Games to look forward to in 2022

Just as I did with movies, I am back to give you my list of games I cannot wait to play in 2022. This is my onion so if you don’t see a particular game then that may be because I am not interested by it or I have not heard enough about it.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League

Release Date: TBC (PS5/Xbox Series X/PC)

I am currently playing through the Guardians of the Galaxy game (which is excellent by the way) and I can’t help but feel this is DC’s response to that but this time you can switch between all 4 characters instead of just the one whilsit players have the option to go solo or play with 3 other friends.

The story centres around the Justice League being possessed by Braniac an evil entity and so its up to the bad guys to go on a “suicidal” mission to bring them down. Our 4 antiheroes are Harley Quinn, Deadshot, King Shark & Captain Boomerang .The game is also set in the Arkham universe so expect the plot form Arkham Knight to continue and don’t be too surprised if Batman gets involved at some point.

This game just looks so godamn fun. The combat looks manic as you battle across the rooftops of Metropolis against swarms of enemies switching between characters. The game is confirmed to be open world which is always a bonus. Each character looks and feels unique with Deadshot being your shooter, Harley your close quarters, Boomerang your explosives man and King Shark your brute who is a mixture of the first two. From the trailers the voice acting sounds superb as you get the feeling the game will feature a lot of dark comedic moments like the movies. It’s always refreshing to play as the bad guys especially when your aim is to literally kill some of the biggest superheroes going.

This is a game I will definately be pre-ordering, I just hope there are no delays and we get a release date soon.

UPDATE 02/02/22:”I just hope there are no delays ” of course I’ve jinxed it, the game is now unfortunately scheduled to release in 2023.

God of War Ragnarok

Release Date:TBC (PS5/Xbox Series X)

God of War was my game of the year in 2018 and its ending has generated over 3 years of hype for its sequel. The father and son partnership between Kratos and Atreus is one of the best in gaming history and I’m interested to see where the two go considering the real identity of Atreus is revealed at the end of the game.

The story is set 3 years after the events of the previous game as Kratos and his son seek to find the previously thought to be dead God, Tyr in order to try to prevent Ragnarok from happening. We know from trailers that we expect to encounter Thor and Freya both wanting revenge after the actions of the first game

If the sequel is anything like its predecessors with its beautiful worlds, grasping story and fun combat, then God of War Ragnarok is looking like we may have another gaming masterpiece on our hands.

Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

Release Date: 15th April (PS4/PS5/Xbox One,Series X/Switch/PC)

It has been a long time coming, after months of delays were finally getting the most ambitious Lego game to date with Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. Be prepared to play all 9 Star Wars Films across multiple different worlds that can be explored at will. I’ve loved every single Lego star wars they have released and this just feels like they have kicked it up a few gears with better visuals, updated gameplay and a ton of more content all on one disc.

With over 300 playable characters to unlock and 9 episodes to play through, its evident there is a lot of content to play with. I have already pre ordered the game so roll on April.

Dying Light 2: Stay Human

Release Date: 4th February (PS4/5/Xbox Series X/One/PC/Switch)

The Parkour zombie apocalypse open world bonanza finally gets its sequel after 6 whole years. I really enjoyed the first game as it had a bit of uniqueness to it and it stood out across the other hundreds of zombie games released. I especially enjoyed when it turned to night time as the game became a whole lot more challenging and added an element of tension as you try to find your base.

The Sequel stars a new protagonist (Aiden Caldwell) and is said to have a map 4 times larger than its predecessor with 7 different regions. You will meet different factions whose fates are impacted by the choices you make during the game. The game really seems to be focusing on choices with settlements being destroyed and locations becoming sealed off because of your choices and its something I really like when it comes to story games. I loved the telltale Walking Dead games because your choices impacted the whole game so adding this element to an already solid zombie gameplay is an recipe for a quality game.

WWE 2K22

Release Date: 11th March (PS4/5/Xbox Series X/One/PC)

The 2K wrestling series is back after a one year hiatus due to the disaster that was WWE 2K20. The game looks really good graphics wise with a revamped control system and 2K have already shown a ton of different game modes to play with. Showcase mode, a personal favourite mode of mine features the legendary career of the masked luchador Rey Mysterio. Rey Mysterio career is filled with classic matches so expect a roster filled with past wrestlers from the Ruthless Aggression Era such as Eddie Guerrero, Kurt Angle, Batista, Rob Van Dam and more.*None confirmed yet

Universe mode was always my favourite but it started to feel very samey to all the previous entries so I’m excited to see what has been added to make it more of an immersive experience. For me more cutscenes and rivalry options must be added. The big news which has pleased many fans is the return of ‘GM Mode’. In this mode, you take control as the General Manager of either RAW, Smackdown or NXT, where you are given a budget to hire wrestlers and run your show how you want too in order to win the rating wars against the other brands.

However I will not be preordering this as I remain cautious on the state of the game because of the previous entry so this is one I will most likely wait a couple of weeks for or get on sale.

Sifu

Release Date: 8th February 2022 (PS4/PS5/PC)

I recently came across this game a couple of months ago and it has one feature that has pulled me in instantly. The game focuses on you seeking vengeance on those who murdered your family. Every time you die, you are magically resurrected on the spot, with your strikes becoming more powerful. However your health decreases as your age increases by a specific number of years with each fatality, so if you become too old you die completely, causing you to restart the whole game. Throughout the game you can unlock and practice new skills and abietites to get stronger. I think this is one I will get on sale.

Marvel: Midnight Suns

Release Date: TBC (PS4/PS5/Xbox One/Series X/PC/Switch)

A tactical role playing game featuring marvel superheroes? Yes please. As a big fan of the XCOM games and Marvel products you can imagine my joy when it was announced that both elements would be combined for this game. Playing as your own supehreo with the choice of over 40 powers, you join the team that consist of the likes of Iron-Man, Dr Strange, Captain America, Blade, Wolverine, Ghost rider and more. Combat will be turn based like XCOM as you team up with 3 other heroes that you choose. You will also build up your own base where you can interreact with other heroes. I hope they go down the route that these heroes can die permanently instead of potentially just being injured for a few missions so that my tactics will have more consequences. Ill need more details to be revealed before I decide whether to pre-order.

Elden Ring

Release Date: 25th February (PS4/5/Xbox Series One/X/PC)

Everyone in the gaming community seems to be talking about this action RPG. Directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki who’s work includes the souls series, Sekiro & Bloodborne and made in collaboration with George R.R Martin (Game of Thrones creator) its clear to see why many are talking about the huge potential the game has. An open world dark souls game seems to be the best way to describe the game with six main areas to discover in which you will battle various monsters and beasts of all different powers and sizes. Expect stunning visuals, unique locations and enemies and tough methodical combat.

GTA Vice City Definitive Edition: Honest Review

Part II of my three part review of the Grand Theft Auto definitive edition trilogy review.

Vice City was always my favourite out of the three. The story follows recently released criminal Tommy Vercetti on a quest to find those who wronged him when a routine drug deal goes wrong whilst also attempting to become the kingpin of Vice City

The Setting

Vice City is the most vibrant setting in all of the franchsie. The city well and truely feels alive and you feel like you have the freedom to live in this city. From Clubbing to going to the mall to being a pizza delivery, you feel like a normal citizen living in a beautiful city, maybe scratch the normal part as it turns out your a bloodthirsty pyromaniac.

What makes this game so good is the depth. As mentioned before there are plenty of things to do. I’m aiming to 100% the game and I’m 25+ hours in and I’ve only just hit 52% completion, its crazy the amount of things to do. The addition of owning properties is great as it helps develop Tommy’s story of him rising up the ranks of Vice City as he gets legitimate income as well as payments for doing jobs. Properties also provide extra missions furthering the overall play time.

Music

I don’t think I can add what has already been said before regarding the soundtrack. Its unbelievable and one of the best soundtracks in any game. It’s a shame some songs were removed in the definitive edition due to licensing issues. You also cannot forget the great radio voice acting, VCPR is hilarious and provides over an hour of excellent humour with a bunch of lunatics and money grabbing executives. Shootout to congressman Alex Shrub he is the highlight of the show with his extreme right wing views.

Top 5 Songs from Vice City

1	The Human League	Fascination
2	Toto	Africa
3	Twisted Sister	I Wanna Rock
4	Autograph	Turn up the Radio
5	The Buggles	Video Killed The Radio Star

The Characters

Its a breath of fresh air to have the main protagonist have a voice actor after the events of GTA III. Tommy is one of the all time greats in terms of characters in the GTA Universe. He is a no nonsense badass with a dark comical side that will fight anyone to make sure he comes out on top. His outfits are also iconic. I always liked Lance Vance, the transformation of a slick know it all to a nervous jealous wreck is brilliant character development. My main gripe with the characters is the main antagonist Sonny Forelli. I would have liked to have seen more of him, the odd phone call you get from him reminding you of his impending arrival is great but we do not get enough scenes of him showing his brutally and why he is such a threat.

Note: Danny Dyer plays the role of Kent Paul to perfection. Video game acting at its finest ‘Chef’s Kiss’.

Potential Spoilers

A Lacklustre Finale

This brings me onto the final mission of the main story. It has always felt rushed to me by the fact that you take on two of the main villains in the same mission. Neither of them either get a cutscene and they are treated as normal villains with a bit more health. Diaz death earlier in the game is iconic becuase of the shot of Lance and Tommy aiming their guns down at the camera. These iconic shots are missing as you take them out like a normal henchman. The final mission should have been at least split into two parts.

Conclusion

Overall Vice City is still as good as it was back in 2002. Lots to do, lots of cars to drive, still wish the shooting was changed in this new edition but it still does the job. The Large cast of characters with diverse personalities make the game what it is, a masterpiece. Vice City puts to shame a lot of open world games that have come out in recent years. If only the definitive edition could have just modernised the game a little bit with better shooting, aiming and character models. If you never played the originals or just started playing games in the PS4/Xbox One era of gaming, the outdated visuals and mechanics will put you off which is something the definitive edition should have prevented. Other than that a near perfect “remaster” for Vice City lovers.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Next Time we dive into the San Andreas Definitive Edition.

GTA III: Definitive Edition Honest Review

Introduction

Rockstar have blessed us with 3 remakes of classic Grand theft Auto games with the first one being set in Liberty City

The story follows silent protagonist Claude who is betrayed and left for dead during a bank robbery. His quest for revenge gets him entangled in the world of crime joining multiple different factions all of which aim to rule over liberty city.

Now I never really played the original as a kid, the only times would be when I use to sneak on my brothers PlayStation and play it while my parents were out. I did purchase the original on PC but a strange bug kept deleting my saves multiple times. Now I had the chance to finally play through the game and it was um alright I guess.

Silence is not always golden

I really really really hate when the main character does not have a voice actor. It was annoying in Modern Warfare trilogy and its even worse in this. Claude just shows up, someone tells him what to do and he does it without saying anything, literally nothing. Its especially annoying when your driving around with another character and there is just pure silence. It does not work, why hire all these other voice actors and leave out the main man, baffling really.

Gameplay

I was hoping they would change the shooting in this remaster as I never was much of a fan of it, its very difficult and clunky making it infuriating in missions that require lots of shooting as most the time you will end up dead with no checkpoints. The addition of the GTA V weapon wheel is a cool addition though.

The driving is hit and miss, it feels smooth when your just cruising around but during races its very infuriating as slight turns will send you flying or spinning round. Pedestrian vehicles will also just pull out on you which is also frustrating but funny at the same time. Radio stations are as great as ever especially Lazlow’s chatterbox which is hilarious with all the random call ins which Lazlow has to deal with.

I absolutely love the pedestrians on the street, you’ll be on one street everything calm and then go through to the next street and all hell has broken loose without you having to do anything. Gangs will be shooting at each other, cars on fire and explosions galore, it really makes the free roaming aspect fun especially with the fact not everything revolves around the players actions.

The graphics aren’t as bad as everyone is saying, yeah some modders may have done a better job but it does not bother me, they still look good. I’d rather them put more focus on GTA 6 in all honesty if that ever comes out. My only real problem with the graphics is the rain is horrendous especially at night you can barely see anything.

Conclusion

GTA III is the weakest in the definitive trilogy but still provides hours of mayhem for those who want the nostalgia trip. To new players who have never played any of the trilogy before, may find the game way too outdated and maybe expected more from this remaster especially for £60.

⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 3 out of 5.