Gamescom 2014: the ultimate trailer and news round-up
All the best bits from this year's show, served up on one giant platter
We’ve been rushing around scouring the cavernous halls of Gamescom here in Cologne this week, slashing zombies, shooing enemies and jumping into virtual worlds.
We’ve rounded up everything you need to know about this year’s show, so sit back, catch up on the trailers, and start marking your calendars – there’s plenty to look forward to.
Jump straight to:
Sony news and trailersThe best of the rest
Microsoft
Microsoft’s biggest announcement this year was that Rise Of The Tomb Raider will be exclusive to Xbox One, pitting Lara Croft directly against Sony’s Nathan Drake and the Uncharted series.
Two new Xbox One consoles were also announced – a white version bundled with Sunset Overdrive, and a Call Of Duty: Advanced Warfare model with a futuristic military look and a 1TB hard drive.
Master Chief fans will also have a brand new Halo Channel to look forward to, coagulating everything from the Halo universe into one digital portal. From the latest game updates to new episodes of Ridley Scott’s live action Nightfall series, it looks set to be every Halo fan’s go-to source for news and content. Well, other than Stuff.tv of course.
We also got a first look at the trippy time-bending gameplay of Quantum Break, which looks set to be a powerful exclusive weapon in Microsoft’s arsenal.
Indie games received a strong showing this year, with titles such as the surreal Below and action-packed multiplayer online battle arena Smite both looking mighty promising.
We also were surprised and delighted to see ScreamRide. Essentially a twisted, futuristic version of Roller Coaster Tycoon (and made by the same developer, Frontier), your aim in it is to create the most insane, heart-stopping rides, with success measured by screams.
Anyway, on with the show – here are all of the best trailers from Microsoft’s event, together in one place.
READ MORE: Microsoft unveils new Xbox One models at Gamescom
Quantum Break (Xbox One)
Assassin’s Creed Unity (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
Forza Horizon 2 (Xbox One, Xbox 360)
Sunset Overdrive (Xbox One)
READ MORE: Sunset Overdrive First Play preview
Halo 5: Guardians multiplayer beta (Xbox One)
ScreamRide (Xbox One, Xbox 360)
Fable Legends (Xbox One)
FIFA 15 (all platforms)
READ MORE: Six things you need to know about FIFA 15 Ultimate Team
Evolve (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
Below (Xbox One)
Smite (Xbox One)
Halo: The Master Chief Collection (Xbox One)
Sony
Sony kicked things off by revealing the impressive figure of 10 million PS4 consoles sold to date.
It also announced the version 2.0 firmware update which brings some tasty new features to the table, including Share Play – a feature that lets friends join your game, even if they don’t own a copy themselves.
The PlayStation TV micro-console was also given a European price and release date – €99 on 14 November. The PlayStation Now streaming service received a vague European release date of ‘2015’, with a beta set to roll out in the UK first.
Games-wise, there was plenty to get excited about. We saw the first ever gameplay footage from PS4 exclusive Bloodborne, while horror fans were also treated to announcements for Until Dawn and P.T. – and it turns out the latter is itself a sort of playable announcement [SPOILER ALERT] for a new Silent Hill game by a dream team consisting of Metal Gear Solid legend Hideo Kojima and movie director Guillermo del Toro.
Zombie survival favourite DayZ was also revealed to be making its way from PC to the PS4, while a new Destiny trailer showed off snippets of explosive multiplayer action.
Sony’s conference had a phenomenally powerful indie line-up, the most interesting (and weirdest) of which was The Tomorrow Children. We have no idea what it’s about, but watch the trailer below and you’ll understand exactly why we want to get our hands on it as soon as possible.
WiLD, from Rayman creator Michel Ancel, also looks very interesting – although we know very little about it apart from the fact that you’ll be able to play as any living creature in an area that’s the size of Europe.
Hideo Kojima himself also made a surprise appearance, showing off an insane Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain video in which the trusty cardboard box gets used in bizarre (and juvenile) ways.
Anyway, enough talk. Here are all of the trailers from Sony’s Gamescom showing this year:
READ MORE: Share Play coming to PS4, plus PlayStation TV and Now dated for UK
The Tomorrow Children
Rime
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Until Dawn
P.T.
Far Cry 4
READ MORE: Far Cry 4 First Play preview
Destiny
READ MORE: Destiny Beta review
WiLD
Tearaway Unfolded
Driveclub
READ MORE: Driveclub
Hellblade
Hollowpoint
Volume
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
Alienation
The Order: 1886
READ MORE: The Order 1886 First Play preview
Infamous: First Light
LittleBigPlanet 3
READ MORE: LittleBigPlanet 3 First Play preview
The best of the rest
In addition to Sony and Microsoft’s offerings, there were of course countless other titles being shown off this year.
Here are some of our favourites:
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (PS3/4, Xbox One/360, PC)
READ MORE: Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare hands-on
Dead Island 2: Sunshine and Slaughter (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
Dragon Age: Inquisition (PS3/4, Xbox One/360, PC)
Battlefield Hardline (PS3/4, Xbox One/360, PC)
READ MORE: Battlefield Hardline First Play preview
Shadow Realms (PC)
READ MORE: BioWare’s new game is Shadow Realms, an episodic, modern-day PC RPG
The Crew (PS4, Xbox One/360, PC)
READ MORE: The Crew preview
Hyrule Warriors (Wii U)
READ MORE: Oculus Rift Dev Kit 2: eyes-on preview at Gamescom 2014