Games To Look For - July 2021

From racing games to JRPGs, to simulators and a new Pokémon game, July has a wide offering of titles and genres to look out for.

With the chaos of E3 now behind us, July is admittedly a bit of a quieter month, but that doesn't mean there aren't some heavy hitters. This month we've got many long-awaited titles such as Neo: The World Ends with You and Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin to look forward to and the console version of Microsoft Flight Simulator is also preparing to spread its wings. Here are our most anticipated picks for the month of July:

Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin

- July 9 (PC, Switch)

Capcom's turn-based take on the popular Monster Hunter series is receiving a sequel this July on PC and the Nintendo Switch. Along with having flashier visuals than its predecessor, this new outing contains new monsters from World and Rise that you can raise and teach to fight alongside you. Its story sees you play as the grandchild of a legendary rider known as Red and it's up to you to figure out why Rathalos around the world are disappearing.

F1 2021

- July 16 (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series)

The continuation of Codemasters iconic racing series makes its debut this July, bringing a whole range of new features, including an all-new singleplayer mode called Braking Point, which is regarded as an immersive combination of events on and off the track that spans three seasons. Set to also include a two-player Career mode, as well as a variety of features, such as better graphics, loading times, and force feedback, each of which truly utilises the more powerful hardware of the Xbox Series and the PS5, F1 2021 is aiming to be the most advanced version of the racer to date.

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The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD

- July 16 (Switch)

First announced back in February, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD is the Nintendo Switch version of the earliest title in The Legend of Zelda series. Set to take Link on a journey both high into the skies, but also deep into the dangerous surface world, this quest to save Zelda is a remaster of the game that first launched on the Nintendo Wii a decade ago. Being on the modern Nintendo system, this version of Skyward Sword brings a few new features including a button only control scheme and HD graphics, and is the first of many ways to celebrate the 35th Anniversary of this beloved series.

Cris Tales

- July 20 (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, Switch)

Regarded as a love letter to classic JRPGs, this title developed by Dreams Uncorporated takes place simultaneously in the past, present, and future. Cris Tales asks players to peer into the past to make decisions, then to act in the present, before seeing how your choices impact the future - and it does so with a truly gorgeous hand-drawn 2D art style. With more than 20 hours of gameplay promised, this is one to watch if you're a fan of the JRPG genre.

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Microsoft Flight Simulator

- July 27 (Xbox Series)

Ever since it first launched on PC in 2020, Microsoft Flight Simulator has been met with glowing reviews and fan responses. Later this month, the beloved simulator will finally be making its console debut, bringing its truly remarkable world back to life on Xbox Series consoles. While the game will hopefully perform and look as good as the PC version on Xbox Series X at least, we can expect a slightly different experience in how it controls to fit the needs and abilities of a controller.

Neo: The World Ends with You

- July 27 (PS4, Switch)

Fans have eagerly been awaiting a sequel to The World Ends with You for 14 years, so we are hoping that this one is able to live up to expectations. Unlike the first game, this entry utilises a 3D visual style and it features a different cast of characters to the ones we originally grew attached to all those years ago. With such a lengthy time period between this and the original, we're hoping Neo: The World Ends with You can live up to its predecessor.

Samurai Warriors 5

- July 27 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series, PS4, Switch)

After a seven-year wait, the next instalment in the tactical action series is finally making its debut. Samurai Warriors 5 is the beginning of a new series, a series that takes characters and stories from the traditional Samurai Warriors and revamps it. Following Nobunaga Oda and Mitsuhide Akechi, this tale focuses on the two officers and depicts the epic and bloody battles that span from the Ōnin War to the Incident at Honnōji. With 27 officers to choose from and plenty of action to be excited for, this Koei Tecmo title is one to watch.

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles

- July 27 (PC, PS4, Switch)

The dramatic narrative of the Ace Attorney series is making a return at the tail-end of this month, bringing back Ryunosuke Naruhodo as he looks to make his name in the courtrooms of Victorian-era London and Japan. The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles spans two whole games and delivers the broadest story of the series to date, and includes 10 puzzling cases to make for plenty of hours of fun with its diverse cast of strange yet interesting characters.

The Ascent

- July 29 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series)

With it originally being announced as a launch title for the Xbox Series, we've had to wait a fair amount of time for The Ascent, but that wait thankfully is almost over. If you weren't aware, the game is a co-op twin-stick shooter that is set within a gorgeous cyber punk-inspired world. Interestingly, it features tactical elements as players can switch between two different shooting stances to inflict pain on enemies in different ways. It's also packed with tons of ability-altering augmentations and modules that players can equip to create a build that completely suits their own playstyle.

Pokémon Unite

- July [exact date TBC] (Switch)

We still don't have an exact release date, but it has been confirmed that Pokémon Unite will be coming to Nintendo Switch in July with mobile versions following later in September. This strategic 5v5 game sees players try to earn more points than their opponents in a limited time by completing tasks like catching Pokémon, evolving Pokémon, and defeating Pokémon. The reception to Pokémon Unite might not have been the most glowing at first, but we would argue that this was due to The Pokémon Company leaving fans in suspense and hyping up a large reveal.

That's about all we have time for within this episode of GTLF, be sure to come back next month when we take a glimpse at the Games To Look For over August 2021.