This Wednesday, the first State of Play of 2024 took place, showcasing the most significant titles coming to Sony’s console. The 40-minute broadcast featured several previews of upcoming releases, many cinematics, some gameplay, and brief presentations from developers, including a standout appearance by the legendary Hideo Kojima. Below is a summary of what we consider to be the most important announcements from the event.
Helldivers II
The broadcast began with the trailer for the sequel to the most popular game by the Swedish indie studio Arrowhead Game Studios. It was a short but action-packed video showcasing the game engine in all its glory. For this installment, the isometric camera has been replaced with an over-the-shoulder third-person perspective, which is now a standard. The visual leap compared to the first Helldivers is noticeable, thanks to both the new camera system and a clear graphical improvement. Its release is just around the corner, arriving on February 8 for both PS5 and PC via Steam.
Silent Hill: The Short Message
Konami is making a strong comeback—not only with the recent launch of the Metal Gear remaster but also by reviving one of its most iconic franchises, Silent Hill. During the presentation, we got a glimpse of a new title in the franchise, Silent Hill: The Short Message, which takes a first-person visual approach. This showcases the impressive graphics and the excellent light and shadow effects present in its eerie settings. The best part? This game will be free, prompting the question: What interest does Konami have in releasing a game they won’t charge for? Especially given their history of heavily milking their licenses, including licensing their works for pachinko machines. According to Konami, this project was assigned to the studio’s newest members to allow them to experiment and gain experience in the process. As mentioned, the game is available for free starting the day of the event.
Silent Hill 2 Remake
Perhaps the most anticipated game from Konami in recent years is the remake of the survival horror masterpiece, Silent Hill 2. Since its announcement over a year ago, expectations and anxiety have only grown. Tokyo used the event to bring us new details.
For the first time, we saw James Sunderland in action, dishing out hits and firing a few shots. The environments and fog effects seem well-crafted, but the overall impression is rather mixed.
Reactions to the Silent Hill 2 Remake Trailer
The footage hasn’t pleased everyone, with the internet and social media flooded with criticism of both Konami and Bloober Team, the studio behind the remake. Many complain about the poor appearance of the protagonist and enemies in terms of model quality, textures, and animations, a sentiment we agree with.
Watching the trailer, the animations didn’t seem as smooth as they should, and the character looked odd, almost low-quality, considering it’s a next-gen title running on Unreal Engine 5. The same goes for the enemies, which, while recreating the originals from the PlayStation 2, could use more detail given today’s technological advancements. The blood and other fluid effects also lack realistic appeal.
Some have also criticized the camera positioning, though I don’t share this opinion. The over-the-shoulder third-person view when aiming has been a standard since Resident Evil 4, and I don’t believe it’s causing issues in this case. Another widespread complaint is the low quality of the lighting and shadow effects seen in the video. On this point, I completely disagree—I don’t think they’re poorly executed at all. While they may not revolutionize the industry, they seem well-made.
Of course, it’s hard to judge from just a few moments of gameplay. We’ll need to see extended gameplay footage or try out a demo to truly assess the quality. Regardless, the controversy is real, and fans’ concerns are understandable, given how poorly the franchise has been treated in recent installments. The release date remains unconfirmed, so we’ll have to keep waiting to see if Konami and Bloober Team can deliver a title worthy of being called the greatest survival horror of all time.
Judas
The creators of Bioshock are back with a new IP reminiscent of the original saga but replacing mutated humans with robots. The trailer presents what you’d expect: a first-person shooter where you can equip firearms in one hand while using special abilities in the other. It’s announced as being in development for PlayStation 5, though without a release window.
Rise of the Ronin
Fumihiko Yasuda, director of Team Ninja, presented the title his studio is working on, which will soon be published by Koei Tecmo. Rise of the Ronin is an action RPG featuring a vast and detailed open world inspired by Japan’s Bakumatsu period in the 19th century Feudal Era.
The trailer showcased a lot of gameplay, with the protagonist exploring Yokohama, scaling buildings, using a hook to reach distant places like the Dark Knight, and gliding through the air like Link. Beyond exploration, the game’s standout feature is its combat mechanics, which looked well-executed in the video. Given Team Ninja’s track record in this area, this title is expected to be one of 2024’s finest. Fortunately, the wait isn’t long, as it launches on March 22.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
The longest presentation of the event was for the highly anticipated Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. The sequel to Kojima Productions’ masterpiece looks more spectacular than ever. The trailer, composed mostly of in-engine cinematics, also gave us brief glimpses of gameplay, though without any UI for a more cinematic effect.
After watching it, the excitement to try it out is palpable. However, patience will be necessary, as its release date remains unconfirmed, with the only information being that it’s set to launch sometime in 2025.
Physint
The final preview of the event was presented by Hideo Kojima himself. The game, titled Physint, is an action and espionage game whose development will begin after Death Stranding 2 wraps up. No images of this new IP were shared during the presentation, but Kojima hinted they are working with Sony Interactive Entertainment to deliver a one-of-a-kind experience that bridges the gap between cinema and gaming.
State of Play 2024 Full Broadcast
If you want to watch the full broadcast and catch up on everything, here’s the video below.
