While 2016 was a bit of a slow year, 2017 is looking to be trying some new stuff. This is a year full of IPs, sequels to games that weren’t super successful, and games that haven’t been confirmed for 2017, but I am reasonably confident will be coming out this coming year. Call it gut instinct. Wish I could put The Last of Us: Part 2 or Death Stranding on this list, but I know for a fact that they aren’t coming out this year. Some of these are games that were pushed back from last year, and some of them are games that nobody saw coming. I am excited to see what happens this year, so let’s not waste any time.
10. What Remains of Edith Finch
Yes, we’re about to have your moment where you groan – I am a fan of Indie games. That’s right, I like games that are typically not liked by the normal gaming scene. The company who made this game, Giant Sparrow, made one of my Indie games – The Unfinished Swan. A game about a fairytale telling a tragic story about a boy who loses his mother. This game is keeping a similar storybook style, but this time telling the story of Edith Finch, who is returning to her family home to unravel the mystery of why the family always dies in their enormous house. Gameplay segments have shown flying a kite, playing as a baby in a bathtub, and even a cat climbing a tree. This game will have a dark edge, and I can’t wait to see more.
9. Yooka-Laylee
After a year with things being pretty quiet, we finally got to see some gameplay that isn’t alpha stuff. This little Kickstarter-funded passion project by the dejected devs who worked on Banjo Kazooie just looks better and better. Like an homage to past games, they even have the cute little language that they used in the original games. I am so excited to see what stages they come up with. If it’s anything like that casino in the newest trailer, then this game will be a call-back to the best that the medium has to offer.
8. Kingdom Hearts 2.8: The Final Chapter Prologue
The final piece of the plot before the final game is revealed, this game brings forth the remastered version of Dream Drop Distance, which I have been DYING to play. We also get a very cool intro to the gameplay style of Kingdom Hearts III with a segment where you play as Aqua, traveling the Realm of Darkness. Of course, there is also a third segment that is literally nothing but cutscenes. That will undoubtedly bug me, but it’s all going to be worth it for the first two. The newest trailer has my mouth watering at the worlds you will explore with Aqua. If that’s the kind of visuals that we can expect in the newest game, you cannot begin to understand how excited I am. We desperately need a new trailer for the final game, along with an intro into some of the worlds.
7. Persona 5
A game that was supposed to come out in 2016, it got pushed back. Unlike some people, I am all for that. I am glad when they have games pushed back, in order to get everything right. New gameplay has shown that this game is all about using spirit creatures as proxies to fight. Reminds me Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch in that regard. Fine by me. The game has a colorful style, beautiful character design, a world that looks fun to explore, and on top of that, combat that looks active and vibrant. There has been a woeful gap in truly stand-out JRPGs in the last couple years, and I want that to change. Hopefully this game will be leading the charge!
6. Styx: Shards of Darkness
You know what I miss? Stealth games? You know I also miss? Stealth games with a protagonist who is fun, unlike all the gruff heroes who can do the stealth thing, but got no problem killing everyone when that doesn’t work. When I played Styx: Master of Shadows, I thought two things. First, this game’s loading screens are bugging the fuck out of me. For a game that is all about trial and error, having to sit through those loading screens was more than a little frustrating. Second, finally, a stealth game that is true to the name! So many people were bitching that you couldn’t fight. Well yeah! You play as a little goblin-man! He’s half the size of everyone else. Of course he is kind of fucked if he gets busted. But it wasn’t just that. Styx was a fun character. He was foul-mouthed, vulgar, and actually enjoyed being a thief. Plus, the world had such interesting lore. The original game wasn’t perfect, but with the stealth genre dead, I am so glad that we have a series coming up to bring it back to its roots. Can’t wait to see what happens next.
5. Nioh
What do you get when you combine the difficulty of Dark Souls with the weapons and aesthetic of the Samurai and monsters that take from Japanese mythology? You get one badass-looking game! Everything about this game screams that it will fit right in in the pantheon of games loved for their brutal combat and their rich lore. I will say that the fact that the protagonist looks so much like Geralt is a little weird, but I am willing to give it a chance. This is a game that seems to be flying under the radar with people, and I’m not sure why. Maybe because of the people who say that it’s a Dark Souls knock-off? They don’t know what they’re talking about. However, the proof will be when we get to see the game for ourselves.
4: Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
After the end of Uncharted 3, part of me was kind of wondering what Chloe was up to. You see in the newest game that she invites Nate out on a treasure hunt, but he says “no way.” In what is probably the most gorgeous reveal I have ever seen, we see our girl is back in form. This time, she has teamed up from the rather affable mercenary from the last game. Sure, we wanted to kick Nadine’s ass, but she wasn’t all bad. Just a merc trying to get by. Now that her whole endeavor has fallen apart, she’s out to get rich quick. The two girls are now out to find their own fortune. Is this a DLC or a full-blown game? Not sure, but either way, I am excited to see what Naughty Dog is going to tide us over with until The Last of Us: Part 2.
3. Horizon: Zero Dawn
It got delayed quite a bit, but you know what, if the goal is to make the game as complete as possible, I am all there! Originally debuted a couple years ago, we finally have a release date for it. Won’t have to wait long. I am all about this game. A post-apocalyptic game about a redheaded huntress who is stalking the wastelands for parts by the mechanical beasts who roam the world. There is a story behind all of this madness, and it’s clear from the trailers that this girl is out on a mission to go figure out that story and get the truth behind her ancestry. With the same girl who did the voice of Chloe Price in Life is Strange, I am so excited to see what happens with the narrative of this game. The gameplay has been pretty flushed out, so now I want to know where the story goes. Traveling around, scavenging parts from robots is fun and all, but I want to get to know this world, and the people in it. We’ve seen that conversation options are a thing, a la Mass Effect, but I’m not complaining. There is also the fact that there are ancient machines with untold dark powers and dark purpose. What does it all mean? Where did the people go? So many questions, few answers. Can’t wait.
2. God of War
This game was just announced, and I have no reason to expect that it will be released this year, but call it a hunch. Something about the reveal and how far they are into it gave me the impression that the game isn’t that far down the rabbit hole. A soft reboot of the God of War franchise, this game is a continuation of the story. I am dying to know what happened to Kratos after the end of the third game. How did he get into a land of Norse mythology? Who is this kid who is clearly not his biological son, but whom he is treating with all the love and compassion that a Spartan would his son? They make it sound like he had been fighting in this land for some time. Why? What purpose guides Kratos? He says that the boy and him are going to be fighting together against the Gods. What new gods has our favorite god-killer gone and pissed off this time? Lots of questions, few answers. As I said, no confirmation, but a gut instinct that the game is coming out this year.
And the game I am most excited for this year is…
1. Detroit: Become Human
Another game that I have no confirmation that it will be coming out this year, but call it a decent hunch. Announced two years ago, we first got to see the breath-taking spectacle of the world of this game. Centered in the city of Detroit, it seems to follow the stories of a series of androids living in a world where they are treated as second-class citizens. The first trailer showed an android who has learned how to hide what she is. The newest one shows an android created specifically to be used in hostage negotiations. At first, his mission is an outright failure, but the trailer shows that you can go about it other ways. By taking in clues, you can tailor your negotiation to best deal with the deranged android. It also shows that there are plenty of ways to save the little girl’s life. The very best way shows that even when you do everything right and she is saved, the police still kill the android. He calls you a traitor. The last game by Quantic Dream was my second-favorite game of 2013. I have nothing but high hopes for this one. Let’s see what it’s got.
What about you? What games are you most excited for? Let me know in the comments
Until next time, a quote,
“It’s up to you how this story ends.” – Connor, Detroit: Become Human
Peace out,
Maverick
Lucien Maverick's Den 