PlayStation has been on a roll these past two weeks: State of Play, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and PlayStation Plus
Exploring the latest news and highlights from the PlayStation, featuring Death Stranding, Stellar Blade, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and more.
It’s been a while, y’all! But gaming hasn’t stopped one bit throughout the months we were away. These last two weeks have been eventful for gaming, especially for PlayStation.
PlayStation State of Play January 2024: The Highlights
We were given a 40-minute showcase of some of the most anticipated games coming to PS5 this year and beyond. The State of Play had something for everyone, from new reveals to extended gameplay. Here are some of the highlights of the event:
Stellar Blade
One of the most exciting games of the year, Stellar Blade is a sci-fi action game from developer Shift Up. The game puts you on a post-apocalyptic Earth, where a mysterious enemy has forced humans to flee to a colony. The main character, Eve, and her two partners, Adam and Lily, have to destroy mech-like enemies and hostile survivors. The State of Play gave us a deep dive into the game's combat, exploration, customization, and story. The game looks fire and action-packed; watching it feels like it has a mixture of Devil May Cry, Vanquish, and Bayonetta. It will launch exclusively on PS5 on April 26, 2024.
Rise of the Ronin
Team Ninja, the studio behind Nioh and Ninja Gaiden, is bringing us a new action-adventure game set in feudal Japan called Rise of the Ronin. The gameplay was refreshing to see because of the quick and extensive traversal and the combat. It gave me the vibe of Sekiro and Assassin's Creed 2. You can do a lot, from sneaking around like a Ninja, being a part of big group fights, exploring the world with the different types of tools available to you (like the wings reminded me of Ezio and Leonardo da Vinci missions), and enjoying the intense story. The State of Play gave us a detailed look at the game's hub world of Yokohama and some of the enemies, allies, and locations we will encounter. Rise of the Ronin is coming to PS5 on March 22, 2024.
Silent Hill 2 Remake and Silent Hill: The Short Message
One of the biggest surprises of the State of Play was the reveal of a remake of the classic horror game Silent Hill 2!! The game is being developed by Bloober team, the same developer that made Observer and The Medium. The remake will keep the same vibe as the original but upgrade the visuals, combat system, and camera view (which kind of looks like Resident Evil 2 Remake, which is nice). The gameplay did look a little janky, but it showed us some familiar scenes and enemies from the original game. There were more clips shared on Twitter that looked more refined than the trailer released, so I'm assuming the build shown in the State of Play was a couple of months older.
They also announced a free-to-play (no microtransaction gimmick) Silent Hill game exclusive to the PS5 called Silent Hill: The Short Message. It is a first-person perspective game and a brand new story. It reminds me of P.T. when that was released, but I doubt this will meet the same fate as that dope demo. I'll surely give it a try when I get the chance, but if y'all don't see a review from me, know it's because horror games are too much for me!
Sonic x Shadow Generations
Sega announced a new game featuring Sonic and my favorite Hedgehog, his rival, Shadow!! I haven't seen Shadow in so long, since... his original Gamecube game. Sonic x Shadow Generations is a crossover game combining elements from Sonic Generations and Shadow the Hedgehog. The game will let players switch between Modern and Classic Sonic as they explore different stages from both games and new ones. Shadow will have his own brand-new story, which I’m excited to see! Sonic x Shadow Generations is coming to PS5 later this year. Shadow even did his stance from his game as homage... now if only he had his gun.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach and Physint
The show ended off with a bang, as Hideo Kojima unveiled the official title and a new trailer for the sequel to his acclaimed 2021 game, Death Stranding. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach continues the story of Sam Porter Bridges, now working with a group named Drawbridge. They are a derivative/successor of the original Bridges group. The trailer featured some insane visuals, meaning they might use a newer version of Horizon’s Decima’s Engine. The new environments look very detailed, especially the character models. It seems like they’re also focusing more on the traversal and combat, taking note of people’s critiques of the original. Some characters are returning to the game, like Higgs (Troy Baker) and Fragile (Léa Seydoux), and we get a glimpse at the new cast, which includes Elle Fanning and George Miller (creator of the Mad Max movies)! Some of us were waiting to see if Clifford (Mads Mikkelsen) would be back, but unfortunately, it was confirmed he was not.
The trailer was around 9 minutes long, the longest reveal in the State of Play. One of my favorite parts of the trailer was when Higgs was revealed to be back, and he had an entirely new look with a lightning-electric guitar, which is cool as hell! He was fighting someone who seemed to be working with Sam Bridges, who was like a robotic samurai, being able to block the lightning attacks with his swords. With a Kojima game… it will always be stuff that’s going to confuse the heck out of us - but it’s going to look really awesome, and we'll end up playing it!
Kojima and the head of PlayStation Studios, Hermen Hulst, also teased a new action espionage game he is working on called Physint, which will utilize the best tech to make it so it will be hard to distinguish it from a movie and a video game. Kojima is returning to that type of game genre after almost ten years since Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes and Phantom Pain was released. Kojima mentioned that fans inspired him to return to the action espionage genre, which makes me happy to hear. Physint will be in full development after Death Standing 2 releases sometime in 2025, so I have a feeling that game will come out for the next generation PlayStation console.
More Games Were Shown!
Check out the State of Play for a deeper look at other games I didn’t talk about in-depth, like Dragons Dogma 2, Until Dawn Remake for PS5 and PC, Judas, and more!
Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth State of Play (February 2024)
At the end of last week’s State of Play, they announced a Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth State of Play for Tuesday, February 6. And the wait for that State of Play was interesting as it was leaked a day before that a demo was going to be released… and it indeed happened!
The showcase started off with a stunning final trailer for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, featuring Aerith’s beautiful voice singing “No Promises to Keep,” an original song made for Rebirth. The trailer revealed some new characters, locations, mini-games, and the main plot of this epic adventure.
One of the most impressive (and daunting) features of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the vast and seamless world map, which allows you to explore the diverse regions, from the lush grasslands to the industrial city of Junon, from the Corel region to the Gongaga, and from the Cosmo Canyon where you will learn more about Red XIII to Nibel region where Vincent is from. You can also explore the Meridian Ocean too, which takes me back to when you travel in Lost Odyssey. You can discover the secrets and history of each area, as well as interact with the locals and the wildlife.
Along the way, you can take on various odd jobs/quests, each with a unique side story that adds depth and flavor to the world and the characters. Some of these quests are exclusive to Rebirth and offer new challenges and rewards. You can also enjoy a variety of mini-games, such as Chocobo racing, Queen's Blood (a card game that will absolutely take up my time), soccer, and more.
What I like about this game is that they put more of an emphasis on making a connection with your teammates. Speaking with them means that you will be making choices that would make them appreciate your attentiveness and trust you more. Eventually, you can take them to the Gold Saucer on a date. Not only that, but it seems like you would be able to make choices that affect the main story, so that would be interesting to see!
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth still keeps the combination of real-time action and strategic commands from Remake. Now, you can control each character when roaming the world and in combat and switch between them at any time. Each character has unique abilities and weapons, which can be customized and upgraded. You can also mix combos with combat synergy, a feature that allows you to coordinate attacks and skills with your allies. The higher your level, the more options you have in the combat synergy menu. I liked seeing the different abilities in action; it shows how much work they put into this!
Last but not least, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth holds a fantastic soundtrack, with over 400 new tracks that remix and reimagine the original music. They have also released a demo on PS5 for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth that lets you play the flashback mission with Cloud and Sephiroth and learn more about them. Before Final Fantasy VII Rebirth releases on February 29th, 2024, they will update the demo a little bit beforehand so we can experience the open-world gameplay with the Junon region. When you complete the demo, you will unlock a Kupo Charm and Survival set for the full release, so play it if you can!
February PlayStation Plus and Spider-Man 2 Update
Anyone that are PlayStation Plus subscribers are in for a treat this month, as three new games are joining the service’s monthly lineup. The biggest game on there is Foamstars. It puts two teams against each other using foam guns to create terrain, surf around the arena, and foam up the opposition. Think of it as Square Enix’s version of Splatoon.
The other two games joining PlayStation Plus in February are Rollerdrome and Steelrising. Rollerdrome is a third-person shooter-skater game that blends quick combat with fluid movement and trick mechanics. Steelrising is an action RPG set in an alternate history Paris, where Louis XVI and his army of robots have suppressed the French Revolution. All three games became available to PlayStation Plus members on Tuesday, February 6, and will end on Monday, March 4.
PlayStation Plus Premium members can also play a two-hour trial of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. This is interesting because the day after, Insomniac Games announced that the game would receive a significant update on March 7th. The update will include the highly requested New Game Plus mode, which lets players replay the game with all their upgrades and suits unlocked. The update will also introduce new suits for Peter and Miles. Insomniac Games will reveal more details about the update closer to the launch date.
Thank you for reading/reaching the end of the article! Stay tuned for more articles in the coming days, including our review of Tekken 8 for PS5!