To end the year 2019, I decided that I wanted to create a list of my most anticipated games for the upcoming year. Once I started creating the list though I realized something. I’m weird. What I mean by that is, my tastes aren’t exactly everyone else’s tastes. So, I am definitely going to write a list of my most anticipated games for this website.  But before I do that, I am going to create another list. This is the, “List of 10 Games That Didn’t Make My List But are on Most Other People’s Most Anticipated Lists”.

Not #10: Ori and the Will of the Wisps

• I had this game pretty high on my personal ‘Most Anticipated’ 2019 list. The 1^st title was a critical smash for the Xbox One back in 2015, and it even gained a little more momentum this last year with its port to the Nintendo Switch. It fell off my list because of its delay to 2020 and because of this impending feeling that I get when I think of this game now that it might suffer from feelings of “more of the same”. I know that Moon Studios could easily prove me wrong, so let’s wait and see.

Not #9: Elden Ring

• There are possibly a few games on these kinds of “Most Anticipated” lists that may not come out at all in 2020. This is one of them, and honestly, it isn’t that interesting to me. Let me break it down for you: I’m not a huge fan of the ever-widening and ultra-challenging ‘Souls-like’ genre of video game. Unlike most people I run into I was not a watcher of HBO’s Game of Thrones nor was I a reader of George R. R. Martin’s Song of Fire & Ice series of novels. Needless to say my anticipation for this collaboration between Martin and From Software, while intriguing, isn’t exactly my cup of tea.

Not #8: Half-Life: Alyx

• I will keep this one short. Why didn’t this game make the cut of my Top 10 Most Anticipated games? Three reasons: 1 – I have never had a “gaming PC”, 2 – I have never played a Half-Life game, and 3 – I do not own any VR equipment. If you are one of the people who are excited about this game and excited about what innovations Valve could bring to a VR experience, great. I get it, but it’s not me.

Not #7: Animal Crossing: New Horizons

• I have found that Animal Crossing is a fairly divisive franchise. Either you find the calm animal themed aesthetic pleasing and relaxing while enjoying the slow build up of equity in your neighborhood, or you think the idea of fishing and bug-catching while overpaying for supplies in town is the most boring thing you can do with your time. While it looks like Nintendo has some newer ideas for this iteration of their game (the new crafting system and the new ‘Nook Miles’ currency) I will have to wait and see if this will be the game to get me hooked.

Not #6: Halo Infinite

• Is it just me or do we know very little about this game’s direction? Now, I’m not exactly all caught up on all the Master Chief lore, but 343 Studios seems to be keeping a lot under wraps for their venture in the next generation. Maybe when a more fleshed-out reveal of the Xbox Series-X happens we will understand a lot more about our next Halo adventure, but until then we only have 343’s last two offerings to hold onto for reference which inspires less confidence than Bungie’s main-line entries.

Not #5: Resident Evil 3

• Okay, okay. Calm down. I know what you all are thinking. How can this guy not be excited about Resident Evil 3?! Didn’t he see how the remake of Resident Evil 2 won everybody over and even won some Game of the Year awards from respected gaming outlets? Yes, I saw all that and I even agree with a lot of the positive criticism that the game received. Personally, I am not a fan of the horror genre, so while I am excited for everyone who will be playing and loving this new remake, running from or even running toward Nemesis, the Resident Evil franchise has never really been my thing.

Not #4: DOOM Eternal

• So, growing up my family made sure that I didn’t spend my time playing games with too much violence or gore. Plus, they really frowned upon games that would reference Hell or demons and the like. Well then it should be obvious that I never really had opportunity to dabble all that much in this franchise by ID Software. From an outsider’s point of view, I can really appreciate the absolute joys that the 2016 reboot of DOOM brought to plenty of players both new and old to the game series.  Running and gunning to great heavy metal tracks, the frantic always-on-the-move action with great map and enemy design, and even the new collectibles and other features that were added seemed like the perfect return for the FPS series.  And while I’m sure that this newest game will be great, I am simply out of the loop on this one.  I’m still the respectable kid who doesn’t play games about hell or demons. Sorry, this one doesn’t make the list for me either.

Not #3: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (sequel)

• I’m sure that all these entries are getting just a little more surprising than the last ones. Please remember that because these games didn’t make my personal list of most anticipated games for 2020, doesn’t mean that it’s not going to be a great game, or even that I think this game is not worth waiting for.  I just have my own preferences and tastes, and in the case of Zelda…I have never been a big fan.  I have started a few Zelda journeys over the years starting with the NES game back in Kindergarten, but the franchise has never really stuck out to me as something to be excited about.  I hope that it’s everything that you are believing for, but I’ll gladly watch it pass me by.      

Not #2: Cyberpunk 2077

• Wow, people are really over the moon for Cyberpunk am I right?  It seems that between CD Projeckt Red and the Cyberpunk tabletop game as reference, there is almost nothing that our minds can conceive that can’t possibly be in this game! After this game comes out and people realize that it’s just a First-Person RPG with a lot of shooting and even more side-quests, e-mail me back and let me know that I was right not be anticipating this game as much as everyone else seems to be. Added on top the very vulgar and racy tone that this game seems to be pushing and it becomes a game that I am not that excited to play at all.

Not #1: The Last of Us – Part II

• Here we are. We made it. This is the game that everyone is anticipating that I personally am not anticipating. I love really dramatic storytelling in games. I also love the pedigree of Naughty Dog and the way that they seem to constantly push the boundaries of what video games can even look like and sounds like. What I do not like unfortunately are games about Zombie-like creatures and once again, profanity riddled games. So, while this may be on the top of everyone’s list.  This game takes the cake as my Not #1 Most-Anticipated game for 2020.