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Greetings! We're approaching The Game Awards and the end of 2021. The pandemic really hindered the gaming industry, much like everything else, so a number of promising titles were delayed. Fortunately, we'll see many of those games in 2022 and the next few years. We're getting a smorgasbord of awesome video games on the latest consoles. These delays might also give you enough time to grab a PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, or Nintendo Switch OLED. It was difficult to narrow down my list because many exciting releases are coming, but I made it work. Let's check out my top 25 anticipated games of 2022 and beyond.
1) Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora I know people aren't rooting for an Avatar game. However, I believe Avatar could potentially work better as a video game than a movie. Come on; the original film even looks like a video game. Pandora definitely holds strong potential for exploration, open world building, a decent RPG system, and creativity. Hopefully, the game will also have a better story than the movie. I'm willing to be optimistic. It seems like Frontiers of Pandora will likely release in 2022. 2) Avowed This game might be an Elder Scrolls clone, but who cares? Medieval fantasies have an excellent track record in gaming. I don't know many details about this release, but it will probably be a large scale RPG with a huge environment, a lot of side missions, and complex character creation. Avowed is going to be exclusive to the Xbox Series X and PC. For those of you who think the Xbox won't have many exclusive titles, the next few years are going to be quite a shock. 3) Bayonetta 3 Honestly, I've never played the Bayonetta games before, but I felt intrigued and amused by the announcement trailer. It's kind of Devil May Cry with a sassy femme fatale. Bayonetta is also a witch who can summon kaiju sized demons. Bring it on! I love hack and slash games. It's also worth noting, the next Bayonetta game is going to be an exclusive title for the Nintendo Switch. Heads up! You’re going to see a lot of console exclusives on this post. 4) The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me This horror series could use more scares, but I enjoyed the last couple releases anyway. The Devil in Me is a choose-your-own adventure and survival horror game. It appears to feature a serial killer who taxidermies his victims. Doesn't that sound impeccably gruesome and disturbing? I'm willing to bet this game will have a weird twist at the end. That seems to be a recurring theme for The Dark Pictures Anthology. At first glance, this game appears to have a human enemy, but we might see supernatural undertones in a twist. We'll find out next year when it comes out. 5) Dead Space I still haven't played the original Dead Space games yet, so this will be an interesting experience for me. The remake of Dead Space is probably a ways down the pipeline, but I don't mind. It looks utterly terrifying, atmospheric, and a solid blend of sci-fi horror. I hope the gameplay will be challenging without being overwhelmingly frustrating. Stay away from this release if you can't handle scary games. 6) Dragon Age 4 Xbox Game Pass is such a gold mine. I played Dragon Age: Inquisition on Game Pass and it was a 60 hour treat of dragons, magic, swords, political intrigue, and epic fantasy. Skip Game of Thrones and play the Dragon Age games. I assume the title, Dragon Age 4, is just a placeholder. I should also mention the project's creative director resigned. That doesn't mean the game was canceled. In fact, this type of turmoil happens more often than you might imagine. Hopefully, the next Dragon Age game will be another massive adventure with a great RPG system, strong storytelling, and a lot of character choices. We probably won't see Dragon Age 4 until 2023 or 2024, but I'm sure it will be worth the wait. 7) Fable Here's another Medieval fantasy on my list, but Fable is more of a comedy than a serious tragedy. It has one trailer, which includes a frog who eats a fairy. Just watch the trailer on YouTube. It's short and funny. Again, I haven't played the earlier Fable games yet. Maybe I'll check them out on Xbox Games Pass before the latest title comes out. The reboot of Fable is going to be an Xbox Series X exclusive and we probably won’t see it for a couple years. 8) The Elder Scrolls VI The gaming industry is reviving Medieval fantasies in droves for some reason. Microsoft acquired Bethesda studios and as a result, the entire Elder Scrolls franchise is under the Xbox umbrella. I never understood why Skyrim was such a huge phenomenon, but the next Elder Scrolls game might be modern enough for my taste. If Bethesda creates a great combat system, solid RPG elements, and epic world building, I should be perfectly happy. It seems like Microsoft is planning to turn The Elder Scrolls into an exclusive franchise for the Xbox Series X and PC. They could change their minds, but I doubt it. Sorry PlayStation fans, but your Elder Scrolls days might be done. 9) God of War: Ragnarok This upcoming release should definitely make PlayStation fans ecstatic. The previous God of War entry was a Game of the Year winner and a beautiful take on the action-adventure genre with hack and slash combat. It's one of the best video games in the past decade. Ragnarok is the concluding chapter in the Norse mythology arc and I expect it to be another creative vision of strong gameplay, high quality graphics, and cinematic storytelling. You don't even have to like the old God of War games to play the most recent ones. Ragnarok was delayed to 2022 and we should get a complete release date at some point. 10) Gotham Knights I think a lot of people have Batman fatigue at this point. Gotham Knights might be a good way to enjoy Gotham City and Batman's iconic villains without another version of the Caped Crusader because the story focuses on his supporting cast; Batgirl, Nightwing, Red Hood, and Robin. I really hope this game will clean up some of the frustrating elements from the Batman Arkham series, such as confusing maps and a wonky Batmobile. Gotham Knights could be a fresh start for an old IP and a fun action-adventure game. So far, this release was delayed to 2022. 11) Hogwarts Legacy This video game entry in the Wizarding World is another delay that spills into the 2022 schedule. You should watch the full length trailer on YouTube. It's so good! Hogwarts Legacy seems like a single player adventure that focuses on many components from the Harry Potter universe, such as charms, magical creatures, Hogsmeade, Quidditch, otherworldly combat, etc. I'm also tired of Harry Potter, but a separate adventure in Hogwarts sounds like a fabulous idea. 12) Horizon Forbidden West Here's another promising exclusive title on the PlayStation. I'm a huge fan of Horizon Zero Dawn and its sequel has excellent promotional material. This franchise is a far less grim post-apocalyptic setting than most. Horizon Forbidden West takes place in a futuristic Stone Age with robotic dinosaurs and prehistoric mammals. At this time, the graphics look amazing and the gameplay is quite impressive. This game is also the first major release in 2022, which is exciting news. We'll have a chance to play this game on February 18th. I also doubt we'll see another delay because this title already had a couple of big postponements in 2021. 13) Kirby and the Forgotten Land Finally! We're getting a legitimate Kirby game on the Nintendo Switch. The previous Kirby game was cute, but it had a barebone amount of substance. Kirby and the Forgotten Land seems like a full scale adventure with better gameplay, exploration, platforming, and enemy variety. I discovered something from the first trailer. Apparently, the Kirby universe takes place on Earth and the human race is dead. In fact, we've been extinct for a really long time. Who knew? I'm pretty sure this game is coming out next year unless it has a huge delay. 14) Marvel's Spider-Man 2 Insomniac has an terrific Spider-Man series. The characters, gameplay, story, and environment are top notch. I wouldn't expect anything less from Spider-Man 2. Right now, I don't know many details about this game yet. It features both Peter Parker and Miles Morales, which should make every Spider-Man fan happy. It seems like most enthusiasts are split between team Parker and team Morales. The trailer hinted at Kraven the Hunter and Venom as significant villains. I'm sure we'll see more Spider-Man villains as well. Be patient because it's going to be a couple of years before this game comes out. As expected, this game will be exclusive to the PlayStation 5. 15) Marvel's Wolverine Sony landed another great exclusive title for the PlayStation! It's going to be the first Wolverine game we've seen in years. There's very little information about this release, but it's under development by Insomniac, the same creators of Marvel's Spider-Man. I have a lot of faith in their work. The trailer didn't show Wolverine's face, but I hope we can move away from the Hugh Jackman version in the X-Men film series. I'm ready for a different actor. We’ll have to wait quite a while. Spider-Man 2 isn’t coming until 2023, which means Wolverine is probably a ways off. Regardless, it should be an awesome hack and slash adventure. Come on, Insomniac! Give us Sabretooth! 16) The Outer Worlds 2 Obsidian was another recent acquisition by Microsoft. That means The Outer Worlds 2 is coming exclusively to the Xbox Series X and PC. It's going be a long time before this titles goes on sale because Obsidian is prioritizing other projects, such as Avowed. The first Outer Worlds game is a space adventure, first person shooter, and RPG with a lot of witty humor. Watch the trailer for The Outer Worlds 2 on YouTube. It's downright hilarious. I assume the sequel will be very similar to its predecessor. If you enjoy the Fallout games, this series will probably be appealing. I just hope The Outer Worlds 2 has a mode that allows players to explore the environment after completing the main story. That part was gravely missing in the original release. 17) Perfect Dark After a long hiatus, we're finally getting a reboot of Perfect Dark within the next couple of years. Most likely, it will be a first person shooter with a mix of stealth combat and blatant gunfights. It's also going to be exclusive to the Xbox Series X and PC. Anything could happen in this game, but I hope it will be a faithful adaptation with modern gameplay mechanics. Maybe we'll see another trailer at The Game Awards. 18) Redfall If you enjoy vampires and Borderlands, this game might be a good choice. Redfall is going to be a co-op shooter with an open world environment. The details are pretty vague, but I'm under the impression the game will be similar to the Borderlands series. For example, you can play any of the Borderlands games in single player mode, but they definitely favor multiplayer. Even though I stay away from multiplayer games, Redfall sounds entertaining and intriguing. This game will only be available on the Xbox Series X and PC. By the way, you can play all of Microsoft's exclusive titles on Xbox Game Pass from day one. 19) RoboCop: Rogue City I suppose licensed games are making a comeback. This first person shooter is allegedly coming out in 2023. Rogue City is based on the original RoboCop film trilogy. Beyond that, I can’t tell you anything helpful. I assume Rogue City will have a single player mode, but you never know. Given the title, this game might have open world components. We’ll have to see what happens. I’m hoping to see more details at The Game Awards. 20) S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl This Xbox exclusive is coming to retailers in April of 2022. I never played the original S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game, but this one seems like a post-apocalyptic adventure and first person shooter with a heavy emphasis on sci-fi elements. It doesn’t seem like Microsoft is throwing a lot of promotional material to the masses, so I’m keeping my expectations low. Hopefully, it will be satisfactory for the post-apocalyptic crowds. I’m getting tired of bad post-apocalyptic games. Quality is infinitely better than quantity. 21) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic I’m sure PlayStation fans are jumping for joy because this remake will be exclusive to the PS5. Don’t freak out if you’re having a hard time finding a console because this game isn’t coming out any time soon. I’m really excited, but there’s a catch. Turn-based combat isn’t my cup of tea. In fact, I despise turn-based games with the exception of Pokémon and Monster Rancher. So, I hope Knights of the Old Republic will include a hack and slash combat style and RPG elements instead. The Final Fantasy series made a lot of changes through the years and it was a turn-based franchise for a long time. That means Knights of the Old Republic can move forward too. Don’t let me down, Sony. 22) Starfield Unless we see delays, Starfield is coming out in November of next year. That’s pretty exciting news. Keep in mind, this game is only coming to the Xbox Series X and PC. I’m under the impression that Starfield will be a massive open world game and action RPG. Basically, it’s going to be like The Witcher III, The Elder Scrolls, or Dragon Age in space. That’s good because I’ve never been a fan of Halo, Mass Effect, or Star Wars: Battlefront, which are simply Call of Duty in space. I’ve never had a talent for military shooters. 23) Stray I found a spot for one indie game on this post. Stray is a post-apocalyptic game that features a cat who’s trying to find a path back to his family. It looks surprisingly realistic and considerably different than most games. I love cats and the post-apocalyptic genre, so this title should be a great choice for me. How often can you be a cat in a video game? Take advantage of the opportunity. Stray is coming to PlayStation consoles and PC in the first quarter of 2022. 24) Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League My list doesn’t have a whole lot of cross platform games, but this Suicide Squad adaptation looks pretty good. Warner Bros. Interactive hasn’t shown any gameplay yet. However, I heard it’s going to be a four player co-op experience with both multiplayer and single player options. For example, single players can probably rotate the Suicide Squad characters at their convenience. At this point, the cinematic trailers look superior to both of the Suicide Squad movies. It happens. Personally, I think the recent Spider-Man and Guardians of the Galaxy games are better than the movies. 25) Tiny Tina's Wonderlands This game looks hilarious. Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is a fantasy spinoff from the Borderlands franchise. It’s a looter shooter, Medieval fantasy, and comedy at the same time. Plus, you’re equipped with guns. That sounds awesome! I’m not sure if this game will be great for single players like me, but it certainly looks entertaining. Wonderlands is coming to most platforms in March of next year. Let’s be realistic. I haven’t noticed any delays yet, but it could happen. There you go! We’re getting a fantastic assortment of games during the next handful of years. Expect delays because of the pandemic. Believe me. It’s much better to take extra preparation than to release a game like Cybperpunk 2077. Truthfully, the video game industry was infamous for delays, even before the pandemic happened. It takes a long time to make successful video games. Are you looking forward to any particular titles? Do any of the games on my list spark your interest? Leave a comment. We’ll probably get more announcements during The Game Awards. That’s all for now. Be careful and enjoy the rest of your weekend. Good night!
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Hello, my fellow gamers! It's almost time for The Game Awards and we're going through the Thanksgiving weekend as well. I hope you had plenty of turkey, stuffing, and cranberries to pack on a couple more pounds. Later, we can make a New Year's resolution to lose weight. In the meantime, some of you might have extra time to play games because of holiday weekends, school breaks, family gatherings, vacations, etc. I'm also hoping some of you will be fortunate enough to get a PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, or Nintendo Switch OLED for Christmas. The shopping scene is a warzone, so good luck! Here's a list of games I played recently with both positive and negative results. Maybe some of these games will land on your holiday wish list. Check it out and have fun!  Let's begin with Necromunda: Hired Gun, a futuristic spinoff from the Warhammer series. It's a first person shooter with steampunk elements in a post-apocalyptic world. Necromunda should be the perfect game for me, but it has a slew of problems. It's a very glitchy title with hard crashes, bad enemy AI, mysterious teleporting, frame rate issues, and save points that don't work. I suspect this game needed more time before a worldwide release. The gameplay is straight forward, the RPG elements are bare bones, the level design is linear, and the graphics aren't very refined. I wouldn't mind these elements if the gameplay and storytelling was better. Essentially, Necromunda is a mediocre game that lacks substance and polish. It's certainly not the worst game of 2021, but I'm still disappointed. This game probably isn't worth your time and money. You might feel attracted to this release because the cover art is really cool, but don't fall for it. Several games in the Warhammer universe are significantly better.  Dragon Ball: Xenoverse 2 combines the fighting genre with character creation. I have conflicted thoughts about this game. On the positive side, it's a unique spin on the Dragon Ball game series with a blend of genres. It's also faithful to the Dragon Ball Z anime without being a redundant retelling of the show. Players customize an original character who influences major events in the anime. You can build his/her move sets, strengths, and weaknesses. This game also has a big emphasis on multiplayer elements to level up your character. However, the gameplay feels really awkward and it relies too heavily on multiplayer battles to progress through the main story. Xenoverse 2 has a single player structure and story, but multiplayer encounters are necessary to level up. Most of the time, I felt very underpowered compared to most enemies, including the weaker varieties. It's just a weird experience. I think the game combines too many elements. It's an RPG, fighting game, multiplayer excursion, and I'm not sure what else. Perhaps, a simple fighting game with original characters would have been the superior option. Should you spend real money on this game? I would say no for most people, but it could be worth a shot for anime fans and anyone who loves Dragon Ball. I'm sure Xenoverse 2 has a niche fan base.  For those of you who enjoy arthouse games, Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition is a narrative journey and indie title. It’s a really peculiar game. Kentucky Route Zero has an interesting art style, but the plot is vague, the characters are unmemorable, and the game moves at a snail’s pace. I literally fell asleep an hour in the story. This game has many abstract elements and the overall experience is pretty dull. I’m not saying it’s a bad game, but this indie title is inaccessible to mainstream audiences. I suppose the story is about debt, financially and otherwise. Sure, that sounds like a great idea for a video game. Personally, I don’t think Kentucky Route Zero works as a concept. What do I know? Most reviewers believe this game is brilliant. Despite getting positive reviews, I’m not recommending this game. It’s only available for purchase. You can’t play it on Xbox Game Pass or other subscription services. It might be okay for people who are searching for an unconventional narrative, but I’m pretty sure most gamers will grow bored very quickly and the plot is confusing. It also has a nihilistic tone, so don’t expect resolution in the end.  Despite the turmoil at Activision Blizzard, I played all the way through the Diablo III: Eternal Collection. It's a top down RPG and dark fantasy. Diablo set the standard for top down RPGs and Medieval apocalypses. Let's judge the game first. I understand why this franchise is so popular. Diablo III and its DLC is amazing in terms of gameplay, RPG elements, and world building. The plot and voice acting might not be cinematic, but it's okay for a video game. It has a number of difficulty settings, missions, and character types. Each character class has their own attributes, weapons, and customizable skills. As a video game, Diablo III is top notch. It's worth noting, Activision Blizzard had recent trouble with accusations and a toxic work environment. So, I can understand if you don't feel comfortable playing their games. Quite a few people are gone from the company and I hope everyone else can move forward in a more positive, inclusive, and healthy way that encourages creativity. After all, Activision/Blizzard made a number exceptional games in the past. I'm sure we'll see great projects in the future as well. If you're just looking for awesome games without judgement, Diablo III is an excellent choice. I'm not judging you either way.  If you're looking for a comedic game, Destroy All Humans! fits the bill. This game is silly, cartoonish, and violent in a nonsensical way. Your character is an alien who's planning to take over the world. Sometimes, it's nice to be the monster in a video game. Destroy All Humans! might sound entertaining, but the gameplay is borderline awful. The controls are difficult to handle and the game is full of glitches. I also found the missions repetitive and it's easy to grow bored after a while. Quite a bit of the humor missed the mark for me as well. It's a comedy, but I didn't laugh very often. This game has a great concept and originality. However, the overall execution is messy and lackluster. Don't bother to spend money on this game. Alternatively, you might want to check it out on Xbox Game Pass. A sequel is also coming some time next year. Perhaps, THQ Nordic will give the next release better quality. I hope that's true because we need funnier video games.  The Forgotten City is a narrative adventure, mystery, and one of this year's strongest releases. I can't say enough good things about this game. It's fascinating, the pacing is pleasant, the mystery elements are intriguing, the story is excellent, and some light action elements add a little pizzazz. The Forgotten City runs on a time loop, which means death and failure is inevitable. You'll start at the beginning again with knowledge and items that will help the story progress. I never felt like this game lasted too long or became confusing. However, it's not a simple game and you must think critically. This game requires a lot of thought, but it's still fun. Seriously, The Forgotten City is worth your time and money. It's a cheap game anyway, but you can also play this title on Xbox Game Pass. Either way, check it out before the end of 2021. You won't regret it.  Look, more aliens! Destroy All Humans! didn't work for me, but I really enjoyed Aliens: Fireteam Elite. It's a co-op shooter and a distant sequel to the Alien film series. I'll be totally blunt. This game is rough around the edges and it seems quite cheap. Don't expect super high quality or complexity. With that said, it's still good in many ways. It genuinely feels like you're in the middle of an Alien movie. Fireteam Elite is an authentic experience with the right environments, weapons, enemies, ambiance, character classes, etc. The gameplay is smooth and frantic at the same time with hoards of enemies. Fortunately, your team is a trio of colonial marines who can blow them away. I'm sure multiplayer mode is the best way to play this game, but I still had a lot of fun on single player mode. Your AI companions are surprisingly efficient at combat and healing teammates.
Fireteam Elite has some drawbacks and I don't think everyone will love it. The plot is virtually nonexistent. You're just killing Xenomorphs and androids to stop them from invading other worlds. It's really weird when the characters talk because their mouths don't move. The gameplay quickly becomes repetitive and the missions are pretty long. Unfortunately, the missions don't have checkpoints. Dying means you'll go back to the beginning and it will happen a lot. Grinding is a necessary evil to level up. You'll have to go back and play earlier missions to gain XP. Overall, it's not the most sophisticated co-op experience. Should you bother to play this game? I want to say yes, but it depends on how you feel about this review. Aliens: Fireteam Elite is already facing big discounts, so you might want to check it out. It's entirely accessible to both the multiplayer and single player crowds. There you go! I hope this post will help you narrow down some games. Many retailers will have Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales for several days. Check out a number of retailers for the best deals. Are you planning to play any of these games? How was your Thanksgiving? Were you brave enough to engage in Black Friday shopping? Tell me all about it in the comment section. Enjoy the rest of the Thanksgiving weekend and be safe. Good night! |
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May 2019
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