'Call of Duty' and 'Black Myth' wow Gamescom trade show

A twisted futuristic version of "Call of Duty", Batman in Lego form and the "Resident Evil" series' ghoulish monsters had gamers salivating Tuesday as the vast Gamescom trade show opened in Cologne.

A two-hour showcase of upcoming releases, including "Call of Duty: Black Ops 7" slated for November 14, belied an industry that has been weathering a rough patch with tens of thousands of job cuts.

The first-person shooter has enlisted American actor Milo Ventimiglia (known for TV series "Heroes" and "This Is Us") as its protagonist in a near-future conflict against psychedelic backdrops evoking the movie "Inception".

More than 5,300 packed one of the giant halls of western German city Cologne's convention centre Tuesday, a record opening night according to organisers.

The event showed off footage from titles like "Requiem" -- the next instalment in the long-running "Resident Evil" horror series -- and rambunctious space adventure "The Outer Worlds 2".

Set for a 2026 release, a new "Lego Batman" will take fans back to "iconic moments and deep-cut references from decades of Batman TV shows, comics and games" in humourous plastic brick form, director Jonathan Smith told the audience.

And there was a surprise reveal for "Black Myth: Zhong Kui" -- a follow up to Chinese 2024 smash hit "Wukong".

Gaming's influence on the broader culture was also on show, as the stars of hit game-to-TV adaptation "Fallout" introduced the Amazon Prime series' second season with a December 17 release.