Player 2 Vs The Game Awards Pre-Show
It’s that time once again, another Geoff Keighley job, one that is filled with awards, celebrities with little to do with the gaming industry, and a myriad of announcements to keep us all sufficiently hyped up for the year/s to come. Join Playe 2 editors Paul James and Jess Zammit, as the duo break down each, and every one of the announcements and touch on the award recipients, cameo appearances, any controversies, and more.
This is their take on the Pre-Show
Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons Remake
Paul: I was a bit late to the party with Brothers, but once I have it a go, I was completely swept away by it. I’d endeavoured to return in the subsequent years, but for whatever reason it has not worked out, but this remake is the ideal way to get myself back on board. February 28 is nice and soon, slightly too soon considering how stacked February already is, but I’ll take it!
Jess: I haven’t touched the original Brothers game since it first came out, and I sadly had to play it by myself. A remake is the perfect excuse to run through it again with a friend, cry together, and remember why this was such a beautiful game. And it’s not too far away!
Pony Island 2: Panda Circus
Paul: So I’ve never played a Dan Mullins game I’m afraid. Inscription sits there unplayed, while Pony Island I’d never heard about until only recently… and now there’s a sequel on the way! I need to start catching up ASAP!
Jess: Both Inscryption and the first Pony Island have been sitting in my backlog for ages, and this truly absurd looking trailer is a good reminder that I need to get to both of them in time for this sequel to release. It looks quietly unhinged, and I can’t wait to be utterly confused by it.
The Rise Of The Golden Idol
Paul: I need to act on these Golden Idol games. I’ve heard great things about the original, and now, with a sequel on the way, it’s more important than ever that I hit up The Curse Of The Golden Idol. The TBD 2024 window should buy me time, so fingers crossed that I’m ready.
Jess: Another one that’s sitting in my backlog, dammit. The Case of the Golden Idol is going to absolutely 100% be my bullshit, and it’s frankly absurd that I haven’t played it yet. And now there’s gonna be a sequel?? I have so much catching up to do.
Usual June
Paul: FINJI has a great eye for quality titles, and that’s reflected in both their own development and publishing works. From Tunic, to Chicory, Night In The Woods, and Overland, they rarely miss, and so with a cool trailer, and engaging art-style, Usual June seems set to continue their run of form.
Jess: This one grabbed me immediately. I love the art style, the protagonist looks cool as hell, and it seems to include a healthy dose of mystery solving – this is all positive for me. Plus, it’s being developed by Finji – who are yet to make a game I haven’t loved. 2025 is a totally reasonable time period, but also far too long to wait.
Arknights: Endfield
Paul: I normally bristle up a bit to trailers like this because the overtly anime stylings tend to be a barrier for me, but Arknights: Endfield actually looks pretty cool! Whether there’s any substance beyond this cool trailer remains to be seen – it’s at the very least on the periphery of my radar now.
Jess: Okay, it genuinely took me half the trailer to work out whether or not this was just gonna be Genshin Impact, but apparently no! This one probably isn’t going to be for me, but it does look visually cool.
The Matchless KungFu
Paul: The Matchless KungFu has a style that is appealing but a gameplay loop that didn’t ensnare any of my interest. Maybe future showings will change things.
Jess: Another one that’s not really gonna be my style, but is making some cool artistic choices.
Harmonium: The Musical
Paul: I was cynical for moments as the game was being introduced, because it honestly felt like Geoff was just trying to tick an accessibility box for the showcase before moving on… but then they gave the game some time, and then let the trailer do the talking beyond that, and Harmonium looked phenomenal. I’m all about this, and I can’t wait to see more
Jess: OH MY GOD. THIS IS THE COOLEST THING EVER. It looks incredible. From the stellar accessibility-focused concept to the fact that it’s a goddamn musical, this trailer made my whole heart sing. I know I haven’t played it yet and can’t possibly know whether or not it’s any good, but I want so many more games like this.
Windblown
Paul: IIIII’ve still never played Dead Cells. I’m ashamed of that, but I’m desperate to find the time to start. Now we have anew game on the way, and I’m feeling more pressure than ever before to get going. Soon!
Jess: I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Dead Cells, given it isn’t usually my sort of genre, so I imagine I might feel the same way about Windblown. Again, there are some impressive visuals, and the combat looks just as tight as you’d expect from these devs. I’m keen to see more.
Thrasher
Paul: Thumper was cool, and this looks like an even more intense sensory experience. I’m all for it. Not much more to glean from the trailer, but more is to come, and I’m right here ready and waiting for it.
Jess: See, in theory, I’m into this, but it invokes the same kind of horror as Thumper did, and I’m not sure I can face the fear. I just know there’s gonna be some weird, vaguely-buglike creatures, and that’s never a positive thing for me.
Persona 3: Reload
Paul: If there was a Persona for me to play it would be this one. I’m behind, completely, but I believe 3 is when things really “got good” and so if P3 is getting a remake, then I should probably look to start here. We’ll see what happens though, because February is already stacked!
Jess: At this point, where do I even start with Persona? How much lore do I need to commit to knowing to jump in at any point? Is it all of it? I’m scared it’s all of it. I just don’t know if there’s enough time left in my life to experience Persona at this stage, and I’m too scared to calculate it.
Dave The Diver X Dredge
Paul: Dredge is unreal, and Dave The Diver is still something I’m waiting to see come to new platforms. Because of that latter point, I’m probably happy to wait for now, despite my love of Dredge.
Jess: Well now they’re combining two games that are in my pile of shame. At this point, they’re just taunting me. This game has been far too big for games.
World Of Goo 2
Paul: World Of Goo is OG indie, but I’d never expected, after all this time, to ever see another game in the IP, and yet, nearly 15 years later, we’re finally getting a successor. I’m all about this. My brain will be broken, but I’m all about it.
Jess: I will forever remember World of Goo as one of the first games I ever got on Steam back in its early days, and the trailer is right – it was too bad they’d never made another one. But now here it is! Back! This type of puzzle-solving tickles my brain, and I’m ready to embrace the goo once more.
Metaphor Re: Fantazio
Paul: This is my alternative to checking out Persona 3. This one looks pretty cool, an seems to be stepping away from all of that school-based stuff that never ceases to push me away. I’m ready to see more, whenever Sega and Atlus deem us worthy of it.
Jess: Okay, instead of trying to figure out Persona, maybe I could just jump into this instead? This looks like a lot of fun, and also like I’m not going to have to learn a whole lot of lore to enjoy it. The visuals are cool of course, but the epic soundtrack is what’s really grabbing me.
