The Best Of Summer Game Fest
The curtain has fallen on Summer Game Fest 2024, and there’s plenty of new games to get excited about. With a full weekend of showcases and game announcements to choose from, it can seem like an insurmountable task to choose only a selection of highlights from all the festivities. There are, however, some titles that were shown off that have stood out to us here at Nerdy Nook amongst the crowd.
So today, we’re here to discuss our most anticipated games showcased at this year’s Summer Game Fest! We’ve each chosen three games that we can’t wait to try when they release, and though there is some crossover, the diversity on display in our selection proves that there was really something for everyone to enjoy at this year’s biggest weekend in gaming. With that being said, let’s grab our controllers and dive into the best of Summer Game Fest 2024!
1. Life is Strange: Double Exposure
5. Pneumata
6. Fable
Life is Strange: Double Exposure
Image by Square Enix
Between the biggest releases and the indie game trailers, in slid the newest entry in the Life is Strange saga. This isn’t your usual Life is Strange sequel though – this one takes us all the way back to the beginning, as we once again live vicariously through the protagonist that started this whole ‘young people with mysterious superpowers’ mess, Max Caulfield. Girl really can’t catch a break, and I’m sorry, but the likelihood is I will be ruining her life once more (I’m a certified Chloe hater, and if you’ve played the first game, you will know the consequences of that). When we watched the trailer, it completely went over my head that this is a Life a Strange game, that the reveal it was Max got me so hyped.
Even if the prodigal daughter wasn’t returning to her roots, it sounds like Life Is Strange: Double Exposure has a really intriguing plot, something I personally feel has been missing from the previous games. When a game is almost entirely character driven, the plot is the most important aspect of it, and while the previous games still had interesting moments in their stories, they didn’t grab hold of me like the first game did. To link back to Max, should mean we get some interesting insights into her life post-Life is Strange, and whatever choice you made at the end, will hopefully impact the new story itself. This, plus the murder mystery that Max must now solve (honestly, this poor girl), has the makings of a rich plot that should be captivating enough to hold your attention for more than 10 minutes. I could be building this up in my head, but until I see evidence to the contrary, in my mind this is going to be one of the best games I play this year.
Written by Laura
Phantom Blade Zero
Image by S-GAME
Amidst many a world premiere, the new gameplay trailer shown off at Summer Game Fest has ensured that my excitement for Phantom Blade Zero has once again skyrocketed. While the game director, Soulframe, has made a point of insisting that this release is not ‘another Soulslike’, that doesn’t mean that fans of Soulslikes can’t immediately spot the inspiration taken from the genre and get excited to dive into a whole new world of boss combat, multi-layered maps, and expansive, beautiful yet creepy environments. So, in short, as a diehard Dark Souls fan, I’m excited for this ‘not-a-Soulslike’ – so much so, that this new gameplay trailer was the best Summer Game Fest showcase for me personally.
The game is sort of in limbo at the moment though, which is unfortunate. A gameplay demo was available to play at Summer Game Fest (and the developers also announced a sort of tour for hands-on demos) but that demo won’t be available to the wider public for a while due to technical issues. I have to say, I do appreciate the transparency from S-GAME surrounding the situation – gamers waiting for new games are too often left to float in uncertainty about when their most anticipated new titles will be released. It won’t be for a while, but Phantom Blade Zero is on its way, and when your game looks as good as this, I’m happy to be patient – it’ll be well worth the wait.
Written by Alex
Sonic X Shadow Generations
Image by SEGA
Something I was most excited to see, as a huge Sonic The Hedgehog fan, was some fresh gameplay and a confirmed release date for Sonic X Shadow Generations. Though this is not the first we have seen of Sonic X Shadow Generations, Summer Game Fest not only gave us another look at the gameplay, but revealed the pre-order and Digital Deluxe edition bonuses. Pre-ordering either the physical or digital version of the game will give buyers a Sonic Adventure legacy skin, which honestly looks so nostalgic I almost cried, however buyers of the physical copy will get their hands on Gerald Robotnik’s journal detailing how he created Shadow – collectors, this is the copy for you.
The Deluxe Edition of the game is only available as a digital version but includes loads of extras such as new levels, a new BGM pack, a digital artbook and something for diehard Sonic fans… a Terios Skin for Shadow! For those of you who might not know ‘Terios’ was Shadows original name, and the skin in Sonic X Shadow Generations looks exactly the same as the original concept art for Terios. Though the game officially releases on October 25th, pre-ordering the Deluxe Edition will let you play 3 days earlier on October 22nd.
Written by Aramis
LEGO: Horizon Adventures
Image by Guerrilla Games
I would describe myself as a complete sucker for the LEGO games. It started with LEGO Lord of the Rings (of course), and while it looks like I won’t ever be getting a remaster of that trilogy any time soon, it has always been nothing short of joy when playing any other LEGO game (did I stop playing The Skywalker Saga when it hit The Last Jedi, yes absolutely, but aside from that, nothing but joy). The Horizon Zero Dawn games have been one of my most favourite franchises to play on Playstation as well; the character of Aloy, and the technological yet primitive world Guerrilla Games created, kept me captivated for both the first and second games.
So imagine my absolute, unrivalled happiness when the companies announced the next game in the LEGO series; LEGO: Horizon Adventures. A tiny little LEGO Aloy, going on tiny little LEGO adventures, trying to discover the origins of her tiny little LEGO existence? Despite having played both games, despite knowing how it all turns out, I still raise my hand and ask that you count me in. I’m not sure if there will be any significant differences between the original and LEGO game, though I assume so as this version may need to be more family friendly, however it looks like the crux of the plot will remain the same. The key difference is that now, I don’t have to fight Thunderjaws or Snapmaws all on my own, and that is something I’m really excited for.
Written by Laura
Pneumata
Image by Perp Games
I love horror games – they’re my absolute, non-challenged favourite. This means that anytime game showcases begin a trailer with an ominous, looming soundtrack and perfect dark visuals, I immediately pay attention, regardless of what it is. As such, the new gameplay overview showcased at Future Games Show for Pneumata was a standout reveal for me. Horror games had plenty of shine across Summer Game Fest weekend – Blumhouse Games is looking to overwhelm us with content, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited for Slitterhead despite its obvious flaws, but something about Pneumata is hitting differently for me – it looks absolutely terrifying.
Some gamers have been lucky enough to get hands-on access to Pneumata in the form of a demo – and hearing comparisons to Outlast was all I needed to know to confirm that I will be ready to dive into survival horror once again when this game releases soon – Summer 2024 in fact! I’ve also heard some ammo conservation mechanics earn the title comparisons to Resident Evil – so I’m definitely going to be picking this one up when it releases. A VR version is also in the works, which sounds ridiculously terrifying. Horror fans should be sure to mark this as one of their most anticipated upcoming games of the year.
Written by Alex
Fable
Image by Xbox Game Studios
Here is another classic to get excited about, Fable 4, seemingly now just called Fable. To many fans despair, the reason for this slight title change is due to Fable now said to be a reboot of the franchise rather than a sequel indefinitely ruling out the return of fan favourites Theresa and Jack of Blades – two characters which were originally rumoured to make some sort of return – though we will have to see.
Another big change with this reboot, players appear to no longer have the ability to pick their gender, a feature which was first introduced in Fable 2 then used again in Fable 3, though I am still very excited for a female protagonist. The graphics in Fable are more beautiful than this game has ever looked before, even when playing the upscaled version of the classics on the Xbox Series S and Series X – with a PC release on day one, high end PC gamers can enjoy its beauty even more. After 14 years of waiting, it looks like it was honestly very much worth it – 1 more year still seems like too far away though.
Written by Aramis
Tiny Bookshop
Image by Skystone Games
While you may have been expecting another Dragon Age: The Veilguard write-up from me, I thought it was best to talk about a little indie game that was announced at Summer Game Fest, because it’s one I relate to in some way. I think at some point in most people’s lives, buried deep down, there’s some fantasy to drop real life altogether and open their dream shop of some kind – maybe it’s to finally open up a florist, or a cosy cafe, or a bookshop, or a combination of all three. A Hallmark character in a Christmas movie lives in all of us, I’m afraid, and this little indie game gets us a little bit closer to living that dream. In Tiny Bookshop, you pack up your real life, start a tiny second hand bookshop (hence the title) by the sea, and get to know the locals around you while you set up your shop wherever you want.
This game has been on my Steam wishlist for over a year now, and while I appreciate developers taking their time to create the perfect little cosy game, I was so happy to see it announced and given some time during Summer Game Fest. I adore cosy games, ones that you can just play without thinking too much about the gameplay or the story itself, ones where there is no real wrong way to play, and it seems that there are an abundance of those coming out soon, but this is one of the ones I’m most excited for. With a lot of cosy farming games on the market, those hoping to gain the same success as Stardew Valley, it’s always refreshing to see a different spin on the genre. As someone who has always wanted to open up their own little bookshop somewhere, I am really hoping that this game meets my cosy expectations.
Written by Laura
Metaphor: ReFantazio
Image by ATLUS
If ATLUS knows how to do one thing, it’s make a game look stylish. Luckily for us, ATLUS also knows how to make an excellent game, and with Metaphor ReFantazio taking the spotlight at Summer Game Fest to announce a release date in October 2024, I couldn’t be more excited to dive into medieval Persona – and I make that comparison in the best way possible. The game’s combat system looks immaculate, combining hack-n-slash with turn-based combat based on how strong your enemy is, giving real life and stakes to the enemies you encounter.
And then, in those moments of calm in an action-packed world, Metaphor ReFantazio promises to bring just as much personality to the screen as the titles it’s inspired by – it’s colourful, it’s beautiful, and it’s fun – what more could you ask for? Importantly, this game is challenging, which may not be for everyone, but as I mentioned earlier, I’m a Dark Souls fan – I’m not averse to the occasional, heart-pumping, ‘please don’t let me get hit’ moment. All of this combined has made Metaphor ReFantazio a must-play title for me when it releases. It looks absolutely marvellous.
Written by Alex
Star Wars Outlaws
Image by Massive Entertainment
Finally, an open world story rich star wars game! Star Wars Outlaws has been in the works for some time now, Summer Game Fest 2024 gave us one more look at this stunning stand alone title before its official release on August 30th. Since it was first announced, Outlaws has stirred up quite some controversy from ridiculous price points being set to core content of the game being hidden behind a paywall. Much to our delight, it looks like Star Wars Outlaws will be available to players at a much lower price since it has now officially been added to the UBISOFT+ 2024 lineup, though this service will cost £14.99 a month – a price I am hesitant to pay for the lack of content on their platform.
In Star Wars Outlaws fans of the Star Wars franchise will be happy to see some familiar places as well as some familiar faces, Jabba The Hutt being one of these – though he is hidden behind the paywall of a season pass. I really want to be hyped about this game, which for the most part I am, but it is very hard to be excited about something which is turning out to be more of an investment than even Fortnite. With the release right around the corner we will have to wait and see if it is truly worth the investment!
Written by Aramis
Conclusion
And that’s our list! Do you agree with our choices? What are your most anticipated games from Summer Game Fest 2024? There was certainly a lot to choose from, and some games that we’re looking forward to that we couldn’t fit in here – meaning that, in our books, Summer Game Fest 2024 was a success! Thank you for reading, and roll on next year!
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