Yesterday, Sony dropped some great news for the regular Sony fans, PSVR fans, and PC fans (provided they have a PSN account? Why Sony?!)
There’s guaranteed to be more content released in the next few days across the variety of game trade shows occurring next week, but Sony decided to get a jump on everyone by their State of Play released yesterday, let’s take a look at what was announced and what it means.
PSVR2 Content Arrives
I’m not saying we had zero to play on the PSVR2, but the recent announcements certainly feel great, and one in particular caught my eye.
Alien Rogue Incursion
I try not to get too excited about Alien games these days because they can be so miss or way off, with Alien Isolation or Aliens: Fireteam Elite being the only recent examples of good entries into the series. However, I’ve played Alien Isolation in VR*, back on my friend’s Oculus development kit many years ago and it terrified the pants off me. With veteran VR studio Survios at the helm, they won’t have the Alien experience that Creative Assembly / Sega had with their version, but they definitely have the VR technical expertise to pull this off.
*Survios says they are the first Alien VR game, which is true since they will officially release it, whereas Alien Isolation was playable in VR but not an official release.
Behemoth
This game looks damn good, but it’s a cinematic trailer. We have to wonder if we’re going to get comparable visuals and performance when this Skyrim-esque action RPG releases for PSVR2. The combat and options, especially the use of random arrows in a pinch or various grappling hook options, is pretty intriguing, along with the implication of climbing massive creatures and taking them down. We can only hope there’s multiple ‘behemoths” for us to take down in the realm.
Other Games Teased or Announced:
God of War: Ragnarok heads to PC…with a PSN catch
Fresh off their Helldivers 2 PSN requirement and subsequent backtrack, Sony is back with their PSN requirement, which is already proving to be a bone-headed and alienating move to PC gamers. Allowing it as an option to sync achievements would be one thing, but requiring it to play when PC gamers already live on Steam or other self-install, self-management options is bizarre.
Monster Hunter Wilds
There’s a great conversation raging over on Reddit about when or where Wilds takes place. Since the continuity between the MH series has been murky, I doubt it will matter that much. But my best guess is that this features some connection to MH World or breaks completely as a brand new world to explore in the MH Universe’s past or future.
Silent Hill 2 Remake Gameplay
Released after the initial State of Play broadcast, this 13-minute trailer gives us a head idea of what to expect in this remake, capturing the eerie feel of the original game, only made better with new visuals and textures and quality of life improvements by Konami.
Dynasty Warriors Origins
I’m a massive Dynasty Warriors fan, as I love just being able to hack and slash mindlessly for a while after a long day at work or to mix up the pace of my games, throw in a session in-between. No word yet during which feudal Japanese periods this one will be set or what the “origins” titles means in context of the overall DW series. The combat we saw featured the classic 1v100 style of fights we’ve seen in years past, along with some 1v1, probably with various enemy generals and on-the-fly troop control.
Where Winds Meet
Speaking of Dynasty Warriors, we got a great tease at an open-world, wuxia / Crouching Tiger-style game from developer Everstone Studio that gave us a good mix of its magical elements, power moves, and some nice cinematic shots…all while protecting a baby…quite impressive.
Concord
Good lawd, this is such a blatant Overwatch rip-off. The gameplay looks interesting, but I’m not sure what the draw will be for this game if it can’t differentiate between other 5v5 games.
Marvel Rivals
Alright, if I teased Concord for being an Overwatch rip-off, the same has gotta be said for Rivals, right? Sure, there’s certainly some elements there that take or capture that essence, but an argument could be made between Marvel’s history of co-op games, like Marvel Ultimate Alliance or X-Men Legends, putting their characters into squads in a multiplayer battle situation actually makes a ton of sense.
Astro Bot
The lovable robot from the PS4 days makes a return in a PS5 exclusive, returning to the platforming roots that it a popular addition to many PS4 libraries. No word yet if there’s a VR version, especially considering there was a solid VR game developed for the last PSVR headset.
Until Dawn remake
Need a good scare? The solid horror videogame Until Dawn is getting a fresh remaster for PS5 and PC that releases this fall, just in time for the usual horror movie season.
What is Infinity Nikki?
If you love wardrobe-changing RPGs as you wander around with your furry friend, and it’s not about collecting all the Pokémon you can carry, then Infinity Nikki might be for you.
Ballad of Antara
I have no idea what’s going on, but it looks intriguing. There’s already been some Dark Souls comparisons, which are fair given the combat showcased, but the atmosphere of the game looks vastly different, with a lot more magical elements that could come into play.
Path of Exile 2 Console Announcement
Console Exile fans rejoice! The top-down action RPG will be released on PS5 with a beta coming out this fall if you’re interested in seeing what’s in store for the final release. This game will be free-to-play just like the original game when it came out in 2013.
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