Summer Game Fest 2024: 4 best games

With Summer Game Fest over, it’s time to look back at some of the show’s standout hits. I don’t mean the most exciting revelations, but the best games I’ve actually been able to play. The SGF space was full of interesting games, some from renowned studios and others from indie outfits. And I discovered some games that were surprisingly fun just by picking up a controller and playing.

Even though I’ve seen trailers for Capcom’s fancy looking game, I’ve never been quite sure what it’s about. I thought it was a generic hack-and-slash game dressed up in the richness of Japanese mythology, but I was surprised and frankly delighted to find out that it was a tower defense game. Your job is to protect the sanctuary, which is working to remove corruption from the land. The game is divided into two parts: day and night. During the day, you walk through the village saving the inhabitants from a corrupt infection. At night, you protect the shrine from demons as they slowly make their way through the village, cleansing it of evil.

I really enjoyed it Kunitsu-Gamia novelistic twist on the genre. Villagers you rescue will become part of your army and you will assign them tasks to help defend the maiden. The Lumberjack is a powerful melee attacker that acts as your first line of attack, while the Monk uses his holy power to freeze demons in place, making them easy targets. Once the fight is over, there’s a base-building element that lets you upgrade and unlock jobs and gain new powers for your warrior.

I’m really glad I got the chance to play Kunitsu-Gami. I love strategy games, especially when they’re dressed up in such an ornate art style. I found myself staring at everyone’s outfits, looking at the details and wondering what the meaning of each little piece was. Releases July 19 on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC.

I’m not Star Wars person — but Star Wars Outlaws that was enough to interest my Force-agnostic ass. My hands-on experience was divided into three parts: ship-to-ship combat, stealth combat, and platforming. Because the kids (ie me) want to Ace Combat (Thanks, Bandai Namco!), I decided to try out the ship first. Before heading out I had to do a little stealth section to get to my ship which involved a few hacking minigames. The hacker minigames are usually lengthy and terrible (looking at you Mass effect), but I enjoyed both, especially the data spike minigame that involves turning a tumbler in time using rhythmic clicks.

I had a great time once in space. The controls were very responsive and I didn’t feel like I had to fight to keep my target in front of me like in other aerial combat games. I also enjoyed how the game doesn’t automatically reorient you when you turn the ship upside down because it’s space and there’s no up or down. Towards the end of the demo there was a moment where I flew from space to the surface of a planet and everything looked very smooth, a real “you can go anywhere” moment (although I’m sure there’s some game dev trickery involved).

I wasn’t very stealthy in the stealth mission, often blowing up the enemy instead of distracting them with Nix, my axolotl-looking pet. Nix has proven to be very useful as a distractor and fetcher. When you need a little extra firepower, you can have him fetch weapons that your enemies have dropped. Your main weapon is a simple blaster equipped with special ammunition; the default blaster setting takes out humanoid enemies, while the plasma setting is effective on droids. During one encounter with a shallow water element, I thought it would be smart to shoot plasma into the water in hopes of electrocuting the enemies standing in it. Unfortunately, the game didn’t work that way.

The platforming section was the weakest part because it didn’t really bring much new. There’s a grappling hook to use, but other than that, my villain Kay Vess just runs, jumps, and climbs bright yellow bars and ledges like anyone else. Overall, I was again pleasantly surprised. Star Wars Outlaws releases on Xbox, PlayStation and PC on August 30.

Arranger is a mobile-friendly puzzle game, which might explain why it was featured prominently in the Netflix booth. You play as a messy girl named Jemma who has a quirky way of moving through the world. As you move your finger up and down or side to side, the world moves with it, whether horizontally or vertically, and everything on that axis moves with it. Use this unique movement to solve puzzles or bypass impassable obstacles. Locked doors mean nothing to Jemma: once she reaches the end of a row or column, she can flip over to the other side.

One thing I appreciate about games is how you are constantly in conversation with the developers; I enjoy being able to hear their voice in the way they design their games. There was a point early on where I couldn’t figure out how to solve the pressure plate puzzle. Confused, I left the room to find two strategically placed flower pots. I didn’t know you could transfer items from room to room yet, so when I saw the flower pots I said a very distinct (and audible) “Aha!” moment. The developers could have left a flower pot or other object in the room to make the puzzle easier, but I would have lost a deeper understanding of the game mechanics.

Arranger will be released on Switch, PlayStation, PC and mobile via Netflix on July 25th.

Playing Astro Bot he was joyful. Of course I’ve enjoyed all the games I’ve highlighted here, but Astro Bot was the one that made me giggle and kick my feet like a 10-year-old kid given a free hand in a candy store. Mascot platformer, in 2024… we might be back, y’all! Astro jumps, throws off walls and can float in the air to evoke the feeling of Mario. But even though the game is mechanically similar, Astro Bot feels uniquely charming. Astro squeals, squeals, cheers and waves – his enthusiasm and happiness is so contagious that it’s impossible not to hurt yourself and hurt yourself while playing.

The bright and cheery levels are dotted with robots to the rescue, some featuring characters from PlayStation’s past. I really enjoyed panning the camera, finding places off the beaten track and figuring out the best way to get there. Each time I was rewarded with a collectible or a secret robot that needed rescuing. The different levels also feature different movement abilities similar to the special power-ups you might find in Mario. One ability that inflates Astra like a balloon and allows him to float to areas out of reach. Another involves a dog that acts as a jet engine to blast through hard glass with an Astro rocket or bounce it off special platforms.

Astro Bot, on sheer charm, is my game show. Releases September 6th on PS5.