With 2020 behind us it’s time to move forward into the new year with new beginnings, new goals, and new video games. Here are Music City Drive-In’s most anticipated games of 2021.
Halo Infinite
Developer: 343 Industries
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Fans panned Master Chief’s reappearance last year, and Microsoft’s developers at 343 Industries went back to the drawing board. Halo veteran Joseph Staten rejoined the team. I’m hoping they can push this game over the finish line and make something that impresses. We want and we expect a Halo for 2021, not the same game we could have played five years ago. And while Halo has its critics out there, the developers have stepped up to deliver outstanding games in the past. Lets hope that one big delay is enough.
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Horizon 2: Forbidden West
Developer: Guerrilla Games
Platforms: PS4, PS5
This sequel to Horizon: Zero Dawn looks promising. I love the imaginative environment of this world that had electronic dinosaurs in a time set long after an apocalypse. The blending of humanity’s past and its future transported me to a place I had never dreamed of, and it was another game with a strong female character in Aloy. Her journey is epic, and the combat has so much variety, whether it was taking on gigantic mechanical monsters or evil humans. I felt robbed of closure at the end, and so maybe we’ll get some satisfaction with this sequel.
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Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Developer: Insomniac Games
Platforms: PS5
Nothing looked as compelling when it came to next-generation graphics on the PS5 as the demo of this game, which seamlessly switches environments from one to the next with no latency. It has the same zany heroes and amusing gameplay that we’ve come to know over the decades.
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Mass Effect Remastered Trilogy
Developer: BioWare
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5.
Mass Effect Legendary Edition will include single-player base content and DLC from Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, and Mass Effect 3, plus promo weapons, armors, and packs – all remastered and optimized for 4k Ultra HD. It will be available in Spring 2021 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC, with forward compatibility and targeted enhancements on Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5
bioware.com
Kena: Bridge of Spirits
Developer: Ember Lab
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5
A story-driven action adventure with a stunning visual aesthetic combining exploration with fast-paced combat. Players find and grow a team of charming spirit companions called the Rot, enhancing their abilities and creating new ways to manipulate the environment. Kena: Bridge of Spirits seamlessly blends action and narrative into an unforgettable experience. Travel with Kena, a young Spirit Guide on a quest to uncover the mysterious story surrounding the demise of the village.
Youtube.com
Far Cry 6
Developer Ubisoft Toronto
Platforms: PC, Microsoft and Sony consoles, Amazon Luna, Stadia
Ubisoft has established the Far Cry brand for vast open worlds with good shooter gameplay and absolutely wild villains. Sometimes the games are hit or miss, but with actor Giancarlo Esposito playing the bad guy, I’m fairly confident that I’m going to hate this villain. The scene that Ubisoft released already, where “El Presidente” (Esposito’s character) forces his son to toss a grenade at a protesting crowd, showed that we’ve got a real bastard to hunt down in this game.
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The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Sequel
Developer: Nintendo
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Nintendo hasn’t given any release window for Breath of the Wild 2 but prominent leaker Emily Rogers has said on Twitter (via GamesRadar) that the sequel could arrive in the 2021 holiday season, saying there’s an “85-90% chance”. 85-90% chance that it releases around the holidays 2021.November 20, 2020
techradar.com
God of War: Ragnarok
Developer: Sony Santa Monica
Platforms: PlayStation 5
God of War, developed by Cory Barlog and his merry cohorts at Sony Santa Monica, is a God of War game for people who weren’t God of War fans, like me. It had a tight, focused story about a father and a son … who happen to be gods. The gameplay is compelling, the audio and music are good, and the graphics and cinematics are amazing. It was so impressive that it beat out titles like Red Dead Redemption 2 for Game of the Year in 2018, and I have high expectations for the sequel. I don’t know anything about it, but sight unseen, I would play this game because I really want to learn the fate of these characters and hear Christopher Judge perform Kratos again.
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Back 4 Blood
Developer: Turtle Rock Studios/Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One
This game might not be anything more than a spiritual sequel to Left 4 Dead with better graphics. But hey, what’s wrong with that? Gamers have a lot of pent-up demand for this series of co-op zombie killing that hasn’t had an installment since 2009. The alpha test is happening now and the next-gen graphics look pretty amazing and the combat is intense.
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Gotham Knights
Developer: WB Games Montréal
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X /S S
Batman is dead. It is now up to the Batman Family – Batgirl, Nightwing, Red Hood and Robin – to protect Gotham City, bring hope to its citizens, discipline to its cops, and fear to its criminals. You must evolve into the new Dark Knight and save Gotham from chaos. Your legacy begins now. Step into the Knight.
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Deathloop
Developer: Arkane Studios
Platforms: PS5, PC
The player in this world is stuck in an endless loop, like in Groundhog Day. It’s a video game where you have to escape from a game world either through stealth or combat, all the while evading a human player who is out to assassinate you. While the rest of the community resets every day, you retain your memories and can learn how to escape better the next time around. Your task is to assassinate eight targets before the human assassin takes you out.
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Ghostwire Tokyo
Developer: Tango Gameworks & Bethesda Softworks
Platforms: PS5, PC
The demented developers who brought us The Evil Within and Resident Evil are back with an action-horror game set in Tokyo. You play as a psychic who has to use paranormal powers to defeat the ghosts and spirits haunting the city. I’ve come to be terrified of anything these developers create, but I’ll want to take a peek at it anyway.
venturebeat.com
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
Developer: Ninja Theory
Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice was my favorite game of 2017. It blended Nordic mythology and horror in a story with a flawed hero. It depicted mental illness in its lead character Senua in a realistic way, based on consultations with doctors who understood challenges such as psychosis. It paved the way for other developers to address the previously untouchable subject of heroes with mental illnesses. Senua was an ordinary person, thrust by love to take on extraordinary hardships on a journey into hell — or so it seemed. I’d like to see what’s become of her. But I have to say. She’s not looking so good.
venturebeat.com
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