There are many good things about the world of gaming and one of them, for me, is the convention. As a kid, you’d always see pictures and videos of new games, all big banners and stands. As a journalist, it’s even nicer to go behind the scenes, play exclusive previews and see how big the industry is. Fortunately, we were invited by the HoYoverse team to go to Gamescom this year, so we did.
A week-long event, packed with new releases, shows and even Opening Night Live, Gamescom has been on my list since becoming a journalist. Whilst I didn’t get to see ONL, I did get to experience the show for a few days.
So come with me as I recap the four days I had in Cologne last week, what I managed to play and see, and other parts. This wouldn’t have been possible without the good graces of the HoYoverse, the minds behind Genshin Impact, Zenless Zone Zero and the Honkai series.
What’s Hot
First and foremost, Gamescom is about gaming, and we are predominantly a site about games. So, it was my mission to play what I could, when I could. I had a few sessions booked with the likes of Saber and HoYoverse, as well as venturing into the consumer halls to play what I could.
Stuntman: Hollywood – This was the biggest excitement for me, which may seem odd given what else was on show. For me, the near-twenty year wait from the last game was worth it.
Building off of Reflection’s work with the original, Hollywood has done one better and refined it. Not only that, there’s real-world movie licenses this time. The demo allowed me to play snippets of Miami Vice, 2 Fast 2 Furious and some more, and by god was it enjoyable. I found myself pausing and resetting, just like in the old games, to nail the scene perfectly.
Turok: Origins – This one surprised me, I’ll be honest. I was never a massive Turok fan on the Nintendo 64, with the Xbox 360 reboot completely passing me by. Yet having played this, I’m now kinda invested.
The best way I can explain it, being Saber Interactive, is a spiritual side-piece to Space Marine 2. The campaign can be played solo or co-op, but what really interested me was how deep in the Turok mythos it is, considering how shallow the first one seemed. But more importantly, the cerebral bore is back.
Hellraiser: Revival – I was torn on this, as I love the Hellraiser franchise but am not a fan of asynchronous multiplayer games. As I went in blind, I was happy to discover it is, in fact, a first person story-driven adventure.
It has a very Condemned feel with the weaponry and combat, with puzzle elements mixed in. Using the real world and the Labyrinth established in the second film, it creates a great mix of thinking and grossness. Much like a Hellraiser film, and I’m all for it. Definitely not for the faint-hearted though.
Honkai: Nexus Anima – Definitely not in my wheelhouse, but as HoYoverse were kind enough to take us to Gamescom, we had to oblige. I hadn’t played an auto-battler before, but I can see the appeal for mobile gamers and/or people on commutes.
What did entertain me was the dialogue. I hope it doesn’t get fixed, because it’s pseudo-Pokémon battle arena starting with a kid yelling “HEY YOU WANNA BATTLE?!” genuinely made me laugh. But yes, it’s an auto-battler.
Petit Planet – Again, not in my wheelhouse as I’ve never been into cosy, or specifically, Animal Crossing. Putting it bluntly but politely, Petit Planet feels like Animal Crossing… in spaaace!
It’s very cute, it’s very well presented, and I can see how people invest hours into them. But essentially yeah, you populate a planet then hop onto the next one. It’s got that addictive feel to it.
Ace Combat 8: Wings Of Theve – As a series, I have dipped a toe or two into Ace Combat, since the first PlayStation days. I’ve never caught up with the plot, but I enjoy the dogfights.
So I’m happy to report that Ace Combat 8 has only built and bettered itself with this iteration. Not only that, but it looks incredible, as well as realistic weather situations. Flying through clouds and feeling that condensation, as missiles miss due to low visibility, is genuinely gripping when you’re in the cockpit view.
Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse – Castlevania games are, for the most part, a staple in the 2D action-adventure drama (we don’t mention Castlevania 64). Belmont’s Curse is no different, this time from the team behind The Rogue Prince of Persia and Dead Cells.
What this means is beautiful visuals and a glorious 2.5D aesthetic, tightly honed combat and an array of traversal and fighting options. Of all the timed demos, this one had me clamouring for “No, five more minutes!” to get more done. Very excited for this one, especially off the back of Metroid Dread and Blasphemous II.
Star Wars: Galactic Racer – You have no idea how hard it was to refrain from saying “Now this is podracing!” at every opportunity. In short, if you played Podracer on the N64, or its PS2 iteration and liked either, you’ll love this.
It’s the new era of Star Wars podracing, but with more vehicle variety. Speeders, bikes, skimmers and pods, all merged together to make a beautiful, white-knuckle space racer. I know it’s my job to do words about it, but I don’t need to on this one. It’s that good.
Metro 2039 – The last of the “big” games I had booked, I was keen for Metro 2039. I played both iterations of Exodus, having got invested in the series later than most. But, credit to 4A Games, they’ve made their mark with adapting Dmitry Glukhovsky’s works.
Metro 2039 favours the hub style used in Exodus and frankly, I’m all for that. A tighter experience over smaller areas than open world fetch quests is definitely more my scene. The attention to detail is staggering too, as it looks absolutely beautiful. It’s also nice to be another protagonist, the mysterious Spartan known as Hunter. I’m excited for this one.
The Indies Shall Rule The World
There was a time when indie games were subjugated to smaller areas, a little nook for the small teams to showcase their potential. Not anymore, with the indie area at Gamescom getting a dedicated hall. That’s two floors, as the halls are a double-deck layout, of indie games covering the whole spectrum of genres throughout.
I will admit though, I struggle to sit and play games when it’s busy. And boy, was Gamescom busy. Admittedly yes, my own fault for going later in the week, but that’s boring real world jobs for you. I did get to play a handful of games though, in my brief time flitting between halls and people. For a full rundown of what was available to play, check out this page right here.
Highlights for me were over the hill; the new car came from Funselektor (art of rally), Tails of Fate; a retro-inspired RPG that really gave Sea of Stars vibe and, of course, Terranigma; the once PAL-only title from Enix is coming back. If you’ve ever heard me waffle on about Illusion of Time, this is probably the closest we’ll get to playing that again.
Overall, the indie arena and showcase were incredible, and it was amazing to see the support behind them all. It was just hard that, unless you’ve got a press appointment, it can be quite difficult to actually get some decent play time with some of these titles.
Which leads me to…
Ironically, Cologne Is What They Weren’t Wearing
It sounds hypocritical to complain about the amount of people at a gaming event. For one, the consumer is what makes these things popular in the first place, and as a journo, it just makes me sound elitist. But by god does Gamescom need to implement a much better way of traffic flow between and around halls.
Having not been before and my only comparison is EGX, which probably sees less traffic each year, Gamescom’s attendance was staggering. But what amazes me is that, across seven or so halls, people have no concept of orderly queuing/walking around. Or they just bottleneck at junctions and cause unnecessary traffic jams. It didn’t help that it was peak summer heat most days, and you know what they say about gamers and personal hygiene.
Now, I understand that this isn’t Gamescom’s fault per se, but if I were to suffer with social anxiety, I would never have got anything done. The queue times are also insane, given how big some of the games on show were. As much as I wanted to play it, I wasn’t queuing four hours for Alien: Isolation 2.
It was also odd how Xbox’s showcase area was, with not much razzle dazzle for Gears of War: E-Day or Fable, yet Minecraft Dungeons 2 getting a whacking great big sign. But, grumbles aside, the consumer halls do encapsulate the magic of the gaming convention. There was so much on show too, that I didn’t get to play.
Control Resonant, Stranger Than Heaven, Crazy Taxi, a Silent Hill Townfall presentation, the upcoming Witcher III DLC (so wild saying that), Where Winds Meet… so much on show. Not to mention the attention to booths and the extras that consumers could get involved in.
I could wax lyrical about every bit of content, but as it was my first, I genuinely feel that everyone should experience it relatively blind to take it in as a spectacle, mass hordes aside. If you’re going to go, try and get there earlier in the week to avoid the rush.
Of course, this wouldn’t have been possible for little ol’ us if it weren’t for…
“This Adventure Was Brought To You By…”
As I mentioned at the beginning, this trip wouldn’t have been possible without the help of the HoYoverse team. What started as an email to preview their new titles, and a decline to say we weren’t able to attend, became an extension to host us at Gamescom. Yet whilst this may seem like a sponsored post, we didn’t take any payment for their offer. Both the HoYoverse and Krafton teams were kind enough to extend their reach to the journo world, offering the opportunity to get those with the enthusiasm but not necessarily the means to get to the event.
With that, I personally would like to thank Steve Ryugrok from the HoYoverse PR team for the invitation. He was the most curteous host at the booth, as well as the whole team making me feel very welcome throughout. They were gracious enough to guide me through gameplay elements of their titles I wasn’t used to, very patient and accepting that their games aren’t for everyone ie. me after I was honest about it.
And whilst this may seem like a monetarily-funded statement, it really isn’t. This is a genuine thank you to them, and to you reading this for supporting Finger Guns for us to be recognised and invited to such a grand event. I personally recommend Gamescom if, like most of us, you’re feeling a little disappointed with the lack of events on our own soil.
So once again, thank you for joining us on this adventure, for your continued support, and thank you to the HoYoverse for the wonderful opportunity to experience Gamescom for the first time.