GAMING: Hot takes from a packed Summer Game Fest

A quick look at a weekend stuffed full of game trailers, with some reflections on what was missing.

Blink and you may have missed Summer Game Fest over the weekend — especially if you were busy playing the new Switch 2.

The event consisted of 16 major showcases this year, featuring everything from new major titles through to indie games from around the world. That includes Australia and New Zealand’s very own Frosty Games Fest, the region’s debut showcase.

Part of the challenge with these events is that they are a literal firehose of gaming news. While they give many games a platform for promotion, it’s easy to become lost in the noise and spend hours watching trailers that may not reveal that much at all.

I’ve done a bit of the work here for you and have pulled out what I think are some of the highlights of the event. It’s very far from comprehensive, but it’s at least a starting point for those who want to dive a little deeper.

Notable major trailers

Given Resident Evil 4:

Remake came out in 2024, we were well due for another game. It’s great to see the new Resident Evil title leaning further into its survival horror roots, likely taking a bit of inspiration from the release of Silent Hill 2 Remake last year.

It’s also somewhat of a callback to Resident Evil: Outbreak. It’s a lesser-known, but fan-cherished game that had you play as survivors during the Raccoon City outbreak. The main character in this game is the daughter of one of the playable characters in Outbreak.

Stranger than Heaven

Another really interesting game from the makers of the Like A Dragon series, which looks like a fusion of those games with a pre-World War II art deco setting. While there’s been a burst of games that delve into feudal Japan, not a lot of them explore this era of the country’s history. There’s not a lot to go off in this trailer, and no release date in sight. But still, it’s one to watch.

007 First Light

From the maker of the Hitman series comes a new take on James Bond. As revealed by Game File, the super spy is just 26 in this game, and just starting out at MI5. This game isn’t aiming to be the new GoldenEye — there’s no sign of an online multiplayer mode just yet.

But it looks to be taking Hitman’s sandbox gameplay formula and applying it to a more narrative-driven game. If the Hitman series has but one weakness, its story is a little strange and disjointed. It will be interesting to see what IO Interactive can do when they are given a meatier plot to work with.

Outer Worlds 2

We got a date (29 October), a price ($119 AUD) and a trailer this time around. Set in the fictional Halcyon system, The Outer Worlds series is basically a satire on hyper-capitalism. While the first game was a great role-playing title, its shooting and combat mechanics were a little vanilla.

This sequel looks to improve on this, but hopefully not at the cost of an interesting and branching storyline. I mean, the original is one of the only games that I know where its world record speed run ends with your character flying a ship into the sun by accident.

Beast of Reincarnation

This is a really interesting new game from GameFreak, the maker of Pokémon. There’s little in the way of gameplay or mechanics in this latest trailer, more just a sense around their art direction and themes. But it’s an incredibly mature-looking game, perhaps exercising some storytelling muscles that may be a bit underutilised in family-friendly mainline Pokémon games.

Five Australian and New Zealand games that caught my eye

Frosty Games Fest had so many amazing and unique titles — an incredibly diverse showcase. But here are five from watching the stream over the weekend that I think really stood out for me.

Schrödinger’s Cat Burglar

Clever from name through to the execution. This one was a standout for me during the showcase. I also love that it’s a cool new take on couch co-op, which I quietly think is making a comeback. It’s on my wishlist.

Winnie’s Hole

The clumsy honey-loving bear like you’ve never seen him before — infected with an intelligent virus which mutates him. It’s a puzzle game that also weaves in some combat elements. If Winnie the Pooh ever made it into a Resident Evil game, it would probably look something like this.

Bones, Wandering Soul

If Hollow Knight has shown us anything, it is that the 2D platformer space is really ripe for innovation from indie studios. Bones looks like another interesting take on the genre, but it’s difficult to tell from just this trailer. One to watch.

My Arms Are Longer Now

Maybe I’m quietly harbouring a need to steal stuff, because this is the second theft-related game I’m writing about here. Imagine Reed Richards from the Fantastic Four — the stretchy one — turns to a life of crime, and you’ll get the idea. The video here talks a lot about customisation, but for me, the core concept seems quite clever and the ability to decorate your arm is just icing.

Innkeep

After the blast I had managing museums earlier this year, I’m very much down to managing a high fantasy inn. This game looks like another creative blend of genres, with a good sense of humour to boot. The trailer didn’t give much away, so it will be interesting to see how it plays closer to launch.

This is just my pick — there really was something in there for everyone. Puzzle, adventure games, romance sims. The lot.

Check it out for yourself on YouTube. Australian gaming news site Qualbert has also set up a really handy list of trailers.

So… What was missing?

Perfect Dark

Joanna Dark is missing in action. After a really flashy trailer this time last year, the rebooted prequel to the understated Nintendo 64 hit Perfect Dark has gone silent. It’s a bit unusual as a lot of games that revealed either last year at Summer Game Fest or during The Game Awards actually had updated trailers this time around too.

Wolverine

The timing felt right for another trailer from Insomniac — creators of Ratchet and Clank and Infamous — on the Wolverine game they announced back in 2021. There’s been some turbulence with this game. Funnily enough the creative director moved to work on Perfect Dark in October last year. So here’s hoping it still sees the light of day.

Nintendo

If prior years are anything to go by, Nintendo will do its own showcase later this month, well after the dust has settled from Summer Game Fest. But an update on some new Switch 2 games would be nice, especially if it came bundled with a release date for Metroid Prime 4!

A launch date for Hollow Knight: Silk Song

But hey, at least we know its coming this year!

• Harrison Polites writes the Infinite Lives newsletter. Follow him here. 

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