Well we here in the UK have survived heatwaves and currently heavy rain and storm level winds are battering against my windows as I begin this article which must mean….yes…..it is still British Summer! That asside it is still the season of the Summer Games Fest and with the usual “physical in person” event of Gamescom cancelled due to current world events with COVID-19, it has instead become tonight’s two hour event.
Below you will find the new and trailers from all the reveals including the pre-show. Will we get any actual big surprises from what is reported to be a full two hour show? No doubt the next generation of consoles, or at least their games will have a place tonight but could either or both PlayStation and Xbox dare to go first with a price and release date news reveal…..probably not, but….maybe?
Pre-Show:
The Pre-Show is at a nice run time of just 15 minutes before the main event so going to be interesting what will make it up, my guess….trailers!
Scarlett Nexus – Powers Trailer
The OSF members are showing off their moves in the new #SCARLETNEXUS trailer from #Gamescom2020! Tell us in the comments which power caught your attention! Enter a brain punk future & unleash the power of the mind. SCARLET NEXUS will arrive to #XboxSeriesX, XboxOne, PS4, PS5, and PC.
Quantum Error – Official Trailer
Quantum Error is a cosmic-horror FPS video game currently in development coming to the PS5 an PS4 by TeamKill Media. (also a go-fund me project)
Team Fordzilla then step up with the reveal the Project P1 car designed by fans before announcing the plan to actually build…..the concept car.
Next up a rather strange segment with popular content creators talking about what they would do “If I wasn’t a Gamer”….probably making less money playing them is my guess. It then cuts across to an interview with the smuggest man in gaming right now, Geoff Keighly talking about the impact of COVID-19 and how ONL Digital event was the best place to replace the in person Gamescom event. Interesting that he tries to put across that fans should manage their expectations to just learning more about games they know about rather than massive big reveals or surprises….an attempt at mis-direction or a lesson learned from the last two Xbox digital events?
DiRT 5 – Gamescom Trailer
Design your dream racing event and tear up incredible user-created arenas in Playgrounds, the brand new mode for DIRT 5. From custom gymkhana arenas, to bespoke time trial races, to thrilling treasure hunt events, use a huge suite of objects – from drift zones and jumps, to rings of fire and loop-de-loops – to invent unbelievable and unique Playgrounds. Browse our database of player-generated designs to constantly find new racing experiences, with Featured areas regularly updated to showcase the very best creations. Playgrounds is included in all versions of DIRT 5, and the creations of players on current-gen consoles will be carried over when you switch to next-gen consoles!
Jurassic World Evolution: Complete Edition- Nintendo Switch Trailer
Gamescom ONL – The Main Show
Geoff Keighly opens the show from his virtual stage announced an event showcasing 35 games including Fall Guys Season 2 and Gameplay Demo for Wratchet and Clank: Time Shift for PS5.
The show opens with Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War, a game only officially revealed yesterday (August 26th 2020) and now here we get to see even more of the game in another new trailer:
Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War – Gamescom 2020 Trailer
A look at the opening story campaign cutscene, it is 1981 and the US President is being briefed on a new but old threat.
Unknown 9: Awakening – Game Reveal Trailer
DOOM Eternal: The Acient Gods Part – Release Date Trailer
Watch the full trailer for DOOM Eternal’s first campaign expansion, The Ancient Gods: Part One – available October 20, 2020. Your war is not over… slaying the Khan Maykr left an imbalance of power that threatens all of creation. With the aid of an old ally, battle your way back to Urdak and decide the fate of the cosmos. Your mission is now your own.
Dragon Age: Bioware Team Discuss the next Dragon Age Game
Surgeon Simulator 2 – Release Trailer introduced by….Doc Emmit Brown??
Bridge Constructor: The Walking Dead – Reveal Trailer
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands – Bastion Animated Short
Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Storm Ground – Reveal Trailer
Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Storm Ground – strategy in a dark fantasy universe of dragons, death, and daemons! Developers Gasket Games and publisher Focus Home Interactive are delighted to announce Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Storm Ground, a skirmish turn-based strategy game based on Games Workshop’s dark fantasy Age of Sigmar IP due to be released on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch in 2021. With this first strategy adaptation of this iconic IP, Focus and Gasket are delighted to bring this extraordinary universe to life for fans around the world
Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time – Flashback Level Reveal Gamescom
Outriders: Technomancer Trailer
Following a short ad break…its now back to the main show
Tear Down – Gamescom Trailer
Little Nightmares II – Gameplay and Release Date Trailer
In a cruel world, a lonely boy finds a mission and a friend. Ride the line between excitement and terror as you run, jump, sneak, and fight your way through the Pale City and its Residents with Six by your side. Stop the Transmission before it can stop you, and you might survive. Little Nightmares II is coming to PS4, Xbox1, PC, and Switch on February 11, 2021 and also to PS5 and XboxX later in 2021.
WW2K Battlegrounds – Gamescom Trailer
Grab the popcorn and watch on as WWE Legends and Superstars clash in an epic WWE 2K Battlegrounds brawl with commentary by Jerry “The King” Lawler and the debuting Mauro Ranallo!
Star Wars Squadrons – Story Campaign Preview
Though shattered after the Battle of Endor, the Galactic Empire closes in on the Bormea Sector, determined to crush the recently-formed New Republic. The Republic’s classified Project Starhawk represents a tipping point in the Galactic Civil War, and ace pilots on each side will be instrumental in its outcome. Get a first look at an early Imperial mission in the single-player story of STAR WARS™: Squadrons, where you must fly behind enemy lines to extract an allied spy with vital intelligence on the project. Buckle up and experience this action-packed and authentic STAR WARS™ story – following the events in Return of the Jedi – from both sides of the conflict in the cockpits of iconic starfighters. STAR WARS™: Squadrons is available October 2, 2020 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC on EA.com, Steam, and Epic Games Store, and playable in Virtual Reality (VR) on PlayStation 4 and PC with cross-play support.
The Sims 4: Star Wars Expansion
Hone your lightsaber skills, befriend a droid, and get ready to unlock missions for the Resistance, First Order, or scoundrels. The more you accomplish, the closer you are to meeting iconic Star Wars characters like Rey and Kylo Ren. Available September 8, 2020, on PC/Mac, Steam, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.
12 Minutes – Gamescom Trailer
TWELVE MINUTES is an interactive thriller about a man trapped in a time loop. Featuring James McAvoy, Daisy Ridley, and Willem Dafoe. Coming soon.
GODFALL – Vertigo Character Gamescom Trailer
Anther short ad break of content creators talking about Video Games during COVID-19.
MAFIA Definitive Edition – Gamescom Trailer
In the world of organized crime, Tommy learns that loyalty to the Family can bring him riches and power far beyond his life as a cab driver. Despite the cost, this is a life of reward too big to ignore. Welcome to the Family.
LEMNIS GATE – Reveal Trailer
Lemnis Gate is the revolutionary turn-based combat strategy FPS taking place in a time loop. Master the unique abilities of powerful deep-space operatives and compete in mind-bending four-dimensional battles. Coming Early 2021
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga – Gameplay Trailer
Play through all nine Star Wars™ saga films in a brand-new LEGO video game unlike any other. Experience fun-filled adventures, whimsical humor, and the freedom to fully immerse yourself in the LEGO Star Wars universe like never before.
Struggling – Release Trailer for Nintendo Switch and PC (Out Now)
Struggling is available now for Nintendo Switch. Struggling is a physics-based co-op platformer with a twisted spin on teamwork. Control the arms of a squishy abomination and guide it through a deranged world where anything goes. Outrun ravenous rats, joyride a dirt bike, and vault over pools of unmentionable waste. One thing’s certain: you will struggle.
Age of Empires III – Gamescom Trailer
Return to adventure in Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition on October 15, 2020 Celebrate one of the most beloved real-time strategy franchises with stunning 4K Ultra HD graphics, a fully remastered soundtrack, two new game modes, including all expansions and all 14 civilizations, plus two brand new civilizations – the Swedes and Inca. Pre-order now on Windows 10 or Steam, or pre-install with Xbox Game Pass for PC
Chorus – Gamescom Trailer
In Chorus, take control of ex-cultist Nara and her sentient starfighter Forsaken in an epic quest for redemption and to free the galaxy from the influence of the insidious Great Prophet. This teaser trailer features previously unseen pre-alpha gameplay capture. Feel the agility and combat prowess of Nara and Forsaken and catch a glimpse of some of the devastating weapons and mind-bending abilities players will unlock in this evolution of the space-combat shooter.”
Fall Guys: Season 2 Sneak Peak Trailer
Jump in Now on PlayStation 4 and Steam: http://fallguys.com Fall Guys Season 2 will bring the dragon fire with feudal fortresses, knockout knights and pugilistic paladins among new additions coming this October. A full season of new costumes, emotes and more will reward players as they lay siege to the Middle Ages.
Wasteland 3 – Launch Trailer
Wasteland 3 is now available on Xbox One, PC, and PlayStation 4! It is also included with Xbox Game Pass.
Medal of Honour: Above and Beyond – VR Game Reveal Trailer
Charge into history in Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond’s thrilling single-player campaign. As an agent of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in war-torn Europe, players will take part in historic events on land, air, and sea; sabotaging Nazi bases, subverting enemy plans, and aiding the French Resistance. Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond is a first person shooter VR game from Respawn Entertainment, available this holiday
Spellbreak – Launch Trailer
Become the Ultimate Battlemage! Spellbreak launches free-to-play on September 3, 2020 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Windows PC (Epic Games store)! Spellbreak is a multiplayer action-spellcasting game where you unleash your inner battlemage. Master elemental magic to fit your playstyle and cast powerful spell combinations to dominate other players across the Hollow Lands. Access your Spellbreak player account and play with anyone on all supported platforms with cross-progression, cross-play, and cross-party features at launch.
Destiny 2: Beyond Light – Stasis Subclass Trailer
Power takes a new form and three new subclasses emerge: Shadebinders, Revenants, and Behemoths. Guardians will wield Stasis as they begin a perilous journey. A journey to a new destination in search of a dark empire and secrets frozen in time. Secrets that will reveal a power beyond understanding – beyond Light.
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart – PlayStation 5 Extended Gameplay Demo
Ratchet and Clank find themselves at odds with their archnemesis, Dr. Nefarious. Only this time, he’s equipped with the dangerous Dimensionator, a device with the power to travel to other dimensions. The duo fights their way through an army of hired Goons in Megalopolis until something happens and they are ripped apart. Where are they now? From acclaimed studio Insomniac Games, enjoy a visually dazzling, interdimensional adventure, complete with familiar faces and some new allies and enemies in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – exclusively on the PlayStation 5 console.
and that is Gamescom ONL done…..
….My thoughts
Well just as Geoff Keighly explained in the Pre-Show, this was not an event of massive surprises of big reveals. But it was a solid event for me, highlight was definitely getting an update on 12 Minutes, an Xbox exclusive that is building one hell of a voice cast with Daisy Ridley, Willem Defoe and James McAvoy.
Nice to have some more release dates and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart looks incredible with that extended gameplay trailer and a very sensible launch window and not a release date, making sure to avoid the same mess as HALO Infinite’s delay created. Star Wars has a very strong showing, that Sims 4 Star Wars Expansion will definitely get a lot of attention, Star Wars Squadrons just needs to hurry up and be in my console and LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga looks incredible though I had hoped for a Christmas release.
As a replacement for the actual Gamescom Event this was ok, the randomness of having IGN’s Sydney Goodman appearing to give made up Awards for Games not even out for release yet looked very cringe and try-hard for me, a rather lame way to have IGN feature in the show in their partnership deal with Geoff. But with the world as it is, we can probably expect more digital events like this going forward, especially for the main Game Awards show in December. More games to look forward to is always a good thing and the Summer Games Fest has been amazing to bridge the gap that the cancelled E3 and Gamescom left.
Sadly….the wait for next generation pricing and release dates continues, I had not expected them to be revealed here of course but focus is definitely now on Sony and Xbox do see which goes first.
