Missed out on the inaugural Gamescom Opening Night Live? We understand. It was at 2am this morning after all. 

Gamescom — only the largest gaming event in the world —kicked off in Cologne, Germany on Tuesday (Aug 20), and heralding this year’s event was a pre-show live-stream hosted by everyone’s favourite video games presenter Geoff Keighley. Across the two-hour runtime, the man brought everyone through fresh previews of anticipated AAA titles as well as unveiling new ones that hadn't been announced before. 

And yes, more footage of Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding. As you’ll see from the gameplay demo below, there are benefits to being Kojima’s bestie. 

Without further ado. 

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Gears of War 5

Gears 5 gets a new story trailer, and it focuses on Kait Diaz, the protagonist who is of (gasp!) Locust descent. Things get pretty intense as she dives into her Locust roots, but that’s okay because Marcus Fenix is back with a beard alongside other classic characters from previous instalments. Oh, and you can now play as JACK, the lovable drone that can now hijack (heh) the minds of enemies in Horde mode. 

Comanche

A relic from the past is being brought into the 21st century. The reboot of Classic PC series Comanche is being worked on by THQ Nordic, and it’ll get turned into a team-based multiplayer online game. Aside from commandeering attack helicopters, players also get to play as gun-toting drones for some dogfights at close quarters.

DCL the Game

Since they’re already at it, THQ Nordic is also diving into the world of high-speed drone racing — a very real sport. No drones needed IRL, because the sim lets players experience the thrill of piloting the machines at over 160km/h in an obstacle-filled circuit that’ll require nimble 360-degree manoeuvring. 

Need for Speed: Heat

The long-running racing game series promises to bring something new in its latest instalment, and the highlights from the reveal today involve street racing, distinct day/night modes, cop chases, and extreme customisation for both your whip and your driver avatar. 

Kerbal Space Program 2

After years of being a Steam early access title, Kerbal Space Program proved to be an indie hit after its official release in 2015 — and the surprise sequel coming out next year will be going interstellar. The game lauded by Elon Musk (who joked that KSP was used to test SpaceX software) is returning for a new generation of players who’ll get to build a space program from the ground up. Planets will be explored, colonies will be created, and rocket engines will explode.

Little Nightmares 2

Puzzle-platformer Little Nightmares was a downright horrifying experience, and it’s about to get even darker (and cuter) in Little Nightmares 2. Now you get to play with a friend and actually get to fend off attacks through combat. Expect an expansion of the same grim atmosphere and forbidding world that the first game pulled off so well. 

Predator: Hunting Grounds

Predator: Hunting Grounds was teased during E3 earlier this year, but now, there’s actual gameplay footage. Looks like a pretty fun time — if you’re playing the Predator. 

Monster Hunter World: Iceborne

Monster Hunter World: Iceborne offers fans another new look into the “massive expansion”, and honestly it looks like a standalone game already. The latest Elder Dragon players will take is is the frosty behemoth Velkhana, and it looks like it’ll be a cinematic confrontation. 

The Cycle

Touting itself to be a PvE and PvP, this brand new first-person shooter wants to be everyone’s new favourite Battle Royale game. It’s got the cartoony colour palette of Fortnite, the futuristic gunplay of Apex Legends, and the quest-driven objectives from Overwatch. Developer Yager calls it innovative, but you'll just have to play it (from the Epic Games store) to judge it for yourself. 

Life is Strange 2: Episode 4

The adventure continues for Sean Diaz in Square Enix’s lauded episodic graphic adventure game. More story-altering choices to be made, more secrets to uncover.

Humankind

A historical turn-based strategy game? Where you can rewrite the history of humankind? Colour us intrigued. 

Borderlands 3

As the launch date for Borderlands 3 edges even closer, the marketing campaign has been ramping it up and we’re all for it. Lilith takes you through the four classes of badasses you’ll have the choice of playing as during the hunt for the Vault, highlighting the focus on complete skill customisation and augments. And of course, bazillions of weaponry. Plus an end game mode called Proving Grounds that’ll let players drop in, kill waves of enemies, get loot, and drop out. 

Everspace 2

No Man’s Sky not enough to satisfy your appetite for open-world exploration into the stars? The sequel to space shooter Everspace looks set to offer an expanded world and story to explore, with more ships to choose from and customise. Stunning graphics too. 

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (Nintendo Switch)

CD Projekt’s triumphant end to The Witcher trilogy from 2015 is going portable — Nintendo Switch players get to go monster-hunting with Geralt and co. come October. The Switch version will come with all of the game’s DLC, and that’ll mean well over a hundred hours of gameplay (whew, lad). But being able to play The Witcher 3 anywhere has its cons. The game runs at 540p on the go, and at 720p when the console is docked. 

FIFA 20

EA revealed more about FIFA 20's street football mode called Volta, which will have players taking smaller teams in a globe-trotting, story-driven football adventure. Finally, a AAA street football game. 

Disintegration

To be honest, we thought that it was going to be a racing game at first, judging from the pod-racer at the start. Turns out that Disintegration — from the mind of Halo’s co-creator — is a real-time tactical game that’ll have players commanding a squad of units from atop a hovering tank called a Gravcycle. 

Darksiders Genesis

Darksiders is still all about hacking and slashing your way through hordes of demons, but this time, you’re doing it all from the top down ala Diablo. Darksiders Genesis will have players take on the role of new Horseman Strife and the old Horseman from the first title, War. 

GYLT

More footage of this Stadia exclusive reveals that it’s a mix of puzzle, stealth, exploration and horror. More interestingly, as revealed by Tequila Works’ creative director Raúl Rubio Munárriz. The monsters you’ll face will be the physical manifestations of childhood fears. 

Destiny 2: Shadowkeep 

Bungie revealed more details about Destiny 2’s fourth expansion, where something wicked has awakened. Return to the moon and face old foes like the Vex. 

Remothered: Broken Porcelain

The world always needs more survival horror video games and the award-winning Remothered returns for the second chapter in its trilogy. Just a teaser for now. 

ERICA

Live-action interactive stories like Black Mirror’s Bandersnatch proved to be a hit on Netflix, and Sony’s getting into the concept as well. ERICA’s an interactive thriller that marries high-fidelity film production values with tactile gameplay in a murder mystery, having players make decisions that will shape the fate of a young woman named Erica. It’s a stealth release, and is currently available on the Playstation Store. 

Anno 1800

New content is coming to Anno 1800, Ubisoft’s graphically-impressive city-building sandbox title. Day and night cycles, botanical gardens, a new story campaign, and more.

Port Royale 4

Bring your barrel of rum, land lubbers. The pirate-themed business-economic sim set in the Caribbean is launching its fourth iteration next month, and it’ll probably bring more exploration, city-building and treasure-finding mechanics. 

Iron Harvest

They already had us at dieselpunk mechs battling it out in 1920s Europe. This real-time strategy game is set in an alternate reality right after the end of World War 1, with the choice of commanding three diverse factions. The Iron Harvest begins on September 1 next year. 

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare

Infinity Ward has announced that Call of Duty fans on the Playstation 4 can get a hands-on preview of the upcoming Modern Warfare (2019) multiplayer. The Alpha testing goes live for this weekend only — 2v2 matches across five maps. 

Death Stranding

Trust Kojima to insert peeing as a gameplay mechanic. The man came out to show off Death Stranding’s new gameplay footage and a slew of cutscenes featuring characters played by the likes of Guillermo Del Toro, Margaret Qualley, and (of course) Geoff Keighley himself. Plus, we get to find out what the hell is the deal with those bottled-up babies. 

ilyas@asiaone.com

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