0
energy
What is energy?
0 comments
It’s almost a wrap for 2019, but 2020 is shaping up to be the year gamers have really been waiting for.
2019 was pretty good to us on the whole. We got to sink our teeth into a long-awaited sequel to the Gears franchise, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was rebuffed for current gen consoles, and the sting from the slap in the face that was Fallout 76 was finally alleviated by Obsidian’s great new RPG: The Outer Worlds.
2019 wasn’t entirely without its hiccups though. Hugely anticipated IPs like Anthem and Days Gone crashed and burned before even getting off the ground due to a now worryingly recurrent combo of technical bugs and lack of innovation. Just this month, Google’s flagship console Stadia was panned by tech critics for releasing with a bunch of its key features missing too.
After a hit and miss year, game studios and console devs are throwing a whole lot at the wall for 2020… we’ll see what sticks. In the meantime, we’re out here bravely taking a punt on what we believe will go down as 2020’s successes come this time next year.
PlayStation 5 and Xbox Scarlett
Yep, that’s right. The nerdiest rivalry of all time is brewing once again for late 2020, and Microsoft and Sony groupies are polishing their keyboards in preparation for another social media war.
The two mega corporations are fine tuning their respective next gen consoles for a projected 2020 release, and the specs being touted around suggest that the bar for console gaming is fittin to skyrocket comparably to 2012/13.
The PS5 supposedly boasts twice the power of the Xbox One X, and amazingly, the Xbox Scarlett creators claim their machine has double that of the PS5. Both will have 8K capabilities, will make 60fps the new minimum for their titles, and will aim to make loading screens a thing of the past. That’s a big win in our books.
The Last of Us Part II
PlayStation’s mediocre State of Play conference last September was well and truly rescued by The Last of Us Part II’s extended trailer, and we’re already tipping it as a potential goty contender.
It’s been an antsy six years since we said tearful ta tas to Joel, Ellie, and Neil Druckmann’s post-apocalyptic America. But with what we we’ve gleaned from gameplay and CG snippets thus far, it’s looks as though Naughty Dog are well and truly set to deliver on the requisite violence, horror, and emotional trauma we all expect after the original.
The mechanics have clearly had a serious rebuff, the graphics look stunning, the AI intelligence has been completely remodelled, and you can bet the writers have conjured up several genuinely scarring moments to last long in our memories. Bring em on.
PlayStation’s seminal exclusive is arriving on May 29th, 2020.
Halo Infinite
What would a Microsoft console launch be without another ‘gen defining’ escapade as the Chief?
Predictably, Halo was again the toast of Microsoft’s keynote conference at E3 2019, and Halo Infinite is nigh-on guaranteed to coincide with the drop of Xbox Scarlett’s ‘Day One’ edition. Currently we have little to go on in terms of gameplay, besides a longshot of a Spartan-filled warthog bobbing across pretty green plains.
You can bet Microsoft are looking to flaunt all Scarlett’s new capabilities for their prize franchise though. And given how impressive Halo 5 was on a technical front way back in 2015, it’s feasible that Infinite just might be the perfect cutting-edge title to kickstart our new gaming libraries in 2020.
Halo Infinite is due for a ‘Holiday 2020’ release.
Cyberpunk 2077
After landing serious critical acclaim for The Witcher III: Wild Hunt, CD Projekt Red are looking to one-up themselves with an even more ambitious open world RPG in 2020, Cyberpunk 2077.
Largely regarded as the ‘most anticipated title’ of 2020, Cyberpunk 2077 epitomises everything people want from next gen games; freedom of play, huge seamless environments, stunning graphics, customisability, and meaningful choices.
It doesn’t seem like much of a risk to champion Cyberpunk 2077 this early. Between all the different conferences, we’ve seen around a combined 2-3 hours of gameplay. We’ve seen the stealth, the action, and the immersion the game has to offer. And judging by the crowd’s reaction at E3, people are largely sold on this one already… John Wick sealed it for me personally.
Cyberpunk 2077 is coming to stores and digital marketplaces April 16th, 2020.
Watch Dogs: Legion
Ubisoft’s big budget franchise hasn’t had the easiest ride since it left audiences gobsmacked at its E3 presentation in 2012, but we’re backing Legion to be a success.
The first Watchdogs quickly became the go-to example for early-render deception (it’s certainly mine). The original showcase was nothing like the final game, and Ubisoft failed to build hype for the sequel as a result.
Thankfully, Ubisoft has gone back to the drawing board and come up with something refreshingly original this time around. Set in a dystopian London, players will embody upward of 10 different DedSec agents and will utilise each for their unique abilities to liberate the capital from an authoritarian regime.
The gameplay looks more varied than previous titles, and the world is chock-full of eccentric and amusing characters to keep us plying through the single player.
Watch Dogs: Legion is one of the earlier releases – coming March 3rd, 2020.
