shorter experience that continues the story and acts as filler for the next game. If it is the latter, it could be more like Uncharted: Lost Legacy, or Infamous: First Light. Either way, I am beyond excited to see Miles take on his first big adventure and see how he grows. Spider-Man: Miles Morales launches on PlayStation 5 this holiday.

Along with a new Spider-Man game, Insomniac also decided to show off a new Ratchet and Clank. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart sees the two icons torn between alternate worlds. This time our two heroes are separated. The gameplay is the same exhilarating action platforming that fans can expect, but this time there is a slight twist.

Ratchet can traverse dimensions in seconds, which looks to make for some new gameplay challenges. Plus this time around, we get a new heroine in the form of another Lombax, the same species as Ratchet. For all I know this is a big revelation, but I haven’t played a Ratchet and Clank game since the PlayStation 2. Either way, I am very much looking forward to this new experience.

Another PlayStation icon is coming back. Sackboy is back with another Little Big Planet game, except it is not called Little Big Planet. Instead it is called Sackboy A Big Adventure. Developed by LBP 3 developers Sumo Digital, Sackboy: A Big Adventure looks to bring back the platformer’s charm with a fun, new four-player co-op adventure.

A new console launch also means a new racing game. This time around Gran Turismo fans can rejoice that the classic PlayStation franchise returns with Grand Turismo 7. Shown off in a lengthy trailer with some beautiful visuals and brilliant sound design, Gran Turismo 7 looks to be the biggest title yet. Though, there was no release date was given during the event.

Square Enix showed off a new PlayStation exclusive. No, unfortunately it is not Final Fantasy VII Remake 2. It is an entirely new IP called Project Athia that seems to be an action RPG. Not much was shown off, though we do know that Rogue One writer Gary Whitta helped lead the writing team. I can’t wait to learn more about Project Athia in the future.

Gearbox also came out and showed off it’s multiplayer game Godfall. Godfall looks to be a fast paced arena combat game where you face off against different player’s knights. I am not the biggest multiplayer guy, but this did look enjoyable. It could definitely make for some intense matches between friends and foes alike. Godfall will be released this December.

A short trailer was shown off for the new NBA 21 game. It will, of course, launch in the fall of this year, and I don’t really have much more to say than that. My only experience with Basketball is watching college athletes and that final match between the Toronto Raptors and Golden State Warriors.

Bethesda had a big showing today with the re-reveal of Ghostwire Tokyo, a first-person horror game developed by Tango Gameworks, the studio that worked on The Evil Within and its sequels. Ghostwire Tokyo sees players traversing a haunted Tokyo with headless school girls and slender men with umbrellas try to kill you. It looked creepy and interesting. I am really excited to see what Shinji Mikami brings to the table. Ghostwire Tokyo launches next year.

Bethesda also showcased what the Dishonored creators, Arkane Studios, have been working on with a gameplay trailer for Deathloop. Deathloop has players take control of an assassin who has to take down eight targets before midnight. The twist here, is that another assassin is their protector and will kill the protagonist time and time again. With some gruesome fight animations, a wonderful style, and an intriguing story; I can’t wait to get my hands on Deathloop when it launches exclusively on the PlayStation 5.

IO interactive showed off the conclusion to the Hitman Trilogy with Hitman III. For a storied franchise, I have never touched, it looked to bring what made the Hitman reboot and Hitman II so great. Large, open worlds and about 100 ways to take down your target. Hitman III launches next year.

Japan Studio showed off Astro’s Playroom, which looks like to be a free tech demo for the PlayStation 5. It seems similar to the PlayStation 4 or PlayStation Vita’s Welcome Park.

Three of my most anticipated games of next year have been shown off, starting with Kena: Bridge of Sprites and Goodbye Volcano High. We are now adding to the list Bluepoints newest remaster, the Demon Souls Remake. I am a lover of all things Soulsborne. I love the pain, punishment, rewards, and lore, even if I have never been able to finish a game.

Earlier last summer, I put around 20 hours into Demon Souls on the PlayStation 3. I was instantly in love and I can’t wait to get the platinum before the remake hits shelves. No release date was given, but I can’t be more excited!

Pragmata Is the newest game coming from Capcom. It looks cryptic, bizarre and a little inspired by BioShock. You take control of a bulky spaceman and a mysterious little girl, who can seemingly help you on your adventure. Pragmata was given a release window of 2022 and gave massive Death Stranding vibes to the point where I just want to know more.

Along with Pragmata, Capcom also showed off Resident Evil VIII with a gorgeous new trailer. The trailer seems to return to the village of Resident Evil 4, but this time with werewolves. I don’t know much about Resident Evil lore, but I was instantly more interested in picking this game up rather than Resident Evil VII. Resident Evil Village launches on PlayStation 5 next year.

Wrapping up the game reveals was Horizon: Forbidden West, a sequel to the excellent 2017 Horizon: Zero Dawn. Horizon: Forbidden West sees Aloy travel to a destroyed San Francisco to find out what is killing the land. In the three-minute trailer we saw that there will be underwater exploration, more biological robot hyprid creatures, including a turtle! No release date was given but I hope to see this game as early as next year.

I thought this would wrap up the reveal, but Sony decided it was finally time to show off the console design of the PlayStation 5 itself. Oh my lord I love the design. Two consoles were shown off, a digital-only version and a model with a disk drive for the people like me who still cling desperately to physical media.

The design itself looks to be more ventilated than the PlayStation 4, which will hopefully quiet down the console during gameplay. A few new accessories were also shown off, such as a controller charging station, 3D audio Headphones, a new camera and a universal media remote. They are all in a slick, new, white design that is very futuristic.