PlayStation State Of Play February 2021 Recap

PlayStation decided to take a break from riding the wave of success that has been the PS5 release to give fans a look at what to expect from the brand in 2021. The last time we got to see a State of Play stream, Playstation wowed many with the full reveal of both PS5 models, their release dates, and a slew of next-gen future releases. Now almost six months later they came back to put on a showcase that honestly paled in comparison.  Let’s go over the whole show from the Blerd perspective.

Crash Bandicoot 4: About Time

The showcase opened with the news that Crash Bandicoot 4: About Time would be getting a PS5 update. While Crash is a loved franchise that has had a great revival since 2017’s remake of the original trilogy, a PS5 upgrade wasn’t something that was really in demand. The trailer promised all the things that are now expected for a next-gen upgrade of a game along with the bonus of making use of the unique features of the PS5 controller. Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time will get its PS5 upgrade on March 12th.

Returnal

Returnal is a PlayStation 5 exclusive that was announced last year during the initial PS5 release build-up. The showcase gave an extended look at the game with developer commentary. Returnal will have fast-paced third-person action, a soulsborne-esque death mechanic as well as randomly generated levels and enemy spawns. The trailer did end with the reveal of an April 30th release date.

Knockout City

Knockout City is a stylized video game take on 3v3 dodgeball that was actually revealed last week during Nintendo’s Direct stream. The new trailer narrated by one of the developers explained gameplay mechanics, match types and mentioned that it will have cross-platform play. Knockout City will have a beta period before its May 21st PS4 release date.

Sifu

The debut trail of Sifu showcased some intense close-quarters martial arts fighting like you might see in a gritty Chinese kung fu movie. Little details were given about the game or its story but based on developer SLOCAP’s previous martial arts focus soulsborne style game Absolver it is safe to assume Sifu will feature slick hand-to-hand combat across various settings. Nothing more than a 2021 release window was given for Sifu which will release on both console generations.

Solar Ash

Another trailer narrated by a member of the games developer gave an extended and first time explanation of the game, its setting and the main character. Solar Ash features platform gameplay that requires fast and fluid movement across unique terrains and environments. The game looks promising but frustratingly still only has 2021 as a release window for PS4 and PS5.

Five Nights at Freddy’s Security Breach

Another game that only featured a 2021 release window, Five Nights at Freddy’s new trailer gave a good look at how it will play and what to expect. Ditching the stationary player switching between different locked viewpoints, Security Breach will allow for movement throughout Freddy’s Pizzeria from the first-person perspective while being hunted by the deranged animatronics. Five Nights at Freddy’s Security Breach is releasing on PS4 and PS5.

ODDWORLD SOULSTORM

The new trailer really didn’t do or show anything for the game that hasn’t been seen already. SOULSTORM promises to deliver ODDWORLD’s unique style of platforming with a few new dynamics like a pacifist or chaos play style. ODDWORLD’s cult following of fans will be excited to know that SOULSTORM will release on April 6th on PS4 and PS5.

Kena Bridge of Spirits

Kena’s new trailer gave a longer look at the actual gameplay and some details of the story. The game looks great with its animation style that reminds you of a Pixar film, solid action-platformer mechanics and the trailer showed that the game will offer more than just a carefree story to potentially engage older players. Kena Bridge of the Spirits releases exclusively on August 24th on PS4 and PS5.

Deathloop

Deathloop’s new trailer was heavily inspired by the classic openings of a vintage James Bond movie and showed off even more gameplay that looked equally stylish. Again though we have really seen all that needs to be seen of this game the new trailer was really good and players on PS4 or 5 should be excited to play this one come May 21st but we really didn’t learn anything new here.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade

This may not have been the Final Fantasy game that people were expecting but it still did manage to deliver the biggest surprise (and my personal favorite moment) of the showcase. The trailer unsurprisingly revealed that the remake will be getting a PS5 graphics update with all the expected features. Most importantly though it also revealed that the game would be getting a DLC chapter revolving around the well-known ninja-thief-materia hunter Yuffie. Both the free PS5 upgrade and the paid DLC will release on June 10th.

Matching the level of hype that comes with a full console reveal is understandably a task that is hard to do but by nearly any standard this State of Play was little more than average. The 30 minute presentation delivered only two debuts, a handful of release date confirmations, and some new trailers for games that have already been announced. Truthfully the majority of the games shown did not look like they would merit a full 60 or in the case of PS5 exclusive titles 70 dollar price tag and with the exception of some unexpected Final Fantasy 7 news the entire thing really was forgettable. Between last week’s Nintendo Direct and this week’s State of Play, it is great to have these streams back, but neither was particularly impressive. Hopefully, in the near future, we will get some truly exciting news presented to us directly from PlayStation.