2021 was a good year for gaming. Indie games and mods of the highest order made an appearance and there were some decent AAA and AA games thrown into the mix too. As the new year is upon us, it is time for us to look towards the future and see what is coming next!
God of War
One of the better console exclusives to release during the PS4/Xbox One era. A title known for good combat and interesting storytelling is finally making its way onto the PC platform. This one is coming soon – January 2022 and we cannot wait to experience it. Better late than never for the God of War franchise to be (officially) immortalized within the universal gaming platform.
Elden Ring
The Japanese development studio FromSoftware worked with the legendary writer George RR Martin on this one and it is looking sweet indeed!
An open world Dark Souls 3 with some elements from Bloodborne and Sekiro thrown into the mix, in a new and unique world? More advanced RPG and combat mechanics and even better multiplayer integration? A deep and engaging story and world? These would be a tall order for any developer but FromSoftware are just built different. They’ve done almost all of this 4 times before, they can hopefully do it again.
Only thing I hope they do right this time is the PC port though. 60 fps is fine and dandy, but 120 fps is even better for such skill-based games.
Now if only George would go and finally finish A Song of Ice and Fire – that would be sweet. From are workaholics and I am sure they will deliver no matter what but damn George… it has been a decade. We need the final 2 books *incoherent ramblings*
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl
We’ve written an article on our wish list for a possible sequel to this legendary PC Series. Thankfully, it seems we are getting the sequel we dreamed of. One of the best FPS games and most ambitious video game franchises of all time, STALKER seems to be back!
The Zone is not an apocalypse. It should be beautiful!
Built on the absolutely top-of-the-line Unreal Engine 5 and promising both modding support and the return of the vaunted A-Life system it is looking good so far. However, I remain cautious since while the Ukrainian developers over at GSC Game World are saying all the correct things, the recent drama with the NFT Metaverse (cancelled) and radio silence on the project proper are not inherently great omens. With mods like NLC 7 for the original STALKER representing perhaps the finest open-world gameplay in all of gaming, GSC will have a lot to live up to, but even so I have hope. Open world FPS design really desperately needs this to be good and if there is someone apart from modders for the original STALKER that has a chance to deliver – its STALKER 2.
Total War: Warhammer 3
The Total War series is one of the heaviest hitters PC Gaming has – and damn does Warhammer 3 look amazing! A follow-up to the critically and fan acclaimed Warhammer titles within the series, this is one strategy game to look out for indeed. The main studio of Creative Assembly in Britain is heading the development of this title.
Men of War 2
Another classic returns. The real time tactics series Men of War (and its 69420 dozen spin offs) are among the most modded and honestly – most fun RTT titles in the world. Featuring detailed armour and physics, destructible environments, in-depth inventories for most units and both awesome large and small-scale combat – this is one to look out for.
Let’s just hope the engine is finally 64-bit and with some low-level API support. Honestly, that is a must for games like these. Men of War’s 32-bit nature and relatively poor multi-threading are limiting the otherwise insane creativity of this series. Ukrainian and German masterminds at Best Way and Digitalmindsoft – please make sure you have the tech in order! Your games are otherwise always solid gameplay-wise. No matter what happens though – tactics fans should look out for this one for sure.
Company of Heroes 3
It seems like 2022 has some awesome Strategy/Tactics games making a resurgence. Of course, following Men of War it is only right for us to also have Company of Heroes – one of the greatest RTS franchises of all time, and a hopeful return to the mastery from the Canadian developers at Relic Entertainment.
A promising campaign and some very interesting gameplay choices, I am so far quite pleased with this game. With the correct amount of polish, this iconic arcade strategy game may help us finally see a resurgence of the genre. A genre that has gone on ignored for far too long.
Dying Light 2 Stay Human
Yeah, it is finally happening! The Zombie Survival Action RPG-thing (genres these days…) is getting a sequel and a mighty good looking one at that. Of course, all games look great on their trailers but with just how fun Dying Light 1 was… Polish developer Techland should be able to knock it out of the park!
System Shock Remake and System Shock 2 VR
The return of System Shock… yeah, this is finally happening thanks to Night Dive Studios. In fact, you can even download a demo showing the 1st level already. As it is, it seems a bit too easy to be System Shock but apart from that minor gripe – the game looks and plays great. If the rest of the game keeps even 90% of the quality of the demo… well damn, for the gamers who have never played System Shock before – I envy you. You will experience get to experience greatness itself.
System Shock 2 on the other hand is getting both a VR port and an Enhanced Edition running on the KEX engine. This specific game is a great fit for VR and I cannot wait to experience its horror… intimately!
And so ends our brief look at some of the hottest upcoming releases. We will no doubt see multiple new announcements next year, as well as many DLCs, expansions, and patches that would greatly expand already released titles. It is safe to say that the future of gaming looks wicked and we cannot wait to get our hands on these titles!
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