Most anticipated video games coming in 2016
Posted by HushGames on
Crackdown 3 (Xbox One, TBD 2016)
Let's just pretend Crackdown 2 never happened and imagine that Microsoft pulled itself together and remembered what made the first Crackdown so good. I don't know necessarily that that's the case, but it's nice to imagine that Crackdown 3 will get back to the glorious super-powered city exploration, impulsive collecting of Agility Orbs, and leaping up the side of a mountain to punch enemies in the back of the head that the first game did so well.
Cuphead (Xbox One/PC, TBD 2016)
The image above is not concept art, it's straight from gameplay. I've spent a lot of time playing Cuphead at various game expos last year, and the way it so faithfully replicates the look and feel of classic early-20th-century animation is absolutely jaw-dropping. Couple that with difficult (but fair) action gameplay reminiscent of Gunstar Heroes and you have a game we're just dying to play.
Dark Souls III (PS4/Xbox One/PC, April 12)
"It's really, really difficult and punishing!" is not an argument that has ever persuaded me to try a videogame, ever. But the incredible worldwide success of the Souls RPG series and the developer's recent Bloodborne makes it clear that many, many people are persuaded by just such a thing, and also by beautiful gothic architecture. Bless your hearts. I'll be over here just chilling out.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (PS4/Xbox One/PC, August 2016)
It might have been delayed, but Square Enix's follow-up to its cyberpunk action RPG is still slated for 2016. It's probably all for the best, to put the game's release far, far away from the ill-conceived "Augment Your Pre-Order" marketing campaign.
Dishonored 2 (PS4/Xbox One/PC, First Half 2016)
In an era in which big game releases look to squeeze players' gameplay styles into tiny boxes, Dishonored let you run free. Want to kill everything? Great. Want to use supernatural powers to "ghost" your way through its levels, using only non-lethal options? Wonderful. Beeline to the end? Sure, but you'll miss all the amazing stuff you'd find if you explore. The sequel should be a similar breath of fresh air in an increasingly samey big-budget world.
Firewatch (PS4/PC, February 9)
All you really need to know about this first-person adventure game is that it's written by Jake Rodkin and Sean Vanaman, who penned the moving story for Telltale Games' breakout hit The Walking Dead. If you need to know more, it's about a man alone in the forests of Wyoming with only a voice in a walkie-talkie as his companion. Oh, and the visual design is by Olly Moss. OK, now you should know why it's on here.
Horizon Zero Dawn (PS4, TBD 2016)
One of the greatest announcements in a Sony E3 press conference full of great announcements was the fact that Guerilla Games' next title is not another damn Killzone and is in fact an action role-playing game about a woman who fights robot dinosaurs.
The Last Guardian (PS4, TBD 2016)
After putting this follow-up to Sony's brilliant Ico and Shadow of the Colossus on the Most Anticipated list year after year after year with no results, we finally deleted it in 2015. So of course this was the year that Sony chose to re-announce it for the PlayStation 4. At this point, we don't think it'd have re-announced this sure-to-be-a-tearjerker tale of a boy and his giant cat-dragon-thing if it wasn't confident of the 2016 window. The demo at E3 was gorgeous. The real thing? Hopefully we'll know soon.
The Legend of Zelda (Wii U, TBD 2016)
Nintendo promised this in 2015, but has a Zelda game ever been released without a huge delay? We do think that the legendary adventure series' first "open-world" title will finally make it out this year. One wonders if there will also be an NX version. After years of anticipation, we're looking forward to finally going to those mountains.
Manifold Garden (PS4/PC, 2016)
Previously known as Relativity, in reference to the M.C. Escher illustration that inspired it, this is a puzzle game in which the world wraps around itself in 3-D. Fall upwards, climb down impossible staircases, and generally try to wrap your head around solving conundrums in a world of impossible physics and incorrect geometry. Imagine Monument Valley on steroids.
Mirror's Edge Catalyst (PS4/Xbox One/PC, May 24)
Electronic Arts' stylish first-person parkour game was one of the most ambitious, risky games the modern-day EA has ever produced, so it's great to see it finally come back with a twist: It's an open world in which protagonist Faith can run, jump, and vault anywhere she pleases. Big games without guns are hard to find, these days, so hopefully Mirror's Edge lands on its feet.
Nier Automata (PS4, TBD 2016)
The original Nier was a brilliant, creative role-playing game that mixed and matched gameplay flavors like a kid set loose in a Jelly Belly factory. I can't believe it's getting a sequel, but here we are. Creator Yoko Taro pledges that it'll be just as eclectic and weird as the first game, which is all I wanted.
No Man's Sky (PS4/PC, June 2016)
Hello Games has made some giant promises about its next game. Explore a vast, procedurally-generated universe that no one player could ever hope to see all of? Is it possible to create something so vast that even the designers can't see the whole thing, and yet still make it playable and fun? And can a game made by a small indie team live up to the mountains of hype? We're a few months away from finding out.
Quantum Break (Xbox One, April 5)
This next game from the maker of Alan Wake has been pushed back so much it's approaching vaporware status, but it's likely to finally show up in 2016. It's a unique experiment: You'll jump back and forth between a third-person time-manipulation action game and watching a feature-length film's worth of live-action "episodes," the outcome of which you can control with your decision-making. Will this be a bold, revolutionary combination of game and film, or the most expensive cut scenes on which impatient Xbox gamers ever furiously jammed the "skip" button?
ReCore (Xbox One, First Half 2016)
This was one of the best surprises of Microsoft's last E3 conference: Mega Man producer Keiji Inafune teams up with the guys who headed up Nintendo's Metroid Prime? We don't know much else about this action-adventure about a girl and her glowing robot dog, but are excited about the prospects of this East-West collaboration.
Street Fighter V (PS4/PC, February 16)
The grandfather of all fighting games returns next year. With an eclectic character roster including deep cuts like Birdie, Karin, and R. Mika from the Street Fighter Alpha series, Capcom is keeping things fresh with this latest installment. Even total scrubs like your author will want to put their quarters up and try this one out---how often do we get a new Street Fighter? Not often.
Tacoma (Xbox One/PC, TBD 2016)
After Fullbright's stunning debut Gone Home, its next walking-around simulator is far more ambitious, set on an abandoned space station. Fullbright has also added Nina Freeman (Cibele) to its small team of talented creators, making us even more excited about how it's going to shape its sophomore effort.
Thumper (PS4/PC, TBD 2016)
I played a demo of this indie game at Tokyo Game Show and was blown away. It combines rhythm gameplay with a frenetic, fast-paced aesthetic. Copying the beats with the right groove isn't that tough, but keeping your head while everything is going crazy around you is. This is going to be great for fans of Rez or Amplitude (both of which are also getting updates in 2016, to think of it).
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (PS4, April 26)
Naughty Dog (The Last of Us) truly represents the best in the AAA business, and its legions of fans are surely champing at the bit to play its first PlayStation 4 adventure. With a personnel change putting the directors of Last of Us in charge of this sequel to Nathan Drake's PS3 adventures, it could be a tonal shift for the franchise as well as a next-generation upgrade.