Happy New Year! This year is going to be terrible for the world, but maybe okay for video games?
Let’s discuss upcoming games that you’re anticipating. Ideally, I’d like to keep this limited to games expected to release in 2025 (at least at the time you write about them - we all know how release dates tend to slip.)
I’m looking forward to a bunch of announced games in 2025, but the top dozen highlights are:
More importantly though is what’s currently unannounced. I think it’s a pretty safe bet that the Nintendo Switch 2 will release this year.
I’d expect Nintendo to attempt to replicate the Switch’s success with a similar bonkers launch year. Just to recap, The Switch launched in 2017 and in that same year, a slew of huge-hitting games came out. These included The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, Splatoon 2, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. There were also some less-good games such as 1-2 Switch, ARMS, Fire Emblem: Warriors, and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (you heard me).
So far, what we know about for Switch 2’s launch year are Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Pokémon Legends: Z-A. I doubt we’ll get another big Zelda so soon after TotK, but another 3D Mario could be in the works. There’s also been enough time for some other huge games like a new Animal Crossing, Smash Bros, or Mario Kart.
So basically, my most anticipated game for 2025 is Mother 4.
My slate for the start of 2025 is Demonschool and the Lunar Remastered Collection.
I’m keeping a close eye on Suikoden I & II Remastered (which I never played) and the Xenoblade Chronicles X remaster. I could see myself trying either one.
Otherwise, I’m pretty open. I’m interested in seeing what this turns out to be:
So far the funniest thing I’ve seen this year is that beta decay trailer that opens with “POWERED BY UNREAL ENGINE” and then immediately cuts to PSX textures and models.
After nearly 20 years of development, Tetris the Grand Master 4: Absolute Eye should release this March! It was originally demoed on September 17, 2009 however people were more interested in the gimmicky Tetris Giant and Sega had concerns about copycats, so they cancelled the arcade run. As Ichiro Mihara from Arika put it:
“We can’t release TGM4 because we don’t have the capacity to clean up the clones overseas (that’s one of the reasons). So I’ve given up. To put it arrogantly, good money lost to bad money. I’m sorry, but it annoys me when people bring up TGM. Of course, I want to say something sarcastic. So please forget about TGM. I’m the one who’s saddest.”
Since then they again tried demoing it in 2015 and then again almost released it to home consoles in 2021 but it was withheld from publishing for undisclosed reasons. For Ichiro this has got to be the most anticipated release, I hope he is no longer sad.
I have realised that my list of games I am looking forward to in the year 2025, doesn’t contain as many games to be released in the year 2025 as I expected! Still I have a few:
I like how Steam asks me if it’s relevant to me!
My love of Cloudpunk is not a secret, so the next game by the studio set in the same world is very exciting.
Always like to see a fellow ICer doing their thing, and this game looks fun!
I love TRON so
And aside from the new console from Nintendo and whatever they release alongside it, the game I am most looking forward to in 2025 is…
I may have time to play it this year. Unlikely, but I figure 12 months that may be long enough.
clueless but optimistic)
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