2020 was a tumultuous year for games – well, it was a tumultuous year for everything, but in the case of games at least it wasn’t all bad. We received four new consoles from two of the top companies and a series of wonderful games.
However, several of the games that we thought we were going to host have been postponed to 2021. And while that has been bad for us this year, it means that we are entering 2021 with several other games ahead of us. Here is a list of the games we are most looking forward to next year.
Note that I’m only including games that have at least a vague launch window in 2021. I had to leave out games like Far Cry 6 because you’re late and don’t have a new launch window. I know they may still be late (or late again, in the case of some of them), but I am hopeful that we will see at least some of them at this time next year. And if someone is wondering where the God of War sequel is, I’m delaying that one until it stops messing up and gets a proper title.
Halo Infinite
The first on the list of “games we should already have, damn 2020” is Halo Infinite, the next adventure of the Master Chief decked out in armor. 343 Industries has been somewhat reticent about the exact details of its next adventure, but previews so far indicate that Chief will fight the Banished, a Covenant splinter group that has taken on a damaged Halo ring.
I’m looking forward to this one not only because I want to play as Master Chief again (although that hook looks absolutely sick), but because I’m looking forward to playing a game that can properly test the Xbox Series X hardware. If things had gone according to plan, this is the role Infinite it probably would have served on the launch line, but as it is this slot was quite empty.
Resident Evil Village
Like clockwork, the Resident Evil series continues to function. While the last two years have given us remakes of RE2 (which was excellent) and RE3 (which was good), the title of the series’s 25th anniversary is the new game Villa. Unlike the previous installments, this one gives us a touch of the supernatural, since RE7’s protagonist Ethan seems to be stuck in the titular village with what can only be described as “things that look like werewolf zombies”.
RE7 broke the tradition of the series for the vast majority of its run time by focusing on entirely new characters, rather than the basic heroes of Redfield-Kennedy-Valentine, etc. Sure, the original hero Chris Redfield played a role in one of that game’s DLCs, but he wasn’t the star of the show. Now, however, Village teasers suggest that good old Chris may actually be the villain on this tour, and it’s a twist that I’m curious to see.
Vampire: the Masquerade – Bloodlines 2
Another on the list of games that have been postponed to 2021, the continuation of the cult classic Bloodlines did not have the easiest production. But in the last report, we should finally get it in 2021. Apparently, the goal is to offer the full RPG experience that the first game offered, in addition to some things that the original development team had to leave out.
The pre-release material seems to imply that the main character will have to work his way up from the base of the Kindred society in Seattle, and you will be able to choose which of the many dark factions to support. It is a little disappointing that some of the title lines – namely, Nosferatu and Gangrel – will not reach the release version of the game, although there are rumors that they will be added later as DLC.
Hitman 3
The next installment of Agent 47’s global hop kill will be one of the first offers of 2021, scheduled for launch on January 20. Not only will it be one of the first games in the series in a long time to arrive on a Nintendo console (the switch), but it will also be fully playable in VR, PSVR specifically.
This would be the conclusion of the restart trilogy started in 2016 Hitman, and it looks like the same type of secret and secret murder maneuvers for which the series is known. Although the first game (the 2016 game, I mean) was released in episodic format, Hitman 3 fortunately it got rid of that pretension.
Monster Hunter Rise
Monster Hunter World it was such a success, it’s no surprise to see the series return. Unlike its predecessor, this will be exclusive to Nintendo Switch and is expected to be released on March 26. The artistic design of this game seems to follow a more Asian aesthetic than previous games in the series.
The title “Rise” is based on the vertical level design of the game, which you can traverse through a grappling system in the game. To like World, it will present a continuous open world, rather than separate levels. And I agree with my fiancé’s opinion that the most interesting part of the new game is something we wanted for some time: mounts!
Bravely Default 2
I’m playing this one because I really like Bravely Default series and I’m waiting for another. The most recently Bravely Default The game was revealed last year and is set to be released on February 26.
The name of this game is a bit confusing: we already had a direct sequel to Bravely Default, called Bravely Second: End Layer. What else, Bravely Default II seems to be following completely new characters, so I’m more than a little confused. But it will be fun to dive back into this fantastic JRPG once again.
Horizon Forbidden West
Did I call or call? The sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn was one of the main titles to be revealed for the PlayStation 5, and although it is not a launch title (technical details), it marks the return of the redheaded archer Aloy. The word is that your next adventure, Forbidden West, will take place in post-apocalyptic California.
We didn’t see anything from the game other than a pre-rendered trailer, but if that’s valid, we’ll see a selection of locations a little more exotic than the ones we found Zero Dawn. It definitely looks designed to take full advantage of the PS5’s hardware, and it will be nice to have a game that will show what the console is capable of.
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart
Speaking of games that were designed to test the limits of the PlayStation 5, the gameplay showcase of Rift Apart, who showed the title holder deforming between multiple different realities, seems to do just that. Rumors say that the Lombax woman shown in the trailer will be playable alongside Ratchet.
We are likely to have this game at the beginning of the year Forbidden West. The gameplay looks like it will depend on the dimensional jump mechanics, with Ratchet able to grab slits and jump between realities with them. It would be expected that, with the PS5 SSD, the game could switch between them without loading time.
Hogwarts: Legacy
The reputation of Harry Potter author JK Rowling is no good, to say the least – so I’m not going to blame anyone who doesn’t want to play the new game set in their literary universe on principle. However, if you are a lifelong HP fan and just want to enjoy more time at Hogwarts, so the next Hogwarts: Legacy it looks like it’s going to scratch that itch and then some.
This game marks one of the first serious attempts to portray the Wizarding World outside of Potter’s time. It looks like a complete RPG, with Hogwarts houses serving as its starting classes. You will have the full experience of the witch school, learning spells, making potions and exploring the entire castle. It is basically everything that we aspiring witches and wizards have wanted since the books were published.
The medium
The medium it looks like one of the most promising horror games of 2021. This psychological torment adventure takes place in Poland and is scheduled to launch on January 28th. RE Village not surprisingly the launch in the coming weeks, which means it will fill the January terror slot filled in the past few years by resident Evil games.
The main point of the main character is that she can travel between the human and spiritual worlds at will and can use her ability to solve puzzles and discover the truth about what happened at the abandoned hotel where she is trapped. There is also some kind of evil entity called The Maw – it’s all very silent Hill, and this is never a bad thing.
These and many other games will be decorating our PCs and consoles when the new year arrives. Happy game to you all!
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Posted on December 29, 2020 – 09:00 UTC