E3 season is here and whilst E3 isn’t happening lots of Not E3 things are still going on. Is it E3, isn’t it E3, how many times can an opening have E3 in? Who knows. With the confusion of what is or isn’t E3, it can be incredibly hard to keep up with all the news, showcases, and new game announcements from our gaming Christmas. Here are (maybe) all of the showcases in one handy place. I’ll even throw in my favourite games shown from each of them. This covers the Summer Games Fest shows, not E3 shows and IGNs Summer of Gaming.

Sony PlayStation – State of Play

I can’t help but be drawn towards Final Fantasy XVI as my favourite moment from the PlayStation State of Play but a lack of gameplay had me a little disappointed. The same can be said for The Callisto Protocol, another game I’m excited for. My top pick then is the futuristic cat game, Stray. Having seen teasers and images of it before I was very happy with what was shown. Traversal around a cyberpunk city hanging out with the robot inhabitants looks like joy. As a bonus, it’s coming to the refurbished PS Plus system under the Extra or above tiers. Rollerdome and Season are also high up on my list this year.

Summer Games Fest

There was a lot of joy to take from the Summer Games Fest. The reveal of The Last of Us Remake and further information on games like Marvel’s Midnight Suns and Street Fighter 6. Another appearance from The Callisto Protocol is what really grabbed me (more so than what was shown in the State of Play). I love the original, and second Dead Space games (though I don’t need a remake) so it is great to see Glen Schofield directing a team on this kind of project. It’s dark and moody with foreboding music and a constant sense of dread and anxiety. The mix of combat and that gruesome death show an evolved experience from Dead Space and one that, maybe, won’t be quite as clunky.

Day of the Devs

I always look forward to Day of the Devs. Having run for 10 years, Double Fine and I Am 8 Bit bring a wealth of independently developed games to the forefront of gaming Christmas. It’s often the showcase that sets out my year of Indie games. Kicking off the show was Time Flies, a timed experience of movement and discovery. It’s stylised, short, and charming, three things that put a game right to the top of my ‘want’ pile. A Little to the Left, Birth, and Naiad also jumped out at me for their visuals and relaxed play.

Devolver Direct 2022 | Devolver Marketing Countdown to Marketing

Devolver Digital has carved out its own space during E3, with the show itself being a spectacle like no other. Scripted insanity often poking fun at the industry is peppered with a few game trailers. My pick is the short but very cool trailer for Anger Foot. There were a fair few FPS games shown across the different showcases but Anger Foot is fast-paced without looking too twitchy. It reminds me of Hotline Miami and I always want more games like that. Devolver is probably my pick of all the showcases filled with games I’m interested in. Not just Anger Foot but The Plucky Squire and Skate Story are also games I will definitely play.

Netflix Geeked Week – Day 5 | Games Showcase

Netflix Geeked Week isn’t just about games. There are five different showcases across a range of Netflix-related content. Day 5 though concentrates on games and Geoff Keighley turns up again. I liked the look of a new Tekken anime and I’ll check out the Cuphead show. What caught my attention the most was Lucky Luna. We’re getting spoilt for platformers this year, and the portrait aspect and high def pixel art make a great combination for this genre. As Geoff mentions a thousand times it’s an original game, which is great to see for Netflix’s big jump into games.

Epic Games Showcase

I didn’t take much from this show. But the announcements of Space Punks and Disney Speedstorm look alright. I’ll probably play Disney Speedstorm with my daughter as it seems aimed at a younger crowd than my late 30s bracket. Another game I’ll involve my daughter with is Tchia. We’ve seen it before but a push into 2023 lets us have another E3 viewing before launch. It looks charming and the ability to inhabit animals and objects is exciting for a different type of traversal.

Tribeca Games Showcase

A deep dive into upcoming games is always welcome and the Tribeca Games Spotlight gave us just that. All of the games shown look interesting and I am very happy we’re getting A Plague Tale: Requiem. I loved Amicia and Hugo’s first journey and I want more from that world. On a smaller scale, The Cub really stood out. The story and development from the team behind it sold the game but initially the 2D platforming and aesthetic pulled me straight in.

Guerrilla Collective 3

This has to be one of the biggest shows for games shown so there is a lot to take in and plenty of highlights. Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle looks like the baby of Resident Evil and Dead Space (I’ll have to check out Daymare 1998 now), and The Last Worker is a lot of what I enjoy in stories and NEWS games. Boundary is my pick. Another FPS sure, but this is one set in space. It has a realistic look based on current, and near future space suits, weapons and settings. I love the idea of having to grapple through zero gravity and try to get shots off whilst floating around.

Wholesome Direct – Indie Game Showcase

The first game shown, Terra Nil (another game from Free Lives and Devolver Digital) has so much of what I like. It currently has a demo on Steam so you’ll hear thoughts about that on a future Tanked Up. With a brief glimpse of it, I’ll also be looking forward to the Fall of Porcupine. The top pick for me though is Paradise Marsh. It looks a little Frog Detective and is reminiscent of Alba: A wildlife adventure in its exploration. Plus a talking star frog is always a good sell.

Future Games Show June 2022

Another show with loads of games. They came thick and fast so I’ll need to see a lot more from some of them before spending my hard-earned cash on them. Those that did make an impact include Luto, spooky stuff, the puzzle game American Arcadia, and The Entropy Centre which was more FPS but combined with puzzles. As something different from all of the above The Last Faith looks sick. An updated take on the Castlevania style it feels more akin to Blasphemous with its brutal kill animations and quick combat.

Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase 2022

Oh Todd, I’ve been to Crete and it doesn’t look like that. There are trees and sparse foliage all over it. Starfield didn’t do much for me but plenty of other games did. Silksong lives, which is good but when is it actually coming? Ereban is a level of stealth action I don’t play much these days so I’m looking forward to jumping into those shadows. Cocoon is really intriguing, a puzzle game that looks to have a large story. As with the Tribeca showcase A Plague Tale Requiem is my favourite. I adored Innocence so I’m excited to get back into that world and see how the play has been improved and the story continued.

THE PC GAMING SHOW 2022

Why have a 30 minute preshow with trailers? Why not just have a longer show? Citizen Sleeper looks great and it’s available now to play (and on PC Gamepass). The show itself started strong with the Soulstice trailer but play is king so I need more from it. Another first person experience is my pick with The Invincible. It’s something different from an FPS and feels more like Observation (from No Code) with more expansive exploration. 11 Bit Studios had a great showing here and also brought Alters which has some potential but as with other games I want gameplay. A final shout for Synergy, I love a city builder and the aesthetic is a big pull for this.

Capcom Showcase

The video of the live stream itself is plagued with technical issues and is a hard watch so it would be better to seek out the individual announcements. I like the idea of Exoprimal but give us a new Dino Crisis you cowards. I need to go back to Resident Evil Village so the 3rd person camera is a big pull to do so. I also haven’t played the earlier Resi remakes but 4 is my favourite so it might tempt me. I don’t really have a pick from the show so I’m going to choose Street Fighter 6 which was shown in the preshow.

10 Years of Dragon’s Dogma

I haven’t played Dragon’s Dogma so I haven’t much to impart on this show. It is a nice look through at the influences of a game and the some of the team behind it. Also Dragon’s Dogma 2 was announced. Maybe that’s a big deal. Dragon’s Dogma is also on sale pretty much everywhere for big discounts so it is a great time to check it out.

Final Fantasy 7 25th Anniversary Celebration Livestream

As with Capcom this live stream was a technical mess. Luckily if you’re not into FF7 then it’s easy to steer clear of this show. We did find out that FF7 Remake Part 2, titled Rebirth is coming next ‘Winter’, and to tie over those of us who can’t wait a remake of Crisis Core is coming this year. I think I am, however, more excited for Ever Crisis as it covers the entire FF7 Franchise as a mobile version. The visuals have a more Chibi look to them but the combat, visually, looks more a kin to the Remake or FF Dissidia.

Annapurna Interactive Showcase 2022

This one’s coming on the 28th of July, so the article will be updated when it has aired.

What did you enjoy from the different showcases? Do you have a top game of not E3? Let us know.