By SANTIAGO NUÑEZ/ Multimedia Editor
There’s nothing better than starting a new year and finding new ways to cope with your life as an impoverished college student. One of those ways can be through media — more specifically, through video games. This year continues the industry’s recent trend of taking old but successful franchises and making new games out of them. Here are my most anticipated games of 2024.
“Silent Hill 2”
Developer: Bloomer Team
Release Date: 2024
This was one of the first horror games I ever played. What a way to start off my experience with the genre! One might question why I was playing this game at the age of 8 on my PS2, but that is neither here nor there. The game is beautifully crafted. It pushes the technology of 2001 to its upper limits, but trying to play the original over 20 years after its release can be a jarring experience due to all the visual aspects which show their age. The remake is set to bring everything fans loved about the 2001 game and revitalize it using the technology of 2024. The gripping and critically acclaimed story of the original will remain unchanged, while the graphic and gameplay elements will receive an overhaul from the ground up. Information about Silent Hill 2 has been kept tight, but with marketing for the game coming, I would expect more details soon. Fingers crossed that they keep the wonderful and eerie soundtrack.
“Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater”
Developer: Konami
Release Date: 2024
Hideo Kojima is one of the few true auteurs of the video game industry. This reputation was not built in one night; a lot of it comes from his work on the “Metal Gear” series, and rightfully so. Kojima created a critical success with the series, which laid the groundwork for stealth and politically charged video games everywhere. Now, a revered franchise cornerstone is being given a new life. Much like the first entry on this list, not much is known, except that the story elements will remain the same with improved visual prowess. All Konami has shown thus far is a small TV spot featuring the titular character “Snake” traversing through the jungle. However, as mentioned, when the work of Hideo Kojima is involved, you do not worry too much about the quality, especially when it is a remake of an already incredible, albeit aged, video game.
“Alone In the Dark”
Developer: THQ Nordic
Release Date: March 20th, 2024
This is the only entry on this list with a confirmed release date. This game is a step below a remake, a sort of conglomerate of the franchise’s first three games. Now, I cannot lie, this series has been going downhill for pretty much every game I have seen released. Luckily, the newest game will be abandoning the latest entries and going back to its roots, featuring an original plot based on the first three games that made this series great. The trailer features unsettling imagery scattered through dimly lit buildings and what can only be described as scenes from a nightmare. The gameplay for the game looks like a mixture of the early “Amnesia” and the newest “Resident Evil” games. There is a clear influence derived from the success of those games and it has been a long time coming. The franchise has been broken for quite some time, but this is a bright glimmer of hope in what has been a dark tunnel.
“The Casting of Frank Stone”
Developer: Supermassive Games
Release Date: 2024
Most people are familiar with the games “Until Dawn” and “Dead by Daylight,” but what happens when you combine the storytelling of the former with the world-building of the latter? The fourth entry on this list aims to answer that question. I had not heard of this game until recently, but now that I know about it, I am incredibly intrigued. The fact that the information about it is the most limited of any game on this list is what drives my intrigue. It promises to build on the lore and background of “Dead by Daylight” with a gripping original story where every decision has impactful consequences. The world of “Dead by Daylight” remains largely unexplored in the game, but the trailer of “The Casting of Frank Stone” thrusts the viewer into the horrifying landscapes we have been unaware of. Fleshing out an already existing world’s lore is always going to be fun, but doing it in a format where your choices decide who lives or dies drives the idea home.
“Star Wars Outlaws”
Developer: Massive Entertainment
Release Date: 2024
I will preface my final entry on this list with this: I have never seen a “Star Wars” film or show in its entirety. I have only seen clips of the movies and random episodes of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.” Yet even from a fan of my knowledge level, an open-world game where you play like people outside of conventional laws is always an interesting premise. A “Red Dead Redemption” style open world experience, which is what the game is, sounds like a boatload of fun — even to someone who does not know jack about the ever-expanding universe of “Star Wars.” The gameplay promises to feature battles in space, on the ground chases, fast-paced combat and stealth sections. “Star Wars” games have a spotty history, as most games centered around IPs do, but this game seems to create a well-rounded experience that puts the world of “Star Wars” on the backdrop rather than on the center stage. I am excited to see what a space western “Star Wars” game can deliver, especially with the recent success of the story-driven “Star Wars” games.
