Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Sony’s State of Play set a high bar for this summer’s reveals

The first major showcase of the summer game reveal season is always a significant one. It sets the tone of excitement for reveals during and after it and can change the mood of the whole season depending on whether or not it’s good or bad. This year, that honor went to Sony’s June 2 State of Play, which showcased upcoming PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation VR2 games.

While the showcase didn’t contain God of War: Ragnarok like many PlayStation fans were hoping, it was still an excellent show. It included quite a few shocking third-party game announcements, demonstrated the power of PlayStation VR2 with several trailers, and even contained a surprise PC port announcement for one of Sony’s most popular series. Because everything announced at the State of Play was strong, I’m even more excited for what could turn out to be a fantastic summer for video game reveals.

Related Videos

The best State of Play yet

Over the past two years, Sony left its biggest announcements for a “PlayStation Showcase” in September, far outside the summer game reveal season. As a result, State of Play often suffers because the games featured within them aren’t as interesting as first-party Sony games and leave viewers wanting more. This State of Play still technically followed that formula, outside of the PC port for Marvel’s Spider-Man. We didn’t see the likes of God of War Ragnarok or Marvel’s Wolverine at this show and didn’t even get a price or release date for the PlayStation VR2. Thankfully, the games highlighted were mainly of a much higher caliber than the previous State of Play showcases.

State of Play | June 2, 2022 [ENGLISH]

The show kicked off with the confirmation of a Resident Evil 4 remake, one of the most celebrated horror games of all time. That already will likely be one of the most memorable announcements of the summer. Still, the show delivered more exciting news, including in-depth trailers for highly anticipated games like Street Fighter 6 and Final Fantasy XVI. It also contained some cool AA and indie games, with Stray and Rollerdrome looking great in particular. While concrete details on the PlayStation VR 2’s release date and price are still scared, featured games like Horizon Call of the Mountain and Resident Evil Village showed that it should be an impressive piece of VR hardware.

It wasn’t as outstanding as Sony’s E3 2015 conference, which contained the likes of The Last Guardian, Horizon Zero Dawn, Final Fantasy VII Remake, and Shenmue 3, as it wasn’t as focused on exclusives or first-party titles. Luckily, it was much more impressive than any State of Play before it, as previous ones were often quite poor outside of one or two big reveals like Iron Man VR and or Exoprimal. As Sony has pulled off an impressive State of Play without putting in many first-party reveals, it really makes me hope Microsoft and Geoff Keighley bring their A-game as well. 

Trendsetter 

It’s unlikely that any new titles throughout the rest of 2022 will dethrone the likes of Elden Ring or Kirby and the Forgotten Land from Game of the Year awards and roundups. That said, these summer presentations are our last chance to find out what contenders are still on the horizon. Plus, we can get hyped for what’s coming in 2023 as the video game industry finally starts to recover from delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The State of Play managed to achieve that, highlighting games like Stray and Final Fantasy XVI, the latter of which won’t arrive until next summer. Summer Game Fest, the Xbox and Bethesda Showcase, and a potential Nintendo show now have a high bar to meet if they want to impress, but if they can do that and show off first-party games, then this could be the start of an amazing summer for video game announcements. 

Following these summer showcases, we should better understand how exactly the next year and a half of gaming will stack up. Hopefully, summer gaming showcases only get better from here. And even if they don’t, I’m content with all of the thrilling announcements we got at this State of Play. 

Editors' Recommendations

GTA 6: release date speculation, gameplay rumors, and more
gtav rockstar editor coming to consoles gta rockstareditor thumb

There used to be a time when Rockstar would publish a new Grand Theft Auto game nearly every year. That's a far cry from the current release schedule, which consists of multiple Grand Theft Auto V rereleases, but that hasn't stopped us from thinking about the next installment, which has yet to be officially unveiled. Sure, we've got Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy -- The Definitive Edition to enjoy in the meantime and GTA: San Andreas for Oculus Quest 2 to look forward to, but what about Grand Theft Auto 6?

While GTA 6 hasn't actually been announced (at least by name), we do know Rockstar is working on "a new entry in the Grand Theft Auto series," as confirmed on Twitter. We can infer this will be GTA 6, but keep in mind that the company has been known to release non-numbered installments, such as Vice City and San Andreas.

Read more
PlayStation VR2 is my first headset. Here’s what I think after one week in VR
A side view of the PlayStation VR2, which sits on a wood table.

Before my PlayStation VR2 arrived at my doorstep last week, my experience playing in VR was minimal. I'd reported on the industry and its games for years, but my actual playtime in a headset was limited to an Eve: Valkyrie demo at a GameStop ahead of PlayStation VR's launch, a couple of demos at trade shows, and one 15-minute session of Phantom: Covert Ops on Meta Quest 2 while hanging out with a friend. 
Despite claims by companies like Meta that VR would serve as the future of communication and entertainment, the technology seemed too scattershot and underdeveloped for my liking, with many competitors putting out underpowered headsets, many of which need a wire or two. That said, part of me still wondered if it would take the right headset with the right features and game library to transform the gaming medium forever. Although the Meta Quest 2 has tempted me for some time, it was the PlayStation VR2 that finally got me to bite the bullet and embrace VR.

PSVR2 is expensive at $550, but it appealed to me with its impressive specs and the fact that it only requires one wired connection to the PS5. That was all I needed to bite the bullet. Since it arrived, I've gone all-in on the tech to make up for lost time, trying out games like Gran Turismo 7, Horizon Call of the Mountain, and Zombieland: Headshot Fever Reloaded. Although I'm impressed by the headset's power and how comfortable it is, don't consider me a convert just yet. I can't imagine it replacing traditional gaming on my PS5 or becoming my preferred social setting anytime soon, and that leaves me to wonder how high VR's ceiling can actually go.
Strapping in
My first thought when I got my PSVR2 was that the package was much smaller and lighter than I expected. VR always seemed large and clunky from an outside perspective, so I was impressed by the sleek and easy-to-unbox packaging and the headset's manageable size. Next, I had to set up the headset, which was something I was dreading as a first-time user. Surprisingly, the setup process was pretty quick after I plugged in the headset.
Within about 15 minutes, I had completed the initial setup and was already familiar with the passthrough tool. It didn't dig into my head and nose like I thought it would, mercifully. The few times I've strapped on other VR headsets, they've always felt like they're squeezing my face. That was not the case here, as I easily adjusted the headset to my liking. Even the feeling of the wire quickly became a non-factor for me as I played more and more.

Read more
Final Fantasy XVI cracks the action-RPG formula with spectacular combat
Ifrit roaring in Final Fantasy 16 surrounded by fire.

Disclaimer per Square Enix regarding the demo build previewed below: "This is a special version made for media to experience, and contents may differ from the final version ... FINAL FANTASY XVI © 2023 SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. All Rights Reserved."

In case Square Enix hasn’t made it clear enough over the last few years: Final Fantasy is changing. While the legendary RPG series had long been synonymous with traditional, turn-based combat and whimsical creatures, recent entries have signaled a slow-moving sea change aimed at transforming the franchise eventually. Games like Final Fantasy XV and Final Fantasy VII Remake have teased a new direction for the series, but Final Fantasy XVI fully rips the Band-Aid off.

Read more