E3 2021 is on like Donkey Kong, and with most of the pre-show hype events now concluded, there’s a lot of new games to start saving up for because this holiday season’s launch schedule is a total budget extinction event.
TINY TINA’S WONDERLANDS
Butt Stallion is back, baby! It’s the Borderlands 2 Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep expansion, dialled up to max with a new “epic adventure full of whimsy, wonder, and high-powered weaponry”. The cast includes Andy Samberg, Wanda Sykes, and Will Arnett, with Ashly Burch reprising her original role as the franchise’s favourite psychotic teen and demolitions expert.
Roll your own multiclass hero and loot, shoot, slash, and cast your way through outlandish monsters and loot-filled dungeons on a quest to stop the tyrannical Dragon Lord. Everyone’s welcome, so join the party, throw on your adventuring boots, and be Chaotic Great!
It’s out on PC and consoles in 2022.
REPLACED
Not much info available on this one, but that pixel-nostalgia aesthetic and dystopian cyberpunk vibes? Yes, please.
Replaced is a 2.5D sci-fi retro-futuristic action platformer where you play as R.E.A.C.H. – an artificial intelligence trapped in a human body against its own will. Replaced combines cinematic platforming, pixel art and free-flow action combat with a deep, engaging dystopian story set in an alternative 1980’s.
No launch date confirmed, but Replaced is launching on PC and Xbox consoles and will be available day one on Xbox Game Pass.
REDFALL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxX-4U5uJqk
Prey and Dishonored studio Arkane’s a co-op, open world FPS that swaps zombies for vampires. It’s about time.
The quaint island town of Redfall, Massachusetts, is under siege by a legion of vampires who have blocked out the sun and cut the island off from the outside world. Trapped with a handful of survivors against diabolical enemies threatening to bleed the town dry, choose your hero from a diverse roster, grouping up with others to create the perfect team of vampire slayers.
It’s out in mid-2022 on PC and Xbox consoles, and will be available day one on Xbox Game Pass.
MARVEL’S GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY
It’s not a new Thief or Deus Ex game, maybe, but Eidos-Montréal promises a “fresh take” on Marvel’s space hero franchise and the first-ever opportunity to be Star-Lord, so I guess that makes up for it.
Fire up Star-Lord’s jet boots for a wild ride across the cosmos in this third-person action-adventure game, a fresh take on Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. With the unpredictable Guardians at your side, blast your way from one explosive situation to another, with original and iconic Marvel characters caught in a struggle for the fate of the universe. You got this. Probably.
It’s out on PC and consoles on 26 October.
RAINBOW SIX EXTRACTION
As expected, Ubisoft’s next Rainbow Six game swaps out the franchise’s generic terrorist bad guys with aliens, and includes 18 operators to choose from and 12 “uniquely designed” maps.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction is a 1 to 3-player cooperative tactical first-person shooter. Assemble your elite team of Rainbow Six operators to launch incursions into the unpredictable containment zones and discover the mysteries behind the lethal alien threat called the Archæns. Knowledge, cooperation, and a tactical approach are your best weapons. Band together and put everything on the line as you take on an unknown enemy.
It’s out on PC and consoles on 16 September.
SOMERVILLE
This is the debut game from indie studio Jump Ship, developed in collaboration with ex-Playdead CEO Dino Patti. Remember Playdead? Limbo? Inside? Playdead games. That makes Somerville an immediately intriguing project.
In the wake of catastrophe you must find the means to make your family whole again. Somerville is a sci-fi adventure grounded in the intimate repercussions of large scale conflict.
It’s out in 2022 on PC and Xbox consoles, and will be available day one on Xbox Game Pass.
STRANGER OF PARADISE FINAL FANTASY ORIGIN
Ninja Gaiden and Nioh developer Team Ninja has partied up with Final Fantasy 7 Remake developers Tetsuya Nomura and Kazushige Nojima to produce a “bold new vision” for the Square Enix franchise.
With the memory of their struggle buried deep in their hearts… Jack and his allies, Ash and Jed, burn with resolve to defeat Chaos as they throw open the gates to the Chaos Shrine. Yet doubts remain — are they truly the Warriors of Light the prophecy foretold? Step into a world of dark fantasy and revel in the exhilarating, action-packed battles.
It’s out on PC and consoles in 2022, but a PS5 demo is available now until 24 June.
FORZA HORIZON 5
Even if, like me, you’re not into racing games, there’s no disputing that the next Forza Horizon is a work of technical genius. The developers at Playground Games used 12K photogrammetry data of multiple locations in Mexico, including an active volcano, to create the game’s high-resolution, photorealistic textures.
Your ultimate Horizon adventure awaits! Explore the vibrant and ever-evolving open world landscapes of Mexico with limitless, fun driving action in hundreds of the world’s greatest cars.
It’s out on 9 November on PC and Xbox consoles, and will be available day one on Xbox Game Pass.
TWELVE MINUTES
Annapurna Interactive’s bizarre point-and-click game features James McAvoy and Daisy Ridley as a husband and wife stuck in a 12-minute time loop, and Willem Dafoe as a cop who busts into their home because… reasons.
Twelve Minutes blends the dream-like tension of The Shining with the claustrophobia of Rear Window and the fragmented structure of Memento.
It’s out on 19 August on PC and Xbox consoles, and will be available day one on Xbox Game Pass.
CONTRABAND
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reuri4lT7jI
According to the not super informative trailer, it’s an open world co-op game with an alt-history narrative hook from Just Cause developer Avalanche Studios.
In Contraband, players will take on the roles of smugglers exploring the fictional Southeast Asian world of 1970s Bayan.
No launch date confirmed, but Contraband is launching on PC and Xbox consoles and will be available day one on Xbox Game Pass.
SEA OF THIEVES: A PIRATE’S LIFE
Disney has entered the chat.
Split across five incredible Tall Tales packed with secrets and side-quests, Sea of Thieves: A Pirate’s Life sees Captain Jack Sparrow sailing in from beyond the horizon to sweep players into an epic new adventure!
Free Jack from his prison and witness the power of the world’s greatest Pirate Treasure, which he just so happens to have stolen, before joining him on an unforgettable quest to stop dark forces from dominating this pirate paradise.
A Pirate’s Life is a free content update for Sea of Thieves, and it’s out on PC and Xbox consoles, including Xbox Game Pass, on 22 June.