This article was originally published on 21/01/2016 on our sister site
Welcome back to the 2016 Big Game Preview. We’ve already had a look at all the games that have confirmed released dates (you can see that list HERE), now it’s time to look at the (longer) list of games that should be gracing our consoles this year. As is the way of things with the gaming industry, some of these may well get pushed back, and might well appear in next year’s list as well. These are in no specific order, and again, I’ll be picking out a few that I am most looking forward to. Let’s take a look!
ADR1FT is a first person adventure game taking place in zero gravity in space. It’s being released first as a VR experience for Oculus Rift before moving over to Xbox later in the year. Another first person game is The Solus Experience, this is more of a survival affair, but again is in space, where you control an astronaut on a mission to save mankind. Trackmania Turbo is a game that gave me flashbacks of playing the old Micro Machines game. It’s a fun looking fast paced arcade racer. Superhot looks to be quite a unique first person shooter, where time only moves when you do, which will make you think about your shooting experience in a different way. It’s a game that I really like the look of, and its minimalistic visuals really add to the feel of the game.
DC Universe Online, the superhero MMORPG is finally making its way to Xbox One now that Daybreak Game Company are no longer Sony Online Entertainment. Another game being released on Xbox is Tropico 5, the construction and management simulation. Along the same sort of lines is city builder Cities: Skylines, a game that has been hailed as being what SimCity should have been. It’ll be interesting to see how it transfers over to console. Two new Warhammer games are coming (both with catchy names!) – Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor – Martyr, an action RPG, and Warhammer: End Times – Vermintide, a co-op FPS that has been on PC since October. One game that I’m really looking forward to this year (which is a bit strange considering we don’t really know much about it) is ReCore. An Xbox One console exclusive that I’m hoping (along with Quantum Break) will be a big successful new IP.
On the receiving end of a re-release is critically acclaimed Shadow Complex Remastered, a game that is rated as one of the best XBLA games on Xbox 360. Tactical RPG The Dwarves based on the novel of the same name is out from King Art Games. The Technomancer is an RPG based in a cyberpunk world on Mars. We’re getting a sequel to the 2013 reboot of Shadow Warrior – Shadow Warrior 2. Another remake that is due out is Pathalogic, a psychological horror game. Styx: Shards of Darkness is the sequel to the generally well received stealth game Master of Shadows. Sticking to sequels, Game of Thrones: Season 2 from Telltale is due to start this year. But with seemingly so much on their plate I wouldn’t be surprised to see it slip a bit. Fable Legends seems to have been forgotten about somewhat. Originally due for full release last year, it is still in beta, and seemed to just quietly disappear from Microsoft’s marketing push. Having played some of the beta I’m still looking forward to its released, however I can’t see it being much of a success now, with it being a game the fans didn’t want to begin with, it’s lost any momentum it was building. A game that has certainly not lost momentum is Cuphead. Not a game that tickles my fancy too much, it is looking like it’ll be a big hit on the One. And while I can’t see myself committing to buying it, I will be able to appreciate it for its gorgeous art style.
Feels like we’re starting to make a dent now in this long list. So let’s keep going. Assetto Corsa is a racing simulation game that has been in on PC in one form or another since late 2013. Hyper Light Drifer is a 2D action RPG. It gained over $600,000 through crowd funding after setting an initial goal of just $27,000. Sword Coast Legends is an RPG based in the Dungeons and Dragons universe that has managed to gain some absolutely average reviews from its PC release. Sherlock Holmes: The Devil’s Daughter will be the eighth game in the adventure series, where you will be solving mysteries again. Below seems to have been talked about forever, but we should be finally seeing the Xbox exclusive adventure game released this year. Talking of exclusives there is that little matter of Crackdown 3 being released. Said to be the first game to really harness the power of ‘the cloud’, this could really set a standard of what is achieved using all power that Microsoft has told us it available. I’ve always enjoyed Crackdown games and I’m sure this one will be no different.
Tacoma is the next title from the guys behind Gone Home. Their unique style of storytelling will no doubt transfer across to this setting – 200,000 miles from earth. Overwatch is a first person shooter falling into the ‘hero shooter’ category, and with it coming from Blizzard expect big things from it, with everything they touch seemingly turning to gold. Overwatch is not a free to play game unlike Gigantic,the Xbox One and Windows exclusive, and Microsoft’s attempt to get a bit of the MOBA/hero shooter pie. Dipping into the horror genre, we have Friday the 13th: The Game to get a taste of the world of Jason Voorhees. Along with that we’ve got two sequels incoming – Outlast 2 and Dead Island 2. Both will be looking to build on the success of the originals. We can also expect to see another The Walking Dead game – a first person affair from Overkill Software. A game that did catch my eye at E3 last year (which doesn’t necessarily fall into the horror genre, but is full of demons) was Doom. A franchise that was probably a little before my times so I’ve not really given the time of day, but I can fully appreciate what it’s done for the FPS genre. This reboot looks right up my street, fast paced, full of gore and good old fashioned fun.
There’s a few more RPG’s coming too. Earthlock: Festival of Magic is turn based, and takes place on the world of Umbra, where an ‘event’ has stopped the world from spinning. Final Fantasy XV is moving away from the turn based system, which will be interesting to see for both long term fans of the series, and potential newcomers who may be tempted by the new fighting system. Kingdom Come: Deliverance is a gorgeous looking medieval RPG. It is likely to be released on PC this year, whether it finds its way to consoles this year as well is still to be seen. Headlander is a new platformer from Double Fine Productions, described as ‘retro-futuristic’. We’ve also got more new iterations to established series coming out. FlatOut 4: Total Insanity is the latest in the action racing game series. Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 is the first in the series to have an AAA production effort, and if the trailers are anything to go by, its graphics looks superb. The game takes place in a modern day setting. Mafia 3 has you assume control of Lincoln Clay, a war veteran on a revenge mission against the local mobs. I hope they can fill what looked like a large open world with interesting things to do. Gears of War 4 will no doubt be a hit, but for a series that I genuinely love, it didn’t do anything for me at the reveal, I hope it changed my mind. Dishonored 2 is one of the sequels I’m most looking forward to this year. The first was superb, giving you options of how you wanted to play the game, and I hope this on continues the trend. I can’t wait to get back into that world.
We’re nearly there, at the end of the list, though I’m sure there are some games that I’ve managed to miss, and I’ve not talking about the inevitable Call of Duty, Battlefield or the rumoured Titanfall. Sea of Thieves sees Rare branch away from the Kinect they’ve been so tied to for years. A pirate MMO with a classic Rare cartoony style, fans of the developers will be keeping a very close eye on this one. A games that Microsoft will be hoping will be a huge success is Halo Wars 2. This time developed by Creative Assembly (along with 343), the guys behind the Total War series, it’ll be very interesting to see how they handle a console RTS, and to see if they are able to bring across any of the things that makes the Total War games so successful on PC. And finally we reach the last game. I thought I’d end on a personal high note. It is the next game in what is probably my favourite game franchise even – Mass Effect: Andromeda. We still don’t know a huge amount about the game, but I’m ready to lose more hours into the ME universe. I’m looking forward to seeing how they handle the games without Commander Shepard, and what story line they will come up with to live up to the impending doom the reapers set in the first trilogy.
So there we have it. Looks like we are in for a busy and brilliant year as gamers. We will hopefully get some new generation defining games, and have a whole load of fun as we go. I can’t wait!