Nostalgia is coming: These 7 iconic games have HUGE anniversaries next year

An anniversary is something that one can't forget; either by nostalgia or by threat of an argument by your partner.

But in games, it's one that always keeps coming back, and it can even revive old franchises once thought forgotten.

2021 brings a lot of anniversaries, mainly for franchises that have been a staple ever since they appeared.

With that, lets look at five franchises celebrating their anniversary, and whether we may see a remaster or new entry from it.

Sonic

It's hard to believe that 2021 will bring the 30th anniversary to the blue blur, but it's true. This writer remembers its 10th anniversary, buying 'Sonic Adventure 2' at a Toys R Us for the Dreamcast, so to see its 30th fast approaching is simply bizarre.

Sonic has been on the upward slope lately, with Sonic Mania and the movie bringing positive reviews, after years of sub-par games. SEGA have announced that there will be a Sonic announcement of some sort coming, which makes fans wonder that it's a new game.

With the sequel to the Sonic movie incoming in 2022, there hasn't been a new Sonic game since 2017, which makes one wonder if there's going to be a sudden new entry appear in time for its anniversary.

READ MORE: INTERVIEW: How 'Immortals' is more like a Mario game than a Zelda one.

Zelda

We've already spoken of this before due to 2020 being Mario's 35th anniversary, but 2021 brings Zelda's 35th anniversary. With Breath of the Wild 2 in heavy development, it's rumoured that not only will this game see a release, but also a collection of previous games.

Similar to 'Mario 3D All Stars', it's hoped that a 'Zelda 3D Master Collection' will appear on the Switch featuring:

• Ocarina of Time

• Majoras Mask
• Wind Waker
• Twilight Princess

It makes sense for Nintendo to repeat what they did for Mario, and it's a perfect opportunity to see some games announced in February next year while we wait for Breath of the Wild 2.

Metroid

The first game debuted on August 6th, 1986 on the NES, and since then, Metrid games have been, sporadic at best.

The last game was 'Metroid: Samus Returns', a loose remake of Metroid II from the Game Boy. 'Metroid Prime 4' was announced in 2017 for the Switch, but development restarted in 2019 under Retro Studios, who also developed the previous Metroid Prime games.

Metroid is an IP, along with F-Zero, are what fans want to see a return of most. Playing 'Super Metroid' on the 'Switch Online' service, it's a timeless classic, and there's certainly room for a new entry like this, especially when it created the 'Metroidvania' genre itself.

Resident Evil

The first game was released in March of 1996, with the STARS team infiltrating a mansion full of zombies, spiders and many more enemies infected by the T-Virus, and, bad voice-acting.

Since then, the franchise has exploded, culminating with its upcoming release, Resident Evil 8: Village coming in 2021.

It's seen its high points with 'Resident Evil 4' and 'Bio Hazard 7', and its low points with 'Resident Evil 6' and 'Resident Evil 3 Remake'.

But it's a series that's moved with the times, and one that has defined the 'horror' genre in video games ever since its debut.

Halo

The game had been announced in 1999 and was heavily-anticipated. It's release in November 2001 as a launch title for the Xbox firmly gave the console a consideration for some to move over to this instead, and many did just for Halo.

While the 'Master Chief Collection' has been improved massively in recent years, and now has a home on PC, the newest entry has already seen some delays and heavy changes.

Halo Infinite was scheduled to be a launch title for the Xbox Series S/X, but due to its frosty reception in July with the gameplay-reveal, its now seeing a release to late next year. It wouldn't be a surprise to see it appear on almost the exact-same date as the original Halo 20 years previous.

Pokémon

While the franchise exploded in the UK and USA in 1998, the original Game Boy games debuted in February of 1996.

Since then, Pokémon has become a colossus for Nintendo, bringing out a series of games for systems every few years, building upon the gameplay and introducing new Pokemon. From the original 151, we are now at 898 different monsters, all with their evolutions, attacks and TM specials abound.

There's already rumours of a remake of 'Fire Red' and 'Leaf Green' from the Game Boy Advance, appearing on the Switch to mark the anniversary. With 'Pokémon Sword' and 'Shield' seeing its expansions already released, it would be great to see these remakes and even some Game Boy releases appear on the system to mark the 25th anniversary.

Tomb Raider

The heroine of the nineties in gaming and turned many heads to, Lara Croft is still seen as an iconic figure in video games. Since her origins in October of 1996 thanks to Toby Gard and his pitch at CORE Design, the franchise has exploded into something that's well-loved by many fans today.

Some are still clamouring for remakes of earlier entries, such as 'Angel of Darkness' and the original game. However, with Crystal Dynamics busy with fixing this year's 'Avengers' videogame, time will tell as to whether they are aware that an anniversary of Lara is on the horizon, and if we will see a new game, or a remake of an earlier entry to come.