ALYSSA LOST IN SPACE

A new year means new content, and I love taking a look at all the books, games and movies that are going to be coming out over the next twelve months.

Compared to previous years, however, there isn’t as much capturing my interest. There are a lot of sequels coming out for series I haven’t read and there aren’t any big games I’m really excited about. That being said, there are a few books and games coming out this year that I’m hyped for even if it isn’t as much as in previous years. Movies are the one area that looks pretty lacklustre this year, so I’ve skipped that category this time.

Onwards, to my most anticipated books and games of the year 2020!

Books

Network Effect (The Murderbot Diaries #5) by Martha Wells

I am absolutely in love with the Murderbot novellas and I’m so excited about the full-length novel coming out this year! I’ve gushed about it before, but the Murderbot Diaries are a fun series of novellas about an artificial construct built for security that ends up hacking itself to gain free will and likes to spend time watching a futuristic Netflix. Murderbot is sassy and socially awkward and the books are an action-packed and witty romp through space.

The Empire of Dreams (Fire & Thorns #4) by Rae Carson

The Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy is one of the best YA fantasy series I’ve ever read and remains one of my favourite series of all time. It launched Rae Carson into my list of favourite authors and I was so excited to learn that a stand-alone novel was coming out in this world and featuring the same characters. I’m not going to spoil anything but the original series is about a princess who is married off to another kingdom who is the younger of two sisters and completely unremarkable except for the fact that she happens to be the chosen wielder of a godstone.

The Rise of Skywalker Novelization by Rae Carson

If you like the Star Wars movies, I really recommend the novelizations. They fill in a lot of gaps left in the movies and make some motivations and character arcs a little clearer. They’re also just a lot of fun. After having some mixed feelings about The Rise of Skywalker, I really want to get my hands on the novel version. It also happens to be written by one of my favourite authors.

The Girl and the Stars by Mark Lawrence

I haven’t read anything by Mark Lawrence yet but I’ve heard nothing but good things about his Book of the Ancestor series. The Girl and the Stars is a new series coming out in 2020 about a girl’s survival in a cold and cruel land. The synopsis was weirdly vague but it has me intrigued. Also, the cover is beautiful.

Repo Virtual by Corey J. White

Are we seeing a cyberpunk revival? A lot of the new sci-fi releases seem very much in line with that concept – near future, weird technology, virtual reality and the like. Repo Virtual seems to combine all the best of this subgenre – artificial intelligence, virtual realities and massive multiplayer games. And it’s a heist story on top of that!

Games

Animal Crossing New Horizons

I love Animal crossing. It’s probably one of my favourite series, and I am totally addicted to Pocket Camp. I played the hell out of New Leaf, so much so that I bought an extra game so I could play in another town. I’ve been patiently waiting for the next Animal Crossing release and New Horizons looks like the best of Animal Crossing with a glossy new finish on the Nintendo Switch.

Cyberpunk 2077

I have been waiting for this since the teaser they released years ago, and I’m so excited to play it. Video games tend to be dominated by fantasy settings, so this is a breath of fresh air – a high-gloss, futuristic cyberpunk city with all the trimmings of an action RPG. And I love deep character customization, which this game looks to have a lot of.

Minecraft Dungeons

Yet another series that I am totally obsessed with is getting another instalment in 2020. I’ve played hundreds of hours of Minecraft and it remains my favourite game of all time. I’m really intrigued to see what Dungeons will be about. Information about it seems a little vague at the moment, but it looks like a fun game to play with friends!

Twin Mirror

I’ve never played Life is Strange or it’s sequel but I’ve heard amazing things and I’d really like to try one of these episodic games. It just so happens that DONTNOD is releasing another one in 2020 about an investigative journalist and you have to gather clues to solve the mystery. It sounds right up my alley. No release date yet, but I’m excited to check this one out.

Bravely Default 2

I was super late to the game with the Bravely Default series. I started the first game in 2018, and I have yet to finish it (something I am notorious for, lately) but I really enjoyed the gameplay, the story and the characters. Information looks to be sparse on this new game, but the developers have proven they know how to deliver a satisfying jrpg experience, and I love anything that combines the classic rpg-grind with the portability of the Switch. I’ll have to finish the original and get through Bravely Second in the meantime.

What Are You Most Excited For?

Now you know what I’ll be looking out for this year, but I always like to see what others are excited about. Maybe I’ve missed a hidden gem! Let me know what made your most anticipated list for this year!