Madden NFL 22 to Forza Horizon 5: Games to look forward this year
This has been an exciting year for gamers with a host of new titles being released (even a rebadged PUBG Mobile). The year has already had a few and enough successful games release to be considered a great one. A few of the games that are worth giving a try include Pokemon Unite (Pokemon Meets MOBA), F1 Simulator, Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin and Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD (even though this one is technically a remake).
However, before the end of the year, there are a lot of highly anticipated games left to be released. While I admit that there are many more games coming out than the ones I mention, these are the titles that have me excited.
Look at the games coming out:
August
While we are more than midway through this month, there are still Madden NFL 22 and No More Heroes 3 left to be released. Madden NFL 22 will be the 2022 season’s version of the video game for the NFL, while No More Heroes 3 is the latest entry into the No More Heroes franchise. If the trailers are anything to be believed, it will be just as fun as the previous games in the series.
In the game, the player is pitted against a group of 9 superpowered aliens who are trying to take over earth by posing as superheroes. The aliens are led by Jess Baptiste VI (better known as FU) who has returned to earth after 20 years to invite his friend Damon Ricotello to join him in this endeavour due to their old friendship.
The player must once again take up the role of Travis Touchdown, the world’s number 1 assassin. No more Heroes will come out in the last few days of August (27th to be specific).
Also read: Game review: A new direction for Pokemon Unite!
September
The month promises an addition to both the NBA 2k line-up and the WRC series of games. NBA 2k22 will come out on 10th September while WRC 10 will come out on September 2. Both games will offer a new experience for the fans of the franchise.
Other than this there are a few of the games that excited me during their reveal at the E3 earlier this year. They are Life is Strange: True Colors (September 10) and Astria Ascending (September 30).
Life is Strange: True Colors puts the player into the shoes of protagonist Alex Chen, who has Psychic empathy powers that allow her to read and manipulate emotions. These emotions appear for her in the form of colorful auras. All of this comes at the cost of her being “infected” by these emotions.
In the game, Alex reunites with her brother after many years and then he is killed in a mysterious accident. The player must investigate the truth behind the accident using empathic powers.
Astria Ascending is a game that first caught my attention for its 2D hand-drawn animation. In this game, the whole world is created in this fashion. The game does promise to offer a great overall experience due to the involvement of several well-known names that have previously been involved with the creation of games from the Final Fantasy series.
October
If anyone was to ask me what the best month for gamers will be in 2021, I would find it impossible to give an answer other than October. This is despite the fact that the two games I am most looking forward to are actually slated for a November release.
The month starts off with the release of FIFA 22, followed by a host of exciting titles such as Far Cry 6, Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles, The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes, Battlefield 2042, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water and Mario Party Superstars.
FIFA 22 is undoubtedly the most anticipated game for football fans, and there are a lot of them who are into gaming. This game is the sequel to FIFA 21. The game will release on October 1.
Also read: Dragon’s Blood lives up to Dota 2 gamers’ expectations
Far Cry 6 is a game that stood out for me during E3, but also the fact that it is part of the Far Cry franchise makes it one of those games that makes me excited. The feature I am looking forward to the most in this game is the fact that all of the villains from the past 5 Far Cry games will be making an appearance. Add to this the little tidbit about them possibly becoming playable characters has me unable to wait for the day I can give the game a try. The game will come out on October 7.
Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Hinokami Chronicles is a part of the demon slayer franchise that in my opinion was one of the finest new anime to come out in the previous few years. The game is being developed by CyberConnect2, the company behind the Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm series. To be honest, the concept of a fighter game with characters (many of which are swordsmen/swordswomen) that have their own individual fighting styles is always exciting.
The fact that the little bit of footage that we have seen so far indicates the game could be a near replica of some of the Naruto games is actually quite promising in my opinion. The game is coming out on the 15th of the month.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes is a game I could not take my eyes off during the trailer reveal at E3 this year. The game will have a lot of horror elements mixed into the experience and this alone could make it a winner in the eyes of gamers looking for a bit of a thrill. As far as I am concerned, the game also shows the potential to feature a great storyline along with this. This game is releasing on October 21.
Battlefield 2042 is something that caught the attention of many of my friends earlier this year. The game hinted at a July 22 release during E3, but we only get to play it on October 22. The game is focused on a great online multiplayer experience. As we have seen before with games that have a great online multiplayer experience there is always the potential for the game to turn into an e-sport with thousands (if not millions) of dollars being offered as prize money for tournaments.
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is a game based on the hit movie of the same name. Given the runaway success of the movie franchise, I would expect this game to do well. This game is especially attractive for fanboys of the marvel cinematic or marvel comic universe. The game will come out on October 26.
Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black water is a game that promises to be one of the best horror games one could ever hope to play. Even at the E3 reveal the only thought that came into my head was “this is one creepy game”. As far as I understand horror games, this makes it a top game in its genre. The fact that the player does not even get the comfort of owning or using weapons in such a creepy set just makes it crazier (only a camera to chase away the ghosts).
The game is technically a remake of the game with the same name released for the Nintendo Wii U in 2015. However, this will be the first time it comes out on other devices. Also let’s be fair, the graphics will be in a whole new league, hence it’s not really even the same game.
Mario Party Superstars is yet another installment into the legendary Mario franchise for Nintendo. To be fair if a Mario game is being released it has to be part of this list. The game is expected to release on the 29th of the month.
November
While November is nowhere close to as packed as October was, as I mentioned before my two most anticipated games are releasing in this month. Forza Horizon 5 and Pokemon Brilliant Diamon (and Shining Pearl). While technically Pokemon Brilliant Diamon and Pokemon Shining Pearl are separate games, they are developed as a pair, so I consider them the same game (I would still buy both).
Other than this, there are a few more exciting titles that should get a mention. These include Just Dance 2022, Shin Megami Tensei V and Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker.
Forza Horizon 5 is a game that I was interested in from the moment I saw the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution being showcased in the reveal during E3. Admittedly I have a weakness for any and every racing game that features the Lancer Evolution. Putting aside my own bias, the game is the successor to the wildly popular Forza Horizon 4. The Forza Horizon series is an iconic series of racing games that has raised the bar with each of its iterations and as such this game will have many takers. The game will come out on 9th.
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Pokemon Shining Pearl are actually considered remakes of the super popular Pokemon games known as Diamon and Pearl. These generation 4 (4th generation of Pokemon) games still have a very loyal fanbase that maintains older Nintendo consoles just to ensure they can play the game (including me).
The games are being touted as faithful remakes by the Pokemon Company. This indicates that the game could very well just be a version of the same game with newer age graphics and added gameplay mechanics to take advantage of the newer gaming consoles. The launch for this game is on November 18.
As far as Just Dance 2022 is concerned, it takes a special spot in every list as a unique game that allows players to compete based on their dancing skills. The game will come out on 4th. Shin Megami Tansei V throws the player into an alternate version of Tokyo where they must fend for themselves in a world full of Angels and Demons. The player can recruit some of the friendlier demons into their party as well.
The game will become available on the 12th. Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker will come out on of November 23. The game is an addition to the Final Fantasy franchise of games. This is a franchise that has delivered many epic games and movies over the years.
December
The last month of the year is not yet full of new releases. The only exciting release that has been confirmed for December is Dying Light 2 Staying Human. This game is a sequel to Dying Light released in 2015. The original game is considered a classic as far as survival games are concerned. Given this, the second game in the series has many expectations. The game will release on December 7.
Unknown date
There are still many games that are expected to come out later this year. The exact dates are yet to be confirmed. These include the likes of Total War: Warhammer III and The Witcher: Monster Slayer.