Here are nine other neat games we saw at Summer Game Fest

With the dust officially settled on Summer Game Fest (SGF) and its many adjacent gaming events, we’ve now written a ton of different news stories, previews and interviews about the various titles that were shown off.

We have round-ups of our favourite games and the many featured Canadian titles, as well as individual pieces focused on indie games like Blighted from Toronto’s Drinkbox, Ambrosia Sky from Toronto’s Soft Rains and Petal Runner from Calgary and Vancouver’s Nano Park. We also have previews of some of Xbox’s biggest offerings, including Obsidian’s The Outer Worlds 2 and Grounded 2 and the ROG Xbox Ally X.

But of course, there are some other games that slipped through the cracks. Indeed, I went hands-on with so many during my time in LA that there are a few more I wanted to talk about. And so, here’s one last SGF round-up featuring my quick thoughts on a handful of other games.

Directive 8020

Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Release date: October 2, 2025

After playing Supermassive Games’ first three Dark Pictures Anthology titles with friends for Extra Life charity streams, our routine ended when one of us moved to Japan for work. As a result, we never got around to playing the fourth game, The Devil in Me. For that reason, I was intrigued to check out Directive 8020, the series’ fifth game and the start of its “second season.” I love me a good sci-fi horror story, and Directive 8020 so far seems to do some fun things with that framework.

The demo began with a flashback to lead protagonist Brianna (No Time to Die‘s Lashana Lynch) teasing some emotional baggage from her deceased father, which should, in theory, give you a reason to care later on. Fast forward several years and her humanity-saving mission is upended when her colony ship crash lands. What was interesting here is the inevitable alien they encounter can mimic your companions, The Thing style, which leads to some challenging decisions about who you can trust, especially with permadeath enabled. At the same time, Directive 8020 introduces the series’ first-ever (optional) rewind mechanic to let you undo pivotal choices and see what lies down alternative paths.

Hitman Elusive Target — Le Chiffre

Alright, this isn’t an actual game, but it’s so damn cool that I have to include it. After all, Casino Royale is my all-time favourite Bond movie and IO Interactive’s modern Hitman trilogy includes some of my all-time favourite games, so believe me when I tell you that I popped off seeing Mads Mikkelsen at SGF. Having the acclaimed Danish actor take the stage to reprise the role of Le Chiffre as an “Elusive Target” in a Casino Royale-themed mission in Hitman: World of Assassination (the trilogy collection) is such a masterstroke.

It’s also incredibly fitting, given that his fellow Dutchmen at IO Interactive are working on a Bond game, 007: First Light. I also got to attend a panel featuring Mikkelsen, Agent 47 actor David Bateson and IO staff, which was another highlight of the show. Best of all, the new Bond mission is available now in Hitman for free until July 6.

Lego Party!

Platform: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PC
Release date: TBA 2025

Lego Party is some of the most pure fun I had at SGF. It takes the Mario Party formula and wraps it in the lovable world of Lego. Up to four players can face off in this board game-esque setup featuring around 60 fun and approachable minigames, like a rhythm-based dancer, snowboarder, 2v2 air hockey or trying to stay within a circle while invisible.

And while it’s very reminiscent of Mario Party, developer SMG Studio isn’t afraid to make changes, like removing the random Stars (or “Golden Bricks” here) that would be given at the end to frustratingly invalidate playing well early on. Best of all, this is a multi-platform game, opening it up to the many people who don’t have a Nintendo console.

Mouse: P.I. for Hire

Platform: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PC
Release date: TBA 2025

This is one of those games whose appeal certainly speaks for itself. It has that absolutely beautiful old-school animation, which we saw done so well in the Canadian-made Cuphead, but makes it more mature through an old-timey black-and-white filter and lots of violence. Indeed, this is basically an adult noir detective story featuring anthropomorphic animals, giving it a style and tone unto its own. Little humourous touches, from our grizzled detective (The Last of Us‘ Troy Baker) using his lengthy tail to snake through the insides of doors in lockpicking minigames to learning how to double jump by an over-the-top stuntman, only add to the personality. All the while, the first-person shooting mechanics, coupled with verticality afforded by a grappling hook, look to be pretty snappy and satisfying.

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound

Platform: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, PC
Release date: July 31, 2025

Ninja Gaiden is always a series I’ve respected more than I’ve actually loved, given its reputation for high difficulty. But the 2D side-scrolling Ragebound, to my immense delight, feels perfectly balanced so far. It’s undeniably difficult, don’t get me wrong, but so finely tuned that I could measure my improvements as I made several attempts on the same boss. This level of satisfaction is only possible thanks to exceptionally tight platforming controls that include a Cuphead-esque timed parry to bounce off enemies and projectiles. (Perhaps that’s why this clicked with me more, given my love of Cuphead.) Throw in the exquisite and nostalgic 16-bit-inspired visuals and a new protagonist, Ryu Hayabusa’s protegé, Kenji, and Ragebound feels both fresh and familiar in the best ways.

Possessor(s)

Platform: PC
Release date: TBA

I’ve never played Heart Machine’s Hyper Light Drifter despite hearing a lot of good word of mouth, so I was interested to check out the studio’s latest game, the Metroidvania action-adventure platformer Possessor(s). Quickly, I found myself enamoured with its stunning painterly visuals and eerie dystopian world. The premise, which sees the dying protagonist making a desperate bargain with a devilish character to survive, only for them to now share a body, also has a lot of potential. I’ll confess that the fast-paced platform fighter-inspired combat felt just a bit more challenging than I normally like from my games, but I dug everything else enough to want to give it more of a chance.

A free demo is now available on Steam.

Pragmata

Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Release date: TBA 2026

For my money, Capcom is probably the most commendable AAA developer on the market for its constant desire to experiment with new IPs alongside exciting sequels like Resident Evil Requiem. Last year, that was the genre-bending Kunitsu-Gami, and soon, that’ll be Pragmata. After going dark for a while, the sci-fi action game was playable at SGF, and after going hands-on with it, I’m really impressed. You play as a spaceman named Hugh who has to work together with an android girl named Diana to return to Earth.

What’s so ingenious about combat, however, is that it mixes tight real-time third-person shooting with grid-based puzzle-solving, the latter of which is essential to make armoured enemies vulnerable. There’s a compelling balletic rhythm to evading enemy attacks while carrying out these little minigames, creating a wholly unique action-based gameplay loop. The demo did rather oddly end right as the first boss showed up, though, so I need to see how these mechanics hold up against more advanced enemies over the full campaign. For now, though, I’m very intrigued.

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds

Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PC
Release date: September 25, 2025

I’ll confess that I’ve been a bit disappointed with Mario Kart World for moving away from the guest characters of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. For me, part of the fun of a cartoonish racer is having all of these crossovers. For that reason alone, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds has already won me over, with Sega including its own Joker (Persona 5) and Ichiban (Like a Dragon) characters, as well as licensed ones like Hatsune Miku and Minecraft‘s Steve.

But all of that aside, it’s just a really fun racer. There’s a surprising amount of depth with the customizable gear system, and I got a kick out of the characters talking smack to each other, like when my Shadow passed his designated “Rival” character, Amy. Meanwhile, the titular “CrossWorld” mechanic will allow the leading racer to temporarily teleport everyone to a new map, which should create only more exciting gameplay variety.

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4

Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PC
Release date: July 11, 2025

Ahead of the Xbox Games Showcase trailer, I got to play about an hour of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4, and it took me right back to my childhood. Admittedly, I’m absolutely terrible at it, having lost much of my skill in the years since. (Apparently, even in the shorter time since 2020’s Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2). But part of the beauty of this series is you don’t have to be good; it’s a blast to just hit the parks and try to land as many outrageous tricks as possible. The inclusion of TMNT‘s Mikey and Doom‘s Doom Slayer is a particular highlight this time around.

A demo is now available if you pre-ordered the game or have Xbox Game Pass.

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Image credit: PlaySide/Capcom/Dotemu/Joystick