The Game Awards 2022 gave us a glimpse into the future of gaming. As the premier industry showcase, its reveals carry major weight that has only increased over time. Just look at the sheer viewer numbers:
| Year | Max Viewers |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 83 million |
| 2021 | 85 million |
| 2022 | 108 million |
With exposure like that across Twitch, YouTube and more, publishers save big announcements to make splashy first impressions. This year kept pace with mind-blowing new trailers that demand a deeper look. As your resident gaming expert, I‘ll guide you through the show‘s jaw-droppers and hidden gems while peering behind the curtain at what we can expect when they launch down the road. Buckle up, my friend!
Star Wars Eclipse Courts Controversy
Announced last year as a PS5 exclusive with heavy hitters like Lucasfilm and Quantic Dream attached, Star Wars Eclipse should have had hype levels matching a young Anakin Skywalker‘s midichlorian count. Its trailer leaned hard into an rarely seen era called the High Republic – hundreds of years before Luke and Vader‘s time – hinting an political thriller focused on the powerful Jedi Council itself. Sweeping shots gave us a small taste of Eclipse pushing next-gen visuals to their limits with lavishly rendered environments and lifelike character models any Star Wars fan would recognize from the expanded universe.
So why did the trailer garner a mixed response? Well, there‘s been great controversy and allegations against Quantic Dream for promoting toxic culture and statements from studio heads. Combine production delays with worries over their ability to deliver a narrative-driven experience respectful of the revered galaxy far, far away, and expectations dimmed quickly. But with Elasticsearch handling programming duties and motivational oversight from Yoda…I mean Yves Guillemot at Ubisoft, perhaps Eclipse can steer back towards the light and return with a comeback story redeeming Quantic‘s reputation. We can only hope!
Baldur‘s Gate 3 Gameplay Promises D&D Fans a Tactical Treat
Forgotten Realms fiends delighted in fresh details on the long percolating sequel to the classic Baldur‘s Gate RPGs. Building off beloved Dungeons and Dragons 5E rules with new mocap animation and AI systems, early access footage showcased elevation and line of sight factoring into spell targeting and environment destruction. Branching dialogue trees and cooperative multiplayer integration demonstrate how Baldur‘s Gate 3 translates tabletop roleplaying freedom into a cutting-edge video game adaption.
Just look at these review scores so far from over 70,000 Steam players:
| Rating | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Positive | 95% |
If those bets testing the waters are any indication, we may have a game of the year contender that ushers in a triumphant return for seminal CRPG greats like Baldur‘s Gate, Planescape: Torment and Neverwinter Nights. A new golden age dawns!
Dune: Awakening Survival Unleashes the Fury of Arrakis
Speaking of beloved sci-fi universes, Funcom‘s Dune: Awakening brings us to the lethal desert world of Arrakis, evoking the stark aesthetic of Denis Villeneuve‘s recent film adaptation. The reveal trailer captured the sheer majesty yet volatility of the planet‘s toxic environment, ripe with opportunities for survival mechanics and online multiplayer theatics. Riding monstrous sandworms across shifting sandswept vistas reminiscent of classics like Journey and Shadow of the Colossus hints at potential for both tranquil beauty and pulse-pounding set pieces in equal measure.
As a technology analyst and certified Dune nerd, I admire the interplay of graphical effects on display – particle clouds and dynamic lighting that react to emerging weather patterns feel genuinely next-gen. Awakening has the tools to embrace the stark dichotomy of Arrakis itself – shelter us from harsh rays in the darkness below, only to feed us to the wriggling behemoths above! Assuming extensive lore knowledge gets woven into gameplay, this could be the definitive interactive Dune experience fans crave.
Final Fantasy XVI Summons PS5 Power for Cutting-Edge Combat Realism
Hell hath no fury like a Final Fantasy fan scorned by endless delays. But SquareEnix hopes to make amends with Final Fantasy XVI flexing some seriously stiff polygonal muscle. Built from the ground up for bleeding edge PlayStation 5 hardware, FF16 appears set to deliver the most visually splendorous and white-knuckled combat yet seen in the 25 year old franchise.
We‘re talking screen-filling Titan and Ramuh summons detailed down to the creases in their stoney skin and dazzling jewel tones refracting light across adamantine armor. These iconic beasts clash against picturesque backdrops where spell effects sunder tiled floors and torrential winds shear the clung clifftop foliage. It reached a fever pitch watching a dragoon dive off a mountain precipice before calling down luminous lances with the press of a trigger. And fans claim Final Fantasy cutscenes are just overly long CGI movies! Xenogears disciples know true divinity when they see it!
If the latest trailer is any barometer, FFXVI may finally satisfy our graphical hunger and modernize an aging battle system still shackled to outdated traditions. With advanced AI governing spectacle and secret internals of the PS5 supercharging effects, we may yet achieve the perfect synthesis of style and substance that‘s eluded the series since time immemorial!
Death Stranding 2 Provokes Existential Dread Once More
Alright, alright – perhaps I‘m being a bit hyperbolic about Final Fantasy XVI. We all have particular franchises that turns us into rabid enthusiasts frothing at the mouth for any morsel. For readers drawn instead to the methodical and bizarre, Death Stranding 2 beckons once more into the breach with its absurdist Brandonian universe.
I‘ll admit Hideo Kojima‘s inside baseball commentary from the Game Awards stage seemed tailor made to draw skeptical scoffs over yet more pseudo-profound ramblings about the bonds of community. But say what you will about about Death Stranding, it commits wholeheartedly to a singular creative vision and backs up its verbose pontifications with innovative asynchronous multiplayer gameplay. I mean, how many titles encourage leaving helpful ladders and warning signs to guide fellow couriers?
Its niche appeal and not-for-everyone pace rightly proved divisive, but fans quickly rallied behind a sequel continuing WAYWARD protagonist Sam Porter Bridges‘ journey across the ravaged vestiges of America. The trailer provoked far more questions than answers, but Kojima veterans know theorizing endless possibilities forms much the appeal with his designs. If more eccentric experiences beyond bog standard combat and collectathons entice you, mark your calendar for Death Stranding 2.
Suicide Squad Signals Open World Mayhem from Rocksteady Studios
Alright, time to lighten the mood! One surprise reveal looked primed to just let loose with unrestrained chaos – Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Coming from Rocksteady Studios of beloved Batman Arkham fame, Suicide Squad pits DC‘s worst against corrupted Justice League icons like Flash, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and Superman himself.
Early gameplay footage delighted in showcasing Harley Quinn decimating city blocks with explosive percussion blasts and seismic hammer strikes while King Shark literally chews through any foolish enough to stand in his way. High-flying traversal mechanics bring field destroyers like Captain Boomerang along for the ride too as iconic villains employ their unique abilities toward unmitigated pandemonium.
Sporting a May 2023 launch date, Suicide Squad seems set to indulge our inner agent of anarchy within a sprawling open world primed for wanton destruction. And did I see boss fights against Brainiac‘s planetary drones? Why yes…yes I did! If this doesn‘t sate your appetite for urban chaos, nothing will!
Judas First-Person Horror Channels Twisted Sci-Fi Themes
Rounding things out with a chill up the spine, the surprise reveal of Judas brought us biopunk body horrors by way of Ken Levine (creator of Bioshock and System Shock 2). While rumors of issues during its elongated development initially lowered enthusiasm, the new trailer brought cold biomechanical visuals remeniscent of classics like SOMA or Prey 2017.
We bore witness to telekinetic assaults flensing skin from bone, showers of sparks erupting from dying augments, and an authoritarian state using religious fervor to dehumanize dissidents. Its protagonist Judas wields an array of psi abilities against drone-like enemies evoking comparisons to Rutger Hauer‘s unforgettable turn as Roy Batty in Blade Runner. Throw in environmental storytelling about "curing death" in a world where the divides between natural and artificial blur, and Judas scratches so many of my cyberpunk itches!
A 2025 release date feels like an eternity to wait, but Ken Levine‘s meticulous nature and restarting development entirely and his own dime hopefully results in a resonant return to form. If early showings capture just an ounce of System Shock‘s immortal essence, Judas could herald the second coming of smart sci-fi horror.
Who Won the Awards Show Though?
I clearly couldn‘t shut up about the most enticing trailers, but let‘s take a moment to shoutout the night‘s big winners:
- Game of the Year: Elden Ring
- Best Narrative: God of War Ragnarok
- Best Art Direction: Elden Ring
- Best Score/Music: Metal: Hellsinger
With FromSoftware‘s open world Soulsborne opus cleaning up, it cemented itself as an instant classic marrying intricate combat, rewards exploration and environmental storytelling into one phenomenally challenging package. God of War Ragnarok also continued to set the bar for blockbuster single player experiences with extravagant set pieces and affecting character arcs.
All eyes turn now to what gems 2023 has in store. Can Starfield or Diablo IV possibly hope to keep pace? We shall see soon enough! Thanks for joining me on this Game Awards deep dive – let me know which reveal or award had you most amped in the comments below!
