Bumper year for gamers that’s well worth waiting for
IN GAMING, 2022 is practically a mythical year. It has become the great, catch-all date for everything that should have been released in 2021, or even 2020, but was delayed for global-epidemiological reasons.
So this year has a lot to live up to — and the early signs are that it will do just fine. Within weeks, we’re going to get a game so exciting — and so delayed — that I actually included it in my preview of 2021. Horizon Forbidden West (£69.99, February 18) is the sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn, a PlayStation hit from 2017, and appears to surpass even that game’s beauty and robo-dinosaur count. Around the same time comes Elden ring (£49.99, February 25). Its developers made Dark Souls, one of the most influential games of the past decade. Its co-author is George R.R. Martin, the guy behind Game Of Thrones. From what I’ve played, Elden Ring is what you might expect from that combination: a dark fantasy that dares to makes demands of its players, and likely one of the best of the year.
There is also an intriguing release for Nintendo’s Switch. Pokémon Legends: arceus (£49.99, February 28)
involves catching as many of the doe-eyed critters as you can. But, unlike previous Pokémon games, it’s set in a more open world, reminiscent of The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild.
The farther we range ahead, the more uncertain the release dates. What, for instance, will become of Starfield, scheduled for November? It is by the makers of that video game phenomenon Skyrim, and might be best summarised as Skyrim... in space! Head to the stars and be what you want to be.
I hope the ambition of Starfield doesn’t see it delayed beyond November, not least because I’m eager to play it on my new Steam Deck. I ordered this handheld PC a few months ago and should take delivery in 2022, pandemic allowing.
Otherwise, 2023 might become the new 2022, a year that has to live up to all our hopes . . . all over again.