In the ashes of the Electronic Entertainment Expo, amid the bloat and pretense of the games industry, always must there be a presentation... always must there be game trailers... and always must there be those who commentate. So it is we find ourselves in the aftermath of this year's collected summer showcases, a cavalcade of announcements and information to parse in its wake. For my part, I set forth to once again note the games (and, occasionally, people or moments) that stood out - for good or ill. Today, we tackle that which was displayed at Sony's State of Play, the OTK Games Expo, and the Summer Game Fest... Sony State of Play The High Point: Astro Bot Is it nakedly playing off of lingering nostalgia for various Sony properties, current and forgotten? Yes. Is it unmistakably taking cues from other more successful platformer series? Absolutely. Nevertheless, the team at Sony seem to have nailed the charm when it comes to their robot mascot, which is half the battle for cr...
In the ashes of the Electronic Entertainment Expo, amid the bloat and pretense of the games industry, always must there be a presentation... always must there be game trailers... and always must there be those who commentate.
So it is we find ourselves in the aftermath of this year's collected summer showcases, a cavalcade of announcements and information to parse in its wake. For my part, I set forth to once again note the games (and, occasionally, people or moments) that stood out - for good or ill.
Today, we tackle that which was displayed at Sony's State of Play, the OTK Games Expo, and the Summer Game Fest...
Sony State of Play
The High Point: Astro Bot
Is it nakedly playing off of lingering nostalgia for various Sony properties, current and forgotten? Yes.
Is it unmistakably taking cues from other more successful platformer series? Absolutely.
Nevertheless, the team at Sony seem to have nailed the charm when it comes to their robot mascot, which is half the battle for crafting a compelling platformer right there. If they’ve also got the platforming fundamentals figured out - and the Mario 3D Land-like level design leads me to suspect they have - this is a solid hit in the making.
Honorable Mention: Monster Hunter Wilds
Alright, this could work. Monster Hunter Wilds seems set to keep justifying Capcom’s investment in the robust and visually lush RE Engine. Also, it has a giant crocodile-like creature with a floppy tongue and a far-too-large, far-too-fluffy lion in it. Those are extremely in Monster Hunter’s wheelhouse and I adore them.
The Low Point: Silent Hill 2 Remake
The moment it clicked for me what this trailer was selling, I audibly groaned. We are, apparently, due to be subjected to Konami’s idea of how a Silent Hill game would be if filtered through the lens (and the slick design approach) of Capcom’s Resident Evil remakes.
Set aside for a moment the thought of what’s lost in all that streamlining and modernization, all the purposeful choices and unexpected areas of resonance that will be smothered in a glaze of hyperrealistic excess. Does anyone in the room trust Konami to handle this with care? Has the last twenty-plus years not made readily apparent what The House That Contra Built really thinks about its games, the artists behind the games, their audience, really anything beyond the laziest of perpetual cash flow mechanisms?
“Honorable” Mention: Everything else, honestly
I’m not gonna sugarcoat it, this was a pretty underwhelming show. How much of this is specific to Sony’s handling of the presentation and how much is owed to the industry’s wider failings, it’s hard to say. The end result, however, is just as difficult to dispute: this State of Play was mostly devoid of delight or surprise, leaning heavily on IP familiarity and underwhelming sales pitches.
OTK Games Expo
The High Point: Saborus
If the aim is to distinguish oneself by making a crowd squirm with discomfort, this is certainly a fine way to do it. Centered on a chicken desperately trying to break out of a massive slaughterhouse, Saborus looks positively unsettling with its cramped industrial corridors, chilling use of gore and dim lighting. It's a bold move to build any game on a premise such as this, but I feel like this has real potential as a horror experience.
Honorable Mention: Just Crow Things
Sometimes a straight-forward premise is enough to sell a game. In the case of Just Crow Things, its sales pitch of “be crow, do crimes” is as simple to grasp as it is entertaining to watch unfold. The cute cartoon visual design and hints of customization that seems to be available for one’s crow avatar only makes me more confident this will find a solid following, in much the same vein as Untitled Goose Game.
The Low Point: The “talent” running the show
This year saw a LOT of showcases betting on content creators being a reliable way to sell their games, with OTK standing out by virtue of being content creators from top to bottom.
It also stood out on account of two of those creators tanking the show through incompetence and inherent toxicity. Asmongold cannot sell a joke or command the stage to save his life, while Mizkif’s presence only served to remind me how little consequences there are for being an abuse-abetting chud. Others, like Phillip "EEvisu" Visu and Ovilee May, seemed like they were trying their best with a trite script and a show length comparable to a marathon, but the damage was already done.
"Honorable” Mentions: The Mikoverse
Trying to sell people on “What if the Metaverse was also Second Life?” makes me very sad and tired. My hope is that this endeavour crashes and burns, but maybe that’s giving humanity too much credit.
Summer Game Fest
The High Point: Wanderstop
The trailer they showed at SGF doesn't immediately tip its hand as to what appears to be the game's central hook. At first, the premise of running a tea shop in some kind of fantasy setting, stylized visuals and soft colour scheme give the impression of a comfortable - but familiar - kind of life simulation game. The narration suggest a certain reluctance on the part of protagonist Alta, but otherwise it seems like business as usual.
Then... well...
If we really are using the foundation of a cozy game as both acknowledged source of in-story discomfort for the protagonist and the backdrop to a narrative about grappling with trauma and the unease of being an old fighter in a peaceful world? Okay, that's different and I'm intrigued - especially with Davey Wreden (director on The Stanley Parable and The Beginner's Guide) being involved.
Honorable Mention: Unknown 9 Awakening
It’s still not entirely clear what kind of game Unknown 9 will actually end up being; the marketing has placed more of an emphasis on visual splendor and the prospect of a new multimedia universe. But the indications that it will pull from pulp-adventure tradition (mysterious and magical civilizations, globetrotting adventure, a lot of late 19th and early 20th historical cues) are enticing, made more intriguing by focusing on a South Asian heroine and setting, both of which are not often given this big-budget treatment.
The Low Point: Harry Potter Quidditch Champions
Until such time as either Joanne falls down a deep crevice never to return or gets enough dump trucks of money to fuck off forever, consider it a mission of mine to never stop (metaphorically) kicking the shit out of every bit of new media with the Harry Potter label.
Also, Quidditch is just the worst parts of soccer, hockey and American football crammed into one.
"Honorable" Mention: Squad Busters
I legitimately feel bad for Ken Jeong, Chris Hemsworth, Will Arnett (I think?) and every other actor cast in the trailer for this mobile game, because there is just no way they were paid enough to feel good about this noxious bullshit.
Next time: Future Games Show, Xbox, PC Gaming and Ubisoft. Oh joy.
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