With the first anniversary of the PlayStation 5’s release fast approaching, a presentation of upcoming titles to join its growing library was always going to be on the cards for Sony. The PlayStation Showcase broadcast on September 9 brought with it a whole host of reveals, announcements and updates. Some of them we expected, others were big surprises, but all in all, Sony delivered the goods and set the PlayStation up for an exciting couple of years to come.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake
Widely considered on the greatest games ever made, Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) has oft been the subject of remake rumours for years, with Star Wars fans old and new pining to see this classic with a fresh coat of paint. Despite showing very little beyond the tease of Darth Revan, it was enough to kick-off the show in spectacular style. While it may be too early for a release date as of yet, we do know that KOTOR will be a timed exclusive for the PS5 before moving to other platforms.
Project Eve
Appearing to be the hybrid love-child of Devil May Cry, Bayonetta and the Nier series, Project Eve has found itself as something of a fan-favourite of the showcase (myself being one of them). Taking place in a desolate rendition of Earth in the near-future, Project Eve will have you hacking and slashing against a wide array of enemies. With the promise of fast-paced action and illustrating what the new generation of consoles can be pushed to graphically, Project Eve is one to watch.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands
Set to a discordant backdrop of Babymetal’s Gimme Chocolate, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is looking as chaotic as expected, with a fresh new look at the Borderlands spin-off’s gameplay. Substituting Mad-Max style science-fiction action, we’ll be heading into a more fantastical setting in Wonderlands, with Tiny Tina at the helm acting as the game’s equivalent of a Dungeons and Dragons dungeon master. Expect loud noises, angry mushrooms and plenty of chaos on March 25, 2022.
Forspoken
Known as Project Athia for quite some time now, Forspoken is the latest title from Luminous Productions, a companion studio of Square Enix who previously worked on Final Fantasy XV. Playing as Frey, expect some superb open-world action as she is plucked from the ordinary world and dropped head first into the world of Athia. You’ll be journeying through some beautifully ray-traced landscapes here as you fight to survive Athia’s beautiful, albeit deadly terrain. Forspoken is expected to release Spring 2022.
Alan Wake Remastered
With a release date of October 5, Alan Wake’s long-awaited remaster couldn’t come soon enough for spooky season. The cult-classic will be making its PlayStation debut with some gorgeous enhanced graphics and an intriguing mystery. As author Alan Wake, you’ll be descending into the murky underworld of the Twin Peaks-esque town of Bright Falls, Washington in search of his missing wife. Alongside the main campaign, this remaster will also have the original’s two DLC chapters included with it, so there will be plenty to get stuck into.
Grand Theft Auto V
And so we come to the ever undying GTA V. Originally slated to be arriving in the Autumn of 2022, this enhanced version of the 8-year-old game has been bumped up to March of 2022. Teasing the online features and improved graphics, we know what to expect from GTA V at this point. Nevertheless, it is always a pleasant site to see a game dropping earlier than expected, rather than being delayed.
Ghostwire Tokyo
The latest trailer for Ghostwire: Tokyo elaborated on some new story elements from the Tango Gameworks production. With the citizens of Tokyo having mysteriously vanished, the player’s supernatural powers were on full display as they fought their way through the hordes of ominous “Visitors” that have made the city their haunting ground. Having previously developed The Evil Within Series, Tango Gameworks are taking a more action-oriented approach this time around. However, judging by some of these ghouls and figures running around in Hannya masks, be sure to expect a spook or two for the Spring 2022 release date.
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
Along with the announcement for Wolverine and Spider-Man 2, Marvel are having a fantastic year in gaming, with Guardians of the Galaxy showing off more of the James Gunn-esque humour we have come to expect from the series. This trailer introduced us to a whole slew of new characters, story elements and a space dog named Cosmo. Let’s hope we can pet him. If we can’t, it would be a very serious misstep.
Deathloop
With only days to go before its release on September 14, we got a final look at some of the story and gameplay for Deathloop. Considered the next major PS5 exclusive, Deathloop has seen some considerable airtime, with its swing-sixties James Bond vibes and its penchant for a friendly game of blood sport. As an assassin trapped in a seemingly never ending timeloop to take out your quarries.
Kid A Mnesia Exhibition
During the conference, a mysterious clip emerged of a giant monolith bathed in spotlights. As the music grew louder and louder, the production was becoming all the more familiar. Radiohead’s signature sound permeated the trailer, which showed very little beyond the pillar itself and some eerie etchings on the wall. A mystery I’m sure we will unravel in due course.
Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection
As one of the previous generation’s crown jewels, it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that Uncharted 4 is getting the PS5 remastered treatment, along with its equally as lauded standalone expansion, The Lost Legacy. Bundled together for the first time as the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection, the already gorgeous games will feel the full benefit of the PS5’s graphical enhancements.
Marvel’s Wolverine
With the Insomniac logo coming into focus, it would be easy to anticipate the arrival of the next installment of the Spider-Man series… but wait… that’s not Peter Parker or Miles Morales. No, instead we were treated to the first teaser for a brand new Wolverine game. With a bar in disarray and adamantium claws shooting out from between the knuckles, I think it is safe to say we’re in for an action filled treat with Insomniac’s next project.
Gran Turismo 7
Arriving March 4, 2022, the latest in the Gran Turismo series is set to be one of its most visually stunning. With haptic feedback for the PS5 controls and gorgeous ray tracing effects, the already beautiful racer is set to stun this new generation of consoles.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
After whetting our appetites with the Wolverine trailer, Insomniac finally decided to put us out of our misery by announcing the sequel to their critically acclaimed 2018 Spider-Man game. With Peter Parker and Miles Morales seemingly working together to defeat an assortment of thugs, out of the shadows appeared the instantly recognisable Venom, no doubt here to cause all sorts of havoc. Voiced by horror legend and the original Candyman, Tony Todd, Venom is sure to cause our heroes a great deal of trouble. But we’ll have to wait until 2023 when Spider-Man 2 releases.
God of War: Ragnarok
Of course, Sony were going to go out with a bang, and what could create more of a commotion than the highly anticipated sequel to 2018’s God of War? Now officially confirmed to be called God of War: Ragnarok, everybody’s favourite father/son duo are returning for their final foray in the world of Norse mythology. This time they’ll be battling for their survival against a slew of vengeful Gods, as the mythical end of days approaches with the likes of Thor and Freya out for blood, while the menace of Odin casts an omniscient presence over the land.
Words by Jack Roberts
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