As I’ve said in the past, I’m just one guy running this site. As such, I don’t have the finances or time to play absolutely every game. Sometimes, I don’t get to games “on time” and well after they’ve been out and praised. Look at Persona 5. Took me a few years to get to that one.
So, as I typically do each year after the holiday break, I’m presenting you with games that should of been included in the End of Year awards, but missed the cutoff. Better yet, I’ve decided to combine it with my Game Crash Awards Superlatives in what I hope will be both information and entertaining.
Unlike my more serious awards back in December…you know, the more standard categories, these superlatives are a bit wackier and cover some topics you may not have realized. So, here are the games that didn’t make the Gamer Crash Awards for 2021 but totally should have. Enjoy!
Well, here we are, the big one. The first day of 2022 brings with it the biggest award that I can give out: Game of the Year. As usual, the year brought us an absurd level of just amazing games and experiences, making this category extremely competitive.
Before we jump in, just a reminder in case you missed it earlier. Below, you’re not going to see everything that was released in 2021, many of which you’d probably expect to see in a “Game of the Year” style list. I haven’t played everything. I’m one person with limited time so there are instances where I have to pick and choose what I’m going to devote my time to. I can acknowledge that games like Resident Evil Village, It Takes Two, and Monster Hunter Rise are awesome and probably deserve to be here. However, I haven’t played it as of yet so it wouldn’t be fair for me to put it here. How can I judge something, I haven’t played?
With that said, there’s still a ton of amazing games which I just had a ton of fun playing and really left me impressed this year. So, without further delay, here are my personal nominees.
Metroid Dread – Nintendo/MercurySteam
After countless years of begging, Nintendo finally delivered a brand new 2D Metroid and boy did it deliver.
Forza Horizon 5 – Microsoft/Playground Games
Somehow, this series continues to get better and better with each new iteration.
Deathloop – Bethesda/Arkane Studios
While the marketing and promotions left me mostly confused, Deathloop quickly became one of the best of 2021 after launch.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – Sony/Insomniac Games
Already a wonderful series, this latest entry even challenges the visuals of Pixar.
Returnal – Housemarque
While primarily known for it’s smaller arcade style action games, Housemarque hit a home run with its first true major AAA title.
Halo Infinite – Microsoft/343 Industries
After all the reported development trouble, Halo Infinite really impresses and boy is that grapple shot a ton of fun.
The awards keep rolling along! This time, we’re looking at the best smaller or independent game.
As always, there are just a ton, many of which I wasn’t able to get to. It Takes Two picked up a ton of awards this year, including Game of the Year at The Game Awards, though you won’t find it on my list as I haven’t played it. Inscryption is another one that has had strong word of mouth and while it looks really interesting, that’s another one I just haven’t had a chance to check out. Still, there are some worthy names below!
So, without further adieu, here are the nominees:
Hot Wheels Unleashed – Milestone Growing up, I had a ton of Hot Wheels and could play for hours building my own tracks. Hot Wheels Unleashed manages to capture that part of my childhood in the best way possible. While the driving is spot on and incredibly arcadey, which is important for any racer, there’s one element that really helps it stand out: authenticity.
I was blown away by the attention to detail the developers managed to add here. The Hot Wheels tracks look like ones you could go and buy at any department/toy store, and seeing them set up in a way that an actual human would in various locations like living rooms and garages is really cool. However, the standout aspect are the huge variety of cars themselves which feel like they were taken off a store shelf and somehow shoved into the game exactly as they were.
Loop Hero – Four Quarters While it’s not going to blow you away with its retro style visuals, Loop Hero‘s simple premise is more than enough to hook you into its gameplay. Essentially, you play a nameless hero who awakens in a camp after an evil lich has essentially ended the world. Seeking to rebuild, the player will come across other survivors who can’t remember the world, though over time, you’ll be able to expand your camp and unlock new abilities.
Again, the gameplay is seemingly simple on paper but has a lot of nuance. Your character auto moves along a loop, unlocking loot and new cards which the player can put down on the loop. Typically this adds obstacles and hardship on the path, but in doing so, the character gets stronger and finds more resources to bring back to the camp to expand. The longer the player is able to stay alive and navigate the loop, eventually, the boss appears for that world. Win and move on to the next chapter, die and lose most of the resources you’ve collected to that point. However, you can escape the loop back at the start, ending it before the boss arrives.
Shovel Knight: Pocket Dungeon – Yacht Club Games and Vine It’s crazy to me that Shovel Knight originally released all the way back in 2014 and yet, the character is not only still going strong with expansions, but the IP is crossing over into other indie titles as well as completely new genres. Cut to Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon, a collaboration between Yacht Club and Vine and a game that I had no idea was a thing until like days before it launched.
Essentially a roguelike, dungeon crawler, puzzle game, players control Shovel Knight (or a ton of unlockable character each with their own playstyles) as they move through iconic locations trying to defeat enemies while keeping the puzzle board clear. It’s fun, frantic, and surprisingly, has an interesting story that seemingly reveals a little more each time you die and are sent back to your camp. Plus, the game comes with a ton of different modes if you want a break from the main Adventure.
Psychonauts 2 – Double Fine This may be a bit controversial for some of you since Double Fine is now owned by Microsoft, but if you follow the development history, Psychonauts 2 has been in development much longer than Microsoft’s acquisition. In fact, prior to that, the game had all sorts of ups, downs, and delays, so there was plenty of hardship in addition to success prior to getting big money backing. Long story short, Double Fine was deep into development before Microsoft appeared at their door.
I don’t have a lot of familiarity with the original game so I’d imagine longtime fans would get a bit more out of it than newcomers like me, but what I played was phenomenal. The platforming felt great, characters memorable, and being able to constantly get a little stronger through upgrades was just spot on.
Splitgate – 1047 Games While this has been available in Early Access on PC, in 2021 it finally arrived on consoles which is when I checked it out since it is free to play. The best way to describe this game is that it feels like a love letter to the classic Bungie produced Halo games. The modes, maps, and most importantly, the gunplay feel ripped out of time in the best way possible.
However, instead of stopping there, Splitgate adds a very unique twist. In addition to running and gunning as you’d expect, players have a portal gun which can not only be used for traversal, but setting up some crazy kills in a match. It’s unique and just a ton of fun.
The next award we’re taking a look at today is the biggest surprise. These can be games that were completely off my radar when they launched or were way better than I assumed they’d be. It’s always a fun surprise when a game comes out of no where.
Naturally, in a world so plugged in to the internet, surprises are still kind of hard to come by these days. We’re inundated with social media, videos, streaming, and pre-release information so most of the time, we’re already aware of everything well in advance. Thankfully, there are still a few games that, for better or worse, fly under the radar and then seemingly launch out of nowhere.
This list below is comprised of many games that did just that for me as well as a few that I kinda expected to hate but actually turned out better than I thought. In the end, these games not only completely flew past my expectations, but they made me a believer in them.
And with that said, here are the nominees:
Halo Infinite The main reason why I’ve placed this game here is because of how ROUGH it looked last year. Granted, the community backlash and endless “Craig” memes helped Microsoft delay Halo Infinite into 2021, effectively removing its big Xbox Series X/S system seller in the process. Kudos to Microsoft for thinking more about the brand than lost sales.
I think ultimately, that line of thinking paid off majorly. While there has been plenty of reports about the rough development cycle, Halo Infinite turned out much better than it likely should have. The multiplayer is fun and frantic, fitting in with the series’ classic style. The campaign has been a real treat so far as well and I have to be honest, the open world segments feel real good. I like the mix of classic linear levels that feed back into this open space where there are things to find and side missions to tackle if you want. Plus, being upgrade Master Chief just feels right as well, as limited as it may be.
Deathloop Generally speaking, I love Arkane games. They really know how to create these interesting sandbox style spaces, whether that be in Dishonored or Prey, letting you accomplish your goals how you want. However, I couldn’t get a read on Deathloop at all. As we all know, the game was HEAVILY marketed for the PS5, getting tons of trailers, marketing promotions, and even a dedicated Sony Presentation. However, through all of that, I found it impossible to understand how this game would work considering that you’re constantly looping through the same day over and over.
Needless to say, when the game finally launched this year, I was stunned to see universal praise and ridiculously high review scores, with a bunch of outlets giving it a perfect score. This strong word of mouth pushed me to get it and I am so glad I did. Deathloop is stylish and extremely fun to play. It’s a shame marketing had such trouble describing it, but the gameplay loop is extremely strong and borrows a lot from Dishonored, while also adding in its own fun twists. The story is interesting, the gameplay is addictive, and the mechanics are really well done.
Guardians of the Galaxy Considering that Square Enix was coming off of the bomb that was Marvel’s Avengers, expectations were decidedly low for Guardians of the Galaxy. However, the marketing campaign at E3 managed to say all the correct things: no microtransactions, no DLC, single player story experience, and all unlockables can be earned by playing.
Lo and behold, it wasn’t all just talk. Guardians of the Galaxy is one of my favorite games of 2021 and really blew me away with how much care and attention to detail Eidos Montreal was able to infuse. They stayed true to what makes the Guardians who they are: sarcastic, off the wall characters with a little heart mixed in for good measure. The characters were all well written, and the game had a Mass Effect style vibe to it with being in control of Star-Lord, but being able to control your teammates. Definitely check this game out if you initially passed on it.
Final Fantasy VII Remake Alright, fine, this is technically a 2020 game. So why is it here? I jumped in relatively blind to it this year. While I generally know the story as the game originally launched for the PS1 and is still revered by many, I really don’t play Final Fantasy games at all so this was my first true experience with it. Thanks to a sale and an open gap in my schedule, I figured I’d give this game a shot.
Well, I now know why people speak in such reverence of the game as it was pretty fantastic. I know that longtime fans may have gotten more out of it, with added details and fleshed out bits, but for someone completely new to the game, I found it both interesting and compelling. It also helped that the combat was snappy and the world building was outrageously good. Seeing Sector 7 for the first time and where it was positioned in Midgar, as well as the outlandish area of Wall Market were extremely memorable experiences.
New World While I’ve had my fair share of MMO experiences in my life (WoW, Guild Wars, and Dark Age of Camelot to name a few), I’ve pretty much left that side of me behind. I just don’t have the time to devote to these games and with many of them requiring a monthly subscription, I’d feel bad if I didn’t log in to “get my money’s worth.” It’s because of that, numerous delays, and Amazon’s track record with games being so poor that New World really wasn’t on my radar.
As we all know, New World got off to an incredible start, so much so that the population of players attempting to log in killed their servers. With so much positive word of mouth, and the fact that there wasn’t a required monthly subscription, I dove in. Sure, the game has some shortcomings, but I’m finding the moment to moment gameplay to be pretty fun. The focus on crafting and weapon improvement also feels very Skyrim-ish, in that you’re constantly improving the more you do something. It’s certainly addicting.
Riders Republic Steep was fun for a while but it never stuck with me for some reason. The freedom of just shredding down a mountain on this massive map was appealing, but I think I was expecting something a little more arcadey in nature. Riders Republic, while similar, seems to embrace more of that wild and anything goes style. It certainly launched to a ton of fan fair which helped it catch my attention.
What I really appreciate about Riders Republic is its gameplay and that it wants you to play how you want. There’s a billion things to do, sure, it is a Ubisoft game after all, but the game gives you the tools to let you go off and do your own thing. Want to explore? Here’s a rocket pack or skimobile. Want to perform tricks? There’s a dedicated space to do just that. Feel like taking on 60+ players in a massive race? Sure, you can! The map is massive and the game covers tons of extreme sports like BMX, Skiing/Snowboarding, to even more obscure and outlandish stuff like rocket packs, paragliding, wingsuits, and more. Riders Republic wants to make sure you’re never bored.
What, you didn’t really think I’d let the year end without the Gamer Crash Awards, did you? I know I’ve been gone for nearly half a year, but I’m certainly not one to break tradition.
So with that said, welcome to the 2021 edition of the Gamer Crash Awards! This is the annual event where we celebrate the latest and the greatest over the past year.
As always, I’d like to remind you that I’m just one person with a limited budget and time. I can’t play everything there is out there, so you’ll notice that I may have left some games, even obvious ones, off certain categories. Some games I just haven’t played or gotten around to yet so I can’t rightfully give them an award. It wouldn’t make sense and would be a little fraudulent on my part.
As I’ve said in the past, music is such an integral component of any game. The soundtrack can have a huge impact on the player’s experience. In fact, a really good soundtrack can even enhance the gameplay further, really tying everything together. Thankfully, 2021 had plenty to pick from in the pleasing sounds department.
So, let’s get to it. Here are the nominees:
Deathloop – Tom Salta and Ross Tregenza Another year, another Bethesda game makes the list. This year it’s Deathloop, a game that prior to launch was one of the most confusing and unknown titles I can remember. However, thanks to the stellar reviews and strong word of mouth, I decided to jump in and I am super glad I did.
Tom Salta, who some of you may know by his alternate name Atlus Plug, was largely in charge of this selection of music. Rightfully so, the music takes the shape of a spy thriller mixed with 60s rock. Not only does this fit the world of Deathloop so well, but it also shifts and evolves dynamically depending on the current world state. It’s a wonderful listen and really helps to further sell the gameplay and world.
Guilty Gear Strive – Daisuke Ishiwatari Let’s be honest, Guilty Gear is a series with deep ties to rock music and has always had a strong soundtrack. The same rings true for Guilty Gear Strive, the latest entry in Arc System Work’s gorgeous fighting series. Unsurprisingly, the game’s designer, Daisuke Ishiwatari, also serves as the composer once again pairing with singer Naoki Hashimoto.
I’m not going to lie to you, there are some absolute bangers on this soundtrack, though just about all of them are worth a listen. Each character has their own theme, with over 40 additional background music tracks. As expected, the tunes are rock focused, but you’ll more than likely find yourself playing the air guitar along with each one.
Persona 5 Strikers – Atsushi Kitajoh, Gota Masuoka, and Ayana Hira While it would be super easy to claim that Persona 5 Strikers simply reuses a lot of the already amazing music from Persona 5, you’d be underselling the soundtrack entirely. While yes, it does include standout tracks like Last Surprise, it also adds a remixed version of many of them to fit better with the more frantic pacing.
However, since Strikers serves as a direct sequel to the base version of Persona 5, the game also includes plenty of new tracks as well. The new tracks fit extremely well, being reminiscent of Shoji Meguro’s outstanding work, while also keeping the series long tradition of “stuck in your head themes” alive.
Loop Hero – Aleksandr “Blinch” Goreslavets The deceptively intricate Loop Hero came out of no where for me in 2021. While looking simplistic on the surface, Loop Hero certainly has a lot of layers and addictive gameplay. On top of that, it features a fantastic retro soundtrack by its composer Blinch.
In what would feel right at home during the peak NES era, Loop Hero’s music is addictively good and will likely worm its way into your head. At the very least, you’ll be humming along as your hero attempts to break the loop.
Guardians of the Galaxy – Richard Jacques and Various Artists I can already hear you screaming that Guardians of the Galaxy featuring a soundtrack composed of 80s rock bands like Blue Oyster Cult, Billy Idol, Def Leppard, and more. Yes, you’d be right and boy does it fit the game so incredibly well. Honestly, it’s a little bit like a Tony Hawk game in this regard. Great music that pairs well with the game itself.
However, did you know that Eidos-Montreal also formed their own original band called Star-Lord that would influence the eventual “Star-Lord” Peter Quill at a young age. Led by senior audio director Steve Szczepkowski on vocals along with his friend Yohann Boudreault, the duo would record a complete album of songs called Space Rider under the fictional band Star-Lord. Honestly, the tracks completely rock and I had no idea they were original music at the time. Even though it’s a fake band, Szczepkowski knocked it out of the park.
Shockingly, almost a month has gone by since the return of E3. I know I had a ton to say prior to the show, and as expected, we were all bombarded with information, reveals, announcements, and everything in between. These past few weeks have really allowed my to digest a lot of what I saw, and maybe even change or soften some of my knee jerk opinions and reactions.
Before we dive in, let me just say it was great having the show back at all. Regardless of what you thought about specific announcements, wasn’t it nice having something big to look forward to again? Yes, we had a lot of mini announcements in 2020, but there really felt like there was a void last June.
Alright, so let’s get into some actual thoughts on the show. Considering it was digital this year, there was plenty of companies that wanted in, meaning we got more than we would have normally.
Well everyone, the Summer of Reveals kicks off this week with Geoff Keighley’s Summer Games Fest. It feels good to be saying that because that also means E3 is now days away, so the level of reveals is about to get massive.
I’ve already covered the big boys of E3 with Microsoft and Nintendo predictions, but for this week, I want to focus on games that I’d love to see shown off at the show. I honestly thought we’d be getting some Saints Row action, but I have to commend THQ Nordic for getting out ahead of the expectations and indicating what they won’t be showing, as disappointing as it may be. Many of these are likely a pipe dream but that’s okay, because this is my E3 2021 wishlist.
We’re continuing on the E3 2021 prediction train this week! This time, the station we’re pulling in to is for Microsoft.
While the Xbox Series X/S remains highly sought after next generation consoles, they continue to be incredibly hard to get a hold of. Couple that with the fact that the big launch title, Halo: Infinite, was delayed and 2020 didn’t seem to have a ton of highlights for the company.
Still, they continue to knock it out of the park by offering flexible subscriptions and services which really cater to the player, with Game Pass being at the front and center. It’s because of these features that Microsoft has really started to regain its momentum and once the hardware becomes readily available to all who want one, it could be a major force once more.
Personally, I’m expecting big things from Microsoft at E3 2021. The company always tends to pull out all the stops and this year should be even more significant with Bethesda now under their roof as well. That was certainly a major recent highlight for Microsoft.
There’s a lot to get to here, so lets try to make some predictions, shall we?
The right lights and long lines may still be a distant memory in this new, post-COVID world, but we are getting a digital E3 conference this year. Better than nothing, right? At the very least, it not only gives us something to talk about, but something to look forward to with plenty of reveals from the companies which have already confirmed their attendance.
One of those companies is Nintendo, who routinely gave fans a show at E3 year after year. Even though 2020 was very good for the company in terms of sales, I can’t help but feel like the pandemic really impacted what they wanted to do. In my opinion, their first party release schedule was pretty barebones, surprisingly relying on a new Hyrule Warriors game to be their big holiday release title.
That’s not me taking a dig at them or the game, but in a normal year, Nintendo usually has more planned. I’m hoping 2021 is the opposite for them, giving fans a cornucopia of titles as the year progresses. I’m expecting a number of big reveals at the show this year, many of which I’ve spoken about quite a bit. Here’s what I’m expecting from Nintendo at E3 2021.
I’ll be honest, it felt great to be able to type that headline again. I, for one, am thrilled that E3 is back again this year after the chaos of 2020.
Yes, I know it won’t be anywhere near the same as what we’ve typically gotten in the past, but being able to look forward to a big event again like E3 feels great. Almost normal even. Last year just didn’t feel quite right with all of the mini-events, last minute reveals, and announcements, so to have something big like this again feels right.
So, with E3 now right around the corner, it’s probably time to start predicting some things. I’m happy to say, that will start happening next week. We’ll hit all the big guys and try to figure out what may or may not be shown off and maybe touch on some third party content as well. With COVID delaying things and teams working remotely, this is probably going to be more difficult than normal, but we’ll give it a shot!
I’m thrilled to be able to bring this back this year. I’ll see you guys again next week.
As I’m sure most media or in the public spotlight can attest, there are times when others try to take advantage of them or their status in some way. While I’m certainly no where near being someone considered high-profile, a person recently attempted to use my position at Game Rant to try and trick indie developers and studios into free keys.
Now, I find this behavior absolutely reprehensible, not just because they attempted to impersonate me, but the fact they’re targeting indie developers. People who have sacrificed time and money to realize a dream. Not only that, these games ultimately cost a fraction of a normal AAA title, so why try to screw these people out of hard earned money?
It doesn’t make any sense to me. So as a public service to developers out there, if you are being contacted by someone attempting to persuade you into giving them a “review key” for Game Rant, though unable to use the Game Rant email address, contact me directly before sending anything out. The email in question is super suspect with plenty of misinformation in it to make it look official, but I can understand it may not be easy to see for most.
Thankfully, many have done just this, contacting me to see if it really was me who requested review keys. It wasn’t and I wouldn’t. That’s not part of my job at Game Rant. Still, seeing these emails was surprising and upsetting, though I’m thankful that I could set the record straight for these individuals before anything could have happened.
While this clearly isn’t an ideal situation for anyone, I have to admit, some good did come from it. Thanks to people checking in with me directly, I was able to learn more about these individuals, their games, and a little bit more about who they are.
So while I may not have influence anywhere to the level of an IGN, Game Informer, or even my own employer, Game Rant, I thought the least I could do was shine my light on them as much as I could. Everyone I spoke with was super nice and understanding, some of them even had some really interesting stories. Who knows, perhaps one of them could be your next big obsession.
Just so we’re clear, none of them asked me to do this for them. So seriously, go have a look at each studio and game below.
Following it’s stealth launch back in February 2019, Respawn Entertainment has made sure that fans knew Apex Legends took place in the same universe as the fan favorite shooter series, Titanfall. Apex Legends technically takes place after the events of the Frontier Wars and both games, but its heritage can still be felt throughout.
While the connection was a bit looser in the first year, fans saw familiar elements and links to Titanfall through the creatures that moved around Kings Canyon as well as Titanfall weapons like the Flatline, Hemlok, and Wingman pistol are prominent. In fact, the major Titanfall character Kuben Blisk was behind the whole Apex Games event was enough for some.
However, with each new season, the references and callbacks to Titanfall has not only increased, but they’ve become less subtle. Hammond Robotics has been featured more prominently, not only being responsible for the planet harvesting device on the World’s Edge map, but also for the creation of the playable character, Revenant.
With season 9 right around the corner, Respawn has finally decided that its time to really start leaning into its Titanfall heritage. The latest character is named Valkyrie, and as it turns out, she’s the daughter of the major Titanfall 2 antagonist, Viper. For those who don’t know, Viper appeared as a boss towards the end of the campaign in an attempt to stop Jack Cooper and BT-7274 from reaching the IMS Draconis. Viper proved to be a difficult fight thanks to his custom built Northstar Titan, though the player would ultimately succeed leaving Viper for dead on the Draconis as it crashed down.
In addition to the arrival of Valkyrie and her Northstar Titan influences, the Launch Trailer for season 9 also seems to confirm the constantly rumored Arena Mode which features none other than Ash, another returned Titanfall 2 boss character. While details are scarce (at the time of this writing, though a gameplay oriented look is coming in a few days), this development has me pretty interested.
I won’t lie, I’m not a huge Battle Royale person. I just can’t really get into them at all and it probably doesn’t help that the majority of my friends don’t really play them either. Still, Apex Legends has always appealed to me thanks to its Titanfall connection and the way the game feels. I loved both Titanfall games, though the fact that Apex Legends is a Battle Royale was a big reason why I could never really get into it.
The fact that Respawn has been actively looking to take the game and expand it beyond the Battle Royale has been very interesting to me and one I firmly support. With Arenas, I’m thinking this is going to be the Apex Legends version of a team deathmatch mode, which is something I’d play for sure. I’m looking forward to seeing more on it and while it may not be Titanfall 3, it’s a step in the right direction. Here’s hoping this Titanfall influence continues in the seasons to come.
…also, Hi. Yes, I’m back. Sorry for being away for so long…again.
At long last, fans were getting a digital event. Nintendo was going to be the first in 2021 to showcase new content which was specifically stated to be games coming in the first half of 2021. Better yet, it was set to be a 50 minute presentation echoing shades of past E3 directs.
Also, did you know that it was the first major Direct we’ve had since 2019? The was a fact that was hammered home all over, even by Nintendo themselves during the beginning of the presentation. With over 24 hours to sit and think about things, there’s no way that expectations could spiral out of control, right?
Excitement was through the roof for what could be! Fans were so hyped that they managed to get Mario Kart 9 trending on social media even though Nintendo has offered no hints, teases, or indications that another game was on the way.
Hey, it’s the 35th Anniversary of Zelda and wouldn’t you know, the anniversary for the Switch is also coming up! Fan imaginations ran wild. Perhaps Nintendo is preparing to bring a couple of HD ports like Twilight Princess or Wind Waker to the Switch. How cool would it be to see Breath of the Wild 2 come out this spring?
The hype train had now left the station and was fully barreling down the tracks. At this point, there’s no way Nintendo could live up to the hype, right?
Here are four scenarios that fully illustrate the disconnect between the fanbase and what Nintendo actually delivered. While you may have loved at least some of what was shown, it seems like the fanbase as a whole was left a bit disappointed.
Needless to say, 2020 saw a massive change in the way we, as fans, interacted with games. The coronavirus really upended a lot of our annual traditions, from big game events, to expected game releases, and so much more.
While the calendar has since changed to 2021, for now, much remains the same. While we seem to be progressing to better days, I couldn’t help but wonder how 2021 may look in for the video game industry. Will we see a return to normalcy? Will this new way of doing things become the standard going forward? Will scalpers continue to mess up our lives?
Wow, what a year we just left behind, right? 2020 may not have gone the way that many people had hoped, thanks in large part to a global pandemic which basically forced us all to stay home and abandon many things we were hoping to accomplish out there. Thankfully, video games were there to pick up the slack as well as brand new next gen consoles for those who were able to snag one.
January 2021 is finally hear, promising a fresh start and just a ton of new video games over the next 12 months. As I do every January, it is time to look ahead at what’s coming this year and what I’m excited about with my annual GamerCast. Basically, this is my not so subtle version of the “FutureCast” segments that weathermen use to show you what the weather is going to be over the next few days.
However, we’re not just taking a look at the next seven days. Instead, I’m bringing you a years worth of games to look forward to over the next 12 months. Granted, sometimes my picks don’t actually make it to the finish line, but that’s part of the fun with forecasting releases this year in advance. Of course, if there’s something you’re excited about that I missed, let me know in the comments.
So as I like to say, it’s time to dust off that crystal ball and have a sneak peek into the future to see what’s coming out in 2021.
Gamer Crash 