The gates of the Koelnmesse in Cologne have closed, and it’s time to take stock of Europe’s largest and most important video game trade show Gamescom. The Cologne event once again proved to be a veritable behemoth, with approximately 400,000 visitors and over 1,100 exhibitors from every corner of the globe.
Walking through the event’s corridors is like immersing yourself in pop culture and the latest generation of hardware. Two entire pavilions were dedicated to the more “material” and nerdy side of collecting: display figurines, trading cards, dice of every shape and color, and a wealth of goodies for lovers of role-playing and board games.
Moving to two other pavilions, our attention was drawn to the retro gaming area—always brimming with nostalgia—and the areas dedicated to family games. What surprised us most was the massive presence of hardware: sim-racing station with steering wheels, pedal, and ultra-precise dynamic seats (which we simply had to try out!). All of this was complemented by the latest gaming chairs, high-refresh rate screens, and controllers of every kind. A special mention goes to the space given to indie developers; many emerging studios and independent game studio occupied significant spaces, demonstrating how alive and vibrant the independent scene is.
Finally, there was the true beating heart of the gaming scene: four pavilions entirely dedicated to the industry’s “big names”. Between alphas, pre-alphas, exclusive demos, and titles now close to release, we clocked up miles and spent hours with joystick in hand. Here’s our detailed report on the games we tested for you.
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3
The franchise’s return brings with it some substantial changes to the core mechanics, the most obvious of which is the Aura recharge, now fully automatic rather than manual. While this speeds up the pace of battles, it also removes a bit of strategic management. Overall, the combat system and responsiveness of the controls didn’t seem to make the leap in quality we expected compared to the first and second installments. It is an experience that remains to be evaluated over the long term, but isn’t surprising for now.
Tides of Annihilation
This was one of the most pleasant surprises of the show. Tides of Annihilation draws heavily from the genre’s great pillars—the fluidity of the combat system closely recalls the latest God of War adventures, while the structure nods to Souls (with bonfire-like save points—while maintaining its own identity thanks to the non-respawning of defeated enemies. The interaction with the environment is rich and varied; we appreciated the use of ranged abilities (such as special arrows) to unlock passages and solve small environmental puzzles. The 45-minute demo flew by, thanks to a truly captivating boss design and excellent graphics.
Star Wars: Galatic Racer
It is an unpretentious title: it’s a generic arcade racing game dressed in the gorgeous skin of the Star Wars franchise. The feel of the pods is immediate but ruthless: the high speed and the deliberately “slippery” controls make it extremely easy to crash with the slightest error in trajectory. It is fun for a few quick games, but it’s difficult to evaluate it over time in terms of content.
Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse
If you love the Metroidvania genre, you’ll be right at home here. The game immediately evokes the immortal atmosphere of the masterpiece Symphony of the Night, reviving it with splendid, modern, clean, and detailed 2D graphics. The great freedom of exploration, the labyrinthine map, and that pleasant need to backtrack to unlock new, previously inaccessible paths are back in force.
1001 Threats of Mizan
Imagine taking the fairytale imagery of “One Thousand and One Nights” and grafting it onto a cooperative gameplay structure for 1 to 3 players: the basic formula is decidedly interesting. However, the title still needs some refinement. In particular, controlling the flying carpet is a bit cumbersome and would greatly benefit from assigning the steering and tilt controls to the shoulder buttons (L/R) for more precise and natural control.
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV
This is the usual solid success from Creative Assembly. The gameplay reflects the series’ classic formula, but we’ve noticed a marked improvement in the graphics and visual rendering of the campaign maps. In our hands-on session, we faced off against the Orc hordes: nothing groundbreaking for franchise veterans, but an extremely solid and visually satisfying installment.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword
It was one of the titles that piqued our interest the most. At first glance, it might seem like just another Souls-like, but Onimusha cleverly distances itself: no dodging or repetitive rolls. Here everything revolves around perfect timing. The game seems to take you by the hand, displaying on-screen indicators, but it’s up to the player to figure out the exact frame in which to parry or attack. If you get the timing wrong, the parry still happens but you take damage. Accompanied by exceptional graphics and a truly successful atmosphere, it’s a game definitely worth keeping an eye on.
Overall, this Gamescom edition proved to be an extraordinary experience in every way. We returned home with a suitcase full of gadgets and memorabilia from the various stands, but above all with the priceless memories, emotions, and sensations of the joystick in hand that only an event of this magnitude can provide. The only bitter aftertaste, to be honest, stems from a smidgen of healthy envy: the awareness that, as immense as our community’s passion is, an event of this caliber—in terms of organization, space, and global media coverage—is something we’d be unlikely to ever see in other countries.
