Gamescom somehow managed to sneak up on me this year, but even with the apparent lack of warning I definitely didn’t struggle to decide on the five games I am most hoping / looking forward to seeing more of during the event. First up is one of my currently most anticipated games!
Lies of P
This game just looks phenomenal. Every snippet of gameplay and glimpse of the world has me so excited to jump right into it when it releases. Playing as a sort of grown up Pinocchio with a hunger to destroy the hostile machines which inhabit the world; I’d be lying if I said it didn’t look like one of the most interesting concepts I have seen in recent years.
The aesthetic is clearly heavily inspired by the Souls franchise, particularly Bloodborne, with dark and foreboding undertones that make every inch shown feel hostile and every shadow threatening.
The combat looks like it can switch from fast paced and desperate to measured and methodical on a dime, and as it has already been confirmed at time of writing that new gameplay videos will be shown off later this week, I am so excited to see what we get, with my fingers perpetually crossed in the hope of a release date or window. Lies of P is a game which should absolutely be on your radar if it’s not already.
Elden Ring Expansion
Sticking with the theme of hard games which punish me during every possible waking second, and as Elden Ring playthroughs are one of my favourite things to watch on YouTube even this long after release, I am so keen to find out what the expansions could bring to this already ground-breaking experience. The clouds in the centre of the Lands Between, directly in the middle of the six Divine Towers are of particular interest, as well as what form the (hopefully) inevitable boss fight against Miquella will take.
While it is highly unlikely I will ever make it as far as facing off against this as yet unseen Empyrean, I am sadistically hoping for a new toughest ever boss in Soulsborne history type of challenge (for everyone else), though ideally one which isn’t a bullshit level of difficulty just for the sake of it. I know, it’s an arbitrary sounding request, but if anyone is capable of pulling it off, it’s FromSoftware.
Second Forza Horizon 5 Expansion
While we have only just had the first of the two promised Forza Horizon 5 expansions last month, it makes sense for the second to be shown off sooner rather than later as they are both supposed to release during 2022. I think we could see the reveal of what the second will be, if only because this is a strong way for Xbox to draw a crowd to advertise it to, and because it doesn’t seem likely that Forza Horizon 5 is popular enough to generate enough attention for a presentation all of its own.
The Callisto Protocol
While this game is already pencilled in for release on 2nd December and the premise of ‘like Dead Space but not Dead Space, but still Dead Space’ has most people sold already, I would like to see more of it before I decide whether or not I’m going to be a coward or force myself out of my comfort zone to play it. I have only ever played the original Dead Space and quite enjoyed what I got through of it before getting distracted and playing something else.
I do like how veteran players of the Dead Space franchise seem to be favouring this game over what we have seen of the actual remake releasing mere months later, but for now I need to see more of both before I decide which, if either, I am going to play.
Hogwarts Legacy
Nobody is more disappointed than me that this game is completely missing its advertised Holiday 2022 release window, but I am always an advocate for an unfinished game being delayed instead of prematurely released. Similar to Lies of P from earlier in the list, it has already been confirmed that new footage will be shown off the wizarding world adventure game, and I’m still excited enough to put it on this list.
Honestly, all I want from a game right now is to let me play as a Slytherin and roleplay as the smuggest and most passive-aggressive wizard alive..
That’ll do it for me! Which games are you most looking forward to seeing at Gamescom? Have they already been announced by the time this article went live? Let me know in the comments either way, and thanks for reading!
Written and edited by Alexx