We are not ones to get easily carried away by hype, but 2015 was a fantastic year for video games in general, so what is in store for us in 2016?
2015 will go down as one of the greatest years in video gaming history, what with The Witcher 3, Bloodborne, Halo 5: Guardians, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Star Wars Battlefront and the long-awaited Fallout 4, so we are truly living in a golden age when it comes to digital entertainment. Yet, gaming has historically been about looking at the future, and wondering what comes next, so if you were wondering about what is to come, look no further. We have compiled here some of the greatest titles gamers will be able to enjoy across several platforms (PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Wii U). Here are, here they be, the X titles you should look forward to in 2016!
PlayStation Exclusives
Uncharted 4
The next Uncharted game might be the last, and Nathan Drake is going out with a bang. Developers Naughty Dog amazed the world with the incredible Uncharted 3, and even more with the lauded The Last of Us, and after taking a final look at Nathan Drake’s history in the compilation Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, they are heading to the epic conclusion of the story in Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, In this title, the characteristic shooting and platforming of the series makes a triumphant return, and so will the fantastic cast of characters with hilarious one-liners that keep you engaged and laughing while you traverse temples, cities, nazi bunkers or caves while shooting mercenaries and even some monsters, all the while everything around the characters crumbles. Still, this is not more of the same, as the creators promised to get more into Drake’s personal life story, and tell more about his family and his older brother, Sam Drake.
Horizon: Zero Dawn
The team at Guerrilla Games, the dutch guys behind the Killzone series, are working on their first game in over a decade that is not a first-person shooter. The product of this effort is Horizon: Zero Dawn, a game that seems to combine the cerebral combat with RPG touches of the Witcher, where preparation trumps skill, and the open world style of games that has become so popular in the last couple years. The game stars Aloy, a young woman with a bow who lives in a future where machinery and mechanic creations have replaced most animal life in the planet except humans, and humans live as hunter-gatherers, “skinning” these beasts for their canisters, fuel and metal parts. This is no mere sandbox, though, for it seems to have a great emphasis in the story, world, and Aloy’s journey, as to not become just a series of random points on a map you can visit. We are really curious about what will come off of Guerrilla, who so far have done nothing but war-themed games.
Persona 5
Persona 5 is finally dropping in 2016 after years and years of delays, ports, and expanded versions of previous entries of the series including Persona 4 Golden, Persona 4 Dancing All Night, and Persona 3 Portable along anime series, movies and more. It’s truly amazing that such a distinctively Japanese tale of a teenager moving to the countryside in Japan managed to resonate so much with people and sell them on an obtuse game system, but so it has been, and now Persona 5, the next entry in the series is one of our most awaited games for next year. In the next title, we’ll apparently control slightly older characters, and the game will discuss the things that hold people back with a more mature edge in a much bigger city. Frankly, we can’t wait.
The Last Guardian
After years of waiting, it is finally happening! Fumito Ueda and the rest of Team Ico are finally releasing The Last Guardian, spiritual successor to Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, some of the greatest PS2 video games of all time. This game was originally announced in 2009 and has ever since been through development hell after the creators realized the game was simply too much for the PS3 to handle and decided to move it over to the current generation of consoles. Now, with the Ps4 firmly established as the dominating machine, Ueda appeared on the last E3 to announce we would be playing this title in 2016.
Shenmue 3
Another project long in the making, fans of the original Shenmue games had all but given up hope of ever seeing a continuation to the iconic Dreamcast series. Yet, on the last E3 the PlayStation team announced they would be collaborating with its original creator Yu Suzuki to create the next chapter in Ryo Hazuki’s story. After leading one of the most successful Kickstarter campaigns ever and having the full power of the PlayStation team behind it, it seems Shenmue 3 will be a reality, and we will get to play it next year.
Detroit: Become Human
David Cage’s next outing will build upon a teaser trailer and tech demo from a few years ago, meant to demonstrate the power of the PlayStation 3. This trailer, Kara, amazed everyone for it looked absolutely beautiful and cool, and Cage (who is already famous for Heavy Rain and Beyond Two Souls starring Ellen page & Willem Dafoe) has decided to build further upon this short story and tell the whole tale of Kara in Detroit: Become Human. This game is coming in 2016, and just like the precious games by this particular team, it will have all of the elements of an interactive drama with focus on character emotion.
No Man’s Sky
No Man’s Sky is a completely new series of video games by Hello Games, an indie studio who was behind the Joe Danger video game series. In No Man’s Sky, players will have the biggest sandbox ever created, a whole procedurally generated but fixed universe with several planets that players can explore, and invite their friends to.visit along with them. From dinosaurs to planets full of water to wastelands, players will never know what awaits in the next planet over unless they decide to go and visit – and the world is truly huge. This game is coming out in June 2016 not only to the PlayStation 4, but also to PC, so pick your favorite and explore a whole new universe that’s just waiting for you.
Street Fighter V
Street Fighter has historically been the go-to of fighting games, the one who always got everything right: the combos, the characters, the movement, the balance, everything. It turns out that 2016 will see the arrival of the newest game in the franchise, entitled Street Fighter V. This new entry in the series is coming out exclusively for the PS4 and PC (sorry everyone else), and will bring back the dramatic battles, the fighting and beloved characters such as Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Blanka, Cammy and more that are already confirmed along with several newcomers. The age of Street Fighter IV seems to finally have ended, and we’re ready for whatever is to come next.
Xbox One Exclusives
Gears of War 4
After having the first game in the Gears of War series remade for its current gen platform, Microsoft is ready to look at the future of the franchise with Gears 4, or Gears of War 4, whichever title you prefer. This new entry in the series that redefined shooting and action in a third person adventure is returning and releasing for the first time exclusively on the Xbox One, a true mark of the times now that we’re leaving the Xbox 360 behind.
Crackdown 3
After years of silence, the Crackdown series is coming back with Crackdown 3 – It’s been six years since the last game, so no one can accuse the creators of milking the franchise! This new entry is the third one in this sandbox series, and will be a true next-gen experience by featuring destructible environments that are calculated by using the power of the cloud. This can only be achieved on the Xbox One, with its features that were so talked about during its launch period, so don’t expect to see this game releasing anywhere else.
Scalebound
Scalebound is one of those games that will make non-believers consider getting an Xbox One. This game is being developed by Platinum Games and Hideki Kamiya (the team behind Bayonetta, Metal Gear Rising, Transformers and The Legend of Korra among others), and is a new action-adventure game with RPG elements where its main character will tackle dragons, monsters, and all kind of beasts accompanied by a dragon of their own. We imagine that the core of the game, regardless, will be Platinum’s trademark stylish, beautiful and visceral combat.
Quantum Break
Quantum Break is a much awaited exclusive for the Xbox One that is coming out along with a digital live-action series. This third-person adventure will feature a lot of time travelling and things going wrong while players explore the north-eastern states of the US. Players will be able to take control of three different characters, each with his or her own set of skills, strengths and weaknesses. The concept sounds exceedingly fascinating, and has a lot of potential is only because of its sheer scope and ambition.
Recore
Recore is an upcoming action-adventure video game by Keiji Inafune (the guy from Mega Man, Resident Evil and Dead Rising). In this game, players will control a young girl who wanders the desert with her robot-dog-pet. This title seems to be all about action-adventure, discovery, exploration, incredible graphics and adorable characters, and will be coming out in the first quarter of 2016 exclusively for the Xbox One.
Sea of Thieves
Sea of Thieves is a completely new series by Rare (Banjo Kazooie, Viva Pinata, Battletoads, Perfect Dark, and all of the other games in Rare Replay). We don’t know a lot about this game except that Rare themselves have called it their best game ever, which is a pretty bold statement, and that it’s coming out in 2016.
Nintendo / Wii U Exclusives
Star Fox Zero
Shigeru Miyamoto has been hard at work on a franchise that is neither Mario nor Pikmin! This new game is called StarFox Zero, and it seems like it will drop all pretenses of action adventure and act instead as a true flying game, with transformable spaceships and large stages to explore, all of which hide several secrets. StarFox returns to its roots, and it seems it will look better than ever.
The Legend of Zelda
Whenever a Legend of Zelda game releases, it’s always a monumental event, and it seems The Legend of Zelda Wii U (which is a tentative title) will not be any exception. This game seems to be a re imagining of sorts of the first adventure in the series, where it was just link, a vast open world, and a quest to vanquish evil lord Ganondorf. This new game for the Wii U will probably have more of an emphasis on the story and the crazy cast that has become synonyms with the series, but it seems that the game as its core will be mostly Link uncovering secrets.
Multiplatform
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Adam Jensen’s next adventure is coming out next year with the title Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. This new game acts as a direct sequel of Deus Ex: Human Revolution and the events of its dramatic ending (we’re wondering how they are going to solve the issue of the branching paths of the previous game!) , and keeps building up on the fascinating futuristic world where robotics are integrated in every day life.
Final Fantasy XV
Final Fantasy XIII Agito was recently rebranded as a main entry in the Final Fantasy series, and is now known as Final Fantasy XV. In this new, epic adventure players will get to explore a whole new world by travelling around it in a car with 4 companions (one of which is an exiled prince) who are trying to stop a war. This new game seems to have a heavy focus in bringing back the much missed exploration factor of previous games, but keep the heavy narrative of later entries.
Mirror’s Edge Catalyst
Another franchise returning after a long hiatus is Mirror’s Edge, the tale of Faith and life in a futuristic police state. Mirror’s Edge Catalyst will act as a prequel of sorts to the previous game, and completely revamp Faith’s movements to make her more agile, stealthy, and able to transverse the open levels in many different ways. Apparently, EA have made sure the game can be completed without firing a single shot, so consider us excited.
Tom Clancy’s The Division
Tom Clancy’s The Division is a completely new adventure by Ubisoft, where players will have to survive in a New York full-swing into psychosis thanks to a virus that’s driving people insane. Your main enemies might even be other groups trying to take control, at that…
Doom
Doom, one of the most beloved games of all time is receiving its first new entry in the series since Doom 3, and in it players will get to traverse stages and fight off the hordes of evil with some of the most recognizable weapons in the video game world. The chainsaw is totally coming back, too! This game was first revealed on the last E3 conference, and while Bethesda have been pretty silent since then (we don’t blame them, Fallout 4 has just released), we are pretty sure they gonna do right by this classic series.
X-Com 2
X-Com is coming back! X-com 2 will be a game about managing bases and strategically fighting off alien invasions, Players will be able to capture alien technology, research it, and develop their own versions of it to fight off the invasors, all with improved graphics, animations, gameplay, and story with a more epic scope. This game is coming to PC first, but if previous entries are any indication, it won’t be long before we see this game on consoles.
Dead Island 2
The next entry in the Dead Island series is called Dead Island 2, and in it players will get to explore several Californian locations while fighting off hordes and hordes of zombies, all with a summer theme.
Dishonored 2
Bethesda are pretty busy! One of their next projects is the second Dishonored game, just titled Dishonored 2. In this new title, players will regain control of Corvo, but will also be able to control Emily, which hadn’t been possible in the previous game. Both will have a different arsenal and set of skills so players can choose which style fits them best.
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