Let's talk about the PlayStation 5 gameplay reveal event

So after much speculation, rumours and teases, Sony finally unveiled the next generation of PlayStation, the PlayStation 5 touted as “the future of gaming”, which as it turns out is the same as the present of gaming but slightly shinier and faster. I didn't know games consoles would be marketed like motor-vehicles but I can't say I'm too surprised either. Look the PlayStation 5 might be impressive on a technical level, the SSD in particular is basically gonna kill load times which is always good in my book, but I can't really say anything until I play it for myself. This was as good a time as any to release this thing. Sure the entire western world is going completely insane, but with the Microsoft's big gameplay reveal leaving people with more blue balls than a simp convention, this was Sony's chance to return fire and deliver the killing blow.

Which they might have done with laughter based on the design of this fucking thing. Really Sony, this is the look you're going with? I get that you wanted to make it look all futuristic and cool but did you have to make it look like an internet router. I don't now about you guys but I didn't look at my Virgin internet giving box and go, “That's it! That's what the new console should look like”. Look when people are memeing the shit out of you within minutes of the reveal you know you've fucked up. But enough of this snarky bullshit about how this thing looks, I'm a game reviewer not a gay hair stylist. So let's rap about the actual games shall we and what better game to start our look at “the future of gaming” than a port of Grand Theft Auto 5. What better way to showcase the next generation of gaming than a port of a 7 year old game.

The entire event was cast in bronze from that point forward. Outside of a brief aside to showcase features about the controller that no one will use after a month or the various talking heads talking about how great the PlayStation 5 will be to develop for, unless of course it flops in which case it will be abandoned like the Wii U, this event was all about the games. If there's one thing I will praise Sony for with this event it's that there was at least a healthy variety of different games showcased. Platformers, shooters, stealth games and a whole host of indies, there was no shortage when it came to variation. The problem? While there was a healthy amount of games shown, I can only remember a handful of them and that's because they're a sequel. Everything else I forgot either because it looked uninteresting or because very little details were actually given on what the game actually is. Capcom have a new IP in the works but outside of the fact that it involves a spaceman and his kid we know, prety much nothing about it. I had to look these games up while writing this because I couldn't remember half this stuff.

Then there's the fact that we don't know which games will actually be availible at launch. Most of them didn't even have an actual release date. The only games we know for certain are going to be releasing during the launch period are Spider-Man Miles Morale, NBA 2K21 and Astro's Playroom which is apparently built into the console itself. There is Hitman 3 which is releasing in January but that's more of a launch window game not a launch title. So that's 3 games we know are coming at launch. It is possible some of the games shown are going to be launch titles, but then why not provide a release date for them. At this point you need to have a strong line-up of games to get people on board with the new console and not only is Sony's offering paultry in number, at least right now, but if I'm being 100% honest here, none of them look like system sellers to me.

Not that any of them look bad, because a lot of them aren't, but none of them will make you want to run out and buy this thing. The closest one that I saw that might be the big killer app is Horizon Forbidden West and that might not release for another 2 years. Everything else looks fine but I wouldnt want to buy a new console for them. Sackboy's Big Adventure looks like a fine enough little platformer but it's no Little Big Planet. Demon Souls looks pretty cool but it's a remake, not a new game. Oddworld Soulstorm is looking great but it's releasing on PS4 so, no need to buy a new console to play it. And while Godfall and Resident Evil VIII look great, they'll be releasing on PC too. A lot of these games are coming to PC as a matter of fact. Very few of them could be considered true exclusives.

But let's continue with some of the other games shown off. Pragmata is the Capcom IP I mentioned earlier and, yeah it's an interesting concept, but what is the game? Don''t pull a Kojima on me Capcom, you're better than that. Stray is a game where you play as a cat. Ok. There's Returnal, stupid name by the way, where you play as a woman trapped on an alien planet and she keeps dying and coming back to life Groundhog Day style. Cool concept but did they have to make her look like such a Karen. I'm not against having older women in games but could we design them so they don't have a case of arresting bitch face. The funny thing is, Returnal, seriously why that name it's worse than Revengeance, it isn't the only game with that concept. Deathloop also has a Groundhog Day like premise only you play as a black dude trying to escape an island where they hunt you for sport while also playing as an assassin trying to kill him too, I think. It's a weird looking game but it did look interesting. It's just a shame I don't like first-person shooters.

The last game I want to talk about is Goodbye Volcano High. This might just be the most indie of any indie game I've played. It's a Life is Strange style game, at least that's what I think it is the trailer was kind of vague, about a bunch of dinosaurs in high school. Life is Strange meet Dinosaurs if you will, hey so long as none of them say “Not the Momma!!!” I'm happy. You play as a gothic, non-binary pterodactyl in a high school band, and I have to stop it right there. If you read that last sentence and immediately rolled your eyes at it, probably best you skip this one. I'm sure this game has an audience, a very strange and niche audience, but I can't say I'm one of them. The game has a hand drawn artstyle and I'm a sucker for anything with that style but I have my limits. And a furry game where you play as a non-binary dinosaur in high school is well beyond those limits.

None of the games shown will make you want to rush out and buy a PlayStation 5. The only one I can see that might be able to come close to that is Spiderman Miles Morales, which looks to be the big holiday title, except there's a problem. While being billed as a sequel to the PlayStation 4 Spiderman game in the event itself, it has since been revealed that it is less a sequel and more a standalone DLC game in a similar vein to Uncharted Lost Legacy. Their big holiday release isn't even a full game, it's a standalone expansion pack. Are you kidding me? Now we don't know how big the new Spiderman game will be as there's a lot of contradictory statements surrounding it but with Insomniac also developing the new Ratchet and Clank game as well, I sincerely doubt the Miles Morales game will be as big as the original. I don't think Insomniac is a big enough studio to handle two major projects at once. And as for that Ratchet an Clank game, wish I could be excited but the last few Ratchet games have been incredibly mediocre and while the new game has some very impressive technical ticks up its sleeves, it looks more of the same. Also Sam Maggs is writing it so fuck that.

I'm sorry guys but this line up sucks. Again none of these games looked bad, some of them were even impressive, but at this point you need to convince me to invest in a console at launch and they simply didn't do that. Maybe in a few months to a year after release I'll pick it up but not at launch. And that is a very strong maybe. Because for all the games shown off, for all the talking heads saying how great the system was, the one thing they didn't go into was the price.

Sony and Microsoft have been keen to showcase their systems and what they're capable of but both seam to be in a race to not show their price points first. Now this could be banal, maybe they're just waiting for a better time to reveal it, but recent comments Sony have made should make you very nervous. According to Sony CEO Jim Ryan, "I think this will sharpen our need to ensure that we focus on getting the value equation right. And I emphasise value as opposed to price”. Now I'm not proficient in the language of coporate bullshit but even a casual translations reads this as “shit's gonna be really fucking expensive yo” and given the economic instability caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, that doesn't bode well for Sony. Now we won't know the full price of this thing until it gets officially announced but given that the price is being kept so far under wraps it makes Tutankhamun look like a high profile stripper by comparison, forgive me if I'm a little cynical that this thing won't cost an arm or a leg. Sony are releasing a digital only version of the PlayStation 5 which will likely be cheaper, but probably not by much.

And regardless of what the price might be, this event did little to showcase why the PlayStation 5 would be a worthy investment at launch. Now, to be fair, most consoles aren't really worth it at launch. Usually you have to wait a few months until things get into full swing. But both Sony and Microsoft need to step up their game if they want to get the consumers attention. It's up in the air which one will do better and a lot could happen between now and the launch date. Given what I've seen online the PlayStation 5 appears to have the slight edge but given the PlayStation 4's install base is higher than the Xbox One I don't know how much that means. If Microsoft come out with more games it could get the drop on Sony but this is still too early a race to call.

As for my own thoughts? Well I wasn't that impressed with what I saw. There simply wasn't enough information on some of these games and whille there were some stand outs, were they enough to make me want to buy a new system? Hell nah. I'm gonna wait out and see what happens. Wait until the games come out and decide which system I'll get, if I get either of them at all. There are still games on the PlayStation 4 and Switch I need to get to anyway. I'm fine for now. Until next time, remember to stay safe and have fun.