Metaphor: ReFantazio
The next game from the Persona devs isn’t Persona 6. Fortunately, it still feels that way. Metaphor: ReFantazio is ATLUS’ next big thing. It’s a fresh IP carved from the success of its beloved Persona series.
Set in a world where Fantasy is Reality, experience a different take on fairy tales in traditional JRPG fashion. As the Protagonist, lead a band of heroes to save the Empire from falling apart. Gather allegiances from all corners of its gorgeous storybook-like world.
The visual novel aspect remains. Just like the Persona series, meet friends and forge relationships to acquire new powers. You can get attributes from the people closest to your cause by lending them aid.
Its mix of real-time and turn-based combat is a far cry from the SMT titles. Now players can have more agency to initiate battles and think twice before fighting against difficult enemies.
Star Wars: Outlaws
The next Star Wars game doesn’t let you wield Lightsabers. Instead, you get blasters and a pet alien. In Outlaws you play as a bounty hunter named Kay Vess in the first ever open-world Star Wars game.
Guide her as she escapes the clutches of the Empire. Her journey takes her to new and familiar planets across the galaxy far, far away. As a scoundrel herself, you can encounter the Galaxy’s criminal syndicates and forge allegiances to survive this tyrannical era. Even Jabba the Hutt is here.
In typical Ubisoft-style open-worlds, you can explore points of interests across the endless space. Either on foot, speeder, or your ship the Trailblazer.
Its gameplay is a combination of third-person shootouts and adrenaline-pumping space battles. It’s just like EA’s Star Wars Jedi series, but without the power of the Force.
Star Wars: Hunters
There’s another Star Wars game coming this year and it’s something we least expect. Star Wars: Hunters borrows from the success of Blizzard’s Overwatch, transforming the iconic space opera into a hero shooter. This highlights the resurgence of the genre in this era of gaming.
The game is built for portable devices, namely iOS, Android and Nintendo Switch. So don’t expect this to come out on consoles and PC anytime soon.
Just like your typical hero-shooter, select from an iconic roster of characters. Each bringing their own unique skills to the arena. You can play as a Lightsaber wielding character or a droid. Engage in frenetic team-based third-person shootouts with other players across Star Wars’ iconic locations.
The game has 4 gameplay modes to choose from. This includes the traditional deathmatches and capturing points.
It’s a free to play title so don’t worry about spending a dime. Unless you want to open your wallets to microtransactions.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Ubisoft’s award-winning open-world RPG is going to the Land of the Rising Sun. Shadows marks the next mainline entry to Assassin’s Creed.
The game is set within Japan’s pivotal Warring States period. In this era of endless wars, the assassins must adapt, turning to the shadows.
Much like the other recent Assassin’s Creed entries, there are two playable characters to choose from. There’s Naoe, a lone shinobi woman capable of stealthier approaches. The other is the first black Samurai and one of Nobunaga’s trusted allies.
Together they work behind enemy lines and save Japan from oppressors. We haven’t seen any gameplay yet, but we’ll see more before its release this November 12.
Black Myth: Wukong
It may not be developed by multi-billion dollar companies, but Black Myth: Wukong feels like a triple A title. It’s been 4 years since we caught a glimpse of this epic interpretation of Sun Wukong’s journey. Now, a release date is finally confirmed.
Based on the classic Chinese tale, “Journey to the West.” Wukong is an action RPG brandishing familiar combat from games like Devil May Cry and Dark Souls. Wukong can adapt in battle by transforming into a wasp, a brute monkey, and more.
The trailers alone prove that this is a massive game packed with crazy boss fights and fantastic enemy designs.
With its August release date locked in, we’ll get to see more Black Myth: Wukong trailers down the line.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
Microsoft’s beloved S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series has stood the test of time. Even with Ukraine’s ongoing war and a lot of development issues, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is officially coming this year.
Set in the heart of the Exclusion Zone, this irradiated wasteland is teeming with radioactive horrors waiting to tear you apart.
Like the old S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games, this is an immersive shooter that doesn’t hold your hand. The game’s non-linear design encourages you to make your own choices and live by it. There is no proper way to play the game, so you’re left to discover things on your own.
It’s scheduled to release this September 5 with pre-orders ready for anyone excited to step into the Zone.
Concord
PlayStation Studios’ next live service game is a hero-shooter akin to Destiny 2 and of course, Overwatch. Developed by Firewalk, Concord is set to be Sony’s next-big thing in the FPS market.
Taking place in a vibrant sci-fi universe, Concord lets you pick between a zany roster of heroes. You could play as a robot, an alien or a firebending master. They have their own quirks and abilities that can shake up the battlefield. Most of their characters are inspired by Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy characters.
Even with the seeming “resurgence” of hero-shooters, Concord was an odd move. However, the game did spark some interest. The gameplay is fluid and the shooting is fast-paced. The devs even confirmed that we’re getting story content as well. Unlike Overwatch’s lack of story-related missions, Concord takes that opportunity to flesh out their cast of characters in this direction.
We won’t know how many people are gonna love this until we play it this August 23.
Astro Bot
PS5 | Sep 6, 2024
The recent PlayStation State Of Play had some good games to look forward to. Some great third-party titles that look promising and familiar IPs coming back. One of them is Asobo Studios’ favorite robot, Astro.
Astro Bot is the next entry to Sony’s beloved platformer that’s not LittleBigPlanet. It sees the return of Astro on a new quest across PlayStation’s universe.
Astro’s adventures take him to fiery volcanoes, snow-capped mountains and tricky jungles. You can even meet familiar characters from Sony’s popular titles as neat easter eggs.
With the power of PlayStation 5’s DualSense controller, you can manipulate the environment with its wide range of gimmicks. You can use anything from Haptic feedback, adaptive triggers and the good ol’ touch support.
You can fly with a DualSense controller or use a PlayStation 5 as a spaceship. As crazy as this all sounds, these are what makes the Astro games great. It’s a playground of all things familiar to PlayStation fans.
God Of War: Ragnarok
PC | Sep 19, 2024
Sony’s recent foray into PC gaming has earned them a ton of money. The PC ports are a welcome change if you ignore the egregious PSN requirement. God Of War: Ragnarok serves as the next PlayStation blockbuster to hit mouse and keyboards.
Kratos and Atreus continue their quest in the Norse realm. Ragnarok marks the end of Sony Santa Monica’s God of War games, culminating in a fantastic redemption arc to one of the greatest characters in gaming.
Ragnarok maintains the solid third-person hack and slash action of the original. Odin, Thor, and Heimdall are no match for the father and son duo.
This PC port will arrive on September 19. It includes all the best goodies, including the roguelike Valhalla DLC. Ultrawide, 4K and other graphical tweaks will also be available for PC players to tinker with.
Silent Hill 2 Remake
Bloober Team’s take on gaming’s most influential horror title is coming. This marks the return of Konami’s beloved series after a decade.
Silent Hill 2 Remake is a full reimagining of James Sunderland’s adventures in Silent Hill. It comes with graphical upgrades and improved gameplay similar to the modern Resident Evil titles.
This twisted town is packed with untold horrors and psychological dread. You enter derelict hospitals, abandoned houses and fog-covered streets. Not to mention there are demonic nurses and a manifestation of your Psyche wearing a pyramid as a head.
Dubbed as one of the scariest horror games ever made, Bloober Team has a lot to prove to make this a fantastic remake.