Like many other big geek events in these past couple, tumultuous years, Cologne, Germany’s Gamescom has been relegated to a strictly digital surface. Thus, the world’s largest video game convention has come and gone with lots of trailer views, but not a whole lot of mainstream appeal.
In case you’re one of those gamers that hasn’t been glued to the Opening Night Live, IGN livestreams or the ilk, here’s every major trailer you missed from one of the mega gaming mecca…
10. CALL OF DUTY: VANGUARD (Activision/Sledgehammer Games, 11/5/21)
More World War II. While I’ve traditionally gone “Call of Duty” over “Battlefield”, the war game that comes out 2 months before this one, Battlefield 2042 — single player campaign or not — has won over my military-minded heart. The demo showcased for Vanguard at Gamescom was…alright. Will need to see more.
9. TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: SHREDDER’S REVENGE (DotEmu/Tribute Games, 2022)
Ever since picking up the X-Men vs. Street Fighter arcade from Arcade1Up, I’ve been dying for a console port of Turtles in Time— or at least something strongly resembling that. This is it. Oh, and you can now use April!
8. FAR CRY 6 (Ubisoft, 10/7/21)
How many trailers are we going to get of this game before release? I feel like we’ve received 20 already. We know that it plays exactly like FC 1-5. Just give it to us already.
7. SAINTS ROW (Deep Silver/Volition, 2/22/22)
Saints Row is back, rebooted and redux’d! And people are shrugging. This reboot looks like Fortnite on first look, but could still fill the void of the ironic/tongue-in-cheek GTA open world crime caper. Anything will be better than Agents of Mayhem.
6. LEGO STAR WARS: THE SKYWALKER SAGA (WB/TT Games, Spring 2022)
Been wanting this ever since catching my eyes on this E3 2019 surprise. And it’s been delayed to death and my guess is that Din Djarin… oh, no… Grogu is to blame. Come on; it’s a Star Wars game and people only really give a care RN about The Clone Wars and The Mandalorian. OFC you’re going to include that in here. Right? RIGHT?
5. SIFU (Sloclap, 2/22/22)
The Raid: The Game. Nuff said.
4. MARVEL’S MIDNIGHT SUNS (2K Games/Firaxis, March 2022)
X-Com meets Justice League Dark with Marvel Characters. Based on the last big comic crossover I read as a kid, “Rise of the Midnight Sons”. No gameplay shown at Gamescom and none needed. Gimme gimme gimme.
3. HALO INFINITE (Xbox Games/343 Industries, 12/8/21)
We got our special edition Series X Console. Well, scalpers did. Still waiting on Amazon and Best Buy to give me a chance to stop refreshing and give one of these mega corporations over 600 bucks. The damn controller will make it 8.. but both seem pretty extinct right now. Oh, the game? Multiplayer with A.I. bots looks fantastic since I hate playing online and I hate people (well, every none GHG-affiliated nerd). Still pumped for Halo Infinite despite not seeing much — or anything — from the campaign in way, way too long.
2. METROID DREAD (Nintendo/MercurySteam, 10/8/21)
No Nintendo presence at Gamescom, as usual, but this trailer (and a few other Nintendo Switch vids like that of No More Heroes 3, etc.) decided to use “Gamescom Week” as an apt time to give us some delicious dose of Dread. I’m even more excited for that 90 buck Special Edition release than I was prior thanks to this big baddie-driven trailer.
1. FORZA HORIZON 5 (Xbox Games/Playground Games, 11/9/21)
5 Whiskey Reveal. There was an entire hour built on the return of Playground’s epic open world racer, and rightfully so. This was definitely the most informative, coolest, most honest time spent in Cologne, Germdigi, and I ordered a $69 dollar special edition controller is support of it. And why not, since the game is free — Day One, too — via Game Pass. Hurry the Eff up, Amazon, Moods needs his Series X (and if there was a Forza Horizon Edition, I would have likely chose that one instead!).
-Travis Moody