Round Up: What Was Announced at Summer Game Fest 2023?

I knew this would be crap... but it was really crap lol

It was worse than PS showcase

I guess there were no new game announcements that were ready. We should not forget Geoff delivered Elden Ring before

I couldn't find the Push Square article for this: https://www.dualshockers.com/summer-game-fest-2023-preview-best-ever-year-for-gaming/ But I mean I was just going to play Disgaea 7 and Pikmin 4 anyways this year (Atlas Fallen/Immortals of Aveum as a side on other platforms) and my 2022 games I haven't gotten around to yet buying cheap this year besides the many retro games I'm looking at currently.... So for the year it's pretty 'fine'.... not the best.

Nick Cage sure for Dead by Daylight fans sure, otherwise.... a well known actor on stage, sure. I mean for a survivor then villains sure but not got much else to say I don't know enough about DBD at all so.....

I didn't have high expectations. I don't care for anything in this event but I won't deny some Indies in the after section were interesting for artstyle, mechanics and chillness to hectic, some in the main show were alright. I mean Viewfinder I like because I like perspectives used for puzzle games (EchoChrome as an example).

Sand Land gave me Blue Dragoon vibes but not sure what to think of it yet seems interesting.

Balder's Gate looked good..... Whenever it's coming besides its' early access or whatever prior state. Not my thing not into those types of RPGs (but I know people that are) but still cool to see I guess.

FF7 Rebirth buildup was hilarious yes we already know it's coming Geoff how was that surprising at all. It shows more and it looks good yes but I mean I expected something 'different' with the way he hyped it up not something we already know is coming even for how much more good we saw of it. If a big deal is something we already know exists and people already excited for it are then 'something actually new that matches the hype' then sure but while yes a good showing of FF7 Rebirth the hyping up was ridiculous. Might as well just spoil it's FF7 Rebirth (people would still tune in to the end anyway to see it especially for what was shown) than hyping it up.

Where it my Doordash Chocobo special meal oh they couldn't do that, would have been more fitting (I don't use Doordash but I mean come on at least tie it in they had their Warframe TikTok mention even).

The problem is the AAA publishers (less so the European AA ones or certain Asian publishers so they offer on Summer Game Fest because they don't hold their own shows but then again most people don't care for many of the games shown there either so you have a problem there) can show whatever they need to on their terms, so while Summer Game Fest is getting there why would publishers bother when they have their own time to make their own and whenever a date is suitable for them to show their games off.

Prince of Persia in 2D is fine but it's just a filler title because Sands of Time remake isn't ready still. I don't want to say it but I mean it doesn't have the same impact as Metroid Dread does I think of 'look at this IP and a return to 2D'. Maybe a sizeable amount but I think most people into that IP were into the 3D ones then the handful of 2D entries.

Remnant 2 seemed fine for those that liked the first. It's a fair game. I don't like Darksiders 3 (more so the issue compared to other entries in the series), Remnant seems fine enough, or Chronos: Before the Ashes (both DS3 and Chronos are souls clones and I can't get into them. So Gunfire games don't really have anything for me the same way Atlas Fallen does (don't know the dev making it).

Space Marine is fine but it's a 10 year old shooter sequel and many Warhammer series (whichever side of the universe) have been out constantly so can people tell the difference or care likely I don't know but I wouldn't be surprised if people care or not and don't blame them either.

The AAA we already knew about. How much do they need to sell me on Immortals of Aveum already I don't need to hear about it anymore EA! I already am onboard with it anyone else has made their mind up if they care or not!

Otherwise..... yeah the AAs didn't impress when they are supposed to fill in the gap but yet the industry has trends, certain games we don't care about and I struggle to care so while the industry does what they do I go 'yeah more second hand market games of hidden gems or big IPs I haven't gotten around to yet please'.

I find it funny gaming is 'bigger' yet I'm more underwhelmed every year so where is this creativity, I'm constantly not interested in many to any of these games they keep showing us at these shows.

I hate when they have nothing to show for AAA when they did at the PS Showcase already (many of which are on Xbox/PC anyway so who cares showing them) so other than 'another' show presence why bother.

What for release dates to Spiderman that people were going to buy regardless of finding out this info (and many people that buy it don't tune into Summer Games Fest or PS Showcases) and if the preorders are coming who cares they aren't convincing people already on board more then they already are.

People already interested or not in the big IPs and if the lower level devs don't convince you have a problem and no amount of 'look how cool this is' is going to convince gamers on this many zombie games, action RPGs and whatever else that doesn't have an appealing enough hook.

Also Witcher/Twisted Metal trailers cool but it's a gaming show regardless of being (book for Witcher) but gaming IPs.

I mean even then I don't have high expectations for a Croc HD but hey why not if it 'actually' happens I doubt it. We don't even have Glover on modern platforms and got that announcement a while back.

Sure it can be a case of us wanting our favourite IPs but there is old IP revivals I'd care for and they sit dead because oh the big ones instead but yet not many people are borrowing from them (where is my Sega GT/Apex/Supercar Street Challenge car builder, smart use of animals in games most of them are pathetic, where it my Battlefield 2 Modern Combat or Driver San Francisco swap feature, where are the cool mechanics of dead IPs if they aren't going to revive the IPs hmmm oh wait they don't take from them at all what a waste) or other twist to new IPs but many of them aren't doing it for me with current trends.

And he had the audacity to throw shade at E3 .... LMAO

And people made fun of the PS showcase... yeesh.

Sure, I'm stoked for Remnant 2 (but only its release date was announced). And that zombie game from John Carpenter looks fun as heck, but... That's a B-tier co-op shooter.

Like... Where was the big crazy AAA sorta reveals? Weak as heeeeeeeeeeell.

FFVII Rebirth was cool and all but I'm pre-ordering a Doordash pizza as we speak. If you pre-order now you get free stomach cramps the next day.

@BeerIsAwesome Talos Principle 2 was announced at the PlayStation Showcase.

Aw2 showing was disappointing, only showing a small part of what was already shown before.

Then i had read phantom liberty was supposed to be showed.., another disappointment.

N Cage, oh wow, yawn lol.

Pretty decent show overall. I’d rate it a bit higher than whatever Sony tried to do. Last years show was better.

So much for the people coping saying sony held back for this event lol

Graphical MK1 looks better than SF6, but i think SF6 is looking like the better game and it’s out now. Thats not to say I thought MK1 looked bad. Just didn’t do anything for me to make me wait for it and play it more than SF. Plus supporting Capcom right now seems to be a pro gamer move. They have been good to us lately.

@BeerIsAwesome Fair enough since it was so disappointing.

@Shad361 True. All they held back was the release date and pre-order announcement for Spider-Man 2, but nothing new game reveal wise. The fact that they held even that back for this show makes their Showcase even a little worse.

Worse than the PS showcase.

Now there's only Capcom's showcase to look forward to. Dragon's Dogma 2 is said to be making an appearance and that already makes it a winner in my eyes.

@SuntannedDuck2 My mind had erased the awful Twisted Metal teaser.

Why did Sony ever think the Twisted Metal IP was the ideal one for a tv show? It's like they make bad decision after bad decision on purpose.

It wasn’t a bad show but the way Geoff hyped it up made me want more. I was expecting jaw dropping moments and to be fair it did deliver at the end with ff7 rebirth. But the show needed 2 more of those moments.

A lot of fake gamers here it seems I loved it! was loads shown I wanna play
Price of Persia the lost crown
Mortal Kombat
Path of exile 2
Witchfire
Space marine 2
Alan wake 2
Yes your grace snowfall
Toxic commando
Banishers
Under the waves
Lies of p
La funga
Turbo overkill
Warhaven
Immortals of aveum
Pal world
Final fantasy 7 rebirth

It’s an okay show, I don’t have much hype for it so I’m not disappointed.

No interest in Under the Waves, it looks incredible. Shame on you Push Square for not mentioning that in the article! (I know you’re tired from all the articles you had to make)

Like A Dragon to look forward to at the end of the year.

Also, really tired of reading peoples moans about these shows. Yeah they’re usually crap but can you maybe focus on what you want to play and not seemingly jump on every shows case because others are doing so.

It was okay, but only MK, Sonic and Yakuza were the highlights for me personally.

@SuntannedDuck2 "I find it funny gaming is 'bigger' yet I'm more underwhelmed every year so where is this creativity"
Good question. There are presumably many reasons, I can see the following:

Concerning wow factor due to graphical fidelity:

• the gap between successive generations gets less noticeable each generation. Yes, PS5 is more powerful, but often the step up in graphical fidelity or game complexity. in particular wrt. ps4 pro is less obvious.
• the game engines presumably already got so complex that it is more and more work to streamline them for new hardware, or develop a new engine optimised for a new generation which just reaches the quality of an existing engine.
  [Maybe the unreal engine5 games will wow us, once they come. But I have my doubts. ]

Concerning creativity:

• to develop games which compete with the top games, enormous teams are needed, which are more and more difficult to manage and maybe even to find good people for.
• the cost of single games is so high, development times get longer and longer, studios seem to try to minimise the risk by banking on established IPs and concepts.
• there are so many games, a lot of things have been tried already, it is just more difficult to improve upon the existing catalogue of games and come up with something new than it was back then when there was only pong. I think it is also easy to miss a very unquie, new idea since there are just so many new games.
• people are not really interested in new ideas. The top-sellers are fifa, cod, gta, mario cart every year (for VR, beat saber and job simulator). There are certainly better,, more unique games than those (I have to say I personally think that beat saber is/was a really good idea albeit being a kind of obvious one, and I enjoyed the story of gta and it is presumably a fun sandbox)

Thank you square 2 discs I know the whole game will be on my discs. Go well in my collection 👍 uh where's my Alan wake 2 disc release 🤦

We are at a stage where AAA games are taking so long to make, and are so expensive that there just aren't enough to do regular big reveals so we'll all be disappointed. Then you look at the Day of Devs events and announcements and there are like loads of amazing looking smaller titles.

Best thing about the show was that most of the games showed some gameplay and not just cgi after cgi

2D Prince of persia game looked pretty awesome to be fair! Twisted metal looks horrendous ☠️

It was a pretty good showcase, much better than Sony's. Well done Geoff.

Maybe I’m missing something but at SGF when Geoff said “the rumours were true” about FF7 Rebirth, what did he mean? What were the rumours?

The show was 500% better than the PS Showcase. The games were 200% worse. I'm not sure if that's a W or L really. I enjoyed watching it more than watching the terrible PS show, but I saw less interesting games. But I remember them better because they were presented better. I don't really like Geoff, but this was definitely his best presentation, as a show, so far.

@KAIRU I assume he means about how the 7 day twitter fest was a lead-in to bigger reveal at his show.

@NEStalgia Ah, I see. Thanks for informing me!

Tali’s Principal 2 with a 2023 release date! Woo! It’s been so long (and Serious Sam 4 was a damp squib), I was starting to think this wouldn’t happen

I actually thought it was pretty great overall. Mortal Kombat, Prince of Persia, Sonic Superstars, and FF7 Rebirth? And gameplay, let me emphasize that, GAMEPLAY was shown. That's a win in my book.

Overall, I think it was a very enjoyable and diverse show that moved along nicely. There were a good bunch of cool games, a little bit of something for probably almost everyone. I really don't know what some people expect from these shows and presentations ...

I thought it was great! Im beyond hyped for MK1 now. The gameplay looks amazing and adding assist characters will really change up the kombat. Surprisingly im also excited for the Sonic game because of the co op multiplayer.

@arsmolinarc No idea. I don't know the thoughts the Twisted Metal community has on the TV show/more games or whatever the case.

I am glad it's getting something but if it's not what people want that's understandable 'especially with how they are going about showing it too' I did thing the humour was a bit eh though in the trailer. Whatever direction it's going of just Sweet Tooth or others (got to show them like Captain Falcon in F Zero being commonly shown of course) or whatever the premise who knows yet but yeah while I'm not big on these tv/movie uses of the IPs (yes wider audience appeal/newcomers, yes use of the IPs, yes more money, etc.) I don't know what to think/say either for Twisted Metal.

Then again if Destruction Allstars was Twisted Metal it would have been hilariously bad too because of such an eh direction to take it.

I assume they got the 'tone' right with the trailer? I've only played the first game via PS Classic (the mini console) that's it I haven't bought up the other games yet like I have MotorStorm (almost all of them) or certain Socom games as I missed out on many of them and working my way through finding whichever I can (I could emulate them maybe and see) so most of it is lost on me what's the correct way they should present Twisted Metal.

But even then when I thought about a WipEout movie I was like it has potential and anything to cover up WipEout Rush the better. But do we 'need' one eh not really.

@gaston
1.Agreed it is less noticeable in graphics each gen. Then again I find that even the 'AI or animations and more' are still fairly similar and some Indies push animation and other more interesting angles of mechanics and those seem more compelling.

Companies set what our expectations are of certain games and we may or may not have them as our standard of what we seek for other games. Yes they have many things to focus on as companies, many financial, social, environmental and other aspects as well they aren't modders and what they are able to do or Indie expectations are just well what many gamers seeking (the ones willing to buy them more so then casuals going for more familiar hobby or other type Indies which is fine many of them can be good but instead of again only so many farming, whatever sims, whatever trending bait and other such games can offer too, some really eh, others really cool) those are then gamers and casuals expectations that's clear but I mean a cameo does only so much too as well then what the games they cameo had in the first place.

Thing is too we had games like Haven Call of the King flop (like many Traveller's Tales games do) but yet with Star Wars Battlefront 3 (downscaled to Elite Squadron), to No Man's Sky, Mass Effect Andromeda tried but then backtracked on it and now Starfield having space to ground I've been curious about since digging up Haven/SWB3 info and seeing what is possible. Like I know procedural generation of Daggerfall and other games dungeons is not the same but how many companies only have so much time with procedural generation and can get it work before just giving up (even if it can be used in loot systems likely) is just sad.

Starfield having some key planets be hand drawn and the rest bonus is a fair angle to take it, it leaves the things people want with the game and a proper story then the awkwardness procedural could provide and limits of a story on those planets then the hand crafted ones that are going to be more focused (besides just resource gathering making sense for those or whatever side content) and what players expect and what the devs are known for and that personality they can offer with enough control.

I assume also maybe enough if they wanted to flexibility of dynamic events (if devs are willing to that is) or just smart enough use of dialogue choices with 'impact' than the limits of past dialogue systems (I don't have high hopes it will push past the norms as much (it requires a lot to make dialogue and other aspects work of course I do know that but still I'm up for devs challenging themselves to make them more in-depth and effective especially with how complex it is to make it work impressively and blocking content which no devs want to do sadly but makes it more effective I think at least).

but still that's another areas devs need to work on as many have been good/bad, more info (just wheels to select with no purpose of actions just talking) or not really effecting the game as much so who cares if I don't get along with a character if I maybe do or don't need to get access to say the engineering deck or said quests in the local fantasy RPG pub I'm never blocked off from content I can still access them (or other possible examples I haven't come up with that are likely (say no discount for weapons/health items for example) just disappointing characters it doesn't have much effect on the player besides certain limits of factions or if they really do much in combat I think if I remember correctly).

Or choices of combat/exploration and more possibilities of course it depends how standard it will be and how dynamic and not intentional strict design is in it but i assume most of it will be very well standard and it's fine enough at least (of the '1000' which they won't tell us how many are hand crafted and story planets and which are procedural even if 900 of them likely are anyway aka the marketing isn't going to work on me because I know better XD).

Like racing games of old allowed enough limits while still working as challenge runs for people these days of 'hmm what limits do I want to put on myself' with just enough hmm what do I need here to remember, is suitable for doing this. Just like any melee/ranged weapon, gear or health and buff items to fit a solution or the right path for stealth. Yet many of them are so dumbed down. What happened to a 'balance' of oh well Forza Motrosport 4 offers the 3 options linear way (still better than FM6 offers of so linear it's hilarious) but the 'all events option' with all choice.

No 'you need to use this car with this drivetrain, these tyres, this range of horse power or PP/PI (whatever points that even shooters use of gear score these days) and other complexity' to it for casuals, it's there but the simpler way allows casuals to play and not go 'what do I do here' or hate jumping through menus they can just let the game check for them what they can do next with 3 options of race paths and what requirements they can meet (just like getting a good enough score to beat a level to get to other levels or having 3 open but if you get stuck you have 2 open and then 1 and then whatever from there of stuck and not) and skilled players can do the complexity if they wish to.

So why companies haven't allowed a balance since in say racing (or puzzle level design then just skipping) then other genres is beyond me. It works well then just a difficulty select being the only factor and a forced progression for 'all' players. Or enough simplification/breakdown for players that are wanting a casual experience.

It's why a puzzle skip option makes sense or hints or just 'easier puzzles' (which never happens because that's more dev time so skip option it is). Which I always find sad why not offer it then only combat/health/damage values for difficulty then more level design based difficulty, alternate paths, easy puzzles, it would be nice to see but I know it's a lot more work involved. Sigh.

Like playing as a Sofa/Lawnmower in Wreckfest (and a follow up of Flatout's design) is the most fun in a racing game (besides Grid Legends being a good enough game that I didn't want to put it down but it wasn't perfect just good enough) I've had that's modern (of the few then just 2000s era ones most of the time/ones I missed out on in the 2010s/exploring some 2010s-2020s ones) no matter how silly it is or based on real things they are. I don't even care it's fictional cars/close likeness to real cars. Like that level of silliness is great to see and I'm not even into that type of thing at all but I will play games with that stuff in it just like I will arcade sports games if the ideas are interesting enough of a spin on the sports or a new sport idea for a game.

2.Agreed the engines are getting more complex or it's taking time to update them months to years in advance for the consoles that's totally understandable for them to do yes to take advantage of these new consoles properly like they have PCs by now with such features, whether the games evolve in some ways who knows but in terms of not being held back, whatever ideas lend themselves to tweaking their engines then sure.

3.Yes large teams are needed and what those teams come up with. Then again we have some teams that go 'hmm look at the past' others look forward and some either have fine ideas, repeated ideas or copy competitors and it can be quite sad and disappointing to see the 'we had a spin on this idea' and it not being an exciting spin on the idea as I'd like to see if they were going to (I'm fine with them doing it if it's a good enough spin on things then just 'we had to to compete' as the obvious answer) or it's well the same played out directions we have seen.

3 or 4 I forget.I think around PS3/360 some games were just ridiculously 'forced' to be expensive and I found that odd. To do new things like open worlds more than we had with the PS2/Xbox/GameCube sure I get that but some areas didn't need that much push or these added models to them. Some benefitted I guess but many were pushing way too high. We don't need A list actors for example it may get people interested but do we 'really' need them no. Do we 'licensed music' when original is more creative, more memorable, more exciting same as movies I don't remember them and I don't find the impact is there then music made 'for' it not 'put whatever is popular and the lyrics match enough people gravitate towards familiar artists right?' I know they are 'big' studios so they want to reep big but when certain areas are compromised/lacking/more flat or standard and not given enough time it is disappointing.

4.I won't deny many ideas have been done but also many ideas have been one and dones too. Like I said later in my comment, those ideas I 'want' to see back because 'only those games' actually did them. Obviously I haven't played every game but even then I played Spectrobes on Wii and it did the 'have your spectrobe attack' or 'a tale of two brothers with both analogue sticks' in a more effective way then the double up act of DMC5 or Bayonetta 3 it was just baffling to see both do the summon mechanic and both mess it up with the controls of how to control 2-3 characters why not half and half it, take control away from 1 to another. They could have easily solved it but no Bayo 3 went we need to compete and also has just as awkward controls who actually sat down and thought about that properly. The fact Bayonetta Origins fixes it is fine but the 'mochi' quote annoyed me. I can come up with the solution by thinking about it properly not some properly meaning to it no matter how they want to dress it up. I think game design not 'oh this relation of sorts' it's called thinking how some is suitable design to play, animate, and more.

Like I mean PN03 was a dead end (in other ways RE games still have their movement, Lost Planet had it's aiming be sort of rail gun like in a way, Monster Hunter and Dynasty Warriors are their own directions) of tank and a few fighting game inputs for special moves and auto aim. I mean Japan it goes either way of some pushing for more standard experiences while others more out of this world that only Indies would do otherwise in comparison because they just think of other things then just 'we made a competitive thing' it's something niche and completely strange but cool to an audience seeking something different that may not even play games then just oh it's realistic like. The same way many farming sims, building and survival games exist and is something Indies do but we maybe see some AAA have aspects of just not as deep as the others even if RPGs could easily have survival game elements to them and be extremely more tedious, hard or more focus for the player but the rewards different and the use of items more then just a health item or a combat buff.

Guns don't always have to be for combat they can be for puzzles after all, or navigation.

We don't do that these days with PN03's control scheme and it's understandable why. But then you get generic animal games while 3D platformers are the only ones using them more excitingly. Sure being an animal is fine but if the situations are rather boring who cares how 'realistic' it is if the situations aren't worth it, who cares for a meow button when something else that's useful can be used there or the meow has a 'purpose' to interact with something like another character, a terminal, then say a large meow attack or something, the mechanics, the realism holds it back in some cases then whatever creative potential has of 'not being realistic' and it can end up better for it than too many restrictions.

5.I know people like 'safe' or 'recognisable' or 'plastic/overly saturated' or whatever looks in design (especially if realistic it's clear why then some new universe rules from entertainment for people to understand even if many sitcoms and otherwise have fiction elements no one would realistically act like anyway but that gets skipped over as what ifs or suits).

Once people have their minds set it has to be that way in some cases not all depends on the person of course. I won't deny there is many games to miss with unique ideas many hidden gems or just not as great execution that can be improved on again if tried. I know I have seen many cool AAA or AA and under no matter how niche past games and it's cool seeing what I missed and digging them up myself or others that dig them up and I get to see what they are.

But when we get more impressive animations or AI and other stuff what are people's responses I wonder? Like sure motion controls but I wonder if people actually think more interesting animations but still on analogue sticks is possible and if people are willing to accept things like that then the standard animations we usually see in games.

But I do think it's more than just 'Fifa, COD, GTA, Mario Kart' I won't deny playing other Kart racers or say Double Dash's idea dropped are interesting even if 'family fun and it's mario kart so it's recognisable' counts more as people look to the themes and graphics of COD/GTA a lot. Whatever gets people existed in those games especially GTA online content and how they present the ads hence people keep buying GTA5 all the time with each new addition of GTA Online.

Beat Saber is a good idea it's a good direction for rhythm games for sure. Some others like it do go a bit far I think and are more confusing to play. I think people make some great levels/use songs well with them on PC.

GTA sandboxes do impress. I don't care for the games but Rockstar makes the interactivity impressively cool and less strict then other developers do. The environments look good and I can't say for the stories I'm not into crime thrillers or Mafia/Gangster stuff but it seems well done. I found Mafia games more interesting how they handled things but I won't deny that GTA games are well designed (can't say for the controls though having not played them and if they are good or not).

Many failed games can be looked at for ideas 'if anyone looks over and goes you know what lets try again it didn't work in this game due to these other factors players may have been compelled my more or that studio's execution of them but it may work in ours' is just want I want to see more then just 'oh it didn't work' no it's because of the marketing, the other things around it then just the mechanics or level design or dialogue/tone or whatever (or following whatever movies have animated or live action and just being disappointing they lose their charm to be more generic then oh we have a parody tone not anymore we don't) that didn't work it's that maybe it didn't appeal with it's setting, level design and themes more than the mechanics just being a dead end.