After the depression of my last article let’s talk with some hope, particularly with what could be coming this year! Now that companies are leaning into the working from home ethos they can weather most of the enforced changes to public life that keep hitting us. Hopefully this will broach a broader conversation on workers rights and work life balance in the longer term. If we were dismayed by delayed games then this year should be jam packed with titles! Most have been moved into this year and though January is usually quiet (thankfully to save us some pennies) it will begin to ramp up from next month.
Written below is a mixture of games already announced and dated, long announced titles and pure speculation that comes from decent enough sources. I will be wrong as dates shift, projects are cancelled and I am (unusually) optimistic for once. After a slimmer release line up last year then this one will be much better. The other thing to remember that this is all stuff we know (or we think we know), there should be plenty of surprises and new games we have no clue about. Plus all the indies that drop that I will inevitably fall in love with.
Let’s have a look at the three big hitters have coming and allude to what could be in 2021...
Nintendo
As a self proclaimed gaming obsessive I follow multiple sources on YouTube, Twitter, Podcasts, Gaming websites who have been going into overdrive over the Christmas period talking about one thing. A new Nintendo Switch revision. This was already being talked about when the hardware launched back in 2017 and Nintendo has form for this, particularly in the handheld revisions such as the 3DS line. It’s a fair bet we see something new and probably more than just a new chip set we saw in 2019.
It could go a few ways. With the Lite model it went handheld only so maybe they could launch a TV only model? Small box that comes packaged with a pair of Joy-Cons. They could make this the cheapest model and an easy sell to those who only play on their TV. It’s a fairly even split between handheld and TV only users so offering a cheap and cheerful option seems a no brainer. The Switch ‘Family’ would be complete and keep the show going for a few more years before a successor.
More interestingly would be to keep the Hybrid nature of Handheld and Docked but push the TV to show 4K. This could be done with the dock only model and seems like a must to offer something new to fans. Nintendo has deliberately chosen to not keep pace with the cutting edge tech but they have to catch up with last gen eventually. I personally want the hybrid model with a bigger, better screen showing 1080p would be amazing.
Brand new joy cons that no longer have the drift issues would make it an easy sell to upgrade. Better internal memory storage and some new themed models ala Pokémon / Zelda / Mario would be great! Obviously expect far less than this but I can’t see this year ending without some new on the hardware front.
As for the software side of things an update to UI wouldn't go a miss. I love how simple and quick it is but a few quality of life features are needed. I have a shit load of games so folders would be a huge help organising the 200+ titles I own. Some new themes and changeable features would be cool as well. Oh and give us some new icons as well, you have about a bajillion characters Nintendo! As for the eShop if you are not going to curtail the shovel ware give us an option to hide crap games we don’t ever want to buy…
Ah yes. Games. The big two, Breath of the Wild 2 and Metroid Prime 4 still have no release dates and my gut says neither will launch this year. As for firm dates we have Super Mario
3D World in mid February, a port of the Wii U game. I know that this will annoy those who bought it originally but with the additional content of Bowsers Fury and speeding up player movement could actually make this worth picking up again.
Monster Hunter Rise is due out in March exclusively on Switch looking to capitalise on the huge success of Monster Hunter World. It’s a series I have bounced off previously but with a stronger emphasis on single player it might coax me in during a week of gaming homework! New Pokémon Snap, Persona 5 Strikers and Bravely Default 2 round out the rest of the other year releases. I don’t expect any of these to break any records but there's enough variety to keep most fans happy.
Now for the speculation! It’s Zelda’s 35th anniversary in February so we must be getting a bunch of stuff. An anniversary collection ala Mario 3D All Stars is a must, Windwaker and Skyward Sword can be ported easily enough. They could get separate releases with a bunch of the handheld games put in HD and chucked together. Whatever we get, it will be a lot of games from the Zelda series and maybe Breath of the Wild 2.
Metroid might get the original Prime trilogy and a new 2D entry, been a while since something has come out. It is the 30th anniversary after all! Amazing how many classic titles from the NES are still with us. Kirby usually gets a yearly release and it’s been a while since Star Allies came out. A sports title like Mario Golf seems a fair bet.
February actually brings the 25th anniversary of Pokémon in February which surely points to the original three games, Red, Blue and Yellow coming to Switch as the first Game Boy games?! Not the most outlandish prediction though I am not sure Nintendo will want them blown up on the big screen. Could go either way, either part of the online offering like NES and SNES or just do straight digital purchases like they are on the 3DS.
There should be a full blown Pokémon Switch title at the end of the year, either the heavily rumoured Diamond and Pearl Remakes or maybe a Let’s Go game based on Gold and Silver? Let’s Go is more likely in 2021. Ruby and Sapphire remakes came out in 2014 so we are heavily overdue for Generation 4 remakes! With a Pokémon direct expected there will be other free to play and spin off games to be announced as well as another look at New Pokémon Snap.
Last year an unexpected console update gave all users a section for Nintendo Switch Online, giving a full timeline of NES and SNES releases with separate tabs for each console. How curious. Having no new addition back in September this all points to some console series being added this year. The big rumour is N64 but they can't include that without Mario 64. They will have only just delisted that at the end of March (with the Mario 3D All Stars collection) so I suspect that it will come at the end of the year with the two Zelda's, Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask which would make hardcore fans extremely happy. The flip side is Game Boy which I already mention, a perfect fit on the Switch Lite.
As for other surprises, well this is what Nintendo does best, games that no one expects. Did anyone predict Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity last year?! Mario Odyssey 2 seems so obvious but then again we are maybe due a new 2D entry? Both would be good. Splatoon 2 has been out for years and is due something new. Arms is the same though could do with a meaty single player campaign. Mario Kart sells shitloads but must be getting its own unique entry on the console? Wario has been dormant for a while, Fire Emblem, Xenoblade…. I could go on. If we get a quarter of this it will be one incredible year for Nintendo nerds!
Microsoft
It seems like Microsoft has done the hard part, create, market and launch a console that people actually want. In fact they made two. I am a huge fan of the Series X, it improves on the last generation in so many ways. I have one to play. Now we just need the games. The people at Xbox must already know this and will be working hard to get stuff out. We obviously don't want any crunch to get stuff finished but a road map and semi regular releases would be good. I'm not expecting a Halo every month but that kind of release schedule in the next 18 months would be great to aspire to!
Even brand new stuff is not a prerequisite, follow the rest of the industry and either rerelease stuff or ideally remaster or up the resolution on old titles. Would depend on a game by game basis but having already done this for Halo have a look at other IP. People love the original Crackdown, Gears of War 1 has seen better days. They own Rare, crack out a Banjo-Kazooie or something. Perfect Dark has been rumoured. Xbox doesn't have the biggest back catalogue ever but buying Bethesda should resolve some of that…
The Bethesda purchase was huge and should bolster first party games in the medium and long term for Xbox. In the short term titles like Deathloop are timed exclusives to PlayStation. This year might be a bit of a write off but 2022 will pick up once all agreements finish. Game Pass should see a boost from older titles, with Prey, Doom, Fallout all making a splash each month. Sure they are old but these are still huge titles and well worth another look. One way to make it more enticing to dive in would be to provide XS upgrades making them the definitive versions.
I must say I am excited by Bethesda being bought, hopefully stronger backing will produce more and better games. They can be buggy as fuck on launch (and for a while after) so hopefully Microsoft can enforce some more rigour to them. On the other side; company consolidation is bad, meaning less competition and fewer options for consumers. But the deal has not even gone through yet so let’s wait and see. Rumours of a Japanese studio such as Sega or Capcom being purchased make sense though again, we need to wait.
As Game Pass generally has a good mix of titles and I hope this carries on. I do wonder if we have hit the total amount we will see at anyone time, adding more would give players even more options but no way you could get through them all. I would love to see better info on how long they are going to stick around for, dates for leaving the service way in advance would allow greater planning. Launch of xCloud on iOS could be big though I am still not sure gaming on a phone is the best considering the screen size. Tablets are great, particularly after pairing with a controller. Hold this space on a xCloud dongle / TV app….
Game wise we will see Microsoft Flight Simulator coming over to console, as great as that looks and plays it certainly feels one for the hardcore. The Medium is out this month and looks a pretty interesting psychological horror. I am quite excited by the Gunk, a scavenging space adventure from the creators of the Steam World series. The Ascent, 12 Minutes, Sable, Tunic. There are a bunch of smaller titles to look forward to.
In all honesty it’s going to be a slow year for Xbox fans but we will see some stuff like Forza. I fully expect Halo Infinite to be good once it launches. The roster of games announced last year is exciting (Fable anyone??) but they will take time. Third parties will take up the slack, I am excited to see how the console shapes up over the next few months. Finally I do think the S sales are going to shoot up over the course of the year to rival Switch Lite numbers...
Sony
Well that’s certainly one way to solidify your dominance. Announce and proceed to launch a bunch of sequels fans want on a brand new console! Hopefully by Easter it should be easy enough to find a console out in the wild rather than on eBay… Those (rightly) critical of Microsoft's launch line-up must also see that Sony’s. while better, was not exactly classic. A remaster, a port / update and an exhibition title of the console while welcome won’t be regaling the grandkids about....
Thankfully though several heavy hitters are coming, Horizon Forbidden West, God of War: Ragnarok and Ratchet & Clank: A Rift Apart are definitely three titles to look forward to. But what else? Surely there are some surprises coming! Well Gran Turismo is an absolute must but some new IPs must be on the horizon. Sony tends to make a bunch of games in a series and then move on. Uncharted looks like it’s on the back burner, freeing up the studio to do something new.
In gaming terms I am a big fan of sequels and trilogies. Sure it’s not as exciting as a brand new IP but taking the engine, experience and story of something like Horizon Zero Dawn and pushing it further in another game is just a great strategy. Utilises expertise, saves a bit of money and makes fans happy. Nintendo draws the line usually at a second game and seems to get bored but Sony can keep things fresh. Take out the elements that didn't work in the first game, add new things that do and carry forward the story.
Bloodborne, Days Gone, Infamous would be series that seem likely for sequels. Unless they port them with better frame rates and upgrades. I would love them to revisit Gravity Rush! Speaking of revisiting, as they seem to do full blown remakes so well I would expect something along these lines. Maybe Ico? I am pretty happy with bringing 20 year old games into the modern age, stick them on the latest console, add some DLC and ensure they work on the next few consoles. Win win.
I am also liking the push for games on PC, opens up a bigger market for PlayStation and lets more fans play. So far most of the titles come several years after release but maybe bringing that up to six months would be a great sell to gamers. Add in cross play / cross save functionality and I think that would be most agreeable to all parties. Be interesting to see if God of War and Horizon Forbidden West both manage to launch this year.
On the hardware front I would really like to see a new PSVR, update the tech so it’s lighter and requires fewer cables. Being one of the cheapest and easiest options on the market is such a good push for Sony. Again this relies on the games to push the product so making all PSVR backwards compatible seems like a no brainer. If they really wanted to do it properly they should start a new studio purely for VR as well as adding in as many first person third party games as they can. It’s not like they don't have the money.
PlayStation fans should be excited, particularly as more people pick up the PS5 and we get some fresh announcements. I think Game Pass on Xbox will push Sony to move on this front, even if PS Plus still delivers a strong line-up. Keep adding more last gen titles to PlayStation hits and ensure they work on the PS5. I am hoping each console maker stays away from gimmicks and sticks to making great games as the priority. Of the three it looks like Sony is best placed to deliver but I can’t really see anything but success across the board.
As for myself I was pleased to see my ridiculous gaming numbers from Nintendo Switch play in 2020. Hopefully I can rack up as many across the board in 2021! It’s heartening to still see that the games being produced for PC are as broad as anything else. Titles still keep being made that no console maker will bother with, with the best eventually getting ports. I hope that Game Pass for PC continues to support this.
My real excitement this year is always the Indies, as there is always stuff that knocks my socks off.. The quality of Spirit Farer and Hades has me stoked for what could come! Sports Story being top of the list of announced games. Stardew Valley should get the new 1.5 update soon and so will see me sink another 15 hours into my farm. Always well worth losing several evenings too!
I am actually more optimistic for the year ahead, even with things being at their worst in the US and UK. Covid fucked a lot of things but most companies should be in a good position to push on this year with practices in place to launch some delayed goodies. You only have to look at Marvel with all the new movies and TV series this year to think what games companies could do with good long term planning.
I think we won't get an E3 again and wonder if it's basically it for the show. I am sure it will be back in some format but it won't have the magnitude in the past. Companies are now announcing stuff on their own time scales, which seem to work far better for them. Sadly i think even the full blown Nintendo Direct is dead. Regardless we should get some breath-taking announcements at some point.
Now to my far out wishes (which probably won't happen). Satisfactory to get its 1.0 release and come to consoles so none of you have an excuse not to play it! PES 22 having used its two year development time to become the best football game in a decade. Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze to get a sequel. A huge push to get very old games working on current consoles and keep them supported. TimeSplitters to return. Knight of the Old Republic remakes. Nintendo to launch a classics line for the Switch to make cheaper options of less than stellar games (Looking at you Mario Tennis).
Pokémon to launch a super mainline release with the first three games included and interlinked as part of the celebrations (extremely fanciful). Physical release obviously. Actually going even further I want a new Game Freak studio to start churning out demakes of all the new mainline games to look like the old games but in a Octopath Traveller HD way. Bloody love those sprites!!
Maybe two of those will happen. A lot of my thoughts are just guesses, we will just have to wait and see! Overall I am optimistic, the gaming world didn't completely fall apart last year, more people will own new gen consoles and we should see so many delayed games. More money than ever is being spent, gaining an even bigger audience. I have not even mentioned third party titles! 2021 could turn out to be a stellar year in the storied history of gaming.
Comments