UNDER A PORCELAIN SUN: Oleomingus has maybe been scooped on their grandiose environment modelling ambitions over the past few years of UE4 indies but their insistence on developing games that follow an actual text, and a non-European one at that, is still v enticing
SABLE: All the fuckin’ cool kids are on this, man. Japanese Breakfast x Jean Giraud x vintage Ueda? Sure, whatever
WILDERMYTH: This has been shaping up into a genuinely versatile turn-based tactics game creation engine with an actually charming picaresque tone baked into its default campaign and assets, and while it didn’t start feeling complete this year, I really think it’ll get there in time for next
CAVES OF QUD: It’s coming, not sure if they’ve solved run length or starting variety yet but I know they wanna
TEARDOWN: Minecraft with physics, more early access streamer bait, but if they actually figure out the level design I think this could be a winner
BLOODLINES 2: The sheen went off of this about as badly as it did Baldur’s Gate 3 after the staff shakeups, maybe the CRPG revival is well and truly over, who’s to say
UFO 50: The Pico-8 scene has flourished since this was announced to the extent that it’s probably going to wind up a celebrity distraction to some extent but come on, this has to be good, right?
HORIZON FORBIDDEN WEST: This feels like the most fun Sony knows how to have at this point given how hard they’ve doubled down on their Netflix-tier productions
my big froth for 2021 is the english release of ys ix: monstrum nox.
bloodlines 2 might be cool if it still makes it to ps4, though there’s also a chance that i’m permanently burnt out on western open world games and as a result will not enjoy it at all.
I was blown away by DQ11 and have been pretty tickled by the RS3 localization and Y7, but the ongoing JRPG revival is right on the edge of being too slack for me most of the time so my anticipation for this one is pretty qualified
by the way I got back into this to finish out the postgame and went looking to change the music again, found a mod to insert older Dragon Quest music (recommended but I had to switch some poorly-volume normalized tracks out), and, next to all the expected “nood Jade” mods, I found this
I didn’t know mods were a thing for this but now I’ll look into that when I get around to playing the Definitive Edition.
Btw, I bought it on Steam and then I found out it’s on gamepass, which I also have. Can I safely return it or do they take games off of gamepass at some point? Does anyone really know?
It depends. If it’s a Microsoft Studios game chances are it’ll be on gamepass permanently. Anything else has a higher chance of cycling out after 6-12 months.
Deathloop - Immersive sim from Arkane but this one has a time loop mechanic where you’re replaying the same day and each time you redo it the whole day resets. You have to assassinate some targets or something and you have some of the super powers from Dishonored like the teleport-short-distances blink. That sounds like just enough of a cool hook to grab my interest.
Psychonauts 2 - I played the first one twice. Once when it came out on og Xbox and again several years later on steam. In the steam version I have all of the achievements. It might be the only steam game I have all the achievements for. It’s “just another collectathon platformer” but the characters and settings and level designs all have a lot of great personality to them and are still memorable even today.
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga - This is basically another Lego Star Wars but I liked the bits I heard about it from the previews like a year ago. I guess it got delayed so they could bring it to current gen consoles. The main things that are new with this one are: Adapts all 9 movies across 45 levels, 500 characters (most of them playable) from the Star Wars-verse including the new TV shows, even larger hub worlds with more lots of series landmarks to visit, and supposedly some improved combat. The combat was fine in the Force Awakens game where they added a cover shooting mechanic to some of the battles so maybe they’re expanding on that more? I don’t know. Looking forward to getting billions of studs.
Skull & Bones - This is the Ubisoft pirate game from the Ubisoft Singapore studio that did the ship combat in AssCreed 4: Black Flag. I think it’s also an MMO? I haven’t really kept much attention to this one to be honest but out of Ubi’s releases next year it looks like the big two are this and Far Cry 6 and we already know that’s just going to be another Far Cry.
Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury - 3D World with an expansion! Sign me up. Especially since I never played it the first time around.
Wrath: Aeon of Ruin - Quake-style FPS made using the original Quake technology. I’ve played the early access version and you should too if you like Quake because this game is legit. It carries the torch admirably. It’s fast paced, low-poly, chunky textures but still looks great and features cool, distinct weapons that have interesting alt fire modes (some of them even pull double duty mechanics-wise like with your starter arm blade weapon that lunges you forward when doing a charged attack, makes for bigger jumps which translates to platforming challenge in the level design) and big, huge levels connected via big hub worlds all packed with secrets to find and monsters to slay in gruesome, brutal fashion. Definitely a satisfyingly crunchy game and easily on par quality-wise with other throwback FPSes like Dusk.
lookin forward to see what sega’s gonna do for the 30th anniversary of sonic tbh, nobody has any idea of what it’ll be and the fanbase got so fuckin weird during this small drought
there’s gonna be a new Disgaea?? huh
curious about the new The World Ends With You
also curious about Balan Wonderworld. probably won’t be very good but a girl can dream a little bit
cautiously optimistic for R-Type Final 2
looking forward to No More Heroes III, no release date yet but it must be 2021, right?
A remake of Monster World IV by Artdink is supposedly coming out in 2021, very curious
In my mind’s eye, my private fantasy, it’s an incredibly bizarre game with neon skies, and just odd enough not to be grotesque. A gonzo Majora turn with double the scope of the 2017 game.
I also predict some Souls-like multiplayer element. This prediction is based on nothing. Nothing but pure instinct. GUT
This looks so great in motion that I pray it ends up being at least decent.
Rather than think I just looked at my Steam wishlist for games listed as coming soon.
Akurra
Akurra is basically a Link’s Awakening type game where instead of fight enemies you have to solve block pushing puzzles, and based on the meaty demo available for it it is the real deal. The puzzles are strong, the graphics feel right and there is a sense of mystery in terms of stuff around the island that are unexplained and you must seemingly eventually figure out on your own.
Patrick’s Parabox
A high concept block pushing puzzler where the blocks you push around are can be their own self-contained puzzle rooms and you have to deal with all of them to possibly succeed, it could so very easily go wrong but the concept intrigues the hell out of my puzzle-infested brain.
Lumote is a neat looking 3d puzzle game that released in February of this year that has the benefit of what appears to be truly impressive visual design (in puzzle games this is often uncommon) that I am listing here as it was pulled from sale a few months after release due to some sort of publishing deal that will result in console versions alongside a PC re-release.
If it’s anything like the last few years I will continue to be carried by the winds of fate, play random stuff from my backlog, and get obsessed with one or two of them between bouts of retro exploration.
Who even knows really?
Planning on avoiding FFXIV or other MMOs though. I lost too much time this year, even if it was probably a reaction to the shock of covid.
Nier v1.22474487139…
Still hoping this is all gonna be some weird Yoko Taro bit and it’s going to end up being some kind of sequel or prequel rather than a remake. Even a basic remake will make me happy but I’d like confirmation of daddy Nier.
Say No! More
A small one that I’m looking forward to just to see how far they can push the concept.
Aerobat
Also looking forward to UFO50 (again), Deathloop, and eventually playing and finishing FFVI.
And a bunch of fighting games regardless of quality: Guilty Gear Strive, Varvarion, Virtua Fighter, KOFXV.
i like chill games where you walk around but with a purpose so i’m really looking forward to this. take pictures without having to leave your home! i’m in to make up for my own faults irl
EASTBOUND
this seems a little more heavy than i’m used to gameplay wise but i’m taken in by the graphics tbh. i just noticed that both these games have an emphasis on strange people so maybe that’s a thing with me too. i wanna walk around weird worlds and help those in need
THE FACELESS DOUBLE
love team miwashiba ( they made lieat and alicemare ) and this has been at the the top of my wishlist for awhile. heard vgperson is working on the translation but i swear it’s been at least two years since i looked into that? ah, well, i hope it comes out eventually
SHE DREAMS ELSEWHERE
really wanna support this when it comes out. love games about dreams and i wanna help these pple wake up! as someone who has actually been in a coma this speaks to me.
there are more but wouldn’t you believe it, i’m too lazy to keep going through my neverending wishlist
