(Author’s note: Some of the trailer videos, for some of the games, shown in this article may contain scenes not suitable for children and/or might make some uncomfortable. Viewer’s/Reader’s discretion is advised.)
Greetings fellow gamers (and especially to non-gamers) and welcome to something a little different. I don’t usually write articles that discuss gaming events, but with how yesterday blew me away, I’ve made an exception. For those that aren’t part of the video game community, on June 11th Sony (the creators of the Playstation gaming consoles) hosted a Livestream to reveal the Playstation 5. Although they had announced it a while back (and a different design was leaked), this was the day we were going to see the official design. Along with this, we were given a huge treat consisting of a handful of games that could be played on the system. Because of the huge hype from this event, I figured that I’d give you all my thoughts and what I’m looking forward to.
The Stream’s Beginning
The event starts off with a rather nostalgic tone, showing clips from various games from the Playstation 4 (PS4) era that are beloved by a variety of gamers. While it may seem to give off a farewell and moving-on tone towards the PS4, many will still go back to play (in my opinion) the many memorable games on the PS4. After the collection of clips, we’re given the announcement that Grand Theft Auto 5 is being re-released on the PS5. While this may seem like a good marketing strategy, I feel like fans of the franchise were more looking forward to the next installment.
From what it sounds like, Rockstar Games (the developers of the Grand Theft Auto franchise) will eventually shut down the online multiplayer part of GTA 5, thus forcing the owners of the PS4 version to purchase a PS5 console and the PS5 version of the game. My hope for the people that put countless hours into that section of the game, is that they’re able to somehow transfer the data from the online section to the PS5 version. That way they don’t have to deal with the frustration of starting from square one.
Despite the somewhat lackluster beginning, I believe that I speak for everyone when I say that we were all blown away with what was revealed right after. Ladies and gentlemen, we were given quite the treat when they revealed a new Spider-man game given the title Spider-Man: Miles Morales and let me tell you: this game is gorgeous! While it was later revealed to not be a complete sequel to the massively successful Spider-Man game for the PS4 (released in 2018) it is wonderful to see Miles again after the also massively successful and beloved movie Into the Spiderverse. Wearing his iconic black and red Spidey suit and hearing some very fitting music, performed by Jaden Smith and Kid Cudi, during some stunning gameplay footage, this showed the audience that this was Miles’s story and his game. While I plan to play the 2018 game before experiencing Spider-Man: Miles Morales, I’m still eagerly looking forward to this next game.
Games Revealed and What I’m Looking Forward to
Along with Spider-Man: Miles Morales, there were a handful of interesting games revealed for the PS5, all with various release dates. While there were a few games that I don’t have any interest in playing, a good number of titles definitely caught my eye. Each of these games have different release dates, some with an unannounced release date (which make me anticipate the games even more).
The first game that made my eyes light up is a game that doesn’t even have an official title. At the moment, it is known as Project Athia and is being developed by Square Enix (famous for the Final Fantasy series) and Luminous Productions. The first few seconds of gameplay had me sold, solely because I was getting flashbacks of Final Fantasy XV (a game that I still have yet to finish). While the overall gameplay and environments are breathtaking, there was one thing that had me worried. From what I hear, any game developed by Square Enix that is simply titled Project such and such is doomed to either not be heard again for a number of years or gets canceled. Despite these fears, I’m remaining positive that we will see this game again and completely playable.
The next game that I knew would be up my alley, is a curious game with a setting where humans no longer exist, just robots….and cats wearing small backpacks. This game is called Stray and it is developed by Annapurna Interactive. While I’ve never played any games published by this studio and we currently don’t have any other information about this game, I can’t wait to hear more about it before its release in 2021.
Despite the high chance that I won’t play it, Returnal is a Sci-Fi Horror game developed by Housemarque with a fascinating synopsis and is the beginning of a new franchise. From what we’ve learned, every time our female protagonist dies, the alien planet that she crash-lands on changes, and the extraterrestrial creatures become more horrifying. All while this happens, the day seems to reset, like a more intense version of Groundhog Day and it results in her sanity being drained. Despite the horrors that come her way, our protagonist fights to remain determined to survive and beat whatever may be causing this. What I also love about our main character, other than her persistent determination, is her character design and that has heterochromia (two different-colored eyes); I feel like we need more characters with heterochromia (not just in videogames). We haven’t been shown a release date, I’m really looking forward to learning more about what else Returnal has to offer.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is an adorable, yet colorful and breathtaking game developed by Ember Lab. While this is their first game, I have immensely high hopes for this game solely because I’ve seen the animations this studio has created. If any of you remember the Majora’s Mask animation Terrible Fate that the internet went absolutely insane over about three years ago, this was the animation studio that created it. Going back to Kena, the game follows a girl, who goes by the name of Kena, and her numerous, adorable fuzzy black creatures that assist Kena on her journey. Along with the occasional puzzles and platforms to jump across, Kena will face various evil spirits. After doing some research on Ember Lab’s website, I was able to learn more about some additional information about the game’s world. From the looks of it, Kena is a Spirit Guide searching for a shrine in an abandoned village and the adorable creatures that follow her are called Rots, which eat whatever may be rotting and/or decomposing in the forest (mainly to keep things balanced). While Kena: Bridge of Spirits is planned to be released later this year, I would be perfectly fine if there was a slight delay, given the gorgeous animation quality.
While I haven’t personally heard about anyone else being interested in this one, Goodbye Volcano High stars anthropomorphic dinosaurs going through what is possibly their senior year of highschool. While not very much information is given about the game, the hand-drawn art style is very charming, the music is soothing, and you can tell that there are going to be many emotional moments. Developed by KO_OP, Goodbye Volcano High is scheduled to be released sometime next year and I can’t wait to hear more about this beautiful game.
Ghostwire: Tokyo is like one of those dream games for anyone that is interested in learning about supernatural beings from Japanese folklore. Since it was announced last year, so many people have been looking forward to hearing more about this game. Developed by Bethesda and Tango Gameworks Ghostwire: Tokyo takes place in Tokyo, Japan and is played from a first person perspective. All I can say is that this game looks amazing and fascinating with all the different supernatural beings that our character will face throughout the game. Scheduled to be released in 2021, Ghostwire: Tokyo is one that many will look forward to.
Little Devil Inside is like a cross between Monster Hunter and a stealth focused game and I love it. Through the gameplay, we’re given a small peek at what the story might be. From what it looks like, we play as both the hunter (who might be the master of the mansion)and who might be his butler (hard to tell given the lack of dialogue). While the master is out in the wilderness hunting monsters and sneaking past massive monsters (that are too much to handle), it looks like the butler does everyday things, from shopping for supplies to taking a bath while he waits for the master to return. Developed by Neostream Interactive, Little Devil Inside doesn’t have a release date yet, but I will definitely keep this game on my radar.
Deathloop is a game that, while I’m not going to play it, I’m excited for those that will play it. Developed by Arkane Studios, best known for the Dishonored series, and published by Bethesda Softworks Deathloop brings you back to the first-person stealth playstyle and throws you into a world where you’re the main event in a never-ending party. When I say that you’re the main event, I mean that you’re being hunted by everyone on the island, including a rival assassin (and she looks like a very interesting character). The only plus with being prey 24/7 is your character’s ability to restart the time loop to retry whatever you’re doing from a different angle. From the looks of it, your character is ridiculously stubborn and that taking the people on his list might stop the time loop. Scheduled to be released later this year, this is another game that has caught the eye of many gamers.
Resident Evil Village (also called Resident Evil VIII) is the sequel to the well-received Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. While we were shown only a small bit of the environment, gameplay, and story, the entire gaming community (not just the RE fandom) had its eye on this title. From the looks of it, we’re getting werewolves, vampires, and a new mansion to explore. What we’re also getting is a continuation to Ethan’s (the protagonist of the previous game) story and the return (and possible finale) of fan-favorite and long-running character: Chris Redfield. I’ve gotta hand it to the character design team for giving Chris’s design justice, given how he looked in RE7 and what he has gone through throughout the series. Given the text at the beginning of the trailer, this might be the last time we see Chris Redfield, hopefully Capcom writes him off in a more positive way (i.e. doing something heroic). Scheduled to be released in 2021, this is one Resident Evil game that I just might get my hands on.
Thoughts on the Design of the PS5
After about an hour or 45 minutes of game trailers/teasers, we were finally shown what the new Playstation 5 looked like. From what I hear, there were a number of mixed reactions to the overall look. To those that also watched the stream (saw the pictures and memes after the reveal) and want to know my thoughts…I don’t really mind the design. In all honesty, I think it’s a really cool, futuristic look. In all honesty, the Playstation 5 and the controller reminds me of RK900 from the game Detroit: Become Human, which makes me enjoy the look even more. I will say this, because people were concerned that you couldn’t lay it on its side, you can lay it on its side. They show it for a second at the end of the stream, but you do see the PS5 laying on its side on the circle stand that it comes with. What I also find enjoyable about the PS5, is that there will be a diskless version (for those that prefer to buy the digital versions of games).
While the release date and prices haven’t been revealed, I have a feeling that the diskless version will be less expensive (since players would buy the games on the Playstation Store). Along with the gaming consoles, the controllers, charging station, webcam, wireless headphone, and media remote was revealed. Although they haven’t revealed whether or not the other accessories are going to be included as a packaged deal, it wouldn’t be too bad for there to be some kind of a bundle (for those that are interested). As for the price announcement, I’m sure that it’ll be after the price for the Xbox Series X is announced (since they’re rival platforms).
Conclusion
At the end of the day, I think that the live stream event was enjoyable with all of the gaming reveals. Sure, there were games that I wasn’t interested in, whether it was the genre or there wasn’t enough information to draw me in, but there was a wonderful variety. My only complaint is that the dialogue in the first bit of Resident Evil Village was difficult to hear, even with headphones and the volume almost at 100%. I’m really excited to find out when the PS5 will be released and how much it will cost, not to mention learning more about some of the games that were announced. To those that watched the live stream, feel free to let me know what your most anticipated games are and what your thoughts are involving the PS5’s design in the comments. When we learn more about the PS5 and some of the games that are coming, I will for sure write about it. Until then, this is CuriousCat-13, signing off.
