Pokémon Legends: Arceus is a highly anticipated title among Pokémon fans as it is the first game in the franchise to take a shot at the open world. However, this major spin-off does not break the essence of the series either because it is always a question of playing a young trainer who obviously seeks to complete his Pokédex. Except that the other major particularity of this Pokémon Legends: Arceus is to locate its action in the region of Sinnoh centuries before the events of Pokémon Sparkling Diamond / Sparkling Pearl. In this atmosphere reminiscent of feudal Japan, players will have to explore large open areas in search of Pokemon to observe them and capture them several times in order to get as much information as possible about them. The fights are also getting a facelift because if they remain turn-based, they gain in complexity thanks to the addition of powerful and rapid styles which allow to adapt according to each situation.
After multiple postponements, Dying Light 2: Stay Human has finally set its release date for early February 2024. In this mix between FPS, open-world and zombie game, these are not the few rare firearms that will allow you to defend yourself since the title above all gives pride of place to melee combat. As for the first episode, the other pillar of the title remains parkour which allows you to explore the city where the action takes place as you see fit. But beware, at night, the morphology of the city changes and the zombies become even more aggressive. Finally, note that this new episode also emphasizes the choices that have a direct consequence on the continuation of the adventure.
Big Sony cartridge for next year, Horizon Forbidden West arrives in February 2024 on both PS4 and PS5. A direct sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn, we find Aloy who discovers a strange red plant that seems to represent a threat to both his world and its inhabitants. Since the events of the first, men have also learned to control machines which regularly leads to dangerous drifts. In addition to this new story, this second opus will benefit from greatly improved graphics, in particular on PS5, but also from an even more advanced exploration thanks to the possibility of exploring any wall, using a grapple or even hovering in the air.
Without going too far, one can easily say that Elden Ring is one of the most anticipated games of the beginning of next year. New game from From Software studio to which we owe the Dark Souls series, Bloodborne or Sekiro Shadows Die Twice, the title brings a novelty to the Souls-like formula with the addition of an open-world dimension. Thus, it is possible to move but also to fight on the back of a mount which brings a new way of approaching things. With Elden Ring, From Software seeks to do more than a Dark Souls 4 while offering what has always been the strength of the saga with in particular a high-level artistic direction which makes it possible to obscure the fairly simple technical aspect of these productions.
After years of silence and uncertainty, the STALKER license finally seems to be back for good with STALKER 2: The Heart of Chernobyl. Scheduled for the end of next April, it will always be such a special mix between FPS, RPG and survival game like all the other games in the series. As a reminder, the game universe takes place in an uchronia where the Chernobyl exclusion zone experienced a second explosion in 2006, after the one we know in 1984, due to reactors still active. This new layer of radioactivity gave rise to both mutant creatures but also powerful artefacts with healing and protective properties. In this context, those who explore the area in search of these artifacts are called Stalkers. The title will obviously take the form of a particularly immersive open-world thanks to a system called A-Life 2 which allows the different NPCs to interact with each other, even when you are not there, with the objective of giving a greater coherence to this universe.
Luminous Studio’s first project, Forspoken was known for a long time as Project Athia before revealing its real name. Published by Square Enix, there are behind the developers behind the project many names who worked on Final Fantasy XV, and for good reason: the Luminous Engine is the game engine that was created and used for FFXV. But this new production has nothing to do with the great saga of the Japanese publisher since it follows the adventures of Frey, a young woman from New York who suddenly finds herself thrown into the fantastic world of Ahtia. The game then takes the form of an open-world Action-RPG in which our heroine enjoys lively and dynamic movements and impressive spells. thanks to its magical powers.
Bethesda’s next big project billed as the “Skyrim in space”, Starfield is clearly one of the most anticipated games of the next year. To place this science fiction universe a bit, the game places its action in the 2300s when two factions are waging a merciless war. Apart from these events, the player embodies a character who joins the “Constellation”Where human explorers of the galaxy gather to uncover the secrets of the universe. Using your ship, you will be taken to explore planets and cities like Neon, New Atlantis or Akila. In addition, the title will also take advantage of a great diversity in its many alien races to really give players a sense of travel.
After its announcement in 2019, it must be recognized that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 was long overdue before giving any news during the Nintendo Direct last June. As the name suggests, the title will follow directly on from the events of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Regarding the scenario, difficult to know much more since Nintendo still does not wish to reveal even the real title of the game. We will be content to deduce elements from the last trailer released, namely that something seems to have happened to Link’s arm that allows him to use enhanced stamina powers such as throwing flames or turning into a drop of water. . Finally, we also note that a mysterious floating continent seems to be a planner above Hyrule, which does not bode well for the future of the kingdom.
Among the most anticipated games of 2024 all categories combined, Hogwart Legacy occupies a special place. At the same time, the title offers to travel the world of Harry Potter in open-world which has something to dream of many fans of the license. But since its announcement at the PS5 Showcase in September 2024, the game has been rather discreet. To reassure, Warner Bros Games recently announced that the game should give news next year. From what we know, the game is to be an open-world action-adventure RPG in which players play their own character, i.e. a 19th century Hogwarts student. The player will be led to explore familiar and new places, discover fantastic animals and do various activities specific to wizards such as brewing potions or mastering spells. But your protagonist is not an ordinary character since he is able to perceive and use ancient magic. It’s up to you to choose what you want to do with it.
Another ambitious game inspired by a successful film, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is also scheduled for 2024. Announced in 2017, the title developed by Massive Entertainment (Tom Clancy’s The Division) and published by Ubisoft has only given news very recently during the last E3 through a trailer. If we still haven’t seen any gameplay footage, we just know that the game will be an open-world first-person view in which we control a Na’vi. On the technical side, the title promises to be particularly ambitious since it intends to take advantage of all the power of the Snowdrop engine and is only planned for PC and next-gen consoles.
