Geoff Keighley's The Game Awards came with a variety of premieres for upcoming gaming and gaming-related releases. Surprisingly enough, the award show revealed some surprise packages that weren't widely talked about in leaks prior. Likewise, some trailers premiered games that fans have been heavily speculating about for several weeks now.
Quantic Dream's Star Wars: Eclipse was finally shown off with an ominous cinematic trailer, while previews such as WB and Monolith's Wonder Woman game came as welcome surprises. Some of these projects seem to be in early development still, but it's an enticing look at what the future of the PS5/XSX generation of gaming has in store.
Star Wars: Eclipse
The Star Wars IP is seeing a "redemption arc" and renaissance after the sequel trilogy, with streaming TV being a massive hit as well games finally being able to free themselves of EA's exclusivity clutches. Fans are already excitedly discussing what features should stick around in the Knights of the Old Republic Remake, and now another triple-A game has been announced in Star Wars: Eclipse.
Redditor jarthan said they "don't know what any of it means, but what a phenomenal trailer" of the cryptic teaser. It was an intriguing cinematic trailer full of ominous tones, and it excitingly sets up a darker atmosphere by Star Wars standards. Quantic Dream confirmed it will be an action-adventure game as opposed to their typical adventure/"interactive movie"-style projects.
Wonder Woman
As one of the pleasant surprises of The Game Awards, Warner Bros. Games and Monolith revealed a cinematic teaser trailer for their upcoming Wonder Woman game. It's not something that's been talked about much before this reveal, with fans and Redditors like ChadBenjamin saying they're "glad that DC games are diversifying outside of Batman."
With Wonder Woman's continued rise in prominence in the comics and DCEU, it's time another one of DC's greatest heroes is given the gaming treatment on the scale of Insomniac's Spider-Man and Rocksteady's Batman: Arkham games. Monolith were the developers behind the Middle-earth games, which is promising for Wonder Woman's combat mechanics.
Alan Wake II
The original Alan Wake is commonly regarded among players as one of the best, most underappreciated Xbox 360-era games. The game was an inventive horror-thriller that cemented itself as a cult classic, tasking players to fend off shadowy monsters with light beams from their flashlights. It excellently blended narrative devices inspired by Stephen King novels and the classic Twin Peaks TV series, making for a unique gaming experience.
Redditor LoneQuacker exclaims that "Sam Lake saying it's Remedy's first survival horror game has me so hyped" and that "Alan Wake 1 and Control already had creepy elements but getting to see them go full horror is gonna be amazing." Fans are already speculating that Alan Wake II will fully bridge its world with Remedy's Control.
Paramount+'s Live-Action Halo Series
One of the non-game, but still gaming-related, reveals The Game Awards showed was a trailer for Paramount+'s live-action Halo series. The trailer was brief, but fans like Redditor LexaMaridia were impressed saying "I was hoping to see some alien designs, but wow! Those locations are so perfect. High Charity is glorious."
Given how streaming TV marketing likes to keep cards close to their chests, it didn't give away much, but the visuals were the clear high point. It's a promising trailer, but fans will be hoping this show escapes the game adaptation curse in terms of writing.
Elden Ring Story Trailer
Elden Ring's 15-minute gameplay video from November gave fans plenty to be excited about, but The Game Awards gave the FromSoftware faithful something story-driven to chew on. After the already-fan-favorite "Pot Boy" came on stage, Keighley presented a CG cinematic trailer focusing on the narrative background behind the story of Elden Ring.
Redditor ZombieOfTheWest was enthusiastic, saying "Pot Boy is real, Lore reveals, a beautiful trailer. I forgive the game awards for last year now." FromSoftware has adopted a subtle, behind-the-scenes storytelling style to Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne to encourage intrigue and immersion, and this trailer will give the community more than enough to dissect and pick apart for lore until February.
Dune: Spice Wars
With Denis Villeneuve's theatrical adaptation finally doing the source material justice, Dune is also returning to the gaming medium. Several of the past Dune games were real-time strategies, and Dune: Spice Wars will follow suit. Redditor MasterOfReaIity said they're "relieved this isn't a mobile game and it being a 4X strategy is even better."
It's understandably a niche genre, but a great one that fits the premise of Dune's world smoothly. Since the universe is based around sci-fi-themed political drama, a modern RTS Dune game should feel at home for fans of the IP and genre.
Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League Gameplay Trailer
After years of rumors and leaks -- and finally being formally announced over a year ago -- Rocksteady's Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has received its first gameplay trailer. The previous two DC FanDome appearances were just cinematic trailers, but this one from The Game Awards gives fans a great, substantive look at how the movement and combat works.
Redditor VagrantShadow said, "I have to say, the style of movement and the fluidity of the characters looked amazing." The way each character functioned in combat and traversed throughout the environment looked smooth and incredibly engaging, making it clear how each member brings something worthwhile to the table gameplay-wise.
Senua's Saga: Hellblade II
Xbox's exclusive Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice came out as a surprise, but welcome hit that mixes tense combat mechanics, ethereal visuals, and psychologically-themed storytelling. The Norse-inspired dark-fantasy setting was eerily memorable, and Ninja Theory's work in the graphical department was also a feat to behold. The long-awaited Senua's Saga: Hellblade II finally makes its way to the public eye, looking to go even bigger and bolder compared to its predecessor.
Redditor VagrantShadow also notes they "love that the appearance it had was that gritty wet feel the first game had" and speculates "the mental depths that Senua travels down are going to be dark and deep." On the latter, the first game firmly establishes -- to a fascinating and ominous degree -- that sanity is a major influence on the story.
Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course DLC
The beloved Cuphead proved a charming and challenging homage to old-school cartoons in a classic action-platformer setting. Its intense difficulty, fun character designs, and multiplayer elements made the game a sensation in its own right, and it's been some time since fans last heard from Studio MDHR over the game's next endeavor.
Redditor Whoopsht expresses their relief saying it's "absolutely INSANE that it took them this long, but my god does [it] feel good to see some new bosses and animations." It's been a long time coming, but, understandably, this hand-drawn animation style takes a tremendous amount of time and effort to perfect.
Slitterhead
Though fans of (one of) Konami's neglected blockbuster IP Silent Hill continue waiting, The Game Awards showed off a new horror game by SH creator Keiichiro Toyama. He created a new development studio -- Bokeh Game Studio -- to make a new IP called Slitterhead, which contains suitably horrifying monsters.
Redditor The_Underhanded seemed impressed, saying it was "a more kinetic trailer than I thought we'd get from this director, but the monsters look properly freaky!." Rumors suggest Silent Hill should be making its grand return eventually but in the meantime, this Parasyte and Akira-inspired game is a promising new horror IP worth being optimistic about.