Shack Chat: What was your favorite game from the January 2024 PlayStation State of Play?

The latest PlayStation State of Play was packed with news and announcements about games coming to the PlayStation 5 this year and beyond. There was a diverse range of games shown, so we thought it'd be fun to look back on the showcase and pick our personal favorites.

Question: What was your favorite game from the January 2024 PlayStation State of Play?

Sonic X Shadow Generations - Ozzie Mejia, Gotta Go Fast

The 2000s were a bad time for Sonic the Hedgehog. He was kissing human princesses, stuck in King Arthur times for some reason, fighting random evil genies, and he got a mild case of werewolfism. That period was no good.

Things started to turn around with Sonic Generations, which... I didn't play. So fresh off my experience with Sonic Superstars, I'm excited to dive into this Generations remaster and see what I missed. And sure, I'll give this new Shadow story a whirl, why not?

Dave the Diver meets Godzilla - TJ Denzer is gonna need a bigger harpoon

Dave the Diver is really fun. Godzilla is legendary. So a collaboration between the two of them stands to be legendary fun. I loved when I finally had time to sit down and play Dave the Diver last year and I’m excited to see it branch out to other systems like the Switch and PS5. That said, nothing makes me watch jump back in for a swim like telling me Godzilla will be making an appearance in the game. I was floored by the Dredge collaboration late last year, but this is altogether wild. I hope we keep getting fun collaborations like this. Dave needs the work and has bills to pay after all.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach - Asif Khan, Shacknews CEO/EIC/EIEIO

Dad Stranding. #DeathStranding2 #OnTheBeach #PS5 pic.twitter.com/4f69761hBM

— Shacknews (@shacknews) January 31, 2024

When Sony decided to dedicate nearly half of the State of Play to Death Stranding 2, my choice for favorite game of the show was cemented. Creepy puppets? More Troy Baker? Weird subtitle for the game? I am in. Can’t wait to see Sam Porter Bridges return to the action with a new baby? Dad Stranding, am I right?

Until Dawn - Bill Lavoy, ⅓ Chef

There wasn’t a lot about that State of Play that I was excited about, except for the Until Dawn remake. I loved that game, and I’m perfectly happy going back and playing it again with some fancy enhancements. This time, however, I’ll play it on PC, which is where I’d prefer to play 99 percent of games.

Helldivers 2 - Sam Chandler, Deliverer of Freedom

It was always going to be Helldivers 2. I am stoked for this game. I’ve got several mates who are keen to jump in day dot - definitely too many for the 4-player party max. But you know what? That’s fine. We’ll cycle through the squads, deliver freedom and democracy with whoever is down. Each time I see gameplay of this sequel, it ignites the excitement even more. Now that we’re in February, this beast is almost here!

Silent Hill: The Short Message - Dennis White Jr., There was a hole here, it’s drawn now.

I was actually pretty surprised to see a new Silent Hill game shown during the State of Play. But I was even more surprised to see that it was both free to play and available on the same day! While there were solid looks at plenty of games during Sony’s showcase, I loved seeing horror get a spot in this State of Play. The Short Message is essentially the first Japanese-developed Silent Hill game in 20 years. That is big, considering we thought the franchise was dead a few years ago after Kojima was forced to leave his project. I also really appreciate that they dropped this game out of nowhere on PS5 in a very similar fashion to the viral Silent Hill teaser P.T. which dropped way back in 2014 and is almost 10 years old now. The game feels like a natural evolution of some of the first-person gameplay and looping pathways in P.T. as well and while it is short, it does touch on very relevant subject matter. The game also shows off the graphical power of the PS5 and creates some pretty immersive moments. I'm a fan of surprise drops Sony, so keep them coming!

Until Dawn - Donovan Erskine, Missed a totem

I’ve been beating the drum for an Until Dawn remaster for years now. It’s a modern horror classic that holds a special place in my heart, and I can’t wait for the chance to go back and re-experience it again. The PC release is what really gets me excited, as I know this thing is going to look gorgeous on my ultrawide monitor. Bring it on.

Stellar Blade - Steve Tyminski, Stevetendo show host, Swashbuckler

There were a few games that caught my attention that I’m looking forward to. Zenless Zone Zero is a game that graphically looks like my type of game. I’m pretty sure the last time MiHoYo showed it off, there was a shark maid character, and who doesn’t like that? I have recently started playing Dark Souls on the Stevetendo show and there were two games shown that looked similar to it. Rise of the Ronin has the player in an ancient time but fighting with weapons like a flamethrower. Fighting ancient warriors with a flamethrower sounds cool to me. However, my favorite game was Stellar Blade, which led off the presentation. This is another game that graphically looks great and fun to play. It looks like it could be a gameplay combo of the Nier and Bayonetta franchises.

Those are the games we walked away from the PlayStation State of Play most excited about. What caught your eye? Sounds off in the Chatty!

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a young journalist from Maryland, who likes to game. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge Scream nerd and film fanatic that will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_