Finally, some new PS5 games —
Big reveals: Insomniac’s Wolverine, Uncharted remasters, God of War Ragnarok gameplay.
Steve Haske
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“Will one of you finally give me what I desire?”
“Yes… we will.”
SonySpider-Man 2‘s fast-paced action was too blurry to generally capture for this gallery, but it included quite a few team-up attacks, suggesting co-op. We love the idea of double the Spidey.
SonyA long-rumored remake, now confirmed.
SonyA familiar voice: “Peace is a lie. That is what the Sith believe.”
SonyPrerendered CGI of a guy who doesn’t realize what a dumb fight he just picked.
SonyYou can probably guess what comes next from these grizzled hands.
SonySnnnnikt.
SonyNo release date yet set, but Insomniac is working on the new Wolverine game.
Sony
Sony broke a months-long game of silence today with a wide-ranging PS5 showcase, announcing two new Marvel games from Insomniac, a remake of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and a March release date for Gran Turismo 7, among other news. This is the first significant update from the publisher since it opted to skip multiple major industry events throughout 2021. The industry behemoth is now offering first glimpses of several games in production from PlayStation Studios and third-party developers.
Leading the charge was news that a remake of BioWare’s classic 2003 RPG Knights of the Old Republic—which many players consider the best Star Wars game ever made—is in development as a PS5 and PC exclusive, at least at launch. Though only the briefest clip of what looked like a Sith knight was shown, we already know this is a joint project between Lucasfilm, Sony, and Aspyr Media, a studio known for porting classic Star Wars games to modern hardware. Without a release date yet, we wonder whether BioWare’s Old Republic MMO will still be in operation by the time this remake launches.
PlayStation Studios galore
Sony also had some first-party news to share with actual PS5-only releases. Insomniac is expanding its vision of the Marvelverse in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, due out 2023, and, unexpectedly, a new game starring Wolverine.
Spider-Man 2‘s in-game trailer had Peter Parker and Miles Morales teaming up or possibly fighting (or both) opposite fan-favorite Venom. The game is being led by creative director Bryan Intihar and director Ryan Smith from the staff of Marvel’s Spider-Man.
Marvel’s Wolverine is still early enough in production to skip showing gameplay. Instead, we only got a CG tease of the mutant unleashing his adamantium claws in a rundown bar. No release date here, but the creative team behind Spider-Man: Miles Morales aims to bring the same faithful-to-the-spirit-of-the-comics touch to this one.
As a welcome change given the franchise’s usual “it’ll be done when it’s done” approach, Gran Turismo 7 announced a March 4 launch on PS4 and PS5. The news was accompanied by an operatic montage trailer that was as polished as you’d expect from Kazunori Yamauchi’s detail-precise team at Polyphony Digital, highlighting the game’s arcade circuits, a complicated-looking photo mode, a livery editor, reams and reams of meteorological data used to create photo-real weather and lighting, and, finally, the return of campaign mode. Though a new numbered GT is always something to look forward to, bringing back a real campaign is a huge victory for fans after its absence in Gran Turismo Sport.
No release date, but plenty of apparent in-game footage.
Atreus is seen here riding a ghost beast of some sort, attacking monsters on Kratos’ behalf.
SonyMelee combat? In a God of War sequel? Who would’ve thunk?
SonyHere, gator, gator, gator.
SonyCanoodlin’ in a canoe.
SonyKratos, looking over his soon-to-be-bloody domain in God of War: Ragnarok.
SonyRide a sled! Heck yes.
Kratos and Atreus happen upon a god with lightning-infused abilities and a big hammer. Hmm. I dunno, I could use another hint.
“Wait, does he still call you ‘boy’? Because you’ve gotten pretty big, kid.”
Kratos applies a freezing effect to this axe before tossing it in a bloody rage.
New, shiny Gran Turismo logo.
We finally have a Gran Turismo 7 release date (and, yes, it’s coming to both PS4 and PS5).
SonyThe GT7 included a mix of pre-rendered and in-game footage. This caption indicates the screen appears to be based entirely on real-time gameplay.
SonyThe GT7 included a mix of pre-rendered and in-game footage. This caption indicates the screen appears to be based entirely on real-time gameplay.
The GT7 included a mix of pre-rendered and in-game footage. This caption indicates the screen appears to be based entirely on real-time gameplay.
Among the GT7 trailer’s flurry of menu hints: the usual series main menu, now modeled after a lovely seaside town.
SonyA variety of weather patterns stretch over the same car, each with its own handsome reflections.
SonyA variety of weather patterns stretch over the same car, each with their own handsome reflections.
A variety of weather patterns stretch over the same car, each with their own handsome reflections.
Among the GT7 trailer’s flurry of menu hints: a car upgrade interface.
Among the GT7 trailer’s flurry of menu hints: a shopping interface.
SonyCan we add a custom soundtrack when riding this? If so, “Big Pimpin,” please?
SonyIs this handsome, reflection-filled shot taken from actual GT7 gameplay, or from a pre-rendered cinematic? That still isn’t clear.
That’s gonna look sick in HDR.
Winter comes to Midgard, with gameplay
After only a logo announcement last year, Santa Monica Studio gave a first look at God of War: Ragnarok, picking up with Kratos and Atreus some years after the events of the 2018 reboot. Despite being cross-gen, the game’s visuals looked stunning on PS5—Kratos using both his ax and Blades of Chaos against a number of mythological monsters. But more than combat was highlighted—there was also a lot of dialogue between the Spartan, his son, and other hardy-looking characters who served to show off the game’s very high-poly models. No release date for this one, either.
However, one big question still remains for Ragnarok and GT7 after today’s splashy event: how will these two tentpoles scale down their visual splendor to PS4 and PS4 Pro consoles? Unsurprisingly, no clarification was given.
Sony’s other top-shelf studio, Naughty Dog, made a quick appearance, though not related to any unannounced projects. Instead, the studio announced Uncharted 4 and Lost Legacy are coming to the PC—and PS5—for the first time. Bundled together as the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection, the studio appears to be handling the PS5 remaster itself. Meanwhile, the PC release is being developed by former Sony VP Adam Boyes’ studio, Iron Galaxy. The collection will be out in early 2022, with the PC launch coming slightly after PS5’s.
The sleeper hit of the September 2021 PlayStation Showcase: Forspoken.
This game’s new hero has a lot of varied magical powers in her bracelets.
SonyIt’s blurry, but you can probably make out that sick-looking dragon in Forspoken.
SonyForspoken‘s first reveal of a mysterious baddie.
SonyGhostwire: Tokyo looks to have plenty of magic battles against Yokai, Japanese spirits.
SonyGhostwire seems to heavily feature the Tokyo neighborhood of Shibuya.
SonyThis Yokai is inspired by Kuchisake-onna, the “slit-mouthed woman,” a malevolent spirit who often covers her face and wields a sharp object.
SonyTango Gameworks’ track record of really cool art direction continues.
SonyTchia is inspired by the New Catalonia indigenous culture.
SonyA lot of Zelda influence here.
SonyRadiohead’s interactive “exhibition” (whatever that means), Kid A Mnesia.
SonyIn November, Radiohead and Epic Games will release an interactive walk through various 3D worlds inspired by the albums Kid A and Amnesiac.
Radiohead is partnering with Epic to make…whatever this is.
Sony
And some third-party originals
And if you’re the kind of Sony fan who gets exhausted by sequels, this presentation had a few gems for you, as well. Particular standouts: Tchia, a cute-looking cross-gen indie that resembles Zelda with animal-shapeshifting powers that are based on the indigenous culture of New Catalonia; a closer look at Tango Gameworks’ bizarre, aesthetically compelling Yokai-combat first-person, uh, magicker Ghostwire: Tokyo; and, coming completely out of left field, Kid A Mnesia, a Radiohead interactive “exhibition” (whatever that means) in development with Epic.
Finally, Forspoken, a sweeping third-person adventure previously teased by Square Enix, got a long-awaited gameplay reveal that makes it look less Final Fantasy-derivative and more like a charismatic, magic-pumped breath of fresh gaming air. It’s co-written by games industry legend Amy Hennig, which Ars generally considers a good sign—and it gives her an opportunity for redemption after her fallout with EA and Star Wars.
Listing image by Sony