With a new year comes a new State of Play, and while nothing will ever truly replace the glory days of E3, these small bursts of news are always appreciated.
While yet another State of Play has gone by without news of a Bloodblorne remaster or about Silksong, we still have plenty of new announcements to go over, so let’s get started!
Helldivers continues to look like Starship Troopers
The show opened with another quick trailer for Helldivers 2, which is coming out very soon on February 8th. The game looks like it would be fun for some online co-op, and I do appreciate the Starship Troopers-inspired style, but the lack of a single-player is important to note.
Stellar Blade Gives me NiER Vibes
An extended look at Stellar Blade came next, with a style and tone that reminds me much of Nier Automata. The wide open environments, the post-apocalyptic Earth, the surreal enemies, and the focus on characterization all felt somewhat similar.
The game seems to be borrowing some soulslike elements, too. For example, you can find camps out in the world with shops. They confirmed you can also rest here to recharge your health, but I spotted a notification in the gameplay about how enemies have respawned, so that tells me it could have elements from those types of RPGs.
Stellar Blade also received a release date of April 26th, 2024.
Sonic Generations gets a New Version with Shadow
Sega brought out the blue blur early in the State of Play stream. Not only are we getting a remastered Sonic Generations, but it’s going to include a Shadow campaign. Sonic Generations was a fun one, I enjoyed the levels inspired by both old and new generations of Sonic, so a new version with Shadow sounds good to me!
Zenless Zone Zero looks very Anime-y
From the same folks who brought you Genshin Impact and Honaki Star Rail comes their next free-to-play RPG, Zenless Zone Zero. While it was initially announced for PC and mobile, this confirms that PS5 players will also get it. Besides the new setting, the game will also feature real-time combat instead of the turn-based gameplay of the studio’s other titles.
Foamstars Brings Splatoon to PlayStation
I know that comparing Foamstars to Splatoon is a tired old meme, but with the latter title only being available on Nintendo Switch, I think there’s nothing wrong with bringing the idea to other consoles.
This multiplayer title will be included on PlayStation Plus when it releases on February 6th. This is a smart move because I don’t know I’d immediately pay for a multiplayer-only title, which will guarantee a community initially.
Dave the Diver Swims to PS5
Dave the Diver is an interesting indie title I’ve played on the Switch. It starts with a simple loop of catching fish and running a Sushi restaurant, but it quickly adds new gameplay and narrative elements. It’s whacky and fun. Most importantly, it keeps you on your toes and keeps things interesting as it goes on. It comes to PS5 in April.
A surprise announcement at the end of the trailer also promised a Godzilla DLC on the horizon; I have no idea how that will fit into the game, but I’ll still try it.
V Rising is Coming to PS5!
This isometric vampire survival game (not Vampire Survivors, mind you) that’s been in early access on PC for a while is also coming to PS5. It has no exact release date, but it will arrive sometime in 2024.
Silent Hill Updates!
Konami’s treatment of the Silent Hill series has been questionable for years, but I’m optimistic about what’s next. It started with releasing a standalone Silent Hill title called The Shot Message, a free-to-play first-person experience that shadow-dropped on the PSN store.
This was followed by a new trailer for Bloober’s remake of Silent Hill 2. This shows off more of the combat and looks true to the original, almost to a fault. The animations look like they came from the original, making it nostalgic, but their stiffness stood out.
Even so, the remake looks faithful, and I’m playing it no matter what at launch.
Judas Brings Back the Bioshock Feel
Ken Levine, the creator of Bioshock, has been working for years with his new team at Ghost Story Games on a new title called Judas. We saw a trailer last year for the game, and it had a Bioshock feel, but in this State of Play we finally got some gameplay.
It looks like Bioshock regarding atmospheric environments and gameplay that combines firearms with abilities. The space setting is unique, and while the powers look similar to the classics from his other games, it has that Bioshock intrigue that makes me feel like it could be an excellent spiritual successor.
New PSVR 2 Titles
We got two new VR announcements at this State of Play, which made me happy as I need to play my PSVR 2 more. The first was a new VR game set in the Metro universe of games based on a series of Russian novels.
The Metro games have always been incredibly atmospheric and immersive, so it’s something that would translate well to VR. It’s called Metro Awakening, so it should be a new title set in the same universe and not a VR port of any other games.
Next we got a game called Legendary Tales that comes out February 8th. It seems to have very realistic physics and a variety of weapons. A shot of Mjolnir with lighting striking it makes me think we’ll get some exciting variety in the settings as well.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 Gets a New Trailer
We looked at Dragon’s Dogma 2 again, with a release date of March 22nd, 2024. It continues to look excellent, especially for the fans of the original.
Rise of Ronin Merges Nioh with Tsushima
Team Ninja gave us an in-depth look at Rise of Ronin, which feels like this delicate dance between Nioh, Ninja Gaiden, and Ghosts of Tsushima. It has open-world elements, fast combat, and a historical setting.
The deep dive showed off some interesting special weapons, including a bayonet on a rifle and a primitive flamethrower. I don’t know that it’s something I’ll get around to myself, but for fans of these types of games, it seems like a high-quality entry into the genre.
Until Dawn is Getting a Remaster
I know some people will not care about this one, but Until Dawn remains one of my favorite interactive horror games. It launched Supermassive games into the spotlight and kicked off their ongoing career.
This new PS5 version is coming in 2024, with updated graphics, a third-person mode, and some new additions (details are murky about what they add, but we should know more soon!)
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach is Coming 2025
As a huge fan of Kojima’s work since the early days of Metal Gear Solid, I loved the first Death Stranding. So, you can imagine my excitement when the sequel was confirmed, but anyone who knows Kojima could not possibly predict where it would go next.
Case in point, I didn’t have Troy Baker’s villain coming back as a guitar-wielding variation of his last persona, but here we are. It seems like the game will follow the structure of the first one in terms of traveling and connecting new people to the Chrial network, but that’s where my ability to predict what will happen comes to an abrupt end.
There’s nothing quite like the excitement and intrigue of a new Kojima game, so even though we have to wait until 2025 for this one, I’ll be ready when it arrives.
One Final Kojima Announcement
Kojima stayed on after the Death Stranding 2 trailer to talk about a partnership with Sony to produce a new espionage IP after the completion of Death Stranding 2. Those who played Metal Gear Solid know Kojima and espionage go together like peanut butter and jelly.
This is exciting news, even if it’s years away. Do you know what isn’t years away, though? The following State of Play. As it turns out, Sony is doing another stream on February 6th for FFVII Rebirth.
Stay tuned for our recap of that event, and let me know what your favorite announcement was from this last stream in the comments!
Article by – Bradley Ramsey
Insert date – 12/11/2023