This year’s E3 convention may have been canceled, but that hasn’t stopped publishers, developers, and hardware manufacturers from flaunting what they’ve got in store for gamers in the near future. Sony’s recent PlayStation 5 reveal wowed fans by showing off a smattering of first-party titles that looked positively next-gen, though some of the games shown won’t actually be exclusive to the platform.
From a new rendition of Ratchet & Clank to a host of new, unique gaming IPs, we believe some of these titles to be destined for greatness. However, not everything Sony flaunted looked like it was worth picking up when the console launches.
10 Flop: Gran Turismo 7
Don’t misunderstand; it’s not as if we expect Gran Turismo 7 to be a complete flop. However, traditionally, racing titles released early in a console’s lifecycle tend to be extremely style over substance, and we think this release will struggle to avoid classification as a mere tech demo.
Though we’re excited to see—or feel, rather—how the new DualSense controller works with the game, Gran Turismo 7’s utilization of these new elements may only serve to further brand it as a gimmicky series entry. It’s hard to imagine a title in such a well-established franchise failing, but only time will tell.
9 Hit: Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
It’s been quite some time since we’ve seen a genuinely new release in the once-unstoppable Ratchet & Clank series—the 2016 reimagining of the original title notwithstanding. Though the trailer was pre-rendered and did very little to show what the game will actually look like, the concept is definitely intriguing, and we believe the devs to be making great use of the new hardware.
We also can’t wait to see more of the mysterious female Lombax with whom the internet is suddenly so obsessed. She’ll apparently be playable, and we’ll hopefully get some closure on the “female Lombaxes don’t have tails” argument.
8 Flop: Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
It really pains us to say it, but, despite the awesome reveal trailer, we’re concerned about Insomniac’s next Spider-Man project. Living up to their first comic book effort will be tough, and rumors that the game is neither a DLC nor a full-length game have us worried.
We know that the franchise is in good hands, and we’re excited to see Miles Morales take center-stage in his own video game adaptation. We expect the game to sell well—provided it does release as a full game—though we’d vastly prefer a longer, more developed experience further down the line than a short, constrained one in six months’ time.
7 Hit: Deathloop
Bethesda hasn’t exactly been hitting it out of the park lately, but they’re subsidiary studios—namely Machine Games and Id Software—absolutely have, and Deathloop, an upcoming title from Arkane Lyon studios, seems like another win for the publisher.
Bearing an unmistakable likeness to their previous works, plenty of fans have pointed out that Deathloop seems to more or less be a re-skin of the Dishonoredseries, right down to the near-identical visuals and markedly similar mechanics. While we might argue that familiarity, in this case, breeds contempt, we have faith that Arkane will be able to win everyone over once again.
6 Flop: Destruction AllStars
This will undoubtedly be a controversial take, but, as amazing as Lucid Games’ Destruction AllStars looks, we’re skeptical of its ability to succeed in what could be a very crowded market. While it’s been a long time since we’ve seen a genuinely worthwhile title in the vehicular combat genre—it’s been eight years since the last Twisted Metal release—Destruction AllStars’ eagerness to disguise itself as a hero shooter seems odd.
Were it billed as a more traditional title ala the Twisted Metal lineage, we’d bet on its success. However, it seems keen on competing with everything from Overwatch to Fortniteas it stands, and we don’t know if it will be able to come out on top.
5 Hit: Demon’s Souls
Before there was Dark Souls, there was the cult phenomenon predecessor known as Demon’s Souls. Though it helped to put series developer From Software on the map, it’s status as a PS3 exclusive meant that quite a few would-be fans missed out on it.
With the arrival of the PS5, however, all that is set to change. The Souls series has never been more popular, and plenty of gamers can’t wait to get their hands on the remake of this classic, brutally-difficult RPG. It’s absolutely destined for success.
4 Flop: Goodbye Volcano High
This was a perplexing reveal. Though we don’t wish to bash any of the hardworking, undoubtedly talented individuals behind Goodbye Volcano High, this had no business being revealed alongside heavy-hitting, hardware-pushing AAA titles.
The animation is nice, and it could very well shape up to be a quality visual novel. However, this isn’t the sort of thing people will buy the PS5 for. It would be a perfect fit for Steam. However, on Sony’s new machine, this project will likely struggle to find an audience.
3 Hit: Oddworld: Soulstorm
The first few Oddworld games were instant PlayStation classics, but we haven’t seen much from the franchise since the fifth console generation. However, 2014’s excellent remake, Oddworld: New n’ Tasty, pleased a ton of old school fans and renewed interest in the franchise for many.
Oddworld: Soulstorm almost feels too good to be true. A fully-fledged followup to the PS1 originals, the trailer showcased exactly how far tech has come since the last proper franchise release. We’re also getting some Lemmings vibes from the snippets of gameplay shown, which is interesting.
2 Flop: Astero’s Playroom
We know what you’re thinking: how could a pack-in title possibly be destined to fail? Well, while it’s certain to shift quite a few units, we’re worried that Astro’s Playroom will follow in the same vein as many of Sony’s other proprietary pieces of software. PlayStation Home, anyone?
It may well turn out to be great, but it’ll have to do quite a bit to escape the gimmick label, and it seems likely to be considered by most to be nothing more than a brief distraction that couldn’t hope to live up to any of our favorite recent 3D platformers.
1 Hit: Horizon Forbidden West
Horizon Forbidden West will likely be the reason many gamers purchase a PlayStation 5 on day one. It’s predecessor, PS4’s Horizon Zero Dawn, was one of the consoles few must-have exclusive games, and those who couldn’t get enough are certainly chomping at the bit to play the followup.
With the Unchartedseries done and over with and The Last of Us now mired in controversy, it seems like a great time for Sony to position Aloy as the preeminent brand mascot. Plus, as visually stunning and technically groundbreaking as the original was, we absolutely can’t wait to see what’s in store for us in Forbidden West.
NEXT: GTA 5 Was The Wrong Way To Open The PS5 Reveal
