State of Play February 2023 News Rundown

Well, it was bound to happen eventually. Multiple times each year Sony attempts to match Nintendo levels of enthusiasm with its State of Play presentations. This one covers some new announcements, the PlayStation VR 2, and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Let’s get into the meat of the announcements, shall we?

The showcase started with a sizzle reel showing PlayStation VR 2 games like Horizon: Call of the Mountain, Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge Enhanced Edition, Gran Turismo 7, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners – Retribution, Switchback VR, No Man’s Sky, Hello Neighbor VR: Search and Rescue, Resident Evil Village VR, and an announcement that the PlayStation VR 2 is available now.

Then, we led directly into a segment showcasing new PlayStation VR 2 game announcements, starting with The Foglands. The Foglands is a stylistic wild-west, supernatural first-person shooter with a rather interesting premise. It will release sometime in 2023, and it might have Roguelike elements but I can’t be sure from the trailer.

Next up they showcased Green Hell VR, a survival game that will show you what it’s like to hunt, gather, survive, and potentially do jungle drugs. Green Hell VR will release in 2023.

The next announcement was for another colorful, stylistic shooter that mixes greyscale environments with splashes of color, gunplay, and psychokinetic abilities. The game is called Synapse and will release sometime in 2023. It vaguely reminds me of Superhot, but without the time mechanic.

Sony also revealed a video-game adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s novel Foundation along with the other novels in the series. The game will take the form of a VR adventure with stealth, platforming, and action. Normally I would just cover news and announcements here, but I have to ask: are VR developers only capable of making shooters and horror games? Regardless, Journey to Foundation will release in Autumn 2023.

Skybound Games took the stage next, revealing a trailer for the VR version of Before Your Eyes. This is a game in which you experience your life, and it progresses every time you blink. Mike covered the PC version, but the VR version will release on March 10^th, 2023. With that, the PSVR 2 segment ended, which makes me wonder why they didn’t have at least one new game with more than a nebulous “2023” release date, aside from a VR version of an already released game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmAqQDRoI0Q

Regardless, now we move on to the latest content from Bungie and Destiny 2, the Lightfall expansion. This trailer showcases more of what you can expect from the expansion, including new story elements, a new villain, and more. Destiny 2: Lightfall will release on February 28^th, 2023.

Now we finally get into some interesting stuff. Tchia finally has a release date! The new trailer showcased gameplay on land, in the air, and under the sea in the New Caledonia-inspired environment. Tchia will release on March 21^st, 2023. I am very excited about this one!

The next segment revealed new games for March for PlayStation Plus subscribers. The free games in March (for all tiers) are Battlefield 2042, Code Vein, and Minecraft Dungeons. New games coming to the Game Catalog for higher tiers include Ghostwire Tokyo, Immortals Fenyx Rising, Tchia, Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection, and Rainbow Six Extraction. A major complaint comparing PlayStation Plus to Game Pass was a lack of day 1 releases. Tchia’s inclusion at launch is a start of rectifying that.

The next segment revealed a new game from the developers of Tetris Effect and Rez: Infinite. Humanity is a stylistic puzzle game in which you play a glowing dog, leading a crowd of humans to an exit in each level. It feels a little like Lemmings, but with a stylistic flair instead of a quirky, cute one. It seems there will be a story involved as well, which makes this a little more interesting. Humanity will release in May and will allow you to create and share your own levels as well.

Moving on, we got a trailer for a new rhythm narrative game called Goodbye Volcano High. It looks reminiscent of We Are OFK, except instead of being backed by a real band, it focuses on a fictional narrative with dinosaur(?) characters. It will release on June 15^th, 2023.

Naruto fans! Now’s your chance to shine! While I’m still hoping for a modern Sailor Moon video game, Bandai Namco announced a new Naruto/Boruto game. Naruto X Boruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections takes the entire Ultimate Ninja Storm series and recuts it into a single experience.

Experience the entire story in cinematic battles, with new characters that have never been playable in the series before. Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections will release sometime in 2023 and will presumably cover a fair bit of the Boruto series as well.

Another exciting reveal came next, with a PlayStation 5 trailer for Baldur’s Gate 3, which will release this August. JK Simmons has joined the cast as Ketheric, a necromancer seeking to regain what he has lost. He is but one of many threats you’ll face in the world of Baldur’s Gate 3, where you can customize your character and journey with a wide array of characters, each with their own motivations. Baldur’s Gate 3 will release on August 31^st.

Afterward, we got a look at Wayfinder, a fantasy online-multiplayer game that seems to be a mix of a hero-action game and an MMO. You choose one of multiple Wayfinders, each with their own skills and abilities, then take on quests and enemies together with friends. New Wayfinders can be unlocked, and you can upgrade weapons and get resources at various social hubs.

The game looks interesting if you’re into things like MMOs. There also seem to be elements of Monster Hunter games in here too, with large bosses you can take on together. The beta for Wayfinder will be available on February 28^th, and signups are available now.

Street Fighter 6 took the spotlight next, with an announcement of 3 new characters for the roster. You’ll be able to play as Cammy, Lily, and Zangief in Street Fighter 6! Zangief uses wrestling moves, while Lily uses wind-based attacks, and Cammy uses powerful punches and kicks. I’m really digging Cammy’s new look as well. Street Fighter 6 will release on June 2^nd, 2023.

In another exciting announcement, we got a good look at Resident Evil 4 Remake, which will release in March. We got a fresh look at some of the gameplay, including segments involving Ashley. I really hope her AI is improved in this, I wanted to toss a controller through my TV a few times back in the day when she tried to hug the zombies. Not only did we see glimpses of Krauser and Ada, we also got a small look at the Mercenaries mode as well. Resident Evil 4 will release on March 24^th, 2023.

The last 15 minutes of the show covered Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League from Rocksteady Studios, and I am mildly disappointed. This segment was a little underwhelming, with the knowledge that Kill the Justice League will be a Live Service (always online) game. It is set in the Arkhamverse, five years after Batman: Arkham Knight. You’ll play as Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, Deadshot, and King Shark, as they try to protect Metropolis from a corrupted form of the Justice League.

As a game set in the Arkhamverse, I would have hoped for a single-player affair. They showcased 4-player online co-op in this segment, but I’m wondering how a single player would fare. With the game seemingly being designed around co-op I’m not that hopeful for the single-player side of things, but the navigation and mobility look cool enough.

Each character seems to have different mobility methods, and the city of Metropolis looks large and interesting. The gameplay segment also revealed the inclusion of Diana Prince, which makes me wonder if this game will connect to the new Wonder Woman game that is in production. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League will release on May 26^th, but the next segment revealed even more about the game.

Brainiac is the main villain, and while we see corrupted versions of Batman, Flash, Green Lantern, and Superman, Diana seems unscathed. It seems like we’ll get to explore Metropolis as whichever member of the Squad we want, though I’m curious as to how much freedom we’ll have between missions. There is a balance between melee and gunplay, with a wide array of gun options as well as lots of ways to customize and upgrade your build.

The developers reiterated during this segment that solo play is supported, but I’m skeptical. The inclusion of post-launch updates and a cosmetic battle pass also doesn’t bode well, but Rocksteady has done great work in the Arkhamverse before, so I’m trying to keep an open mind. This segment ended the State of Play, and while it wasn’t the most exciting, it did have a few appealing options. If you’d like to watch the whole showcase, check the video below.