Every few months, the folks at Sony showcase updates, announcements and trailers from the Playstation universe. Their latest broadcast had some expected titles as well as some surprising bonuses for the gaming community.
I was able to catch today’s broadcast live and wanted to share my early thoughts. They pack a lot of information into 20 minutes and often just let the trailer do the work without added commentary.
If you want to find out when the next State of Play is, you can check out the Playstation Blog or follow Playstation on Twitter.Â
Here’s a roundup from what I’ve seen today and what I’m most excited about!
https://youtu.be/FekB7shVUC8
Humanity (2020)
This game immediately reminded me of a more chaotic version of the old-school platformer Lemmings. There are hundreds of people onscreen moving around like a school of fish. Additionally, the game showed off some cool movement mechanics, most of which launch your humans in a certain direction.
At first glance, the game was bright and optimistic. Further in the trailer, you’ll see some kind of projectile weapons (possibly throwables) mowing down rows of people. Completely unexpected and it makes this seem like an adult game.
We didn’t get an exact date but this will be a Playstation exclusive sometime next year.
Call of Duty Modern Warfare (October 25, 2019)
Everyone knows about the upcoming CoD entrant. The beta was mostly well-received, with many top streamers playing it over the last several weeks. Shroud has been very vocal about the game and just recently got his first nuke!
Today, the Playstation team showed off more stunning cutscenes from what looks to be the campaign mode, and it looked great. The visuals are realistic, the voice acting is solid and the firefights look massive.
As a bonus, Playstation 4 owners will get to play a survival mode called Special Ops before anyone else gets in the queue. The trailer didn’t go into too much detail about this mode, but it’s cool to get Sony supporters getting more exclusive content, even if it’s for a limited time.
Wattam (December 2019)
This bright, cheery game comes from the creators of Katamari Demacy and Noby Noby Boy. Even after seeing this trailer, I have no idea what Wattam is about. Judging by the descriptions of the preceding games, the game will feature incredibly simple controls and appeal to casual gamers.
Dialogue is displayed via emotes and English subtitles, but you’ll also hear voices similar to what you’d expect in a Sims game.
Everything looks excitable around you and the game is probably meant to be zero-stress. This might be a nice one to pick up right before Christmas to enjoy with the family.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbW0MJxOu_Y
Arise (coming soon)
From the beginning of this trailer, it looks like the tribe has lost a well-respected member, possibly an elder. You awake as a bearded protagonist who trudges through the snow. Eventually, the ice melts away, bringing a vibrant spring scene.
There looks to be a strong focus on exploration, traversing your environment and appreciating what’s around you.
Strangely, a herd of White Walkers shows up but then suddenly vanishes. Is this going to have Game of Throne elements? My guess is yes, given the cutscence of a woman’s tomb resting peacefully in the woods.
PSVR Releases
Sony continues to push the adoption of virtual reality. This month’s State of Play featured six PSVR titles in a matter of a few minutes.
They led off with L.A. Noire (which is out now!), followed by these games:
- Gorn (Winter 2019) – gladiator simulator
- Espire 1: VR Operative (September 2019) – stealth + action
- Stardust Odyssey (Winter 2019) – looks like space exploration/mining/fights
- After the Fall (2020) – zombies mixed with borderlands elements?
- Space Channel 5 VR Kinda Funky News Flash (Autumn 2019) – dancing while fighting monsters
I’m most excited about Espire and will be checking out more gameplay footage once this one comes out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgeOP9XT9j8
MediEvil Demo (Out today, available until October 6)
Head over to the PS Store to pick up this hack ‘n slash dungeon crawler. It’s part goofy – with its cartoonish graphics and using your arm as a weapon – part action-rpg, as you beat up the undead.Â
For anyone who’s tried Magicka, you’ll probably enjoy this game. There’s a good variety of enemies and weapons to keep you entertained through the story.
If you play through the demo, you’ll be able to claim “Dan’s Helmet” in the full game. It wasn’t specified whether this is purely cosmetic or if the item will provide in-game boosts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdFgmLIjYiw
Civilization VI (November 22, 2019)
I’m a big Civ fan and have played through thousands of turns. If you’re with me, you get it. If not, please move along.
The game is finally coming to Playstation 4! Before this, I could only get my fix on PS4 by playing Tropico. Now, I can have turn-based empire-building on every console in my home (I bought Civ VI on Switch about a year ago but still haven’t gotten around to writing a review…oops)!Â
On PS4, the game looks to have upgraded animations from the Nintendo port, as expected. I like that they show off some of the leaders in their element. Playstation announced a bundle as well as another exclusive:
Free Nubia + Khmer and Indonesia Civ & Scenario packs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlaWy0ZhFEI
Death Stranding (November 11, 2019)
We just had some more DS news last week so I wasn’t expecting anything big here.
Today, Playstation announced a new limited edition PS4 Pro bundle, featuring some Death Stranding artwork. The console will be available on launch day and is likely intended to convince some XBone owners to make the switch.
Afterparty (October 29, 2019)
This game actually looks hilarious. It’s as though someone took the college drinking experience and fused it with what we expect hell to look like.
As Milo and Lola, you’ll beer pong your way past the demons of the underworld as you try to escape hell via loophole. The trailer says the duo are “best buds”, but hopefully Milo didn’t just get friend-zoned before having to deal with Satan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z65oFzGEyQE
October PS+ Lineup
About a week from now, Playstation Plus owners will get access to two AAA games.
MLB the Show 19 has received overwhelmingly positive reviews and I can appreciate features like the weight room which take me back to my Madden 10 combine days. Anyone who loves baseball but hasn’t picked up this game is in for a treat.
In the second free game slot, we’re getting The Last of Us Remastered! Sure, the original game came out more than six years ago, but this is still one of the greatest Playstation exclusives ever. I’m excited to see whether this introduces some newbies to the multiplayer mode.
Very strong lineup for next month. Well done Sony.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAvpopF4Wr0
The Last of Us 2 (February 21, 2020)
Annnnd saving the best for last, we have the sequel to TLoU!
We’ve already seen a few clips of Ellie going absolutely beast mode on both humans and zombies. In this reveal, we finally get to see Joel make an appearance! True to form, he saves Ellie from a potentially dangerous situation.
Tommy is also back, warning Ellie about the massive forces that she is going up against. She doesn’t care though, since she’s the GOAT.
This is a day-1 pickup that I’ll be grabbing a week after Valentine’s day.Â
Summary
Playstation continues to give us a lot to look forward to in the next few months. September’s State of Play had a good mix of big-name developers and indie games.
With the number of VR games that were discussed, I’m hopeful about the future of the PSVR and I expect the PS5 will continue the trend. I want to hear more about Humanity and Arise so I’ll keep an eye out for those updates.
Overall, a good use of twenty minutes and I’m looking forward to the next Playstation State of Play!
What were your thoughts on the presentation? Any other announcements you wanted to see? Leave your comments below to join in on the conversation!
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Broadcasts Archive
https://youtu.be/4gWK9-2pdXQhttps://youtu.be/MtLcE9dHhiE
