I think the most striking aspect of the Playstation 5 live event is how they started with Grand Theft Auto 5. In terms of mainstream gaming, GTA 5 is a monster, and the fact that it is moving to the next console generation is not a surprise. But it almost seemed like Sony wanted to get that out of the way, in order to focus on the new, stranger products that will apparently define the early days of the PS5. So, here are 4 thoughts I have on the weird direction the PS5 seems to be taking.
- A Lack of Bro Games
No insult intended here. Sometimes, you gotta shoot some stuff wit yo bros, right? I don’t know what I am doing. But, if you had told me that the PS5 reveal would only include two first-person shooters, I would have said you were crazy. While Call of Duty and Battlefield have lost a little of their power in recent years, they are still pillars of the industry. Add to that how big Battle Royale games have become, and you might understand my surprise that the only FPS games that were shown included a weird anime nightmare and a confusing time loop mystery. Both Ghostwire: Tokyo and Death Loop are games that appear to be intentionally stretching the boundaries of what constitutes a first-person shooter. Of the two, Death Loop appears the most conventional (in fact, Ghostwire might be more of a horror RPG), but due to its time-bending mechanics and grindhouse movie aesthetic, it seems like a whole different beast. Speaking of “beasts…”
- All Ages Games for the Little… Darlings
I could be wrong, but I would find it shocking if the Xbox X has much of a focus on games for children. This is not a knock on Microsoft. Instead it is intended to highlight my surprise that there were three games announced during this reveal that were unequivocally for all ages. Sackboy is the least shocking, and Astro’s Playroom almost seems like a demo for the capabilities of the new controller. And then there is Bugsnax. For years, religions have wondered how to tell children about the concept of eternal damnation. With Bugsnax, we have the answer. It is a game about a truly disturbing hellscape, where the player eats googly eyed, sentient food, and then takes on the property of that food. The horror of this is shown through a character telling the story of how he has set a town on fire, due to not being able to hold a torch because he has “weenie hands.” The horror.
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits wins “Best in Show”
I went back and forth between Kena and Little Devil Inside when considering what I thought was the most exciting game announced. And for the record, I am not trying to be a contrarian here. Resident Evil 8, Horizon: Forbidden West, and Spider-Man: Miles Morales all look amazing. But Little Devil Inside and Kena both left me wanting to know more. And while Little Devil Inside, with its intriguing art style and what appears to be multi-faceted gameplay, looks amazing, Kena: Bridge of Spirits is the game I am most intrigued about. The art style seems to cross Pixar with Mayazaki, and the little black spirits who accompany Kena seem to be as useful as they are adorable. How you combine Kena’s abilities with the abilities of the adorable spirits seems to constitute the conceit of the game. Combine that with the lush fantasy world that has been created, and Kena: Bridge of Spirits could be something truly memorable.
- Look At This Cat From “Stray”
Look at it
