New year, new games, baybeee! This is going to be an interesting year as we see the Playstation 4 and Xbox One fade into the sunset and, hopefully, the new generation rise in prominence. There arenโt an incredible amount of next-gen (current-gen?) exclusives right now but 2021 looks to fix that with some potential bangers.
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Just because I donโt have a PS5 yet doesnโt mean I canโt be hype about games I may or may not get to play, provided console availability!
Halo: Infinite
I should preface this by saying that while Iโm anticipating this game, itโs more of the wary, โBoy, I really hope this game doesnโt suckโ kind of anticipation. Iโve loved the Halo series ever since I was a kid. It was in a lot of ways the series I grew up with. What Mario and all those 16-bit bangers meant to the generation before me, is how I feel about Halo. It introduced me to first-person shooters, military sci-fi, and online gaming. All of which are things I still love today.
So, you can imagine I was feeling some kind of way when Halo 5: Guardians just straight up didnโt hit. It is the only Halo game I still havenโt played through all the way. I know I wasnโt alone in thinking this as Halo 5 had essentially zero staying power upon its release.
Iโm hoping Infinite rights the ship and puts some respect back on the Halo name. Given the gameโs protracted development, underwhelming showing at last summerโs Xbox Series X event, and the yearlong delay that resulted from that showing, itโs looking a bit iffy on if the game will do so. You might be asking that given all the issues and caveats, why is it on my list?
Well, I just fucking love Halo, yโall.
The possibility of a good Halo game will always be something I anticipate. Besides, given that this is the franchiseโs 20th anniversary, Iโm really rooting for the team at 343 Industries to pull through and deliver a good-ass space shooter.
GTA VI...just messing, we know it ainโt ever coming out. You know what game probably will though?
Final Fantasy XVI
If youโve been reading any of the gaming articles on The Root, then this entry really shouldnโt come as a surprise.
What can I say? Iโm anime trash, and I own that shit. Not much has been revealed about what kind of game Final Fantasy XVI actually is, but if I were a betting man, Iโd say it looks to be the third Massively Multiplayer Online game in the franchise, following FF XI and FF XIV: A Realm Reborn (If anyone gets in the comments talking about โWell, actually Final Fantasy XIV was technically the second-โ on everything holy I will slap the shit out you. We donโt acknowledge that game in this space.)
The trailer released during last summerโs PS5 event promised a large-scale epic, with an art style reminiscent of FF XIV: A Realm Reborn, and the game even sharing the same director. A cursory look at the gameโs official site also lends the idea that the game will be an MMO with multiple factions.
While Iโve enjoyed what Iโve played of FF XIV: A Realm Reborn, there was just so much content there that by the time I could actually play it, I felt like I could never keep up. Whether itโs an MMO, or a straightforward action role-playing game, Iโm looking forward to diving into the world of Valisthea later this year.
Deathloop
As soon as I saw the trailer for this game, I knew I was in. It basically has everything I ask for in a game. Unique gameplay mechanics? Check. An art style that catches your eye and doesnโt let go? Check. A developer with a track record of making bangers? Check, check, and check. Oh, and it got a Black protagonist? Shietttt, nigga, you ainโt gotta tell me twice.
Deathloop casts you as a hitman who finds heโs stuck in a time loop on a mysterious island. You must kill eight targets over the course of a loop or the loop will be reset. The game also boasts a multiplayer component that places another player in control of an assassin who wishes to protect the loop and is assigned to kill you to stop the player from breaking it.
Developer Arkane Studios has killed it in recent years with Prey and the Dishonored series, so Iโm very curious to see where they go next with this title.
While those are only three games, the list can go on. Honorable mentions go out to Horizon: Forbidden West, No More Heroes III, and Shin Megami Tensei 5. Are there any games youโre looking forward to that I may have missed? Drop them below! Provided they arenโt delayed, 2021 looks like it may have some bangers on handโand I, for one, cannot wait.
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