GAMES
PlayStation, Xbox and Switch: The most anticipated games of 2021
It’s March, which — brace yourself — means we’re a quarter of the way through 2021. The year has already brought us some strong video game launches. Hitman 3 ended the trilogy on a high note, and Super Mario 3D World brought another excellent Wii U game to Switch. The next few months look even better, with games like Deathloop, New Pokemon Snap and Monster Hunter Rise on the horizon.
Unlike last year, 2021 doesn’t have any flashy new hardware to look forward to — other than maybe a 4K Switch — but there’s plenty of promising software to come. This sadly no longer includes Hogwarts Legacy or Gran Turismo 7, which will both now be released next year.
This list is continuously updated to add new release dates and remove games as they come out.
Capcom
Following the well-received Monster Hunter World, which launched on PS4 and Xbox One in 2018, and the porting of 3DS game Monster Hunter Generations to the Switch, Nintendo’s console is finally getting its own, brand-new Monster Hunter game. Like other games in the franchise, it promises a giant world and hundreds of hours of beast slaying.
The Pokemon Company/Screenshot by CNET
New Pokemon Snap is a much-demanded follow up to 1999 N64 favorite Pokemon Snap. The game, which was announced last summer, will include more than 200 Pokemon species from the series eight generations, and Professor Mirror will judge your photography skills as you travel through the region.
It should totally rock, taking a game idea from the N64 and adapting it to the Switch, which feels like a perfect console for Poketography. It launches April 30.
Capcom
Don’t let the name fool you: Resident Evil Village is really Resident Evil 8. It’s a direct sequel to Resident Evil 7’s story, but developers called it “Village” to signify how the village the game takes place in is a key element. Not so subtle — but sure to be scary. It looks to be big, too, as its developers have promised a larger game than Resident Evil 7.
Resident Evil Village is slated to launch May 7 on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Series X|S and PC.
Bethesda
After years focusing mainly on Dishonored, developers Arkane Studios are moving onto a new IP in Deathloop. And it looks sick.
Here’s the idea: You’re an assassin trapped in a timeloop that resets after each day. In order to get out, you need to kill eight “visionaries” who are scattered around an island. The caveat is that you’ll need to do it within one timeloop. The second caveat is that, as you hunt for the eight visionaries, a rival assassin keeps herself busy by hunting you.
Deathloop will hit the PlayStation 5 and PC May 21, with an Xbox version probably coming next year (it has timed console exclusivity for one year).
EA/Velan Studios
The premise of Knockout City looks simple, and familiar. Teams of players running around a skatepunk-ish futuristic city, launching things at each other to get the win. Here, the things are dodgeballs. Knockout City, a cross between dodgeball and Splatoon, is all about multiplayer. It will support crossplay between PC, Switch, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series X|S.
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart
Release date: June 11
Insomniac
The latest Ratchet and Clank game was meant to hit the PlayStation 5 during that console’s “launch window”, but when 2020 ended it still didn’t have a release date. After a few months of silence, it was revealed in February that Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart would release on June 11. This is a PlayStation 5 exclusive to look forward to.
Square Enix
Final Fantasy 7 Remake is coming to the PlayStation 5, but it’s not just getting the standard 60-frames-per-second at 4K treatment. Final Fantasy 7 Intergrade brings a new chapter to the story in which you play as Yuffie, a favorite from the original game.
Launching June 10, owners of 7 Remake on the PS4 will get a free upgrade.
Nintendo
Mario is dusting off his clubs for another 18 holes. Mario Golf: Super Rush reprises the N64’s Mario Golf, and is Mario’s third sports jaunt on the Switch after Tennis and the Winter Olympics (with Sonic). Super Rush includes a promising multiplayer mode, as well as a role-playing single player mode that stars your Mii.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 is still coming along, but it looks a while away. In the meantime, Nintendo is reviving Skyward Sword, released in 2011 on the Wii, for the Switch. Skyward Sword HD will run at 60-frames-per-second, enjoy Amiibo support and use the Joy-Cons to control Link’s sword and shield.
Grasshopper Manufacture
No More Heroes is a hack-and-slash game series that began all the way back in 2008 on the Wii. It’s since amassed a considerable cult following, and has enjoyed strong critical acclaim. After a COVID-19 related delay, No More Heroes 3 will release on Switch on Aug. 27.
Games coming ‘TBA’ 2021
The following titles are slated for release this year. We’ll update this page as games get an official release date.
Stay in the know
Get the latest tech stories with CNET Daily News every weekday.
The Pokemon Company
Pokemon Red and Blue got a remake on Game Boy Advance (and later on the Switch), Silver and Gold on the DS, and Ruby and Sapphire on 3DS. Pearl and Diamond, originally released on the DS in 2007, are up next.
Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are coming to Switch in “late 2021.”
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake
Release Date: 2021.
Ubisoft
Remasters are cool, but remakes can be truly magical. After Shadow of the Colossus, Resident Evil 2 and Final Fantasy 7 Remake, three fantastic remakes, 2021 brings Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Originally released in 2003 for the PlayStation 2, Ubisoft is giving the platformer a full 2021 do-over. Hopefully.
The game was originally slated for January 2021, but was then delayed to March. It’s been delayed again, but Ubsisoft hasn’t given it a new date yet.
Price of Persia: The Sands of Time is slated to launch on PC, Xbox One and PS4.
Warner Bros.
Lego Star Wars is back after five years. The last time we saw the franchise was with 2016’s The Force Awakens. This game seems far more ambitious: The Skywalker Saga Lego-izes all nine Star Wars films.
The Skywalker Saga doesn’t have a final release date just yet, but it’s expected in the first or second quarter. When it does release, it’ll hit PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch and PC.
Far Cry 6
Release date: 2021
Ubisoft
Originally scheduled for February, Far Cry 6 has been delayed until an unknown date in 2021. But it’s set to be the biggest, most fully featured Far Cry yet and is set in the tropical region of Yara — loosely based on Cuba.
Not only will the game launch on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Series X|S, PC and Google Stadia, it’ll also come to Amazon’s Luna platform.
The headlining trailer for last year’s Game Awards was a new Mass Effect. That’s probably a long way off though. The upside? More time for remastered Mass Effect goodness. Mass Effect Legendary Edition is comprised of updated (but not remade) versions of Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3 and will launch on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.
Microsoft
Halo Infinite was meant to be the big thing that launched alongside the Xbox Series X|S but, after poor fan response to a preview last year, it ended up delayed until fall of 2021. The Halo name alone makes this a must-play for most Xbox owners, and developers 343 Industries are trying something new by making the multiplayer free-to-play.
Lord of the Rings: Gollum
Release date: 2021
After the two Middle-Earth games showed that Lord of the Rings games can still rock, 2021 will bring another serving in the form of Lord of the Rings: Gollum. It won’t be the action RPG that the Middle-Earth games were, focusing instead on Gollum’s stealth and cunning, but it looks intriguing.
Lord of the Rings: Gollum will come to PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Series X|S, Switch and PC.
Horizon Forbidden West
Release date: 2021
Horizon Zero Dawn is one of the best games on the PlayStation 4, and its sequel is coming in 2021. Horizon Forbidden West tracks Aloy’s journey to 30th century Utah, Nevada and California as she tracks down the origins of a killer virus. Truly, a game for our times.
Horizon Forbidden West will launch on both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 this year.
God of War: Ragnarok
Release date: 2021
Sony Interactive
Speaking of outstanding PS4 games and their sequels, God of War: Ragnarok is also coming to PlayStation 4 and 5 this year.
That’s actually all we know about the game so far, as the teaser for the game contained only half a logo and the release window of 2021.
Read more: Most anticipated gaming laptops of 2021
GAMES
This Week’s Deals with Gold and Spotlight Sale
GAMES
The German Empire Marches to Italy in a Free Expansion Today
We have a new expansion for our WW1 Italian Front FPS game Isonzo releasing today! It’s the first part of our Caporetto season of free expansions, and features a whole new faction with the arrival of the German Empire on the Italian Front, and brings a new map for the Offensive game mode. There will be two more releases in the Caporetto season, each one with a new map to ultimately link together into a three map Caporetto Offensive.
The German faction comes with more than ten new weapons, as well as historically accurate uniforms and equipment. This first Caporetto map sees you taking part in the early stages of the Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo, with German troops assaulting Italian positions on the road to Caporetto. Historically it was a military disaster for Italy which brought down the government – but maybe things can go differently with you on the battlefield?
The update sees new uniforms and equipment from the German Empire for Isonzo’s six classes: Rifleman, Assault, Engineer, Officer, Marksman and Mountaineer. For those who aren’t familiar with the game, each class has different weapon, gear and perk options that allow you to specialize your play style within the overall focus of the class. For instance, Marksmen are always sharpshooters, but a lot depends on your loadout. You could be a long-range sniper and observer identifying and eliminating high value targets with a scoped rifle, or you could equip body armor to take and hold a front line position with deadly accurate mid-range fire. Every class has choices to make in this regard.
In Isonzo’s signature Offensive game mode, one side must attack and break through multiple defensive lines. Thick layers of barbed wire, trenches, and whatever extra defenses the enemy engineers put together will stand in the way of a successful attack. Objectives can be taking and holding key points, or planting dynamite to sabotage enemy supply stashes or heavy artillery guns.
The new Caporetto map – the first of three in the season – is a huge battlefield based on the strategically important Monte Kolovrat. There are five defensive lines, where each line has two objectives for the attackers before they can advance further. While in the historical Battle of Caporetto both German and Austro-Hungarian forces were involved, in Isonzo we’ve chosen to focus on the German contribution, so the map recreates the stunning German advance from the town of Tolmein all the way to Kolovrat Ridge. It’s a damp, overcast day when the attack begins, and the attackers must first cut their way through lines of wire to break into a devastated town – including capturing a church defended by multiple heavy machine gun positions. Fortunately, in Isonzo there are many tactical options available to deal with such strong points: artillery barrages, smokescreens, snipers, rifle grenades, even poison gas. From there, it becomes a literal uphill battle for the German attackers as they begin to climb towards the peak of Kolovrat Ridge. They’ll need to sabotage bunkers and capture command posts while navigating rocky trenches and steep forested slopes. At the penultimate fourth defensive line there is a huge siege mortar to sabotage and a cluster of houses providing cover to the Italian defenders – then it’s one last climb to reach the final objective: Hill 1114. If the Germans can take it, the Italians will finally be the ones fighting uphill as their reinforcements stream in to try and counterattack.
Of course, things are no walk in the park for the defenders either – although it’s easier to maneuver when going downhill, and it’s much simpler for officers to deploy flares to call in support, the extensive trench lines can become a liability once the Germans get a foothold, providing cover as they advance. Some of the Italian defensive positions can be exposed against the sky, making it easy for German marksmen to pick off targets. Italian engineers should make good use of their construction abilities to put down additional sandbags and lay out extra wire to prevent German assault troops sneaking through the trees to flank trenches with their grenades or light machine guns.
As we mentioned before, historically the Battle of Caporetto was a disaster for the Italians. Appalling leadership led to poorly motivated and unprepared troops falling apart in the face of the combined Austro-Hungarian and German armies using cutting edge infiltration tactics. The Italian soldiers were not allowed to retreat until too late, and in the end hundreds of thousands would surrender. After Caporetto the top Italian general was fired and replaced by someone far more competent, who managed to turn the war around for the Italians. In Isonzo, it’s a more fair fight where both sides have an equal chance of winning, if they can use all the tactical options available better than their opponents.
The release will also bring other improvements to the game, including a prestige mode and higher level cap. Additionally, for those who want more options for visual customization of their character, the Royal Units DLC is releasing alongside the free expansion and contains uniforms from the German Kingdoms of Bavaria and Württemberg. Though part of the German Empire, these states had their own distinctive uniforms which we’ve carefully recreated with the same accuracy and attention to detail as with the other uniforms in the game.
The Battle for Caporetto Begins…
Isonzo is available right now on the Microsoft Store for Xbox, and the free Caporetto expansion is out today! Plenty of time to master the art of mountain warfare before the German Empire joins the action on the Italian Front. Follow us to get the latest development news as we add the finishing touches!
We’ll see you in the trenches!
Isonzo
BlackMill Games
$29.99
World War One expands to the mountains of the Italian Front – beautiful but deadly in equal measure. Inspired by the two year struggle for control of the Isonzo river valley and the Alps during World War One, Isonzo elevates the WW1 Games Series, figuratively and literally.
From the makers of Verdun and Tannenberg…
Take part in historical offensives from the Sixth Battle of the Isonzo to the Strafexpedition. Reflecting the course of the actual battles, as the attackers advance the fighting will shift through vastly different landscapes within a single offensive: from hillside fortresses to mountain trenches and fierce urban combat on city streets. Everything is recreated based on research and field trips, from sound effects and uniforms down to the houses, vineyards and trenches you’ll be fighting over.
The new Offensive game mode puts you right in the middle of key historical offensives on the Italian Front. Lead the charge across stunning Italian landscapes as you choose your path to victory – cut paths through barbed wire, flank your enemies by following mountain trails, or man a mortar to blast a way through. Shape a dynamic battlefield by laying sandbags and wire, placing ammo crates, deploying trench periscopes or sniper shields, and more.
Call in support with a unique historically accurate flare system: flare guns can mark targets for artillery or biplane flybys, or different colored flares can be used to guide your team. Once the big guns have softened up the enemy, finish the job at close quarters with an Arditi dagger or mountaineer’s pickaxe. Man heavy machine guns, mortars and even mountain guns for more direct fire support.
Choose from six classes based on historical combat roles and build your loadout from a selection of weapons, equipment and perks linked to that class, giving flexibility and variety while staying grounded in what real soldiers might have carried. You’ll be operating wire cutters, bandaging yourself and wounded teammates, and blowing the whistle to start an assault. One shot can kill and even lighter injuries can lead to quickly bleeding out.
Being an effective soldier in Isonzo is not just about being a good marksman. Mastering the terrain is also key – the mountain can be a friend or foe. Learn how to navigate well to maintain cover and surprise your enemies or support your allies.
Finally… watch out for the dreaded poison gas. You’ve never experienced WW1 action quite like this!
Isonzo key features include:
• MOUNTAIN WARFARE: Assaulting mountain fortifications, battling through ruined towns, and fording rivers are just a few of the challenges you’ll face as you fight your way through numerous enemy positions
• TACTICAL MULTIPLAYER FPS: Choose your role and loadout carefully to survive this high altitude combat – play a sniper to pick off the enemy engineers before they can cut your wire, use rifle grenades to clear enemy machine guns, and much more
• WORLD WAR ONE GAMEPLAY: Historical Offensive game mode based on real battles and focused on the unique challenges of Alpine warfare. Fight with 30+ WW1 weapons, poisonous gas attacks, and intense artillery barrages
• BUILD FOR VICTORY: Place your own wire, sandbags, trench periscopes, and more! Whether you’re digging in or on the attack, shaping the battlefield to your advantage will be key to victory
• FACES OF WAR: Make every class your own by picking from a variety of historically class-appropriate uniforms, accessories and headgear. As a finishing touch, you can even pick your mustache from several famous period-accurate styles!
• AUTHENTIC WW1 ATMOSPHERE: Accuracy in everything from maps and weaponry to music and the uniforms – fight for the Kingdom of Italy, the German Empire or the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy
MORE GAMES IN THE AUTHENTIC WW1 GAME SERIES
Immerse yourself in more WW1 action with our other standalone titles Tannenberg and Verdun. Experience trench warfare on the Western Front in Verdun, or maneuver for control of key sectors in Tannenberg on the Eastern Front. These authentic WW1 shooters let players choose from a range of squads from across the war, as they fight for control of the ever-changing frontlines.
GAMES
Transport Fever 2: Console Edition is Bringing the Full Transport Tycoon Experience to Xbox
Today, we proudly share a sneak peek into the development of Transport Fever 2: Console Edition, and how we managed to bring the full transport tycoon experience to Xbox.
Transport Fever is a very popular and highly rated transportation tycoon franchise on PC. Its latest entry, Transport Fever 2, delivers a level of size and detail never before seen in the genre. The goal of the game is to build a successful transportation company by constructing railroads, streets, water and air lines. Starting in the 19th century, the player connects towns and industries to transport both passengers and cargo. In addition to a customizable free game mode, there is also a fully-fledged campaign mode with challenging missions set in real-world transportation history.
After the huge success of Transport Fever 2 on PC, it was only logical to bring the experience to consoles as well. Not only that, but no efforts were spared to give the console community the full experience that made the game great on PC. In order to achieve this, the engineers at Urban Games had to pull some rabbits out of their engineers’ hats.
Always providing the freshest layer of paint
One of the most cherished features of Transport Fever 2 are its highly detailed vehicles. The game comes with more than 200 lovingly hand-modeled trains, ships, and airplanes, each sporting multiple 4k textures and normal maps.
On PC, it is easily affordable to have all the models and textures in memory whenever needed, as a typical rig has 16 GB of RAM and a GPU with a dedicated extra memory. Consoles, however, are built differently. They have a unified architecture with an overall smaller amount but ultra-fast memory. The key to make it work on consoles is texture streaming, which allows to clear textures of models that are not in view anymore. Moreover, this technology is used in Transport Fever 2 to constantly load textures at the highest affordable resolution to present the stars of the show, like the classic Class A 3/5 steam locomotive, in their best coat of paint at all times.
Keeping the ground like a console pro
A trademark of Transport Fever 2 are its huge maps. During development of the game, it was always paramount to provide a real sense of scale. The engine should allow for maps where a high-speed train, such as the famous Japanese Shinkansen, can really make use of its superior speed. So, a lot of effort was put into designing a highly effective terrain rendering pipeline that can handle maps of more than 120 sq miles of size with a detail resolution of almost 1 yard. Central to this is a dynamic terrain tessellation algorithm on the CPU that, while costing a bit of extra memory, makes sure the engine can render these maps on a wide variety of PCs.
Now, enter the world of consoles with their incredibly well-designed GPUs and graphic APIs. Here, the hardware can be leveraged very well for terrain rendering by making use of the GPU tessellation feature. This feature generates the render mesh for the terrain fully on the graphics card, saving valuable processing time for the complex economy and city growth simulations. While generating more triangles, the hardware approach still costs less memory overall due to its efficiency. So vast maps can be viewed from a bird’s view high up in the sky and seamlessly zoomed in down to individual rocks on a riverbank.
Inspiring the inner architect
Finally, let’s talk about constructions, a central and defining part of the Transport Fever 2 experience. Constructions are large assemblies that consist of dozens of assets, street segments, ground decals and terrain modifications. Think of structures like airports, train stations, docks, highway crossings, and many more. Anything that is needed to build a vast transportation empire.
For a smooth construction experience, it is key that the player really feels that he has precise control over the building placement. On PC, constructions are typically built using the mouse. As the average PC user is very well adjusted to this method of input, it is sufficiently performant to calculate the entire construction each frame and place it under the cursor. However, on consoles, the best way of building constructions is to have them always kept in the center of the screen and move the camera along the map for placement. And moving the camera needs to be as smooth as silk.
So, for the console release of Transport Fever 2, the construction preview pipeline was overhauled. All dynamic calculations are now performed in the background while a static preview of the structure and its underlying ground plan are shown. Not only are constructions now completely stable in terms of FPS, but they also give feedback to the player on what environment features the construction would tear down when built.
Let’s get tycooning on console
We are very excited to bring the Transport Fever franchise to consoles for the first time ever with the release of Transport Fever 2: Console Edition on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One in February 2023, and we hope you will enjoy it as much as we did developing it.
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