The Best State of Play We've Had in a While

Months after a lukewarm State of Play, Sony is back once again to prove that there are still plenty of games left to showcase before the PlayStation 5 eventually gives way to the next generation.

The presentation wrapped up just a few minutes before I started writing this article, and I came away with one clear impression: as a PS5 owner, there's still plenty of value left to be found in this console.

Let's take a look at some of the announcements that impressed me the most, because I don't think it's necessary to go over everything that was shown.

Wolverine (Insomniac Games)

As much as Sony wanted to make this new extended trailer one of the key takeaways from the showcase, I think the fatigue from having already seen multiple trailers from the game and already knowing it was going to be shown in the event definitely soured it a little bit.

Nevertheless, Wolverine is shaping up to be a game that's going to be as easy to digest as a Spider-Man game, with the gore of the original God of War trilogy.

There's not much need to dissect in this trailer. It's pretty much what was expected from it, a look at more action oriented gameplay from Insomniac's new hero focused game.

You get to see a bunch of new combat interactions between Wolverine and the opposing faction with tons of new execution animations which will definitely push the game into the 18+ rating seeing as you're carving skulls and dismembering people back and forth.

You also get a bit more of context on what is going on in the plot. Some younger mutants are being kidnapped and you, with the aid of none other than Jean Gray, are attempting to rescue them.

Overall a nice sentiment from this one, but I would be lying if I don't wish Insomniac would have the Marvel license removed from their hands so they could go back to making Ratchet & Clank games.

Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls (Arc System Works)

"I can't wait to buy this game to rage quit it after two days of playing" were my exact words as this trailer was popping up.

That being said, Marvel Tokon Fighting souls was one of the games I was looking forward to see the most.

As a fan of Arc Systems' previous works such as Guilty Gear Strive and Dragon Ball FighterZ, these developers never cease to amaze me with the perfection of their artstyle which quality has just been ramping up over the past few years.

We already knew this game is coming out but the little they showed us in this new trailer gave us some insight into how their changing up the tag team fighting systems.

The new trailer showcased the "Knights of Doom", those being Green Goblin, Magneto, Carnage and Doom himself. It looks to be that you're going to be playing with up to 4 characters in one match, which might be able to have special interactions with each other given they are on the same "Team".

There were some finisher animations shown which, as usual, looked absolutely astonishing and more polished than they ever were.

Arc System keeps the expectations up, so I'm hoping for good things out of this when it comes out this August (even if I truly do rage quit it soon after it comes out)

Tomb Raider, Legacy of Atlantis (Crystal Dynamics and Flying Wild Hog)

Another look at the remake of the remake of the first Tomb Raider game.

Similarly to Wolverine and Fighting Souls there was already a lot we knew about this game, but we finally got a release date for the last week of september, where a lot of other developers are trying to cram their games into (probably to dodge the November goliath that is GTA VI).

My opinion on this game stays the same as it was when I first saw the original trailers at last years' Game Awards. It looks very good.

It is my honest opinion that the design chosen for Lara Croft in this game is the one that resembles the original designs from the PS1, PS2 and PSP the most. The mix of realism with a touch of unique artstyle makes you feel like this entry is going to lean more into gameplay rather than the convoluted stories featured in the 2013 reboot trilogy.

Legacy of the Atlantis comes in at a time where major action adventure IP's have practically gone missing from the map. It fits into a slot that has been left open for grabs for years: A simple adventure with beginning middle and end, that aims to leave you satisfied once you roll credits, without the addition of an open world, microtransactions and live service features.

The Lost Wild (Great Ape Games)

Once this trailer came in my mind was rushing through every possiblity of what this could be. Jurassic Park? Dino Crisis? Turok? No. Surprisingly we're getting a brand new dinosaur game that is completely new.

I was glad to see that some developers, like me, still think dinossaurs are creatures deserving of taking the main stage in a videogame.

This one seems to take the horror route as the gameplay sections in the trailer were giving me heavy Alien Isolation vibes.

Dino Crisis proved, way back in 1999 that horror didn't always need to be zombies or lovecraftian creatures.

If the trailer is true to the game, I very much think that The Lost Wild is shaping up to be one of 2027's most ambitious horror games and one that I might genuinely play despite my highly scared personality (The love for dinosaurs overweighs it).

Stuntman: Hollywood (Saber Interactive)

In a racing scene where big franchises such as Forza, Gran Turismo and Need for Speed have become unbeatable giants, I'm glad to see that there are still some developers trying to break the racing genre into avenues it has never driven through.

The game aims to take you through some of cinema's more iconic car moments and put you in the drivers seat, a concept that whilst very limited, especially given the age of some of the movies showed, is extremely interesting.

The blend between cinema icons and videogames is something that has been trying to be perfected since the PS2 era where movie tie-in videogames saturated the market every year.

That being said, the approach that is being taken here is one that shows much promise if it leans more into the gameplay aspect and doesn't depend too much on the movies themselves outside of using the cars for recognition.

I just know that I can't wait to press the gas pedal on Paul Walkers' iconic 1999 Nissan Skyline, so I'll be on the look out for this one until it comes out.

God of War Laufey (Santa Monica Studios)

I think I can speak for most people when I say this was definitely not what I was expecting after I saw Santa Monica Studios logo popping up on screen.

After a quick flashback to the starting moments of God of War 2018, you're quickly thrown into the shoes of Laufey or Faye, Kratos' deceased wife.

For the first time in 21 years the God of War franchise is taking a leap of faith and following someone other than Kratos as the main character.

As I mentioned, this was definitely not what I was expecting to be shown at the end of the showcase, let alone 20 minutes of it. After a State of Play whose ending was focused on the release of a God of War metroidvania and a original God of War trilogy remake, there was barely any expectation for a game dedicated to a character we barely see throughout the new reboots.

I honestly really like what I saw. From the few combat sections that were included, my two main takeaways are that Santa Monica is not shying away from the intense combat sections that marked God of War as a franchise, but it also seems that they're diving deeper into character action tropes, with a much more agile dynamic that seems to move away from the soulslike inspired combat of 2018 that I really wasn't a fan of.

The game is going to take place in the land of the dead and we already got a good look into some of the villains and sidekicks of this game which look nothing alike everything we've seen from a God of War game until today.

From flaming demons to flying dragon-like cats and a talking cube made of Goo, God of War Laufey already oozes with much more personality than Ragnarok and 2018 ever had.

As the 12th entry in the God of War series (Yes, I'm counting the mobile/java game) Laufey has a huge challenge in front of it. It has to manage the expectations of the fans whilst pulling off an amazing experience without depending too much on both nostalgia and Kratos as a character.

As a game that intends to push forward the narrative of a universe pretty much dependant on some of Sony's most iconic characters, Laufey will have to prove to the fans that the narrative, worldbuilding and gameplay, still feel as good or even better when the main guy is not around.

All that being said this was definitely a welcome surprise and I can't wait to play this myself once it eventually comes out.

Closing Thoughts

Overall I was satisfied with what I watched and I didn't come out feeling like I wasted an hour looking at already announced games and titles that are going to be forgotten the week they come out.

There was a good balance between well established IP's and new and up and coming ones and, at the end of the day, a lot of new things people should be on the look out for.

This state of play comes as the start of a weeklong handful of showcases and if any of the ones that are to be present in the following week follow suit to this one, we're in for a good summer of trailers.

Other games that weren't mentioned but also showed

-Rayman Legends Retold;
-Bancho The Chef;
-Kemuri: Hunt the Unseen;
-Phantom Blade Zero;
-Dune Awakening;
-Dynasty Warriors 3 Remastered;
-No Rest for the Wicked;
-Onimusha: Way of the Sword;
-Silent Hill: Townfall;
-Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve;
-ILL
-Control Resonant
-Marathon
-Until Dawn 2