Here we go, folks. Another virtual event to make up for the fact that if Gamescom were to actually happen, a great many folks would most likely contract COVID-19 and we’d bounce all the way back to May, 2020. So while it’s nowhere near as exciting or enjoyable, a virtual event will have to suffice for all those game developers and publishers looking to announce their new projects.
Gamescom is one of the highlights of the video game industry, with many companies anticipating the event as a great way to promote their upcoming games and last night’s Opening Night Live showcase was no exception. It was a long show with loads of trailers so to save you some time, we dug through everything that was shown off and pulled out the highlights, neatly curated in this here article.
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart
Insomniac’s next-gen Ratchet and Clank game wasn’t exactly a new announcement as it had already been shown off during Sony’s PlayStation 5 reveal. Yet this exclusive Gamescom trailer revealed more gameplay and some of that sweet instant-loading of levels made possible with the PS5’s SSD. It looks gorgeous, it seems to play familiarly and it’s just as charming as you’d hope a Ratchet and Clank game to be.
Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond
It’s going to hurt to do it, but I suppose we have to spell “honour” wrong whenever we talk about this game. Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond takes the monolithic shooter franchise back to its roots while adding some virtual reality into the mix. While the developers mention how they wanted to create a game that allowed them to tell real stories from World War 2, the trailer looks to be more fun than serious. Which is okay, not everything needs to be Saving Private Ryan.
Fall Guys Season 2
The game that came out of nowhere and has completely defined the last month of gaming, Fall Guys has become the little game that could. The second season of the game was teased last night with developer Mediatronic giving viewers a peek at some of the new costumes, arenas and challenges coming to the game.
Star Wars: Squadrons
Considering it’s a Star Wars game, rumblings around Squadrons has been quieter than I would have expected. The teaser shown off a few months back looked really cool and, fortunately, it still looks strong with the Gamescom trailer delving into the game’s story a little more, highlighting some of the missions you can expect to partake in. It looks gorgeous, it sounds amazing and I’m just really nervous EA will manage to screw it up somehow.
Twelve Minutes
One of the smaller trailers that had a massive impact on the night was from Twelve Minutes, a game about a man stuck in a time loop. It looks emotionally heavy, intimate and more than a little intense. Oh, and the voice cast is ridiculous. James McAvoy, Daisy Ridley and Willem Dafoe star in this stylish little indie game, and beyond the sheer style of it all, you can’t really beat that.
Dragon Age 4 Teaser
Well, it wasn’t so much a teaser as Bioware reminding fans that Dragon Age 4 is still in development. The trailer didn’t show much but made it clear that the team is hard at work as they showed off some of the concept art and in-game footage. Slap the name Dragon Age on anything and I’m instantly more excited.
All the others
Those are just the ones we wanted to touch on but there were plenty more cool announcements and trailers to come out of Opening Night Live. You can watch the video of the full stream here but be warned that it is very long so maybe make yourself a snack and a drink before you dedicate the time to it.