So, this is going to be a long one, as there was so much to cover across the various showcases over the weekend. I’m writing this and I am still not sure what format it will take. I think though, I’ll do a bit on each presentation. The games of the weekend will be in a separate post, but I will tease a couple at the end.

Anyway…

The Shows

If you only watch one presentation from the weekend, make sure it is the Latin American Games Showcase. Because that was a non-stop ride of pure brilliance. It flowed well, had a great mix of games and was everything I want in a showcase. It got me excited for so many new games and for anyone who might only be looking away from AAA for the first time, it showcased an abundant of talent, both known and completely unknown. Check this one out staight away.

In stark contrast to the high octane and passion filled showcase above, you have the soulless, shilling infected piece of crap that was Geoff Keighley’s Summer Games Fest. I showcase that pretty much had a bunch of CGI trailers that said very little about the games that are coming out and in all fairness all merged into one. With the odd exception being a invited indie titles. What’s worse is the weird advert for some mobile game that had a bunch of hollywood actors such as Chris Hemsworth, which I still couldn’t tell you what it was for.

All of this as Geoff stared into the camera with a lack of life behind his eyes, a complete shell of a human. Where there was once someone who card about this industry, now looked a broken husk with no passion left to give. It’s sad, but it sums up the AAA section perfectly.

Actually the best thing to come out of this was the initiative from Inner Sloth to use their success to boost other developers under the moniker of OuterSloth. Victoria Chan was suitably nervous on stage, but brought humanity that was otherwise missed.

Thankfully though and a real nice mix of showcases you had Day of the Devs, which followed straight on from SGF, which allows developers to really show their passion for the games they make, as well as generally giving of great vibes. Had a nice little dig at the $250k per minute cost of getting a trailer into SGF too.

Wholesome Games Direct was… well, wholesome. Yes there will be many games here that won’t sit with everyone, but for me it had a wonderful mix of games that weren’t just about some kind of violence and I think we are seeing slightly less farming sims this year which is nice.

Of the ‘big’ shows, Xbox had a pretty decent one, with games such as Fable getting a trailer and when you get the voice of Super Hans as a character, you get my attention. Again though, as lot of CGI, but at least peppered with gameplay. Xbox is looking a bit sparse for 2024, but 2025 and beyond could be big for them.

The whole weekend kicked off with the Guerrilla Collective. Which as per usual nails the beat of a showcase. Mixing things up with trailer after trailer, then spending time with individual teams. Hosted by the always enigmatic Justin Woodward, who just knows how to keep things moving and unlike husk shell at SGF, is just so full of life and passion for the industry. It is a showcase that really wet the whistle for what was to come!

Then The Future Games Show, Future of Play and Women Led Games all nailed what they were going for. All worth a watch, with Women Leg Games mainly going into more depth on games featured elsewhere, but a great change of pace at the right time on the weekend.

Devolver were Devolver as they celebrated Volvy’s birthday in a way only they know how. YOu don’t even tune into the Devolver Direct for the games these days, but there were still some good titles on offer. But the dark 20 minute tale is worth it alone. Never stop Devolver… Never Stop.

If you miss your traditional E3 cringe, then The PC Gamer Show is for you. Hosted by Sean ‘Day9’ Plott, Mica Burton, and Frankie Ward it is a real throwback to the pre-COVID days of pressers. Some will hate it, but I loved it, it makes their show stand out from the others and also had a wonderful mix of games on offer.

The Games

So that was the shows. What about the games themselves? Below is a short teaser list for the what we’ll be covering over the coming week. There are some bangers, so be sure to check them out.

Volgar the Viking II
Urban Jungle
Neon Blood
Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind
Tears of Metal
Crescent County
Detective Dotson
The Crush House

These are just a very small slice of what caught my attention over the weekend. There is a LOT more to come.