Today, Canada’s own Geoff Keighley officially kicked off the summer with his Summer Game Fest 2021 kick off live world premiere showcase event. The almost two hour show was filled with over 30 video games from some of the biggest developers and performances music industry veterans like Weezer.
While I would love to cover every game shown at the event, here are highlights from today’s live event.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is an all-new, high fantasy take on the looter shooter genre that is coming to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 and PC in early 2022. This game is a full standalone experience featuring a story-driven co-op campaign for up to four players, as well as repeatable end-game content.
Players will be able to create and customize their own multi class heroes as they loot, shoot, slash and cast their way through treasure-filled dungeons. During your quest to defeat the Dragon Lord, you’ll meet a cast of lovable characters including a lute-wielding Bardbarian and a Fairy Punchfather.
**Pre-orders coming soon to Best Buy Canada**
Evil Dead: The Game
At the Summer Game Fest 2021 kick off show, Saber Interactive and Boss Team Games pulled the curtain back a little and gave us a look at their upcoming horror shooter game, Evil Dead: The Game. Inspired by the iconic horror, humour and action of the Evil Dead universe, Evil Dead: The Game features the biggest characters from the franchise together in an over-the-top, gore-filled experience.
In the game, you’ll have the choice to work as a team of four survivors, including Ash, Kelly Maxwell, Pablo Simon Bolivar, Scotty, Lord Arthur and more, to fight the Deadites. Or, you can choose to play as the Kandarian Demon using your powers of possession to stop the good guys dead and swallow their souls! Evil Dead: The game is coming later this year and will launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One, PC and Nintendo Switch.
**Pre-orders coming soon to Best Buy Canada**
Jurassic World Evolution 2
In a surprise announcement during today’s Summer Game Fest 2021 kick off event, Frontier announced Jurassic World Evolution 2. In this surprise announcement, we learned in this simulation, that for the very first time, players will be able to build their parks outside of Muertes Archipelago. The game takes place immediately after Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.
Jurassic World Evolution 2 launches late 2021 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One and PC.
**Pre-orders coming soon to Best Buy Canada**
Metal Slug Tactics
During today’s event, publisher Dotemu and developer Leikir Studio announced Metal Slug Tactics. The shoot ’em up franchise has been adapted into a strategy RTS grid-based tactical warfare game that is coming to PC. In Metal Slug Tactics you’ll lead your squad into the battlefield filled with dynamic and strategic combat.
The missions in the game are made from different combinations of terrains, ensuring battles are won through strategy rather than memorization. And, roguelite elements make missions highly replayable.
Two Point Campus
Two Point Campus, the sequel to the management sim Two Point Hospital was announced during today’s Summer Game Fest 2021 kick off show. In Two Point Campus, you must build and run your very own campus environment. And, the decisions you make shape the lives of the students you enroll and the staff you hire.
You’ll build dorms, pathways, hedgerows and more using the new easy-to-use tools in the game. The fun doesn’t stop there! Your students will get to enjoy a wide range of hilariously unusual courses such as Knight School, where they’ll learn jousting and practise the noble art of chivalry.
And, the less martially inclined can hone their skills in Gastronomy. They will collaborate on all sorts of oversized culinary delights, like gigantic pizzas and equally humongous pies. Two Point Campus is scheduled to launch on consoles and PC in 2022.
**Pre-orders coming soon to Best Buy Canada**
Prime Matter
During the Summer Game Fest 2021 kick off event, Koch Media unveiled a gaming label, Prime Matter. The Prime Matter label is dedicated to delivering games from studios all across the world. The new label will be publishing a variety of new titles as well as some established brands.
Prime Matter is composed from a mix of industry veterans and fresh faces. Several games were announced coming from a diverse and global range of studios including:
- PAYDAY 3 – The latest upcoming installment in this high-octane first person co-op shooter game. It lets players live out the dream of being a world-class career criminal who joins the legendary PAYDAY gang to master the art of heisting
- Crossfire: Legion – Smilegate and Prime Matter are teaming up to release Canadian developer Blackbird Interactive’s RTS game, Crossfire: Legion. The world of Crossfire provides the perfect scenario and backdrop for an RTS thanks to its unique approach to futuristic global warfare and warring factions.
- The Next Painkiller Game – The legendary Painkiller is back, more info soon.
- Scars Above – A new IP by Mad Head Games and is a dark sci-fi action adventure that sees a lone protagonist having to survive on a hostile nightmare world.
Elden Ring
The Summer Game Fest 2021 kick off show ended with the long awaited and much talked about Elden Ring trailer from Dark Souls developer FromSoftware and Game of Thrones author, George R.R. Martin. We learned that this action role-playing game will launch January 21, 2022 and will be available for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One and PC. It’s been a few years since we saw anything related to the game. And, based on what was shown today it should put smiles on the faces of Bloodborne and Dark Souls fans.
Pre-order Elden Ring for PS5, Xbox One or PS4
Summer Game Fest 2021 kick off event was filled with new game announcements
There was no shortage of games at the Summer Game Fest 2021 kick off event. More than 30 games were shown along with surprises like Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands and long awaited updates to games like Elden Ring. Let me know in the comments section below what your favourite game shown today was.
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Andy Samberg, Wanda Sykes, and Will Arnett…Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands should be hilarious, if nothing else!
Elden Ring looks solid… other than that, nothing else I care about right now… but cannot wait for the Nintendo event on Tuesday.
To me, one of the most interesting part of all these announcements is the celebrities involved (Andy Samberg, Wanda Sykes, Will Arnett, Jeff Goldblum and Bruce Campbell). I wonder if more hollywood actors are going to be involved with games coming out over the next few years as they had extra time away from acting due to the shutdowns and they can send in voice recordings from home.
Metal Slug Tactics is a pretty clever idea. I wonder if this will establish a trend where companies start looking at their back-catalogue of games that they do not know what to do with or are seen as being antiquated, and they adapt them into new styles of games with familiar aesthetics and characters. This can help satiate fanbases of games, while also attracting new fans to the series without having to create new worlds and art styles, limiting the risk and investment that studios need to put into projects.
Great breakdown Jon! There was also that game featuring a fox that was displayed. I don’t remember the title, but that looked like it would be a fun one!
The Elden Ring Trailer gave me goosebumps. I’m definitely looking forward to that one D:.
Two Point Campus also looks like something that would interest me. I really liked Two Point Hospital – I could do more of the same in a different context!
You had me at Game of Thrones…. “Elden Ring” will be one sweet game to play, the trailer looks amazing! Thanks BB for keeping us in the loop and wanting more!
Can’t wait for Elden Ring to come out. Playing through the souls games was so rewarding so looking forward to this one for sure.
GoT x Soulsborne
I just got my Switch today… I’m reading through these posts to see what games I should try! Great timing. Is the NBA 2K1 game any good on Switch?
Tiny Tina is one of the best characters in modern gaming. I love that little psycho and can’t wait to play her new game when it drops.
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