The year's biggest game is coming

#22: A Link to the Past

July 08, 2022

Ragnarök is coming. Finally. After months of rumours and speculation, on Wednesday Sony announced the news that everybody was hoping for; God of War will be released on November 9th, this year. So how did they choose to reveal this most anticipated detail for arguably the biggest game in their roster? At a plush industry event filled with the gaming media? With a bombastic 20-minute trailer revealing new gameplay and epic boss fights?

Well, not quite. With a blog entry and a Twitter post, of course.

I've seen and read multiple stories over the years about how preparing a trailer for an in-development project (usually for E3) can take precious time and resources away from a game, and with God of War's development quite clearly cutting it fine in order to hit that 2022 release date, the lack of one is a good thing. There was a lavish CG trailer to accompany the news, admittedly, but there's no chance members of the dev team were involved in making that. Announce the date, leave the devs alone, and release the game when you promised. Lovely.

Predictably though, as is so often the case these days, there was a bit of an online backlash over the fact that such a huge game was announced in this relatively low-key fashion. But I like it - it reminds me just a little bit of the way things used to be... *cue hazy dream sequence*

Back in the olden days - i.e. the 90's - things were a bit different. In those almost medieval pre-internet times you had no option other than to devour previews and stare at images in magazines in the months leading up to a game's release. The first time I ever played Super Mario 64 was also the first time I ever saw it running. I had read everything there was to read about that game before I got my hands on it, but I'd never seen it in motion. I'm sure those who were there will remember quite clearly just how mind-blowing picking up that controller and seeing Mario running and jumping in 3D for the first time was.

Even in the PS2 days when the internet was more prevalent things weren't quite the same; I distinctly remember starting the download for a 2-minute gameplay trailer of Jak & Daxter on IGN, and then trotting off to make lunch as I waited for the download to finish. If you wanted video game information back then, you kind of had to work for it.

This might seem frustrating - unimaginable even, by today's standards - but I don't know, looking back now I kind of miss it. It added to the anticipation, and my goodness seeing these games running for the first time as you held the controller in your hand was an incredible thing. Would Link riding Epona across Hyrule Field to that achingly beautiful score during Ocarina of Time's opening sequence have been as awe-inspiring and affecting if you'd already seen it countless times online before you played it? I doubt it.

We've seen a gameplay clip of Ragnarök already, but on the whole news of the game has been oddly subdued. As things stand, arguably the biggest game of the year will be released in just 4 months and we know hardly anything about it. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not naïve enough to think that this won't change as November draws near - that bombastic 20-minute gameplay trailer will arrive at some point - but frankly, in an age where we know everything about every game long before we play them, the build up to God of War so far feels mysterious and exciting.

It reminds me of the good old days, back when game information wasn't constantly fired at us from all angles. Back when we were left to our imaginations.

Its refreshing, and I like it.

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NEWS

Heads-Up:

  • itch.io has launched a new charity bundle to raise money for abortion funds.

  • There's currently a big sale going on over at Xbox, with a huge amount of backwards compatibility titles included. See the full list here.

  • The PlayStation Store 'July Deals' sale has also just begun, with games up to 70% off.

  • Amazon's Prime Day is next week, which always includes multiple deals on video games, hardware and accessories.

  • Epic Games' The Matrix Awakens demo will be leaving console storefronts on Saturday (July 9). It may be short, but if you haven't seen it yet it's a rather stunning example of what Unreal Engine 5 and the latest consoles are capable of. Check it out and find Store links here.

NEW RELEASES:

This week sees Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series - which includes remasters of PS1's Klonoa: Door to Phantomile, and 2001's PlayStation 2 sequel Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil - hit consoles and PC.

Not much information and no reviews have surfaced at the time of writing, but as a big fan of these games (and their sumptuous art style), I'll be keeping a keen eye on them.

(PS4, PS5, Xbox, PC) – July 5

(PC, iOS, Android) – July 7

(PS4, PS5, Xbox, Switch, PC) – July 7

(PS4, PS5, Xbox, Switch, PC) – July 8

(PS4, PS5, Xbox, Switch, PC) – July 8

UPCOMING RELEASES:

(PS4, PS5, Xbox, Switch, PC) – July 12

(PC) – July 13

(PS4, PS5, Xbox, PC) – July 14

(PC) – July 14

(PC) – July 15 – Read review

GAME OF THE WEEK

A randomly selected game each week! Any and all games are eligible for selection regardless of age, platform, popularity, or otherwise.

This week, the honour goes to…

Project Gotham Racing (2001)

A spiritual successor to the Dreamcast’s sublime Metropolis Street Racer, The Project Gotham Racing series continued Bizarre Creation’s brilliant winning streak with a number of excellent ‘simcade’ racers for Microsoft’s Xbox console that are still held in high regard to this day.

Rather brilliantly, it also marked the first appearance of twin-stick shooter classic Geometry Wars, in the form of a playable arcade machine in the game’s car garage.

GAMING ANNIVERSARIES

Another round of gaming anniversaries to make you feel old… Sorry!

Click through the links to see what people had to say about them.

Spelunky is a decade old!

Final Fantasy IX celebrated its 22nd birthday!

NiGHTS into Dreams turned 26!

RECOMMENDED READS

Kara Jane Adams - Medium

The Sega Saturn celebrated its 27th birthday in Europe this week. A few years ago Kara Jane Adams wrote this brilliant piece on the console that is well worth your time.

Staff Piece - Polygon

This year has felt oddly subdued when it comes to big releases, but if you want to make sure you haven't missed anything, Polygon staff have listed their best games of 2022 so far.

CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGNS

Perfect Organism: An Alien: Isolation Companion

By Andy Kelly / Unbound

Calling all Alien superfans! This is the ultimate unofficial guide to Alien: Isolation, considered to be part of the Alien franchise canon

The Gaming Chronicles - Episode 1 - The Amiga 500

By Gracious Films - Campaign ends July 10th

Ep1 - 35 Years of The Amiga 500 Computer and the continuing story of Commodore.

Ninty Fresh Magazine: Issue 7

By Ninty Media - Campaign ends July 20th

A magazine dedicated to Nintendo with a fusion of retro and fresh coverage, with a specific focus this issue on Kirby!

UNITHOR - A Brand New Joystick For Retro Computers

By UNI-Joy - Campaign ends July 21st

A new classic-styled game controller for Amiga, Commodore, Atari, PC with USB and an array of game consoles and emulators.

[lock-on] Volume 004

By Lost in Cult - Campaign ends August 1st

A premium gaming journal delivering thought-provoking stories, insightful features and carefully curated art from industry talent.

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