There was once again a state of emergency in the gamer universe. The fully digital Gamescom opened its virtual gates and supplied the game fans gathered in front of the screens and displays worldwide with news about titles that are about to be released. We present 15 of the most promising innovations from all genres in words and pictures and reveal which hardware they run particularly smoothly.
Elsewhere we show this year's top titles for smartphones. These include highlights such as Diablo, Castlevania, or Warhammer, which offer strong competition to the established console and PC market.
1. Age of Empires IV
With Age of Empires IV, Microsoft is doing everything in its power to breathe new life into the real-time strategy genre, which has been weakening over the past few years. That could succeed because the building hit with its roots in the last millennium skilfully mixes the tried and tested with the new. The rise of great cultures in England, the Far East, and Central Asia can be re-enacted on land and water in razor-sharp 4K optics.
Platform: PC
2. Back4blood
“Come slay with us” - with this request; developer Turtle Rock aptly outlines what Back4blood is all about. The Left 4 Dead franchise creators present a tough survival shooter in which four players have to fight off hordes of zombies and much worse creatures in a large-scale co-op campaign.
Platform: PC, Xbox One, Xbox X | S, PS4, PS5
3. Call of Duty: Vanguard
With Vanguard, the successful Call of Duty shooter series is returning to its roots. As in the first part, the players end up in the turmoil of World War II. The campaign is a world tour from the Eastern and Western Fronts across North Africa to the Pacific Islands. The first trailers suggest the usual dense atmosphere and a first-class presentation. In addition to the single-player campaign, new multiplayer modes and a zombie scenario should ensure exciting battles against opponents made of flesh and blood.
Platform: PC, Xbox One, Xbox X | S, PS4, PS5
4. Crystals
According to the Colombian development team Dreams Incorporated, Cristales declares love for classic JRPGs such as Chrono Trigger or Final Fantasy. The anime factor in terms of game world and protagonists is correspondingly high. The special thing about the tactical battles against the henchmen of the time empress is the time magic, with which opponents can be sent into the past to give up a weaker version of themselves or to suffer from the long-term effects of poisoning in the future.
Platform: PC, Xbox One, Xbox X | S, PS4, PS5, Switch, Stadia
5. Deathloop
And the groundhog greets you every day: protagonist Colt is caught in a time loop that forces him to relive the same day over and over again. To break the loop, Colt has to take out eight targets within a day. But the mighty assassin Julianna has something against it. In addition to the unusual story, the first-person shooter Deathloop offers tough battles in a graphic style that skillfully alternates between comic and realism.
Platform: PC, PS5
6. Diablo 2: Resurrected
Tried and tested, freshly seasoned: After the fiasco with the half-published Warcraft III: Reforged, Blizzard is trying to do better with the next remastering project. With Diablo 2: Resurrected, one of the most successful games from the Californian software company, comes onto the market in a modern 4K look. Further innovations of the classic hack-and-slay adventure are a revised interface, an improved ranking list, new loot items, and cross-platform game saves.
Platform: PC, Xbox One, Xbox X | S, PS4, PS5, Switch
7. Dream cycle
Better than Tomb Raider? Toby Gard created Lara Croft, one of the greatest computer game icons. Now he is responsible for the action-adventure Dream Cycle, which is based on a series by HP Lovecraft. Sorcerer's apprentice Morgan Carter is trapped in the dream world between life and death. He must use all his magical abilities to break his curse in the fight against the depraved inhabitants of the intermediate realm.
Platform: PC
8. Far Cry 6
Ripe for the island: Far Cry makes half a dozen full and, in the best tradition, kidnaps the players on a tropical island. The players try to push dictator Antón Castillo and his nasty son Diego from the throne as guerrilla fighters. Similarities between the game world Yara and Cuba are purely coincidental - the morbid charm of the island capital Esperanza, including the characteristic US classic cars, brings back memories of Havana. As usual, the graphics are spectacular and with great attention to detail.
Platform: PC, Xbox One, Xbox X | S, PS4, PS5, Stadia
9. Forza Horizon 5
Full throttle into the next generation: The fifth part of the racing game series Forza Horizon is one of the draft horses for the new Xbox Series X and S. That didn't stop Microsoft from giving PC owners a ticket to Mexico. The journey goes through rainforests, deserts, fields of ruins, sandy beaches, and historical cities. The realistic driving dynamics, the lifelike weather effects, and countless competition and tuning options should ensure long-lasting motivation.
Platform: PC, Xbox One, Xbox X | S
10. Halo Infinite
The Master Chief reports again for the duty: According to the developer, the epic science fiction shooter should offer the most extensive game world ever created in the latest incarnation of Halo. Once the large-scale campaign has been played through, arena matches in groups of four provide variety. In addition, the players should be kept happy with regular updates and new game modes. The PC and Xbox versions of Halo Infinite can be played across platforms.
Platform: PC, Xbox One, Xbox X | S
Conclusion
Impressively demonstrated for this 2022, software developers have many interesting titles in the pipeline that will provide variety on the monitor and TV for the next six months. The only thing missing is the right hardware: there are still difficulties procuring consoles or PC components.
You must be logged in to post a comment.