Say what you will, but Sony’s June 2026 State of Play was one of the strongest showcases PlayStation has delivered in years. We sadly live in the ‘It’s cooler to shit on things’ arc of the internet, but if you would, just humour me for a second. Fighting that urge to take to the keyboard and whine. Take a step back and really think about the things we saw here. If you still weren’t impressed with this State of Play, then you are a fucking idiot. This one had it all: massive first-party reveals, weird indies, a buffet of horror, nostalgic revivals, and some third-party bangers. On more than one occasion, this one had me pointing at the screen like a Victorian child seeing a lightbulb for the first time.
So naturally, it’s time for a very scientific and definitely not emotionally biased game of Smash or Pass.
Marvel’s Wolverine – SMASH
Finally, after years of waiting, Insomniac properly unleashed Marvel’s Wolverine with extended gameplay, story teases, brutal combat, and confirmation of a September 15, 2026, release date. The showcase leaned heavily into Logan’s violence and raw aggression. It’s no less than I would expect from Insomniac, but this looks incredible.
Very easy smash here. It feels like PlayStation doing what PlayStation should be doing: cinematic single-player action with absurd production values. The combat looked savage, the tone felt darker than Spider-Man, and the whole thing oozed confidence.
Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls – SMASH
Anime-styled Marvel fighters. Spoken only as words, devoid of any visuals, that sounds like an awful gimmick. But it actually looks awesome. Tōkon: Fighting Souls looks ridiculously stylish, with flashy tag-team combat and an art direction that explodes off the screen.
The game looks aggressively fast and expressive. It feels like a crossover between Marvel Vs Capcom energy and modern anime fighters, which is a very dangerous combination for many peoples free time.
Absolute smash purely because it looks fun in an unapologetically videogamey way. A treat seldom delivered by AAA developers.
Rayman Legends Retold – SMASH
Ubisoft, of late, seem to have remembered that Rayman exists. That alone deserves applause. I can’t say with confidence that this is what we wanted, or needed for that matter, but nevertheless, Rayman Legends Retold looks like a full modern refresh of one of the best platformers ever made. Bringing back the gorgeous art style with enhanced visuals and new content.
Rayman has been missing for far too long, and this reveal felt like PlayStation and Ubisoft acknowledging people actually miss colourful, creative platformers and mascot characters. Easy smash. Nostalgia? Yes. But also because Rayman Legends is still fantastic.
Bancho the Chef – SMASH
What even is Bancho the Chef? I genuinely don’t know, but I’m absolutely willing to take a punt on this one because one thing is for certain. This game is bursting with personality.
The showcase trailer mixed absurd humour, over-the-top cooking combat, and complete chaos in a way that felt impossible to ignore. It has the exact kind of weird energy that modern showcases desperately need more of.
This gets a smash purely because it looks unique. Games should be allowed to be strange little goblins again.
Kemuri: Hunt The Unseen – PASS
Kemuri still has style. The supernatural urban aesthetic and creature designs looked cool, but the gameplay shown during the showcase still feels a little too vague and floaty for me.
There’s definitely potential here, but right now it feels more like a concept than a fully convincing game. The combat didn’t quite land, and the overall pacing of the trailer felt messy.
Not a hard pass forever, but definitely a showcase pass for now.
Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis – SMASH
Lara Croft is back! This was a nice little surprise I wasn’t expecting at the PlayStation showcase. It felt like another strong nod to an old-school PlayStation legend returning to where they belong. Especially with the last trilogy having timed exclusivity on Xbox consoles. And what better way to do that than this? A fully-fledged ground-up remake of the original game. Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is aiming for a February 2027 release and looks like a huge cinematic reboot direction for the series.
The ancient mythological angle looks fantastic, the environments were gorgeous, and the whole thing had proper blockbuster energy.
Massive smash. It feels like Tomb Raider finally has momentum again.
The Lost Wild: True Fear Is Primal – SMASH
For too long now, dinosaurs have been misrepresented in video games. Dinosaurs are not cute things to get all googly-eyed at, nor are they one-shot scrub enemies that attack in hordes (I’m looking at you, Exoprimal). These are vicious, scary beasts to be feared. The 90’s knew this all too well.
The Lost Wild resurfaced with a genuinely tense new trailer putting dinosaurs back on the map exactly how they should be! What got me most excited was that it looked like a modern version of Dino Crisis. The Lost Wild has been given a 2027 release window. The trailer’s focus on survival horror rather than action immediately makes this stand out.
The atmosphere looked incredible, and deeply unpleasant, and boy, do I love it.
Smash.
Phantom Blade Zero – SMASH
Every time Phantom Blade Zero appears, it somehow looks even more ridiculous.
The new gameplay shown during State of Play doubled down on its hyper-fast martial arts combat, absurd animation work, and cinematic presentation.
Easy smash because it simply refuses to look boring.
Dune: Awakening – PASS
I understand why people are excited for Dune: Awakening. The world is cool, the scale is impressive, and Arrakis remains one of the most revered sci-fi settings ever created.
But every trailer continues to give me “live service survival slog of a game that will consume my weekends and patience” energy. I’m just unimpressed with the graphics, too. I know that graphics don’t make a game, but for a movie franchise well-known for being visually spectacular, I expected way more from this game.
The addition of a single-player mode may be exciting for some, but this trailer didn’t really do anything to change my mind. Pass.
Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered – PASS
Look, I respect it. I absolutely understand why this exists.
But Dynasty Warriors nostalgia only goes so far when modern action games have evolved so dramatically. The remaster looks faithful, but also very much like Dynasty Warriors 3.
For long-time fans? Probably fantastic. For me? I’m just not bothered about it. Pass.
No Rest For The Wicked – SMASH
Moon Studios continues to make games that look illegally beautiful.
The State of Play segment focused on new content, expanded world details, and more brutal combat encounters, and every second of it looked gorgeous.
This game just has “special” energy. It feels grimy, weighty, and handcrafted in a way most action RPGs don’t. Plus, I am forever indebted to Moon Studios for giving me the Ori games.
Smash.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword – UNSURE
I genuinely cannot decide where I land on this yet.
The atmosphere looked excellent, the monster designs look fantastic, and Capcom clearly understands the appeal of classic Onimusha.
But the gameplay still hasn’t fully clicked for me. It looks slower and heavier than I expected. Since the Onimusha days of old, you almost can’t move for Samurai games now. As my wife constantly complains, “there are way too many of them”, I can’t say I don’t agree with her. Even though I always end up playing them. Because when they are good, they are really, really, good. These types of games have come a long way, and I feel well-versed enough to spot a good one when I see it. This Onimusha reboot isn’t giving me that. If, like me, though, you share my ambivalence, fear not. A playable demo was announced alongside this new trailer. So we don’t have to wait to make up our minds.
Side note, but just a fantastic move dropping a demo. Nowhere near enough big publishers do this anymore, and that alone for me deserves its own small slice of praise.
Right now? Cautious optimism.
Silent Hill: Townfall – PASS
I love the concept of Townfall. I love the atmosphere. I love the weirdness.
But the showcase trailer just didn’t hit me where it needed to. There is something I can’t quite put my finger on with this game. Visually it looks almost cartoony and less signature Silent Hill grit. I also wasn’t overly enamored with Silent Hill F. It was okay, but having played the Silent Hill 2 remake right before it, there was an obvious difference in quality. All that is to say that, since Silent Hill was rebooted, the best thing they have done is remaking their second game. The jury is still out on whether Konami has what it takes to make a new entry with the authenticity and pacing of its forebears.
There’s clearly talent behind it, but I need more gameplay before I can get excited. We did get a release date, though! September 24th, 2026.
Currently a pass.
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Thieves – PASS
Ace Combat fans were probably eating extremely well here, and to be fair the aerial visuals looked incredible.
But personally? Flight combat games have never really grabbed me. The explosions were cool, the set pieces looked huge, but I’m not sure there’s enough variety here to turn my head.
Respectfully passing.
Stuntman: Hollywood – SMASH
THIS is the kind of revival I love seeing.
Stuntman returning with modern physics, insane vehicle destruction, and cinematic stunt sequences feels like a perfect fit for modern graphics. The trailer was packed with classic Stuntman mayhem, and I think the idea of having actual licensed movies in the game is a really nice touch.
Easy smash because this just looks like plain and simple, good old fashioned video game fun.
ILL – SMASH
ILL looks disgusting. Horrifying. Revolting.
I cannot wait.
The body horror visuals during the showcase were almost genuinely upsetting, and the animation work on the creatures looked absurdly detailed. This thing looks like sleep paralysis but you are awake.
Easy smash for horror fans.
Control Resonant – SMASH
Remedy simply do not miss aesthetically.
Control Resonant looks far more action-focused than the original, with expanded supernatural abilities and a much larger scale.
The weirdness is still intact, the world still feels deeply unsettling, and Remedy continues to own the “playable SCP Foundation” lane. We were also treated to a release date of September 24, 2026.
Huge smash.
Marathon: Season 2 – PASS
The new Marathon update did absolutely nothing for me.
Already, I wasn’t convinced by the extraction shooter direction, and the showcase footage still looked overly clean and a bit soulless. Maybe it plays brilliantly, but nothing shown here made me want to jump in.
Easy pass. #savedestiny
Runescape: Dragonwilds – SMASH
I’ve been meaning to try this one for a while. It was released into early access on PC in April 2025, but is now making its way across to PS5 with a 1.0 release. survival crafting mechanics, dragons, and massive fantasy exploration. It feels weirdly nostalgic while also trying something new.
As someone who lost considerable amounts of their childhood to RuneScape, this is absolutely a smash.
Until Dawn 2 – SMASH
Supermassive has handed over the reins of their beloved horror Until Dawn to Firesprite. These are the developers behind Horizon: Call of the Mountain, which was actually their first full game. Finally bringing back Until Dawn properly feels like a very smart move for Sony, but I can’t ignore my scepticism about whether Firesprite are the team for the job. On one hand, they are unproven. On the other hand, they have a point to prove.
The trailer looked to be a faithful continuation of the Supermassive formula, leaning heavily into cinematic horror, impossible choices, and deeply unpleasant savage baddies, whilst confirming a 2027 release window.
Smash.
God of War: Laufey – BIGGEST SMASH EVER
My, oh my.
Sony closed the show with the reveal of God of War: Laufey, focusing on Kratos’ deceased wife Faye and exploring a completely different side of Pantheon mythology. This time, we are being treated to the afterlife of the gods.
This was easily the biggest reveal of the entire showcase. The game looked incredible, the visuals were absurd, and the idea of seeing the God of War universe through Laufey’s perspective is unbelievably exciting, contrary to the minority of loud-mouth “hyper straight” men on the internet who would much rather play as a half-naked muscled Adonis than a woman, apparently.
Anyway, this is not just a smash. It’s the easiest smash I’ve given in years. It’s the kind of smash that I imagine won’t be topped for years to come. It’s the kind of smash where you stand up screaming during the livestream and scare the shit out of your pets.
VGT-Skyf