A 2022 Showcase of Video Games

It has been a while since I have talked about video game announcements. Lately, I have been tempering my expectations for unreleased video games. This year, I am a little bit feisty, and emerged from my backlog to hype myself up for upcoming games. Normally, we have an E3 and conferences around this time of year. Instead, Playstation State of Play, Summer Games Fest, Xbox and Bethesda Showcase, and various other showcases will have to do. I did not watch everything, but quite a few games sparked my interest.

Before I dive into the games that caught my eye, you should know the kind of games I usually dislike. I do not like scary games, roguelikes/roguelites games, turn-based RPGs, turn-based tactical games, deck building games, base building games, city builders, simulation games, soulsborne games, multiplayer-only games, fighting games, metroidvanias, and I am sure I am missing a few others. I am not saying that I will not play these types of games; sometimes I do and am pleasantly surprised. However, as a generality, I do not like them. So, those games will probably not pop up in this post.

For this post, some games just caught my fancy, while others cranked my excitement level to 11. I included screenshots of the games that I am truly exited for. The rest, I will keep an eye on, but it depends on several factors if I will buy. I encourage you to check out videos of all the games mentioned. Let’s begin.

Playstation State of Play

The Playstation State of Play kicked off the festivities. I do not have a Playstation 5 yet, but I will be very excited to play Horizon Forbidden West when I do get one. The developers added a higher difficulty, new game plus, and additional trophies. The update is out now.

If the PSVR2 reviews well, I might get one. If I do, I will check out Horizon Call of the Mountain. It looks like a fun VR title.

Stray really caught my attention, because I like kitties. You play as a lost cat who is trying to find its way home. It looks cool, and I think I will check it out when it releases for PS5 and PC on July 19, 2022.

Scary games and I do not mix. Even so, I have been keeping an eye on Callisto Protocol. A nice gameplay trailer was shown. It is a Dead Space clone. The development is being led by Glen Schofield. This sparks my interest for a few reasons. He led the original Dead Space team, so he is coming back to his roots with this game. Also, he has a very interesting interview about Dead Space on Arstechnica. You should check it out. A release date of December 2, 2022 was revealed.

Speaking of scary games, I liked watching the new Resident Evil remakes, and Resident Evil 4 Remake is looking good. Resident Evil 4 is a classic, so it is no surprise that Capcom is remastering this one next. It comes out March 24, 2023.

I am hyped for Rollerdrome. It looks like a mix of shooting with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skate. It is coming out August 16, 2022, for Playstation consoles and PC.

Summer Game Fest

The next presentation was Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest. Call of Duty Modern Warfare II remake got a gameplay trailer. It looks like another Call of Duty game, but the sounds do have more of a punch to them. It has been a while since I have played one of those games, so I might check it out. I might play the Modern Warfare remake from a few years ago to see if it gets me excited.

Witchfire stood out to me from this conference. I have been keeping an eye on it for a few years now. It is made by The Astronauts, who have an interesting history. The dark fantasy setting with the mix of guns and magic looks really cool. I am not too keen on it being a roguelike, but I will check out reviews when it fully releases. Maybe there will be a demo. It is going into early access later this year.

Fort Solis has two big-name voice actors. Troy Baker (Last of Us) and Roger Clark (Red Dead Redemption 2) introduced the game. It looks like another Dead Space clone, but it is being developed by a small studio. As mentioned, I do not care for scary games, but this one might be more of a thriller. I might watch someone play it if it is too scary.

Neon White looks insane. It is a fast-paced, parkour first person shooter. The art style stands out. I do not like card systems, but this one looks interesting. The protagonist is an assassin from hell competing to win a slot in heaven. It has positive reviews on Steam. It is out on PC and Switch now. I might pull the trigger on this one.

I am interested in Stormgate, but only a cinematic trailer was shown. It is an RTS from ex-Blizzard developers. A beta was announced for next year. I wish they would have held off announcing it until they had gameplay footage, but maybe they wanted to recruit talent to work on the game.

Look. I have a lot of nostalgia for Turtles in Time for the SNES. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is catered to me. It is a side scrolling beat-em-up. It has six player coop online, as well as couch coop. Best of all, it is out now for Xbox One, PS4, Switch, and PC. I need to buy it, so I can play it with my brother and nephew.

Metal Hellsinger caught my interest. I like the Doom reboot. I like heavy metal. However, I do not have rhythm. You need to move and shoot to the rhythm of the music, which seems like will be bad for me. I will probably check out the demo. It is out on September 15, 2022, for PC.

I enjoyed watching a playthrough for Until Dawn. I have not enjoyed Supermassive Games recent Dark Picture Anthology, but The Quarry looks like a return to a bigger game like Until Dawn. I probably won’t play it, but I will most likely watch someone. It is out now for Microsoft consoles, Sony consoles, and PC.

The character creator for Saints Row is out now. I am cautiously excited for this game. I enjoyed The Third, and IV. I will have to see what reviews say about the game when it releases August 23, 2022, for Microsoft consoles, Sony consoles, and Epic Games Store.

The show ended with Last of Us Part 1, a remake of the first game. It leaked before the show. I do not know if this game needed a remake, considering the Playstation 4 title still looks good, and is playable on the Playstation 5. However, Naughty Dog has said they are making this to get used to the Playstation 5. We will see how much they learned when it releases September 2, 2022. A PC release was also announced for a later date.

Day of the Devs

Day of the Devs is up next. Overall, I liked the show because I could tell the developers were really excited to finally show off their games. A handful of these indie games caught my attention.

Planet of Lana was the first game that caught my attention from this presentation. The art style is very pretty. I like side scrolling puzzle games, and this has a cinematic aspect to it. The game is out sometime this year for PC.

A cool platformer called SCHiM stood out among these indies. You have to run along shadows. I like the style and the simple color palette. The game does not have a release date, but I added it to my wishlist.

Naiad looks relaxing. I will need to be in a mood to play it if I do get it. You just swim around in a colorful world looking for secrets. The game is out later this year.

The last game to catch my attention from the showcase is Little Nemo and the Guardians of Slumberland. I have a bit of nostalgia for Little Nemo on the NES. With that said, I do not think I will get my wish. Its Kickstarter ends at the end of June, and it might not hit its target. The release date is set for the end of 2023 if they make it.

Xbox and Bethesda Showcase

Microsoft brought their A game for the Xbox and Bethesda Showcase. They only showed games that are coming out in the next twelve months. I am sure some release dates will slip, but they had a lot to show.

They kicked it off with Redfall. I will play anything developed by Arkane. It is an open world vampire game. The game can be played with friends, but it is supposed to be very playable as a single player experience. There was one red flag. The game progresses based on the host. So, if you host, and a friend joins to do some missions, the missions will only be completed for you; your friend will have to complete the missions on their own, or they will need to host a game. I am still excited for the game to come out on Xbox and PC in 2023.

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn could go either way. It is a third person action RPG, but I am not sure if it will do anything to stand out from the pack. I will have to see when it releases in 2023.

I am not a big crafting game fan, but Lightyear Frontier has mechs. It is coming to early access sometime in the next twelve months.

I loved the first Plague Tale, so I am excited for Plague Tale: Requiem. It looks more of the same, which is fine by me. It is coming out for Xbox and PC on October 18, 2022.

I like mysteries, so I will definitely check reviews for The Last Case of Benedict Fox when it releases next year.

I am officially hyped for Ereban: Shadow Legacy. I love me some stealth games. The art style is eye-catching. The movement looks smooth. This is truly one of the few games I am genuinely excited for in the next year.

I was not exited for it before, but now I am. Diablo IV looks really good. I will not be pre-ordering it, but I am cautiously optimistic about the game. The open world looks dark. The classes look action packed. We will see how it turns out when it releases in the next year for Sony consoles, Microsoft consoles, and PC.

Ravenlok looks good. I like the art style and the fairytale aspects of it. I will check out reviews when it releases in 2023.

I am super hyped for Starfield. I am not a big Fallout fan, so I skipped Fallout 4. I am itching to play a new Bethesda RPG, and Starfield definitely looks like one. I am not sold on the “over 1000 planets” comment from Todd, but he did mention that this game has the largest script of all the games they have created and the most hand-crafted environments. In other words, there will be a lot of empty planets, but there will also be a lot of content. I am looking forward to when it releases in 2023.

REPLACED looks like a fun 2.D side scrolling gaming. I like the art style. I will have to check out reviews when it releases later this year.

PC Gaming Show

The last show I actually watched was the PC Gaming Show. It was a… bizarre experience. The scripted interviews were bad, but the trailers were good.

The original System Shock is one of the granddaddies of the immersive sim genre. System Shock looks like a worthy remake. The development of the game is littered with controversy, but it looks like Nightdive took the extra time and made it right. The game will be scary, so I do not know if I will play it. With that said, I might power through it, because it looks so good. Really wish we got a release window for this game.

Soulstice looks like a fun game. I wish there was a demo, because it will depend on the combat. If it leans too much into a souls-type game, then I might not enjoy it. The action looks more like a Devil May Cry, so maybe I will luck out. I will have to find out when it releases September 20, 2022.

I debated putting The Invincible on this list. The scripted gameplay trailer was good, but not great. The acting seems flat. It also did not tell me a whole lot about the game. I will have to discover what this game is about when it releases in 2023.

Alters is another game I debated putting on this list. They only showed a cinematic trailer with no gameplay. The concept of “alters” sounds cool, but it is hard to gauge without gameplay. There is no release date.

Immortality is another game from Sam Barlow. I loved Her Story, and have every intention of playing Telling Lies. It looks like another one of those games, and releases on July 26, 2022.

I need to check out the demo for Gloomwood. It is self-described as Thief with guns, which is right up my alley. I do not like the art style, which is why I should check out the demo. Maybe I can overlook the graphics if the gameplay is good enough. No release, but it is supposed to come out soon.

The Future Games Show

I did not watch the Future Games Show. Instead I skimmed through the announced games. Based on screenshots and their descriptions, I weeded out some games to take a closer look at, and found a few.

Scathe looks like a fun FPS. It looks bloody and action packed. It also includes drop in/out coop. It looks light on story, but it could be a good time. I might have to convince some friends to play with me. It comes out August 31, 2022.

The Entropy Centre looks like a fun first person puzzle game. I might be in a mood for a puzzle game when it comes out later this year.

Bramble: The Mountain King gives off Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons vibes. The game is inspired by Nordic fables. I am willing to give it a shot when it releases in 2023.

Batora: Lost Haven looks like a fun action RPG. Looks similar to a Diablo game. I like the art style, and the sci-fi setting looks cool. Will have to see if it is any good when it releases this fall.

Guerrilla Collective

I do not know what the Guerrilla Collective is, but I did not watch it. Again, I skimmed an article listing the games announced. There were a few standouts.

Asterigos: Curse of the Stars looks like a fun RPG inspired by Greek mythology. I like the art style. It releases this fall.

Xel looks like an isometric Zelda adventure game. I think I will check out the demo. The game releases July 12, 2022.

I am not sure about 9 Years of Shadows, but it does look neat. It looks to be like a Castlevania game, with a bright art style. It releases the end of this year.

Exo One is coming to Playstation 5, with full support for the DuelSense controller. If I get a PS5, I might have to check it out. It looks like a zen-type game. It comes out this summer for PS5, and is already out on PC.

Biwar Legends of Dragon Slayer looks like a fun third person adventure game. It has some God of War (2018) vibes. Telekinesis is always fun. It is coming to early access soon. Hopefully we see a final release in 2023.

Hell Pie looks like a 3D platformer inspired by Conkers. It might be fun. It releases July 21, 2022. I might check out the demo.

Misc.

There were a few games which popped up in “best in show” articles, and I did not see them anywhere else. Here they are.

Trail Out looks like a fun Destruction Derby game. It has lots of fire and explosions. I am hoping the game is fun to play single player. It is supposed to be released this summer for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch.

Dragons Dogma 2 was announced. Recently, I enjoyed my time with the first game. It is too early in development to tell what they are doing, but I am keeping my eye for more details.

It feels good to be excited about upcoming video games. I try not to hype myself about upcoming video game releases, but I am feeling good with these announcements. I encourage you to check out the videos for them. Normally I would include them, but I have been maintaining links on my website, and I don’t want this post to turn into a hunt for broken links every few months.

I hope you are amped up for some video games. I do want to encourage you not to preorder, and to check out reviews before buying anything. Some of these games are too early in development to tell if they are stinkers.

Thank you for taking the time to read/skim this post.