It is far too easy in these modern times to ignore or even believe that good things are coming. And it’s also easy to dismiss excitement at upcoming games as dismissive of the wider global horrors; some temporary panacea that just delays the drop into the void. I feel differently. I have always maintained that being excited for new things in gaming is a wonderful feeling, and one that I’m very often swept up in, particularly when it comes to MMOs. I also think that if all you look at are the bad things, you create the wrong kinds of wrinkles in your brain and deepen the ones carving into your brow. So, yeah. I’m going to accentuate the positive. I’m going to remind myself and anyone reading this about how looking forward to fun things is fun. I’m going to list the gaming arrivals that I’m excited for. Read more: Things to Look Forward To Evercold Considering I’ve been posting the past couple of days about Final Fantasy XIV, this one should be pretty obvious. Of course I’m going to be jazzed about the next expansion for my home MMORPG. Duh. We’re going into a new reflection of the world. We’re headed to High Fantasy Norse Land. We’re going to be seeing some new story stakes, some new characters, and perhaps learn a bit more about the current BBEG that’s powering the engine of the game’s MSQ. And more than that, we’re going to see new systems that really do feel like they could bring a much needed paradigm shift in both play feel and progression. Yeah, I’m hyped. Guild Wars 3 My relationship with the Guild Wars series is… odd. I arrived to the original MMO late and so didn’t really find it compelling. I’ve tried Guild Wars 2 a few times and even got as far as Orr on launch, but often bounced off — something that’s happened with alarming frequency ever since. But this one feels different. New. In a lot of the right way. I will admit that much of my excitement is tempered by the fact that there isn’t a lot of hard information about the game yet. All we’ve gotten is a very pretty trailer and some music. That said, that trailer was also using in-engine alpha footage, and that music was absolutely gorgeous. I also think it will be awesome to get in on the ground floor of this one. I’m wait-and-see, but I really do want to see. Soulframe This one is cooled a bit by the fact that I’ve been in its pre-alpha — excuse me, its Preludes build — for a few months now, and it’s been off and on for me. A lot of my annoyance at the game is a blend of frustration at some of its systems just not working and disgust at what feels like Digital Extremes’ level of arrogance. I’m still a bit sore about how it treated Airship Syndicate. Pushing that all aside, though, I cannot deny that the lore, the aesthetics, the feel, the look, and some of the combat in Soulframe hits notes that I never knew weren’t hit previously. And since I feel intensely repulsed by Warframe in many, many ways, I’m for an opportunity to be part of a slower paced style of DE’s kind of MMO. I just love its Gaelic brutal fairy tale vibe. Or as a friend put it, it’s murder hobo Ferngully. No lies detected. Farever This one has taken me by surprise. I have played its early access build to a degree that I hadn’t experienced in underbaked MMOs in a long time, and while there are some features that feel super necessary (group finder, please, I freaking beg), Farever is much better than I had ever expected. What has made this stand out is its brilliant blending of simplicity and depth: The gameplay loop really is just as simple as wandering around the open map to take up little quests, boss fights, and dungeons, but at the same time the fact that classes all feel like new takes depending on the weapons and armor you wear and the “Soulslite” style of combat really bring more to the table. I want to see this gestate into something awesome. WoW Classic Plus Didn’t I just say that my home game is Final Fantasy XIV? Why am I wearing the opposing team’s jersey here? Because a rising tide lifts all boats, and because I want fans of an MMORPG that I’m not a particularly big fan of to get the stuff that they crave too. Now it should be noted (if it wasn’t obvious) that this hasn’t been confirmed by Blizzard in any way, shape, or form. But there have been plenty of signs that seem to suggest that this is happening, and while I don’t personally get it, I also appreciate that there’s a lot of excitement for what this could mean for the MMORPG, and I definitely want those fans to be well served and have a great time. They deserve good things also. And besides, direct competition will just make Creative Studio III work that much harder, and that’s to my personal benefit.