Nintendo Directs have consistently delivered in their signature charm and family friendly demeanour as of late, without sacrificing an all encompassing tone for older audiences, with the likes of Doom and Resident Evil. The Directs themselves are typically well structured, featuring gameplay footage or trailers with a short commentary offering a little explanation and release dates, with skits between to break up the show. It’s no wonder then that other companies would want to mimic the style. Sony’s State of Play, however, is somewhat lacking in several areas.
In the gaming community, it came across as a surprise to many that Sony opted not to appear at E3 – the biggest event showcasing upcoming games. At the time it was believed that this was due to them working on the inevitable PS5 with the chance of their own announcement reel coming later on. Frankly, if this State of Play was what would have appeared at E3, it’s probably a good thing that they didn’t turn up. With no new major game announcements we didn’t already know about, build up towards games that are already due to release fairly shortly, and a rather lacklustre style of presentation, it’s unfortunate to admit that Sony’s State of Play was more of a State of Decay – which also happens to be the title of a poorly received PS2 game.
There were some interesting announcements, however, and it was clear the hype was being built towards more Last of Us: Part II footage and Death Stranding updates. Even still, it’s a shame they didn’t have the balance of indie and first party offerings Nintendo often has, or offer any surprise reveals.
1 – Opening with Humanity: what is it?
It certainly looked impressive from a technical standpoint, with so many bodies animated onscreen at once, though what Humanity actually is remains somewhat of a mystery. There were puzzle elements, tower defence, and gameplay moments that looked more like Lemmings. But… what actually is it? Really? This was perhaps one of the weaknesses of the State of Play: the lack of commentary to explain what to look forward to – especially seeing as they opted to open with it. Odd choice too, as it looked more like a tech demo to show off a systems hardware capabilities…
2 – More Call of Duty… as usual…
Yep. Another one. Shocking. And it looks just as generic as all the others. If you’re a fan, you’re likely to pick this one up – and the online multiplayer is probably the reason to do so. But if you’re like me, this will probably seem like a footnote at the bottom of a list of more… interesting titles to invest in.
3 – Wattam from the creators of Katamari Damacy
Everyone loves Katamari: it’s fun, charming, colourful, and surprisingly addictive! Wattam seems to convey a similar sense of wackiness about it, too. Though what exactly Wattam is… is less clear. It looks like a sandbox-style adventure with some light puzzles thrown in, but since it’s from the creators of Karamari, it could be anything…! Certainly will be one to look out for, at any rate.
4 – Arise: A Simple Story offers an interesting indie adventure experience
Arise was probably one of the more appealing games in the State of Play, being a polygonal indie adventure style game. The trailer starts with a ceremonious cremation of an elderly tribesman, leading on to an adventure in which the cremated tribesman seems to navigate the afterlife. The scenery is certainly spectacular, with mountains, giant flower tops, bridges being made from trees, and the addition of a rather ominous army of shadowy foes. The adventure gameplay itself includes elements of puzzle, stealth, and platforming, and with a December release, we’ll find out soon enough how well these elements tie together with the story! The art style itself is also reminiscent of another great indie adventure, Mulaka.
5 – Afterparty new indie game from the developers behind Oxen Free (come to Switch, please?)
From the creators of the hit indie darling Oxen Free comes Afterparty. Like the aforementioned Oxen Free, Afterparty is a story based point-and-click, featuring hell’s newest residents Milo and Lola. However upon hearing about a “loop hole” it turns out there may be a way to escape Satan’s cozy kingdom! Cheery start to a story, but how do they escape, you ask? Simple: out- party the hordes of hell and drink Satan and his Lieutenants under the table, of course!
With it’s stylish colour pallet and art direction, Afterparty looks like it will be brimming with humour and excellent dialogue. With luck, this will also be announced for Switch as well as it would be a perfect fit for the portable system. Time to get the hell out of hell…!
6 – Rushed VR…
Sony still insists on pushing their VR headset, though they seemed to rush through the upcoming releases like a short sizzle reel. For the most part, the titles look relatively generic and lacklustre, which is a shame given that VR has some interesting potential.
LA Noir seemed to be the biggest highlight here, as well as a brawler, Gorn. If VR is your thing, you might want to check these out, but LA Noir has been out for a while, so it seems a little late to bring out more content for it at this point. Having said that, Stardust Odyssey has an interesting visual style.
7 – MediEvil remake demo with additional helmet to download to the main game
Although the demo footage shown looked a little janky, it’s encouraging nonetheless to see MediEvil – one of the greats from the PS1 – making a comeback with additional features to enjoy in the main game if you play the demo, offering players an incentive (in the form of a wearable helmet) to try it out to drill hype for the final release. It’s interactivity like this that I feel Sony should take advantage of more, rather than simply release notable items as paid for DLC – though arguably there is a diminishing aspect to this feature, given how they spent this time announcing a demo for a game that’s due to release soon anyway…
8 – Final Fantasy VII boxart announced on Twitter, yet Playstation Plus games get announced though State of Play?
Let’s be honest. Playstation Plus game announcements don’t really need a full section in a State of Play, when there are so many other great titles that would be better suited to the show. In fact, they may as well have been announced on Twitter! In comparison to The Last Of Us: Part II or even Wattam, being told about two games coming to the Playstation Plus service seems inconsequential. Sure, it makes sense to highlight the fact that users can play The Last Of Us remaster for free, given Part II is due, but allocating time for trailer footage for MLB The Show 19 seems another wasted opportunity to build anticipation for a more exciting future project.
Heck, even acknowledging the Final Fantasy VII Remastered official box art reveal – that was made on Twitter – would have been a more exciting article for most players…
9 – Death Stranding with limited edition PS4 Pro bundle and urine coloured controller… awesome?
We’re all looking forward to Death Stranding, even if we’re not entirely sure what the story is, and what better way to recognise the uncertain, but very present, hype than to reveal a new PS4 designed after the game, with a… curiously coloured controller? Besides the fact that the controller is somewhat of a distasteful yellow colour, the system itself looks amazing and will no doubt become unobtainable on the market thanks to the never ending hordes of scalpers. Good luck getting hold of one, though!
10 – Last of Us: Part II
Does the lack of multiplayer really damage the reception of this title? We’ve been eagerly awaiting this sequel, knowing that the strength of part one laid in its characters, story, and beautiful world design. Yes, the multiplayer mode was fun and had a following, and would certainly be a great addition, but it’s supposedly going to take two Blu Ray discs to cover the whole game! There seems to be a fair bit of criticism floating around about the lack of multiplayer, even despite the focus on the single player experience in the Last of Us. Personally, I’d be too invested in seeing what happened to Joel and Ellie since we last saw them, and how Joel’s decision to save her has affected their relationship. Not to mention holding back the tears, if it’s anything like its predecessor…
