The “Opening Night Live” is the heart of the absolutely digital Gamescom. A colorful array of games could be seen – when the stream wasn’t lagging.
The digital Gamescom was opened with a live stream in which over 35 different games were presented. As in the previous year, the “Opening Night Live” was moderated by Geoff Keighley and showed game trailers in a constant fire. In between, the live stream was plagued by technical problems such as lags and audio dropouts, some trailers mutated into slideshows as a result – this is annoying for both Gamescom and the developers involved. Still, there was a lot to see. A selection of the most important games that were shown at the Gamescom opening:
“Call of Duty: Black Ops – Cold War”
Publisher Activision had already announced it in a teaser trailer: The next CoD part takes place in the Cold War. The title is supposed to continue the first “Black Ops” part and is being developed by Studio Treyarch. In the opening night Livestream, the developers showed a cutscene – with Ronald Reagan, pathos, and lots of clichés.
Call of Duty: Black Ops – Cold War trailer (from COD Youtube channel)
“Dragon Age”
It is not a real surprise, but now there is confirmation: Bioware is working on a new “Dragon Age” part. The video, which is actually more of an image film, does not provide much information. The title is currently still in the early stages of production and is supposed to be more about personal stories.
Video to the new “Dragon Age” game (BioWare Youtube channel)
“World of Warcraft: Shadowlands”
The new expansion for WoW sends players into the afterlife. An animated trailer was shown for the Gamescom opening – not quite as thrilling as the popular Blizzard render trailers, but still interesting for fans. Shadowlands will be released on October 27th.
Trailer to Shadowlands from the Gamescom (from WoW Youtube Channel)
“Little Nightmares 2”
Part 2 of the creepy-charming platformer “Little Nightmares” will be coming in February. The title was presented at Opening Night Live 2019, and the first gameplay scenes were shown a year later. In “Little Nightmares 2” there are apparently two people on the road, which reminds a little of “Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons”.
Trailer to Little Nightmares 2 (IGN Youtube Channel)
“Star Wars Squadrons”
EA showed gameplay scenes for the space shooter “Star Wars Squadrons” in the live stream. The video shows an excerpt from the single-player campaign that takes place after the Battle of Endor. You can play both sides of the galactic conflict. The game will be released on October 2nd.
Star Wars Squadrons – Official Single Player Trailer (IGN Youtube Channel)
“Lego Star Wars” und “Die Sims 4”
The humorous Lego games enjoy cult status among Star Wars fans. The new part tells the story of the Skywalker family with as much winking as its predecessor, as demonstrated by a first trailer. EA also showed a Star Wars expansion for its life simulator “The Sims 4”. Who can say EA isn’t making the most of the license?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inE-zgBYf10
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga – Official Trailer (GameSpot Trailers Youtube Channel)
Trailer for the Star Wars bundle for “The Sims 4” (Source: The Sims)
“12 Minutes”
One of the most exciting indie games that are currently in development: “12 Minutes” is an interactive thriller that sends the main character into a twelve-minute time loop in which apparently a lot of mischief can take place. The cast of speakers is absolutely top-class: James McAvoy, Daisy Ridley and Willem Dafoe speak the three characters. Annapurna Interactive has not yet announced a date for the title.
Trailer from “Twelve Minutes” (Source: Annapurna Interactive)
“Mafia Definitive Edition”
The Definitive Edition of the classic “Mafia” is graphically completely redesigned. So the game looks strong even by today’s standards. A new trailer gives a foretaste of the story of the action game.
Mafia: Definitive Edition – Official Story Trailer (IGN Youtube Channel)
“Age of Empires 3: Definitive Edition”
Another new edition comes from Microsoft: After parts 1 and 2, the third offshoot of the cult series “Age of Empires” is being refreshed. The factions of the Swedes and the Incas are new. Age of Empires 3: Definitive Edition will be released on October 15th for PC.
Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition – Announce Trailer (Xbox Youtube Channel)
“Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond”
Respawn Entertainment, the makers of “Titanfall” and “Apex Legends”, are working on a new part of the shooter series “Medal of Honor”. The part “Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond” takes place in World War II and can only be played in VR. At the Gamescom opening, the creators showed a gameplay video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJoXkNyJjOs
Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond Trailer (MKIceAndFire Youtube Channel)
“Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart”
The new part of “Ratchet & Clank” is shown in a long gameplay video as fast as ever: Thanks to Playstation 5 technology, the developers can switch quickly and seamlessly between different locations – in this case even between different dimensions. The video gives a taste of what will be possible with the PS5 and Xbox Series X.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – Extended Gameplay Demo/PS5 (PlayStation Youtube Channel)
The Opening Night Live debuted last year as an attempt to make Gamescom a little more international. Before that, the fair was primarily of interest to visitors. The opening live stream was supposed to reach a larger audience, making Gamescom more interesting for developers as a platform for big game announcements.
This year the Opening Night Live was even more important: Because Gamescom is taking place purely digitally due to the corona crisis, its real strengths – for example the community feeling and the opportunities to play – are shallow. The livestream with Geoff Keighley became all the more a figurehead of the fair.
Written by Jacqueline Beckmann
