State of Play July 2021 Recap
The Playstation State of Play for July 2021 has come and gone and well I needed some time to comprehend what we saw, how it was once again presented and to be honest with you, given we are coming off the back of E3 was it even necessary?
But more on my thoughts on the show at the end.
Below I have linked all the video's from the State of Play Showcase with a little bit of my thoughts underneath each.
Let's start off with the big one.
DEATHLOOP
Deathloop from Bethesda was the showpiece for the State of Play with 9 minutes of previously unreleased gameplay.
The more I have seen of Deathloop the less it has excited me and this latest trailer has continued this trend. It almost feels like a complete Dishonored clone, not doing it for me.
MOSS BOOK 2 - PSVR
Moss was a surprise hit on the PSVR thanks largely to the endearing Quill and she returns for Moss Book 2. Early development footage shown and it looked like it too. Excited to see how Moss 2 continues the story.
ARCADEGEDDON
A looter shooter from Illfonic with early access on the PS5 available now for $29.95 in Aus.
TRIBES OF MIDGARD
Developer Norsfell Games took us on a bit of a deep dive with their action RPG that is releasing July 27th. Def a cool looking title but I cannot see much longevity in it, I hope I am wrong...
F.I.S.T.
Forged in Shadow Torch - coming to PS5 and PS4 September 7th this side scrolling platform action-exploration title definitely looks the goods even though not my style of game. I wouldn't be surprised if you saw it as a PSPlus title.
HUNTER'S ARENA: LEGENDS
Hack and Slash, demon hunting in an online ancient realm where you fight not only demons but other players in 30 player Battle Royale matches. Like every other title of this type there will be players playing it non stop to go on and make your game time a living hell. Coming to PSPlus in August so I'll be playing at least early on.
SIFU
Sloclap's kung fu beat ém up. An interesting title where each time you get knocked out you get back up but age a little bit each time. Still a way off with a 2022 release so will be interesting to see more.
JETT: THE FAR SHORE
This was a surprise. A simple premise of exploration turned on its head by Superbrothers. A cinematic adventure narrative game designed to showcase the idea of adventure without effective of the native flora or fauna.
Releasing later this year so keep an eye out.
DEMON SLAYER - KIETSU NO YAIBA - THE HINOKAMI CHRONICLES
Coming October 15th, not my style so I'll be honest I switched off. Check out the video and make up your own mind.
LOST JUDGEMENT
A bit kooky, a bit violent the sequel to Judgement from Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and SEGA. Coming later this year.
DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT
Death Stranding is a hard game to recommend. I loved it, but I cannot explain why. The showcased showed off some of the enhancements coming to PS5, some new equipment and missions and for some reason a racing add in... no idea on that one.
Coming September 24th
THE VERDICT
I have always been critical of the way in which Sony & Playstation do these State of Plays. They feel overly corporate and while the announcer does a good job they would be better suited showing who they were and presenting the showcase, not just recording it somewhere.
This one felt somewhat rushed and I cannot help to think the focus on Indie titles was in response to the explosive allegations on Twitter earlier in the week.
Sony stayed away from the digital E3 again this year and this was in no way a make up for it but given it is a recent memory for so many of us the showcase was mediocre at best.
I love the Playstation brand but feel so disconnected from it of late.
Some decent titles and the teams working on them deserve all the love they can get.
Keep an eye out for more as it comes up.
Pat
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