The Christmas period represents the last big push of the year for developers and publishers to get their software into the hands of the public. It’s also one of the busiest, making it tricky to navigate so many releases and decide which ones to spend your hard-earned money on.

Let’s break down some of the most anticipated AAA titles releasing just in time to make your Christmas stocking - provided you’ve been a good boy or girl, of course. 

Cyberpunk 2077

PC | XBOX ONE | PS4 | XBOX SERIES X | PS5 | STADIA

Scheduled release date: 19/11/2020

It’s no doubt that virtually everyone has heard of CD Projekt Red’s latest upcoming RPG by now. Labeled the next big thing in the gaming landscape numerous times by this point, the game also comes from the developers that produced the critically acclaimed RPG series The Witcher, so it’s no wonder hopes are high for this one. Cyberpunk 2077 is set to throw you into a huge, ambitious open world, with fully customizable playable characters and a deep and complex narrative. The game takes place in Night City, a neon-drenched dystopia with six distinct and expansive regions. It’s a dangerous and corrupt place - one the player will need to firmly establish themselves in to survive. 

Players can expect extensive perk trees, classes and abilities covering all familiar ballistic and melee weapon types, as well as tools aiding your ability to hack and perform feats of engineering. Taking the tailoring of your character further are your stats, ranging from attributes such as intelligence to reflexes that are determined by which class (Techie, Net runner or Solo) you lean towards. As is expected from a fully-fledged RPG experience, what you say to people, how you interact with scenarios and the choices you make can drastically affect the outcome of your playthrough. The game is also set to be incredibly impressive in the graphics department, too, taking advantage of four different types of ray tracing and diffused illumination, casting light and shadow more impressively than ever before.

Assassin's Creed: Valhalla 

PC | XBOX ONE | PS4 | XBOX SERIES X | PS5 | STADIA

Scheduled release date: 10/11/2020

The Assassin's Creed series has been considered to have lost its way a couple of times over the years, with critics viewing some of the middle entries in the series to have not offered anything particularly compelling that the previous games hadn’t done before. Ubisoft subsequently took a break, returning the series with 2015’s Egyptian-themed Origins featuring more varied and open-ended tactical combat, and refining these features into a full RPG system when Odyssey released in 2017.

Valhalla represents the latest entry in the series and hopefully, a continuation of Ubisoft's bolder approach. The game will feature a much wider range of enemy archetypes and with more advanced AI to keep combat fresher, as well as the return of Odyssey’s Conquest Battles which are now dubbed Assaults; which enable the player to lead groups of allies in strategic attacks. While the game doesn’t have any traditional multiplayer, Ubisoft aims to enable the player to create their own custom mercenary that will be able to fight alongside other players in their campaigns. The story is set to follow a Viking war against the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of the ninth century, and you’ll be able to choose between a male or female protagonist with deep cosmetic and strategic customization.

Watch Dogs: Legion 

PC | XBOX ONE | PS4 | XBOX SERIES X | PS5 | STADIA

Scheduled release date: 29/10/2020

Watch Dogs was a series that originally made its debut in 2014 and although critical opinions were mixed, no one denied the concept was original and compelling. The second game (praised for its deeper, relatable story and the more fleshed-out world) was regarded to have offered what the first game should have, and Legion aims to build on everything the second game did right. The game world this time is futuristic London, a city that until now hasn’t properly been given the cyberpunk treatment in a game.

All playable NPC’s are able to be recruited into your hacking network, with one of the game's core elements surrounding the building of an elite team of hackers to challenge the corrupt governmental rule. Interestingly, Legion has no traditional character because of this, with the player instead of being able to control multiple protagonists across this aforementioned hacking network. You’re able to mischievously take control over a dizzying array of tech, be it surveillance systems, public networks, or architectural infrastructure, and there are even opportunities to use futuristic tools such as augmented reality to your advantage. 
 

Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War

PC | XBOX ONE | PS4 | XBOX SERIES X | PS5

Scheduled release date: 13/11/2020

A couple of years ago, Call of Duty was in a similar position to the Assassin's Creed series; a game with a seemingly perpetual annual release, with each entry usually being praised for being another good Call of Duty game yet criticized for being too similar to its predecessors. As such, Activision took a break from the series. After modernising the brand with a number of acclaimed titles following the break, Teyarch now bring us Black Ops: Cold War, which the studio claims to be a more refined Call of Duty experience than any other release. 

The game is set in the early 1980s during the Cold War, a decade of the war and of history we haven’t seen before in a Call of Duty game and an intriguing premise for sure. The player will be able to create their own unique character for the campaign, and, in a shift away from the linearity the series is known for, there will be multiple endings based on player choice. Call of Duty is a series most widely praised for its multiplayer elements, and it seems Cold War will be no slouch in this department. The multiplayer experience is set to be a little faster paced than the current latest game Modern Warfare, and alongside fan-favourite modes, there will be additional new games modes thrown into the mix such as the large 24-player mode Combined Arms, and Fire Team, which pits ten teams of four against each other.

Immortals Fenyx Rising

STADIA | PC | XBOX ONE | PS4 | XBOX SERIES X | PS5 | LUNA

Scheduled release date: 03/12/2020

Immortals Fenyx Rising is Ubisoft's latest upcoming action-adventure title. Rooted in Greek mythology, the game follows the story of Fenyx; a foreordained demigod who the player can fully customize aesthetically. The game is set to provide a huge open-world akin to the likes of Nintendo’s acclaimed Breath of the Wild, with fully scalable geometry, refined and fluid combat, intelligently designed puzzles and a colourful cel-shaded artistic direction. The narrative is said to be light-hearted in tone and narrated by Zeus, with a plethora of interesting characters and set pieces underpinned by a classic hero tale.

Immortals promises fluid, fast-paced and rewarding fighting with strategic depth in its enemy design. Alongside an onslaught of various enemy types, the protagonist will be required to fight the ‘fallen heroes’ of Greek mythology – formidable foes that will hunt the player relentlessly and necessitate skill and proficiency with the game's key mechanics. This title will also boast considerable player freedom and very little handholding. The player will be shown where quests are but that’s it, and they’re free to explore the world at their leisure and make their own adventure.
 

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity

SWITCH

Scheduled release date: 20/11/2020

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is the next entry in Nintendo’s hack-and-slash series set in the Legend of Zelda universe. A direct prequel to Breath of the Wild, Age of Calamity expands on the series’ lore by exploring the catastrophic events that preceded BotW and underpinned its story. As such, the player will get to experience the land of Hyrule before the war and play as Link, Zelda, and the legendary champions of Hyrule as they fight to protect the kingdom from Calamity Ganon. Cutscenes will be fully voiced and rich in narrative, though the game's centrepiece is its combat. 

Players will face large waves of enemies and utilize a plethora of fighting styles and special powers to repel them. The title is set to merge Breath of the Wild’s best combat mechanics with those of the original Hyrule Warriors, with familiar items such as the paraglider being utilised for unique aerial attacks. There will be RPG-style leveling systems and a wide variety of fighting styles to master depending on which hero you choose. Short, medium and long-ranged attacks provide an abundance of on-the-fly options to suit a given situation, while characters will also each have special skills unique to them - one we know of being Impa’s deceptive cloning ability. The player will be able to build new weapons and cook food to use as buffs, though gone is the breakable gear of Breath of the Wild.
 

There are a ton of other new games releasing before the year's out. Tell us what else you’re looking forward to in the comments below!

Linden Garcia
Editor, NoobFeed