State of Play Sept 2022: Tekken 8, Rise of the Ronin and more

As we slowly approach the end of the year, chances are, you are looking forward to big releases and announcements that will set up months and months of gaming goodness.

Thankfully, the gaming industry is more than ready to deliver with the latest Nintendo Direct as well as the PlayStation State of Play.

For PS4 and PS5 players, here are all the major announcements that are worthy of your gaming time with this latest showcase for September 2022.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aywlRsohBPY[/embed]

God of War Ragnarok Story Trailer and New DualSense

The confrontation between the gods comes ever nearer, and Santa Monica Studio has graced us with a brand new story trailer for God of War Ragnarok, featuring many of the characters we will meet in the game, as well as a healthy variety of enemies that will stand in our way.

[embed]https://youtu.be/hfJ4Km46A-0[/embed]

Together with the State of Play trailer, PlayStation also revealed the limited edition God of War Ragnarok DualSense wireless controller, which features a two-tone, cool blue on icy white design inspired by the Norse world of Midgard, further embellished with bear and wolf insignia – representing Kratos and Atreus.

It will be available on Nov 9, with pre-orders starting on Sept 27.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvZZvTRFbTs[/embed]

Tekken 8

It has been a long time coming, but after seeing this debut trailer for Tekken 8, it sure feels like the wait is going to be worth it. This trailer was actually taken directly from a certain part in the current work-in-progress Tekken 8's story mode, played on PlayStation 5.

In other words, all the character models, backgrounds, and effects are the same ones that are used in-game, and it's gorgeous.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hPuRQz6IlM[/embed]

In addition to the quality of characters, the battles will feature dynamic backgrounds as well to make things even more visually stunning.

Of course, expect to see the story continue with the focus on the father and son showdown between Kazuya Mishima and Jin Kazama.

Rise of the Ronin

A brand new action RPG is coming from Team Ninja, with Rise of the Ronin being a PlayStation exclusive. This title is set to bring players on an epic and unfettered journey as a Ronin at the dawn of a new era in Japan.

Having started the project seven years ago, the team has finally debuted their work in the latest State of Play.

[embed]https://youtu.be/0gwsQvDGh4o[/embed]

In this time of mayhem, players embody a Ronin character, a warrior bound to no master and free to make choices of his own.

Rise of the Ronin is a new Team Ninja experience that will immerse you in a historically inspired world while bringing together its renowned combat action with Katanas and the likes, with new firearm weaponry that depicts the unique personality of its time period.

Like a Dragon: Ishin

The action-packed samurai title of legend, Like a Dragon: Ishin!, will launch globally in February 2023, finally giving fans around the world a chance to step into Japanese history with some of their favourite Yakuza characters with a surprise reveal at State of Play.

[embed]https://youtu.be/iWCjnYx7Ytc[/embed]

Set uniquely in 1860s Kyo, a fictionalized version of Kyoto, Ishin lets you experience the story of how the iconic samurai era vanished. Our hero, Sakamoto Ryoma AKA Kazuma Kiryu, brings the rest of his crew along too.

Goro Majima and other Yakuza celebrities join Ryoma as friends and foes in this fictional world that trades the flashy streets of Tokyo for the chaotic bustle of 1860s Kyo.

The first RGG Studio game to be built on Unreal Engine 4, expect the combat styles of Swordsman, Gunman, Wild Dancer, and Brawler to be even more intense and visceral when the game hits in February 2023.

Synduality

Coming via Bandai Namco, the State of Play presentation also gave us a glimpse of the new sci-fi third-person shooter game known as Synduality.

The game is set in a dystopian future where poisonous rain and deformed creatures wreak havoc on the world, where you and your AI partner must find a way to work together and reclaim lost ground for humanity.

[embed]https://youtu.be/5Cd5PcLDh9I[/embed]

As Drifters – who make a living by collecting AO Crystals; a rare resource that can only be obtained in dangerous terrestrial environments, players will take on each mission in your Cradle Coffin – an armed vehicle that will get you mobile during the adventure.

Players can personalise their Cradle Coffin's appearance and the weapons equipped to suit their own play style. While playing online, there will also be danger from other players hoping to cash in.

Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge – Enhanced Edition

Coming in 2023, the award-winning VR experience from Lucasfilm's ILMxLAB has been rebuilt to take advantage of many of the enhancements the PS VR 2 has to offer.

Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge – Enhanced Edition will have players begin the story as a droid repair technician who gets swept up into a grand adventure when you crash land on the planet Batuu following an attack by the Guavian Death Gang.

[embed]https://youtu.be/jF9_PVADzdY[/embed]

This kicks off a series of extraordinary events, proving that anyone in the galaxy can become a hero.

Fan-favourite characters like R2-D2, C-3PO (Anthony Daniels), Jedi Master Yoda (Frank Oz), and Hondo Ohnaka (Jim Cummings) will join the adventure alongside new characters like the boisterous barkeep Seezelslak (Bobby Moynihan), treasure hunter Lens Kamo (Karla Crome) and Guavian Death Gang leader Tara Rashin (Debra Wilson).

Utilising all tech that the PS VR 2 has to offer, the game pushes what's possible with VR.

The high-fidelity visual experience will include headset-based controller tracking and eye tracking; audio and haptics also play a major role in the immersion, all working toward making the fantasy feel real.

Stellar Blade

Formerly known as Project Eve, Shift Up Corp is back with an official name for their stylish action title at State of Play, and it is called Stellar Blade.

The setup is intriguing, where Eve and her comrades land on the surface to reclaim the extinct Earth and cross paths with a survivor named Adam.

[embed]https://youtu.be/ayek3ZzWb1E[/embed]

Eve is then led by Adam to the last surviving city, Xion, where she meets the elder of the town Orcal and is told many stories.

In order to serve her mission to save Earth, Eve develops close relationships with the key members of Xion and contributes to rebuilding the city.

Stellar Blade introduces action combat that requires deflecting and evading the NA:tives' attack at a precise timing that will also connect to combos and unique skills.

Throughout the game, you will arm yourself with unique Beta Skills and intense Burst Skills, which will come in handy against dangerous bosses.

Pacific Drive

A run-based first-person driving survival game, Pacific Drive comes from Ironwood Studios, and transports players to 1955.

As the US government seized a region of the Pacific Northwest by eminent domain, the Olympic Peninsula became the staging ground for promising new technologies, but these utopian creations came at great cost: Severe radiation, environmental collapse, and supernatural horrors.

[embed]https://youtu.be/dN1I_znpzrk[/embed]

The government walled off the area and established the Olympic Exclusion Zone. What happened inside was never disclosed.

As you explore the Zone, your car is your lifeline: scavenge resources to maintain and improve your car – as long as you keep it running, it will protect you from the surrounding dangers.

As you settle into what remains of the Zone, you'll discover that it's not quite as abandoned as you think – this place is full of old tales and legends, some long gone while others still linger.

Remember to keep your eyes on the road, the woods are deep – and not entirely empty.

Pacific Drive will come to PlayStation 5 in 2023.

Demeo

Tabletop gaming has always been a popular pastime for many, and creating video games based on such experiences is nothing new.

For Demeo, the flexibility afforded by PS VR 2 means players can enjoy themselves without necessarily worrying about the logistics, as shown at State of Play.

[embed]https://youtu.be/7kVLIo2U-TE[/embed]

Available also outside of VR, the game will arrive in 2023 with a wealth of great features that truly make this one of the best ways to experience Demeo yet. 

Haptics in the PS VR 2 Sense controllers, headset, and the PlayStation 5's DualSense wireless controller will each play a role in immersing you deeper into Demeo than ever before.

Thanks to Sony's ongoing developer support, Demeo players on PS5 and PS VR2 will also be able to jump into sessions with their pals no matter where they prefer to get their game on.

Hogwarts Legacy's Haunted Hogsmeade Exclusive Quest

One of the more highly anticipated games for the near future, Hogwarts Legacy is giving players more reasons to enjoy the game on PlayStation with the Haunted Hogsmeade quest.

Cassandra Mason has a shop to sell you in Hogsmeade, but all is not as it seems in this run-down establishment. What sinister secrets lie beneath Madam Mason's shop and why was she so keen to sell it?

That's a mystery Hogwarts Legacy players will discover in the Haunted Hogsmeade Shop quest exclusively available on PlayStation platforms. 

[embed]https://youtu.be/HVUqei8fnX8[/embed]

While the team does not want to give too much away about what strange things await players below the shop, overcoming these challenges will reward you with a shop of your own where you can sell items and gear at better rates than anywhere else, and the Shopkeeper's Cosmetic Set, a right proper outfit for the entrepreneurial Hogwarts student. 

A Felix Felicis potion recipe is also rewarded to those who pre-order the game, functioning as a luck potion that reveals gear chests on the mini-map for one in-game day.

ALSO READ: God of War: Ragnarok drops story trailer and Atreus is keeping something from daddy Kratos

Definitely a day to remember for PlayStation gamers, and if you happen to own the Nintendo Switch as well, there is certainly much to look forward to in the near future and beyond.

This article was first published in Geek Culture.