24 Expected Masterpieces of 2024
2023 was a year of explosive growth for standalone masterpieces. Now that the new year is here, it's time to look forward to the game lineup for 2024. It's a shame that GTA6, the most anticipated game in the universe, won't be officially released until 2025. I, who wants to experience Rockstar's Florida that doesn't "support idlers," will have to wait a long time.
Fortunately, 2024 still has many masterpieces worth playing. We've compiled the games currently announced for 2024 and selected the 24 most anticipated new standalone games to share with you. I wonder how many of my expectations will overlap with yours? Of course, the following content is based on the information released so far. We neither rule out the possibility of surprise attacks from game publishers next year, nor do we rule out the possibility of a jump.
Without further ado, let's get right to it and take a look at the games that have announced exact release dates. At the end of January, the latest sequels to two well-known Japanese IPs will be released on the same day. First of all, Sega's "Like a Dragon" main story was released in the 8th generation without realizing it. This time, "Like a Dragon 8" still continues the RPG gameplay of "Like a Dragon 7" and features two protagonists. One is Kazuma Kiryu, the male protagonist of the entire series, and the other is the male protagonist of "Like a Dragon 7," the "youthful" Kasuga Ichiban, who is addicted to video games. Even before the game's release, two groundbreaking points were revealed: Kiryu Kazuma has cancer, and Kasuga Ichiban is looking for his mother. Because Kasuga's mother lives in Hawaii, the story of this game also takes place outside Japan for the first time. In a global resort like Hawaii, the entertainment options for small games will be more diverse, and there will be more exaggerated elements of joy. Who can tell that this is a Japanese gang-themed game?
On the same day as "Like a Dragon 8," another old IP with multiple 8s was released - "Tekken 8." Tekken is a traditional 3D fighting game by Bandai Namco. The entire IP has been developed for more than 20 years and is famous for its gorgeous martial arts design and hard-hitting combo skills. The plot of "Tekken 8" is closely linked to the previous game. The new characters include a mysterious girl named "Reina," who is likely to be a new member of the Mishima family. Her specific seniority in the family will be revealed after the release.
Then came February, when great works gathered together. After a year of delay, "Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League" will finally be released on February 2. This is a third-person action shooter game that focuses on the action experience. It is set in the same universe as the classic Batman Arkham series. The production team is also Rocksteady Games. Players can choose to control one of the four members of the Suicide Squad. , to fight against the Justice League controlled by the villain. Each character has extremely different skills. Warner Interactive Entertainment has high expectations for this game and chose to delay it to improve quality. I hope the finished product will become a new comic masterpiece.
Japanese RPG classic "Persona 3" will release a fully remade version on February 2: "Persona 3 Reload." After P5's great success, the production team also responded to the wishes of players around the world. The classic P3 has been remade. The engine has been replaced, the graphics have been redone, and some inspirations have been drawn from the P5 system, the gameplay has been improved, and content has been added, allowing players to participate in a variety of activities that were not available in the original P3, experiencing the combination of daily campus life and supernatural and extraordinary events.
On Valentine's Day, February 14, we will play the story of a couple separated by life and death. "Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden" is developed by Don't Nod, the French studio that made Life is Strange. The studio was originally known for its interactive narrative games, and "Banishers" is their first challenge to an action-adventure role-playing game. According to the released trailers and actual gameplay demonstrations, both the background and settings are very attractive. The story takes place in the New World of America in 1695. The male and female protagonists are a pair of evil spirit hunters. After the heroine's death, the two, unfortunately, still traveled together as one person and one ghost, looking for a goal of redemption. The game's exploration and combat parts require players to use their different abilities. In terms of the plot, there are many choices that allow players to influence the development of the story. It is indeed a studio that is good at interactive narrative. So what will happen to the human-ghost lovers will depend on our choices.
Next, on February 16, a game that has been delayed N times will be released: Ubisoft's "Skull and Bones," a naval battle strategy adventure game. Players who have played "Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag" are very happy with Ubisoft's "Skull and Bones." Everyone should have confidence in the naval warfare system. But whether the naval combat system alone is enough to support a game is open to debate. In the game, players will play as a self-created pirate captain, customize their ship, and embark on adventures in the Indian Ocean in the 17th century. Based on the content released so far, I feel that this game focuses more on the multiplayer online experience. The single-player content may not be too rich, but the romance of sailing the sea and adventuring is still for me, a big sailing enthusiast. Hard to say no to.
After "Skull and Bones" is finished, the biggest blockbuster work of the first half of 2024 is coming. The second chapter of the classic Japanese role-playing game "Final Fantasy 7" remake: "Final Fantasy VII Rebirth" will be released for sale on February 29. The remake of FF has a total of three chapters, which means that this long-awaited "Rebirth" can only tell half of the story. Fortunately, the protagonists have left Midgar City and started adventures across the continent, so at least it is certain that the amount of playable content in this game will be much larger than the first chapter. The original "Final Fantasy 7" was the most influential generation of the FF series and even indirectly contributed to the success of the PS1 console. This remake is more of a "reinterpretation" than a remake. The plot in the first chapter, released three years ago, was already significantly different from the original version. This also caused players' opinions to be divided into two groups. One group believes that the classics should be respected and the plot direction of the original version should be followed, while the other group believes that the book should be rewritten significantly to make up for some of the regrets of the original version. I don't know which faction you belong to in front of the screen. Of course, judging from the images released now, I'm not sure which faction the production team belongs to either. So whether the ending of this chapter is a good ending or a bad ending will have to wait until it is released to be revealed.
Now in March, a very important horror game will get a remake. "Alone in the Dark" was officially released on March 20. In the era before the term "horror survival game" existed, the original "Alone in the Dark" had already established the gameplay concept of this type of game, and even Capcom's "Resident Evil 1" became a direct reference to "Alone in the Dark." Likewise, the mansion exploration, the male and female protagonists, the camera perspective, and the design of scarce prop resources are all from "Alone in the Dark." What's very interesting is that this time, the remake of "Alone in the Dark" uses the same over-the-shoulder perspective of modern horror survival game logic established by Resident Evil 4. As a player of the biochemical series, how can you not go on a "pilgrimage"?
Capcom's open-world action role-playing game "Dragon's Dogma II" was released on March 22. This is a rare European medieval style fantasy work by Capcom. Twelve years have passed since the release of the first generation. Players can create their characters in the game, choose different professions, and form a team of up to four people with AI-controlled pawns to experience a royal adventure story. This story adopts most of the worldview settings of the previous game.
However, it has no direct connection to the plot of the previous game and is more like a parallel world. Although "Dragon's Dogma II" is a role-playing game, since it is a Capcom game, the highlight is naturally the action performance. The first generation took this path back then. The missions and exploration parts were not outstanding, but it felt very cool to play. Not to mention the melee profession, even casting a spell had a strong sense of impact. For action fans, it is worth trying. And after all these years, I hope that Capcom will not only continue to enhance the action experience but also improve the shortcomings of the previous game and add more in-depth role-playing elements.
In the first half of 2024, there are many Japanese masterpieces. After "Dragon's Dogma 2," there is also "Rise of the Rōnin" from Koei Tecmo. It is also an open-world ARPG, and the action performance is also a selling point, because the production team is the "Ninja Team" that is very good at action games - Team Ninja. The background of the story of "Rise of the Rōnin" is the late Tokugawa era in 1863. Japan's national gate was forcibly opened by black ships, forces from all sides are surging, and society is facing great changes. As a ronin, the protagonist can freely take risks in this exciting era to influence some major events, thus shaping his story. If I remember correctly, this seems to be the first time the Ninja Team has challenged an open world. Judging from the images released so far, the combat part of the game seems to be the same as the old Ninja group. Players who like action will probably like it. I just don't know how far their open-world design can go.
Okay, the next game, I believe many, many people have been waiting for it for a long time. Since the release of the first trailer three years ago, "Black Myth: Wukong" has become the expectation of countless players, and the topic remains high. This is an action role-playing game based on the four famous classics "Journey to the West" and has undergone an extremely creative adaptation. It extensively references Chinese folklore and mythological elements. The artistic level is very high, and the details are very exquisite. Actions, skills, monster designs all have corresponding origins, which are both gameplay-oriented and have strong cultural heritage. I am also looking forward to how the production team will ingeniously arrange more traditional elements in the official version. And after participating in the trial play in Cologne this year, I am also relieved about the actual quality of the game. As long as the production team can carry the design quality of the trial version to the official version, "Black Myth: Wukong" will not disappoint. , on August 20 next year, it will definitely be everyone.
The above games are those for which exact release dates have been announced. The following games are officially announced to be released in 2024, but there are no announced dates. Most manufacturers do not seem willing to announce the release date too far in advance. After all, this way there is more room for delays. The action-adventure game "Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice" continues the dark and mysterious style of the previous generation. The visual and audio effects are amazing, and the performance of the protagonist Senua is also super realistic. As a schizophrenic and anti-traditional heroine, she experienced the tragic fate of her lover being massacred by Vikings in the previous game, and then embarked on an adventure where reality and illusion intersect. It was like seeing the world through the eyes of a real mental patient, which left a deep impression on me. In this sequel, it seems that she will go to the Viking territory to continue fighting, and she will see more amazing scenes. For example, the huge figure shown at the TGA recently shocked me.
The open-world action-adventure game "Star Wars: Outlaws" is said to be the first large-scale open world of the Star Wars IP. Players will control the original protagonist Kay Vess, an interstellar thief, and adventure with his cute little friend Nix on different planets in the galaxy. Further expands the worldview of Star Wars. The game was developed by Massive Game, a team of Ubisoft, and the plot is set between the movies "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi," so it will incorporate many movie contents. Judging from the images released so far, it is indeed a standard 3A open-world masterpiece, with high production specifications and a relatively relaxed tone, suitable for all players who are interested in Star Wars IP.
In addition to expensive masterpieces, 2024 will also feature some relatively inexpensive independent games to look forward to. For example, the Souls-like game “Enotria: The Last Song” is produced by Italian independent manufacturer Jyamma Games. Although there are now more and more Dark Souls-like games on the market, this is the first time I have seen one with such vibrant colors and such a pleasant landscape. Probably the most beautiful Souls-like game so far, right? The game's setting is also very special, and the combat system is based on masks. After defeating the enemy, the player can put on the enemy's mask to transform into the enemy's role and gain new powers. At the same time, you can also add talents to your mask and switch between different skill combinations. It still feels like it has its characteristics and is not an imitation of the Dark Souls.
Next up is a very innovative first-person driving survival game: “Pacific Drive”. Other survival games are human-centered, but this survival game is car-centered. Players need to rely on driving to traverse a world full of monsters, radioactive contamination, and the apocalypse of supernatural phenomena, finding valuable supplies to keep the journey going. If you want to survive successfully, you must protect your car and modify it to adapt to different types of dangers. It is not only creative but also has an inexplicable sense of joy. You can imagine how many weird vehicles players will modify by then, turning them into mobile bunkers in the apocalypse.
The third generation of the series is coming next year. “Little Nightmares 3” is a puzzle-oriented platform adventure game. The protagonists are two new characters, trapped in an unknown place, and they need to find a way to escape together. This series has always been known for its unique art style and psychological horror atmosphere. This time, in addition to the standalone mode, the third generation has added an online function. You can control a protagonist with another player to jointly overcome childhood nightmares and cooperatively escape.
The simulation construction and management game “Frostpunk 2”, which once challenged many players’ views, will finally be released in 2024. The game allows players to build a city in a frozen apocalypse and guide its development. It contains many ethical, political, and sociological considerations. For the city to survive, players need to make many difficult and even cruel choices in their development strategies. The background of “Frostpunk 2” is set 30 years after the previous game. Oil has replaced steam and become a new energy source. The players’ cities can expand significantly outwards, so the social problems they face will be more complex than in the previous game. I just don't know if the game will torment my soul again after I use extreme means to win. Is it all worth it?
Below are two Japanese RPG games. The first is a new work that Atlus has been secretly developing for many years: “Metaphor: ReFantazio” is directed by the original team of “Persona” 3-5. It turns out that you didn't develop P6 because you did this. “Metaphor: ReFantazio” adopts a brand new fantasy worldview. The protagonist embarks on a long adventure to solve the prince's curse. Along the way, he meets a large number of characters and uses a unique way to turn his contacts and interactions with others into his power. The core of “collecting character bonds” still sounds very much like “Persona”. The game also has date change settings and five-dimensional ability settings similar to the “Persona” series. It made me very curious about how the production team would integrate these settings into the protagonist's journey. In short, players who like P5 should not miss this game.
The new game “Visions of Mana” in the Mana series, just announced by SE, will also be released in 2024. The most classic works in the Legend of Mana series were all produced in the 1990s, which is still an unforgettable memory for players of that era. However, the series gradually declined, and the last orthodox sequel was released sixteen years ago. Judging from the images released this time, it feels like this old IP is finally returning to its original intention, creating the warm and gentle feeling of its early days. I look forward to it bringing back the childhood memories of JRPG veterans.
As a return to European and American masterpieces, “Ark 2” starring movie star Vin Diesel has been postponed to 2024. Its predecessor is the once popular “ARK: Survival Evolved”, a multiplayer online survival sandbox game set in ancient times with a realistic ecosystem. However, judging from the information currently released by the production team, “Ark 2” seems to be undergoing drastic reforms to the game, adding more single-player narrative components. Therefore, a main protagonist like Vin Diesel has been arranged in it, and the corresponding plot has also been designed. At the same time, the combat logic of “Ark 2” will also be closer to the souls-like game, which greatly increases the difficulty. But at the same time, this game is still a multiplayer online survival game, and I really can't imagine how they are going to combine. With so many elements together, I can't even imagine what the game will look like in the end. I can only say that the production team's ambitions are huge. I chose to skip the deadline by a year, probably because the challenge was too great and further modifications and polishing were needed.
Next up is the new work “Avowed”, a medieval fantasy style RPG game that Obsidian Studio has invested heavily in and which I am personally very much looking forward to. Obsidian is the team that created the masterpiece “Fallout: New Vegas”, and their predecessor, Black Island Studio, is one of the most famous veterans in European and American RPG circles. If this “Avowed” can maintain its standard most of the time, then I think the pressure could shift to The Elder Scrolls 6. If it doesn't come out, there's no need to release it. Just kidding. According to Obsidian, Avowed will not completely follow the format of The Elder Scrolls. The game’s focus is not on the vastness of the open world, but on the narrative and characters, which will include many interesting characters and questlines. I also have great confidence in their mission writing capabilities. The only problem with the game at the moment is that the graphics seem a bit old, and there is a high probability that they will still use it. The ancient frontal dialogue perspective. For players who pay attention to visual performance, this may be a negative point. I only hope that the game's excellence in other aspects can make up for some of the screen's shortcomings.
The above games are temporarily officially announced for release in 2024. But in addition to these, there are still a few titles that I am looking forward to and hope to release next year. First, there is the complete remake of Silent Hill 2. The original “Silent Hill 2” is an insurmountable classic among horror survival games from a narrative perspective, full of psychological hints and metaphors. Not only do I believe that it is the best work in the Silent Hill series in the eyes of many players. Now, more than 20 years later, Konami is finally ready to release a remake of it. And I also hope that this remake can introduce the IP of Silent Hill to more new players. For the remake licensed by Konami to the Polish studio Bloober Team, a trailer was officially released more than a year ago. And the project’s production time will be nearly four years by the end of next year. Capcom’s remake of Resident Evil 2 has only been in production for four years, so I think it’s a reasonable request to play it next year. Silent Hill 2 is not the only one Konami has planned to remake these classic games.
The remakes of “Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater” and “Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater” also officially released a live-action trailer earlier this year. It seems to be relatively complete and may have been secretly developed a long time ago. MGS is a classic series by Hideo Kojima. It has made great contributions to the cinematization of later games and the design logic of the stealth system. Since Kojima and Konami parted ways, this intellectual property has been dormant. Konami must also know very well that without Kojima, MGS will not have the same taste. The safest way is, of course, to remake it. If this MGS3 remake can be successful, then the remakes of several other games in the series are just around the corner.
Since we’re talking about Hideo Kojima, we have to mention “Death Stranding 2”. I like the delivery infrastructure game nicknamed “Walking Simulator” in the first generation of “Death Stranding”. I just became addicted to it. I was addicted to paving roads and building cable cars and couldn’t extricate myself. I was also very eager to see what the island would do. What new ideas can be brought into the sequel? In addition to the imaginative gameplay concept, the music and art of this series, as well as the performances of big names, are also a treat. There have been rumors on the Internet that the game will be released in the second half of next year. Although there is no official word, this leak is still somewhat credible based on the development cycle of the first generation of “Death Stranding”, and it can be considered to set good expectations.
Okay, we're almost done taking stock of the 24 new games. Which one are you most looking forward to next year?
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