Yesterday, we finally got our first BIG PlayStation State of Play of 2024. The first few PlayStation presentations of 2024 had some good games scattered within them, but were overall underwhelming. That was also due to Sony tempering our expectations in the past with pre-State of Play disclaimers, like “there will be no new first party titles within this presentation.”

What we saw yesterday was a mix of updates to current games, new looks at known games on the horizon, a few remasters (as always), and some exciting new reveals. We even got a few top secret shadow drops — which is always a plus during a presentation.

Below I will go over my TOP FIVE announcements from yesterday’s PlayStation State of Play, but you can watch the entire presentation right here.

1 | The Midnight Walk

I was always interested in Lost in Random, due to the very Tim Burton-esque look of that game. MoonHood actually handcrafts these worlds in clay. The Midnight Walk comes from the creators of Lost in Random and seems to take these visuals much further. I can’t wait to explore this creepy world.

I usually tend to stay away from games for both PS5 and PS VR2. Watching the trailer The Midnight Walk, it seems like it could actually work both ways. I’m guessing you can play in third-person view on the PS5 or first-person view on PS VR2. The tiny “burnt one” character is also super cute and spooky.

The Midnight Walk is set to release on PS5 and PS VR2 Spring 2025.

2 | Hell is Us

The State of Play began with a few spooky games, but it is that time of the year. Hell is Us features faceless humanoid creatures that will definitely give me nightmares, and plenty of other monsters too. The creatures sort of look like The Spot from Across the Spiderverse, but if an artist thought, how do we make this guy super scary?

The high-quality visuals of this world first caught my attention. The landscapes of this post-apocalyptic world were beautiful and stunning. Next, the magical swordplay mixed with drones and future tech. This game may be too scary for me, but I’m willing to give it a try because of how polished it looks from the trailer.

Hell is Us is set to release in 2025.

3 | Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Dragon Age is a beloved RPG franchise that we havne’t seen in ten years, since the release of Dragon Age: Inquisition. Dragon Age: Inquisition also happens to be the only Dragon Age I have played, and not for very long. The one thing that I really remember was the real-time combat.

I’m sure after ten years, they have found new ways to make the combat in Dragon Age: The Veilguard even better. Seeing some battle during the gameplay trailer has me ready to go.

The best part is that we don’t have to wait too much longer. Dragon Age: The Veilguard is coming out on October 31, 2024.

4 | Dynasty Warriors: Origins

Dynasty Warriors is a series that holds a special place in my heart. Back in high school my friend and I would pick random used games at GameStop to beat over the weekend. One time we picked up a Dynasty Warriors game and had so much fun with it, that we started looking for others.

I haven’t played a Dynasty Warriors game since then, other than a bit of Fire Emblem Warriors and Hyrule Warriors on the Nintendo Switch. The epic giant battles within these games are a great time. If Dynasty Warriors: Origins features a local co-op mode, I’m definitely down to get back into it. I’m sure the franchise has come a long way since I last played one.

Dynasty Warriors: Origins is coming to PlayStation 5 on January 17, 2025.

5 | Ghost of Yōtei

Ghost of Tsushima was one of the final games I played on my PlayStation 4 Pro before moving to the PlayStation 5. I remember that game taking over my life. I started watching classic Akira Kurosawa films during and after my playthrough. After spending so much time exploring Tsushima Island, the Iki Island expansion was a great way to take Jin to a brand new world.

I’m going to miss Jin Sakai in the sequel, Ghost of Yōtei, which takes place over three hundred years later, but this new female warrior looks sick. Yōtei looks beautiful, with its giant volcano Mount Yōtei. Three hundred years can also lead to many advances in technology, including new weapons.

Ghost of Yōtei is set to release on PlayStation 5 in 2025. That means I have time to replay Ghost of Tsushima before that happens.

HM | [DLC] Astro Bot & Alan Wake II: The Lake House

There were plenty of other interesting games coming to PlayStation 5 and PS VR2. We saw a few remasters. Palworld is now out on PS5. There was more on the Horizon series, from the remaster of the original Horizon: Zero Dawn to some more on LEGO Horizon Adventures. There were two more updates that I am particularly looking forward to.

I’m currently playing my way through Astro Bot and loving every second. I’m not even halfway done with the main game, but I’m happy to see that Team Asobi will release more content for me later this year. Just this weekend, my girlfriend and I were jamming out to the tree rap in Astro Bot as I tried to make my way through that level. Astro Bot is such a clever game, but I will share more on that in an upcoming post.

Earlier this year, I restarted the original Alan Wake: Remastered and I’m hoping to finish it before Halloween — this will be a great spooky game to finish next month. Every time I see more content coming to Alan Wake II, I think of the Game of the Year (or Ultimate Edition) that will come out with everything — and that is when I will be ready for Alan Wake II.

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As I said earlier, there are plenty of interesting games and updates coming to PlayStation 5 after yesterday’s PS State of Play. I’m looking forward to these and many more. Even if there weren’t many new games on the horizon, I still have so many games to play from 2024 and the previous years in my backlog.

The big question is, Will I need a PlayStation 5 Pro at some point for a specific game release? I never thought I would “need” a PS5 Pro, but once they announced the special edition Spider-Man PS4 Pro, I instantly pre-ordered it. 

There are two reasons I would possibly pick up a PS5 Pro. (1) If there’s another beautiful collaboration between PlayStation and some other franchise I love — mainly something Marvel, Star Wars, Disney, or even PS Studios. The second (2) would be if there’s a specific game that comes out where the PS5 Pro really makes a difference. For now, I’m good with my base PS5. I’m having a great time playing games on it.

What were your top announcements from yesterday? And, will you be picking up a PS5 Pro? Let us know in the comments below…