Games, consoles and accidental space death – here’s what to get excited about this year…
2020 is set to be a huge year for the gaming industry. With the monoliths of Microsoft and Sony set to release their newest and most powerful consoles yet and a whole host of games looking to say a final hurrah to the current generation – no doubt to be re-released on the newest consoles with shinier graphics – we thought it was about time we took a look at whatās to come and what might be worth looking out for.
The Last of Us: Part II
Looking to be duking it out with Cyberpunk 2077 for top spot this year, The Last of Us: Part II sees the welcome continuation of Ellieās story in the post-apocalyptic world the series calls home. Originally released in 2013, fans of the series have been made to wait a whopping seven years for the sequel and love for Ellie and Joel is still an ever present. With one of the strongest and most interesting relationships in gaming history, Naughty Dog are no doubt going to put this centre stage once more.
For those who have yet to play The Last of Us then stop reading this, and go play it, because there is no finer example in gaming of how to craft a human story, create realistic and believable characters, and use the platform to truly invest you in the narrative. A lot of story threads are still unresolved, and with the sequel taking place years in their future itās safe to assume we will be playing catch up on what has happened in the lives of our heroes.
Whilst Cyberpunk will likely take the headlines of 2020, itās safe to say that The Last of Us: Part II is going to tell the most compelling and complete story. There is clearly an appetite for games like this, given how successful with fans and critics God of War was. The parallels with Naughty Dogās masterpiece were clear for all to see, and now it is the turn of the masters to let their story be told and it is sure to be nothing short of amazing.
Cyberpunk 2077
It would be unfair to talk about anything else next. CD Projekt Red have showered themselves in glory since the creation of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and look to replicate their success here with one of the most ambitious titles ever released. Story sections can be locked off, complete character creation and style of play is available, and Keanu Reeves in glorious detail are all up for grabs in this sci-fi RPG.
The Witcher 3 has been heralded by many as the best RPG of all time, and with good reason. The writing is exceptional and the world is dark, twisted and lived in. Everything in that game feels organic and its only failing is the combat – which can be infuriating at times. Early footage of Cyberpunk put to bed any concerns of a repeat of this with what looks to be incredibly fluid and personalised combat. Stealth, all out action, persuasion, hacking, you can do it all. Be a jack of all trades, or specialise, the choice is yours. Where The Last of Us: Part II is set to be a linear experience Cyberpunk will be the sprawling RPG to consume your life in 2020 – hopefully.
Delayed until September we could potentially see further delays. CDPR have admitted they will likely need to rely on crunch time to get the game released, making devs work ridiculously long hours for months and often 12-15 hour shifts every day. If anything else in development falls behind again then we might have to wait until 2021 to see what promises to be a genre-defining game be released. Only time will tell on this one.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2
However, fear not if Cyberpunk is delayed the Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 has you covered in the expansive and in-depth RPG department. 16 years on from the original, itās safe to say there will be people out there who have never heard of this game series. The basic idea is you play as a vampire in a world where the vampires have created clans. You choose your faction and can play accordingly. Each faction has its own characteristics, so choose wisely.
Much like Cyberpunk you complete your missions as you see fit here, and can even complete by pleasing no-one at all and choosing to look out for yourself. This affects your relationships with the various factions and leaders and will have ramifications later in the game, so choose wisely.
Whilst this game certainly isnāt as glossy, pretty or as fluid in its combat as Cyberpunk it certainly scratches the same itch and is definitely worth looking out for.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
But what if youāre looking for something a little less violent and murdery? Donāt worry, Nintendo has you covered with the newest iteration of Animal Crossing. Tom Nook will be up to his old antics of borderline indentured servitude, whilst you forge your path tending flowers, creating a new home and generally relaxing in this lovely world on a deserted island with Nook Inc and the assorted friends from previous games.
This isnāt just a new gloss of paint;Animal Crossing: New Horizons is getting more than its fair share of new features. Stairs, waterfalls, free hairdressing and beautiful graphical upgrades see the franchise make its first steps onto the Switch. There will also be in game purchases, meaning that upon release this game could be in for its fair share of controversy, but it will also be a welcome change of pace from the AAA games of death and murder that are set to dominate the landscape this year.
God and Monsters
A slightly lesser known, but still worthwhile, title for 2020 is God and Monsters. Ubisoftās answer to Zelda: Breath of the Wild sees you play in a beautiful, vibrant and cell-shaded environment as you battle monsters from Greek mythology that have been let out into the world and are generally causing chaos. Those rascals.
What Nintendo Switch owners will love is that this game is available on all platforms, including the Google Stadia. PC, Xbox and PlayStation owners will now get to enjoy what it feels like to roam in a glorious, slow and relaxed world whilst hitting monsters with swords and generally trying to save the world.
This feels very much like RPG-lite compared to its bigger competitors and is sure to prove to be an addictive game that strips you of precious time with your loved ones, as if Cyberpunk and Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines 2 werenāt already going to do that.
Kerbal Space Program 2
If RPGs – lite or otherwise – arenāt your speed, then Kerbal Space Program 2 could be the game for you. Promising more relaxed and less complicated tutorials, exploration to Mars and other planets allowing colonisation of the red planet and more. Kerbal Space Program 2 looks to be a huge step up from the original game.
That said, all the probes, pods, shuttles and colonies are as destructible as ever and should cause chaos for any would be player. Expect all sorts of baffling calculations, trial and error and accidental Kerbal murder as this sequel seeks to improve on what the previous title did well and double down on it with glorious effect. It also features multiplayer for the first time, meaning that you can destroy rockets and colonies of your friends and total strangers by accident. That is, if like me, you were never any good at the first game.
The consoles
It wouldnāt be right to look to the future of 2020 and not mention the biggest and most impressive consoles to date. The Xbox Series X and imaginatively named PlayStation 5 (yes, the logo is exactly the same as last time) are set to be released in Winter this year.
It’s safe to say theyāre pretty similar in what they offer, with both promising to be incredible steps up previous generations. The Xbox is boasting possible 8K abilities, complete backwards compatibility, the ability to use your old Xbox accessories (controller, headset, etc) and launches with Halo Infinite the first big Halo title since 2015. It also has a disk tray, so you can still buy physical games alongside owning the Xbox Games Pass.
The new Hellblade game by Nina Theory will be set for release after the initial rollout of the Xbox, so this could be set for 2021 and promises to be another harrowing, dark and terrifying experience and delve into the experiences of suffering from acute mental health problems. Other than that it looks as though there are plenty of third-party games coming to both consoles to keep everyone happy.
The PlayStation 5 is boasting similar specs, also looking to achieve 8K and backwards compatibility. Traditional Xbox have won the compatibility battle, with PlayStation lagging far behind and looking to the future, so it is nice to see that Sony are finally realising that people still want to play their old games – even on a new console. Not a lot has been said about what they are going to be launching the PS5 with. Hopes are for the sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn, or maybe a new Infamous game. Please? Whatever it is, Sony will have to launch something alongside the PS5 that packs a real punch and not make the same mistake Xbox side with the shocking release of the Xbox One that saw them lose the generation battle.
This time around itās all looking a lot more positive for Microsoft rather than Sony. Having created some of the best single-player exclusives of all time for the PS4, it might be that we are going to see more for the PS5 and simply donāt know what they are yet. However, without a launch title yet to speak of and an unattractive looking horse-shoe style console going up against the sleek and elegant Xbox Series X, it is nowhere near safe to say who is going to win this generation.
To slightly paraphrase Gandalf: the battle of this generation is over, the battle for the new one is about to begin.
By Chris King