This Week in Gaming: Everything shown at the PlayStation Showcase

While there were other things that happened this week, Sony’s PlayStation Showcase contained all the news that was fit to print, honestly. In 40 minutes, we got a glimpse of some juicy first-party titles coming to the PlayStation 5 in both the near and distant future. Here are the highlights.

God of War Ragnarok and the KotOR remake bookend the show

The first and last things we saw during the PlayStation Showcase were reveals of games we had heard were coming but had not yet seen. The first trailer shown was a teaser for the remake of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, long-rumored to be in the works at Aspyr and now officially confirmed. The trailer didn’t show very much except Darth Revan, along with a voice-over from Bastila describing them as “the greatest Sith in generations.” The game will be exclusive to the PS5 at launch, at least on consoles.

The last trailer we saw was the long-awaited God of War Ragnarok, the next installment in the story of Kratos and Atreus set in the world of ancient Norse myth. Kratos is, for once, actually discouraging someone from making trouble with the gods, as their latest nemesis is a vengeful Thor. He and Atreus must track down Tyr, the Norse god of war, to learn more about Ragnarok and whether Atreus is destined to set it off. We also got an extended look at the gameplay, which looks similar to that of the previous game, as well as several beautiful new realms. It was glorious to see the return of Kratos and Atreus, and I can’t wait to see them sometime next year.

Insomniac is making both Wolverine and Spider-Man 2

Someone check on Insomniac’s shoulders, because they have got to be aching from carrying the PS5-exclusive game library. They made Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, the PS5’s two best exclusives so far (sorry, Demon’s Souls, but I said it). Now they’re apparently making two more Marvel titles. The first shown at the PlayStation Showcase was Marvel’s Wolverine, which gave us a very brief glimpse of the titular mutant unsheathing his claws. This game is supposedly very early in development and probably won’t be out for years, but it’s a fun tease.

The second game shown is Spider-Man 2, which had a few surprises in store for us. The PlayStation Showcase reveal trailer implied that both Peter Parker and Miles Morales will be playable, and there may even be co-op. We also got a reveal of one of our villains and the mysterious appearance of the other. The latter might be Kraven the Hunter, as that’s who appears to be narrating the trailer. The big villain revealed is none other than Venom, who will be voiced by Tony Todd, the Candyman himself. Spider-Man 2 is set for a release sometime in 2023.

We got a ton of release dates…

Several of the game trailers shown at the PlayStation Showcase were of games we already knew about, but that doesn’t mean they were devoid of information. Several of the trailers provided release dates we hadn’t known about previously. For example, we found out that Gran Turismo 7 will release on March 4 and Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands on March 25, so at least that’s March covered. We also found out that the PS5 versions of Grand Theft Auto V and GTA Online have been delayed to March, so that’s another game we’ll be getting around that time.

A game with a slightly closer release date is Alan Wake Remastered, another game long-rumored to be in development that was confirmed shortly before the PlayStation Showcase. We got our first look at the game at the event, and the release date is October 5. We got a clan-centric trailer for the upcoming battle royale game Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodhunt, along with the confirmation that it will launch on PS5 sometime later this year.

…And everything else

The rest of the event was a mishmash of everything. We got a trailer each for Guardians of the Galaxy and Deathloop, with no new information but a little more story color. Similarly, the new trailer for Rainbow Six Extraction gave us a glimpse of the characters and gameplay. The biggest of these trailers was for Forspoken, the third-person action-adventure game that’s been slightly shrouded in mystery since it was revealed. We finally got to properly meet protagonist Frey, a human from our world who is not pleased to be dragged into Athia.

There were a few other trailers for games we’ve not yet seen — or, at least in the case of Ghostwire Tokyo, haven’t seen for a while. The trailer didn’t give us a release date, but at least it hasn’t been abandoned. We also got a trailer for a cartoonish adventure called Tchia, and a Korean action game called Project Eve, both of which look great. Last but not least, we learned that two Uncharted games will be coming to PC and PS5 via the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves bundle, which includes A Thief’s End and Lost Legacy.

September’s Free Games Via Subscription Services

PlayStation Now:

Tekken 7
Killing Floor 2
Final Fantasy VII
Windbound
Pathfinder: Kingmaker – Definitive Edition
Moonlighter

Games released this week:

Tales of Arise

The latest in the Tales series, Arise is an RPG about two worlds locked in conflict and two people who want to change the future.

Available on Xbox Series X/S

Available on PlayStation 5

Life is Strange: True Colors

The new Life is Strange follows Alex, who has the mysterious power to see emotions as colors, as she attempts to uncover the truth behind her brother's death.

Available on PlayStation 5

Available on Xbox Series X/S