What's Hot in Gaming - Q1 2017
From the demon slaying of ‘DOOM’ and ‘Dark Souls III’, to the underrated ‘Dishonored 2’ and ‘Titanfall 2’, 2016 produced some games that may very well go down as all-time greats; however, there were others such as the disappointing ‘Mafia III’ and ‘Mighty No. 9’ that don’t deserve a place in the gaming Hall of Fame, other than to serve as cautionary tales for future developers.
But enough about the past - let’s have a look at what we can look forward to in the first few months of gaming in 2017.
‘Resident Evil 7: Biohazard’
After more than a few disappointing entries, the horror series that has reinvented itself multiple times over its nearly 21-year history is trying to do so again. From using fixed cameras for its first few instalments, followed by over-the-shoulder third-person view since ‘Resident Evil 4’, the eleventh entry will switch to a first-person perspective; this will allow for VR support, and give Capcom a whole new suite of tools – as well as inventive new ways to scare and excite the players.
Capcom also decided to eschew the wide cast of characters they’d developed over the years, and focus on the simple, classic story structure of a man trying to find his wife in a foreboding and run-down mansion. From the small amount revealed so far, the direction looks as though the horror is definitely at the forefront of the developers’ minds this time around, as opposed to the action of recent games.
Despite the developers’ claims to the contrary, it’s hard to believe that ‘P.T.’ wasn’t an influence, but that will almost certainly be a positive - hopefully the narrative and gameplay will live up to the promise.
Gamers are sure to find out when ‘Resident Evil 7’ is released on January 24th.
‘For Honor’
Ubisoft’s medieval hack and slash game looks like it could be a more developed ‘Dynasty Warriors’ mixed with the class-based mechanics that have become popular in recent years.
There looks to be a decent variety of play styles available, even within classes. The single-player story has been kept somewhat hidden, but from what has been revealed it seems like it’s going to be a form of fantasy ensemble drama. Whether the single-player missions will be designed for certain characters, or open for any character to play is something that won’t be clear before release.
There does seem to be a scoring system of sorts that rewards canny use of the combat system; this may be good training for the multiplayer since the combat looks to be a little different from what many people are used to. Until gamers are given a chance to play it, we won’t know if Ubisoft Montreal have managed to craft something that is more than just a good idea.
Who hasn’t wanted to see who would win in a fight between a samurai and a Viking? The answer will finally be settled after a January beta when the game is released on February 14th.
‘Halo Wars 2’
The first attempted adaptation of Bungie’s FPS series into the RTS genre had a mixed reception. While some thought it was one of the better RTS games available on a console, others considered it the final proof that the RTS was one genre that should remain exclusive to PCs. When original developers Ensemble Studios closed soon after the first game launched, it seemed unlikely that there would be a sequel.
Eight years later, and ‘Total War’ series developers Creative Assembly have been brought in to see if their attempt will finally give us the great console RTS that many have been waiting for. The first game’s narrative was a welcome, if only brief, prologue to the main ‘Halo’ games, and the hope is that this sequel will continue that story.
So far, revealed gameplay appears to be similar to the original game with fixed bases and a big sweeping cursor. Considering that it’s also getting a simultaneous PC release, it’ll be interesting to see how this one turns out when it’s released on February 21st.
‘Mass Effect: Andromeda’
The ending of the ‘Mass Effect’ trilogy was controversial - that’s about as definitive a statement as can be written about Bioware’s epic sci-fi RPG series. Despite how you felt about the ending, the entire journey was definitely an enjoyable one, complete with an array of great characters, locations and events; thus, it was of great interest to fans as to what Bioware would do next.
The developers decided to move as far away from the previous trilogy as possible, setting the new game in a completely different galaxy. While many familiar species and technology will be present, a new galaxy presents further opportunities for the writers, artists and designers to introduce places, creatures and people never before seen.
So far, while combat looks similar to previous iterations, the class-based system seems to have been completely overhauled, possibly to become similar to a ‘Skyrim’ style system where players can change their combat style on the fly. Even more revolutionary, player character Ryder’ doesn’t have to be human!
Fans can roll their Asari Ryder on March 21st in North America, and March 23rd in the PAL regions.
‘Nintendo Switch’
Nintendo followed up its hugely successful, but often not frequently played ‘Wii’ console with the decent but under-performing ‘Wii-U’. Now the company that near-to saved console gaming is merging its super successful handheld console division with the home console division.
‘The Switch will aim to compete with the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One as a decent home gaming experience while also allowing the mobility of the 3DS range.
While the launch line-up remains a mystery, it is clear from confirmed ports of ‘Stardew Valley’ and ‘Yooka-Laylee’ that Nintendo hopes to draw in a wider array of developers to its new console. With Nintendo’s usual range of first-party games, plus the potential of playing great third-party releases from Bethesda, From Software and Take Two both at home and on the go, the Switch could very well be a must-have.
It will be interesting to see whether the planned portability functions as intended and how durable the console is when out and about. Perhaps most crucially, will the controllers work for all games and will the flexibility cause them to break more frequently?
All will be revealed when the Switch launches in March of this year.
These are but a few of the major and most interesting releases coming up in the first quarter of the year. Hopefully they’ll all turn out as good as intended! 2017 promises to be a good year in gaming, if the first quarter is anything to go by.
What games are you looking to get your hands on this year? Let us know HERE.
