Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Most anticipated games of 2015 (and beyond)

So here we are again, at this time of year I like to think ahead to the coming year (and perhaps beyond), to games which are on the horizon which I am looking forward to and then list these in order to determine my most anticipated games.

Without spoiling anything, I note that this year this seems to be a lack of portable games on my list (Vita/3DS), which is surprising. Although there are some games for this system that I am looking forward to, at present there are not any that have been announced that I feel should be added at this stage. Saying that, I still have a large collection of unplayed games on my portable systems to keep me going for some time yet!

Starting from 10 to 1:

10. Final Fantasy Type-0 (PS4)


This is a game that I never thought I would be able to play. Released in Japan on the PSP, but never released outside of Japan, it is now being updated for current gen consoles (PS4 & XB1), which is surprising to say the least.

Whilst the graphics are probably not on par with a lot of current gen games, the game itself is meant to be highly enjoyable and fiendishly hard. I’m also just enjoying the though of a playing a Final Fantasy game that I haven’t touched previously. Now all I need is for Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core to be updated and I’ll be a happy man.

9. Splatoon (Wii U)


This is a new IP for Nintendo and it looks like a hell of a lot of fun.

It is unusual for Nintendo to go into the realms of a competitive shooter (in this case a third person shooter rather than a FPS), but it would seem that they are looking to do this in style. Interesting characters, mechanics and play modes would seem to set this aside from your regular online shooter, I just hope that the online infrastructure is up to scratch for this (something that Nintendo have often fell short on).

8. Xenoblade Chronicles X (Wii U)


More and more has been shown of this game since its announcement, it is just a shame that it has been moved back from its initial launch date of the end of 2014. This would appear to be following in the same footsteps as the original game on the Wii, and the combat system also looks very close, which is a very good thing, as I found this to be an excellent system already.

The one failing of the original game was that the graphics of the Wii could not meet the scope of the environments that it represented. X appears to have addressed this and I hope that the characters and story are as compelling as the previous game in the series.

7. The Last Guardian (PS4 - probably)


This game has been on my list of most anticipated games for 5 years previous to this (at times at the very top of the list). Although there have been assurances from Sony that this game is still being developed, I’m really starting to get a sense that it may never see the light of day. I had hoped that something would have been shown at E3, TGS or VGA, but it was a no show.

As a result, this has slipped down to an all-time low at number 7.

6. Final Fantasy XV (Multi)


The game previously known as Final Fantasy XIII Versus.

There has been a lot shown of this recently and everything seems to suggest a large and interesting open world. I’m a little disappointed that the team is an all male team, as it is often (but not always) the female characters in Final Fantasy games which are the more interesting characters.

I’m interested to see how this plays though, as it would seem that this may lack the strategy that I like Final Fantasy games for and will be more of a third person combat game, but either way, hopefully this will help to restore the Final Fantasy name.

5. No Mans Sky (PS4)


I’m just loving the look of this game.

For some reasons this reminds me of a mixture of Elite and Captain Blood (and old Atari ST game). It is rare to have a game which celebrates exploration like this game apparently does. I do have some reservations about the game, one that despite how vast the universe contained in the game appears to be, that it is possible that it may seem a bit regurgitated and not have a satisfactory degree of variety and two that beyond pure exploration that there may not be enough to glue to game together.

I am happy to believe that this game will fulfil on its apparent potential and as such it stays at number 5.

4. Persona 5 (PS4)


The fact that this is being released on the PS4 is a great boost to the game. I would have got it on the PS3 either way, but I’m pretty much set into the newest generation of consoles and rarely get any PS3 games these days.

Of all the JRPG’s that I have played, the Persona games have to be one of my all-time favourites and to be truth I have only very recently got into them (after playing both 3 and 4). I just hope that this new version has the same charm and Japanese High School theme running throughout.

3. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (PS4)


The first true footage of this came out of the VGA show recently and it certainly looks very impressive, but at the same time I was a little disappointed that it did not seem to be that much of a leap up from the previous games in the series.

Every game that has come out of Naughty Dog the last 7 years has been absolute genius, however, and I’m still really looking forward to next-gen entry into this fantastic series and believe that it will live up to the Naughty Dog name.

Based solely on the previous output, this has made it to number 3.

2. Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain (Multi)


This looks pretty damn impressive, but I’m still slightly miffed at the split between this and Ground Zero’s, which despite how impressive it was, really was a paid demo.

It seems like an age now since the last Metal Gear Solid game, and this also looks to be taking more from Peace Walker than MGS4, which had many smart ideas which haven’t been used since.

More than anything, however, it was the demonstration of Metal Gear Online from the VGA’s which has reignited my interest. The original Metal Gear Online, which came together with MGS4, was one of the first real instances where I truly got into online gaming, so much so that I was part of a clan that took place in tournaments for a short while. Nothing has come out quite like Metal Gear Online since, and the new version looks to be a joy to play, with all the humour and variety that I would expect.

1. New Zelda (Wii U)


Yep Zelda is at the top.

The Legend of Zelda game series has got to be my favourite series of games, with the likes of the Ocarina of Time and A Link to the Past being the finest games ever made. Even some of the lessor games in the series still remain very good.

It is clear that this game (which has been promised to be released in 2015) is looking to the likes of Skyrim for inspiration, especially in view of the large open world. It still does seem to have a style of its own, which is in line with recent Zelda games (the likes of Skyward Sword) and from the demo shown during TGS just a few days ago, is looking very impressive.

I’m hoping that a full trailer and a full reveal during E3 2015 will shed some further light on this.

Other games which I am interested in, which did not make the list:

Batman: Arkham Knight (Multi)
Fire Emblem Vs Shin Megami Tensei (Wii U)
Mirror’s Edge (Multi)
New Star Fox (Wii U)
The Witcher: Wild Hunt (Multi)
Battlefront (Multi)
The Forest (PS4)
Project Steam (3DS)

Games that I wish would be made, but it is unlikely or nothing has been announced:

Super Mario Galaxy 3
Shenmue 3
Half Life 3
Portal 3

Basically, it would seem, anything with a 3 at the end!


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