Gamescom is an annual video game showcase conference in Cologne, Germany, which ran from August 19th to August 24th this year. Much like E3 in America and Tokyo Game Show in Japan, it is a time for developers and game companies to make announcements and show off new games or content to both fans and investors. However, due to Gamescom not being as large as its counterparts, this means fewer showings from AAA companies and much like E3, a common point of contention is the lack of Japanese games. Despite that with companies such as Bandai Namco, Capcom, Sega, Square Enix, and others have had a conference or a line up at the event, there were still plenty of new announcements for fans of Japanese games. With Tokyo Game Show (September 11 to 15) around the corner, these announcements should hopefully be enough to keep fans of Japanese games satisfied until then.
Bandai Namco
Bandai Namco comes out swinging with the action RPG Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot from developer CyberConnect2. Previously revealed at this year’s E3, this action RPG is done in the gorgeous 3D anime graphics CyberConnect2 is known for and will allow players to experience the entire Dragon Ball Z story from the beginning fight against Raditz all the way up to the Buu saga. The new information revealed at Gamescom showed that in addition to playing through the game as Goku, other characters such as Gohan, Piccolo, Trunks and Vegeta are also playable. There will also be sidequests in the game based on some of the filler episodes from the anime, most notably the episode where Goku and Piccolo get their driver’s licenses complete with an in-game driving segment. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is set to release in 2020, with more information to be revealed at Tokyo Game Show.
Another anime based game being brought to the table by Bandai Namco is One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows — a fighting game where the player fights monsters as various heroes from the One Punch Man manga and anime. The twist is, rather than conventionally defeating enemies yourself, the goal is to wait until Saitama arrives, who much like in the original source material, is completely invincible and can finish any fight in one punch. The better the player plays, landing combos and dodging attacks, the more time is taken off the timer until Saitama’s arrival. The game also features both 1v1 and 3v3 multiplayer modes in addition to the main story.
Last but not least, Bandai Namco released a new trailer for their Dark Souls-like vampire RPG oozing with the edgy anime art style, Code Vein. A demo for the Playstation 4 and the Xbox One was also announced for September 3rd. Code Vein‘s development has met with multiple delays but a playable network test earlier this year seemed to receive mostly positive opinions with players and seeing how the game has changed with the demo’s release will surely bring in more new potential fans. Code Vein will be released on September 27th.
Capcom
The main focus of Capcom’s presence at Gamescom was dedicated to showing the upcoming expansion, Monster Hunter World: Iceborne. The newest trailer shows off some cutscenes in the upcoming expansion and features a new Elder Dragon, the Velkhana for hunters to hunt. Some monsters from previous entries that were absent in Monster Hunter World, such as the Brachydios and Nargaguca will make their return in Iceborne along with a variety of new armors and weapons. To get players ready for Iceborne’s release on September 9th, players will receive a free set of armor when they log in on September 5th.
Unfortunately for fans of other Capcom franchises, like Megaman, Resident Evil or Devil May Cry that were expecting Gamescom to have new information, will just have hope and wait there will be some showing at Tokyo Game Show.
Sega
Before Gamescom, Sega had announced they would be publishing a new AAA title, which led to speculation as to whether it would be a new property or a revival of one of their older franchises. That game ended up being Humankind, a new 4X strategy game from Amplitude studios. Similar to the Civilization series, players take control and guide humanity from prehistoric times to modern day, with certain real world historic events unfolding with possible different outcomes.
Sega’s other offerings included playable demos of previously announced games such Catherine: Full Body, the updated version of the 2011 puzzle-platforming romance thriller from developer Atlus as well as playable Sega Genesis Mini (released August 19th in the US) stations on the show floor.
Square Enix
First announced at E3 this year, Square Enix showed off a playable demo of Marvel’s Avengers. Players took control of a variety of Marvel superheroes as they fight through the streets of San Francisco, ending with a boss fight against the villainous Taskmaster. This is the first time players got a chance to get their hands on a playable version of the game since its reveal at E3.
Square’s most anticipated future release, Final Fantasy VII Remake, did not get any new information released however attendees did also get a chance to play through the opening sequence of the game and try out the game’s new action oriented battle system.
Speaking of playable demos, the remake of Trials of Mana, formerly known to the West as Seiken Densetsu 2 or Secret of Mana 3, was playable on the show floor as well. Fans of the original cult classic will appreciate just how much of the game was faithfully recreated, even using original sound effects from the Super Nintendo version as well as visiting areas remade with the exact same familiar layout. Check out the footage from Dengeki’s Youtube channel for a glimpse of what to expect when the game comes out in early 2020.
Other
A new trailer to the long awaited Shenmue III was revealed, showing off some of the playable mini-games as well as a glimpse of the combat. The conclusion to Yu Suzuki’s three-part saga will finlaly be concluded when it releases for Playstation 4 and PC on November 19th this year.
For fans of RPGs, Falcom brings a trailer for the next part in the long-running Legend of Heroes series, Trails of Cold Steel III: The Bonds Between Us. A direct sequel to Trails 1 and 2, Trails 3 takes place a year and a half after the events of the first two as protagonist Rean Schwarzer leads a new class of military cadets. Trails 3 will release in the west.
The one game that received the most attention at Gamescom, had to be Hideo Kojima’s upcoming epic Death Stranding. During the pre-show on August 19th hosted by Geoff Keighley, the game was given its own dedicated half-hour segment presented by Kojima himself. Kojima presented three new trailers for the game, the first being an introduction trailer to the character Mama played by Margaret Qualley and the second trailer introduces the character Deadman played by Guillermo Del Toro. The final trailer briefly showed a small glimpse of gameplay but the amount of information it revealed was still incredibly minimal — the biggest reveal is the ability to urinate which appears to make certain plants grow. The rest of the trailer showed the protagonist Sam Bridges walking along a vast grassy terrain, building a ladder to scale a cliff and finally talking to an NPC that was modeled after the presenter Geoff Keighley. People who have been speculating as to the specifics of the game’s mechanics will continue to have to speculate as Kojima said he was saving the much-coveted information for Tokyo Game Show.
