I wanted to wish all my readers a happy Happy Halloween 2021. Every year it seems Halloween is growing as a seasonal holiday. I live in Europe and it feels as if only in the last few years it has become commonplace. No doubt cultural influence from the US plays the largest part, but also the desire to make the autumn season special. For most people autumn means going back to work and school and only in December do we celebrate. Pumpkin spiced-lattes, pumpkin jack-o’-lanterns and other decorations are now all commonplace – and with that unofficially the holiday season starts that now includes Thanksgiving and ends with the New Year’s celebration.
That also means an abundance of entertainment: movies, games, novels and of course series. So, what can we expect in the fall of 2021 in what feels like a year that was worse pandemic wise than last year?
Games
When it comes to games this year it is quieter than 2020. That is not per se a bad thing, serious gaming will eat up a lot of time. This year there is no Cyberpunk 2077 which despite technical issues is still for me the best game since Skyrim or even Knight of the Old Republic. This year I am looking forward to Sherlock Holmes Chapter One, it is another entry in the long-running series by Frogwares but as the title suggests they mobbing into a new direction. It may not be Tomb Raider or Unchartered but this iteration of the series is more action oriented than before.
Second, there is Halo Infinite. I have been a casual fan of the series since its release in 2021 but I will admit to not having played it after Halo 3 and I never played multiplayer. Halo Infinite does boot a large single player campaign that from the trailer does harken back to the original. I think the graphics are also gorgeous, the delay was worth it. You don’t need to own an Xbox Series S or X. Halo Infinite will also be released on PC.
Novels
So far it has been a good year for sci-fi novels with Inhibitor Phase by Alastair Reynolds and Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. But the year is not yet over, Neal Stephenson’s Termination Shock is set for right about now while in November the last novel of the Expanse series Leviathan Falls will be released.
Movies
When it comes to movie right now thing is just fantastic. Both Dune and No Time To Die are just epic, with Dune being contender for best Sci-Fi movie of the decade. And the year is not even over, Eternals has me intrigued because so far the post-Avenger: Endgame situation has felt like a dud. Next week we will be getting Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Early reviews are surprisingly positive. And there is Spider-Man: No Way Home and The Matrix Resurrections, both set for December. Unbelievable luck in my opinion. 2021 may well be among the best years at the cinema, though we do have the pandemic to thank for that.
Series
This fall is packed with series to watch. There are both new series such as Blade Runner: Black Lotus, The Wheel of Time and Hawkeye as well series that are returning such as The Witcher and The Expanse. Frankly in the fall there is simply too much material to see, play and read everything. But I hope I have made some of your choices easier.
Happy Halloween 2021
I wish everybody a Happy Halloween 2021, have fun, make the most of your time now that the days are growing shorter. I know I will and I hope COVID will remain more distant than it has, though I suspect it will be with us until at least the spring.
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