There's much to be excited about, following the Playstation 5 showcase livestream, with new announcements on the titles to come, and the console's launch price. Here are our picks of the games that we're looking forward to on this next-gen console.
1) Spider-Man: Miles Morales
2018's Spider-Man on the PS4 was beautiful, ridiculously fun to play, and even therapeutic (swinging around New York City). Needless to say, when it was announced that Spider-Man: Miles Morales would be a launch title for the PS5, we were clamoring for more information to feed our insatiable appetite for the franchise.
With the demo from the showcase, we need not look further. The demo gameplay had us whooping and laughing with joy as Miles used his electro-kinesis powers to tackle a group of men working for the Tinkerer. We've wondered how combat would be treated in this sequel, as Miles' powers could also be seen in the first Spider-Man game through the special suits that Peter Parker had. The demo exceeded our expectations in showing how it could be, and reminded us of how unabashedly fun the combat is in this franchise.
Also, the walk through Harlem at the start of the demo was clearly a flex to show off the ray-tracing capabilities of the console, and boy, does the game look pretty.
If you haven't seen the gameplay demo, check it out:
2) Harry Potter: Hogwarts Legacy
As the trailer of Harry Potter: Hogwarts Legacy played, we felt like our 11 year old selves again. The vast Wizarding World was no longer based on our imaginations, but seemed almost real in this open-world RPG game. It was just like we were 11 again, flipping through the Harry Potter books, waiting for our Hogwarts letters (okay, okay, we would have gone to Mahoutokoro School of Magic since we're in Asia), and feeling so full of wonder and amazement.
What we love about the game is that you get to be your own character in Hogwarts, navigating the world on your own terms, in a time period that is pre-Grindelwald. This means that there are no ties to the characters and stories that we already know from the series. We're able write our own narrative - something that many Millennials have been waiting to do for a good 20 years.
Expectations have been set, and we really do hope that the game turns out as good as it looks. One thing is for sure - if it does turn out as good, we may cry as we play the game. We've got our wands ready.
Check out the trailer here:
3) Horizon Forbidden West
Horizon Zero Dawn is one of our favourite PS4 titles so, while the expectations are high, we hope that this sequel continues the legacy and solidifies this IP as a great franchise. While the first game was not perfect (e.g. motion graphics could be improved), and there were other points of contention (i.e. issue on cultural appropriation), the game's beautifully written story was what hooked us in, and combined with a solid combat system, we were in for the long haul.
What we learned from the showcase is that the game will also be available on PS4. While this was not welcome news to some, we think it wouldn't undermine the experience on PS5 in as large a way as many would imagine, with the PS4 and 5 both featuring more compatible architectures than the previous generational shift. We're optimistic that the game, which has looked gorgeous thus far in marketing, will utilize the PS5's specs as the base, and instead be downscaling for the PS4 than the other way around.
Check out the trailer here:
4) Demon Souls
Demon's Souls, with all its rough edges, burst into the scene in 2009 as a cult classic which frustrated gamers and challenged them to git gud. It became the spark which spawned not just a franchise (Dark Souls), multiple IPs (Sekiro, Bloodborne), memes (Miyazaki please) and basically an entire gaming subgenre.
Bluepoint, the developers in-charge of this Remake, have had previous success with Shadow of the Colossus, proving that they, too, are capable of handling larger-than-life bosses - of which there are many in Soulsborne games - and the visuals are just absolutely stunning. The combat in the gameplay trailer looks sleek, refined, and satisfying when done right, but potentially punishingly quick to the untrained thumbs.
Stay tuned for Demon's Souls, because I think tears will be shed when it launches with the PS5.
Tears because of frustration as we try, once again, to git gud.
Tears for all the cracked TV screens and broken Dual Senses.
Tears because, finally, the souls of the lost will be drawn from their vessels.
Let strength be granted so the world might be mended.
Check out the gameplay reveal:
5) Wildcard: Final Fantasy XVI
It is no secret that we love the Final Fantasy series, having grown up playing the games. And it is for this reason, that we have this title listed here with a "wildcard", because we're not going to lie - the trailer did not impress us.
Unlike most comments online, we do not have issues with the game's art style - we understand that it harks back to the old school Final Fantasy games (pre-FFVII), with its high medieval setting and dark fantasy vibe. Plus it also reminded us of Final Fantasy XIV, which is no surprise as Naoki Yoshida is the producer for both games.
The main gripe that we have is the lack of female representation (or generally diversity) in the cast. We're not here to preach about feminism, but Final Fantasy has always had a relatively diverse cast with strong, well-developed female characters. Think Tifa, Quistis, Rinoa, Yuna, Garnet, Lightning, etc. It is the diverse cast that we grew up experiencing, which was refreshing at the time. Clearly Square Enix was ahead of their time in the 90s, because the same stories from FFVII through to FFX could still be retold today, and still feel refreshing.
But in Final Fantasy XV, the team took a different turn and produced a game with four male leads, and the female characters were secondary (Aranea, Lunafreya, Cindy). While we have no issue with Noctis, Prompto, Ignis, and Gladio; going on a road trip with four dudes got old pretty fast. Whether Final Fantasy XVI follows this path remains to be seen.
The trailer did show some combat which seemed promising (the Marlboro scene sent chills). It is still unclear how it works, but this is one aspect that we do look forward to experiencing ourselves.
Final Fantasy is a franchise that we have a deep love for, and it is this experience that we've had with the games over the last 20 years that gives us the hope that this new instalment could be a great game after all.
Check out the reveal trailer here:
Comments