Naturally it’s always an exciting moment to see new hardware unveiled, something that was tantalisingly left until the very end of the hour-long PlayStation 5 “The Future of Gaming” event. While the PS5 may look like an accessory pouch for a Stormtrooper, it’s certainly sleek, though I personally think it would look better all in black. But one of the surprise revelations here was that there are actually two versions to release: one being a disc-based system, the other purely digital.
If there’s one disappointing aspect to the system’s reveal, however, it’s that there was no price indicated, so it’s hard to judge the difference between the two versions. Perhaps the digital version will cater towards a more price-conscious buyer, possibly with more memory thanks to the absence of the disc-drive. With that in mind, get ready for an exciting Christmas where parents come back with PS5 systems, having purchased a physical copy of Spider-Man only to discover they accidentally bought the digital-only PS5…!
But what is a new system without games? Naturally, Gran Turismo returns with its seventh iteration, and although I’m personally not too excited by it, these games are an excellent way to judge a systems capability. Thankfully although Rockstar opened with a somewhat underwhelming reveal of another GTA V release, what proceeded was promising with a few brand-new, creative titles with a strong indie appeal.
1 – Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Continuing from the success of Spider-Man (PS4), Marvel’s premier arachnid-lad web-slings to PS5 with the expansion pack story, Spider-Man: Miles Morales. For those unfamiliar with Miles Morales, he first appeared in 2011 in Ultimate Fallout #4 and would go-on to take over Peter Parker’s eight-legged legacy – with his own updated twist on the costume as well, of course. He’s gained popularity since his inclusion in Into the Spider-Verse and has been a key figure in diverse representation in superhero media. Personally, my favourite iteration of Spider-Man…
As far as gameplay, Miles Morales presents some unique opportunities to expand on the already excellent gameplay of Spider-Man. Miles isn’t just a copy of Peter Parker in a cool suit; he has his own power-set, in addition to the usual wall-crawling and enhanced senses associated with the web head. Namely invisibility, projectile-like venom blasts, and a venom strike which can be used to paralyse enemies. From the trailer, it looks like these powers will be utilised, which could add some diversity to the combat, with the option to approach head-on, stealthy, or take thugs out from a distance. Goes without saying, but this is an easy day-one purchase for PS5 owners – and hopefully it won’t be long before we see him introduced in the MCU!
That’s why it’s such a shame this is just an expansion story for the main game, rather than a brand-new title altogether. Miles Morales presents so many opportunities for deep storylines thanks to his Ultimate Spider-Man arcs – including the fallout from Peter Parker’s death and the excruciatingly emotional Venom arc that made Venom among his most personal villains in his rogues gallery.
2 – Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
I’ve been a massive fan of the Ratchet & Clank series since the first game released on the PS2 in 2002! It’s one of the PS2 3rd person action-platformers that solidified the system as a personal favourite, alongside the likes of Jak & Daxter and Sly Raccoon: all staple PlayStation IPs that need to make a massive comeback soon! Especially with Jak 4…
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart showcased some fantastically creative ideas, with a dimension-shifting mechanic that, a cool idea on the surface sure, showed off the capabilities of the PS5 itself. The transition from one dimension to another looked seamless and appeared to transform the world around you completely, making for what looked like some pretty hectic Ratchet & Clank action! The new character reveal at the end creates questions, too, and it’s encouraging to see the humorous writing that captured our attention since the PS2 is still as strong, judging by the footage at least.
3 – Project Athia
A new IP from Square Enix under the working title Project Athia was revealed, and while not much is known about it, it sure looks incredible! The creature and environmental designs look fantastic and stylish, with a kind of Tomb Raider-esque platforming sequence, and some kind of magic attacks? Not too clear at this point, but the most important take-away is that there’s a ginormous dragon at the end and we need more.
4 – Stray
You’re a cat. Surely that’s enough of a selling point…?
In Stray, you prowl the streets of a neo-cyberpunk city, inhabited by humanoid robots – some with emoji faces – where the human inhabitants of this world seem to have become extinct. Or potentially… there’s certainly a mystery afoot here, with “R.I.P HUMANS” scrawled on walls. But the art style, visual direction, and the fact that you play as a cat make Stray a unique title to look out for! Goes without saying, we want this meow!
Seeing the world from the eyes of fiendish feline offers a fresh new purr-spective, for sure, though it would be amazing if, as a stealthy cat, you steal robot parts and put the emotionless robots feelings to the test, like an Untitled Cat Game…!
5 – Kena: Bridge of Spirits
With fast-paced combat, action adventure, exploration gameplay and the promise of a strong story driven narrative, Kena: Bridge of Spirits puts players in control of the titular Kena and her accompanying spirit companions called the Rot. With environmental manipulation and the Rot’s creative abilities, Kena has a stylish aesthetic that could just as easily have been a Nintendo release! There’s almost a Legend of Zelda-esque charm to the style and design of the world that will undoubtedly turn out to be a charming adventure game.
6 – Solar Ash
From the creators of Hyper Light Drifter, Solar Ash seems to be an evolution of the ideas presented in Heart Machine’s indie classic. The art style is instantly captivating, boasting gorgeous designs and colours that echo Hyper Light Drifter, albeit in the third dimension…! The presence of Solar Ash in the PS5 showcase is promising, highlighting that perhaps the system will have a strong indie presence, where titles such as Hyper Light Drifter have made quite the impact in recent years. From the looks of it, Solar Ash will be an action adventure title with unique, mend-bending world designs, and a strong narrative. Most importantly, of course: those colours!!
7 – Little Devil Inside
Around the half-way point of the PlayStation 5 show, we were introduced to a devilish, unique little hack-and-slash title called Little Devil. From a glance, it oozes style, and while it seems to include Zelda-ish action adventure gameplay, roaming the wilderness with giant monsters and glowy swords, there is a relaxing pace set to its exploration gameplay. Like Breath of the Wild, perhaps, there seems to be plenty of opportunities for sight-seeing, and with an art style such as this, I’m sure the games length will be dragged out by some considerable hours…!
Naturally, there’s also scenes of an older man sat comfortably on a toilet. Is there a link between the two? Is the sword-wielding wild-man making an important delivery to man on the toilet, perhaps of loo rolls? Who knows? The mystery thickens…
Curiously, Little Devil first appeared a few years ago as a Kickstarter project, slated for 2016 with a Wii U release, though it seemed to have dropped off the radar until recently. By the looks of it, the wait will be worth it!
8 – Resident Evil VIII: Village
A dark forest, a spilled box of vegetables, creepy village near a creepy castle… While Resident Evil VIII seems to be continuing the FPS style of VII, it’s certainly channelling strong gothic horror motifs into Resident Evil 4’s adequately creepy rural village setting! The trailer is creepy, we have no idea what’s going on, Ethan returns, and there’s yet another redesign of Chris, even after his last facelift reveal at the end of Resident Evil VII! Sure, a new Resi was bound to happen, but given the direction of VII, it was going to be exciting to see what they did – and thankfully it seems to have paid off.
Capcom sure seems to have upped their game recently with these newer Resi titles, which more than makes up for the lacklustre 6 and Operation Raccoon City… Now, if we could get a remake of Code Veronica X, that would round things off perfectly.
9 – Pragmata
Dead Space meets Kojima…? It’s certainly a unique looking title, that’s for sure. It’s hard to really discern what was happening, though that in itself is captivating enough. Pragmata had quite a mind-boggling trailer, to say the least! What starts off as a Death Stranding apocalyptic scenario goes on to introduce a creepy super-powered kid companion – while you, of course, hulk around in a bulky space-suit – with dimensional-shattering apparitions, reverse-gravity effects, holographic cats, and a whole heap of questions. No doubt Pragmata will boast an interesting experience…!
Doesn’t help much to know that the Greek word pragmata translates as the elusive and unspecific… “things.” Maybe there’s something to the title…?
10 – Horizon II: Forbidden West
Giant robo-turtles, glow-in-the-dark arrows, luscious wildlife, giant robo-turtles, and more adventures with Aloy! Horizon Zero Dawn introduced PS4 players to the staggeringly beautiful wasteland landscape of post-apocalyptic Colorado, blending elements of Breath of the Wild with Mad Max. Its vast open-world design was really begging to be revisited and expanded upon, and Forbidden West certainly shows off some beautiful new areas to explore. The creative visual flare of these games is unparalleled among recent open world titles, which often become repetitive, and while the landmass of these worlds might be large, they often feel small thanks to a lack of density and things to do. Thankfully Horizon: Zero Dawn’s sprawling world was littered with places to visit and plethora of side quests, and from the looks of it, Forbidden West will be adding even more reason to explore Aloy’s post-apocalyptic American wasteland.
