Having been out of the (video) game for the past year and a half, I am realizing there hasn’t been a better time to hop back into gaming. With so many amazing blockbusters and indie games having come out this year, I had some high hopes Sony would bring the heat with their State of Play.

Sadly, I don’t think Sony met my expectations, but I was satisfied with this State of Play. Starting off and ending with two sure to be hits of Marvel’s Wolverine and God of War Laufey was, by far, the highlights of the show. The book ends of two heavy hitters made the slower middle part worth the little over an hour spent watching the showcase.

An Early Cut

With this being my first real look at Marvel’s Wolverine, since I haven’t been keeping up with gaming news, the gameplay trailer got me thrilled to play as one of the first superheroes I fell in love with. Seeing Wolverine effortlessly leap and bound from one side of the environment to the other felt reminiscent of watching X-men cartoons, pooling a well of childhood nostalgia.

The blood and gore had me verbally reacting with “OH” and I was shocked, in the best possible way, at the level of violence that came from Wolverine’s takedown. Everything they showed of gameplay culminated in an unbridled enthusiasm of experiencing a more mature take on a superhero that I hold near and dear.

The brief excerpt regarding the story does give me pause, unfortunately. I don’t know if I am entirely sold on Wolverine’s main object of saving mutants who are being captured and sold. Luckily, Insomniac is at the helm of this project, and I am willing to put faith in them to deliver another breath taking and heart wrenching story.

Between the combat, gore and, likely to be, linear world, Wolverine is a significant departure from the open world, friendly-neighborhood experience of Marvel’s Spider-man.  However, I suspect these differences will allow Marvel’s Wolverine to thrive as its own unique experience.

A Lack Luster Second Act

The middle portion of the State of Play was jam packed with a wide variety of trailers and announcements that ranged from meh to great. All the games shown in this portion, except for Until Dawn 2, will be playable on PC, with some games even coming to XBOX and Switch 2. Personally, I think more focus on first party title reveals and updated would have been a positive for the State of Play. With so many third-party games shown off, I suspect we will be looking back at this State of Play as a watered-down version of Summer Games Fest come Friday evening.

Now, enough with being negative Nancy, I want to spotlight two specific games and a genre of games that has me excited for the next 12 months of gaming.

Raiding

Having just been born when the original Tomb Raider came out and not getting my first console until the PS2 generation, I didn’t get to experience the 1996 Tomb Raider on the PS1. Lucky for me, that’s going to change come February of next year when the reimagination of the PS1 classic, Tomb Raider, is released.

The initial look at the retelling of the first time Tomb Raider shows it will pay homage to the series, with puzzles and traversal that are fitting of Laura Croft. Hopefully, the combat, which we received the briefest glimpse of, feels fluid and engaging. Even if the combat isn’t perfect, Tomb Rader: Legacy of Atlantis is seated to fill the gap of not having an Uncharted like experience the past few years.

With stunning visuals of Unreal Engine 5, adventurous traversal, and what should be fun 3^rd person combat, I am optimistic this will be a Top 5 game of 2027.

Unlocking Memories

While I don’t think this game is going to be a major hit, given the original didn’t rate highly, Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered unlocked a core memory from my childhood. Seeing the gameplay of Dynasty Warriors 3 brought back a time of staying up late with friends and going head-to-head in epic combat. While I don’t have the deepest or fondest memories of the game, or series, I may jump in to the remaster just to relieve a moment that was lost until seeing this trailer.

Fond memories aside, I don’t think the visuals were overly striking and I am worried that characters are going to feel clunky. While there’s an opportunity to take a trip down memory lane, I think the likelihood is far greater that this game turns out to be a bust.

A Spooky Delight

Horror and spooky game fans were feasting during Sony’s State of Play. Getting three horror game trailers and seeing more of the spooky adjacent Control Resonant tells me that spooky games are SO in. Which I will never complain about.

I’ve never played a Silent Hill game, but I see myself jumping into the franchise with Townfall. Outlast is my favorite horror game, and, after seeing the trailer for Silent Hill Townfall, I suspect Outlast takes inspiration from the Silent Hill franchise. Hiding in lockers and avoiding menacing creatures as you uncover a mystery is my favored form of horror story telling. With a release date set for the end of September, Townfall is poised to be my spooky season game.

Looking at September, there should be concern for Silent Hill or Control Resonant. hey are set to be released the same day, meaning one of these games will likely miss out on initial release game sales. However, Silent Hill has the advantage of encapsulating the spirit of spooky season, giving it more staying power for the month of October.

Looking past September and into 2027, the unexpected sequel to Until Dawn, Until Dawn 2, is set to be released. For those who haven’t played the first game, which I highly recommend, Until Dawn 2 looks to be on par with the first game, with life and death of each character at your fingertips. Plus, Firesprite is, like the first game, pulling in actors with the likes of Dacre Morgan, Sarah Catherine Hook, and Peter Stormare being a part of the cast, to just name a few.

Finally, I got my personal first look at Ill, a survival horror game that will have no shortage of bloody, gruesome take downs of both monsters and the player. The first-person perspecitve and horrific monsters set a terrifying environment that is sure to make the palms sweat of the most seasoned horror fans. Ill’s Steam page notes it will “challenge(s) even the most seasoned fans of the genre”, so this might not be a game for the faint of heart or players looking for a relaxing experience.

A Lasting Impression

Wrapping up with 20 minutes of gameplay of God of War Laufey, the next installment in the God of War franchise, was an apt way to end the State of Play. While it was more than I needed, given God of War (2018) is possibly my favorite games of all time, it was the best moment of the show. Seeing the same breath-taking visuals in an all-new world to explore, the continuous camera shot taking in all the moment-to-moment action, and new light, airy combat has me itching to get hands on. Sony Santa Monica is clearly sticking with a known, successful formula while providing a new combat flow in the next installment of the beloved franchise.

Immediately upon the start of the gameplay trailer, we are shown the same attention to detail that set God of War 2018 apart from its predecessors. Every set piece, cut scene, and character are stunning, visual masterpieces. I mean, how can you not feel a sense of awe and excitement when seeing such impressive character designs with the likes of Sekhmet and Begtse, the two antagonist gods shown.

One of the most impressive feats, that I am ecstatic to see continue, is the continuous camera introduced in God of War 2018. While this feature may feel less of a feat today, the lack of dedicated loading screens keeps players invested in the events of the game, preventing any unnecessary breaks in the flow of the story. Using the moments where load screens are hidden, as seen when Faye squeezes throw a narrow opening in the wall, provides ample opportunity to doll out exposition from the titular character regarding her thoughts of what happened, what’s to come, and providing needed info of her back story.

God of War Laufey being set in concurrence with the events of God of War and God of War Ragnarök was a welcome surprise. I wasn’t sold on the idea of a prequal, like some rumors and speculation suggested this game would be. I think the concurrence of events provides opportunity to interact with gods from other mythos, allow Faye to interact with Norse gods that Kratos kills in his journey across Midgar, and potentially see some Greek gods from the original trilogy. To top it all off, it allows Sony Santa Monica to continue developing the story of God of War while simultaneously diving into Faye’s history, her impact throughout Midgar, and how she was able to reign in the angry God of War, Kratos.

While the gameplay reveal provided a sense of familiarity in art direction and camera control, the change in combat will usher in a unique experience. Where Kratos felt heavy and brutish, Faye is going to feel agile and airy in combat. Even before we can get hands on, you can sense the lightness that will come from Faye’s movement in combat, while still maintaining the force and strength behind every attack.

Again, while this was more than I could have asked for or needed to get hyped up, I think it was a fantastic way for Sony to wrap up their state of play.

Release Dates

I didn’t touch on all the games covered in Sony’s State of Play, but I do want to cover the release timeline for the second half of 2026 and games planned to release in or after 2027.

The latter half of 2026 is full of releases, with plenty of options for any gamer:

• August 6 – Marvel Tokon: Fighting Soul (PS5, PC)
• September 15 – Marvel’s Wolverine (PS5)
• September 22 – Dune Awakening (PS5 Release, already on PC)
• September 24 – Control Resonant (PS5, XBOX, PC)
• September 24 – Silent Hill Townfall (PS5, PC)
• September 25 – Onimusha: Way of the Sword (PS5, XBOX, PC)
• October 2026 – No Rest for the Wicked (PS5, XBOX, PC)
• October 1 – Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered (PS5, XBOX, Switch 2, PC)
• October 1 – Rayman Legends Retold (PS5, XBOX, Switch 2, PC)
• October 2 – Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve (PS5, XBOX, PC)
• October 29 – Phantom Blade Zero (PS5, PC)
• Fall 2026 – Runesape: Dragonwilds (PS5 Release, already on PC)

The prospectus for 2027 and beyond looks promising as well, with the following games slated for release:

• February 12 – Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis (PS5, XBOX, Switch 2, PC)
• 2027 – Kemuri (PS5, PC)
• 2027 – Until Dawn 2 (PS5)
• 2027 – The Lost Wild (PS5, PC)
• 2027 – Ill (PS5, XBOX, PC)
• 2027 – God of War Laufey (PS5)
• TBA – Stuntman: Hollywood (PS5, XBOX, PC)
• TBA – Bancho the Chef (PS5, PC)