Gamescom: 13 games that really impressed me
22.8.2019
Translation: machine translated
In a single day, I played over 20 games and saw even more. Here are my 13 favourites that made the biggest impression.
Before you start wondering where Call of Mutti, Watch Dogs Legion or Borderlands 3 are, I have to disappoint you. In the limited time I had available, I tended to focus on games that won't be released in the next month or two or are already playable in the form of betas. With this in mind, here are my personal highlights from this year's Gamescom.
"Bleeding Edge"
The parallels to "Overwatch" cannot be denied. One of the developers present also openly admitted that Blizzard's multiplayer shooter was a source of inspiration. Apart from that, "Bleeding Edge" definitely has enough unique selling points to set it apart from the genre leader. First and foremost the unusual character design. For example, there's the crazy Grandma Maeve, who floats around in a balloon, or the well-built fighting bride Buttercup, who has a motorised unicycle instead of legs. There are currently only ten, three tanks, three damage dealers and four supports. But more are to follow.
We played the Domination mode, where two teams of four face each other and fight for three points on the map. "Bleeding Edge" is much more close combat-heavy than "Overwatch". Teamwork is extremely important, as is the use of individual super moves. The mixture of unusual design, chaotic action and fast-paced gameplay has made a good impression.
The game is set to be released for the Xbox One in early 2020.
"Planet Zoo"
Who would have thought that a zoo could be so damn complicated? In the background of "Planet Zoo" is an extremely complex-looking simulation that regulates the whims and needs of keepers, visitors and animals. When constructing your zoo, you have to take a few things into account if you want to be a successful zoo director. In addition to all the construction options with which you can expand your zoo, the animals are clearly the centrepiece of the game. They look amazingly realistic and cuddly. You can zoom in to just a few centimetres and watch the lions licking their fur. It's so fluffyyyyyy.
Released in November for PC
"Minecraft Dungeons"
If you like "Diablo" and "Minecraft", you need to keep an eye on "Minecraft Dungeons". The game combines the iconic block look with Blizzard's loot action. The design is surprisingly coherent, with pretty lighting effects and unusual monsters - many of which are of course taken directly from "Minecraft". It is aimed at children, but I still had a lot of fun playing it. There are small switch puzzles or sometimes you have to find a key that has a life of its own and simply hops away when you are attacked.
Released in 2020 for PC and Xbox One.
"Maneater"
"Maneater" is a wacky open-world shark RPG. You are part of the reality TV show "Shark Hunters vs. Maneaters", in which humans duel with sharks. You were disfigured as a baby shark by the head hunter Scaly Pete and are now eating your way through the food chain to grow into a giant man-eater. You unlock new abilities such as tougher teeth or stronger armour. The developers showed us three upgrades: the stealth shark, the electric tentacle shark and the bone armour shark. The designs are absolutely crazy.
On your raids, you eat all kinds of sea creatures and, of course, humans. However, this calls the hunters to the scene, who come after you with guns. "Maneater" is divided into different areas, each of which is controlled by an alpha animal. In our case, it was the three-legged giant crocodile Rosie, who wears a pink bow as a distinguishing feature. If you defeat her, you get bonus attributes.
The game is narrated by Chris Parnell (Rick and Morty, Archer) and is wacky and humorous to the core. The big eating begins next year on PC.
"Blacksad"
"Blacksad" has its origins in a Spanish comic, which is characterised by its detailed style, unusual image compositions and a dark story. One volume is dedicated solely to the making of this impressive work. The story in the game revolves around private detective John Blacksad, who has to solve a murder. He is a cat and the rest of the population are also animals. The game is somewhat reminiscent of a Telltale adventure game. There are quick-time events in which you can also bite the dust. The story is melancholy and adult. It's about sex and violence and the 1940s setting is accompanied by a subtle jazz soundtrack. The English voice actors do the rest to create a harmonious picture. I'm curious to see if the game can maintain this level.
"Blacksad Under the Skin" will be released on Steam on 5 November.
"Zelda Link's Awakening"
Anyone who played "Link's Awakening" on the Gameboy will feel right at home. The remake for the Switch is a declaration of love to the 1993 classic, with levels taken almost 1:1 from the original. Only now, with the cuddly diorama look to fall in love with, they really look good enough to eat. There is a world of difference between the monochrome Gameboy version and the Switch remake. Otherwise, you can expect the typical Zelda puzzle-battle system, except that you will be amazed at the chic design with almost every interaction.
Released on 22 September for the Switch.
"Death Stranding"
Hideo Kojima's latest work will be a weird trip. Nobody really knows what's going on, but the world seems to have been devastated by some kind of event. The USA no longer exists, replaced by the United Cities of America, UCA. The cities are fragmented and the new president, who is actually just a hologram because her body is being held captive in an enemy city, wants to unite America. You (Norman Reedus) are supposed to help. You carry a baby around with you in a tank because only babies or BBs can see the creepy invisible monsters that seem to rule the world. Everything about "Death Stranding" is weird, but fascinating at the same time. The many well-known actors article the story in a captivating way. In addition to the voice acting, I was positively impressed by the sound design, which made my body vibrate in the imaginary cinema, and not just because of the huge speakers.
"Death Stranding" will be released on 8 November for PS4.
"Concrete Genie"
A game I'd never heard of before. You play a teenager who wants to make the world shine again with his magic paintbrush (no, that's not a bad pun). To do this, you have to paint the walls in the small areas with colourful patterns. You can let off steam creatively. You will regularly find new drawing templates in the levels. There are also genies that you can design yourself. They then come to life, but can only move along the walls. They occasionally help you when you can't open a gate or similar obstacles. I really liked the design of "Concrete Genie" with its many colours and lights. It is probably aimed at a younger audience, but it has enough charm to appeal to people like me. However, the gameplay is not particularly in-depth and it remains to be seen how quickly the painting principle will wear off.
Released on 8 October for the PS4.
"Cyberpunk 2077"
The hype surrounding "Cyberpunk 2077" is huge. And the hour or so I spent playing the game did nothing to diminish it. The world still seems incredibly detailed and alive. There is something to discover around every corner. I was particularly struck by the interplay between the neon colour palette and the light and shadow system. The visual presentation is a dream. But the gameplay also impressed once again.
Mercenary V has been given the task of recapturing a shopping centre for a gang. The developers regularly switched back and forth between two character types. In one case, V was a male hacker and in the other, a lady for the rough stuff. While Hacker-V relied more on sneaking and hacked enemies with a glowing orange piano string or cut off their limbs with it, Bludgeon-V took the direct route and tore open doors with her bare hands. She could turn turrets into weapons and use them to target enemies herself. I was even more impressed by the dialogue system than the action. As in "The Witcher 3", the dialogues are very dynamic. The characters rarely just stand still and the camera regularly changes perspective. This makes you much more absorbed by the dialogue and less tempted to skip.
"Cyberpunk 2077" is wow, just wow.
The game will be released for PS4, Xbox One and PC on 16 April.
"Everspace 2"
The first part is a space action game with rogue-like elements. You shoot your way from star system to star system, collecting resources, shooting down pirates and completing missions. If you die, you start all over again. However, your spaceship upgrades are retained. Nevertheless, one of the developers explained to me that this system was the biggest criticism of the first part. That's why "Everspace 2" will be an open-world space RPG. If you die, you don't have to start all over again. You can explore space relatively freely, constantly finding new missions and adventures. New space harbours serve as hubs for upgrades, purchases, etc. A lot has also changed visually. "Everspace 1" is still one of the best-looking space games today and part 2 goes one better. There are shattered asteroid fields, colourful gas nebulae and huge glowing planets. To bite into.
"Everspace 2" is expected to be released for PC in 2021. A Kickstarter campaign is set to launch in early 2020 with early access options.
"Wasteland 3"
"Wasteland 3" picks up where part 2 left off. Lots of content, black humour, bloody action, bizarre characters and an exciting story. Chief developer Brian Fargo also explained to me that the studio takeover by Microsoft has given them a lot of money, which means they can now make "Wasteland 3" look really sexy. I have to agree with him. Compared to "Wasteland 2", which really wasn't very attractive, you can get really close in the latest part and marvel at the detailed design of your characters' armour and weapons. And the effects of the laser weapons, snow that settles on the roofs or glistening explosions will make the corners of your mouth turn upwards.
As before, the game is played with a party of up to four people. What's new is that you also have an armoured vehicle that you can not only upgrade, but also control in battle. And this thing has it all. You can drive it over any obstacle and crush enemies under its huge wheels.
"Wasteland 3" will once again be a long game (around 50 hours) and two players can take two completely different paths. This was already the case in the first part. However, as very few people have time to play through the game several times, Fargo wanted to ensure that the content is easier to understand. Whereas previously you could walk past large parts of the game without a clue, the game should now show you better what there is to discover.
"Wasteland 3" will be released in 2021 for PC, Xbox One and PS4.
"Conan Chop Chop"
If you remember "Castle Crashers", then I've got something very special for you. My friends and I used to play this iconic Xbox 360 game to death. "Conan Chop Chop" now fills this much neglected niche. Up to four players can slaughter their way through hordes of enemies together and collect gold, which can be spent on new equipment. As gold is not shared, everyone hoards what they can. The combat system is very accessible. You can punch, block and dodge. You need the latter to get out of tricky situations. Many monsters leave behind poisonous traces of slime or but, which you can slip on.
If one of the team dies, the others can revive them. However, if everyone dies, you start all over again. All your progress and equipment is then lost. Personally, I think it's a shame, but depending on how quickly you collect gold for upgrades, it might only be half as bad.
"Conan Chop Chop" will be released on 3 September for PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch.
"Atomicrops"
In "Atomicrops" you play a trigger-happy farmer's wife. Just like in "Stardew Valley", you cultivate your fields, plant strange alien vegetables and water them diligently. At the same time, you shoot voracious alien creatures in the arse with your laser pistol. Especially when night falls, they all want to nibble on your turnips. In the town, you can buy new seeds and equipment to expand your farm. When you're not cultivating fields, you can explore the surrounding area, which is full of voracious monsters. I really liked the colourful pixel design and the sound. It's a shame, however, that it relies on rogue like and you have to start all over again after you die. The developer has not yet revealed whether there will be any persistent elements.
Scheduled to launch in Early Access for PC in 2019 and land on consoles in 2020.
Philipp Rüegg
Senior Editor
Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.chBeing the game and gadget geek that I am, working at digitec and Galaxus makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop – but it does take its toll on my wallet. I enjoy tinkering with my PC in Tim Taylor fashion and talking about games on my podcast http://www.onemorelevel.ch. To satisfy my need for speed, I get on my full suspension mountain bike and set out to find some nice trails. My thirst for culture is quenched by deep conversations over a couple of cold ones at the mostly frustrating games of FC Winterthur.
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