It’s impossible to talk about technological advancement without taking video games into account. Gaming is a medium within which impressive, competition-driven technical feats are achieved on a yearly if not monthly basis. Procedurally generated open-worlds, photorealistic graphics, and advanced AI of computer-controlled characters can make these virtual universes feel so believable, that sometimes they might make us question the very definition of the reality itself!
Being the latest examples of such technological feats, video games releasing throughout the autumn of 2020 naturally present more than a few of such surprises of their own. Of course, some of them introduce more advancements than others, but whichever of the contemporary triple-A titles one might choose to look at, the progress made in the industry throughout the last decade cannot be overlooked. In a very similar manner, future tendencies of next-generation gaming also become apparent once we take a closer look at games launching within the upcoming months.
Ride 4
Right of the bat, we have Ride 4 – the newest motorcycle racing simulation developed and published by Milestone. The game is expected to release on October 8th on the Steam digital platform but one can always choose to pre-order Ride 4 Steam key significantly cheaper through one of the online retailers. As for technical feats of the game, assuming that Milestone is simply working on another generic motorsport simulator would be an underestimation of the year.
Delving deeper into the game, it quickly becomes apparent that the developers are pushing for a life-like racing experience of proportions not seen before. Aside from dynamic day and night cycles or shifting weather patterns already witnessed in similar games, Ride 4 introduces officially licensed racing bikes recreated in-game by utilizing CAD data as well as the latest 3D and laser scanning technologies. However, the most impressive technical feat here is the CPU racers brought to life by Artificial Neural Network Agent (A.N.N.A.) – a revolutionary AI system based on machine learning.
FIFA 21
Electronic Arts’ flagship football simulation franchise FIFA has always been known for offering some of the most realistic virtual representations of football in the whole gaming industry, and the same holds true for FIFA 21 – the latest installment in the series. While the game launches on October 9th, it can already be pre-ordered either on EA’s Origin store or by purchasing the FIFA 21 Origin key online. When it comes to product codes, it’s worth keeping in mind that internet retailers also offer a variety of options for cheap FIFA Points virtual currency packs that will come in handy playing the wildly popular FIFA Ultimate Team mode.
Like other recent Electronic Arts games, FIFA 21 runs on the Frostbite 3 engine which was originally developed by studio DICE – creators of the Battlefield series. This year, FIFA 21 utilizes the engine’s technical capacities to bring about more natural object collision physics. From now on, player collisions should happen in a less random and much more believable fashion when compared to previous installments, in turn ensuring a faster and more entertaining pace of the game with a lot fewer interruptions. Developers EA Sports also emphasize the refined artificial intelligence that has significantly better positional awareness and offers players a greater challenge.
Ghostrunner
Sports simulations continually introduce technical innovation as they try to replicate the real-life experience, but it’s far from being the only genre making breakthroughs in the technical field this autumn. There’s a surprising number of cyberpunk games coming out this year, with each of them attempting to one-up the competitors in as many ways as possible. First of all, we have a Ghostrunner – a game developed One More Level and published by 505 Games. Coming out on October 27th, the cyberpunk action title can already be purchased from Steam, or by obtaining the Ghostrunner Steam key on a retailer website.
What differentiates Ghostrunner from competitors is its unique gameplay that combines parkour mechanics like wall-running with close-quarter first-person combat based on one-hit kills. One of the most impressive – and undoubtedly one of the most violent – technical feats presented in the game is a dynamic manner in which enemies can get chopped to bits using a monomolecular katana. The player is not using a sword-shaped stick here – the variety of ways in which targets can get dismembered and sliced to pieces are not predetermined. Couple that with ragdoll physics and the overall result is a cathartic action game experience set in a stylish cyberpunk dystopia.
Watch Dogs: Legion
On October 29th, developer and publisher Ubisoft is bound to release the long-awaited third installment in its very own cyberpunk series – Watch Dogs. The upcoming game called Watch Dogs: Legion is already available for pre-order on Ubisoft’s Uplay platform but one can always use the aforementioned alternative of purchasing the Watch Dogs: Legion Uplay key through retailers. As for the title itself, Ubisoft is one of the companies that has both the resources and the aspiration to push the technical boundaries of what can be achieved in games and this is exactly what can be expected from their latest project.
The third game in the series will transport players to the near future London that’s under the control of a private military contractor called Albion. The campaign will once again circle around hacking, espionage, third-person combat, and open-world exploration, while NPC characters will play a more important role than ever. This is because the game doesn’t feature a singular protagonist – instead, the player controls an entire hacktivist freedom fighter organization known as DedSec. The composition of the movement is constantly changing, with new recruits joining or getting captured time and time again. The variety of these characters makes the London of Watch Dogs: Legion one of the most enthralling open-worlds to date, offering loads of rewarding exploration together with great replay value.
Cyberpunk 2077
There’s hardly a more fitting way to conclude our look at the most technologically innovative games then by discussing the last of the three great cyberpunk titles releasing in Autumn of 2020. After years of development, just as long build-up of hype and multiple delays Cyberpunk 2077 is bound to finally make its debut on November 19th. Like with the other options, players have the choice of pre-ordering the upcoming game right from the CD Projekt Red’s official store at GOG.com or by purchasing the Cyberpunk 2077 GOG key on from a chosen online marketplace.
Based on what’s known about the game so far, it’s going to be nothing less of a revolutionary RPG and the next step in the development of the genre as a whole. Cyberpunk 2077 will introduce a complex open-world, with every one of its procedurally generated inhabitants having an independent, autonomous existence and daily routine. The game’s setting Night City will feature hundreds of hours worth of side-activities and optional missions, each of which can impact the main campaign in significant ways. Having in mind countless customization options for the protagonist, vehicles, and gameplay styles, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if Cyberpunk 2077 will end up to be considered the definitive game of the decade.