Even though I haven’t played all of last year’s releases (and even though I literally just started The Witcher III: Wild Hunt (PS4), a game that is five years old), I am still stupid excited for a lot of games coming out this year. So get on the hype train with me as I run down a bunch of games I want to play (and you probably do too)!
I’ve split this up into three categories: games with confirmed release dates in 2020, games without confirmed release dates, but still supposed to come out in 2020, and games without confirmed release dates and probably not coming out in 2020, but I am nevertheless super excited and I hope against hope they do come out this year.
Now, let’s look at some exciting games!
I put “confirmed” in scare quotes because release dates can always slip, no matter how confirmed they are. Still, chances are good that a game with a “confirmed” release date or window will make that date (even though sometimes they shouldn’t). Here they are in order of release date (or window).
Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition (PS4) - 28 January 2020: The first game out this year that I’m very excited about is one I already own. I bought this on PC sometime in 2018 on the recommendation of my sister-from-another-mister Laura Hudson, and played through the first three chapters (out of a total of four at the time). This is an amazing, haunting game about loss and despair, and now that the the fifth and final chapter is being released on the same day, I will replay the whole thing on my PS4. Everyone should get this point-and-click adventure game.
Marvel’s Iron Man VR (PSVR) - 28 February 2020: Now that we have a PSVR in the house, I’m more excited by this, though I will say it doesn’t look like it has a full game in there, but who knows? I probably won’t buy as soon as it comes out, but I will eventually because I definitely want to run around saying “I am Iron Man”.
Final Fantasy VII Remake (PS4) - 3 March 2020: So much has been shown of this game, I feel like it’s already out :P But I’ve been watching a Let’s Play of the original Final Fantasy VII (PS1) on Eurogamer, and reminding myself of all the key story beats, and I can’t wait for this remake. That said, this first part (yes, it will be split into at least two parts, but probably more like four or five) will only cover the Midgar section of the game, which in the original game only covered like the first three hours or so. So the assumption now is that the Midgar section is going to be greatly expanded in order to fill up at least 20 hours or so. We know Sephiroth will appear a lot sooner than in the original game, and we know there’s at least one new boss villain character for Cloud and the others to fight. We’ll find out in less than two months!
Resident Evil 3 Remake (PS4) - 3 April 2020: Noooo! Stop making more really awesome-looking Resident Evil games! I already have two to play through, and my heart cannot take that much scariness back-to-back-to-back! But seriously, even though this remake was made on the same engine as last year’s Resident Evil 2 Remake (PS4), RE3 is a more action-y game compared to the first two games (and Resident Evil 7 (PS4)), which began the more shooter-like phase of Resident Evil. What this means is more guns and bullets, and maybe less nerve-shredding than the more survival horror-style games in the series. I will get it eventually, but like I said, I have to play through RE7 and RE2 Remake first.
Cyberpunk 2077 (PS4) - 16 April 2020: The thing I’ve most been looking forward to for years. I’ve wanted this game since the first teaser trailer came out on 10 January 2013. Literally seven years I’ve been waiting for this game, and it’s almost out! The news since I last talked about this game includes the inclusion of the breathtaking Keanu Reeves as Johnny Silverhand, the entire game being in first-person, and the inclusion of non-binary character creation options (will I be able to create a femme-leaning bisexual male character? one can dream!). As I said in the intro, I’ve just started playing The Witcher III: Wild Hunt (PS4), and if Cyberpunk 2077 is even half as good as that, I am all in for the rest of time.
Marvel’s Avengers (PS4) - 15 May 2020: I’ve gotten a lot more excited about this game once Square Enix confirmed a dedicated single-player campaign that stars Kamala “Ms Marvel” Khan, but I’m still deathly afraid a lot of extra characters and outfits will be kept behind a microtransaction/loot box/games-as-a-service paywall of some kind. I don’t like multiplayer, and I don’t want to play with other people, and I don’t want to pay a ridiculous amount for more stuff in a game I already paid for. Regular DLC is okay, but not this nickel-and-dime shit.
The Last of Us Part II (PS4) - 29 May 2020: It didn’t come out last year, like I thought it would, but it is coming out this year for sure (even if it’s original release date of MY BIRTHDAY in February has slipped to the end of May). I am very excited to continue Ellie and Joel’s adventures (though I really hope Ellie’s girlfriend isn’t fridged just to set Ellie off on her quest of revenge).
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition (Switch) - 29 May 2020: I never played the original Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii) game (I’ve not played any Xenoblade Chronicles, period), but it’s one of the most beloved JRPGs of all time, so I’m excited for its release on the Switch so I can finally play it, and play it on the go (which is good since I’ll be playing various other things on my PS4).
Minute of Islands (Switch) - Spring 2020: This looks like a puzzle platformer in the vein of Gris (Switch) with great Adventure Time-style art. The main character is supposed to be some kind of mechanic, but she seems to be walking around a wasteland of sorts with a lot of organic (and techno-organic?) decay. It looks super cool, and this is not a PC-exclusive like I had feared.
RPG Time: The Legend of Wright (PC) - Spring 2020: This should be coming out this year, but it’s a Microsoft exclusive (i.e. XB1 and PC only), so I may have to wait until it’s ported to the Switch. This has a great art style that looks like a kid’s comics in a lined notebook, and when you move to a new section, the pages flip to take you there. The gameplay jumps out of the comic occasionally for some crafty-looking elements in the game. I may not play this until 2021, when it comes to other platforms, or when I get an Xbox Series X :P
CrisTales (Switch) - 31 July 2020: This JRPG has an interesting time mechanic in which you can see the past, present, and future at the same time, on the same screen. It sounds awesome, and it looks pretty sweet too. This is definitely coming to Switch, which is great because last year it seemed like it would be a PC exclusive.
Ghost of Tsushima (PS4) - Summer 2020: After being announced at E3 2018, this PS4 exclusive looked awesome. It follows a samurai in feudal Japan during an invasion of some kind. It got an official release window during the Video Game Awards last year. Here’s hoping it doesn’t slip.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II (XSX) - Holiday 2020: A new Hellblade game?! What?! Announced at the Video Game Awards alongside the official reveal of the Xbox Series X, Microsoft’s next console, this looks like it’s going to be a launch title for that new console, which means it’s probably going to be an exclusive (but maybe not? I’ve heard rumors that Microsoft actually wants to do away with exclusives, so who knows?). I have no idea what it’s about, but if it’s even half as good as the first one, then yeah, it’s gonna get played.
Games Without Confirmed Release Dates, But Still Coming in 2020
These games don’t have specific release dates, or even release windows, beyond some time in 2020. They could all slip into 2021, but some were actually supposed to be out last year (or earlier), so here’s hoping they stop slippin', slippin', slippin' into the future. Here they are, in alphabetical order!
Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise (Switch) - TBA 2020: The original cult classic was apparently enough of a classic that Nintendo decided to bankroll a sequel. I’ve not played the first one yet (it’s currently available on the Switch, and it is my plan to get it eventually), but this one also stars Francis York Morgan, the protagonist from the first game, along with new character Aaliyah Davis across two time periods in a decades-spanning mystery. I’m hoping for more True Detective Season 1, and less Lost Seasons 3-6.
El Hijo (Switch) - TBA 2020: A spaghetti western stealth game starring a boy trying to escape from a monastery to find his mother. This was supposed to come out last year, when I thought it was going to be a PC exclusive, but it’s actually going to be available on all the consoles! I’ve seen a lot of gameplay of this, and it looks pretty sweet.
Gods and Monsters (PS4) - TBA 2020: Originally slated for 25 February 2020, Ghost Recon: Breakpoint’s horrendous reception forced Ubisoft to delay many of its games to its 2021 fiscal year (1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021) so they could all get the polish they needed before release (why weren’t you doing this for all your games already, mate?). This cartoony game by the Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey (PS4) creators kind of looks like a more mythological Breath of the Wild (Switch). I love Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey and I love Breath of the Wild, so I will probably like this a great deal too. You know, after the polish.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (PS4) - TBA 2020: A new LEGO Star Wars game! That includes all the mainline films (i.e. no Rogue One, Solo, or the TV shows, but maybe DLC levels? one can hope! LEGO Baby Yoda or death!)! Yay! If you anything about our house, you know that every Traveller’s Tales LEGO game is a must play.
Mineko’s Night Market (Switch) - TBA 2020: This was supposed to be out Q1 last year, but it got delayed for some reason. This town-simulator-but-with-cats game is still on my list because I remember how excited the girl was when she first saw the trailer :D
Per Aspera (PC) - TBA 2020: A narrative driven game in which you play as an AI terraforming Mars so humans can live there. If you read how much I loved the last game in which I played as an AI, you’ll know why this is so exciting. Still, a PC exclusive means I may wait until it comes to the Switch.
Psychonauts 2 (PS4) - TBA 2020: This mind-bending, mind-altering game has been in development since 2015, 10 years after the first game came out. And even though Microsoft bought Double Fine two years ago, this game will miraculously not be a Microsoft exclusive! I will be able to play it on my PS4... I mean, once I play through the first one :D
Sable (PS4) - TBA 2020: Another game I first saw at E3 2018, this open-world exploration game with an art style somewhere between a Herge comic and a Ghibli cartoon had its release date slip another year, but now I’ve got confirmation that it will come to the PS4, so my excitement level has gone up even more.
The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe (PS4) - TBA 2020: Another game that had its release date slip a year, I’ve wanted to play for ages thanks to the excellent writing behind the sarcastic narrator. This Ultra Deluxe version is coming to the PS4 later this year (hopefully).
12 Minutes (PC) - TBA 2020: I’ve been excited for this game since it was revealed in E3 2019. It’s a Groundhog Day thriller in which a man tries to save his wife from a murderer who shows up at their door. Every time you fail, the 12 minutes start over. The view is top-down so you can see the couple’s flat. If 12 minutes sounds too short to really do anything in a game, remember that Minit (Switch) gives you only a minute, and The Outer Wilds gives you 22, so this is a nice middle. Instabuy in my house because it’s distributed by Annapurna Interactive, who distributes some damn fine indie games.
Watch_Dogs: Legion (PS4) - TBA 2020: Originally slated for 6 March 2020, Legion was also delayed thanks to the Breakpoint kerfluffle. I have enjoyed both previous Watch_Dogs games (the second more than the first), so I’ll probably enjoy this one too. Legion has a pretty interesting mechanic in that you can recruit any NPC in London, and then they’ll become playable characters suited for specific missions. Permadeath is also a thing, so I assume you could lose all of your characters. Would this cause a game over and force you to start over? Probably not, but that would be bold. There is a wiseass AI which might be the connecting character across the game.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon (PS4) - TBA 2020: The Japanese version of the game is slated for 16 January 2020, but the English translation will be some time later in the year. I currently own every single Yakuza game (though I’ve only played 0), so I will get this one too, even though there are a lot of changes:
- It will not star Kazuma Kiryu, the protagonist of the first seven games. He will be replaced by Kasuga Ichiban, an entirely new character.
- It will not take place in the fictional Kamurocho (based on Tokyo’s Kabukicho district), shifting instead to the fictional Isezaki Ijincho (based on Yokohama’s Isezakicho district).
- It will no longer feature brawler-style gameplay, replaced instead with turn-based combat usually only seen in JRPGs.
- You will be able to recruit other characters, and create a 4-character party, making this even more like a JRPG.
- Kyriu and Majima will both still appear in this game... as summons? That can’t be right...
Still, I’m excited, and I will get this game, and then I will have every Yakuza game sitting on my PS4 dashboard (Judgment included).
Probably Not Coming Out in 2020, But Hope Springs Eternal
And finally, a handful of games that are probably not coming out this year, but there is technically a chance, so I am holding on to that hope. Here they are, in alphabetical order.
Assassin’s Creed: Ragnarok (PS4) - TBA: This is the third Ubisoft game on this list that got bumped due to the Breakpoint shenanigans, but this one didn’t even have a release date before the push (it hasn’t even been officially announced, but it has been teased and leaked A LOT). Because it didn’t have a release date, I assume it was originally supposed to come out in late 2020, and will now slip to early 2021 (a next-gen title?). However, Odyssey came out in 2018, so there’s already been an off-year for the franchise, and Ubisoft starts getting the shakes if there’s more than like six months between Assassin’s Creed releases, so this has the best chance of coming out in 2020.
I loved Odyssey, and this one is supposed to feature Vikings and Viking lore, so I’m looking forward to smashing Ymir and Garm and various other Norse mythological creatures in the face. And Sleipnir better be an unlockable mount.
Biomutant (PS4) - TBA: This action RPG was supposed to come out in 2018, so it’s already slipped two years. Will it come out this year? Who knows! Heck, I don’t even know if I’m still excited for it, it’s been so long, but the promise of your main character’s appearance changing depending on the starting stats you choose is a pretty cool mechanic. Is that enough to hang my hat on? For now, it is.
Deltarune (Switch) - TBA: The first chapter came out in 2018 on PC, and then on PS4 and Switch in 2019, and was made free for everybody. As to when the second chapter is coming, no one knows. Through Deltarune’s website, Toby Fox says it could take up to 4,001 years. That seems quite a liberal estimate, frankly. However, a 2020 release seems equally as unlikely, alas.
Genesis Noir (PC) - TBA: I first heard of this game at E3 2019, and it looks awesome. It’s a noir love story that takes place before, during, and after the big bang, and may feature cosmic gods and a bullet fired from the beginning of the universe. Also, there’s jazz. Seriously, it sounds awesome. However, even if this game comes out in 2020, it likely won’t be ported to consoles until 2021.
Ghostwire: Tokyo (PS4) - TBA: This game was revealed during E3 2019, and being developed by Tango Gameworkers, creators of The Evil Within series. It was introduced by the awkward and adorable creative director Nakamura Ikumi, who has unfortunately left the company in the interim (she did appear at the Video Game Awards to present an award, and she was still awkward and adorable). The game still looks cool and I still want to play it, but it’s probably not coming out until 2022 or something.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild II (Switch) - TBA: Nintendo only announced this at their Direct during E3 2019, and while it had a super sweet (and super creepy) trailer, there’s no way this is coming out in 2020. It’s far too soon, but I do hope for a 2021 release date, and even more than that, I hope Zelda is a playable character and the story isn’t about saving her. Also, the trailer focused on underground scenes, so I hope that means proper dungeons!
Metroid Prime 4 (Switch) - TBA: And now, for the game with no release date that I am most excited about (yes, even more than Breath of the Wild II). Nothing about this game has been revealed since Nintendo announced last year that they were starting development over from scratch with Retro Studios. Since nothing has been announced since then, it’s very unlikely this will come out in 2020 (unless Nintendo announces something amazing at E3 2020). I am still hoping for a Switch Metroid Prime Trilogy remaster to tide us all over until the fourth game finally drops in... 2025?
And there you have it! Every game I’m excited about in the new year (and beyond). This is of course not a comprehensive list because there are always games I previously didn’t know about, or that get stealth dropped in the middle of the year with little to no fanfare, that suddenly become the games I’m most excited to play, and jump the queue on my to-play list. Sometimes, those kinds of games become some of the best I’ve ever played.
When next I return, it will be with a regular Video Game Round-Up!, though don’t expect it on the usual 15th. I’ll probably give myself an extra week to get everything down, and then release it on or about the 20th.
Until then, play more video games (but not these; these aren’t out yet)!
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