Roundup: The best of VGC’s Summer Game Fest coverage

All the reaction, interviews, and first looks from Los Angeles

Words by

Chris Scullion

14th Jun 2024 / 4:57 pm

Summer Game Fest and its surrounding games industry events have come to a close, but VGC’s coverage of the Los Angeles shindig continues to roll in.

We know that with so much news and reaction piling in all at once, it can be difficult to keep track of it all, so we’ve rounded up all the best of VGC’s original coverage below in one handy place.

Stay tuned to the site, as we’ll have more previews, interviews and reaction over the coming week.

Reaction – Summer Game Fest Showcase

“While Keighley is far from the conference’s missing messiah, it’s encouraging to see Summer Game Fest gradually grow into a more entertaining offering, and I hope that he and the team continue to trim the fat and offer something more compelling for viewers.

“With a smattering of separate conferences still to come this weekend, Summer Game Fest was a solid enough place to start off the gaming festivities.

“It wasn’t perfect, but this year’s event showed enough to help this writer get back into the holiday spirit – and I’ll be damned if I’ll begrudge Keighley Claus for trying to save gaming Christmas.”

Reaction – Xbox Games Showcase

“After years of cultivating a reputation as the industry’s most lovable exec (admittedly not a high bar to clear), Phil Spencer lost his halo, and was doubtless relieved to be part of a pre-recorded showcase rather than fronting a live show that would probably have had jeering picketers outside.

“Despite that gloomy background, Xbox doubled down and pulled it off – a relentless run, at speed, through a dazzling array of games that would have been the talk of the show at E3 of old – an emphatic demonstration of the power both within Xbox’s studio lineup and the industry at large, and a long list of games to look forward to.”

Hands-On – Lego Horizon Adventures

“Mechanically, it’s an obvious transition from the core Horizon games, then. But tonally, we didn’t really know what to expect, particularly because its main entries are often quite serious affairs with plenty of dark themes. However, it’s quickly apparent that, quite sensibly, Aloy’s brick adventure has ditched the often stuffy dialogue for a far more whimsical and slapstick tone, which we couldn’t help but find thoroughly endearing.

“Ashly Burch returns as Aloy and puts in an infectiously energetic performance, in stark contrast to the moody monologues of Forbidden West et al. It’s like Lego Horizon is the After Dark podcast to the main games’ News at Ten broadcast, and the entire cast has cracked open cans of Strong Zero.”

Hands-On – Astro Bot

“Eventually, Astro picks up a pair of mechanical arms with boxing gloves, and the entire experience turns into Nintendo’s ARMS, with players using each controller trigger to uppercut their way through environmental puzzles, culminating in a brilliant and spectacular punch-up with a gigantic octopus.

“It’s a display of platforming creativity rarely seen outside of Nintendo’s flagship Super Mario games. According to Astro’s creative director, behind the scenes, the secret has been maintaining a tight team with a focus on prototyping often – a culture that it maintained even after the closure of PlayStation’s wider Japan Studio.”

Preview – Monster Hunter Wilds

“‘Have you seen the Monster Hunter Wilds demo?’

“That was the refrain across Summer Game Fest, as word spread of Capcom‘s behind-closed-doors showcase of the next big Monster Hunter title.

“The demo, which at the time of writing Capcom has no official plans to release footage of, was such a hit that people were sneaking back in to see it again.”

Hands-on – Metaphor: ReFantazio

“You could tell us you’re demoing a new dustbin from the team behind Persona, and we’d still flock to see it.

“So when we got the chance to play Metaphor: ReFantazio, the latest from the team behind Persona 3, 4, and 5 we were thrilled. Even if you didn’t know it was from the Persona team, that level of style never leaves you.

“Straight away you’re greeted with stylish visuals, an incredible soundtrack, and a cast of characters that will likely be taken to heart just as quickly as Persona casts before it.”

Preview – Dragon Age: The Veilguard

“There was some understandable sour faces following Dragon Age’s showing at the Xbox Game Showcase, but we’re very happy to say that they are unfounded. Our demo was exciting, and engaging and made us desperate to see the next 50 to 100 hours of game.

“No Guardians of the Galaxy dialogue, no weird versions of pop classics, just a hulking Bioware RPG, something that’s been sadly missing in gaming for too long.

“Few demos this weekend felt as confident, as complete, and as engaging. Bringing back Dragon Age was a gamble, but from what we’ve seen, it appears to have paid off massively.”

Interview – Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

“Change has been sorely needed, and with its new Omnimovement mechanic sitting boldly atop its feature list, Black Ops 6 feels like it might be the game to provide it.

“Treyarch has been working on Black Ops 6 for four years – longer than it usually gets – and is also using the now-standard ‘unified’ Call of Duty engine for the first time. It’s a move that, according to the studio, has enabled it to deliver a game that brings back some of the features fans have been missing while also, crucially, offering something that feels fresh.

“On Monday, the game’s associate design director Matt Scronce and senior director of production Yale Miller spoke to press about the making of Black Ops 6 and their hope that Omnimovement could not just change the way Call of Duty is played, but the first-person shooter genre as a whole.”

Interview – Marvel Rivals

“‘Do the Overwatch comparisons annoy you?’

“That was our main question after sitting down to play a few games of Marvel Rivals, Netease’s new hero shooter that bears more than a passing resemblance to Blizzard‘s genre-definer.

“‘No, we welcome them!’ smiles Thaddeus Sasser, the game’s director. ‘Overwatch really helped establish the genre, I think they have a great game. It’s an honour to be compared to a great game. For someone to say, this is like this, but it’s also different and I like it.'”

Hands-on – Star Wars Outlaws

“A decade ago the world was buzzing about a behind-closed-doors E3 demo for Star Wars 1313.

“The game, which was pitched as ‘Star Wars Uncharted‘, was all anyone could talk about at that year’s show. Anyone familiar with Star Wars 1313 will know exactly how that story ended.

“Now, a decade on and a console generation or two later, Star Wars Outlaws is the third person action adventure shooter that instantly gave us echoes of that long-lost demo.”

Preview – Assassin’s Creed Shadows

“Fans have been asking for an Assassin’s Creed game set in feudal Japan for almost as long as the series has existed.

“The idea of stalking across the thatched roofs and using shinobi skills to take down targets has been something that series regulars have been desperate to see. Now, after almost two decades of Assassin’s Creed, Assassin’s Creed Shadows looks to give fans their wish.”

Interview – Sonic X Shadow Generations

“It’s similar in nature to the Bowser’s Fury section that was added to the Switch port of Super Mario 3D World, in that it offers a somewhat different experience to the ‘main’ game.

“It’s a decision that’s got the Sonic community excited, as was made clear by the huge reaction when we uploaded some Sonic X Shadow Generations gameplay footage to our YouTube channel.

“After going hands-on with the game at Summer Game Fest, we then sat down with Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka to discuss the changes made for this new version, as well as the current status of the Sonic franchise in general.”

Interview – Delta Force: Hawk Ops

“Delta Force: Hawk Ops finds itself stepping into an incredibly crowded market.

“With a new Call of Duty later this year, Ubisoft‘s XDefiant recently released, the looming return of Battlefield, and the monolithic popularity of Fortnite, attempting to beat any of these games in terms of pure numbers is virtually impossible.

“In a world where players have more choices than ever, and they’ve also never been less generous with their time, what, in the mind of publishing director Jessica Zhang, will mark Delta Force: Hawk Ops a success?”

Preview – Fear the Spotlight

“One of the most surprising moments of Summer Game Fest this year was the appearance of Blumhouse Games on Geoff Keighley‘s stage. While we know the horror label was getting into games, we weren’t aware of the extent; six game announcements later, we’re still reeling.”

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