Gaming Predictions of the Year (Currently Featuring... Whichever Year It Is Now)

Balladeer at the end of 2019 wrote wrote:

After a thoroughly adequate year last year, I have high hopes for this coming year, which I know very little about.

HAHAHAHAHAHAJesus H. Christ.

Anyway: is it time to predict next year's gaming happenings?  Yes it is!  The world remains in a state of flux so bizarre that any prediction may seem pointless.  Me, I just think that's a chance for our most out-there predictions to have a chance of coming true.  Here, then, is my all-Nintendo list:

1. The Nintendo Switch has an amazing year, in my personal opinion.  A backlog of games held up by COVID streams out and drowns us in sticky Nintendo gaming brilliance.
   
2. Breath of the Wild 2 comes out.  It's really good, but not as good as the GoaT that preceded it.  (Read: 92-96 Metacritic score, makes Balla's top 25 of all time.)
   
3. In the first of several recycled projections from 2020, No More Heroes 3 finally gets that 80-89 Metacritic score.
   
4. In the second of several recycled projections from 2020, we'll see another core Mario game, either 2D or 3D, releasing this year, that is not a port/remaster/remake/whatever.
   
5. The Zelda anniversary collection happens.  It's a rehash of games that includes Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, and bewilderingly takes the N64 versions of both over the 3DS ones.
   
6. We don't see any actual gameplay from Metroid Prime 4, says Balla, dying a little inside.
   
7. We get a new Kirby game.  It's one of the more original-feeling ones, and beats 75 Metascore as a result.
   
8. Silksong releases!  It's a stoater, but not as well-received as the original.  (Read: 82-89 Metacritic score.)
   
9. I'll continue to play more belting eShop games than retail ones, with my Switch top 25 getting more eShop releases added to it than new games (regarding games released in 2021).
   
10. In the nth of several recycled projections from 2020, the post-Switch machine finally makes its first tentative appearance.
    

Post yours if you fancy it!  Also, carrying over Kriken's below, unless they want to repost theirs.

Spoiler:

Here we go

Nintendo
1. Switch passes 90m Bingo
2. Zelda Classic Collection for the Anniversary, Sort of with G&W
3. Zelda Remake/Remaster of some sort e.g. Skyward Sword HD, Bingo
4. Pokémon core style games comes out e.g. Pokémon Diamond Remake or Let's Go 2 Bingo
5. FIFA 22 to be a Legacy Edition The Sky is Blue, Grass is Green, FIFA be 4 years old
6. At least two more cloud based games come to Switch A Plague Tale: Innocence & Requiem, Guardians, Kingdom Hearts etc
7. Final Fantasy XIV A Realm Reborn comes to Switch Nope
8. Nintendo Racing game such as F-Zero or Wave Race to release, Yeah a new Cruis'n
9. Golden Sun returns and is what Camelot have been working on since 2018 Nope
10. Another system is added to the Online selection alongside NES and SNES Yeah as N64 & MD but part of an extra service

I'm going to say 7/10 on this, with Zelda Collection and NSO being half points

PlayStation
1. PS5 is the quickest selling console to 10m Yep and surprised Sony not made more noise about it
2. God of War Ragnarök doesn't come out in 2021 Bingo
3. Bluepoint show of a new project likely Metal Gear Solid Nope
4. Kojima shows of his game which is Silent Hill Umm Death Stranding Directors Cut
5. Guerrilla shows a New IP Nope
6. New Uncharted announced Yep the remasters of 4 & Lost
7. San Mateo show of a game of their own Nope
8. Official PS5 face-plates become available Nope
9. An old IP comes back much like Crash or MediEvil Nope
10. Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 2 is shown We have the remaster with a new episode

Maybe 3/10 at a push as Death Stranding DC wasn't what I meant & same for Uncharted etc

Xbox
1. Game Pass passes 30m subscribers ???
2. A new Series comes out, this could include the rumoured Cloud based TV dongle which I guess would be called Series TV or something Cloud based TV dongle has been announced to becoming
3. Halo Infinite is cancelled on Xbox One Nope
4. XCloud comes to Xbox One meaning you can still play Halo Infinite on Xbox One Cloud options now on console
5. A new tier of Game Pass is added which includes all DLC for XGS games (at the moment only Gears 5 has had the DLC in the current ultimate sub) and Ubisoft+ Nope
6. Less than a handful of exclusive games from XGS come out in 2021, Psychonauts 2 wouldn't count as it's still on PS4 for instance We have 5 which is including console port of Flight Sim and Psychonauts 2 that I have this right
7. An old IP comes back much like Battletoads or Perfect Dark Nope
8. MS buys or sets up a Japanese Studio Nope
9. Forza Horizon 5 comes out and is set in Japan This year but Mexico
10. Xbox Elite Series 3 Controller comes out Sort of as the new Halo Edition has the share button etc but says Series 2 which doesn't have the share button

Going to say 3.5/9


Others
1. Ubisoft+ comes to console Nope
2. Another publisher announces their version of EA Play and Ubisoft+, I feel WB might Nope
3. Splinter Cell returns is the big Ubisoft game for holiday 2021 Nope
4. Valve doesn't release a game with a 3 on the end Bingo
5. Luna arrives in Europe and Amazon having bought a studio of some pedigree maybe a Sumo Digital Well Tencent bought Sumo, nope really
6. Injustice 3 is announced Nope
7. Epic to have some sort of conference/direct during the year, Bingo
8. New Sonic Game Sonic announced for 2022 and remaster of Colours
9. Spyro 4 is a thing Nope
10. Kingdom Hearts IV is teased Nope

Only 1.5/10

masofdas wrote:

Nintendo
5. FIFA 22 to be a Legacy Edition
...
8. Nintendo Racing game such as F-Zero or Wave Race to release
9. Golden Sun returns and is what Camelot have been working on since 2018

A properly impressive collection of dead certs and loooooooong shots there!

I'm just briefly going to flag this up once more before it disappears into the bowels of GG, since we only got two sets. Anyone else care to take their hand at accurate/entertaining predictions? Granted, last year was not exactly great for trying to predict games releases, and I can see why that might have put people off!

masofdas covered every single thinkable angle with his predictions. There's nothing left for me to predict.

I predict this topic won't get past more than one page.

Some form of Pokémon remake announced for Christmas 2021, with a new gen teased for Christmas 2022.

Monster Hunter will happen.

After that I won't care about much else.

The_Jaster wrote:

I predict this topic won't get past more than one page.

Not with that attitude it won't.

I'm really hoping for a Platinum remake, but I do wonder what they'd add. I'm not sure how well Dynamax has been received, and without that, what can you add to the original? Hopefully the Distortion World is an utter mindscrew in 3D.

I'd love to be like "Yeah man, 2021 is gonna suck, I'm not making your predictions, man" but I really like making shit up so

1. Some kind of different Switch is announced this year. I don't want it, but it'll probably happen
   
2. While we're still waiting for Breath of the Wild 2 - which will be announced as being ready for Christmas 2022...
   
3. Capcom get the Link's Awakening engine and remake the Oracle games, which are excellent...
   
4. and the CDi ones.
   
5. Psychonauts 2 comes out at last, and I finally get the thing I backed about 6 years ago
   
6. While we're still waiting for Metroid Prime 4 - which will be announced as being ready for Christmas 2022...
   
7. WayForward get to remake Super Metroid, which they do with their usual 2D excellence...
   
8. and other M. It's like a baby's cry. A baby.
   
9. Horizon Forbidden West includes 27 gags about Donald Trump's presidency...
   
10. And Aloy gets a new AI companion voiced by Jack Black. Shinby Bibbly!
    
11. The Last of Us 2 gets DLC called "let's just all fucking not bother"
    
12. People are just about happy with next gen consoles by the end of the year, and will have forgotten about the clusterfuckery of the XS*/PS5 launch
    
13. Resident Evil 8 gets at 90% of MetaCritic, as they seem to be on a bit of a roll.
    
14. I don't finish my game project this year.
    

Dynamax has been incredibly well received, the consensus competitively is that it is the best of the gimmicks, while kids love seeing big Pokémon.

I can well believe the second bit, but the first - that surprised me. What makes you say that? For reasons of intense workday procrastination I spend too much time reading Smogon, which isn't the official competitive scene but they hate Dynamax and have banned it nearly everywhere.

Oh, Smogon hate everything.
In VGC, it's well-liked because any Pokémon can use it, whereas with Mega or V-Moves you only have one choice from the start of the match.

That's why Smogon hate it, the increased versatility makes it too hard to play around! Interesting to get the other take though. I wonder if it's partly to do with the decreased number of Pokémon per battle? Something I've never really liked, incidentally.

Buskalilly wrote:

Oh, Smogon hate everything.

This is also true.

I think the question is whether you like a varied, unpredictable game or you just like winning. I'd rather a game where various monsters and teams are viable than a solved meta that I can just follow the flow chart and win.

Buskalilly wrote:

Some form of Pokémon remake announced for Christmas 2021, with a new gen teased for Christmas 2022.

Monster Hunter will happen.

After that I won't care about much else.

Full Marks

masofdas wrote:

Full Marks

Haha! Yeah, I guess so.

Still got to care about not much else for the rest of the year though.

masofdas wrote:

Here we go

Nintendo
1. Switch passes 90m Bingo
2. Zelda Classic Collection for the Anniversary, Sort of with G&W
3. Zelda Remake/Remaster of some sort e.g. Skyward Sword HD, Bingo
4. Pokémon core style games comes out e.g. Pokémon Diamond Remake or Let's Go 2 Bingo
5. FIFA 22 to be a Legacy Edition The Sky is Blue, Grass is Green, FIFA be 4 years old
6. At least two more cloud based games come to Switch A Plague Tale: Innocence & Requiem, Guardians, Kingdom Hearts etc
7. Final Fantasy XIV A Realm Reborn comes to Switch Nope
8. Nintendo Racing game such as F-Zero or Wave Race to release, Yeah a new Cruis'n
9. Golden Sun returns and is what Camelot have been working on since 2018 Nope
10. Another system is added to the Online selection alongside NES and SNES Yeah as N64 & MD but part of an extra service

I'm going to say 7/10 on this, with Zelda Collection and NSO being half points

PlayStation
1. PS5 is the quickest selling console to 10m Yep and surprised Sony not made more noise about it
2. God of War Ragnarök doesn't come out in 2021 Bingo
3. Bluepoint show of a new project likely Metal Gear Solid Nope
4. Kojima shows of his game which is Silent Hill Umm Death Stranding Directors Cut
5. Guerrilla shows a New IP Nope
6. New Uncharted announced Yep the remasters of 4 & Lost
7. San Mateo show of a game of their own Nope
8. Official PS5 face-plates become available Nope
9. An old IP comes back much like Crash or MediEvil Nope
10. Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 2 is shown We have the remaster with a new episode

Maybe 3/10 at a push as Death Stranding DC wasn't what I meant & same for Uncharted etc

Xbox
1. Game Pass passes 30m subscribers ???
2. A new Series comes out, this could include the rumoured Cloud based TV dongle which I guess would be called Series TV or something Cloud based TV dongle has been announced to becoming
3. Halo Infinite is cancelled on Xbox One Nope
4. XCloud comes to Xbox One meaning you can still play Halo Infinite on Xbox One Cloud options now on console
5. A new tier of Game Pass is added which includes all DLC for XGS games (at the moment only Gears 5 has had the DLC in the current ultimate sub) and Ubisoft+ Nope
6. Less than a handful of exclusive games from XGS come out in 2021, Psychonauts 2 wouldn't count as it's still on PS4 for instance We have 5 which is including console port of Flight Sim and Psychonauts 2 that I have this right
7. An old IP comes back much like Battletoads or Perfect Dark Nope
8. MS buys or sets up a Japanese Studio Nope
9. Forza Horizon 5 comes out and is set in Japan This year but Mexico
10. Xbox Elite Series 3 Controller comes out Sort of as the new Halo Edition has the share button etc but says Series 2 which doesn't have the share button

Going to say 3.5/9


Others
1. Ubisoft+ comes to console Nope
2. Another publisher announces their version of EA Play and Ubisoft+, I feel WB might Nope
3. Splinter Cell returns is the big Ubisoft game for holiday 2021 Nope
4. Valve doesn't release a game with a 3 on the end Bingo
5. Luna arrives in Europe and Amazon having bought a studio of some pedigree maybe a Sumo Digital Well Tencent bought Sumo, nope really
6. Injustice 3 is announced Nope
7. Epic to have some sort of conference/direct during the year, Bingo
8. New Sonic Game Sonic announced for 2022 and remaster of Colours
9. Spyro 4 is a thing Nope
10. Kingdom Hearts IV is teased Nope

Only 1.5/10

I know my Nintendo and not a lot else

7/10's bloody impressive Mas - and, in these hallowed halls, the way it should be. Let's see how I did!

Balladeer wrote:

1. The Nintendo Switch has an amazing year, in my personal opinion.  A backlog of games held up by COVID streams out and drowns us in sticky Nintendo gaming brilliance. It definitely did not. I think it had one of its better years, but not because of anything close to sticky Nintendo gaming brilliance. I played one Nintendo game that was 7/10 or above.
   
2. Breath of the Wild 2 comes out.  It's really good, but not as good as the GoaT that preceded it.  (Read: 92-96 Metacritic score, makes Balla's top 25 of all time.) WRONG
   
3. In the first of several recycled projections from 2020, No More Heroes 3 finally gets that 80-89 Metacritic score. 75 - very wrong
   
4. In the second of several recycled projections from 2020, we'll see another core Mario game, either 2D or 3D, releasing this year, that is not a port/remaster/remake/whatever. Equally wrong
   
5. The Zelda anniversary collection happens.  It's a rehash of games that includes Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, and bewilderingly takes the N64 versions of both over the 3DS ones. Not a sign
   
6. We don't see any actual gameplay from Metroid Prime 4, says Balla, dying a little inside. Correct, but a chimp could have predicted this
   
7. We get a new Kirby game.  It's one of the more original-feeling ones, and beats 75 Metascore as a result. Well, we saw it. It didn't come out, but moving into 3D is definitely original-feeling enough to claw back a half-point.
   
8. Silksong releases!  It's a stoater, but not as well-received as the original.  (Read: 82-89 Metacritic score.) Silksong did not release
   
9. I'll continue to play more belting eShop games than retail ones, with my Switch top 25 getting more eShop releases added to it than new games (regarding games released in 2021). 3-2 in favour unless SMTV wows me. I don't think SMTV is going to wow me.
   
10. In the nth of several recycled projections from 2020, the post-Switch machine finally makes its first tentative appearance. Not a peep

That's 2.5/10 and I shouldn't be allowed near a Nintendo machine next year, let alone next year's version of this thread.

As just you and me, Balla that really did these, I don't think a new thread is worth it.

That I give you my 22 predictions for 2022

1. Switch passes 100m BINGO
2. FIFA 23 to be a Legacy Edition on Switch BINGO
3. Fire Emblem Remake Not at the moment like Three Hopes is close as telling the story of Three Houses over, yet it is a spin-off
4. Zelda BotW 2 delayed to 2023 however BINGO
5. New 3D Mario game Not as yet
6. PSVR2 launches in 2022 Nope Q1 2023
7. Half-Life Alyx is a PSVR2 launch game Could still be
8. Silent Hill is shown, it is from Bloober Nothing on SH from anyone
9. Last of Us Factions to launch around the time of the HBO show, the remake of Part I will likely be shown as well but won't come out till 2023 for the 10th anniversary Darn Remake coming this year and no word on factions
10. New PSN service launches gets compared to Game Pass even though more like NSO as it will have PS1, PS2, PS3, PSP maybe VITA games as the main selling point Spot on especially now all the videos saying not like Game Pass even though we knew that from the leaks
11. Xbox has the one two punch again of Forza Motorsport and Starfield launching a month apart No punches
12. Halo Single Player DLC launches Nope and the road map ooph
13. Ubisoft+ comes to console Announced for Xbox and PS but still not out
14. Valve doesn't release a game with a 3 on the end So far so good
15. Kingdom Hearts IV is teased BINGO
16. Persona 6 is announced has a female lead Nope
17. Game Pass passes 50m subs It's on about 25m at the moment
18. Another core-style Pokémon game comes to Switch beyond Legends, e.g. Lets Go 2 or Black HD Yep a whole new gen
19. A new Xbox Series System and I'm not counting the TV dongle as we know it's coming, I mean like a Series R, but I've got no idea what be different about it
20. PS5 passes 30m Not at the moment and I don't think it will
21. Wind Waker 20th anniversary HD edition for Switch may or may not be in a collection, but Wind Waker will be playable on Switch in 2022 Come on insiders be right
22. I buy an OLED BINGO, great buy as well even though not really used it undocked

masofdas wrote:

As just you and me, Balla that really did these, I don't think a new thread is worth it.

Valid (although great to have Buska joining in!). Here's my ten:

1. Finally we get the stonking year for Nintendo that the pandemic has delayed. They have four games that I give 8/10, and at least one 9/10.
   
2. BotW2 comes out this year. At this stage that's enough of a gamble to be an entire prediction for me. (Also 'it's going to be good' isn't exactly sticking my neck out.)
   
3. Pokémon Legends Arceus is good, but rushed by the geniuses at Game Freak isn't quite as good as it should be. 77-86 Metascore.
   
4. Kirbypocalypse is quite generic outside its 3D wrapper. 72-81 Metascore.
   
5. We see a CGI trailer for Metroid Prime 4 with at most a few seconds of gameplay.
   
6. Go on, I'll play this again. New non-porty Mario of some kind. It's got to happen this year, right? Got to.
   
7. We also see an all-new game from Mario's friend Donkey Kong.
   
8. 2022 sees generation 9 of Pokémon formally announced, but not released. Half a point only if released, but I think we'd have heard something about it by now.
   
9. Nintendo adds the Game Boy to Switch Online. Not the GBA. Internet loses it.
   
10. A bold pick for last: we see some sort of non-Switch Online 2D Zelda game. Could be all-new or a remake/remaster. I reckon it's been long enough since the last all-new one that this is possible. Half a mark if we see an indie collaboration.

I mostly cooked these up without looking at other people's, so it's only now that I see how close some of mine are to some of Buska's. I agree with the MonHun guess too, sadly! (And not with the Zelda one, natch.) I don't think Mas should be allowed that FIFA prediction, that's like me predicting that rain will fall in the UK sometime during the year.

Got my Ubisoft+ right already

masofdas wrote:

As just you and me, Balla that really did these, I don't think a new thread is worth it.

Oh, sorry, I thought I'd already looked at this for some reason

Jimbob from a year ago said wrote:

I'd love to be like "Yeah man, 2021 is gonna suck, I'm not making your predictions, man" but I really like making shit up so

1. Some kind of different Switch is announced this year. I don't want it, but it'll probably happen Cheerfully wrong
   
2. While we're still waiting for Breath of the Wild 2 - which will be announced as being ready for Christmas 2022...
   
3. Capcom get the Link's Awakening engine and remake the Oracle games, which are excellent... Uncheerfully wrong
   
4. and the CDi ones.  Well this was a joke
   
5. Psychonauts 2 comes out at last, and I finally get the thing I backed about 6 years ago Hooray! Actually just good news here
   
6. While we're still waiting for Metroid Prime 4 - which will be announced as being ready for Christmas 2022...  
   
7. WayForward get to remake Super Metroid, which they do with their usual 2D excellence...  Cheerfully wrong again! Dread's a belter
   
8. and other M. It's like a baby's cry. A baby.  I'm ignoring my "funny" responses from now on. Past me was a nobhead
   
9. Horizon Forbidden West includes 27 gags about Donald Trump's presidency...  There's still time
   
10. And Aloy gets a new AI companion voiced by Jack Black. Shinby Bibbly!  Wait - see Psychonauts 2
    
11. The Last of Us 2 gets DLC called "let's just all fucking not bother"
    
12. People are just about happy with next gen consoles by the end of the year, and will have forgotten about the clusterfuckery of the XS*/PS5 launch  Uncheerfully wrong
    
13. Resident Evil 8 gets at 90% of MetaCritic, as they seem to be on a bit of a roll.  Currently about 84, which I think it just people being grumpier than they used to be
    
14. I don't finish my game project this year.  UnChEeRfUlLy WrOnG - I've probably spent more time installing updates to Unity that actually making anything in it
    

2022 then
Oh
Er

• Breath of the Wild 2 might come out
  
• Er... just nothing much worse happens this year. That doesn't seem likely