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Resident Evil 8 and 3 more games to expect in Sony's August State of Play

Don't expect any major PS5 reveals, but there are still some things we can look forward to.

Sony will hold another State of Play on Thursday to highlight upcoming PlayStation games, the company announced Monday. Except unlike June's Future of Gaming presentation, this one won't touch on any major news related to the upcoming launch of PlayStation 5. "No big PS5 announcements!" a tweet from the official Twitter account reads.

That means we all have to temper our expectations just a bit as the presentation focuses on PS4 and PSVR titles, along with "a few quick check-ins on third-party and indie games from June’s PS5 showcase." Based on these parameters, we have a few solid guesses as to what will appear in Thursday's showcase.

4. Bugsnax

Bugsnax is one game from June's PS5 Presentation that's had the most staying power in internet culture. The theme song for the game, "It's Bugsnax" by Kero Kero Bonito, quickly went viral after its debut. This earworm was heavily memed, and will be stuck in your head for weeks after hearing it again.

We've yet to see any real gameplay, which is said to be inspired by the likes of Pokémon Snap and Animal Crossing. An appearance at this State of Play would be the perfect opportunity. Sony did state on Twitter that the State of Play will include "a few quick check-ins on third-party and indie games from June’s PS5 showcase," and Bugsnax would be a perfect fit for that.

3. Resident Evil VIllage

Nice coat, Chris.

Capcom

Few games in recent memory have endured more leaks than the uncomfortably titled Resident Evil VIllage. Pretty much every leaked detail from the past year or more turned out to be completely accurate. Reliable insider Aesthetic Gamer, aka Dusk Golem, tweeted in late July that Capcom would release another trailer for the game sometime in August. The game's official website also has a note that the next major update will come in "August 2020." While Resident Evil 8 is exclusively next-gen, it does qualify as a third-party game from June's showcase. The easy assumption here is that Thursday's State of Play is the perfect place for Capcom to reveal more of the game.

2. Humanity

This is a pretty deep cut. Tetris developer Enhance announced Humanity during September 2019's State of Play, exclusively for PS4 and PSVR. It's an action-puzzle game that developers say has a "simple, iconic look" that "belies a deep and unique game exploring the very nature of humankind." Outside of that and its cryptic first trailer (above), we haven't heard anything about it since.

As weird and high-concept as this game may be, a game about connecting with Humanity will be exponentially more interesting to play during the Covid-19 pandemic. PlayStation's tweet stresses that the broadcast will have "a focus on upcoming PS4 & PS VR games," and Humanity fits this bill perfectly. If you like quirky and innovative games, keep an eye out for this during August's State of Play.

Crash doesn't seem concerned enough about whatever that glowing thing is.

Sony

1. Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time

While the North American PlayStation Blog makes no mention of it, the Japanese version lists Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time as part of the lineup for Thursday's presentation. It's unlikely that the contents will differ between regions, so this one feels pretty certain.

Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time is a new 3D platformer that veers closer to the N. Sane Trilogy games in design rather than some of Crash Bandicoot's later titles like Crash of the Titans. In this new game, Crash can use crazy new powers to slow down time, and you can even play as other characters like Neo Cortex.

We haven't seen every mask or playable characters yet, so there's certainly something for Activision to reveal during the State of Play. Crash Bandicoot has long been associated with PlayStation even though Sony doesn't own him, so it's awesome that he'll be showing up in this State of Play with a new game.

Sony's August 6 State of Play will begin at 4 p.m. Eastern.

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