PlayStation Showcase Best Trailers — Spider-Man 2, Bungie’s Marathon, A Dragon’s Dogma Sequel And More

The PlayStation Showcase streamed earlier this afternoon and I’ve cobbled together all the best trailers and announcements for your viewing pleasure. There weren’t any super huge reveals, but I’m very excited about some of these games and a couple reveals were downright shocking. Dragon’s Dogma II is actually happening! Bungie has a brand new game! What is happening??

Let’s dive right in!

Spider-Man 2

Sony showed off nearly 11 minutes of Spider-Man 2, revealing that you play as both Spider-Man and Venom at the same time, switching between forms. Venom, it appears, has infected Peter Parker.

You can watch the cinematic introduction for the new villain, Kraven the Hunter, below:

Now that Parker is bound to the Symbiote, Venom, he has a much wider array of superpowers and tricks up his goopy black sleeve. He’s more aggressive than in the first game, and can use Symbiote tendrils to deal extra-powerful hits. It looks like more of everything that made the first game great and then some.

Spider-Man 2 launches in Fall of 2023.

Bungie’s Marathon

Bungie surprised everyone with the reveal of a brand new game—the first totally new game (that isn’t a sequel) in a decade. Marathon is a PvP “extraction shooter” set on an alien planet in the distant future. You play as cybernetic mercenaries called “Runners” battling and looting through the lost colonies of the planet Tau Ceti IV. Extraction shooters are all the rage these days (think Escape From Tarkov, Warzone’s DMZ mode and Dr. Disrespect’s Deadrop) so it’s no surprise that Bungie is getting on the bandwagon. Still, I wasn’t expecting it! Check out the Marathon official website here.

Another bit of Bungie news I wasn’t expecting: The return of Cayde-6 and Nathan Fillion to Destiny 2 in The Final Shape expansion. That’s a little bittersweet, as Cayde’s return follows the death of Destiny 2 actor Lance Reddick, who played Cayde’s friend Commander Zavala. Cayde-6 was always my favorite and the game was never quite the same after he died. Or, um, “died” maybe? Anyways, it’s good to have him back. Maybe I’ll dust off my Destiny 2 and play some.

Dragon’s Dogma II

No other announcement or reveal during the PlayStation Showcase pleased me as much as Dragon’s Dogma II, the sequel I was beginning to think we’d never get. I adored the original Dragon’s Dogma, putting countless hours into exploring the weird, unique world with my trusty Pawns and their strangely comforting, repetitive sayings. What a marvelous, strange RPG that game was. I’ve been hungry for more ever since it released in 2012 and now, over a decade later, we have our first glimpse at the sequel.

Phantom Blade Zero

Kung Fu hack-and-slash that looks very slick and pretty badass, Phantom Blade Zero looks right up my alley. The combat is fast and acrobatic with some pretty sweet kill moves. Add to that wall-running and what appears to be some terrific movement mechanics and, yeah, sign me up. Read more about it here.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage

There’s always a bit of a fine line between innovation, change and sticking with what works that game studios with long-running franchises have to walk. For years now, Assassin’s Creed has spread its wings, soaring into what feels like an entirely new genre. The Assassin’s Creed RPGs have been fun in their own way, and it’s nice to see Ubisoft take some risks with the formula, but there’s no denying that it’s cool to see Mirage return both to the Middle Eastern setting and the original game mechanics (though obviously not exactly the original mechanics). This game marks the 15th anniversary of Assassin’s Creed and releases October 12, 2023. You play as Basim, and will explore the Golden Age of Baghdad, which should make for a rich setting.

Final Fantasy XVI

I have to say, the more I see of Final Fantasy XVI, the more excited I am to play it. The launch trailer is epic. I’m much, much more excited for this game than for Final Fantasy XV, in no small part because I vastly prefer the more Medieval setting and lack of a car you drive around in with your emo friends. This one launches on June 22nd, in a month already crowded with big releases.

Alan Wake 2

The first Alan Wake came out way, way back in 2010 to much aplomb. Remedy Entertainment has gone on to make lots of other games since, but fans of the original have been excited to learn more about this sequel for a long time, and if this trailer is anything to go by we won’t be disappointed. Alan Wake lands just in time for Halloween, on October 17th.

Sword Of The Sea

Journey is one of my favorite games of all time, and Sword of the Sea looks like its spiritual sequel. That makes sense given that Giant Squid was founded by thatgamecompany art director Matt Nava, who headed up art direction on both Flower and Journey. Giant Squid’s other games, Abzu and The Pathless are similar, so I expect this one will take the formula to all new levels. Tremendous trailer.

Towers of Aghasba

This is a curious looking game. A combination of city-building, exploration and combat, along with some pretty cool looking flight mechanics and some wild fantastical creatures. I’d never heard of it before now. Hopefully the 2024 release window doesn’t change.

Tower Of Fantasy

The free PC anime MMO Tower Of Fantasy heads to PlayStation this summer. Another game I’m not familiar with, as I don’t play MMOs, this one still caught my eye. The mecha, the flying, the swimming, all makes this colorful game look like a lot of fun.

Immortals Of Aveum

Magic first-person shooter goodness, the new trailer for Immortals Of Aveum gives us a much better look at how this game will play, and I like what I see so far. Sure, the dialogue is kind of bad (can we please get characters who sound like they’re in a fantasy realm?) and there is just a tad more clutter than I’d like, but it still feels like a new Hexxen and that’s pretty cool.

There were other announcements but these were the ones that jumped out at me. What are you excited for from this showcase? Let me know on Twitter or Facebook.