The Ephemeric

Hitman 3 marks the final chapter in IO Interactive's latest iteration of the series that began with 2016's Hitman, and the series has never been better. Delightful sandboxes full of creative, often darkly humorous strategies. With disguises, tools, interactive environments and clever AI for manipulation, this current trilogy offers greater variety and replayability than the series has ever offered before and that's before even mentioning the periodic "illusive targets" released by IO, or the ability to create and share online your own custom contracts set in these sandboxes.

Hitman 3 will close this trilogy with the ultimate refinement of all these aspects, before IO moves on to bigger and greater things (expect to see more on that in next year's Hot List). The first episode releases in January with more content to be released through the year.

Release Date: January 2021


14. Kerbal Space Program 2 (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X)

The original game remains one of the greatest gaming surprises of recent years. Created by one amateur coder during his lunch break, the concept was fairly simple: build rockets and try to launch them into space under realistic physics and orbital mechanics. The deceptively deep toybox-like design tools proved such good fun that you could sink hours into just getting that one perfect spacecraft into orbit before even realising you had other planets to visit. Now a full team of professional designers are bringing a full-blooded sequel, Kerbal Space Program 2.

The goal of this sequel appears to be to take the successful foundations of the original and just build on it. More parts, colony building, multiple star systems. It's the type of feature list that fans and modders have been dreaming about, but the key will be to get the basics right. The physics system has to feel as solid as the original, the building tools need to be as intuitive. It won't be enough to just slap a coat of Kerbilish paint on a pale imitation.

Originally slated for release last March, a series of delays has seen this title pushed back into 2021. Delays are fine, I only wish they would follow the same open-development model of the first game (back when it was an indie title). The precise release date is not currently known, but barring any further delays we should see it late on in the year.

Release Date: Late 2021


13. Age of Empires IV (PC)

Who says videogame companies never listen to the fans? The Age of Empires series has always held a fond place in the hearts of old school strategy gamers, and in particular the 1999 classic Age of Empires II to this day retains a surprisingly devoted fanbase and active multiplayer and modding communities. So much so, in fact, that Microsoft even deemed to make one of the community's more popular mods an official expansion, some 15 years after the game's release.

It seems Microsoft's newfound embrace of the franchise was not limited to just fan-made expansions and HD re-releases, and have announced Age of Empires IV, the first entry in the series since 2005. Little is known about the sequel, but the teaser trailer appears to imply a medieval setting roughly in-line with the second and most enduringly popular game in the series.

One of my biggest memories of Age of Empires was that my school used it as a teaching aid, so whatever happens I hope this new title does not skimp on the educational value. Release date is still to be announced.

Release Date: Late 2021


12. Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord (PC)

A game that has been years in the making since the release of the original title back in 2008 Mount & Blade II arrives with a great deal of hype and it's easy to see why. The Mount & Blade series began life as an indie title, attempting to model an open world experience in a medieval setting that offered combat, trade and diplomacy in the mould of a title like Sid Meier's Pirates or Elite. 

The core gameplay is first person sword combat, reminiscent of a game like Skyrim, but in a realistic (albeit still fictional) world rooted in real-world technology and culture (ie no magic or non-human beings here). Where Mount & Blade differentiates itself from other titles is through its RPG and character interaction mechanics, which permit a great deal of player agency. Become a trader or a mercenary, swear fealty to a king and be assigned control of an army, or seize a town for yourself and begin to build your own fiefdom Appoint your own subordinate lords or generals, sire a family, build alliances, etc. It's all very dynamic and open, and the sequel builds on all those elements to create an ambitious and more advanced simulation.

Bannerlord has been in early access since last year, but should see its full release during 2021, supposedly in the spring a year after its initial early access launch.

Release Date: Spring 2021


11. Starfield (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X)

Anything you can do, we can do better. Having seen rivals and original Fallout creators Obsidian try their hand at a spacefaring RPG in 2019's The Outer Worlds (to moderate success), the current stewards of the Fallout franchise Bethesda are themselves getting into the mix with the as yet still very mysterious, Starfield.

Most of the details of this title remain shrouded in mystery, but rumours suggest a grand space opera in the style of a Mass Effect or Star Wars, with open-world exploration built around the same concepts as Bethesda's tried and tested Fallout and The Elder Scrolls series. Quite how this will adapt to a game which allegedly features multiple worlds and the ability to fly a spaceship is anyone's guess, but the few teasers we have seen point again to titles like Mass Effect for hints.

I am very excited about this game. The only reason it is this far down the list is because of my skepticism that it will in fact launch this year as expected.

Release Date: TBA 2021


10. Sable (PC, Mac, Xbox One, Xbox Series X)

I love a good indie game, but few make a debut as eye-catching as Sable. Produced by two lifelong friends in their basement, Sable promises to be a contemplative adventure focused around exploration, with a Ghibli-esque aesthetic and stunning hand-drawn art style.

It's certainly one of the best looking games to pop up in recent years, but such an introspective game is always going to succeed on the merit of its storytelling. It is fortunate then that the award winning Meg Jayanth is behind the story. If she can build the world of Sable with the same flair and aplomb as Sunless Seas or 80 Days then it could be a memorable experience.

Releasing initially on Steam, with a later launch on Xbox Live, we should see this one close to the summer.

Release Date: Summer 2021


9. The Artful Escape (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X)

Award winning film studio Annapurna made their debut in videogaming with the spellbinding What Remains of Edith Finch and have since followed it up with a series of remarkable and creative titles, including last year's excellent Sayonara Wild Hearts. This year they will finally follow up this success with their long-awaited title The Artful Escape. This one has been in the works for a while, time and time again it keeps getting delayed. But despite this, it looks better each and every time we see it. 2021 appears to be the year that it finally sees release.

The concept is quite unique. Players take the role of aspiring folk musician Francis Vendetti on a journey to reinvent his musical and stage persona. The result has been described by the game's lead developer as "David Bowie traveling off from London on an interstellar trip to create Ziggy Stardust".

In terms of actual gameplay, this takes the form of a musical platformer which sees Vendetti's performances depicted as journeys through mind-bending fantastical and sci-fi landscapes, with occasional rhythm-based music sections to pass. Frankly it's stunning to look at and listen to, with a pleasingly relaxing pace to it.

Release Date: TBA 2021


8. NEO: The World Ends With You (PS4, PS5, Switch)

Well this was a surprise. Fourteen years ago there existed a little-known handheld game called The World Ends With You, developed by Square Enix of Final Fantasy fame. It was really quite a wild ride: set in Shibuya, Japan, a world obsessed by fashion, status and pop culture. Players controlled a recently deceased teen with no memory of his demise, wandering the town unable to be seen by the ordinary populace and drawn into a series of cruel challenges by an enigmatic group known as "the reapers". It was a mystery rolled into a biting commentary on popular culture, impeccably presented in its music, art style and writing.

While warmly received at the time, it is a title that has since fallen into obscurity, until the surprise announcement of NEO: The World Ends With You. A full blown sequel, this time designed for home consoles rather than handheld. This marks the revitalisation of an underrated IP, with a larger ambition and scope than previously imagined. This could do for this title what 2019's wonderful Three Houses did for the similarly handheld-focused Fire Emblem series. Definitely one to watch.

Release Date: Summer 2021


7. Gamedec (PC)

Slow-burning story-based RPGs are in vogue at the moment following the critical success of titles such as Disco Elysium, as is the cyberpunk genre (Cyberpunk 2077's somewhat tumultuous launch notwithstanding). Combining both those things is Gamedec, an adaptation of the Polish series of sci-fi crime novels.

The concept is deliciously on trend, a hard-boiled neo-noir detective story who investigates crimes in virtual worlds. Think Ready Player One mixed with Bladerunner. As with the aforementioned Disco Elysium, this is an RPG that decidedly does not focus on violence and action, but instead on its story and characters. Gamedec will live and die by the quality of its writing, but the premise so far is intriguing.

Gamedec entered beta at the tail end of last year, but was ultimately pushed to 2021 to allow for further refinement and quality control. It is now expected to launch this year, but no date has been confirmed.

Release Date: Summer 2021


6. Everspace 2 (PC, Mac, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X)

The first game in the Everspace series was a serviceable enough roguelike experience. You'd be excused for thinking that the sequel, the creatively titled Everspace 2, was more of the same. This time, however, Rockfish have set their ambitions a little higher, crafting a full-blown story-driven space-faring RPG experience, more in the mould of a Freelancer (a truly underrated game).

Everspace 2 will see players explore a series of intricately detaled hand-crafted star systems and planets, complete with quests, secrets to be discovered, and plenty of satisfying pew pew combat. What impresses most (at this early stage) is the surprising variety of gameplay and the depth to the environments that have so far been revealed. If they can craft a compelling story with immersive world-building, this could really be a quality space adventure.

This game enters early access in January, with a full release expected later in the year. What we have seen so far bodes well and this is definitely a title to keep an eye on.

Release Date: Late 2021


5. Bomb Rush Cyberfunk (PC)

I'm a 90s kid. That means I inherently love Sega. But Sega are an objectively bad company. How else can you explain why a company that always appears to be on the verge of collapse is allowing an astonishing catalogue of classic intellectual properties and franchises (arguably matched only by Nintendo in depth) to just collect dust in a warehouse somewhere? Chief among these is the great Jet Set Radio series of games. Frustrated by their intransigence, a group of indie devs (and apparent fans of the series) have taken matters into their own hands by crafting their own spiritual successor to the long dormant franchise. The result is Bomb Rush Cyberfunk.

Fans of Jet Set Radio will find much of what they love here. Bright, cell-shaded visuals, the funky musical stylings of the brilliant Hideki Naganuma, and the same mesmerising neo-futuristic urban setting. Featuring a colourful cast of characters, you will skate around a dizzying cityscape full of gangs, graffiti and rebel-spirit. So far it looks great.

Release is expected sometime during 2021. Can this indie team succeed where larger studios have failed and emulate the success of this classic title? We shall see.

Release Date: TBA 2021


4. Avowed (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X)

There is not a single thing about the pitch behind Avowed that I do not like. Obsidian are masters of the RPG genre, known for the excellent Pillars of Eternity series as well Fallout: New Vegas (and indeed the team features many of the original creators of the Fallout franchise) and most recently the award winning The Outer Worlds. This is a Skyrim-like first person action RPG set in the same world as their Pillars series.

Obsidian are known for crafting immersive, fully fleshed out worlds that provide a high level of player agency, where the player's decisions have a real tangible impact on the story. The opportunity to dive into a new Obsidian RPG is always a reason for excitement, but I am especially excited to see the Pillars series (previously an old-school isometric RPG) reimagined from a fully immersive first person perspective.

So far we have seen little aside from the initial teaser. We should expect to get a closer look when E3 rolls around this year (assuming it does), with a release expected by the end of the year.

Release Date: Late 2021


3. Perfect Dark (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X)

Speaking of long-neglected franchises (which makes more sense if you skip the last one and refer back to number 5 for Bomb Rush Cyberfunk), here's a reboot I most definitely did not expect to see.

Perfect Dark (the original N64 title from 2000) is one of my favourite games of all time. Created by Rare back during the pinnacle of their golden age, Perfect Dark was a first person shooter and spiritual successor to the classic Goldeneye, also developed by Rare for the N64. Like Goldeneye, it was a spy-thriller full of gadgets, colourful characters, and some of the best multiplayer ever devised. Unlike Goldeneye it was not constrained by the established James Bond lore. Instead, Rare were able to do their own thing, crafting a stunning cyberpunk world of mega-corporations, aliens and sinister cabals. The original title in the series was also notable for pioneering a sort of open hub-world at a time before the blending of an open-world format with other genres had become common as it is today.

So to be finally getting a new title in the series, the first since 2005's mostly disappointing prequel Perfect Dark Zero is an exciting moment. Developed not by Rare, but by the newly created The Initiative team at Microsoft, little is known about this title including whether it is a sequel, prequel or complete reboot. Mega-corporations appear to be back (spotted a Datadyne logo in the trailer) and we are told to expect some kind of an "eco sci-fi" plot. If they can pull this off it could be spectacular.

Release Date: Late 2021


2. Untitled Mass Effect Game (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X)

You know what is one of the few franchises better than Perfect Dark? Mass Effect. 

The original trilogy of Mass Effect remains one of the pinnacles of story-based videogames. A stunningly realised sci-fi world full of believable and well written characters, unforgettable settings and top level world-building. A series that pioneered (for mainstream gaming at least) morality systems and decision-tree storytelling where the player's decisions materially impacted the ending and inspired a generation of copycats. Then came Mass Effect Andromeda in 2017, a soft-reboot following the main trilogy that attempted to expand the franchise into a new setting and with completely new characters. While the title was not lacking for ambition, it was a buggy, incomplete mess that had clearly been rushed to market. Its disastrous launch resulted in the cancellation of all intended DLCs and sequels and placed the entire franchise temporarily on ice.

But now that period in the wilderness appears to be at an end. Mass Effect is back with an as yet untitled sequel. Right now essentially nothing is known about this game, but the initial teaser did reveal a few tantalising hints, most notably the reveal of Liara, suggesting a return to the setting and characters of the original trilogy. But at the same time, the audio of the trailer hints at a return to Andromeda, indicating that some kind of crossover or combination of the two settings may be on the cards. Whatever they end up doing, this is very exciting news, I can't wait to see what they end up doing.

Release Date: TBA 2021


1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 (Switch)

You know what is one of the few franchises better than Mass Effect? The Legend of Zelda.

How do you follow up a game that is often considered to be one of the greatest ever made? That is the question Nintendo will be asking now as they craft The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 (presumably a working title). In fairness, it is a position in which they have found themselves before in following up the Ocarina of Time. The result on that occasion was Majora's Mask, a game considered by many to be even better than its predecessor. So no pressure then.

We know nothing about this game, other than the fact that it is apparently directly related to its predecessor, itself a somewhat rarity in the Zelda series. One of the major boons in Majora's Mask's development was the fact that the engine and assets were already there, which meant that the developers could use their time more for adding finesse and character. If they pull the same trick this time around then we could be in for something special.

Release Date: Late 2021


So there you have it folks: 2021 in videogames. Tune in next week for the most exciting new theatrical productions coming this year!

This is something that the new President can and should do on day one of his presidency. The Paris Climate Accord was a historic agreement that implemented a sensible and achievable strategy in order to protect our environment and safeguard the future of this planet. 

Donald Trump's announcement to withdraw from this agreement, making his pariah state the only nation on Earth not to commit towards solving this actual existential crisis, has been much overshadowed by the many scandals and more marketable crises since, but will nevertheless go down as one of the more reckless and unfathomable policy decisions of his presidency. Fortunately Joe Biden will reverse the previous administration's decision to leave the accord and can do so unilaterally as soon as he enters the White House.

If we have learned one thing from the past four years, it is that American democracy has a number of major flaws. The Trump administration began with the President and both chambers of Congress having been elected by a minority of the votes and shockingly this was in no way abnormal. Indeed, the Republican Party has only won the national popular vote once in the past thirty years, despite having controlled Government for most of that time. American democracy is shockingly undemocratic. It has been twisted and corrupted into a system that, as often as not, permits the preferred minority to defeat the majority. Clearly this should not be the case if America wants to continue to represent itself as the heart of democratic values. 

There are a number of steps that can be taken to help fix this system. One that has been in the news a lot over recent years is the abolition of the electoral college, the outdated system that allowed Donald Trump to take power despite losing the 2016 election by several million votes. This is extremely unlikely to be something that happens through Congress, as it would require a two thirds majority to amend the constitution. A more realistic alternative is the national popular vote compact, an initiative that calls on the states themselves to agree to award their electoral votes to whomever wins the national popular vote. There is actually a realistic proposition of this coming to pass eventually. It has currently been signed by states representing 196 electoral votes, with bills pending in states representing an additional 77. If those states sign (unlikely to happen in the immediate future) then the initiative will pass and the electoral college, while not technically abolished, would be rendered irrelevant.

A more immediate, and potentially even more important, step that can be taken to fix American democracy is a ban on gerrymandering. Gerrymandering, in short, is an undemocratic process by which politicians draw their own district borders so as to lump unfavourable voters into as few districts as possible, essentially to choose their own voters (this, for example, is why the Democratic Party currently needs to win nationally by historic margins just to squeak a narrow majority of seats). Congress can and should pass a law to end this practice, mandating that states establish independent and non-partisan commissions to draw their borders. This is actually something that Biden could move pretty quickly on, requiring only a bare majority of votes. It would also be largely immune to judicial challenge, given that the question of gerrymandering has been sent to the Supreme Court on many occasions, only to be dismissed as a question for Congress to resolve on each occasion.

I would also be remiss if I did not mention the shocking disenfranchisement problem that Americans currently face. This includes the long and surprisingly open attempt to exclude minority voters (in some extreme cases, by incarcerating them on minor charges) as well as less subtle initiatives such as voter purges and reducing the number of polling stations in urban districts. There are a few laws that Congress could pass pretty quickly to reduce the impact of these shameful practices: make election day a national holiday, re-enfranchise convicted felons who have served their time, as well as strengthening the federal electoral commission and other similar regulatory bodies.

Along these lines is another national disgrace that, quite frankly, we have ignored for far too long. There are millions of American citizens who currently have no representation and no right to vote nationally. 700k people in Washington DC alone, a further 3million in Puerto Rico, as well as others. That's more people than live in Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota combined, and yet they do not enjoy the same rights as those citizens. 

But this is more than just a crisis of democracy. The shocking events in America's capital this week laid bare in striking fashion the very real toll of non-statehood, with DC officials lacking control over even their own national guard (which unlike every other state, is controlled by the Federal Government). The citizens of DC were unable to defend themselves from an attack, all because a capricious and hostile President refused to deploy DC's national guard. I expect this will inspire a renewed push for statehood, and rightly so. It is a national embarrassment that so many people are treated as lesser citizens for purely political reasons.

Nobody wants to say it, but after this week's violent attack we really need to. It's easy to watch the recent news clips of these unhinged insurrectionists screaming about socialism or muslims or how Joe Biden is a Chinese child-rapist and just think to yourself "oh well those people are just crazy". But this is a much bigger problem than we want to admit. These types of wild, completely fictional beliefs are shockingly widespread. These are not bad people, they are not crazy people. Despite what many on the left like to believe, they're not even necessarily stupid. There are many completely normal, completely rational and otherwise intelligent people who have inexplicably turned into wild conspiracy theorists and I'm sure many of us know a few. 

We need to call it what it is. These people have been radicalised. Just like any other extremist movement anywhere else in the world, otherwise normal people have over time been twisted and manipulated to a worldview that is angry, fearful, and completely untethered from reality. It's not even necessarily their fault. The tools that liars and propagandists use to manipulate and poison the minds of the receptive have grown more subtle, especially in the mass media and digital age. The documentary The Brainwashing of my Dad does an excellent job of shining a light on this problem and I'm sure there are others. This is the biggest problem that America doesn't even realise it's facing. This extremism has led to our current state of division, anger and violence. It will only get worse if we simply continue to ignore it.

So what can we do about it? That's the question and it's more of a longterm project for this new President, but one that he will need to address at some point. It could take the form of campaign finance reform to prevent the unlimited and anonymous funding of propaganda, or greater regulation of the media to prevent people from spreading propaganda under the guise of legitimate news. Election security, to prevent hostile actors from targeting and manipulating the vulnerable (as we saw in 2016) would be a good move. Longer term it may require additional efforts through education, a greater emphasis on teaching our children about critical thinking and making sure they are mentally equipped to resist manipulation in the digital age. In the most extreme cases, we may need to consider a fully fledged program of de-radicalisation, similar to what we saw in the wake of World War II, or that we currently employ in the fight against terrorism.

I appreciate that this is a difficult topic to discuss and controversial in many ways. But mark my words, if we do not address this problem directly the violence will only get worse.

Now let's be clear, I have never been part of the "defund the police" crowd. I think that's a stupid idea and one of the worst political hooks I have ever heard. That being said, it is clear that the police needs to be reformed in many ways, a fact that has been plainly thrust into the spotlight in the wake of this week's attack on the Capitol.

Some of the most shocking footage from the attack has been that of police officers aiding the attackers, allowing them through barricades and waving them on to the Capitol building. Posing for pictures with them and turning a blind eye to their criminal actions. The fact that the police force was so lacking for this attack compared to the Black Lives Matters protestors last summer is shocking enough, even more so when you see footage of police officers escorting the attackers away from the Capitol and letting them go on their merry way rather than being arrested on the spot. 

Nor is this an isolated incident. Many of us still remember the footage from Kenosha last year where police appeared to endorse armed vigilantism, even when those vigilantes went on to shoot and kill peaceful protestors. We may not need to defund the police, but they certainly need much greater oversight and accountability.

This is a tricky topic, but one that needs to be addressed in some form. The rule of law in America has become increasingly politicised. In recent years we have seen the courts get packed with politically minded appointees, turning the judiciary into a de facto third legislative chamber, but one over which the voters have practically no influence. This has been a problem for a long time, but it reached an entirely new extreme during the Obama years, with the Republican Senate obstructing the judicial appointment process at an unprecedented level to the detriment of the country, culminating in the still-shameful theft of Merrick Garland's seat on the Supreme Court. 

We saw the problem in all its absurdity last year with the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. For an octogenarian cancer patient's life to be turned into a political football, for the wellbeing of so many to rest on a single individual forcing herself to continue a job at the expense of her own health rather than retire and seek care, is an absurd and unacceptable situation for so many reasons. A member of the judiciary falling ill or dying should not cause a political crisis or endanger the healthcare of millions, that is ridiculous. It is medieval. It is clearly an unsustainable way to run a modern democracy. One way or another, we must address the political dynamics that gave rise to so appalling a situation.

So what can we do? Many have suggested simply expanding the court. I do not favour such an approach on its own. This may at least recoup the two ill-gotten Trump Court seats, but without real structural reform there is nothing to stop future administrations simply doing the same ad infinitum. It kicks the can down the road and creates a self-fulfilling death spiral for the court. More substantial reform is needed. 

I am not sure what form that reform should take. Term limits would seem to be a sensible suggestion to avoid the absurdity of RBG's sorry plight. Pete Buttigieg had a decent suggestion that only some of the court's seats could be political appointees, with the others appointed by members of the judiciary. But the best suggestion I have yet heard comes from Andrew Yang, who points out that there's no real reason to have a single Supreme Court bench of just a few Justices. He advocates a wider bench of many Justices who sit on different cases according to their expertise and standing. This would increase court efficiency and allow the court to handle a larger number of cases each year. Most importantly it would reduce the significance of any single individual Justice since, if one dies or retires, they could just be replaced by one of the other Justices. This de-escalation of the significance of every single court appointment is the best solution I have yet heard for how to de-politicise the process, and ensures that the death or illness of a Justice does not also become a political crisis. 

One of the most significant foreign policy accomplishments of the Obama administration was the Iran nuclear deal. It ended decades of brinksmanship between the Middle East's foremost powers, ensured stability free from the spectre of nuclear war, and provided an economic pathway for Iran to shift away from extremism and towards becoming a true global partner.

The Trump administration's betrayal here has increased the likelihood of a nuclear Iran and plunged the region into chaos. Most importantly, it dashed the internal credibility of Iran's reformers, setting back by years the movement to de-radicalise and moderate the nation. It's a disaster for the region and for the planet as a whole. If that wasn't enough, it also calls into serious question the trustworthiness of the United States. Why would anyone commit to any kind of international agreement with the country if they can just unilaterally break that agreement? If the global community was not so dependent on the United States, they would surely (and rightly) have been slapped with sanctions over this move.

For these reasons, it is absolutely essential that Biden do what he can to reverse the damage caused by the Trump administration. It may be too late to salvage this deal, especially without making some major concessions, but for the sake of peace and regional prosperity, it is an urgent crisis that requires attention.

Many will disagree with me on this point, but this is something that I feel strongly needs to happen. The past four years have been a very dark period in our nation's history, a period of deep corruption and lawlessness. From financial crimes to foreign collusion, from obstruction of justice to extortion and abuse of power, from bribery-for-pardons to attempted electoral fraud, the last administration has committed a number of actions that appear to be criminal in nature. Several members of that administration have already been charged with crimes relating to these actions and there are still criminal contempt charges that were passed against Bill Barr and Wilbur Ross that have been just sitting there waiting to be actioned. All this before we even mention the sedition and violent coup attempt that came to a head this past week, an effort that was participated in not only by Trump but by many members of his own party and supporters. And these are just the things that are publicly known. Given this administration's penchant for lying and obstructing investigations, there could be much more beneath the surface of which we are not even aware.

When Richard Nixon resigned his office he was granted a blanket pardon in order to help the country move on and unify. Already there have been calls to do the same here, mainly from members of Trump's party. This is a terrible idea. This is not burglary or petty crime, this is an attempt to violently overthrow the United States Government. This is a widespread insurrection movement consisting of thousands of Americans who currently believe that their cause is righteous. Simply ignoring the problem will do nothing to bring those people back from the brink, if anything it will empower and perpetuate their cause. The only way to bring this country back together and end the division is to hold the criminals accountable and take away the legitimacy of the movement. There needs to be a massive effort (a special prosecutor or a political crimes commission) to enforce justice here and send a loud and clear message that these people are criminals and that their conduct is not acceptable. Every single one of them must be held accountable.

Conclusion

A sensible place to begin in evaluating the Trump presidency is to look to how the public at large has been judging his job performance. At the time of writing, the poll aggregator Fivethirtyeight has his approval rating at 42.6%. This is a historically low approval rating for any President, let alone outgoing Presidents who usually see an approval bump in their final days. His disapproval rating is even worse at 53.2%, making Trump one of only a small number of Presidents to leave office with majority disapproval. These are historically poor numbers that, since the 1970s, have been topped only by George W. Bush. Bush aside, you have to go all the way back to Nixon for numbers this bad.

What makes these numbers even more damning is the fact that they represent a near high point of his presidency. For much of the Trump era, his approval rating has been hovering at or below 40%, dipping as low as the mid 30s following the Tuesday Night Massacre in which Trump fired FBI Director James Comey in order to, in Trump's own words, end "the Russia thing".

If Trump is unpopular among the American people, his perception among academics and presidential historians is even worse. The 2018 ASPA survey of historians ranked Donald Trump dead last, the worst President of all time. A Siena survey from the same year was almost as brutal, ranking Trump 42nd out of 44, above only the President who caused the Civil War and the President who still wanted black people to remain slaves after the Civil War. Given what we have seen in recent days and weeks, I expect the next surveys will be even less kind.