Yes folks it’s that time of year again as the industry came together to celebrate it’s best while more importantly providing an all important trailer showcase for the gaming year ahead and after a disappointing E3 it was a pleasant surprise to be given a slew of exciting titles to look forward to as well as the signs that the industry is starting to focus on the current gen with several titles exclusively for the new machines and not providing ports for either the PS4 or Xbox One.
Still before we get into the trailers, here’s who won what.
List of Winners
- Game of the Year: It Takes Two
- Best Game Direction: Deathloop
- Best Narrative: Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
- Best Art Direction: Deathloop
- Best Score and Music:Nier Replicant
- Best Audio Design: Forza Horizon 5
- Best Performance: Maggie Robertson, Resident Evil: Village
- Games For Impact: Life is Strange: True Colors
- Best Ongoing: Final Fantasy XIV Online
- Best Indie: Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Best Mobile Game: Genshin Impact
- Best Community Support: Final Fantasy XIV Online
- Innovation in Accessibility: Forza Horizon 5
- Best VR/AR: Resident Evil 4 VR
- Best Action Game: Returnal
- Best Action/Adventure: Metroid Dread
- Best Role Playing: Tales of Arise
- Best Fighting: Guilty Gear-Strive
- Best Family: It Takes Two
- Best Sim/Strategy: Age of Empires IV
- Best Sports/Racing: Forza Horizon 5
- Best Multiplayer: It Takes Two
- Best Debut Indie: Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Most Anticipated Game: Elden Ring
WORLD PREMIERE TRAILERS
Tunic
(March 16th, 2022)
Tunic was announced a few years ago at E3 and since then, there’s been very little updates on the progress. Luckily, this year for TGA, there was both a gameplay trailer but also a release date. The fox Zelda game that had us very excited in its first look definitely does live up to expectations in the latest trailer as it shows us some of the level designs, gameplay mechanics as well as some of the creatures in this land. Its cute, colorful and charming plus its an Xbox Exclusive so hopefully potentially an Day One Xbox Game Pass selection?
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Multiplayer horror games are definitely making its rounds. With Dead By Daylight having a rather massive success and acquiring a bunch of licenses, including one for Leatherface, its a surprise that The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is the next up in the line. Of course, this game seems to be pretty early in development and is pretty much a teaser trailer and doesn’t show a whole lot of gameplay so it’s hard to say how the developers plan to approach this.
The Expanse: A Telltale Series
Telltale Games makes its return this year with an announcement for their next Telltale series direction. This time, they are heading into space action as they do their take on the TV show, The Expanse.
Babylon’s Fall
(March 3, 2022)
Babylon’s Fall is PlatinumGames upcoming co-op action RPG as it takes one player or up to 4 players for a combat up the Tower of Babel. There are multiple play styles with different weapons with their own skills and abilities to unlock.
Thirsty Suitors
Annapurna Interactive has been acquiring some fun titles in the last few years. Thirsty Suitors looks like another quirky indie game where a girl called Jala has to confront her mistakes by battling her exes and reconciling cultural differences and find herself. In the trailer, there’s a mix of turn-based battles, cooking and skateboarding. I sure looks like it could be a ton of fun to dive into a world where there’s a ton of stuff to do. There’s no release date yet but this looks colorful enough to keep an eye on.
Evil West (2022)
Demons and many different weapons and fighting styles await you in this upcoming action Western with a Wild West hero. The game itself is third person and looks like there’s a lot of different monsters to defeat in general.
Have a Nice Death
(Early Access March 2022)
Have A Nice Death looks like a cute 2D roguelite featuring Death, the boss of the underworld as death explodes off the charts and he runs off to give a lesson to his minions according to what this trailer seems to portray. Its a little silly and quirky but somehow it could be a fun time especially since the whole trailer felt a little like Hollow Knight., a little fight versus a world full of big and small enemies.
Planet of Lana: An Off-Earth Odyssey (2022)
Presented by the man who scored The Last Guardian Takeshi Furukawa, Planet of Lana is a sci-fi odyssey adventure that follows a young girl and her friend as they traverse through a planet full of machines and creatures on a rescue mission. The art style looks really nice and the world seems intriguing.
Hellblade II: Senua’s Saga
Ninja Theory’s new game offers a new level of cinematic immersion in gaming as they reveal the gameplay trailer for the sequel of Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice titled Hellblade II: Senua’s Saga. It dives back into the character of Senua with the voices in her head as she and others battle a giant of some sort. It definitely looks immersive and impressive to say the least if the gameplay feels as smooth as watching a movie.
Star Wars Eclipse
The great minds at Quantic Dream helms the next Star Wars Eclipse which seems like it will add a new direction to the game. Its still a cinematic trailer but judging from Quantic Dream’s normal narrative choice-driven style, it could be a wonderful gaming experience full of profound decisions that affect every outcome of the game.
Wonder Woman
While it might have been another cinematic trailer the game is being developed by Monolith who previously gave us both Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor and it’s sequel Shadow of War with early word being that we can expect a similar model including the return of their nemesis system for their second dip into the world of DC after the arena battler Gotham City Imposters.
Alan Wake 2
Its been a whole 11 years since the release of Alan Wake. While the first game is primarily an action game with horror elements, Alan Wake 2 will be a survival horror game. The first look at the teaser trailer reveals the tone and atmosphere of the setting, it absolutely has a creepy vibe, almost like the setting of the IT films where its both rainy and gloomy. Alan Wake 2 is set for release in 2023.
Horizon II: Forbidden West
The sequel of Horizon Zero Dawn, subtitled Forbidden West takes Alloy into the world where the machines are out of control and the land is dying. She goes through a variety of settings as well: underwater, snowy lands, deserts, etc. Horizon Zero Dawn was a fantastic game and it will be interesting to see where the story takes Alloy next.
Slitterhead
At this point, most people have lost hope that a decent Silent Hill game will be making its appearance in the gaming world. In 2020, however the creators of Silent Hill gathered to create Bokeh Game Studios which finally released it first trailer for Slitterhead. The trailer is positively creepy, especially revealing a little of the creature design, which looks absolutely horrific.
Nightingale
Nightingale is an upcoming survival crafting game which allows for both solo and co-op gaming experiences. It delivers a shared world and community building where there are magical realms to explore. The world itself from the trailer looks pretty intriguing in this reveal. There’s an old-timey feeling to it that adds to the artistic and visual element. You can sign up at playnightingale.com .
Somerville
As one half of Playdead builds their own studio Jumpship, Somerville finally gets a full trailer on this upcoming game. At first glance, the art style and atmosphere is in line with the other Playdead games. This game is set in a rather dystopian world that seems to be invaded by something and there seems to be the same fear of running away from whatever is lurking about. Most of these games are no narrative so it will be hard to pinpoint without experiencing the whole thing. Somerville does look really great and one to look forward to.
Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course
(June 30, 2022)
First announced back in 2018, the much awaited DLC will finally be coming out in the new year bringing with it new levels, bosses as well as a new playable character with Ms. Chalice. Promising more of what made the game such a classic, hopes are high that it will recapture the magic while Netflix also have a series in the works.
Sonic Frontiers
(Holiday 2022)
Currently very little details have been released other than this being touted as the first open world adventure for Sonic. Of course attempts to deviate from the classic 2D side scrolling adventures have previously delivered mixed results so it remains to be seen if this latest attempt to reinvent the wheel will pay off.
Tchia
(Spring 2022)
Tchia is a game inspired by New Caledonian cultures as it centres around a colorful and positive environment surrounding a little girl with her adventures. The trailer highlights the many things that she can do and includes customization of her character as well as some happy music playing. It sure feels like a wholesome and relaxing adventure game.
Suicide Squad Kill The Justice League (2022)
Rocksteady return to the world of DC after the Arkham games with the Suicide Squad which will blend open world gameplay with four player co-op action as players can either go solo switching between the four Suicide Squad members or team up with three friends to save Metropolis in a game promising to be big on action, foul language and carnage.
Forspoken
(May 24, 2022)
Forspoken is a game about a New Yorker transported to a fantasy land trying to find a way out. Its set in an open world atmosphere with some villainous rulers over the land. The trailer itself shows some unique traversal gameplay and mechanics. The story and world seems rather intriguing as well as they do in fantasy worlds.
Saints Row
(August 23, 2022)
Originally slated for a February release the reboot has now been pushed back to August due concerns over quality. It of course remains to be seen how the fan base will react to a more grounded direction for a series which has thrived over pushing a more comedic alternative to GTA.
Dune: Spice Wars
It’s been quite a while since we had a Dune game but with the film currently reviving interest in the property it’s exciting to see a new game in the works with this one coming from Shiro Games who previously gave us Northgard. Based on the literary property than the film it will be exciting to see how it adapts this expansive world.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands
(March 25, 2022)
Presented by Ashley Burch and Will Arnett who both voice characters in Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, this game looks like a ton of fun. Its a world beyond the Borderlands and yet the art style and the quirky humor are all still there. The trailer itself shows off the tabletop realm and a whole lot of things to do with weapons and and fantasy elements.
Among Us VR
Among Us VR is a fairly straightforward reveal in itself. While everyone’s having fun with this game, the question we still want to know is whether there’s enough people owning VRs to play this with friends especially Among Us goes up to 10 people rounds and a lot of the fun is in having the most amount of friends possible. Unless of course, they later announce more details that you can play with non-VR friends?
Steelrising
(June 2022)
Steelrising is probably one of the intriguing titles here as its trailer focuses on a world full of machines and marionette characters. The world looks imaginative and dark. While it sheds just a cinematic trailer onto what this world holds, it will be interesting to see what else this game will offer specifically in terms of gameplay.
Star Trek: Resurgence
(Spring 2022)
From the creators of Telltale’s Batman & The Walking Dead by their newly formed studio, Dramatic Labs, Star Trek Resurgence is an interactive narrative choice-driven adventure with their take in the Star Trek verse.
Rumbleverse (2022)
A battle royale wrestling game set in Grapital City where 40 players will get to brawl till one person is left standing. It’s typical Battle Royale fare with a strong comedic leaning if the trailer is anything to go off. It remains to be seen if the brawling mechanic will help it stand out from what is already a saturated market with Apex Legends and Fornite still holding their place at the top of the pile; it remains to be seen if it’s different enough to stand out. You can however sign up for the Beta now.
A Plague Tale: Requiem (2022)
A Plague Tale: Requeim is the sequel of A Plague Tale: Innocence which continues the journey of the siblings as they try to start their new life. The first trailer for the game looks very good as it seems a little similar to the first game but in a different setting and expands the story.
Dying Light 2: Stay Human (Feb 4, 2022)
Announced way back at E3 2018 it looks like we will finally get to play the much hyped follow up to the 2015 original with the sequel being set 20 years after the first game with a new protagonist and a choice system where the players choices will shape the world they journey through.
CrossfireX (February 10th, 2022)
CrossfireX is an upcoming Xbox exclusive first person shooter with a competitive multiplayer but also has a cinematic single player campaign to play as well.
GTFO (out now)
GTFO is an extreme co-op horror shooter that had its early access on Steam in 2019. The game was fully released the night of the Game Awards. The game plays as a 4 person co-op where the team of prisoners have to work together to complete objectives to leave this complex which is overrun by monsters.
Arc Raiders (2022)
The debut game of Embark Studios is a free to play multiplayer cooperative player versus environment action shooter set to release in 2022 as the players team up together to defend their home amidst the landing of a threat from space.
Elden Ring
(February 25, 2022)
Being crowned two years in a row the Most Anticipated Game at The Game Awards is definitely a sign that this game is going to be a heavy hitter for next year. Of course, the name of George R.R. Martin being tied to it gives it a ton of hope, especially for The Game of Thrones fans. The cinematic trailers that we’ve seen so far, especially this one, looks great. The world and the characters and the mystery behind what to see is full of imagination and really does amp up the anticipation. But a cinematic trailer is still just cut-scenes at best, seeing as it does come out in 2 months, it’s probably time to drop some gameplay.
Matrix Awakens
(download for free)
Presented by Keanu Reeves & Carrie Ann Moss, they both share the upcoming Matrix Resurrections film trailer as well as the Matrix Awakens game which is free to download right now on PS5 and Xbox X.
FILM AND TV TRAILERS
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (April 8, 2022)
Nightmare Alley Trailer (December 17th)
Halo (Streaming 2022)
Matrix Resurrections (December 22, 2021)
OTHER GAME ANNOUNCEMENTS
- The King of Fighters XV: Beta on Dec.17th for PS4 and PS5 with 8 available characters
- Chivalry 2: New map & weapon & Free weekend play for all Dec 9-12
- Monster Hunter Rise: Massive Expansion: Sunbreak, out Summer 2022
- Lost Ark: Play free February 11th
- Destiny 2 DLC The Witch Queen – February 22, 2022
- Warhammer Vermintide: Warrior Priest
- Fortnite: Chapter 3
- Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout – The Nightmare Before Christmas
- Google Play Games on PC in 2022
- Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intergrade – Epic Games Store on December 16th, 2021
- Vampire Masquerade: Blood Hunt released in Spring 2022 on PS4 & Steam
- Homeworld 3 is slated for release in Q4 2022
Game Warp 