Opinion

Just… disappointing: the biggest flops at Gamescom

27.8.2024

Translation: Patrik Stainbrook

Gamescom wasn’t wholly exhilarating. In this recap, we’ll complain about games we couldn’t play, publishers that didn’t show up and disappointing false expectations.

Our visit to the trade fair was very productive, for the most part. If you’re more into positives, check out the highlights of Gamescom. However, we also had to put up with a few disappointments over those three days.

Philipp: Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – hands-off

Don’t worry, I’m not jumping to conclusions about a game that hasn’t even been released yet. What I’d have liked, however, was to actually get a first impression of Machine Games’ next release. Although Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is due to be released in December, there were once again neither hands-on opportunities nor a live demo. The gameplay trailer didn’t even show any particularly long game segments. I still can’t get an impression of whether Indie’s upcoming adventure will be more of a Crystal Skull or whether it’ll be able to capture the magic of The Last Crusade.

Games that aren’t playable yet so shortly before release rarely do well. It usually means they’ll be postponed or that the developers or publishers have too little confidence in them. Nevertheless, I remain optimistic. With Wolfenstein, the developers at Machine Games have proven time and again that they’ve mastered action games with gripping stories like few others.

I don’t know what fellow editor Domagoj’s laughing about. Once again, we only got to see a short video of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle instead of being able to play it ourselves.
Source: Philipp Rüegg

Domagoj: Sony stays home

Sony’s been avoiding in-person events and trade fairs for several years now. 2019 was the last year with an official PlayStation presence at Gamescom. Despite these hard facts, I hope every year that the Japanese company will still decide to travel to Cologne.

I was disappointed again this year. While Microsoft shone with a gigantic Xbox stand and over 50 playable games, PlayStation fans were left out in the cold. To be fair, it must also be said that Sony has currently announced very few games from its first-party studios that the company could’ve shown at all.

Sony skipped Gamescom again this year.
Source: Shutterstock

Philipp: Assassin’s Creed Shadows – no hands-on, again

Media representatives already weren’t able to play Assassin’s Creed Shadows for themselves during Summer Game Fest. Still, they were allowed to look over the shoulder of a Ubisoft employee. As far as I know, you couldn’t even do that at this year’s Gamescom. The game is set for release before Indiana Jones. Why’s Ubisoft keeping a low profile?

Even if it’s the first release only being developed for next-gen consoles, the creators aren’t going to reinvent the wheel. According to rumours, this’ll happen in two games time, with Assassin’s Creed Hexe. Even though I often criticise the series for a lack of imagination and a cluttered map, none of the games are bad. The world that Ubisoft creates is always impressive. Too bad we weren’t allowed to explore any of it ourselves.

Standing in line just to see a trailer for Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
Source: Philipp Rüegg

Domagoj: Nintendo stays home

After returning to Gamescom in 2023 after years of absence, Nintendo is again avoiding the world’s largest gaming trade fair this year.

A damn shame, since unlike Sony, Nintendo does have a lot to show off. Although the Switch is in the final months of its long life, the company still has a few hits in the pipeline for the hybrid console: The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Super Mario Party Jamboree, Mario & Luigi: Brothership, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Pokémon Legends: Z-A.

If Nintendo had shown off even just a few of these titles, we’d have had one of the most exciting presences on site. But maybe the Switch 2 will poke its head in next year.

Last year, Nintendo had a large stand.
Source: Philipp Rüegg

Philipp: Mouse – beyond all doubt audiovisually. But what about gameplay?

«This is still a placeholder,» one of the developers says during the hands-off demo. By this he means the boss enemy, who dies with just one shot and offers no resistance whatsoever. It’s not the only thing about Mouse that still seems unfinished.

Mouse is a first-person shooter that looks like a Disney cartoon from the 1930s. The Polish developer would correct me immediately here. Disney may have popularised the style, but various other studios produced animated films that look the same. However, I can’t fault the unique black and white animation style or the sensational soundtrack either way. It is the undisputed distinguishing feature of Mouse.

What remains after the demo, however, are doubts as to whether the gameplay can keep up. Shooting looks great, but swinging around and running along walls doesn’t really fit together yet. The levels also look great visually, but I can’t find a common thread. There’s still time until 2025 to finish these construction sites. I really wish Studio Fumi will, I really want to immerse myself in this animated 30s film world.

Domagoj: Unknown 9: Awakening – too ambitious a project?

I’ve been very sceptical about supernatural action adventure Unknown 9: Awakening ever since it was announced three years ago. This is mainly due to the incredibly ambitious plans of developer studio Reflector.

Stories from the universe of Unknown 9 will not only be told in the upcoming game, but also across eight other forms of media. Comics, novels, podcasts and more. I’m usually turned off by ideas like these. In my opinion, a franchise has to grow organically and not be designed from the outset to be exploited in as many forms of media as possible.

Despite my scepticism, I gave the game a chance during my appointment with publisher Bandai Namco. What I played didn’t convince me at all. In the demo, I’m attacked by enemy soldiers. Using my supernatural powers, I can go invisible for a short time, hurl enemies through the air using telekinesis or control them for a short time. All exciting features in theory, but they fail in practice due to rough controls and an annoying camera.

Technically, the project – at least the PS5 version that I tested – is on shaky ground. The game environments and characters look okay, nothing more. Animations look clumsy and the game is constantly jerky. Unknown 9: Awakening is due to be released on 18 October – not much time is left to fix these problems.

Philipp: no guest appearance with Game Two

OK, I admit, this affects me more than you. Still, I’m disappointed that I’m not even in Game Two’s Gamescom feature for a millisecond. In the past, I’ve practically always managed to appear in some scene by chance. It was always my personal «Where’s Philipp» episode. Oh well, I’ll just console myself with our official and unforgettable appearance in episode 336.

I’d have liked to be that fuzzy-haired guy on the right of the picture. I probably would’ve appreciated that more.
Source: YouTube/Game Two

Domagoj: Secret Games and false expectations

A little look behind the scenes now. For this year’s Gamescom, Phil and I booked a total of 33 appointments with various publishers to play their games. Some companies were secretive in advance and didn’t want to reveal which games they were presenting. These dates then contain vague descriptions such as Secret Game from Studio XY or even just Unannounced Project.

My imagination goes wild with such secrecy. I’m usually disappointed when I get to see or play the ultra-secret game. Take King of Meat from Amazon Games, for example, which was only teased in advance as a secret hack’n’slash.

King of Meat looks cool, but it’s not what I would’ve expected.
Source: Amazon Games

In the colourful multiplayer game, I fight my way through chaotic dungeons full of deadly traps with three other players. In a dungeon creator, I can craft my own courses and play levels made by other players. It all looks beautiful and will certainly be fun with a few friends. Nevertheless, disillusionment set in when I tried it out.

I wasn’t expecting a shallow multiplayer game somewhere between Fall Guys and Little Big Planet. All down to that mysterious description on my schedule. Since secret hack’n’slash unfortunately sounds much cooler than colourful four-player co-op party game. If I’d come to the appointment with the right expectations, I could’ve given the game a fair chance. So, for the next Gamescom, I’d like to see fewer secret games – or I’ll try to suppress my (too) vivid imagination better in advance.

Teasers: Koelnmesse GmbH, Thomas Klerx

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Philipp Rüegg

Senior Editor

Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.ch

As a child, I wasn't allowed to have any consoles. It was only with the arrival of the family's 486 PC that the magical world of gaming opened up to me. Today, I'm overcompensating accordingly. Only a lack of time and money prevents me from trying out every game there is and decorating my shelf with rare retro consoles.

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