As per usual for this time of year, the big three gaming giants have once again cranked up their respective hype machines in order to let gamers know exactly which incoming titles they can start getting amped up about. These were all in the form of near-hour-long video presentations featuring closer looks of already somewhat-known quantities along with a few surprise reveals as well. Though the first presentation was held over 2 months ago now, we decided to wait until all three had shown their hand, which the last of them finally did this past week. So now, for your convenience and reading pleasure, please enjoy this brief roundup of some of the highlights of those presentations.
- South of Midnight - Microsoft decided to kick things off, this time around, with their Xbox Developer Direct presentation, back on January 23rd. Featuring a mere four titles, Microsoft's presentation appeared to favor quality over quantity, with some pretty in-depth looks at each game. Despite the Compulsion Games-developed title, South of Midnight, having been shown off on a couple of different occasions already, this presentation did have some new footage and gameplay mechanics to offer, as well as a confirmed release date of just over a week away - - on April 8th! Which means gamers won't have to wait much longer to get their first taste of this intriguing-looking Southern Gothic-flavored action-adventure title.
- Clair Obscur - Expedition 33 - An almost equally intriguing-looking title to South of Midnight, Clair Obscur - Expedition 33 is an also previously-announced French-developed, Japanese style turn-based RPG, that is set in a dark fantasy version of France's pre-World War I Belle Epoque period. Some of the featured highlights shown off in Microsoft's Direct included a completely navigable 3D world map, real-time combat actions, and hundreds of passive character effects to choose from. The game will also apparently feature a voice cast including such heavy-hitters as Andy Serkis and TV star Charlie Cox (though that wasn't actually covered in the presentation). Though Expedition 33 was only featured on the Xbox Direct, the release info stated that this game will actually be coming to the PlayStation 5 and PC, in addition to the Xbox Series X - - starting on April 24th!
- Doom -The Dark Ages- - Despite being yet another known quantity, id Software's Doom -The Dark Ages- was almost certainly the biggest name, and most hotly-anticipated title shown in the Xbox Direct. Though a decent amount of video from the game had already been revealed previously, there was plenty of adrenaline-charged action-packed new footage to savor, along with some juicy details about the types of varied gameplay mechanics and destructive new weapons that players will be able to enjoy. As with Expedition 33, the new Doom title will be releasing on PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox Series X; and in relatively short order, as it will be releasing on May 15th of this year.
- Ninja Gaiden 4 - The sole brand new reveal in the Direct, Ninja Gaiden 4 will be the likely outstanding product of an extremely unexpected, yet entirely-welcome collaboration between series owner, Team Ninja, and the renowned action title experts at PlatinumGames. This all new entry to the incredibly long-running franchise will star a newcomer ninja protagonist named Yakumo alongside the classic fan-favorite hero Ryu Hayabusa. The game will be set in a cursed near-future Tokyo, and will feature collapsing buildings, and chaotic pathways for the player to navigate, in addition to the hardcore gameplay that the series is famous for. Though no specific release date has yet been provided, Ninja Gaiden 4 is slated to arrive on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X, sometime this fall.
- Shinobi: Art of Vengeance - Sony's presentation came a few weeks after Microsoft's, on February 12th. Unlike the more focused, yet sparse Xbox Developer Direct, however, Sony's PlayStation State of Play featured the typical quicker look at a fairly decent quantity of various titles. The second game of the presentation was a slick new trailer for the latest entry in Sega's beloved Shinobi series, from the obviously now well-seasoned pros at indie studio, Lizardcube. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance looks like it will be an absolute blast to play, with plenty of rad ninja action and devastating ninjitsu techniques. Mercifully, a release date was revealed at the end of the trailer, so aspiring virtual ninjas can get ready to start hurling kunai and stealthily eliminating foes on PlayStation 4 and 5 (and presumably other platforms as well) on August 29th of this very year.
- Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds - Immediately following the Shinobi trailer, was one for a new installment to another well-established Sega franchise, Sonic Racing. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds appears to retain the Sonic-only characters from the last entry (sadly) and will be the first title in the series to be developed by Sonic Team, rather than Sumo Digital. Hopefully, they'll be up to the task of ensuring that the game retains the same level of polish and enjoyability that fans of the series have come to expect. There's little reason to doubt them so far as the trailer showed off plenty of unique tracks for the game, and even a pretty interesting-looking portal traversal mechanic. Though no launch date has been provided as of yet, the game will be coming to both PlayStation 4 and 5, at a minimum, and likely relatively soon, to boot.
- Onimusha: Way of the Sword - In addition to the two Sega trailers, there were a few shown for some Capcom titles as well, including one for the recently-released Monster Hunter Wilds, one for a soon-to-be-released HD remaster of their hit 2002 PS2 title, Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny, and finally, one for an all-new installment to that very same series, called Onimusha: Way of the Sword. By the looks of the trailer, the game appears to feature a lot of the same classic gameplay and atmosphere combined with more interactive environments and some pretty jaw-droppingly amazing graphics. Though the game isn't slated to arrive on the PlayStation 5 (or anywhere else, for that matter) until 2026, Onimusha: Way of the Sword definitely looks like something that gamers can look forward to playing at some point next year.
- Saros - The last trailer of the presentation was for Saros, a brand new title from acclaimed PlayStation studio, Housemarque. While technically an all new property, the game is apparently largely inspired by their last title, Returnal, seemingly also featuring mind-bending rogue-like action set on a hostile alien planet. But at the end of the day, Returnal was pretty darn fantastic, so whether Saros turns out to be a crazy spin-off, or a wholly separate property, we won't be passing up the opportunity for another helping when the game releases on PS5, sometime next year.
- Everybody's Golf: Hot Shots - Nintendo's Direct was the most recent presentation, airing just a few short days ago, on March 27th; and, no, we didn't goof with that last game title, and your eyes aren't playing tricks on you, either. For the first time in gaming history, a Hot Shots/Everybody's Golf title had it's debut trailer featured, not on a PlayStation presentation, but on a Nintendo one instead. Yes, you read that right, folks, Hot Shots Golf is coming to the Nintendo Switch!
Well, not the original Hot Shots Golf; and, curiously enough, not one created by series developer, Clap Hanz, either. No, Everybody's Golf: Hot Shots will be an all new series entry, which will be brought to the Nintendo Switch, PC, and PlayStation 5 (of course), courtesy of Bandai Namco Entertainment. Here's hoping their golf game will be up to scratch when it hits the links, sometime later this year. - Pokemon Legends: Z-A - Aside from a Switch-playable Hot Shots Golf installment, one of the other big trailers in the Direct was for the newest Pokemon game. Although technically a sequel to the 2022 series spinoff, Pokemon Legends: Arceus, unlike that title, Pokemon Legends: Z-A will take place in the present day, and actually serves as a follow-up to 2013's Pokemon X and Y. New features will include real-time battling, as well as the ability to strike pre-emptively. No release date has yet been provided beyond a somewhat vague "late 2025".
- Metroid Prime 4: Beyond - What was presumably intended as Nintendo's biggest trailer of the Direct was for none other than, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. Though we've already seen this game shown off previously, Nintendo had plenty of new footage to offer, revealing some interesting new enemies, locations, and abilities to use in the game. Still no release date has been provided, other than a very general "2025", however, the mere fact that the game finally seems to be nearing the end of its incredibly long 8-year development stage is likely pretty exciting for many gamers out there.
- (Marvel) Cosmic Invasion - For our part, we were most excited by the wholly unexpected, yet incredibly mind-blowing trailer from Tribute Games and Dotemu. It seems that the creators of the absolutely phenomenal 2022 retro beat 'em up love letter, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge, are once again teaming up in order to do it all over again - - this time, with a Marvel makeover. Featuring similarly stylish graphics and fantastic 4-player action, (Marvel) Cosmic Invasion will star some of the most legendary superheroes to ever grace a comic book: Spider-Man, Venom, Wolverine, Storm, Captain America, and more. The best part of all? The game is slated to come out this very year! Enthusiasts assemble!
So that will do it for our recap of the first big gaming presentations of 2025. Be sure to click the links to each presentation to check them out for yourselves, as well as the ones for each game if you want to see more information about those. Also, (and as always) be sure to let us know which trailers you were the most excited for as well as which games you're most looking forward to in the comments below.
[Images: Compulsion Games, Lizardcube, Tribute]
 | [AJ Amideo] |