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September's State of Play unveils Tekken 8, Synduality, Like A Dragon: Ishin and more

By Kenneth Ang - 18 Sep 2022

September's State of Play unveils Tekken 8, Syn Duality, Like A Dragon: Ishin and more

Note: This feature was first published on 14 September 2022.

Image: PlayStation

In a word, yesterday's PlayStation State of Play stream was loaded, spewing forth so many big announcements, titles, and trailers you'd think console gaming was going out of style. In other words, despite the stream itself only lasting around twenty or thirty minutes, there's a heck of a lot to distill. So, just in case you don't have the time to scroll through everything manually, we've prepared a quick roundup of the highlights down below. 

 

1. Tekken 8

At this point, I've already lost count of how many headbutts I've received from Heihachi, but that number is only going to get higher with Tekken 8 in the pipeline. Admittedly, the trailer they showed off only features Jin and Kazuya battling it out in the rain, but the animations already seem way more polished than those in Tekken 7, which is fantastic. Unfortunately, a release window was not provided, so for now we'll just have to play the waiting game. 

 

2. God of War: Ragnarok Trailer

Speaking of trailers, it seems Sony Santa Monica has decided to bless us with yet another gorgeous one for God of War: Ragnarok. Notably, one sequence shows him squaring off against Thor in the no-holds-barred fight everyone knows will eventually come, and Atreus seemingly shoots down the sun with his bow in another. Frankly, it's so intriguing that you're better off watching it for yourself, and as a bonus, Sony has even announced that there will be a limited-edition DualSense controller released alongside the game in November.  

 

3. Demeo

Arguably the quirkiest release from the stream, Demeo is a co-op dungeon crawler title that's currently in the works for the new PlayStation VR2 system. Much like Dungeons and Dragons and other tabletop RPGs, players will make use of dice, cards, and other in-game provisions to conquer increasingly tricky levels in VR. 

 

4. Like A Dragon: Ishin 

This modern remake of 2014's Yakuza: Ishin spin-off is set during Japan's tumultuous Bakumatsu period with Sakamoto Ryouma as its protagonist. As part of the Shinsengumi, the game explores Ryouma's attempts to find his own place in society amidst the chaos, all the while tracking down the man who murdered his mentor. Notably, this is the first time the game has received an international release, as the original version was only available within Japan. 

 

5. Pacific Drive

If your idea of the perfect getaway is to drive through a post-apocalyptic version of the Pacific Northwest with lightning bolts crashing all around, perhaps you'd like to give this one a shot. It's currently being worked on by developer Ironwood Studios (it's also their first game!) and is scheduled for a 2023 release.

 

6. Syn Duality

According to the trailer, this brand-new third-person mecha shooter from Bandai Namco is scheduled for a 2023 release. Aesthetically, it feels like a cross between Nier: Automata and the Final Fantasy VII Remake, but hey, we're definitely not complaining if this turns out to be just as stellar.

 

7. Stellar Blade

Speaking of "stellar", heading straight to consoles from Korean game developer Shift Up is Stellar Blade, a sleek, stylish RPG that was originally introduced as Project Eve. Here, the trailer shows off a mix of gameplay and narrative sequences, including some where the main heroine faces off against demonic creatures using lasers, swords, and probably everything in between. It's scheduled for a 2023 release and will be exclusively available on the PlayStation 5.

 

8. Rise of the Ronin

Straight from the team that brought you NiOh is Rise of the Ronin, a brand-new open-world samurai game set during the transition from feudal to modern Japan. Unfortunately, we don't know too much about his one at the moment, except that it's scheduled for release in 2024 and will be a PlayStation 5-exclusive.

 

Of course, it goes without saying that you should check out the full stream if you can spare the time, as there are some extra odds and ends (like PS-exclusive missions for Hogwarts: Legacy) that we've opted not to feature above. Unfortunately, the full stream is age-restricted on YouTube, so the best we can do is drop you a link.

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