The best of Gamescom 2022 Opening Night Live | Team Talk

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The gaming show of the year is back. Thousands have flocked to Cologne in Germany and millions more around the world have been waiting with baited breath for an unbelievable reveal (Half-Life 3 at last?), we pass judgement on the announcements and pick a few of our favourites to give the official PTC seal of approval.

With no E3 to get in the way, Gamescom is soaking up a year’s-worth of anticipation from the gaming community, which comes with a lot of unrealistic expectations... What was your personal highlight? Was there something that disappointed you? Sound off in the comments or jump into our Discord for a chin-wag on the subject.

by Team PTC

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​@pass_controller

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Lies of P | James Parry

There ain’t no party like a Borderlands party, and to be thrown into a New Tales from the Borderlands trailer was a pleasant surprise. When developer Telltale Games changed hands back in 2019, there were concerns some of the licensed titles like the original game would never be seen again.

But Gearbox have taken up the mantle themselves and, working with a few Telltale alumni, are bringing us a new adventure. We’ll see how it holds up to the original, but the potential is there, and that’s a start.

The biggest new thing to catch my attention, from what we’ve seen so far, is Lies of P. I am convinced as a gameplay experience it will probably be too spooky for me to relax into completely, but the vibe of titles like Dishonored and BioShock has my attention piqued.

The game describes itself as a Souls-like, and you can definitely see that in the interface design and some of the aesthetics we’ve seen so far. You play as Pinnochio, not the Disney puppet we were all mildly terrified by as children, but a more literary interpretation, and must find out what has happened to the ragged world and Mr Geppetto himself.

Fortunately there’s plenty of time to prepare mentally for the release, since no date has been announced just yet.​

​Gotham Knights | Liam Andrews

As expected, a lot of what was on show last night didn’t involve much actual gameplay, but there were still a few trailers and reveals that stood out. I most enjoyed the Gotham Knights villains trailer, which was, at least, created with in-game footage, if not full gameplay.

This was already on my radar, and the more I see the more I am convinced it’ll be good. I like the shift away from Batman, and baddies look like a good mix of supernatural and supervillain. I’m particularly excited to tussle with the Court of Owls and their Talon assassins, as they are a faction I have previously read about in comics but haven’t seen crop up in a game yet, as far as I’m aware.

Elsewhere, The Lords of the Fallen trailer looked very cool, and reminded me I probably need to try the first game again. Under the Waves seemed interesting, and I’m hoping it’ll be a narrative driven affair rather than a crafting/resource management sim.
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Hardspace: Shipbreaker also caught my attention. It’s already been well received on PC and its launch on Xbox Game Pass means I’ll definitely be giving it a try. It was also nice to see some more High on Life gameplay, and while I wasn’t totally sold on the humour, it does look like enjoyable, silly fun.

​Monkey Island | Chris Brand

The authentic pirate Guybrush Threepwood was a hero of mine growing up (and let's not forget he also moonlighted as a Jedi, Guybrush Threepkiller, in The Force Unleashed 2). Though Return to Monkey Island is only slated for release on PC and Switch (boo!) I'm hoping for an Xbox version at some point in the future, maybe even a compendium of all games to date. I can't be the only one champing at the bit for a Guybrush Threepwood collection.
 
The writing is crucial in any point-and-click title and Monkey Island always nailed the humour, not only with the wacky characters and interactions but also the, often ridiculous, puzzles and the unforgettable insult sword fighting.
 
I'm a huge fan of the series and feel that sweet nostalgia whenever there's a new entry. Monkey Island has survived for decades without the need for endless sequels and that's possibly why I'm so interested. Something about absence and hearts and fondue, I don't know.
 
Everywhere also caught my eye, in a way that's uncomfortably reminiscent of Fable. On the surface, it seems to promise a lot but we've all been burned before. I'm dubious of any game touted as a "GTA killer" because, so far, that particular franchise has no legitimate rival (sorry, Saints Row). Still, I'll be paying close attention whilst trying to avoid being splattered by the hype train.
 
Much of what was on show seemed like little more than teasers but each and every trailer was a welcome break from Geoff Keighley's stupid face, which we've already been subjected to far too many times this year.