Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
The PlayStation 4 hasn’t had a major exclusive since Until Dawn, and that one was a complete surprise. While the console has been able to sail relatively smoothly on the wave of quality third-party releases over the past few months, it cannot do so forever. So it’s a good thing that they are kicking off the year with one of their best franchises from one of the most loved studios in their stable.
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is set to be the last adventure for everyone’s favorite snarky treasure hunter, Nathan Drake. An adventure that will take him to yet another beautiful locale as he hunts for pirate booty along with his brother (talk about a surprise). If the beta is any indication, then this is going to be one hell of a game in terms of player experience and gorgeous visuals.
It’s been a long time for Sony fans, so this is definitely one to look forward to on Mar. 18.
Quantum Break
The Xbox One has already kicked off their amazing lineup with Rise of the Tomb Raider and Halo 5: Guardians, but they still have a few more huge releases in the near future. One of the most impressive looking comes from the folks who brought us Alan Wake. This time instead of manipulating light and shadows, players will be bending time in Quantum Break.
With its combination of thrilling action in game and a live action series that lets players see everything from the antagonist’s point of view, Remedy has something truly special in store for players. The gameplay trailers that have been revealed show a bit of a larger focus on action than the studio’s last outing but don’t worry, it still looks like it retains the twisting narratives and gripping tales that the team has become known for.
It may feel like a long wait, but Apr. 5 is a lot closer than you think.
No Man’s Sky
To call No Man’s Sky highly anticipated is an understatement. There aren’t many games that have received as much attention over the past couple of years as this ambitious indie title from Hello Games has. Space is a frontier that games have been tackling for ages, but none have had the scope that this game hopes to achieve.
Not only will you be able to fly through an extraordinarily large universe with tons of galaxies, but you will have the opportunity to land on (and maybe even discover) every single planet you come across. They will have their own ecosystems complete with different beasts, threats, and resources. You will essentially be able to explore an unlimited amount of worlds while also meeting tons of new life forms and that can’t help but sound completely amazing.
The wait has been super long for this one, but in June 2016, PlayStation 4 players will finally be able to claim their own piece of the sky.
Horizon: Zero Dawn
Guerrilla Games showed off just what they could do with the PlayStation 4’s hardware back when they released Killzone: Shadow Fall at launch. You’d be hard pressed to find another console game that looks as amazing as the studio’s last outing. But it’s time for Guerrilla to spread its wings and leave the space of first person shooters, even if they are pretty damn good at making them.
At E3 the studio revealed its next major project, Horizon: Zero Dawn, and while the direction was unexpected from the studio, it couldn’t have dropped more jaws. A lush open world that is not inhabited by your typical beasts, but instead is full of large, mechanical (and sometimes deadly) organisms. Robotic dinosaurs with tons of high tech weaponry are out to kill you, a world that was once at the pinnacle of technological advances is seemingly reclaimed by nature, and you must find out why as you hunt as far as you can see.
More details are sure to be released in the coming months, but color us excited for this slated 2016 release.
Hitman
Hitman may have been delayed earlier this year, but that doesn’t mean you should stop looking forward to it. The series has seen a powerful resurgence over the past few years, and it looks to evolve once more to keep the art of assassination in fighting form.
Hitman will adopt a much more open nature like Hitman Absolution, providing players with many ways to complete a contract. The major difference will be the size of the maps (up to six times bigger), and the much more open nature of each location. These will be living, breathing places with individuals going about their business and you will come in to remove one quietly (or cause havoc, your choice).
With its Mar. 11 release, you should probably start practicing using disguises and noting escape routes.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
The Deus Ex series is loved because of how it gives true freedom to players when it comes to how they want to complete missions. Yes, there are tons of guns and lethal augments, as well as other means of dispatching enemies, but you don’t have to use a single one if you don’t want to. In the technologically advanced world of Deus Ex, you can hack your way to the end using complete stealth, kill everything in sight (including innocents), or mix it up as you please, so there’s no surprise that entries in the series are always highly anticipated.
That holds true for the next entry. This time, though, you’ll be infiltrating and trying to take down a terrorist organization fighting for equal rights for augmented humans. It’s sure to touch some sensitive issues and leave players with many difficult choices to make.
When the game finally hits on Aug. 23, what side will you be on?
Final Fantasy XV
You may have noticed that there are quite a few Square Enix published titles on this list, and that’s because the juggernaut has a seriously impressive lineup for next year. One of the biggest games to look forward to is none other than the newest entry in one of the publisher’s longest running series. Final Fantasy XV doesn’t have an exact release date, but it’s been thrown about many times that the game should be expected in 2016, and not many people would be upset if that’s the case. Here’s hoping that summer time frame is actually true.
Final Fantasy XV looks very impressive and the taste players got with Episode Duscae (the demo released with Final Fantasy Type-0) let solid impressions. The open nature of combat felt like a much more grounded Kingdom Hearts battle system, with tons of flexibility and more strategy than it looked like at first. The open world was beautiful, and the enemies were as grand as players have come to expect from the franchise.
After Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn proved that they can still make amazing games in the series, there are a lot of eyes looking to Final Fantasy XV for a single player experience worth remembering.
XCOM 2
XCOM 2 has been anticipated for some time. After the reboot of the franchise from last generation, old fans (and a whole crowd of brand new fans) were treated to some top-notch strategic RPG gameplay. That game was followed up by a first person shooter that is better off forgotten, and it left many feeling that the franchise that was just reborn was killed by that less than great game. When XCOM 2 was revealed fans had something to rejoice over once again, even if it was announced as a PC exclusive.
The celebration was cut a bit short when the game was delayed, but with the Feb. 5 release date being right around the corner, there is plenty of reason to start getting excited again.
Far Cry Primal
The Far Cry series had hit hit a bit of a snag in recent years. Don’t get us wrong, the games were great, but they started to feel a bit formulaic. There’s only so many ways you can take the same shooting, driving, and infiltrating mechanics and dress them up. Although Far Cry 3, 4, and Blood Dragon were amazing, they were very…the same. The developers needed to break that cycle and instead of heading more towards the future like most games have been doing, they decided to rewind time. A lot.
Far Cry Primal brings players to a time when nature still ruled supreme over all, and survival was everyone’s own responsibility. There will be no technology there to save you, but you will have several wild animals you can tame and use to eviscerate anyone foolish enough to stand against you.
Far Cry Primal is bringing survival to its roots, and that’s something to definitely be excited for as its Feb. 23 release date moves closer.
The Legend of Zelda Wii U
Nintendo always knows how to wow fans, you need only look at the reveal of The Legend of Zelda Wii U to see that. Say what you will, but the upcoming Zelda shows they know exactly how to change up their biggest franchises in order to keep things fresh. Here was an amazingly beautiful, completely open LoZ experience, and it was coming to the Wii U this year. Nintendo was on a roll…until they weren’t anymore. Unfortunately, after being asked many times and constantly reassuring that it wouldn’t be, the game was delayed until some time next year.
That doesn’t take away its appeal, though. All it means is that the most anticipated Wii U game of 2015 is now the most anticipated game of 2016.
Yooka-Laylee
There’s a good chance that many of you have forgotten about this Kickstarter-funded potential gem. Coming from a few of the people who brought Banjo-Kazooie into the world it grabbed attention with it’s vibrant colors and offering of classic 3D platformer gameplay. It quickly reached its goal on Kickstarter, and continued to smash stretch goals during its campaign.
Although this title isn’t due out until late 2016, you can expect to start seeing a lot more of the colorful bat and chameleon duo as the game nears closer to release. It’s been a long time since proper homage was paid to the classics. Rare Replay reminded players why games like Banjo-Kazooie were so great, and Yooka-Laylee plans on being that new classic for the current generation.
Final Fantasy VII Remake Part I (?)
Okay, so this one may be a bit of a stretch. When the game was first revealed back at E3 2015, it was made very clear that it was still very early in development. After a few months, though, it would seem as if a lot of progress has been made on this highly ambitious title. After the announcement was made that Final Fantasy VII Remake would see a “multi-part” release, it became clear that fans may be able to get their hands on part of the Remake much sooner than initially expected.
With the hype being oh so very real, there’s a slight chance that fans will finally be able to get a taste of this dream-come-true in the near future. Even if it’s only in the form of a demo, it is still worth looking forward too.
Are there any games you’re really looking forward to that aren’t on this list? Feel free to share your thoughts on these games and others in the comments below as we get ready for 2016.
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