So, slightly behind schedule, but I finally got to the last part of the 16 for 2016.. before 2016. Stop snickering. Let’s get to the last four, plus some bonus quick hits!
Street Fighter V. Which is like the 21st game in the series, but who’s counting?
Street Fighter V (February) has had a bit of a rocky road when it comes to release. The first few betas have had glitch online play and bugs in the gameplay, but then again, the game was in beta, I’m not sure about their plan to release with “only” 16 fighters, with six coming via DLC (either bought or paid for by grinding in game). It also looks like we’ll miss out on some old favorites (as Sagat, Akuma and Dan are pretty much guaranteed to be out of the game for a while, due to concerns that the game had too many fighters in the Shoto-style already). But that just may be “the good old days” talking. I really think the key test will be if online matchmaking is smooth and glitch free on release to give plenty of encouragement to keep playing.
My, how you’ve developed over 20+ years.
DOOM (Q2 2016): Another game that’s been stuck in development hell for a while, but things are looking up, as the game’s alpha tests this month were promising, and nostalgia is a very strong factor in gaming (as shown by Wolfenstein’s return over the past couple years). I wonder if the over the top brutal nature of these games will lose its luster after a while, but if you have a hankering to smite the minions of hell, this will certainly scratch that itch… with a BFG.
Mass Effect Andromeda. Familiar, but still different.
Mass Effect: Andromeda (2016) Let me be brutally honest here. I don’t expect this game out in 2016. But if it IS out, it will be one of the biggest releases of 2016, even if it bombs. Despite the lackluster story ending of Mass Effect 3, the 90% of the game up to that point was really really good. And the folks behind the Omega DLC for Mass Effect 3 are doing this. They’re hitting all the right notes, as the game will take place in a 4 times bigger world then previous Mass Effect games. I’m really curious to see what is coming. They’ve promised to keep the gameplay mostly familiar to fans of the series, so despite it being set in a new galaxy away from previous events in the series, it will feel like a new iteration, gameplay wise, rather than something completely different. Have to give them props for bringing the music of Johnny Cash for their trailer. Oh, and am I the only one who would love to see a Telltale Games adventure game set in the Mass Effect universe?
Borderlands, now Battleborn. They have a thing about games with B in the title, don’t they?
Battleborn (May 2016) Well, it’s from the creators of Borderlands, which means that it will just as likely be “quirky” and “funny” as well as “good” and “replayable” watching this trailer.. well, when you have one of Monty Python as the first thing you hear when you start the trailer. Yup. Definitely quirky and funny. Good and Replayable? Well, that’s yet to be seen. Watching the multiplayer co-op trailer, I have some concerns about its being too much happening at any one time. But there is a lot of positive vibes from folks who played this game in beta and at the various gaming conventions. We’ll see where it goes.
Also, here’s some quick hits:
Fire Emblem Fates (Birthright/Conquest/Revelations): Not sure I like the “Three games to tell the story from different viewpoints”, but I’m a sucker for Fire Emblem games.
Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem: It’s like peanut butter and Cherry cheesecake. So very different, but I think they may blend well.
Fable Legends: Oh gods. When the news coming about your game is “Delayed yet again”, and “Structure of microtransactions from $5 to $60”.. this probably will not end well.
EA Sports UFC 2: Well, the first game had a few bugs but was a lot of fun. Let’s see what it does on next-gen systems.
Hyrule Warriors Legends: Honestly, I wish Nintendo did a full Smash Brothers Legends game. Admit it, you’d enjoy it, fighting in the Mushroom Kingdom, the Mother Brain, etcetera. But this? Almost seems like nostalgia for the sake of nostalgia.
Far Cry Primal: Remember how I said that two very different things could mesh well? This one, I’m not so sure about. Far Cry worked well in semi modern times.. age of the dinosaurs? Mark me as a doubter.
Dark Souls III: Because 1 billion deaths of the main characters in these games can’t be wrong, can it? (YOU DIED)
David "SirFozzie" Yellope is the operator of the "An 8 bit mind in an 8 Gigabyte World". (an8bitmind.com) While not QUITE yet at the stage of waving his cane and telling the kids to "get off his lawn", he does admit he owns three canes.
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