Previewing my 2021 in Gaming

Once again I find myself at the start of a new year trying to plan out what I think my year in gaming is going to be like. I have my usual collection of games both new and old that I am interested in playing as well as pieces of hardware that I would like to buy. A number of the games an items are very much up in the air as to when or even if in 2021 that they will come out. In addition there is also the matter of availability to purchase new and interesting hardware in an age where robots and scalpers are buying everything and reselling it at a very high markup. This post is probably more aspirational than practical but with that being said, here is the list. 

New Games

• Control Ultimate Edition (Series X, Feb 2)

Control was my top game on 2019 but I felt shorted in my play through of it due to wanting to rush through so I could play Gears 5 when that game came out. As such I have wanted to revisit Control almost since I beat it. The release of the two DLC expansions as well as the Next Generation update which will include higher resolutions, better framerates and even Ray Tracing provided me with the perfect excuse. I am not a fan of having to buy the "Ultimate Edition" to get said update as it should have been free to the version I already had. With that said I scored said "Ultimate Edition" on a Black Friday Sale for $20 and traded in my physical copy to a local used game store for $16. I do feel pretty good for getting the next gen version and two pieces of DLC contend for basically $5.   

• Persona 5 Strikers (PS4, Feb 21)

I had stated at the end of my play through of Persona 5 Royal that I was not interested in Persona 5 Strikers being a Dynasty Warriors style of game. I  am also put off by the idea of a game that does not feature the Social Linking of a "Real" Persona game and reduces the characters the one note everyone remembers about them (thus making them more one dimensional). Finally there is that this is a sequel to Persona 5, not Persona 5 Royal so it will not feature the new characters  to that version of the game. With all of the stuff being said I am interested in this game because of the preview footage saying it is much closer to a Persona Game that I though it would be and it looks like it could be good as well.  Persona 5 Strikers will also be relativity short (about 40 hours) making me much more willing to give it a chance (not to mention my lack of much else in the new game department for 2021). I am concerned that ATLUS might put streaming restrictions that would prevent me from doing a full playthrough on my You Tube Channel when Persona 5 Strikers comes out  in late February. Regardless, I am now leaning in favor of playing it

• CrossCode DLC (Series X, Early 2021)

I gave CrossCode a try because it was on Game Pass and it looked neat. I did not expect to end up doing a full playthrough of it and I certainty did not plan to buy any story DLC for this Retro-Bit Action RPG. The fact that I am now eagerly awaiting the arrival of said DLC (sometime in early 2021) says a lot of how I feel about CrossCode. I am not sure where this DLC is going to take the game (although I do have an idea) but I am willing to go wherever CrossCode takes me. I just hope it comes out between my playthroughs of other games so I can jump in as soon as possible.    

• Mass Effect Legendary Edition (Series X, June) 

The Mass Effect Trilogy was one of the Xbox 360 series I felt bad about missing completely when they came out. I played a little bit of the first game (I stopped shortly after the first Mako sequence) and never came back to it. I am including this compilation of the 3 main Mass Effect games more as a possibility than a probability due to my concern about stuff like the Mako stuff in the first game not being improved (or removed)  and how long of an endeavor playing through all three of those games would be. At this point my lists for 2021 is so sparse and uncertain that I could go either way. 

• Halo Infinite (Series X, Fall 2021)

Halo Infinite is the one New Game I will play this year (Assuming it does come out in 2021 that is). I have played through Halos 1-5 (both in original release and the Master Chief Collection) and Halo Reach so it was a forgone conclusion I will get and play this game when it comes out. I was unconcerned about the graphics of the game footage when Halo Infinite was shown off because I never came to Halo as a graphics powerhouse but I do hope they make improvements to the visuals because I would like to have something pretty and new to play on my new system (the Xbox Series X). 

• GTA V (Series X, 2021)

I played and enjoyed Grand Theft Auto v "back in the day" when it came out in 2013 on the Xbox 360, where I did finish the story and saw credits roll. I also bought the Xbox One version and played a little of that but never finished it. At the dawn of another console generation we now have another new version of this 8 year old 360 game and it is on my list of possible game pickups for 2021. I know it makes be a bad person that I am even considering buying this game for a third time but with this year being so slim on new games I am interested in, here it is on my list. I  should say in my defense that the Xbox One version never got a patch to support the Xbox One X so I did not get to see it in 4K. I am also hoping for some fancy stuff like Ray Tracing or Mod support. I strangely do want to play through GTA V again as I do have fond memories of the story and gameplay but I am worried about the licensed soundtrack and my ability to stream the game with it without a Copyright strike (an option to disable such songs to make it streaming friendly would be nice, the way quantum Break did). I am uncertain as to how series my interest in a new version of GTA V is, I will have to wait to see where I am in my streaming schedule when this game comes out. 

• Horizon Forbidden West (PS4, 2021)

The first game I did a play through stream with my current format was Horizon: Zero Dawn on the PS4. The first Horizon game was also the first game I got for that system (it came it came with my PS4 Pro). I very much enjoyed playing the first Horizon game even though I can't remember much of the story of it. I am able to play the sequel because it is coming out on the PS4 and while it will not be as good looking as the PS5 version (at least I do have a PS4 Pro). I do want to play Horizon: Forbidding West when it comes out but as there is no firm release date I may not be able to get to it when it comes out pending on my streaming schedule when it does. 

• Cuphead DLC (Series X, 2021)

Cuphead was my favorite game of 2017 and one of my favorites of the generation. Needless to say, I have been hotly anticipating the release of the Delicious Last Course, which is DLC for Cuphead. The Delicious Last Course was supposed to come out in 2020 but has been delayed to this year (for the moment). I rather doubt that the Delicious Last Course is coming out in 2021 but I will play that whenever it does come out as Cuphead is awesome and I want more of it. 

• Cyberpunk 2077 (Series X, 2021)

How does a game that cam out last year show up on my list of new games for 2021 that I am interested in? When that game did not really come out in 2020 and the real version (as in Series X version) is scheduled to come out in 2021. At this point I have no idea if I am going to get Cyberpunk 2077. I don't even know if the next gen patch will even get released as the company (CD Project Red) may go under before then. I don't even know if I want to get this game but it is on this list because I am still interested in this game for some reason. I will be keeping an eye out for when (or if) the Series X patch comes out and if Cyberpunk 2077 gets other improvements and fixes in the meantime. 

Old Games

• Persona 4 Golden (Steam)

I played through the original release of Persona 4 for the PS2 back in 2009 as well as about half of the Vita version of Persona 4 Golden back in 2013. I also recently did a full play through of Persona 5 for the PS4 that took about 140 hours. One would think that I would be a little "persona-ed out at this point but not only do I plan on likely playing Persona 5 Strikers but I also want to do a fully playthrough of Persona 4 Golden that I recently got on sale from steam. I know there there is a decent amount of content added to the Golden version of Persona 4 and I only saw a little bit of it when I played it on the Vita, as such I think that fact with how long it has been is a good reason to give it a go this year. I am concerned about playing a game on the same PC that I am streaming on in terms of performance and stability (not to mention the effects my weird  multi-monitor setup has on it) but I think that a game  as un-taxing as this should also be a good test case for the viability of PC game based streaming in the future for my channel. I just have to make sure I pick a large open time of the year to do such play through because like Persona 5 Royal, Persona 4 Golden is going to be another 100+ game. 

• The Legend of Zelda Windwaker HD (WiiU)

Last year I finally beat my first 3D Legend of Zelda game with Twilight Princess HD on the WiiU. This year I want to keep that beating 3D Zelda game train rolling with the other big HD recent remake The Legend of Zelda Windwaker HD on the WiiU. I played a decent amount of this game on the Dolphin emulator but I got stuck and never went back. This time I plan on getting a Prima style strategy guide to make sure I do not get stuck again but am able to see the end of it. Windwaker was a game I was very dismissive of when it came out because I felt like it was doing a me to with the Cell-Shaded graphics at a time when it seemed like a fad. Now that I am older I know better and what is more I think the visuals of that game look better in HD than they did in SD on those old CRT. My concerns are about getting stuck again (hence the guide I need to track down a physical copy of) and how long of a game it will be considering how many other long games I am looking at this year. 

• Halo MCC and Halo 5 Guardians

I started my play through of the Master Chief Collection last year with the intention of getting caught up with what is likely my all time favorite game series in advance of the next game Halo Infinite coming out. Then said Halo game got delayed a year an my 2020 plan is now my 2021 plan. Regardless I am still going to make my way through the remaining Halo MCC games and Halo 5 Guardians to make sure I am ready for the next game when ever it comes out. I am using these games as sort of a palate cleanser between other bigger games (like between Persona 5 Royal and CrossCode last year).  

• Half-Life Alex

Half-Life (don't call it 3) Alex was a game I wanted to get last year but due to the GPU on my desktop meeting the bare minimum specs I decided to wait until I got one of them fancy RTX 3000 GPUs which turned out to be impossible for me. I still want to get this game and I still want to upgrade my GPU but at this point that may not be possible this year. I include Half-Life Alex on this list as more of a hope (or even a dream) then an actual plan but we will see. 

• Gears Tactics 

I was very into the idea of an X-Com style turned based strategy game set in the Gears of War universe when it was announced at E3 a few years ago. That game is actually out now, on game pass and even on my Xbox but I have not had the motivation to play it nor has Gears Tactics been much in my conscious. Regardless I still want to do a full play through of this newest Gears game I just need to find a good time of this year to do so.  

Hardware

• RTX 3000 GPU or New Desktop Build

I still have money saved up and set aside for an upgrade to my Desktop's GPU that I want to spend on a new RTX 3000 series GPU (ideally a 3080) but I am unwilling to spend above MSRP as I do NOT want to support scalpers. As such I am willing to wait until supply becomes more available. The big thing for me is at this point my I7 6700k is no spring chicken either and in order to upgrade that I need a new mother board and possible a new case to fit all of this stuff. I may just end up building a new Desktop carrying a few of the components (such as the Liquid CPU cooler and the 2TB M2-SSD) and going new on almost everything else. Even if I go down that route I need to have even more patience as CPUs have become rare in this day in age as well. I will also have to save up some more money as my GPU fund will not cover a new PC build. I still have some decisions to make in this regard. 

• Super Switch

I have been interested in getting a Nintendo Switch but I have always wanted to wait for the best version of the system. I understand that the rumors of a "Super Switch" coming out this year are stronger than ever and as such I will once again wait. This upgrade is supposed to have extra hardware in the Dock that allows it to output 4K and it will have better battery life as well. Much like everything else even slightly interesting that is tech related I expect if/when such a system comes out it will be impossible to buy at MSRP. I might get on the ball about ordering it as soon as it is possible (like I did with the Xbox Series X last year) but I am not counting on it. I am willing to wait though as I do not want a Switch mini (no output to TV means no go) and me being a graphics whore with a big fancy  OLED TV I want my 4K. When Nintendo releases such a system upgrade I will make an attempt to purchase it and then I will have plenty of switch exclusives to play and feature on my channel.  

• OSSC Pro

I have been using and Open Source Scan Converter for a few years on my channel now and I recently heard of the existence of the OSSC Pro which is expected to feature support for Composite and S-Video built in as well as some kind of FPGA based system emulation similar to a MiSTer. I have been at least somewhat interested in the MiSTer  but I would much rather have such functionality in a device I would get anyway (limited HDMI inputs on my Receiver and all). I also like the lager foot print with more direct ports removing the need for breakout cables for audio and being a more stable box that I have a bunch of heavy duty cords plugged into. I have no reason to believe that the OSSC Pro is coming out this year but the shortness of this list means I have to include it here. 

Conclusion 

There is an awful lot of TBAs and maybes on list of games and hardware for 2021. I do not really have a big list of new or old games I am interest in for this year but many of them are long ones so they should still take up plenty of my time. I am hoping that the recent hardware shortages can be lessened at some point this year as there is some stuff I do want to get. I should also keep an open mind about the unexpected as far as new games as I never know when I might want to "step out of my comfort zone" and try something new. The bottom line is that  while I hope for a good year in gaming for 2021 at this point it is unrealistic for me to expect one.