GEARS 5, DEATH STRANDING, STADIA & FIFA 20 HIGHLIGHTS DAY ZERO OF GAMESCOM

The second coming of 'Gaming Christmas' after E3, Gamescom, is set to begin tomorrow. However, for us lucky gamers who could not wait, we got a special Gamescom live event a day earlier that gave us a ton of information on some big games as well as numerous surprise reveals. We even got a Google Stadia live conference as well as a special Nintendo Indie showcase. In the end, I picked out a few tidbits that I believe were the highlights from day zero.  

NEW  horde mode &  STORY  TRAILER  REVEALED  FOR  GEARS 5

​I was left disappointed and wanting after Gears 5 showing at this year's E3. I mean this is Microsoft's second-biggest first-party IP after Halo and, we hardly got a good look at the story and single-player gameplay. We were promised more at Gamescom and well...so far so good. Today we got the announcement of a new horde mode that once again players will team up in squads to fend off waves of increasingly stronger enemies and bosses, but this time each player takes on the role of a unique character with Ultimate abilities. We also got a better look at the story via a new story trailer and perhaps the biggest surprise of them all, that Gears 5 is also coming to Steam on PC, not just the Windows Store. Not bad Microsoft...not bad at all. 

DEATH STRANDINGSHOWING WAS NOTHING BUT A PEE THING 

​Now for the complete opposite, as I finally got another look at Death Stranding's gameplay. Remember, the game was understandably a no show at this year's E3 (with Sony's infamous withdrawal) and thus why I was hoping Hideo Kojima (the game's director) would have blown the lid off and wowed with brand new gameplay. What I got was more Pee than glee. I kid you not, all was shown in the small clip was the main character walking, climbing and urinating...seriously, YOU CAN NOW PISS IN A GAME AT THE PUSH OF BUTTON. This was a big opportunity for Kojima to firmly cement his game on my 'must play list' but he somehow pissed it away. 

Google  Stadia  brought  the  games 

Google decided to join the console war with the announcement of the Stadia earlier this year and, they are aiming to win without having an actual console. The Stadia is an online streaming service where gamers can access and play their games on any device via the Chrome browser. It is a bold move but maybe one that will pay dividend as they may just be ahead of the curve as shown with Microsoft's flirtation with online streaming. However, Google's initial revealed of the Stadia triggered more sceptics than pre-orders, especially when it came to its library. Google attempted to address the latter with its Gamescom conference were they announce 8 games that are coming to the platform. The list includes new games, old games, and a Stadia exclusive:

• Cyberpunk 2077
• Kine
• Orcs Must Die 3
• Windjammers 2
• Destroy All Humans
• Mortal Kombat 11
• Superhot (and Mind Control Delete expansion)
• Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle​

New trailers for the Stadia versions of Doom: Eternal and Watch Dogs: Legion were also shown.

FIFA  IS  GOING  BACK  TO  THE  STREETS

​Like the sport it's based on, FIFA games are more of obsession rather another sports game for many especially here in Jamaica. So many would have known that the start of new football season could only mean one thing...a new FIFA is on the way along with the same old question, 'How is this year's version different from last year's?' Well, Electronic Arts tackled that question head at E3 with the reveal of the new streetball mode, Volta. This mode was inspired by the much loved FIFA Streets games were a more arcade game of footy was the main attraction. Today at Gamescom we got a new trailer for FIFA 20 that showed off the new Volta story mode. 

So there you have it, not bad for day zero of Gamescom, right? And this was only the tip of the iceberg as I didn't even mention the new game from former Halo devs, the announcement of a Call of Duty's: Modern Warfare Alpha or even Xbox's Ori and the Blind forest is somehow on its way to the Nintendo Switch. Gamescom is set to last until Saturday so expect even more mega news and announcements. For more gaming news check out our recommended games for August.