Ori and the Will of the Wisps – March 11
If there was an indie game that’s truly wowed audiences on the Xbox One (and PC), it was Ori and the Blind Forest. Its metroidvania/ platforming gameplay was accessible yet challenging, and an emotional story drove you to navigate your way through the forest and save little Ori.
To top it all of, it was all wrapped up in an absolutely gorgeous art style that is quite literally moving artwork.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps aims to deliver more of this charming platforming action to our screens once more in March.
The game’s story sees Ori adventuring out of the forest of Nibel, uncovering the truth of the Lost Ones, as well as Ori’s true destiny.
Ori and the Blind Forest may not have started off as a massive AAA blockbuster, but Will of the Wisps is certainly one of Microsoft’s big poster boys for the Xbox in 2020.
DOOM Eternal – March 20
Big 2020 Xbox Games to Be Hyped For
Sometimes when you’re playing games, you can get real mad. Or maybe you’re playing games because you’re already mad. Whichever of the above applies to you, you’ll be delighted to know that DOOM Eternal is here to alleviate all of your angry gaming issues.
Honestly, the DOOM remake back in 2017 was one of the most satisfying and compelling games to release this generation. Demons came at you in unrelenting waves, the arsenal of weapons was sublime, and the action was fast-paced. Heck, even its level design was fantastic with plenty of secrets to uncover and little puzzles to navigate.
While certainly not exclusive to Xbox in 2020, DOOM Eternal is already shaping up to be one of the most exciting and frantic games you’ll be able to play this year.
Players will have new moves at their disposal to chain into bad-ass demon executions, such as wall-climbing and dashing, as well as some refinements and additions to their arsenal of weapons.
Expect a Super Shotgun with a meat hook attached that can be used to pull yourself towards an enemy like a grappling hook. Oh, and the BFG-9000’s included too, of course.
Bleeding Edge – March 24
Developed by the team behind the narrative-driven, single-player Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice comes something wholly different in the form of Bleeding Edge.
Bleeding Edge is a 4v4 team-based brawler. It’s an entirely multiplayer affair and introduces an eccentric cast of characters for players to choose from.
Each fighter has their own unique abilities and class type, meaning you’ll need to find the perfect one to not only match your play style, but compliment your teammates’, too.
There’s, of course, the added wrinkle of trying to use your team’s setup to counter your opponents, making for plenty of combinations and strategies to defeat your them.
Bleeding Edge certainly seems like the ‘easy to pick up, difficult to master’ kind of game, and we can’t wait to really sink our teeth into its brawling action.
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis Remake – April 3
Big 2020 Xbox Games to Be Hyped For
Following the overwhelming success of Resident Evil 2’s remake last year (which happened to be our Game of the Year 2019 winner), it shouldn’t really come as a surprise that Capcom saw remaking Resident Evil 3 in the same vein as a nice way to make another truck-full of cash.
For those unaware of Resident Evil 3’s story, we’ll give you a quick recap. The game follows the story of Jill Valentine as she tries to escape the ensuing zombie apocalypse in Raccoon City. All the while, she’s being chased down by Nemesis. Imagine Mr. X and multiply his fear factor by about 10 and you’ve got an idea of what to expect from Nemesis.
As you’d expect, the remake will boast refined third-person controls, rather than the tanky controls of the original, and a stunning visual overhaul. For Resident Evil fans, this is a no-brainier.
Cyberpunk 2077 – April 16
Honestly, Cyberpunk 2077 feels like the 2020 game already earmarked for the Game of the Year award before this year’s even properly got underway. CD Projekt Red’s (CDPR) futuristic first-person action game looks set to be loaded with just as much content as the immersive world of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
Boasting a fully-customisable character, a world dripping with detail, perk trees and skills to tailor your character to your playstyle, a plethora of neat, new gameplay mechanics, endless post-launch support, and Keanu Reeves, there’s ample reason to be hyped about Cyberpunk 2077.
Not only has CDPR proven itself as a top-tier developer with The Witcher 3 earlier this generation, but everything we’ve seen of Cyberpunk 2077 suggests the developer’s on for another masterpiece.
Words don’t feel like they’ll do Cyberpunk 2077 justice right now. Instead, we’d recommend checking out the gameplay here so you can see what we mean.
Watched it? Hyped yet? We guessed so.
Gears Tactics – April 28
Big 2020 Xbox Games to Be Hyped For
Gears Tactics isn’t going to win over every Gears of War fan, but it’s certainly piqued our interest. Imagine the turn-based tactical goodness of XCOM, and blend it with the world, characters, and over-the-top weaponry of Gears of War. The result? Gears Tactics.
Players assume the role of Gabe Diaz, a COG soldier intent on recruiting more COGs to fight by his side and put an end to the Locust threat all over again. To do so, you’ll need to edit your character loadouts, upgrade their weapons, and think each move through carefully.
It may not be the gruesome, frantic action of the typical Gears titles, but it’s certainly the kind of Gears spin-off we’re all about. Bring on April!
Marvel’s Avengers – May 15
Marvel’s Avengers is in a bit of a funny position right now. Despite being mauled by fans on its first major reveal for some seriously janky-looking character models, it’s the closest fans will get to actually being their favorite Avenger and fighting back against the forces of evil.
As such, anticipation is still fairly high for Square Enix’s superhero action title.
Not only will players find a single-player story-driven adventure to work their way through, they can also partner up with friends and other players online to take on new missions that pop up around the globe.
Again, gameplay and details have been kept fairly scarce by the publisher and developer, but expect to see some more trailers and in-depth dives into the gameplay in the coming months.
Spiritfarer – TBA 2020
Big 2020 Xbox Games to Be Hyped For
Spiritfarer’s charming art style conceals a far darker story and settings. Players assume the role of a woman called Stella and her adorable pet cat. Stella is a ferrymaster to the deceased, and must pick them up and transport them, before releasing them into the Afterlife.
Along the way, players will need to gather crafting materials and slowly expand their houseboat to make it bigger and better until its essentially a floating metropolis.
It’s not all doom and gloom, though, with players having to mine, go fishing, farm, harvest, and cook in order to survive on the high seas.
Again, it’s not the kind of explosive action-packed title you’d expect to be one of Xbox’s big games in 2020, but Spiritfarer’s original premise is enough to pique our interest.
12 Minutes – TBA 2020
12 Minutes is one of the most intriguing games coming to Xbox in 2020. From Annapurna Interactive, 12 Minutes follows the story of a man coming home and finding himself stuck in a time loop.
The problem is, this is anything but a pleasant time loop and ultimately ends up with his wife being killed.
The game has a real focus on trial-and-error tactics, with players having to interact with and combine various items and things around the room to progress. Make a wrong move and back to the start of the time loop you go.
12 Minutes looks set to be one of the most unique games to drop in 2020, with few existing or upcoming games offering anything quite the same. It’s definitely one to keep an eye out for. Sadly, no concrete 2020 release date has been announced as of yet.
Halo Infinite – TBA 2020
Big 2020 Xbox Games to Be Hyped For
The one that all of us Xbox fans are waiting for, Halo Infinite is currently slated to release at some point in 2020.
While a more concrete release date hasn’t been announced just yet, we’d hedge our bets this one will release towards the end of the year. Perhaps it’ll even be an Xbox Series X launch title, too.
When it comes to what to expect, it’s honestly quite difficult to say when it comes to Halo Infinite. Considering Halo 5 felt fairly dated following the same ol’ formula, we’d expect Halo Infinite to mark a true leap forward for the series.
Whether that means more of a Game as a Service approach to things, like Destiny, or a more open-world approach, remains to be seen. Expect to finally see some gameplay at E3 in June.
Published: Jan 13, 2020 10:55 am