When it comes to video game releases, most of the big new games are released in the fall as part of the "fall gaming rush." While there are still major new video games released each month of the year, the September through November stretch is usually stacked to an impressive degree, with no other month in the year able to match up to the fall offerings.
However, there may be an exception in 2021. Assuming there are no further delays for the games, May 2021 is already stacked with game releases, including some new entries in major franchises as well as highly-anticipated new IP. There's a major new game release nearly every week of May, and while some of them may fall short of expectations, there's a quite deal of fanfare behind each of the games.
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Here are the big video games launching in May.
Resident Evil Village is getting things started for big new video game releases in May, launching on May 7 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. The cross-gen survival-horror game is looking to continue Resident Evil 7's momentum, once again following protagonist Ethan Winters in a first-person adventure. This time around, Ethan finds himself in a mysterious European village full of supernatural monsters, including the vampire-like Lady Dimitrescu.
While Resident Evil Village will be a cross-gen game, there's no denying that the definitive way to experience it will be on the next-generation consoles. Resident Evil Village on PS5 and Xbox Series X will have virtually no load times, along with a smoother frame rate and vastly improved visuals. The Resident Evil Village Maiden demo that's currently available on PS5 gives fans a pretty good idea of what to expect from the game's cutting-edge graphics come its launch in a few months.
Pre-release hype for Resident Evil Village is quite high, with many fans reacting positively to Lady Dimitrescu, the game's main antagonist, as well as how it's bringing back elements from the wildly successful Resident Evil 4. This includes an inventory system that is nearly identical to the one from RE4, as well as a new merchant character named The Duke. Whether or not Resident Evil Village can live up to the high bar set by Resident Evil 4 remains to be seen, but fans will find out sooner rather than later.
Hood: Outlaws & Legends is a new IP from Sumo Newcastle and Focus Home Interactive, vaguely based on the Robin Hood legends. The big selling point is that it's a medieval multiplayer game, which is fairly rare in a multiplayer market dominated by shooter games. Plus, it's going to be released for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X alongside current-generation consoles and PC, which makes it a bit more interesting than it would be otherwise.
Hood: Outlaws & Legends has enjoyed a heightened sense of hype than many other new IP thanks to it being revealed during a PS5-focused State of Play from PlayStation. Since its reveal, Hood: Outlaws & Legends gameplay trailers have continued to impress, so here's hoping it lives up to the hype when it launches for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X on May 10.
For years, Mass Effect fans have been asking for the original trilogy to be remastered for new consoles, and finally, BioWare is delivering. Come May 14, Mass Effect: Legendary Edition will launch for PC, PS4, and Xbox One, bundling the original three Mass Effect games together with almost all of their post-launch DLC. And thanks to the PS5 and Xbox Series X being backward compatible with previous generations, Mass Effect: Legendary Edition will be playable on next-generation consoles with some added benefits.
BioWare may have been able to get away with simply porting the original Mass Effect games to modern consoles, but it has gone the extra mile to properly remaster them. Mass Effect's graphics have been improved in the Legendary Edition, with more detail added to the game world and character models upgraded. New features like a universal character creator system has been added along with a universal HUD, though otherwise it should be mostly the same Mass Effect experience that fans will remember from the original games.
Coming out just a week after Resident Evil Village, Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is still poised to be one of the biggest game releases of May 2021. Hopefully it's enough to tide Mass Effect fans over while they wait for more information on the new Mass Effect game that's in development.
Arkane Studios is best known for its work on the Dishonored franchise and the Prey reboot, but its next game is a brand new IP. A timed console exclusive for PlayStation 5 but also coming to PC, Deathloop is a unique first-person shooter game where players are stuck in a time loop. The goal is to assassinate specific targets so that Deathloop's main character Colt can escape the time loop. Colt has access to a variety of weapons and special abilities to accomplish his goal, and can try to eliminate any of his targets in any order.
One of the unique gimmicks that Deathloop brings to the table is its asymmetric multiplayer mode. In Deathloop's asymmetric multiplayer, another player takes on the role of a character named Julianna, whose goal is to stop Colt from killing all his targets. This means that those playing as Julianna are basically trying to sabotage the person playing as Colt, which definitely creates a unique multiplayer dynamic.
Those who don't want to be hassled by a player-controlled Julianna can choose to opt out of the multiplayer aspect. This will likely prove to be a popular decision come Deathloop's launch on May 21.
Gamers have been waiting years for Biomutant, an open world action-RPG where players take control of a highly customizable rodent-like creature. Biomutant has been compared to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild as well as popular games like Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor. Whether or not it can match up to those games remains to be seen, but that question will be answered when the long-in-development game hits PC, PS4, and Xbox One at the end of May.
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