Not-E3 season is about to wrap up as we conclude with the final stretch of summer gaming events this year. By now, most of the heavy-hitters such as PlayStation, Xbox, Ubisoft and Capcom have all presented showcases packed to the brim with awesome announcements and surprises. However, for this list, we wanted to highlight some of our favourite games shown during the summer 2023 gaming events.
For this list, we’re limiting it down to 10 choices in no particular order. We’re also basing this list on the trailers shown during showcases (since we didn’t attend Play Days for any hands-on sessions) – generally the ones that stuck out to us or continue to keep us wanting more. Before we dive in, a few honourable mentions include Alan Wake 2, Mortal Kombat 1, Lies of P and Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater.
READ MORE – Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – Story and Gameplay Breakdown
10 Best Games Shown During Summer 2023 Gaming Events
Starfield
Bethesda Game Studios gave fans a lot more than they bargained for with an almost hour-long gameplay deep dive into its upcoming sci-fi RPG, Starfield. Bethesda took every minute to dissect the various gameplay mechanics, its enormous sandbox universe, companions, ship and weapon customisation, character creator, art direction and so much more. If Bethesda manages to stick the landing and deliver on its promising potential and mountains of hype, Starfield could be a very strong comeback for the studio.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
We all knew that Insomniac Games would put on a great show for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and a great show is certainly what we got. More surprisingly, it opened up with Peter Parker donning the symbiote suit which caught fans off-guard. While the extensive gameplay trailer lacked the lethal protector, it did give us a high-octane chase sequence with Miles Morales and Lizard as well as some background on Kraven the Hunter. Overall, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 impressed and we can’t wait to play it.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Perhaps the only trailer of the summer that actually made me shed a tear, Square Enix brought Final Fantasy VII Rebirth to Summer Game Fest to everyone’s delight. The second part in a planned trilogy of remakes encompassing Final Fantasy VII, Rebirth is looking every bit as glorious as we imagined. The world beyond Midgar is dazzling and the story promises to deliver one emotional blow after the next. We can’t wait to see the untold story that awaits when Rebirth launches early next year.
Final Fantasy XVI
Staying on the Final Fantasy train, we also got another glimpse at the highly anticipated Final Fantasy XVI during the PlayStation Showcase – honestly, it was the best trailer yet. Showing off more combat and the sheer insanity of the large-scaled Eikon battles, this came at the right moment to get fans salivating for the game’s release next week. To top it all off, we even received a PS5 demo that you can try out right now.
Dragon’s Dogma 2
It’s been years in the making but we finally have a sequel to Dragon’s Dogma 2 on the horizon. Capcom brought a new trailer to the PlayStation Showcase and then remixed that same trailer for the Capcom Showcase. Nonetheless, it looks amazing and seems to be speaking to a lot more people who gave the original Dragon’s Dogma a skip back in the day. Those who are familiar with it know that we’ll probably be in for an incredibly immersive, dense RPG with more monsters to hunt than you can shake a Rathalos-sized stick at.
Metaphor: ReFantazio
Amidst all the celebrations surrounding Persona 3 Reload and Persona 5 Tactica, Atlus stealthily dropped what appears to be a Persona spiritual successor in the reveal for Metaphor: ReFantazio. Originally PROJECT Re FANTASY, Metaphor seems to be lifting a lot of inspiration (and straight-up mechanics) from the Persona and Shin Megami Tensei franchises. In fact, you might even confuse yourself at first glance. However, there’s enough new here to set it apart and we know Atlus is at its best when it plays to its strengths.
Star Wars Outlaws
Star Wars Outlaws from Massive Entertainment is the open-world Star Wars game we never thought we needed until now. Set in another part of the galaxy far, far away, Outlaws is a surprising change of heart for Ubisoft: it’s a single-player, story-driven game. From the incredible gameplay shown, we really hope that the game lives up to that level of quality. It’s a good time to be a Star Wars fan and a fan of video games.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora
With Star Wars Outlaws and now Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Massive Entertainment is quickly becoming Ubisoft’s A-team. The new AAA Avatar game might look like Far Cry: Na’vi Edition but that didn’t stop Ubisoft from showcasing some really awe-inspiring visuals, exciting gameplay and aerial combat with fully customisable flying creatures. That should be an automatic win. On top of that, we also got a 7 December release date to look forward to.
Phantom Blade Zero
Arguably the most stylish game shown this summer, Phantom Blade Zero looks like Jet Li’s Hero came to life in video game format. Coming from relatively unknown and smaller studios, Phantom Blade Zero stood out during the PlayStation Showcase thanks to its wildly stylish combat, grim visuals and gorgeous aesthetic. We could be looking at another Black Myth: Wukong case and the game takes five years to release, though we hope it will be worth it in the end.
Clockwork Revolution
Developer inXile Entertainment should’ve called this BioShock Infinite 2 and called it a day because that’s exactly what its new game, Clockwork Revolution, looks like. Granted, It does have some unique features of its own but with the aesthetic, art direction and presentation, I’m half-expecting Booker DeWitt to show up. The game does look pretty phenomenal, all things considered, and it’s great to see Xbox mixing things up with its first-party studios.
