As the world continues to buckle under the weight of the Covid pandemic, many of the things we would have taken for granted a few years ago are temporarily out of bounds. Now the prospect of attending a convention centre packed with thousands of sweaty bodies all squashed into a giant gamer meatloaf is just not going to fly. The ‘con-pox’ was never appealing to start, with but these days it might actually finish you off. So for now the games industry is having to make do with online-only events being streamed around the world to an ever-growing army of gamers. The excitement and hype for E3 had been waning in recent years, so this has left the once lauded conference on a bit of a sticky wicket.
Regardless, this year the show definitely went ahead (with a few notable absences like Sony) and I’m actually glad it did. For one, there are a lot of people whose livelihoods are based solely on these conferences and I can’t even imagine the hardship these changes have caused. I also think people have been locked up for so long now, just getting to see an event from pre-Covid is a mental balm in itself. In terms of actual game reveals, it is known that many studios have slowed to a crawl due to staff working from home, so I didn't have high expectations this year. However, now looking back over the conference, I am really happy with my shortlist of games to get excited about. I tend to avoid talking about reveals that are pure CGI (Contraband I’m looking at you) unless it holds a particular interest for me. I was happy to see Ubisoft committing to more content for the excellent Assassins Creed Valhalla, as well as a Discovery Mode which so far have been great on the prior games. Microsoft Flight Simulator also continues to grow and improve at an impressive pace, I’ll include the trailer we saw below for the Xbox release. So with that let us take a look at the games I think you should be keeping an eye on over the next twelve months.
Games of E3 2021
Sommerville
Dev: Jumpship
I wanted to kick my E3 list off with this game as it really grabbed my attention with a mix of War of the Worlds and Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Sommerville is the debut title from indie developer Jumpship, which has links to the excellent Limbo and Inside. This was immediately obvious to me just by the way this game world looks and moves. The trailer shows a world very much like ours but with melancholy dripping off every pixel. One of the opening scenes shows a family sat in a darkened house in front of a flickering TV: even in this quiet moment you can feel the malevolence pressing in from the shadows around them.
It seems you predominantly play as the father as we see him in various locations and situations. It is clear this world is under siege from some force that threatens you and your family. The need to protect your loved ones (and your pooch!) could be a really interesting and powerful element to the gameplay. It is set for a 2022 release so still a good wait, but this was definitely one of the most interesting games shown at E3.
A Plague Tale: Requiem
Dev: Asobo Studio
A Plague Tale: Innocence really caught me off guard when I set out to play it. I had gone in not expecting to like it too much but very quickly I was enthralled by its world, characters and the deadly swarm of rats which dog your every move. For those who have finished the first game, it will be no surprise that we now see a sequel on the way. A Plague Tale Requiem looks to be a direct sequel that follows the events of the first game. There appears to be a new setting being teased in the trailer that shows a more sunny, Mediterranean coastline. So far all we have is a 2022 release window, but I’m sure the wait will be well worth it.
Starfield
Dev: Bethesda
November 11th 2022
Ok so we were promised ‘gameplay’ for Starfield and yet all we got was a take off sequence built with in-engine assets. From what I can see the Creation Engine 2 looks like it can produce beautiful and detailed visuals. However, the very fact they are still calling it the Creation Engine gives me concerns. The Creation Engine has dogged the last few Bethesda games with massive technical issues that came to a head in Fallout 76. I will do some more digging but this is certainly one red flag for me. To be fair this engine was probably being used well before Microsoft took the reins this year.
With all the bullshit that Todd Howard came out with on the unveiling of Fallout 76, he has a lot of work to do before I trust him or his studio again. My hope is that now Microsoft owns Bethesda they will get their ship back in order and future games will be polished to a far higher standard. Even with my concerns, the trailer did look great with plenty of interesting details to take on board (including the location for Elder Scrolls 6!). I love how the ship take-off sequence feels old school and we may get some decent simulation aspects to the exploration. Certainly, one to watch but with a modicum of caution.
Deaths Door
Dev: Acid Nerve
July 20th 2021
So let’s just deal with the elephant in the room, the hero for this title is a sword-wielding ninja crow. This one fact immediately caught my attention as you don't see many games with an avian protagonist. The skinny is that your assigned soul is pinched by an unscrupulous thief and you must track them through the realm of the dead.
This kind of bizarre premise is right up the ally of publisher Devolver Digital who is well known for taking chances on some of the more off the wall gaming ideas out there. I have seen a few trailers for this game now and they all display a razor-sharp combat system that sees you using a whole arsenal of weapons and combat moves. The game world itself is also an intriguing smorgasbord of evil creatures and some insane looking boss fights. Just check out the trailer below and tell me you don’t want to play this one.
Battlefield 2042
Dev: DICE
October 22nd 2021
I grew up playing online shooters such as Medal of Honour and Project Reality. As the Battlefield games started making their presence known, it was clear these multiplayer war games were here to stay. For me, this first golden age of online war games came to an end after Battlefield 4 and the amazing Titanfall 2. Sure, I had a look at the other Battlefield games but they have been increasingly devoid of what made Battlefield 3 and 4 so good to play.
This year we are going to get a new entry in the Battlefield series and this time it is heading into the future. As we have seen this last year, trailers can be deceiving but from what I can tell there is a lot to get excited about. The big news is that there will be no single-player campaign which caused a few raised eyebrows. I’ll just say that the single-player aspect of these games has been hammered with each new game (aside from maybe BF1) so people can shut the hell up, you got what you wanted. I also think this will be a very good thing because the developers can now focus entirely on the multiplayer maps and modes that will ship with the game. With plenty of futuristic tech being utilised, gamers can look forward to a different combat situation than in the past few titles. However, we are still close enough to our own time period to still have the meaty roar of current day ordinance. On PC we are going to have 128 player maps and from the looks of things a spectacular selection of set pieces.
Do I have an abundance of faith in EA? No of course not. EA are a harbinger of the very worst parts of the games industry, but unfortunately, they have their tendrils around some of the best IP’s and developers in gaming. So like always we wait and we hope.
FAR: Changing Tides
Okomotive
Coming soon
I have always said that the price you pay for a game shouldn’t be held up as an indication of quality. Indeed the time you spend in a digital world can be fleeting, but no less profound than a month-long saga with the likes of Geralt of Rivia. A few years ago I was charmed by a game from developer Okomotive, which can be played to its conclusion in a lazy afternoon. However the emotional zing I got from that journey will stay with me for a long time. It was great to see that we are going to be once again setting sail with a slightly different mode of transport this time around.
Like in the first game, it would appear we must navigate a fantastic contraption through various challenges and precarious situations. I’ve always loved any kind of underwater exploration in games so this new adventure should have an added degree of interest for me. I can’t wait to play this one but please check out my review from the prior game here.
Redfall
Dev: Arkane
2022
So if you know me you will know that I have a lot of time for developers at Arkane Studios. They have brought some of the most interesting and gruesomely intricate game worlds to life. The Dishonored series is just a playground of dark corners and deadly assassins. We can also thank them for absolute masterpieces such as Prey, which to this day is one of the best space-based horror games ever made. So to hear a developer with this kind of record is bringing us a Vampire shooter with co-op elements, well that’s a very exciting prospect indeed.
For now, we have been treated to a highly polished CGI trailer showing off the world of Redfall and presumably some of the characters we will be able to play as. With most other studios I would be wary of pretty CGI trailers but I trust Arkane to deliver the goods. This one will be arriving in 2022 at the earliest so for now, we shall just have to mark this one on the list for next year.
Stalker 2
Dev: GSC Game World
April 28th 2022
I was surprised when I looked up the original Stalker release date, in my head, it was way earlier than 2007. I think maybe one of the reasons for this was that it was certainly not a game that pushed the technical envelope of first-person shooters. Yet despite the ropy visuals, Stalker had atmosphere by the bucket load. You played as a lone survivor in the Chernobyl wasteland, an irradiated area of the Ukrainian Soviet Union. One of the more interesting aspects was the various anomalies you would encounter on your travels. The second game, Call of Pripyat in 2009 was well-received but fans have been clambering for a modern-day Stalker for many years.
We have known a team has been working on a sequel for a few years now in what was one of the worst kept secrets in the industry. At this years E3 we finally got a look at the game running and oh boy did it impress. Environments now have a very high level of detail and yet still maintain the run down decay that covered the first outing. Gunplay also looks to have been improved dramatically with new weapons and mechanics to use in the battle to survive. This is definitely one of my most anticipated game of 2022.
The Ascent
Dev: Neon Giant
July 29th 2021
Those of us who were craving a new and exciting wave of Cyberpunk games have been left with a bad taste after the spectacular fail from CD Projekt Red. Yet just because one game didn't cut the cheese it doesn’t mean the movement is dead. The Ascent looks to gives us some fast-paced twin-stick shooter action while moving through a world dripping in Cyberpunk goodness.
The action looks like an absolute blast with devastating explosions and a whole manner of gory ways to dispatch your targets. Of course, the proof in the pudding will be getting hands-on and we won’t have long to wait because it releases on the 29th of July this year. I have a good feeling about this one.
Farcry 6
Dev: Ubisoft
October 7th 2021
Ok, I’ll just admit it; I’m a sucker for the Farcry games bumps and all. Yes, I recognise that some of them have had their issues with pacing or inordinate amounts of filler (it’s Ubisoft after all). However, when all is said and done they are incredibly well-made games that let you blow off some steam after a hard day on the farm. Farcry 5 was a really nice step in the right direction, at least in terms of gameplay and systems. I loved the more organic way you had to navigate and it also had some hilarious quests to get stuck into. My only criticism was the dickhead main antagonist and the painfully bad ending. (I like to win and also you killed my dog!)
Of course, there will always be another Farcry game like there will always be another sunrise. This time we are set to take on the dictator Antón Castillo (played by Giancarlo Esposito) on the fictional Caribbean island known as Yara. As any fan of Breaking Bad will testify, Giancarlo’s presence could make for an antagonist to rival even Vaas from Farcry 3. The environments, weapons and action all look gorgeous in this setting. Our new protagonist certainly makes herself known when on-screen but I will reserve judgement until I’ve seen a little more of her in action. This looks like it could be one of the best Farcry games to date and is set to be released on the 7th of October 2021.
Silt
Dev: Spiral Circus
This indie title certainly caught my eye with its dark moody visuals and in fact, it really reminds me of a more water-based Limbo. It seems you must explore the dark depths to solve puzzles and survive the nasty beasts that drift around you in the murky twilight. There is also a cool possession mechanic that allows you to take control of other creatures in order to get certain tasks done. This one is looking like an early 2022 title so add it to your list.
The Riftbreaker
Dev: EXOR Studios
Fall 2021
I’ve been trying to remember where I first saw this base-building extravaganza because it’s been floating around various shows for years. I saw it mentioned in one of the shows this year and after a quick refresher on YouTube, I’ve been reminded why this little gem is on my list. As the video shows, the scale of building here is really impressive and I have to wonder just how crazy you can go. There are also combat elements to the game where you must convince the local wildlife to keep away with a mix of lead and plasma. Just watching your mech mow down waves of ravenous creatures really reminds me of Hell Divers, which is not a bad thing. This is still set for a release window later this year so let’s hope GamesCom gives us an exact date.
Forza Horizon Five
Dev: Playground Games
November 9th 2021
You can’t play every game, believe me, I’ve tried. Racing games have always been one of those genres that I really would like to play more of but get distracted by the XCOMs and Witcher 3’s of this world. Even when I had the last Forza Horizon at my fingertips on Gamepass, it was other titles that lured me away. After watching the astoundingly beautiful reveal of Forza Horizon 5 at E3 this year, that might be about to change.
Leaving the leafy streets of England behind the game is now heading to the stunning location of Mexico. Even in this modest showcase, we can see a whole range of varied locations such as coastal towns, rain forests and desert dunes. Sand storms seem to be the thing this year as both Battlefield 2042 and this has players agog at impossibly massive walls of menacing sand. It all looks very pretty with insane levels of detail on both the cars and environments. I’m not sure how staged the multiplayer elements were (I suspect a lot) but it still looks like this could be a great game to tool around in with your friends.
Grounded
Dev: Obsidian
2022 (early access)
I already have this little cracker in the Oven (early access section) for anyone who wants to know more, but I’m just giving it a mention here as we are now set to get the next content update for this promising survival game. The ‘Doom and Shroom’ update brings many features such as player pets, a new boss encounter and more building options which all look great. I will be checking this out on June 30th and updating my early access impressions accordingly.
Game of the Show
Replaced
Dev: Sad Cat Studios
As the trailer opens up it looks like many other beautifully realised pixel-art games we have seen in the last few years. As the main character walks past a broken and run-down cityscape, I was already thinking this looked good. Then the action is kicked up a notch and we are suddenly getting Bladerunner vibes with some extremely stylish combat. Just looking around the game world there are so many details and cool environmental effects. In one section your characters is swinging across a gap and the animation is gorgeous.
This was a very short trailer but I’m already sold on this new game from Sad Cat Studios. With a 2022 release window it’s going to be a decent wait, but from what I can see this looks like game of the year material.