Welcome to The Catch-Up, where we highlight game news from the week prior to get you up to speed on some of the exciting things coming to the industry.
- The Callisto Protocol
Starting off we got a gameplay trailer for Striking Distance Studios first-ever title. With the studio lead’s past being deeply rooted in dead space, it’s no surprise this new outing in the space horror survival genre looks as good as it does. Beautifully horrific visuals, interesting weapons, and mechanics are all we needed to be excited to play this game when it releases on December 2nd, 2022. Check out the full trailer below!
2. Devolver Digital Showcase
This team of indie developers showed up this year with a unique and quirky presentation alongside some impressive and standout trailers for a couple of their upcoming games including Skate Story.
Skate Story blends great music and skating with the team’s original glassy underworld aesthetic. If that doesn’t paint a good enough picture for you, I suggest you check out the trailer below (17:00) because a game that is hard to fully put into words is worth the attention.
The other game was The Plucky Squire, which at first looked to have a fun new take on 2-D side-scrolling but quickly became more, with a 3-D game space alongside it that blends together with the 2-D elements as you play. Again, it is something you need to check out to fully understand the concept (14:12). We have linked the full showcase below, so dig in and let us know what you think!
3. Xbox Showcase
Microsoft took the lead this year in being the first big company to host a full game presentation and for the most part, they delivered. There were some great reveals and some genuine surprises, and a few, in particular, had our attention.
First was a game we never saw coming, High On Life (57:25). From the creators of Rick and Morty comes this bizarre out of this world premise full of original and hilarious ideas. The game looks great with vibrant environments and loads of personality in its characters, some of which are the guns you use in-game. A very welcome surprise and it was great to see that is being released this year in October.
The second big stand-out was The Last Case of Benedict Fox (1:35:32). This looks to be another game that takes 2-D platforming to the next level with great backdrops, environments, and a well-crafted story backing it. You play as Benedict Fox who seems to be investigating the disappearance of this father when a mysterious spirit “lends a hand”. While the release date is a little farther out, somewhere in 2023, this is one to be on the lookout for when it drops.
The last, and most anticipated reveal was Starfield (2:08:12). Bethesda has long teased this game and there have been many years of speculation but now we finally have our first look. Starfield brings us galaxies full of planets to discover and explore with all the things that make RPGs great. Progression of your character, weapons, and even the ship you use to get around are all here with lots of different things to consider when upgrading. Worlds teem with wildlife and are completely explorable. Hostiles litter the galaxy on the ground but also beyond the planets, as space combat is present as well. While the game had a good trailer I am glad there was a delay with the release window now in Spring of 2023 as AI looked weak and gunplay effects and animations could use some work. As we said there are a lot of elements even beyond what we stated here and can all be viewed with all the other reveals in the full Xbox Showcase below!
Thank you for stopping by and we will see you next Monday for your next catch-up!
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