Bantam Banter

It’s finally over. The Summer Game Fest has come to an end, and so many video games were announced. Hours of showcases presented a plethora of games for any and all gamers to be excited for the next year. Here are some of my most anticipated games that were revealed this weekend.

Alan Wake 2 DLC Night Springs

Last year, my game of the year was Alan Wake 2. Heck, it might be my favorite game of all time. So naturally, I am incredibly excited to play the game’s first DLC Night Springs. Based on Remedy’s Twilight Zone equivalent, you’ll play as three different characters from the Remedy Connected Universe in some wacky and wild adventures. I was so excited, I already played and finished it. Check out my review to see what I think!

All Those Blumhouse Games

I’ve said this in a bunch of episodes of Bantam Banter: I love horror, but horror games legitimately freak me out, and it’s hard for me to really sit down and play something that purposely makes me uncomfortable. However, some horror video game franchises, like Resident Evil and The Dark Pictures Anthology, just speak to me on another level. I don’t know if any of the six games shown by Blumhouse will be one of those, but they all have a unique style that I’m incredibly intrigued by. Also, Project C is by the minds of Immortality and Infinity Pool (Sam Barlow and Brandon Cronenberg respectively) and that alone has me excited.

Anyways, here are the six games Blumhouse announced during Summer Game Fest:

• Crisol: Theater of Idols
• Grave Seasons
• Sleep Awake
• Fear the Spotlight
• The Simulation
• Project C

Cairn

Are rock-climbing games a thing now? First, we had Jusant – which was a rad experience – and now we got Cairn. This is the one “cozy” game that got me to pop off. The was an odd satisfaction Jusant had that I really adored so if Cairn is anything like that, I’ll be happy. According to the developers The Game Bakers, it features “realistic simulation that allows you to climb intuitively, anywhere.” The art style looks really nice too.

skate.

I love skateboarding video games and Skate is one of those franchises that I’ve been invested in since its first entry back in 2007. I’m going to be honest, the showing at Summer Game Fest wasn’t amazing. Sure, Tim Robinson from I Think You Should Leave was part of their marketing for the show – which was amazing, by the way – but they didn’t really share anything exciting. Yeah, playtesting for consoles is nice, but it feels like it has been in this state for years now. Of course, I want developers to take their time to make the best thing possible but this announcement seems like something that could have been a small blog post. But like I said, I love skateboarding, and anything Skate-related will get me pumped.

Doom: The Dark Ages

Doomguy is back and he’s got a sick furry cape and a chainsaw shield and a gun that crushes skulls to fire shards, and a freaking dragon mount and… Man, Doom is just back and I am so stoked. When the rumors were circulating about a Doom set during the Medieval era, I wasn’t sure how to feel. I mean, it’s Doom so I’m stoked, but I wasn’t sure how going back in time would improve on the intense and frenetic gameplay from Doom (2016) and Doom Eternal. After seeing it, I am all in and am super excited to play id Software’s Doom: The Dark Ages next year. 

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Shown during the Xbox Games Showcase, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a turn-based RPG that looks stunning. Set in a time where civilization’s downfall is imminent, the survivors live in constant fear of a god-like being named the Paintress. As seen in the trailer, the Paintress paints a new number once a year, and everyone from that age group instantly disappears. You’ll lead an expedition to find and destroy the Paintress and put an end to the cycle. Its story seems pretty cool, but maybe convoluted on the surface; I’d like to see how they explain everything because, at the very least, it seems interesting. Regardless, the turn-based combat looks fun enough to check out.

Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred

The expansion for Diablo 4 looks sick, literally. That trailer was gross in all the right ways. Continuing Neyrelle’s fight to contain the Prime Evil Mephisto, Vessel of Hatred is set in the new jungle region Nahantu which will contain new dungeons, strongholds, and demons. It will also introduce the Spiritborn, a brand new class to the Diablo series. It will also include updates to class skills, paragon boards, legendary glyphs, dungeon types, Tree of Whispers activities, and more. I really dug the base game, so I can’t wait to see what wild stuff Blizzard has in store when this expansion releases on October 8.

Fable

The Fable series is probably responsible for my love for action RPGs. The goofy British humor of the original games is iconic, and so unique to the series. I’m not quite sure yet if Playground Games is quite hitting the utter goofiness of the original, but from what I’ve seen, it’s close enough to make me excited. Also, I have faith in Playground Games. Sure, they are known for the popular racing series Forza Horizon, but that team knows how to make an engaging open world. If the combat is there, I think this game will be a hit.

Mixtape

Developer Beethoven & Dinosaur won me over with the stylishly music-driven platformer The Artful Escape. I will check out anything that team has to offer which now includes Mixtape. It looks to be inspired by classic 80s and 90s coming-of-age movies with an eclectic mix of licensed music from the likes of DEVO, Roxy Music, Lush, The Smashing Pumpkins, Iggy Pop, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Joy Division. Just from that list of artists alone, I’m all in. I can’t wait to skate downhill to the sweet sounds of “Love Will Tear Us Apart” or “Mayonnaise” when it launches sometime in 2025.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure

Deck Nine returns to the world of Life is Strange with Life is Strange: Double Exposure. This time, Max Caufield is back now opening passages to parallel timelines to solve murders. Is the whole multiverse thing overdone at this point? I think it probably is. But if it’s as good as True Colors, which was fantastic, I imagine I’ll love it. Unlike most of the stuff on this list, this game is actually coming out this year on October 29.

Gears of War: E-Day

This trailer probably made a few grown men cry. Seeing a young Marcus Fenix was one thing. But the return of Dom was incredible. And of course, we got “Mad World” playing throughout the trailer. Will Gears of War: E-Day be good? I have no idea. Will I be there on day one? Absolutely!

Well, there you have it. Those are my most anticipated games from the Summer Game Fest weekend. What are some of your favorite reveals from this weekend? Are you looking forward to the Ubisoft Forward tomorrow? Let me know in the comments below!