Player 2 Vs The Game Awards 2022 - The Pre-Show
It’s the night of nights for the video game world – The Game Awards – the Geoff Keighley hosted event that awards the year’s very best games, and celebrates all who make the industry as incredible as it is, but also serves as an opportunity to look forward to what is to come. Join Player 2 editors Paul and Jess as the pair debrief on each of the big game’s announced at the event, and reflect on all of the winners!
Dead Cells: Return To Castlevania DLC
Paul: Dead Cells is one of those titles that for a long time I’ve been meaning to play, and yet, due to consistently cluttered release calendars… and children… I’ve failed to get around to, but adding Castlevania content into the mix like this the ideal way to force my hand to make the time for it. I got my hands on a Backbone grip this year, maybe that will be the ideal way to ensure I play the game and then enjoy this Castlevania pairing
Jess: Knowing nothing about Castlevania (I know, sorry), this was a pretty charming way to open the show. I almost wish Dead Cells would actually permanently adopt Castlevania’s hand-drawn animation style – it looks like the combination of the two will make for a fun mix!
Vampire Survivors
Paul: Everything I hear is the same, “At first you look at Vampire Survivors and wonder… WTF is this? And then you play it and everything changes.” Well I’m still in the WTF and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. It’s simply not appealing enough to me (like a Dead Cells for example) to get me over the line amidst everything else that’s coming out
Jess: I have heard nothing but good things about Vampire Survivors, and now that it’s on mobile (and free! hooray!) I might actually check it out.
Valiant Hearts: Coming Home
Paul: I was thrilled when Valiant Hearts surfaced at the Ubisoft Forward a few months back, and while I was initially disappointed that it was exclusive to the Netflix mobile app initially, I’m confident that it will eventually come across to the consoles anyway, and I have the means to play it now, so why not do so? Can’t wait!
Jess: This one is a cool surprise (to me, at least). It’s probably Netflix’s biggest game exclusive yet, and given how much people loved the first one, expectations are going to be high – but I reckon they’ll pull it off
Returnal PC
Paul: We’ve been hearing the rumours and seen the SteamDB listings for months so this was only a matter of time, but I’m thrilled that we’re there. Returnal is amazing, and I’m stoked for the PC audience that is now finally going to get to check out this Housemarque masterclass.
Jess: Ahh, yet another PS5 exclusive comes to PC. This was a natural progression – it was only a matter of time before it joined the growing ranks of PlayStation exclusives that are no longer exclusive.
Hellboy: Web of Wyrd
Paul: Hellboy demanded my interest, and the artstyle ensures I’ll be there when the game launches. The enemy was a bit too much of a punching bag for my liking in this trailer, so I’m hoping that the enemies aren’t spongey in the final release. Otherwise, things are looking good so far!
Jess: This art style absolutely rocks, and the game has me intrigued. I’ve never been a big Hellboy person, but this has a cool dark edge that I’m kinda into, so maybe I’ll keep it on my radar?
Horizon Call Of The Mountain
Paul: I’ve lay down a lot of money for a PS VR2 and so every time I see the Horizon Call Of The Mountain, I feel further justified in the splashing of the cash. This was an extremely brief tease but it was cool to see a greater range of machines featuring in it. Bring on Feb 22.
Jess: Ugh, this makes me wish so badly that I could justify the price tag of the PSVR2. This world is so uniquely beautiful and experiencing it in first person is going to be a real treat for those who get the chance.
Post Trauma
Paul: I’ve gotten a lot better with horror titles in recent years, but I’m still not a happily willing player of the genre. Post Trauma looks to be doing some cool things but I’m in no rush to engage with the experience – I might just try to appreciate this one from afar.
Jess: This is some creepy classic Silent Hill/Resident Evil shit, and I can’t wait. Using that tape recorder to save? An absolute classic RE move. Surely this is a love letter to that era of horror games, and it looks like one to watch.
Viewfinder
Paul: I’m genuinely concerned about the number of pieces my brain will be broken into by the Viewfinder experience. This looks to be a very cool, stylish, and clever game, but this simpleton may not be up to it
Jess: I feel like this game is going to both amaze me and also make me very, very ill, but it’s definitely something different! Playing with perspectives is always an interesting mechanic and can make for some unique puzzles, so if I can wrap my head around it, I would love to give it a go.
Atomic Heart
Paul: The Bioshock vibes are strong with Atomic Heart, and I’m feeling very justified in watching this one from afar for the last couple of years. Things are tracking in the right direction and the release is just around the corner. Though, I’m fascinated to see if there will be some final twist in the tale of this game given its Russian origin and how the world feels about that part of the world right now. It’s not the creators fault, so I hope that their creative works aren’t impacted.
Jess: Creepy, high-adrenaline, pure action – with some creepy stuff mixed in? It’s an interesting step for Focus, but will easily find an audience.
Scars Above
Paul: I’ve been extremely cynical about the large majority of Embracer Group’s titles but Scars Above is not one of them. This space set Tomb Raider-styled experience is so far up my alley, and with a demo available now following the event, I’m keen to see if I placed my bets properly on this one. Currently really excited for the February launch.
Jess: Ahh, the game I’ve been mentally calling Space Tomb Raider since I saw the first trailer. I played a preview of this game about a month ago, and while it looks great, I wish it had less space bugs. I definitely want to know more about the protagonist and her role in the world, though – I’m ready to love this game.
Relic Hunters: Legends
Paul: The gameplay looks good enough but the tone of the game is already aggravating me. Hard pass currently, especially given the number of game with similar systems that have characters I don’t want to instantly scream at.
Jess: This seems to be like what you’d get if you gave every Cartoon Network character a gun and told them to fight it out? But in a good way. I always like it when these bright, creative takes on typically dark genres come out. It’s not my genre, but this seems like a bunch of wild fun.
Among Us Hide N Seek
Paul: The pitch spoke about murderers in the crowd, and then (casting ourselves forward) we saw one bob up after Game of the Year was awarded. I like the novelty in that because otherwise I couldn’t have any fewer shits to give to Among Us, no matter how you slice it.
Jess: Every teen in the world is going to play this game. There’s something kind of terrifying about it, and I almost felt sad watching those little Among Us dudes begging for their lives. I’m sure a new game mode will be a very welcome addition to the game’s continuing fans, and I wish all who choose to play it the best of luck in their murder party.
After Us
Paul: You can see the Journey, Edith Finch and Abzu love oozing out of this one, although there were some moments of either combat or survival that create a point of difference for Among Us. The game certainly has my interest, going into the future.
Jess: I’m not quite sure what this game is yet, but it definitely made a great first impression. It seems atmospheric and melancholic, and also maybe a little creepy? Definitely dark, and definitely something that’s going to force some introspection and reflection. I’m ready to feel things when I play this game. Lots of things.
Replaced
Paul: I’ve been itching for more Replaced for what feels like forever, but circumstances have conspired against us, but this moment was something special. A fantastic trailer that conveys all the tone of what we’ve seen prior to this point and gives us more teases for the mysteries to come in the full release. Just hook it to my veins.
Jess: The first few moments of this trailer had me hoping this was gonna be a Norco-style dystopian point-and-click, but instead it seems like an action/platformer sort of situation. The world is dark, and I’m sure a terrifying look into our potential future.
Street Fighter 6
Paul: Look, I’m not a fighting game guy, but I can appreciate the brilliance that is required to create good one, letalone a series that has lasted decades – Street Fighter 6 from all reports is ticking all the right boxes so seemingly it won’t get off to the same rough start that Street Fighter V suffered from.
Jess: Fighting games have never been my thing, but I know many people are excited for this one. If that’s you, I hope the trailer gave you all you wanted and more.
And so that wraps up our coverage of the Pre-Show. There was a lot to dissect from that segment of the show alone, let alone the madness that was to follow. Tune back in tomorrow where Jess and Paul continue to pull apart each and every announcement from the biggest event in the gaming calendar
