We may only be one week into 2021 but that isn’t going to stop me from leaving 2020 far behind in my rear view mirror and begin looking ahead to all the great video game goodness that may be waiting for us all in 2021!
Don’t get me wrong, 2020 was brilliant for game releases, just check out our top 10 games of 2020 for proof of that, but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t more than a few hiccups that will hopefully be put right this year alongside some big new announcements.
As always you can check out the video version of this list in the link below if you can’t be bothered to read today. Don’t worry, that’s me on most days.
Right that’s enough waffling from me. In no particular order, here are my 7 hopes and dreams for 2021..
I wouldn’t be surprised if more than half of every news story we broke last year had the word ‘delayed’ in the headline. It felt as if every major release in 2020 was delayed due to Covid-19 at some point. Just to name a few we saw The Last Of Us Part 2, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Ghost of Tsushima, Avengers and of course Cyberpunk 2077 all delayed from anywhere between a few weeks and most the year.
Given the circumstances it was acceptable to see these games being held back, and for the most part it worked out. However I hope we see a lot less of all the doom and gloom this year and see games actually come out in a good state when advertised. Yes we’re not out of the pandemic filled woods just yet but hopefully developers and publishers have learned how to navigate those woods by now and know not to get out hopes up! Basically please let us have God of War Ragnarok this year, please!
One of the delays mentioned earlier was of course Cyberpunk 2077, unfortunately though that delay did not save CD Projekt Red’s supposed masterpiece from being a complete disaster on launch. I’m not going to get into the nitty gritty as 1, You can find these criticisms EVERYWHERE and 2, I haven’t actually played the game so I’m not going to sit here and slate it.
What I will say is despite some friends telling me it’s brilliant, I’m still put off by all the crashes I’d undoubtedly encounter playing on PS5 as well as some of the frustrating looking bugs and glitches. I’m more than happy to wait for the official next-gen version of the title and I honestly hope it’s flawless and restores CD Projekt Red to at least close to what they were. Admittedly it’s going to take some doing to put the genie back in the bottle but for all the devs who put their heart and soul into this release, I sincerely hope it makes a strong comeback in 2021.
For those who can remember my video from this time last year where I spoke about 2020 releases I was most looking forward to, you’re probably chuckling away to yourself that I predicted we’d get the long awaited sequel to Breath of the Wild. Well here I am again just hoping that this is the year! I really don’t have anything to back this up other than pure hope so pray with me people!
I am so done with console wars. The 2020 release of the PS5 and Xbox Series X really made me despise the arguments that strangers would get into over which is better, the white chunk of plastic or the black one!? Of course I chose to stick with PlayStation due to the exclusives being among my favourite games of all time but that didn’t stop me looking at the Xbox as well, especially when the Series S provides a much cheaper alternative.
Sadly I couldn’t convince myself due to the complete lack of Xbox exclusives, not just for next-gen but even over the last generation. I’m not a fan of Halo or Gear of War so why go green? I’d like to dip my toes in though and when you look at all the studios Microsoft have acquired, it’s easy to see a future where the libraries are a little more even. I just hope it begins this year.
Another reason I’m so eager to jump back into the Xbox ecosystem is due to the incredible value of gamepass. Having said that, there’s every chance that Sony get their ass into gear and release their own similar service before Xbox begin adding more killer exclusives. Although the bigwigs over at Sony continue to push back on the idea whenever questioned on it, the addition of the PS Plus collection and the continued push of PS Now shows they’re more into the idea than they want us to believe. Could 2021 finally be the year we see the PlayStation Gamepass? Watch this space!
When I think back to the biggest disappointments in video games last year I can’t help but go straight to Marvel’s Avengers. Despite my initial worries about it being a live service game, I was still hyped as hell to be able to fly around as the Avengers with all my friends. Sadly due to boring ass repetitive gameplay, terrible bugs, an insulting market place and barely any support post lunch, Avengers ended up being a complete shitshow that it is still yet to recover from, and it may never..
With all this in mind it’s worth pointing out that many of us here at Respawning still loved the original campaign mode in the game, which shows there’s a great Avengers game in there somewhere. It’s just a shame that since that campaign the entire thing has been a borderline unplayable mess, and even when it does work it’s just not all that enjoyable. And yes, I’m including the new Kate Bishop snoozefest in that! I honestly wish Avengers can capture the spark of that campaign and build upon it to make this a live service game I actually love. As it stands though, I’m probably going to give it one more chance before giving up and uninstalling for good.
Naughty Dog is undoubtedly one of the most important branches of the newly branded PlayStation studios yet they’re one of the only developers who’s future we can’t call right now.
It’s no secret how much I love the Uncharted and TLOU series but let’s be real here, there’s no way we’re getting either of those anytime soon right? I mean we’ve only just had The Last Of Us Part 2 and Neil Druckmann will surely be busy with his role in the HBO adaptation to even start thinking about a part 3. Another Uncharted instalment is also unlikely given the last game pretty much wrapped up that story, unless of course they try to make some sort of tie-in for the upcoming Tom Holland movie but that seems very unlike them.
My belief is that the team over at Naughty Dog will begin work on a completely new IP. Of course there’s no chance in hell we see a game this year but just some sort of announcement or confirmation of what’s coming next would put my Naughty Dog loving heart at ease. Here’s hoping!
What do you think is next from the guys at Naughty Dog, and what do you hope to see in the world of video games in 2021? Make sure to let me know in the comments or by hitting us up over on Twitter @RespawningUK