Number 10
Volume: Ah let's come out with a game you probably haven't seen yet on a most anticipated list! Volume is an upcoming stealth game from Mike Bithell, the creator of one of my favorite indie games ever created: Thomas Was Alone. It was announced at this past Gamescom as a stealth action game that was inspired by and looks a lot like Metal Gear Solid (with the top down camera). It features a cool look that is coupled by what looks to be an excellent performance by Danny Wallace. It will also feature the ability to create your own levels, share them, and play levels that others have made. Mike Bithell was somehow able to make me get an emotional attachment to geometrical shapes (and I hate geometry), so it's pretty safe to say I'm excited for this game and so should you.
Release Date: TBA
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and PC
No Pre-Order available at the time of this publishing
Number 9
Bloodborne: This is a game that, the more I see of it, the more I get excited for it. Bloodborne is from developer From Software, the makers of Demon's Souls and Dark Souls, and the game is a successor to the previous games in the franchise. I got to be honest with you, I was not a big Souls fan. Sure, I find them great games, but it didn't wow me as much as some others have been fortunate to be. However, when I saw Bloodborne for the first time at this past E3, I got really excited. The gameplay has been reported to be "slightly faster" than the gameplay of the previous games, and that's something I've been waiting for in a Souls game. Nothing arcade-like, but just a little bit quicker. And now that I've seen more of the trailers, this game is marked on my to-play list this year.
Release Date: March 24
Platforms: PlayStation 4
Click here to pre-order Bloodborne from Amazon
Number 8
Persona 5: I'm not a big JRPG fan. I am much more a fan of western RPG's like The Elder Scrolls and Fallout. But not so long ago I decided to get Persona 4 Golden for the PS Vita. I had been hearing great things about it and it was on sale so I was like "Why the hell not?" Well, to say I got hooked would be an understatement. I was hooked by the excellent gameplay that is pretty much Pokémon but that's not a bad thing, and by its high school drama filled story. I know, it sounds cheesy, but trust me it's not as bad as it sounds. So after adoring Persona 4 Golden, I find myself super excited for Persona 5 and am looking forward to playing it on PS4. Hopefully I will have a lot of free time when this game comes out.
Release Date: TBA
Platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4
No Pre-Order available at the time of this publishing
Number 7
Dying Light: The wait for this one is a pretty short one, but it still feels like a long one. Dying Light looks to be the open world zombie survival game I've been waiting for. Think Dead Island meets Mirror's Edge parkour. Yeah that sounds pretty sweet. I've been amazed by every gameplay video released by this game. And the developers seem to be focused on making this game as good as it possibly can. I applaud their risky decision to cancel the PS3/360 versions of the game in order to make the next gen versions better. While this game has been delayed many times, we've seen before that delays are never a bad thing...except with Duke Nukem Forever but that was different. I just hope it lives up to the hype and starts 2015 off with a bang!Release Date: January 27
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC
Click here to pre-order Dying Light from Amazon.
Number 6
No Man's Sky: It seems like the hype for No Man's Sky has reached, well, sky high expectations. It does worry me that because of all this hype that the game won't deliver, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm looking forward to this indie surprise. Made by Hello Games, an indie team comprised of four people, No Man's Sky can be best described as a game all about exploration across the universe. Everything is procedurally generated, meaning everyone can start on a different planet and find new species never before seen, even by the developers. You can travel to the other planets by space ship, and even engage in some space combat. There is a lot of content in the game thanks to the procedurally generated gameplay, too much in fact. The developers estimate that it would take approximately Three Billion Years to discover everything. The sun is expected to explode in less than a billion. You excited yet?Release Date: TBA
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PC
No Pre-Order available at the time of this publishing
Number 5
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt: Okay let me get this straight, I have not played a Witcher game. I never owned an Xbox and my PC isn't good enough to run a Witcher game, so I know nothing about the lore or anything about what the previous games were. All I know is that this game looks like Skyrim times 20. It has all the features that I love about The Elder Scrolls series and other Western RPG's; a great story filled with exciting lore, a beautiful world to explore and admire, dozens of side missions to undertake, loot to find, dynamic stories to make, an excellent sound production, and so much more. If all these things turn out to be true, than you will not be able to find me for a while when this game comes out.Release Date: May 19
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC
Click here to pre-order The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt from Amazon.
Number 4
Star Wars Battlefront: Out of all the games on this list, this is the one I've been looking forward to the longest. And it's not even close. I've been waiting for this game for ten years. I've seen this game cancelled, shift from developer to developer, before finally landing in the hands of Battlefield creator DICE as a reboot of the beloved Star Wars franchise. I think I poured over a thousand hours into Battlefront, it's my favorite multiplayer shooter perhaps of all time. So the pressure is on DICE, especially after the disastrous launch of Battlefield 4 which made the game unplayable for me for two weeks. And yes I know some are upset that it will be a first person shooter (I'm a little disappointed too, as Battlefront was always a primarily third person shooter). However, if anyone can pull this off, it's DICE. And I have the utmost faith that they will deliver.Release Date: TBA Fall 2015
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC
No Pre-Order available at the time of this publishing
Number 3
Batman Arkham Knight: After four long years the Arkham series has been returned to its rightful creators. Rocksteady changed tie-in games forever with the release of Arkham Asylum and created a combat system that is replicated in many games today. They followed it up with my 2011 Game of the Year: Batman Arkham City. Now (after that other Arkham game that no one cares about), we have the final chapter in Rocksteady's Arkham series. This installment seems to be even bigger and better than before. There is plenty of reason to be excited for this game. The open world Gotham City, the drivable Batmobile, the additions to the combat system, the return of Scarecrow and other fan favorite villains (minus the Joker...maybe), and the intriguing mystery of the game's main antagonist: the Arkham Knight. I'll be on a trip when this game comes out, but you bet I'll be very eager to play it when I get home!Release Date: June 2
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC
Click here to pre-order Batman Arkham Knight from Amazon.
Number 2
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain: I'm a huge Metal Gear fan. I consider the original Metal Gear Solid to be one of, if not the very best, game ever made. So with each new Metal Gear release I get excited. While the game's prologue Ground Zeroes was incredibly overpriced, it made me get more excited for The Phantom Pain. I loved the open approach to the Ground Zeroes mission that allowed you to choose how you wanted to handle the mission. Now multiply that times 149. Yes, according to a file in the PC game code for Ground Zeroes there will be 149 missions in The Phantom Pain. That doesn't include the beautiful open world that allows you to play with the great stealth gameplay, build your own Mother Base they way you want to, and of course play in the return of Metal Gear Online, which is expanded upon to include attacks on other players' bases. If you've never played a Metal Gear before, play through the other ones to get ready for this one. As for the rest of us, well just hope that Hideo Kojima announces a release date for this soon.Release Date: TBA
Platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PC
Click here to pre-order Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain from Amazon (Note, the PC version is not available for Pre-Order at this time).
Number 1
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End: I have come to the conclusion that Naughty Dog is the best developer in the industry. Look no further than games like Jak and Daxter, Uncharted, and of course my Game of the Generation winner The Last of Us. Now here comes Uncharted 4, the game that is rumored to be the final installment in the Uncharted series from Naughty Dog. It features the return of Nathan Drake, the man who has pretty much become the mascot of the PlayStation brand as well as other series favorites like Sully and Elena. But perhaps a more intriguing character is the man who's been referred to as Drake's brother, who is voiced by Troy Baker. Naughty Dog games have always been known for their impressive stories and that is reason enough to get excited for Uncharted 4. However, another surprise was probably the gameplay. Yes, on the surface it looks like the same old gameplay that they've been using in this franchise since 2007. But the gameplay shows a much more open approach to level design and therefore combat. This allows for more cinematic sequences to appear naturally and unscripted. The game also takes a few cues from The Last of Us, such as the improvements to stealth and melee combat. The multiplayer is also returning, and that is something Naughty Dog has been consistently getting better at. There's probably a million reasons to be excited for Uncharted 4, but those are just the big ones. It would not surprise me at all if, at then end of this year, we are giving Uncharted 4 and Naughty Dog yet another Game of the Year award.Release Date: TBA
Platforms: PlayStation 4
Click here to pre-order Uncharted 4: A Thief's End from Amazon.
So that's the list! It's going to be a great year! What games are you looking forward to this year? Let me know! And, as always, thanks for visiting 8-Bit Ape.
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