Much like the Xbox Developer Direct a few weeks ago, I came away Playstation’s latest games showcase neither super excited or disappointed. I thought it was fine. Much like that Xbox Developer Direct, no game totally blew me away, but also, just like that show, I became a bit more interested in several games, which should be the ultimate goal with any game showcase. 2024 has been an incredible gaming year thus far, and based on what I’ve seen, I’m not 100% sold that the current pace will keep up, but I also think there will still be plenty to play all year.
My five winners from the State of Play are ranked to spice things up a bit as well. With that, let’s get to the ranks!
5. Dragon’s Dogma 2
Dragon’s Dogma 2 has a lot working against it for me. The original just didn’t grab me at all, so my interest level in playing the sequel has been low. But this trailer at least managed to put it on my radar.
Combat looked crisp and fun here, and I loved how easy it seemed to be to switch between melee, magic, and ranged attacks. If there was one downside to this, it’s that I thought that Rise of the Ronin, which releases on the same day as Dragon’s Dogma 2, looked quite good, and those two games will definitely be competing for sales. Either way, it was a strong and quick showing, and I’ve only seen a positive reception for it.
4. Death Stranding 2
Just like Dragon’s Dogma 2, Death Stranding 2 has a lot working against it for me. The original game just didn’t grab me, so it was always going to be hard to get me interested in the sequel. I think Death Stranding 2 still has a fair bit of work to do to sell me on its gameplay this time around, but this trailer definitely did a little bit of work to pique my interest.
Mostly, the game looks tremendous. This might be the best-looking video game I have ever seen. The environments and character models look absolutely incredible, and the very few clips of live gameplay looked great, too. It is also weird as hell, which pulls me in, as there aren’t many AAA games out there that seem to let the developer truly follow their own creative vision. Death Stranding 2 seems to have no such constraints, which means it will be something truly unique, and anything that unique is worth keeping an eye on. It may have even inspired me to give the first game one more shot.
3. Stellar Blade
The Stellar Blade trailer was a mixed bag for me. All of the non-gameplay elements, especially the story hooks, had absolutely no pull for me. But man, that combat looked absolutely badass, like a true next-gen Bayonetta experience. There seemed to be some really cool enemy variety, and combat looked very impactful. I loved how some of the finishing moves looked, and I thought the gun implementation looked fun as well. To top it off, building that hype, then dropping a release date that is only a few months away is a great way to create that extra bit of excitement. I don’t think this was a perfect presentation, but I do think it did its job overall.
2. Judas
Most of my biggest winners got at least three minutes from their presentation, but Judas managed to make an impression in just under two.
Simply, I’d say it’s about impossible to watch this trailer and not be interested if you have ever liked a Bioshock game. The art style and combat just scream Bioshock, and the story looks intriguing as well. While the trailer left me craving a bit more, this is another one that did exactly what it set out to do.
1. Rise of the Ronin
Rise of the Ronin was easily the biggest winner of the day for me, as it went from a game I wasn’t super interested in to a day one buy.
While an open world samurai game appeals to me, most of the Team Ninja games just don’t pull me in. The combat and visuals never have quite clicked for me.
Admittedly, the visuals here aren’t awesome. This still looks like it’s from the last generation. The big battle scene in particular looked shockingly lifeless, with almost nothing going on in the background that made it feel like a war was going on.
But man, this gameplay looks damn good. The traversal in the city looks like a lot of fun, with both a grappling hook, flying, and horse riding blending together seamlessly.
And while I love Ghost of Tsushima, the combat in that samurai game quickly became too easy and simple for me, even on hard. The combat here looks leagues better, as the trailer shows off some intense encounters and big-time parrying. I absolutely can’t wait for this one now. And in the March 22nd release date war between this and Dragon’s Dogma 2, I personally think Rise of the Ronin came out on top in this particular battle.
Big Nerd Gaming 
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