Another PlayStation Showcase is upon us, and Sony has knocked it out of the park once again. The PlayStation Showcase 2021 gave us a glimpse into lots of new Sony games and some we already knew about; we got some gameplay footage for a couple of hotly anticipated first-party IPs, and we also got some surprise announcements that we weren’t expecting imminently (but that nevertheless came as a wonderful surprise). Without further ado, let’s take a look at the best of the PlayStation Showcase 2021 presentation!
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 was finally announced
At last, we now have official confirmation that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is happening. Don’t get us wrong; Miles Morales was an excellent game, and we were happy to see the young webslinger take the mantle for his time in the spotlight. However, Miles Morales wasn’t a flagship title, and we didn’t get to see any of the franchise’s iconic villains make an appearance. The Spider-Man 2 trailer showed off Venom, as well as featuring a voiceover that sounded like it came from Kraven the Hunter. We’re excited.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is a timed PS5 console exclusive
Sorry, Xbox fans. Aspyr’s upcoming Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake is hitting PS5 and PC first, then coming to Xbox at a later date. Unfortunately, we got little more than a teaser trailer for the RPG, but even that was enough to get us excited for this one. BioWare’s 2003 effort is showing its age at this point, so here’s hoping this remake can revitalise the franchise. It’s the potential KotOR II remake that we’re really looking forward to, though.
Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection looks ace
We’ve long been anticipating checking out Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy on the new super-powered PS5, and thanks to the new Legacy of Thieves Collection, we can do exactly that. The collection remasters the games, giving them a much smoother framerate and a visual makeover, and what’s more, it’s coming to PC as well! We’re excited to see the potential the mod community will wring out of this one.
Insomniac’s Wolverine game has us excited
We didn’t get to see too much of the upcoming Marvel’s Wolverine – in development by the same studio working on Spider-Man 2 – at the PlayStation Showcase 2021, but what we did see thrilled us nonetheless. The teaser trailer shows Logan sitting alone at a bar, surrounded by the prostrate bodies of enemies he’s taken down. When a goon gets up for a second round, Wolverine unsheathes his claws, and the title shows. Just that footage alone was enough to make us want to play the game, so it did its job!
God of War: Ragnarok got a gameplay trailer
We finally got to see some God of War: Ragnarok gameplay during the PlayStation Showcase 2021 presentation. It looks largely the same as its predecessor on this front; lots of up-close third-person action in which Kratos brutalises his enemies using a variety of weapons. Atreus is growing up, and his rebellion against Kratos looks like it’s going to be a central theme of the story. The trailer tantalisingly teases “war with Asgard”, and it’s about time we got to see Kratos battle some real Norse gods.
Tchia looks adorable
And now to a new, unproven IP. Described as a “tropical open-world adventure”, Tchia allows its titular protagonist to take control of any animal or object in the world. There’s also a fully playable ukulele in the game, which we’re here for. Tchia is inspired by the landscape and culture of New Caledonia, and as far as we know, this is the first time the territory has ever been represented in video game form. The game looks vibrant, colourful, and intriguing, so we’ll be putting this one on our radar.
Forspoken got a story trailer
Square Enix’s upcoming RPG Forspoken finally gave us some context regarding its story. We are Frey, a woman who is dragged into the world of Athia and must survive its harsh wilderness. She’s aided by Cuff, her bracelet companion, who sits on her wrist and offers snarky observations about her situation. Gameplay-wise, Forspoken will focus on traversal and movement mechanics, and we got to see some of those in action in the PlayStation Showcase 2021 trailer as well.
Ghostwire: Tokyo looks…weird
As we’d expect from Resident Evil head honcho Shinji Mikami, Ghostwire: Tokyo looks bizarre and unsettling. We got to see a new gameplay trailer for the game, showing us some of the demonic enemies and psychic powers you’ll get to encounter as you play it. Mikami’s latest creation looks like a somewhat more grounded Death Stranding, with some of its giant monsters resembling Kojima’s BTs. Here’s hoping Tokyo makes just a little more sense than Kojima’s flawed masterpiece.
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy looks action-packed
Last but not least, we loved the look of what we saw of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, which sees its titular heroes journeying across the galaxy and getting into all kinds of scrapes along the way. Marvel’s Avengers may have been a loot-filled disappointment, but GotG looks like it’s going to bring things back to basics, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order-style. With plenty of action and snarky quips on offer, fans of the MCU versions of the Guardians are bound to love this one as well.
These were our favourite announcements and trailers at the PlayStation Showcase 2021. Did we miss anything? What was the star of the show for you?