Each year, there’s a race to see which of the BIG THREE (Nintendo, PlayStation, and Xbox) will hold the first showcase. Xbox started this year off with their Developer_Direct two weeks ago. PlayStation held their first State of Play for 2024 this week. Nintendo must not be far behind with a Direct of their own — possibly some time this month.
A few weeks ago I covered the five games from the Xbox Developer_Direct. For this post I’d like to highlight my TOP FIVE most anticipated games/announcements from this week’s State of Play. I chose to make a TOP FIVE list since PlayStation featured over fifteen games.
Let’s go over my TOP FIVE biggest announcements from this week’s PlayStation State of Play:
[1] Sonic X Shadow Generations
I have never played the 2011 Sonic Generations, but I really like the look of this updated version, and the mix of 2D/3D platforming. I grew up a Nintendo kid, but I have always had a tremendous amount of respect for Sonic the Hedgehog.
Over the past few years, we’ve seen so many games get the “remaster treatment.” In my mind, remastering a game consists of taking the base game and sort of giving it a new paint job, and touching it up a bit. It’s great that the developers also had the chance to create something new to add to this iteration of Sonic Generations.
This feels sort of like the Bowser’s Fury campaign that was added to the Super Mario 3D World remaster.
Sonic X Shadow Generations is set to release in the Autumn of 2024.
[2] Foamstars coming to PS Plus next week!
From the very first reveal trailer this game made me think of foam-Splatoon by Ubisoft. The more gameplay I see the more curious I become. Now that it’s been announced to be dropping next week as a PS Plus monthly game I will most definitely give it a shot. The question is — Will this game stick?
Foamstars is arriving as a PS Plus monthly game next week, on February 6th.
[3] Judas
This new game from Ghost Story games (and the creator of Bioshock, Ken Levine) gives me some serious Bioshock vibes. I played each game in the Bioshock series, but never reached the end of any of them. I tried to start them over a couple of years ago, but I just wasn’t feeling it. It was too late.
To me, the Bioshock games were ahead of their time. Judas is not a new game in the series, it’s a spiritual successor. The visuals look great, and it has that same feel of playing a Bioshock game, but made for today’s generation.
I cannot wait for more news on Judas to drop, which is currently in development for PlayStation 5.
[4] Rise of the Ronin
Ghost of Tsushima was one of my favorite games of 2020. It wasn’t only about playing the game, but I was immediately inspired to seek out more Samurai content. I watched a few Akira Kurosawa films, I played through Trek to Yomi right when it came out, I finally watched Batman Ninja.
What excites me most about Rise of the Ronin is that it seems to be much different from Ghost of Tsushima, while still following the story of a lone samurai warrior. This game takes place in more of a modern era Japan (19th Century). The architecture looks closer to something from today. The weapons and technology are a bit more advanced. There are more ways to traverse these vast landscapes, including gliding. In some ways the traversal reminds me of an Assassin’s Creed game.
Rise of the Ronin will be released on March 22, 2024.
[5] Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Hideo Kojima and Norman Reedus are back for a sequel to 2019’s Death Stranding with some new friends. Kojima has always been heavily influenced by film, which is why his games are so cinematic. The trailers for his games should be watched in the cinema.
What I’ve learned over the years is that I’m more into watching someone else play a Kojima game instead of trying to figure it out on my own. I learned this when watching my friend play some Metal Gear Solid V, before borrowing the game and not knowing what to do.
I do plan to play some of the original Death Stranding. I’ve heard mixed reviews from friends, making me think that the game is either for you or it’s not.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is coming in 2025, which means I have some time to play the original.
The five games above were the ones that spoke to me the most, but there were many other exciting announcements. The Silent Hill series is returning with Silent Hill 2, there’s also a new, free-to-play experience Silent Hill: The Short Message, which are both probably too spooky for me. Dave the Diver is coming to PlayStation in April — I’ve been playing it ever since it came to Nintendo Switch. V-Rising was released last year on PC, and I’m looking forward to its release on PlayStation later this year.
If you missed the State of Play, you can watch the entire presentation right here:
Which games are you most excited about?
Tell us below in the comments section…
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