The 3 Best Gamescom Opening Night Live Announcements
Another Gamescom Opening Night Live has come and gone, bringing with it a handful of interesting game announcements. While this year’s showing wasn’t exactly my favorite, there were still several highlights worth discussing. Here are my three favorite announcements from the show, ranked from least to most exciting.
PICK 3: MEGA MAN: DUAL OVERRIDE
The Mega Man series is one that has endured for decades, with countless variations and spinoffs spawning from the original formula. The last mainline entry in the series, Mega Man 11, was released in 2018 to generally positive reviews. Obviously, a long time has passed since 11, with dedicated fans desperately awaiting a new entry.
While Dual Override seems relatively safe in its approach to the series’s general gameplay loop, it is nonetheless a welcome addition to the franchise. After years without a new mainline entry, I’m happy to see Capcom giving fans more of what they love.
Dual Override’s Gamescom trailer (while short) contained major reveals of characters (both old and new) making appearances in the game. Last playable in Mega Man 10, Proto Man was surprisingly revealed to be a second playable character in DO! Like previous Mega Man games, he will likely have his own distinct playstyle, including combat and movement.
Additionally, one of the new Robot Masters was finally revealed, known as “Twinkle Girl”. Her moveset seems to involve firework-themed attacks, while defeating her will likely grant Mega Man a similarly themed weapon.
Overall, the gameplay and graphics seem to be smoother and more polished than the last published trailer. I look forward to getting my hands on this game in 2027!
PICK 2: FINAL FANTASY 7: REVELATION
Personally, FF7 Revelation is one of my most anticipated games of next Spring. While I am a new fan to the series, Remake and Rebirth both offered a unique blend of ARPG gameplay with intriguing characters and epic world-building. There are countless hours of adventures to have and worlds to explore in both of the games (especially with Rebirth’s open-world). Thankfully, Revelation appears to be rounding out the FF7 trilogy with an even larger scope and scale.
The Gamescom trailer was relatively light on new details. Mainly, we saw the reveal of the “Planetary Warriors”, or Weapons. Specifically, the remade versions of the Ruby, Emerald, and Ultima Weapons were shown. Additional footage of the new FITS customization system and the rideable Highwind Airship was also shown. These two features should be useful for immersion and exploration respectively (especially when Revelation’s open-world is rumored to be larger than Rebirth’s).
Ultimately, while Revelation’s gameplay demonstration was still impressive, there was one more trailer that arguably piqued my interest even more.
PICK 1: THE WITCHER 3: REMASTERED
The Witcher is a series I am generally unfamiliar with. Despite basic knowledge of the books, show, and games, I lack any real connection to the franchise. Regardless, I still found CD Projekt Red’s section of ONL to have the most engaging announcements of the entire show.
First, Witcher 3: (Re)Remastered was officially revealed, showing off an impressive amount of updates to the critically acclaimed 2015 original. I was especially surprised by the graphical fidelity shown off in certain shots, considering the game’s age. The improved combat and traversal were also good announcements after hearing countless complaints about these aspects from fans.
As the trailer went on, it became clear just how dedicated CD Projekt Red is to improving fan experiences with their projects, even with a game already 11 years old. Very few AAA game companies demonstrate this level of care, polish, and devotion to fans this consistently.
Besides the slew of other upgrades the trailer listed in a fast-paced montage, the cherry on top was the reveal that the update would be free for all owners of the game. This is not to mention the additionally revealed expansion (Songs Of The Past) which finalizes Geralt’s adventures before The Witcher IV releases in 2028.
Truthfully, this single trailer did an excellent job not only marketing the Witcher 3, but also the series and its lore as a whole. I absolutely plan on experiencing the series for myself in the near future (likely when the remake of the 1st game in the trilogy releases).
Did you enjoy Gamescom Opening Night Live? Which announcements stood out to you? Let me know in the comments!
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