Games
On Wednesday, Nintendo presented a 40-minute livestream highlighting the upcoming video games for Switch. Following Sony on May 24 and Microsoft on June 11, Nintendo held the third and last summer video game showcase. Now that all the major players have laid out their plans for 2023 (and beyond), we thought it would be fun to rank them and give each of them a grade depending on how pumped we are about them.
Games 3. PlayStation Showcase
- Finest statements: Fairgame$ Helldivers 2 MarathonProject Q
- Rating: C
We seem to have caught Sony at an awkward time this summer, despite the fact that the PlayStation 5 has been a runaway hit since its launch in 2020. From Gran Turismo 7 to God of War: Ragnarök to Horizon: Forbidden West, 2022 was packed with unique PlayStation 5 games.The new PlayStation VR headset, along with all the titles that were released alongside it, and Last Fantasy XVI, arrived in the first part of 2023.There would inevitably come a lull.
On the plus side, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 by Insomniac Games will be released during the relatively quiet vacation for the PS5.You’ll have free reign to switch between Peter Parker and Miles Morales, and the game’s world will be twice as big as in the last game.
We’re also curious in the Project Q streaming portable console, though we secretly wish it was just the PS Vita 2. Fairgame$, a competitive shooter, left us wanting more than just a CGI trailer.
Games 2. Xbox Games Showcase
- Finest statements: Starfield Dungeons of Hinterberg Metaphor: ReFantazio
- Rating: B+
Microsoft is unlinked and even somewhat ahead of Nintendo, although I can’t say for certain when most of the titles shown will actually be released. On September 6, Bethesda will release Starfield, a massive open-world science-fiction role-playing game, and on October 10, Forza Motorsport will hit the streets. Those are the only two confirmed Xbox exclusives, with the others likely not arriving until 2024 or later.
Having said that, the vast majority of the newly released titles seem fantastic. I’m looking forward to further playtime from South of Midnight and Hellblade 2 in the coming months, and Myth seems to have caught the tone of the previous entries; Avowed may be Skyrim: New Vegas; Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is, in some ways, much more stunning than its predecessor; and so on.
We missed out on Perfect Dark Everwild and State of Decay 3, among others.The future seems bright for the Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X, but we’ll be cautiously optimistic until Microsoft confirms a few more release dates.
1. Nintendo Direct
- Finest statements: Super Mario Bros. Wonder Super Mario RPG Pikmin 1 + Pikmin 2 Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince WarioWare: Move it!
- Rating: A
There wasn’t much for Switch fans to look forward to in 2023 until the Nintendo Direct on June 21. Only two first-party Switch titles, Pikmin 4 and Everyone 1-2-Switch, are scheduled for release this month. We can’t express how excited we are that the Switch’s anticipated busy holiday season has finally arrived.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder, a visually improved recreation of Super Mario RPG, and a new WarioWare game are both set for release this autumn by Nintendo.new Dragon Quest Monsters and the long-awaited sequel to “Investigator Pikachu”
Metroid Prime 4 was the only game not mentioned, although at this point we can safely assume that it will be a launch title for the Nintendo Switch 2. After the huge success of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Nintendo might have easily taken it easy.However, this holiday season will see one of the biggest Switch lineups ever.