Published , by Shack Staff
Published , by Shack Staff
There were some exciting announcements to come out of Thursday's State of Play presentation from PlayStation. There's now a clearer picture of what's coming to Sony's console later this year, but what single announcement stood out to the Shacknews staff. We're weighing in with our picks and welcome you to chime in with your own.
I'm a sucker for mascot platformers. I grew up on Mario, Sonic, and Crash. I even enjoy the second and third-tier ones. I thought Super Lucky's Tale was a perfectly underappreciated romp, for example. That's why I was thrilled to see Astro Bot, which I fully expected to be a cynical marketing ploy for other PlayStation properties. And, granted, it is that, judging by how many cameos are on display, but it looks like a lot of fun too. So sure, count me in.
I've been very excited to see the next mainline Monster Hunter come to fruition and everything we saw in the State of Play just stoked that fire. The monsters looked burly and unforgiving, the Great Sword's new attacks have me excited for upgrades to my own main weapon classes, and the weather effects and terrain look rugged as heck.
And let's talk about character design. Capcom's RE Engine has made for beautiful and stylish characters for years, but they're looking top of their game in Wilds. I especially liked who I assume must be our new handler and guide. She looked cool as hell, like she belonged in Street Fighter or Devil May Cry. It also gets me hyped to make my own character. Top-notch showing all around and I'm excited to see more.
After taking nearly a decade off of the Monster Hunter series, I am ready to spend 400 hours preparing for battles with giant monsters and fishing for random stuff. Monster Hunter Wilds looks like it builds on everything they got right in Monster Hunter World, and I am ready to sink hundreds of hours into that world again.
While there is little question that I will spend 1,000 hours in Monster Hunter Wilds, most of our team chose that, and Sam Chandler is about to tell you all about it again in his response below. Thanks a lot, Sam!
Instead, I'm going to talk about God of War Ragnarok coming to PC. I'm smack in the middle of Ghost of Tsushima on PC after waiting nearly four years to play that game. I'm a PC nerd to my core, and I never did get around to beating Ragnarok on PS5. However, I'm definitely going to play it to completion on PC when it releases. So, in the interest of not making this a sweep for Monster Hunter Wilds, I'm going with God of War Ragnarok.
Monster Hunter World was the first MH game I played and I totally got it. I totally understood why players have long loved the series. I didn't really connect with the Stories spin-offs or even Rise, but the upcoming release of Wilds has me jazzed. Every single thing I see about this upcoming title looks incredible and the gameplay trailer from State of Play ratified my position: this game is gonna rule.
I'll be the outsider on this one! I think the world and characters for Concord actually look really cool. That cinematic kind of made me wish this was a narrative-driven story game, but the PvE looks solid, too. It has its own style, and the decision to launch simultaneously on PC might actually give this thing a fighting chance. Why not!
What was my favorite announcement from PlayStation's June 2024 State of Play? I think if I have to come up with one word to describe the presentation, it would be “ok.” There were a few games that I could see myself playing when they were released, but for the most part, the presentation didn't really do anything for me. Infinity Nikki looks like a fun time and one of those games that you don't know what to think going into it and then having a fun time. Until Dawn is another game that caught my interest. I like watching streamers play games like this because it feels like I'm watching a movie. I think the idea of picking scenarios for characters that I like and doom the ones I hate is fun, too.
Astro Bot reminds me a lot of an old-school Nintendo game and that always get me interested. I also like when games pay homage to history with little easter eggs strewn throughout the gameplay. My answer for this question would have to be Astro Bot with honorable mention to Infinity Nikki and Until Dawn.
Those are our picks, but what are yours? Let us know what impressed you from the May 2024 State of Play. Join the conversation and let us know in the comments or jump into the Official Shacknews Community Discord.