Time March 2–9, 2020CYBERPUNK 2077
Off the success of The Witcher 3, developer
CD Projekt Red is going from medieval
fantasy world to the futuristic cyberpunk
dystopia of Night City with Cyberpunk 2077.
The open-world role-playing game promises
a compelling story line rife with betrayal
and revenge; computer-enhanced humans
running amok; and an appearance from
none other than Keanu Reeves, who plays a
kind of ghost that’s stuck in players’ heads.
Gamers will be free to choose how they want
to tackle Cyberpunk 2077’s challenges—they
could choose to sneak through enemy bases
undetected, or smash through the walls, guns
blazing. Originally slated for April, Cyberpunk
2077 has been delayed until September—
but too many promising games have been
rushed out the door willy-nilly lately to meet
production deadlines, so we’re fine waiting for
this one until it’s truly ready to
play. (Out for PC, PlayStation 4
and Xbox One on Sept. 17)
FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE
Final Fantasy VII, which originally
came out in 1997, defined
the role-playing genre for a
generation of gamers and went
on to sell more than 12 million
copies worldwide. Even now,
the game and its characters,
like Cloud and Sephiroth,
remain among video gaming’s
most iconic. But many gamers,
especially younger ones, never
got the chance to play this
PlayStation classic—and they’ll have a new
opportunity to try it this year, as developer
Square Enix has reimagined the game from
the ground up. The turn-based combat system
has been overhauled, the graphics have
the pair’s complicated interpersonal dynamics
than it is about the zombies—though their
ever present threat certainly helps rachet up
the tension. (Out for PlayStation 4 on May 29)ANIMAL CROSSING: NEW HORIZONS
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the latest
entry in Nintendo’s delightful Sims-style series.
Players purchase a vacation package from a
rascally raccoon named Tom Nook. Suddenly,
they’re stranded on a deserted island, forced
to spruce up the place and solve puzzles to
repay Nook. Animal Crossing may be less
popular than some of Nintendo’s bigger hits,
but it’s a perfect distillation of the company’s
mission to create games that are just plain
fun. (Out for Nintendo Switch on March 20)HALO INFINITE
Microsoft hasn’t revealed much about Halo
Infinite, a launch title for its next-generation
Xbox Series X. But Halo games have often
been reason enough to buy a new console, so
this is one for gamers to keep an eye on. (Out
for Xbox Series X this holiday season)BONUS: PLAYSTATION 5 AND XBOX SERIES X
These next-generation consoles will be
computing powerhouses able to run games at
4K resolution with super fast frame rates. With
Microsoft and Sony both rolling out upgrades,
games are about to look and perform better
than ever before. (Out this holiday season)gotten a face-lift, and there’s even a fresh
orchestral score. If it’s a hit, it could convince
other game studios to refresh their old-school
classics too. (Out for PlayStation 4 on April 10)DOOM ETERNAL
Speaking of beloved franchises, developer
id Software is back this year with Doom Eternal.
As sequel to 2016’s Doom, the new game
aims to double down on everything that made
the first a surprise hit. Players will once again
have to wage war against the
forces of heaven and hell alike to
save earth from the apocalypse.
It may not be as heady as other
modern games that seek to
push the boundaries of the
medium through groundbreaking
storytelling or mechanics—but
it’s nice to still have games that
are less about thinking and more
about run-and-gun action. (Out for
PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on
March 20)THE LAST OF US PART II
If it’s thinkier games you want,
The Last of Us Part II should
satisfy. The long-anticipated sequel to one
of the best games of the decade, Part II
continues the story of Joel and Ellie, a father-
daughter pair desperate to survive a zombie
apocalypse. But the story is really more aboutBy this time next year, a devoted
gamer may well have a shiny new
console hooked up to the TV: up-
grades to Sony’s PlayStation and
Microsoft’s Xbox are expected
for the 2020 holiday season. But
cry not for the PlayStation 4 or
Xbox One—the best games tend
to come during the final years of
a system’s life span. These are the
releases that promise what time
remains is quality time:
PREVIEW
Ready, player one?
2020 promises
swan songs
By Matthew Gault
TimeOff Games
With Microsoft
and Sony
both rolling
out upgrades,
games are
about to look
and perform
better than
ever beforeILL
US
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