The Nintendo Switch, PS5 and XBox games we're looking forward to in 2021
- From Hogwarts Legacy to Monster Hunter Rise, these are the games we're most excited about
- Everwild, Riders Republic, and a new Lord of the Rings game starring Gollum all make our list
We're really looking forward to all these new games in 2021!Like almost everything in 2020, games had their setbacks - they missed deadlines or were released with annoying glitches and then recalled. But, there are some pinpoints of light on the horizon, so we've chosen the five games we're most excited about in 2021.
Hogwarts Legacy
Publisher: Portkey Games (Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment)
Developer: Avalanche Software
Available for: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One or Xbox Series X/S.
We'd be lying if we said we didn't have high hopes for Hogwarts Legacy. Will we finally be able to attend Hogwarts in all of its wizarding glory? The fact that it has Warner Brothers' Portkey behind it might point the way to a resounding Yes!
While there have only been whispers in the past about a Potter game, 2020 did bring us one good thing - the announcement of an official release date, this year! We're looking at an open-world Harry Potter role player we've all wanted. Fantastic beasts? Check! Choosing our own house? Check! Casting spells? Check!
We have no actual date yet, but we think September 1 - the day Hogwarts students return to class - would be fitting.
The best video games for January
Everwild
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Developer: Rare
Available for: Xbox One, Microsoft Windows 10, Xbox Game Pass
If you're tired of, well, everything, and you're looking for some magical, gorgeous escapism, then you'll be wanting Everwild. There are a few hitches to Rare's new game, though. No one knows if it will be out this year and no one knows exactly how it will work, although it seems to be based on exploration and adventure. Players, known as Eternals, must form bonds with a wide variety of creatures, possibly to save them.
The developers have been dropping hints and what we have gleaned is that it will be a multiplayer open world involving magic. They promise it will change our gaming experience, and the trailer is definitely promising. It looks like the gaming version of the movie Avatar, so we expect a similarly wonderful and emotional connection.
Monster Hunter Rise
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Available for: Nintendo Switch, maybe on PC later
Due: March 26
Yes! Finally! Monster hunters will be able to ride! The latest game in the Monster Hunter action RPG series, Rise has a distinctive Asian feel to it. It also introduces gamers to palamutes, or Buddies which will help you battle an array of monsters, and allow you to ride on their backs.
This saves on stamina if you're running across large fields, and you can even recover your health while on the move. Psst, yeah, you can pet them. Don't worry, though, the Palicoes you already know from this uber-successful franchise are still there.
Rise offers new moves, a new village, and new supporting characters, including a pet owl named Cohoots. The game is open for pre-order and might see action as early as this month.
This is billed as "the last" Monster Hunter. We hope not!
6 video games for amateur detectives
The Lord of The Rings Gollum
Publisher: Daedalic Entertainment
Developer: Daedalic Entertainment
Available for: PS5 & Xbox Series X and PC
Lord of the Rings fans will be super excited at the idea of this game. It's a brand new story with the familiar old character of Gollum set as a prequel to the trilogy we know and love.
Gollum was never a breaking heads type of guy, so there won't be any weapons as such. This game is all about stealth. Gollum is imprisoned in Mordor, and needs to break out. Players can choose actions as either Gollum, or the more gentle side of his personality, Smeagol. This allows gamers to influence the game's narrative.
The story is not stuck in the prison, though, and players will get to move around other familiar places in Middle Earth.
Environments, inspired by J. R. R. Tolkein's drawings, boast the verticality that gamers crave and of course who better to scale a cliff than Gollum. The goal of the game is to get the ring, but as players develop Gollum's split personality, that aim might very well change.
Riders Republic
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft Annecy
Available for: PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Stadia, Ubisoft Connect, Epic Games and PC
Due for release: February 25
From the makers of Steep, we have Riders Republic which is sure to fill any gamer's need for speed, and snow, and danger, and did we mention thrills? Riders Republic allows players to try downhill biking, skiing, snowboarding, and even flying in a rocket-propelled wingsuit, over the most extreme courses imaginable.
With seven parks to explore and some 50 players at a time being able to race, or show off their skills in trick arenas, gamers can expect white-knuckle thrills all the way. Mass race starts are sure to ratchet up the tension, but there is also a more sociable side to the game as thrill seekers from around the world meet on the playground. Each sport has its own career progress, with players seeking to hit targets and sign sponsors along the way.