18 months after the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One hit the market, we're squarely in a new console generation, and it's time for the developers who started working on those machines at the beginning to pay dividends.
That means we're not only on the verge of tons of AAA sequels but in that wonderful window when projects like Grand Theft Auto III, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor spring from the woodwork and change gaming for good.
 |
| Note: I love a good sequel, but when I say "more of this," I mean "original properties with new mechanics." |
Honorable Mentions
Wait and see: Assassin's Creed: Rogue, Halo 5: Guardians, Metal Gear Solid 5, Star Fox Wii U, Star Wars: Battlefront, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, Abzu
Too close: Batman: Arkham Knight
Too far: The Legend of Zelda Wii U, Borderlands 3, Burnout, Crackdown, The Division
Probably not happening: Left 4 Dead 3, Pokemon Snap 2, Portal 3
LOL: Half-Life 3
 |
| We're at "Cubs win the World Series" levels of don't-hold-your-breath. |
10. Rise of the Tomb Raider
2013's Tomb Raider reboot is the only non-Portal game I played twice in the Xbox 360 era, so I'm definitely ready for a new installment. If Crystal Dynamics can combine the reboot's incredible feel for setting and gameplay with slightly more interesting characters and a much better plot, Rise might be my game of the year. It lands at the bottom of this list because, while an E3 demo is a stone-cold lock, it's probably not going to feature much character or plot, so we won't know about those things until long after the show.
9. Firewatch
Firewatch is one of a few indie-game enigmas I look forward to knowing more about soon, hopefully during E3. It earns this spot based entirely on a CO-OP segment from this year's Game Developer's Conference that leaves questions but makes me think this could be the next great successor to Myst.
 |
| How could you not be excited about a game this gorgeous? |
This is a complete shot in the dark, but, more than a year after BioShock Infinite's final DLC, it feels like it's time for 2K to make some more money from this franchise. (Irrational Games' closure was never going to stop this gravy train.) I'm tentative given series creator Ken Levine is unlikely to be involved, but BioShock is my favorite franchise of the last generation, and even a next-gen redux or lazy rehash would get me interested. Here's hoping for more than that, starting with a reveal in L.A.
7. No Man's Sky
It's not entirely fair to call No Man's Sky an enigma after it was featured prominently at Sony's E3 press conference last year and received a lengthy profile in The New Yorker, but it still feels that way. What, exactly, are this game's mechanics? Just how big will its world feel? How does something so big and ambitious fuel a cohesive narrative? Does that matter? The proof will come after release, but some of those answers should come on stage and in demos next week.
6. Dishonored 2
Another blind stab, but one I'm much more confident in. Arkane Studios has been very quiet since The Brigmore Witches DLC released almost two years ago, and Bethesda could use a third mega-franchise alongside long-gestating RPG behemoths Elder Scrolls and Fallout, so a new Dishonored is a no-brainer. The only question now is timing. Given the attention to detail Arkane showed in both mechanics and art design in Dishonored, I don't expect a full reveal this month - and maybe not even this year - but I'll be stunned if the words "Dishonored 2" are not said or shown at Bethesda's presser Sunday night.
 |
| Soon. |
The fact that I know almost nothing about this game doesn't stop me from being very jazzed about it. In my head, it's a challenging-but-not-punishing 2D platformer in the Fleischer cartoons style with inventive boss fights and a variety of cool abilities for our eponymous protagonist. Cuphead's official website lists a 2015 release on Xbox One, so we should hear a lot about it, probably from Microsoft, and my true best-case scenario is an Entwined-style "go play it now!" showing.
4. Mass Effect
After a vague reveal at its E3 press conference last year, Electronic Arts must know fans are dying to see concrete evidence of next-gen Mass Effect, and I expect it to be on full display at E3. I don't expect them to call it Mass Effect 4 - because Bioware both has more imagination than that and wants people to forget the end of Mass Effect 3 as soon as possible - but they've have built a universe rich enough to support a huge variety of stories, and I'm confident we'll nerding out about one of them after EA's conference Monday night.
3. Metroid
2D? YES! 3D? Sure! Universal Studios ride? ...That's cool. I don't care what form it takes; I just want more Metroid in the world. Please, Nintendo, smell the Samus amiibo sales and take more of my money with this glorious franchise. It's been too long.
 |
| The G.O.A.T. deserves another sequel. |
The twin legacies of Minerva's Den and Gone Home combine with the promise of space adventure in its reveal trailer to get me very hyped about Tacoma. I have no idea what to expect from this game or even if it will appear at E3, especially given a 2016 release date, but I'll be looking for it next week.
1. Rock Band 4
Here's the game that will make me buy an Xbox One. From Amplitude to Karaoke Revolution to Dance Central to Amplitude again, I've been a loyal and satisfied Harmonix customer from the beginning, and everything announced so far about the next Rock Band is aces. Support for Xbox 360 songs? Check. A revamped campaign mode? Check. Support for old instruments and a chance to buy new ones? Check and check. The only questions now are release date and price. I believe those and much more will be revealed a week from today.
I can't wait.
No comments:
Post a Comment