Top 5 ANTICIPATED Games of 2021 (So Far)
Due to higher-than-normal stress levels, this blog has been silent for about 1 month. To fill this void, I introduced a new type of post: Tales from the Grieve, which are older blog posts written by me from when I was younger and had dreams of writing a review-based blog. Please rest assured, I am on a new self-care regimen (including a firm bed-time and morning routine that is helping a lot) and the regular blogs will hopefully continue with this trend.
What may baffle some of you is that I will be ending my game collecting days when the shelves for the PS4 and Xbox One games are full (and they almost are).
I will not be looking to purchase the new consoles and will instead focus on playing the games I own and continue to enjoy. This decision was also made when I chose to opt out of getting a Switch as I had just finished collecting for the WiiU.
With that said, I’ve compiled my TOP 5 Anticipated Games of 2021 that I can play and am excited for! Here we go...
5. Resident Evil (8): Village
Resident Evil: Village is the eighth main entry in Capcom's seminal horror franchise and, while the films may have led the fanbase astray in both content and execution, the games have been on fire lately. After disappointing legions of fans with Resident Evil 6, Capcom surprised everyone at E3 a few years ago with the reveal of a new entry in the series. This time in first-person and with a new protagonist, Resident Evil: Biohazard, the 7th official entry, firmly re-rooted the series as a masterwork of horror and sent the company on a trajectory to release re-makes of Resident Evil 2 and 3 in the following years. Resident Evil: Village, the eighth entry is set to continue the story from Biohazard and appears to be making deliberate choices that will shake the fan community in good ways.
I've been collecting the Resident Evil games for the PS4 for a little while now and it's striking to me how much I am looking forward to playing through the series. Yes, you read that right. I plan on playing through the entire series (well, the numbered entries) on the PS4. I have still yet to collect the re-makes of Resident Evil 2 and 3, but I am very delighted that Capcom have decided to allow PS4 owners the chance to play the next game in the series on the PlayStation 4 (it was originally announced for the PS5 and newest Xbox only). This is a genuinely exciting prospect. I look forward to going through the series proper when I am able to do so!
4. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (XBO)
A Long Time Ago in a Galaxy Far, Far Away...
Two of the greatest things in my childhood were LEGO and Star Wars. They both provided a fun and safe outlet for someone who internalized a lot of feelings and also allowed him to dream of a larger world. These two things were especially important to me, growing up without siblings in a relatively small community (or at least a community smaller than the one I currently inhabit). Traveller's Tales is refining their LEGO Star Wars video games from the ground up this spring with a game built from the ground up on a brand new engine and faithfully adapting the entire Skywalker Saga (the 9 mainline Star Wars films) into playable LEGO levels. This easily deserves its spot on this list and I can't wait to see how they re-tool the original six films (I am quite familiar with TT's original work with the Complete Saga from the Xbox 360) and how they execute the newest ones.
3. Horizon: Forbidden West (PS4)
They say that media can help you cope with dramatic change incurred in your life. At the beginning of 2017, there was a pretty substantial change in my family dynamic that was very hard for me to deal with. A chance birthday gift of an Amazon card allowed me to pour into one particular piece of media to help work through that pain. The game I picked up was Horizon: Zero Dawn, which had an absolutely incredible story and gameplay experience. In it, you played as Aloy, a young woman trying to uncover her mysterious origins in a tribal land where dinosaur-like machines are the apex predator. What happened to the world and how can she possibly tie into it...and who are the masked cultists who are bent on killing her? While the first game revealed answers to these questions, I am absolutely ecstatic about the sequel when it launches later this year.
2. Mass Effect - Legendary Edition (XBO)
It is an inevitable fact that if I ever speak to you about video games in any way, I will - sooner or later - bring up the Mass Effect trilogy. Most people I have spoken to about it have heard of its length (it's not really THAT long) and that it's set in space. Well, it is a TRILOGY, so yes, there is a bit of a time commitment, but this trilogy does something unique: the choices you make in the first game's narrative carry-over to the second, and, subsequently, the third. This allows for a full story-arc that is player-driven and that allows major elements to change (like characters dying and up-to and including, the fate of the galaxy). Yes, it does escalate, but the story is a damn compelling one: you play as Commander Shepard as they set out on a mission to stop a rogue agent, but quickly learn of an invading force of sentient machines that are about to enter the Milky Way (our galaxy).
The trilogy act together as an excellent three-act structure with a high emphasis on character development and connection. The Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is bringing all three games in the trilogy to the Xbox One (and PS4) and will be adding new elements together in order to update the games with a modern sensibility. Despite only having the announcement and no specific details on the outlined changes, I am very excited at the prospect of experiencing more of this wonderful story.
1. Halo: Infinite (XBO)
What list of anticipated games is complete without Halo? 2021 marks the 20th anniversary of Halo: Combat Evolved and it still holds up! Later this year, the sixth entry in the series, Halo: Infinite will be releasing after benefitting (because it's not suffering) from a one year delay and I couldn't be more excited. Halo and Halo 2 were always the game to play at sleepovers when I was growing up, but even for the fantastic multiplayer that it has (it's actually the only multiplayer game I play outside of Destiny and Titanfall), the story was always the biggest thing for me.
Halo is a story of galactic super-weapons (is there any other kind?), genetically-enhanced soldiers, the nature of what it means to be human, and the desperate bond one can have with an Amazon Alexa. Okay, the bond between the Master Chief and Cortana is pretty stretched out at this point, but at least the last game took a risk by making the Chief's A.I. the series' villain (sorry/not sorry, it's been 6 years). Curiously, it seems that Halo: Infinite is veering away from that arc. It is being touted as a spiritual re-boot of the series, but also serves as a continuation of the story set up from Halo 5: Guardians. Reports suggest that Halo: Infinite's going to be entirely realized in one continuous camera shot similarly to 2018's God of War, which would be awesome. This will also be the only Halo game that is open-world with players being able to explore (I believe) the first HALO ring. Either way, I can't wait!
Have a Great Week!
SF
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