Almost halfway through 2020, what can we expect for gaming? by: Leah Gaskins

For a few months now, countries heavily impacted by the COVID-19, or coronavirus, pandemic have spent more time than ever before at home watching television, binging their favorite shows, or finding creative ways to kill time. One of those ways might include sitting at your desk or couch, picking up your mouse or controller, and playing your favorite video game. Getting every achievement, raising your personal ranking in the online competitive scene, or maybe working on your wheat farm in Minecraft, chances are there’s something for everyone to do, and 2020 might be the year where you have all the time to do it. However, because 2020 is a big year for creating next-generation consoles like the PS5 and Xbox Series X, most of the titles due to release here are mostly due to becoming cross-generation titles. Here are five games to check out for the upcoming year!

Borderlands Legendary Collection (NS)

On May 29, 2020, end the season with the action role-playing first-person shooter, Borderlands. If you’ve been gaming for a long time, you would have recognized this title and may even have played it as well. Created by Gearbox Software and published by 2K Games, Borderlands has received critical acclaim and praise for its sense of humor, loot-driven multiplayer co-op, and incredible sales making it one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time. And now, by the end of, you and your friends can embark on a western science fantasy adventure on the Nintendo Switch. In this collection, you can play Borderlands, Borderlands 2, and Borderlands the Pre-Sequel.

BioShock: The Collection (NS)

On May 29, 2020, BioShock: The Collection becomes available to millions of gamers who own a Nintendo Switch. If Borderlands isn’t your style, this retro-futuristic first-person shooter might do the trick. Published, again, by 2K Games and developed by Blind Squirrel Games, venture out into the underwater city of Rapture and the floating city of Columbia in 1960 and 1968, all on handheld or docked Nintendo Switch. In this collection, you will be able to play BioShock, BioShock 2, and BioShock Infinite, all of them creating one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time. 

The Outer Worlds (NS)

Unlike the last two listings, this release is a newer one. The Outer Worlds is an action role-playing game in the first-person perspective developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Private Division. Set in an alternate future that diverges in 1901, President William McKinley is not assassinated, and as a result, President Theodore Roosevelt never succeeded him and business trusts were never broken up, and eventually leads to a society dominated by megacorporations, which, in the distant future, begin to colonize space. Create your own character and encounter unique non-player character (NPC) companions to accompany you on your journey through space. On June 5, 2020, The Outer Worlds will be available on the Nintendo Switch.

Death Stranding

On July 14, 2020, the action game Death Stranding is available on Windows for any gamer with a PC. Developed by Kojima Production and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PS4, experience the United States during the aftermath of the eponymous Death Stranding, which consequently invited deadly and destructive creatures that exist in a realm between life and death to roam the Earth. You play as Sam Porter Bridges, a courier tasked to deliver supplies to the isolated colonies that remain and connect with them with a wireless communications network.  In its debut week, Death Stranding was the best-selling physical game in Japan and had the most successful debut for a new intellectual property in Japan for the current generation of consoles. If this sounds like your fancy, check it out!

Cyberpunk 2077

Finally, one of the most highly anticipated games of 2020 and, on this list, the only new title, Cyberpunk 2077 is an upcoming role-playing game developed by CD Projekt and is due to release on the PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One on September 27, 2020. Some might be familiar with the Cyberpunk franchise and should know that this game is an adaptation of that. It takes place in the dystopian Night City, which is an open-world with six distinct regions. You will assume the role of V, a character who is a customizable mercenary which will be played in a first-person perspective. Include hacking, machinery, and an arsenal of ranged and melee weapons, creating options for lethal and non-lethal playthroughs.