Gamescom is one of the most exciting events on the gamer calendar. It’s often the home of massive reveals akin to those found at other huge gaming events like E3 or the Tokyo Game Show and is Europe’s biggest gaming event by far. That means that whenever a Gamescom show happens, you can bank on some seriously exciting stuff being revealed for the gaming year ahead, and this year’s presentation was no exception. Here are the 10 games revealed at this year’s Gamescom that we’re most excited to play.
Doom Eternal: The Ancient Gods Part One
We’re absolutely massive fans of id Software’s first-person shooter revivals Doom and Doom Eternal, so the prospect of getting to play more is thrilling. Doom Eternal: The Ancient Gods Part One will expand this year’s best shooter with even more demons to slay and epic hellish landscapes to mine for secrets and challenges. The Ancient Gods Part One will be available as a standalone game, so you won’t even need to play Doom Eternal to check it out (although we strongly recommend you do).
Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time
Crash Bandicoot 4 is an equal parts exciting and terrifying prospect. Prior to the release of 2017’s N. Sane Trilogy remakes, Crash Bandicoot had languished in relative obscurity and poor reception; the last game to launch with his name on it before that was 2008’s execrable Mind Over Mutant. Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time promises to return the series to its heady platforming origins, and the Flashback Tapes feature we got to see in this year’s Gamescom presentation looks like it’ll be instrumental in doing just that.
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
For a long time now, Blizzard’s seminal MMO World of Warcraft feels like it’s been getting just a touch too…big. Shadowlands is promising to fix that thanks to its “level squash”, bringing all max-level characters to level 50 and offering the chance to hit 60 by playing through the new expansion’s content. The Bastion animated short revealed during Gamescom is characteristically impeccably-produced for Blizzard, giving us a beautiful glimpse at the world and characters of Shadowlands.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Ah, but for the halcyon days when gaming was all about franchises like Ratchet & Clank and Jak & Daxter. Rift Apart will launch during the PS5’s launch window period, which is exciting news for anyone who loves big colourful odysseys through shooting galleries packed with bouncy, over-the-top enemies. The Gamescom gameplay demo for Insomniac’s upcoming shooter-platformer was quite simply breathtaking, offering a look at Ratchet’s new loading screen-free world.
Mafia: Definitive Edition
Don’t let the title fool you; Mafia: Definitive Edition is more of a remake than it is a remaster, and rightfully so. The original Mafia is an intriguing curio, but it hasn’t aged particularly well, so a remake to bring it in line with modern design trends and visual standards is overdue. Definitive Edition is being helmed by Mafia 3 capos Hangar 13, so if you loved that game’s blend of polish and gritty crime drama, you’re going to adore this blast from the past (and future).
Fall Guys Season 2
Have you played Fall Guys yet? If not, you absolutely should. Its wild, wacky knockabout battle royale fun stands it in stark contrast to serious games like Call of Duty: Warzone or PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, so it’s perfect for the grimdark misery-fest that is 2020. Season 2 for the game will bring with it new minigames, new costumes, and plenty more stuff to look forward to, and it’ll all launch this October. Better get in your See-Saw practice before then!
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
We love Lego as much as the next gamer, but even we have to admit the games have started to stagnate somewhat. Where once they offered a freshly irreverent take on established franchises, now they feel rote and tired. Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is promising to make some fresh changes that will make all that a thing of the past. It’s still a Lego game, but its open-world focus and non-linear approach make it the most interesting entry in the series for years.
Unknown 9
Okay…what exactly is Unknown 9? If the goal of the trailer was to pique interest in the game, then the mission has very much been accomplished, although we’re not entirely sure we know what we’re looking at. It’s about a young girl with supernatural powers who must navigate an alternate dimension in order to find the truth about the world she lives in. Beyond that, we’re not sure we know anything about Unknown 9, but we’re seriously excited to check more of it out.
Star Wars Squadrons
Despite its status as a lower-priced title, Star Wars Squadrons is promising some epic dogfights in everyone’s favourite sci-fi space opera universe. The Gamescom trailer showed off some Empire-on-Rebel-Alliance space combat, but if you’re not feeling immersed yet, the whole thing will also be playable in VR. All in all, Squadrons is looking like exactly the kind of game we’ve been hoping for since the days of Starfighter on the PS2.
Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond
Respawn Entertainment can do no wrong in our eyes, and Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond, a narrative VR game directed by the original game’s lead, looks to continue their hot streak. It’ll feature plenty of iconic moments from World War II and will hopefully end the series’ dismal recent streak (be honest: did you actually like Medal of Honor: Warfighter?). The fact it’s VR-only may be a sticking point for some, but confining the action to our headsets just makes it more immersive for us.
