2015 was the year of the RPG and an overall spectacular year for gaming picking up immensely from the rather lacking and slow year before. So the best news that any of us could hope to hear is that 2016 is looking to be just as good! There doesn’t look to be that many RPGs which could be a good thing – giving us time to cool down and complete the one’s we never got around to playing. So what exactly does this year look to have in store for us?
Throughout the past couple years more and more games have been releasing earlier in the year (thank god!) and this year looks to be no different. Two games specifically have been building up with incredible levels of anticipation over the past years that many believe they may just fall flat – Tom Clancy’s The Division and No Man’s Sky – hopefully both these games can reach their full potential. Elsewhere on Playstation 4 the end of an era and one of the most acclaimed game series in history is coming to an end with Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. While not an end for the series Dark Souls 3 has been stated to be a ‘turning point’ for the series and is highly anticipated and will most likely be highly acclaimed. Far Cry Primal which is releasing in late February is receiving particular attention for its stone age setting yet looks to be similar to its predecessors in many ways. The anticipated sequel XCOM 2 is also being released in February and unlike the previous game is not being released on console’s – an odd decision considering how well received it was as a strategy game for consoles.
Another PC exclusive comes early in the year with Total War: Warhammer which while receiving initial anticipation, previous bad launches and questionable DLC practices from Creative Assembly have clouded some views. The highly anticipated Overwatch – which came out of a very well received Beta recently – and the not so highly anticipated Battleborn both release early in the year and will compete as they are both so-called first-person ‘hero shooters’. Both Street Fighter V and Mirror’s Edge Catalyst are also releasing early in the year and both being looked forward to as their last game in their respective series’ was 8 years ago in 2008. Xbox One users are going to miss out on what could be one of the best adventure games of the year with Firewatch from new developer Campo Santo.
PC users have something massive to look forward to with Star Citizen expecting to release at the end of the year. It was just recently announced the crowdfunding phenomenon had reached $100 million in funding and will feature big-name actors such as Gary Oldman, Andy Serkis & Mark Hamill. Kingdom Come: Deliverance is also looking to be released this year after being delayed. The RPG will focus on realism and historical accuracy and is looking to be very good. Console versions have been confirmed but no release dates set. Divinity: Original Sin 2 will also be released as a PC exclusive this year as a sequel to the acclaimed original which got a console version late last year.
PS4 users also look to have a very good year along with Uncharted 4. Officially announced at last year’s E3 and highly anticipated, Horizon Zero Dawn will release some time in 2016. After almost 10 years in development The Last Guardian was re-announced – again – at last year’s E3. Designed and directed by Fumito Ueda it is his first game since the critically acclaimed Shadow of the Colossus in 2005. Ratchet & Clank will also be released this year as a ‘re-imagining’ of the originals and is based on the upcoming film of the same name.
Xbox One has another title in each of its two flagship series being released this year with Halo Wars 2 and Gears of War 4. Creative Assembly of the Total War games will be developing the sequel to the surprise 2009 hit RTS Halo Wars. Newly formed developer The Coalition is releasing Gears of War 4 late this year. The Coalition has no previous release record except Gears of War: Ultimate Edition. Fans of the cult hit Alan Wake have something to look forward to this year with Quantum Break. The lead writer of the 2010 hit is directing and writing the third-person shooter with time manipulation.
Other big releases this year include Mass Effect: Andromeda and is the first in the new trilogy of Mass Effect games. The previous trilogy is considered by many to be the best gaming trilogy of all time and the new title set in the Andromeda Galaxy is highly anticipated. The critically acclaimed stealth hit Dishonored will finally be getting a sequel this year with Dishonored 2. Set 15 years after the original it features 2 protagonists with Corvo Attano and Empress Emily Kaldwin returning. After a horrific and highly publicized pre-order scheme – which has now been cancelled – Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is being released in August. As a sequel to the acclaimed 2011 reboot it will feature Adam Jensen with new technology and body augmentations.
With other releases including Dead Island 2, Homefront: The Revolution, Hitman, Unravel, Doom, new Telltale series Batman & The Walking Dead: Michonne, Outlast 2, Mafia 3, Cuphead, Final Fantasy XV and the PS4 and PC release of 2015’s Rise of the Tomb Raider this year is not only full of releases but looks to be full of many quality releases too.
The Game Journal 