By GameSpot Staff on Dec 17, 2017 03:00 am
Over the years, Playstation Experience has been a premiere event for fans of Sony's gaming brand to see the next big games. In addition to several first-party offerings, including God of War, Detroit: Become Human, and Final Fantasy VII Remake from past years, there's also an assortment of other games from third-parties and indie developers that manage to make their mark on the show floor. During PSX 2017, however, things looked to be a bit lean when it comes to first-party titles. Because of this, many other games managed to have more time in the spotlight, allowing fans to try something they wouldn't have otherwise. After PSX this year, we put together a list of games that left an impression at the show. Sometimes all it takes is a cool idea, creative visual design, or innovative gameplay mechanics to stick out, but it also helps to let your game be weird and quirky where it counts. Here are ten games coming to PlayStation 4 stuck with us after our tour of the show floor at PSX 2017.
Guacamelee! 2
DrinkBox Studio's Guacamelee was a rather odd, yet compelling title that blended Metroidvania design with the mystique and gravitas of Luchadore action. With Guacamelee 2, which was revealed at Paris Games Week 2017, the developers return to the bizarre and vibrant worlds of the living and the dead, but it has substantially upped the stakes this time. Picking up sometime after the original game, Juan and his Lucha compadres confront a new bad guy in the form of an egotistical casanova-type named El Mineco, who is one of several new bosses. While the original Guacamelee had co-op, the sequel doubles down on it, now offering up to four-players locally. While much of the exploration and traversal is in familiar Metroidvania style, Guacamelee 2 refines much of the fighting mechanics and grappling skills-- Juan's chicken form, for example, is now ready to go toe-to-toe with anyone thanks to its pecking combo-attacks. We expect to return to the exotic world of metaphysical Luchadore action when it releases sometime in 2018.
Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition
After a rather rough launch, the fifth entry in Capcom's long-running fighting game series is finally hitting its stride. Coming January 16, Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition will launch as a free update for those that have a season pass, and as a $40 release for those coming in fresh. This add-on features an assortment of new modes, costumes, and stages that pay homage to the 30 year history of the series. And with enhanced fighting mechanics--including updated moves and new V-Triggers for every characters--Street Fighter V is ready for its biggest expansion yet. The standout feature coming to SFV is the new Arcade Mode, allowing players to revisit different eras of the Street Fighter saga in six unique paths modeled after the core entries of the series. Street Fighter V has seen continual improvements, and as one of the most popular fighting games at tournaments, seeing the game in action with top players is always a joy to watch. With new Season 3 characters--including Sakura, Cody, Sagat, and Blanka--revealed at Capcom Cup 2017, it looks like the seasoned fighter is getting finer with age.
The Gardens Between
First confirmed for the PS4 at Sony's Paris Games Week event in 2017, The Gardens Between is an unique puzzle game with a time manipulation mechanic at its core. As you progress through the game's stylized levels, you'll be able to rewind and forward time, affecting the environment around you and helping you solve it's key puzzles. There also seems to be an interesting story being told in The Gardens Between, with the two main characters being best friends trying to explore their shared experiences growing up. And from our brief playthrough at this year's PSX, The Gardens Between looks like it might be an evocative if a little sedate puzzler. It is set for release on the PS4 sometime in 2018.
Tiny Metal
There's been longing for an Advance Wars-style game for quite sometime. Though Nintendo has gone without releasing a new entry in the strategy game series since 2008, the developers at Area 35 are looking to fill that void with Tiny Metal. Set for release on December 21, the world of Tiny Metal focuses on the conflict between warring nations as they battle for territory and resources. Despite the cartoonish visuals, the story delves into some rather serious themes, taking inspiration from real-world conflicts such as the Syrian refugee crisis. When you get down to it, Tiny Metal plays like a more modern version of Advance wars, with players as a commander in control several unit types, and tasked with capturing bases by flanking enemies around the field. From what we've played, this little strategy game evokes the familiar sense of tactical foresight and quick thinking, which will channels the same satisfaction you get from Nintendo's classic strategy series. With a free multiplayer update coming later in the Spring, Area 35 plans to support Tiny Metal for quite sometime after its launch.
Donut County
The eccentric Donut County has been making the indie game preview rounds for several years now, so it's great to see that this charming and affable little title will also make its way to the PlayStation 4 sometime in 2018 (running at 60fps to boot, as this latest trailer slyly boasts). In Donut County, you play as a… hole, with your task being to swallow up everything on the screen. Your diameter starts off as being fairly small, and the more you swallow, the bigger you get, allowing you to ingest even larger objects. You'll also have to solve some environmental puzzles along the way, too, as well as delve a little deeper into the stories of the people and animals you've, ummmm, swallowed along the way. It's all very silly and charming, and with gameplay that's equal parts surreal and oddly meditative, it's one that we're definitely looking forward to in the new year.
Anamorphine
In Anamorphine, players go through an introspective journey of one person's struggle with mental illness. As a largely reflective game--with its story told without any dialogue--each level or key event takes place within a memory, where you'll be able to learn more of the regrets and anxieties your character faces. With several perspective-skewing moments throughout, including a number of interesting occurrences diving into one memory, and suddenly finding yourself within another emotionally evocative moment in time--Anamorphine definitely hits the right notes when it seeks to convey a particular character's struggle with overcoming their past and the ensuing regret. Coming next year on January 18, Anamorphine isn't shy about wearing its emotions on its sleeves. If anything, it wants you to know the type of experience you'll find yourself in--which could make the journey, and the ensuing revelations that follow--all the more cathartic.
Wattam
Wattam is yet another indie darling long in gestation, having been first shown way back in 2014. Since then, the game has shed its PlayStation exclusivity and been picked up by a new publisher: Annapurna Interactive. But what's been consistent throughout its long journey is how utterly delightful this game is to play every single time. Created by Keita Takahashi (the mind behind Katamari Damacy and Noby Noby Boy), Wattam is a colorful and endearing little title where you play as a variety of extremely cute characters who like to hold hands and occasionally explode. While that description sounds exceedingly strange, the game exudes an amazing sense of joy as you (and another player) explore your surroundings and the characters that inhabit it. From each of the characters' joyful utterances as an explosion rocks them into the air, to how the game continues to delight and surprise with small revelations, Wattam looks set to be one of those games that's guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
Mulaka
In Mulaka, you take on the role of a young Shaman exploring the wilderness of Northern Mexico in days long past. Using his magical spear and other abilities, the young tribesman transforms into spirit animals to traverse regions of the world, and defeat larger than life foes in order to bring balance to the land and its many inhabitants. As an action-adventure game, players must scavenge and battle dangerous creatures in the wild to survive, all while interacting with the many villagers and characters you come across in your travels. But what's interesting about Mulaka, above all, is its respect for the culture and setting of the game. Pulling from Northern Mexican folklore, particularly from the Tarahumara culture, Mulaka brings a level of authenticity to its setting, channeling some mysticism and unique fantastical elements that leverages the medium to great effect. The developers even travelled to areas of Northern Mexico, where the descendants of the Tarahumara tribe still live, to learn of their culture first-hand. Set for release in early 2018, the developers at Lienzo embraced the world of their game, which will make it an interesting one to fully explore.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance
After its four years in development, the crowdfunded action-RPG Kingdom Come: Deliverance is finally set for release next year on February 13. As an open-world Medieval-era adventure, players will be able to interact with historical figures during the time, pick fights with bandits and rival factions, and lay siege to enemy encampments throughout the land. How you choose to go about your travels is up to you, and Kingdom Come gives you free-reign in how you explore the land and its many regions. Moreover, combat in Kingdom Come takes steps further to offer more tactile and elaborate mechanics to match its setting. Presenting a system that tracks real positioning and angles for your sword strikes, you'll have to ensure that you make all your moves count. Ditching fantasy for realism, Kingdom Come: Deliverance looks to offer something quite unique for its open world setting--which many students of the era will want to dive into.
The Adventure Pals
Let's get this out of the way. Your main quest in The Adventure Pals involves saving all the world's old people from being turned into living, angry hot dogs. It doesn't seem like things can get any more absurd than that, but that's only the tip of the iceberg for the bizarre adventure you'll go on. With the main character and their trusty giraffe companion, players will travel the world, meet local mailmen and insecure whales, slay deadly kitten monsters, collect cupcake loot, and of course, free the many aforementioned old people from their meaty forms of imprisonments. Developer The Adventure Pals manages to ramp up the absurdity by several degrees with each passing stage, and with local co-op play, you'll be able to share in these quirky and strange moments with friends. Coming early 2018, this throwback action-RPG game looks to have a lot of fun with its setting and gameplay, which definitely comes out in the right ways.
Recent Articles:
|
No comments:
Post a Comment