Gaming

AIPT’s favorite announcements from the Summer of Gaming 2023

AIPT shares its favorite gaming reveals, trailers, and announcements from the Summer of Gaming 2023.

Austin Manchester, Colin Moon, Timothy ONeil and Daniel Berlin

June 27, 2023

No E3, no problem. June 2023 was still filled with new game reveals, trailers, release date confirmations, and demo releases. The Summer of Gaming is in full force, and we here at AIPT have been jumping out of our seats at each exciting new announcement. Let’s take a look at our favorite gaming announcements from the Summer of Gaming 2023.

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector revealed

Colin: When I selected Citizen Sleeper as my 2022 game of the year, I did so after one marathon day, quarantined with my COVID-sick partner. It was one of those rare moments in which a game pulls you in so completely you are surprised to find hours have passed, the day has turned from morning to evening, and you’re still submerged in this deep and densely written world. The perfect ease with which its singular setting is supported by Powered by the Apocalypse mechanics – those ticking clocks, driving you ever compulsively forward – seems somehow custom-built for the narrative, the setting, and the game’s unsettling sense of urgency.

I could never have anticipated a second game so quickly – the first game was created by a single developer, whose unique aesthetic sensibilities also created the introspective In Other Waters, a distinctly different game. They must be churning out prose for Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector at a Stephen King-like pace. I cannot even begin to express my gratitude that they are doing that work, making this game. It feels, to Citizen Sleeper fans, like a deeply personal gift.

Neva announced by Nomada Studio

Austin: Gris captured the hearts of minds of gamers in 2018 and never looked back as it slowly released across all platforms in the years since. It’ll be a tall task for Nomada Studio to top it, but they’ll try just that with Neva, announced this summer. Neva looks to possess similarly gorgeous visuals and haunting music as Gris, and will add combat to the gameplay mix.

Neva will follow a young woman and her wolf companion as they travel across a dying world. We don’t know much more about the game at this point, but that hasn’t stopped me from ratcheting up my excitement. Neva will release in 2024 (*fingers crossed*) for PC, PS5, Switch, and Xbox Series X/S.

A bevy of Persona reveals

Tim: Atlus is keeping us Persona weirdos well fed. First up was Persona 3 Reload, a remake of the original JRPG Persona 3 released back in 2006 for the PS2. P3, despite being the third numbered entry in the Persona sub-franchise of the Shin Megami Tensei RPGs, is the first entry in the series that resembles what modern audiences think of as a Persona game. The game has been increasingly easy to access in recent years, but I haven’t been able to find the time for it. Getting a fresh opportunity to play this with 15+ years of modern quality of life improvements and graphical updates is an exciting proposition.

Persona 5 Tactica is a tactical RPG Persona 5 spin-off. As Fire Emblem cribs much from what makes modern Persona great, a tactical Persona game just makes sense and I’m looking forward to strategically positioning the Phantom Theives for maximum enemy damage this November.

Finally, Metaphor: ReFantazio is a new and original RPG that looks to be Persona in all but name. Details are scarce but based on the trailer’s details, I have confidence it’ll deliver what one has come to expect from these games. The menus are stylish, forming bonds with other characters is integral to the experience, and there’s left field nonsense like being able to skateboard in space. Social stats with a special bent for this title also make an appearance including: Courage, Wisdom, Tolerance, Eloquence, and Imagination. Tolerance sure is an interesting one, what could go wrong?

Ultimately, would I prefer Persona 6? Absolutely, but seven years have past since Persona 5’s initial release without even a teaser for Persona 6, so I’m not holding my breath. I’m perfectly happy to get Persona-flavored hits of dopamine from these three titles in the coming months. As long as frequent series director Katsura Hashino’s homophobic tendencies can be kept in check that is.

Lies of P demo

Austin: 2023 has quickly become the year of demo, with Switch exclusives like Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon to indie gems like Bramble: The Mountain King releasing demos to give people a taste of the full release. Not only did Lies of P drop a 9-minute gameplay deep dive this summer, it also released a pretty hefty demo for gamers to check out.

The demo encompasses the first 3-5 hours of the game (depending on how often you perish) and is a fantastic introduction to Lies of P for players who have had their eye on P for a while and those who only just found out about the soulslike starring Pinocchio. There are familiar gameplay elements for soulslike veterans, but the opening hours of the game also sells the game’s unique elements pretty well – its aesthetic, story, weapon crafting, and lying system. You can read more of my thoughts on P‘s demo before checking it out for yourself.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder launches in October

Dan: To quote the illustrious musician and thespian Rihanna, “Super f*cking Mario!!!!!”

After the all Summer Game Fest dust had settled, Nintendo announced they would be holding a Direct to show off the rest of their 2023 slate of games. But, the only game we really knew about going in was Pikmin 4. Nintendo had the entire second half of the year clear, which of course lead to rampant fan speculation.

Rumors were swirling around of a new 2D Mario game and given Nintendo’s recent releases in that domain, confidence was not exactly inspired. But we tuned in to the Direct all the same. The Switch logo claps, cut to black, then a tiny flower with eyes can be seen. Quickly, a sort of squat Mario runs into the frame and the flower speaks! “Onward and upward,” they say.

Some new, instantly iconic music hits and Mario is bouncing around a level, grabbing power ups, squashing Goombas and the like. What happens next nobody could have been prepared for. A Piranha Plant runs out of its pipe to chase Mario, there’s these big round purple hippos that act like bowling balls, Koopas on roller blades. At this point it’s insanity, pure chaos.

Nintendo ups the ante. Mario jumps to a new, never before seen, power-up, a glowing blue flower. He grabs it and the world around him transforms. The music gets real kooky, pipes have eyes and are wiggling around, the hippos have multiplied. And then the title drops.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder. It’s a psychedelic trip, taking a look at Mario’s world like we’ve never seen before. It would have been simple for Nintendo to drop another basic New Super Mario Bros. game to cash-in alongside the wildly popular animated movie. But that simplicity is not really in their playbook. Wonder is the most inspired 2D Mario game in nearly a decade (that’s right — Super Mario Maker was 8 years ago), and I could not be more excited to discover what bonkers ideas are hiding in every corner of the game.

You’d think that after Tears of the Kingdom shattered any and every expectation, Nintendo might just coast for the rest of 2023, but no. Instead, they turned Mario into an elephant. And you know what? I’m sold!

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 gameplay reveal

Austin: This autumn, particularly October, is stacked. Detective Pikachu Returns, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Alan Wake II, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and Forza Motorsport all release within weeks of each other. But my most anticipated title – and I’m sure I’m not alone here – is Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. After years of waiting, we finally got a release date: October 20.

Not only did its fall release get confirmed, but Sony showcased Spider-Man 2 gameplay during its State of Play last month. The 10-minute gameplay reveal showed off Peter’s new symbiote abilities, gave us our first look at antagonist Kraven, and took the game to Queens. Many details were confirmed as well: the map will be expanded to include Queens and Brooklyn; players can freely switch between Peter and Miles outside of story missions that dictate a certain character be used; the Spider-Men can glide via web wings; and Spider-Man 2 will utilize the DualSense’s haptic feedback capabilities to deliver the utmost immersion.

If only October wasn’t so far away!