PixlBit

So we've just had E3, and the year is half over. We have the PS5 and the Xbox Scarlet on the horizon, as well as rumors of a Switch hardware revision. But there are a lot of games coming down the pipeline, including some games which finally havs a release date after God knows how many years. So here is what I'm looking forward to. 

A lot of these games are remakes or reissues that are coming to more contemporary hardware. While something could be said about the state of gaming that old games are almost as exciting as new games, I'm glad the game industry is doing better at preserving its history. 

1. Final Fantasy VII Remake (PS4)

This game looks damn good, and I'm digging the Tifa redesign. Although I'm a little reserved on the episodic nature of the remake, I'm still going to play the whole thing, because it's FFVII. 

2. Next Zelda (Switch)

BotW was one of the most amazing games I've ever played in my life. It was almost like the very first time I played the original Zelda, at the age of 9 back in 1987. I loved exploring the vast overworld (especially given that overworlds in the 3-D games have generally been rather skimpy save possibly for Twilight Princess) fighting monsters, and just going around on my own. So naturally I'm ready for more of the same.

Nintendo seems to be pretty good about listening to fan feedback on Zelda, which is why A Link to the Past wasn't a sidescroller, Wind Waker didn't have a repeating time cycle, Twilight Princess didn't have cel-shaded cartoon graphics, A Link Between Worlds and BotW dialed way back on motion controls compared to Skyward Sword, and Tingle has been seen a lot less since Wind Waker. So I imegine Zelda 20 will have more dungeons, the weapon durability aspect will be tweaked, even though I personally liked the variety of weapons themselves, and they'll probably bring back favorite Zelda tools like the hookshot. I don't understand a lot of the complaints myself, since BotW honestly had more villages than other Zeldas and it had 5 good-sized dungeons plus the shrines, which is more than Majora's Mask had. But I do hope that the vast, expansive overworlds I knew from the original and ALttP are back to stay for good.

3. Dragon Quest XI S (Switch)

Confession: I haven't played Dragon Quest XI yet. And the reason for that is that I actually was holding out for the Switch version, which is coming in September. But I've seen this game in action and know what to expect from it as a Dragon Quest title, and it's the follow up to VIII I always wanted.

4. Fire Emblem: Three Houses (Switch)

With Nintendo now able to consolidate their handheld and console efforts thanks to the dual functionality of the Switch, I'm glad to see a lot of series that were confined to the DS and 3DS during the Wii and Wii U years coming back to the big screen. This FE looks really good, and will likely be my next big game.

5. Astral Chain (Switch)

This game looks more like classic Platinum/Clover than their recent work developing games based off of existing properties and licenses, although these games have been good and are necessary to keep the lights on at Platinum. It's got the old school Platinum art style and action. Hopefully it won't also get stuck with old school Platinum sales numbers, which sucked. 

6. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Switch)

Link's Awakening is a classic, with a surprisingly huge world for a handheld game and an emotionally charged story that kind of hits you in the gut halfway through when you figure out what's really going on with Koholint Island. It looks to have the same graphics style as A Link Between Worlds on 3DS, only better. 

7. Ni no Kuni (Switch)

Ni no Kuni was my second favorite game of the entire 7th console generation (my first was Valkyria Chronicles). The game was a Hayao Miyazaki movie come to life, and I hope its success has changed Miyazaki's mind about the video game industry a bit after a botched game adaptation of Nausicaa 30 years ago. I don't have access to my PS3 anymore, plus the Switch is my system of choice nowadays, so this is a day one buy.

8. Final Fantasy VIII (Switch)

Square apparently listened to fan demand and decided to stop making excuses for why they couldn't bring FF8 to modern consoles. Plus, the graphics are getting a pretty good facelift. Not on the level of the FF7 remake, of course, but they're getting more done to them than FF7, FF9, or FF10 did, and this game looks great. From a gameplay standpoint, FF8 is weaker than its PS1 siblings, but the game holds a special place in my heart for personal reasons, and I may write a blog about my experience with FF8 later on down the road. Plus, it's rumored that FF8 may get a physical release, unlike the PS1 games, so that makes it even better.

9. The Outer Worlds (PS4)

My favorite Fallout game was New Vegas, which was actually right behind Valkyria Chronicles and Ni no Kuni on my list of favorite 7th gen games. Obsidian should have honestly been given charge of the Fallout series at that point. But politics at Bethesda killed any chance of that happening years ago, and instead we get Fallout 76 (groan). So here's the next best thing: an open world RPG done by Obsidian set on a distant planet, with a lot of the aesthetic of New Vegas, and hopefully the RPG mechanics of NV to go with it.

10. Project Sakura Wars (PS4)

The last Sakura Wars game was So Long, My Love, which released in the US in 2010 as one of the last PS2 releases, and in Japan in 2005. Sakura Wars was a huge franchise in Japan during the Saturn years. It was pretty much Sega's answer to Final Fantasy VII and Ocarina of Time, but poor sales of the fifth game discouraged further releases. This was such a pleasant surprise, and it was even more of a pleasant surprised when Sega announced, right out of the gate, that it was being localized for the United States. The fifth game was the only game to be localized to date, although there were a lot of Sakura Wars anime videos released over here. The game seems to be rebooting the franchise by starting over with a new Imperal Combat Revue team. Sega also appears to have gone with Kubo Tite, the creator of Bleach, for this game instead of Kosuke Fujishima.

11. Tales of Arise (PS4)

This game looks magnificent, the first major upgrade to the series since Xillia, and I hope that Arise will be the Tales series' Monster Hunter World or FF7 in terms of sales and popularity.

12. Cyberpunk 2077 (PS4)

Pretty sure some of you are probably mad that Cyberpunk isn't number 1, or at least number 3, on my list. It's no secret that I tend to prefer Japanese games over Western games. Part of the reason this is so low is because it's still a ways out, and plus it's an entirely first-person game where I prefer third-person perspective for RPGs.  Still looks really intriguing and I like cyberpunk/dystopian settings. 

13. Pokemon Sword/Shield (Switch)

I have a curious history with the Pokemon series. I started playing with Red/Blue on the original Game Boy, then skipped over the series until Diamond/Pearl, then again until X/Y, and I haven't touched Sun/Moon or US/UM. But given that this is the series' console debut, I'll bite on this one. I don't know why I don't play Pokemon regularly, because I really enjoy the series when I do, and there are a couple of people close to me that I could play it with. So I'm going to jump back in this time. Given that I've been out of the Pokemon loop so long, the lack of a National Pokedex doesn't bug me so much.

So, your thoughts on my list? Your most anticipated games?