GameReviewPad’s Hopes & Expectations for 2016

The upcoming year of 2016 is going to be a huge gamble. There are so many questions running through one’s mind regarding so many different elements. All of these sequels are coming out, some with the hopes of ending their series on a high note. Danganronpa 3 is not finishing off its trilogy of games in a traditional sense, but rather have the new game introduce new characters in a new setting, and have the story end as an anime instead. This is a bold move that will polarize fans. Uncharted 4 is, maybe, ending off a highly acclaimed series and can they stop themselves from being the Arkham Knight of 2016? Mirror’s Edge Cataclysm, Doom, Deus ex: Mankind Divided, Dark Souls 3, Final Fantasy XV, Nier Automata, and so many more games for acclaimed series are trying to keep the flame going or rekindle the passion of their fanbase yet again. I hope my collection of Nintendo titles grows yet again with some fantastic releases next year, as I have my eye primarily on their new library coming up. Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD, Star Fox Zero, Fire Emblem Fates, and Legend of Zelda Wii U version are just some of the titles that have me excited to call myself a lover of Nintendo and proud owner of their consoles. I just need to reaffirm that since 2015 didn’t have us see too many grand Nintendo titles besides Yoshi’s Woolly World and The Legend of Zelda: Majoras’ Mask 3D remake.

There is so much riding on this year for companies like Square Enix, who may falter if their upcoming games bomb. This is the year or gambles, and I myself think that it makes this upcoming year one of the most exciting in years. Which series will rise above the others, and which will tarnish their reputation? I don’t know! That is the beauty of it, even games like No Man’s Sky, Mighty Number 9, and The Last Guardian have a lot to live up to. The VR circle is getting bigger and we could see something evolutionary happen in the gaming industry. I am a gambling man, in mentality of course, and I love me some big gambles. That is why I expect this year to be one of the best in entertainment for the longest time, or it could be one of the biggest disappointments of the decade. All I know is that for the longest time, I am actually begging this next year to be good.

I am certain, that 2016 will go down in history as the year of the virtual reality. With the rise of the Oculus Rift and Microsoft’s HoloLens, the time when game developers are allowed to let their ideas run wild is almost at hand. We’ve already seen what these devices are capable of I cannot wait to see what the minds of developers like Nintendo and Bethesda can do with these new possibilities. Like the great jump from 2D to 3D, or even the explosion of the online multiplayer craze, things are gonna change and from what I see, for the better. Even if the jump to virtual reality happens slower than I anticipate, 2016 is still going to be a great year with games like The Last Guardian, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, Dark souls III, Doom 2016, and the slew of indie titles announced at E3. There is already so much to look forward too and its only just begun.

Despite mainstream reports of saying how console gaming is at death’s door because of mobile gaming (that fact is true in Japan somewhat), gaming software and hardware has been on the raise, and 2015 had a stellar lineup of games for all fans of any genre. Sadly, it seems that even after the backlash of Assassin’s Creed Unity and Halo: The Master Chief Collection there are still games being released broken to the gaming audience, only this time the publishers are admitting their mistakes. I also discussed the importance of exclusive games on how that should take a big part in what gaming console you own. It looks like 2016 will be that year with first party studios Microsoft and Sony delivering on that with their heavy hitters and new IPs.

As for me, the elephant in the room is of course the NX. Before passing away, Satoru Iwata stated that more about the platform will be revealed at E3 2016. What I hope happens is that they learned their lesson from the Project Café reveal (Wii U), and be broad with the information so the gaming press doesn’t get confused. Will this mean that Nintendo will return to doing an on stage presentation, or will they continue with the pre-taped format? I hope they continue with the “Direct” approach since everybody has grown accustomed to them and they keep the gif creators busy. I also hope that the platform is released in fall of 2017 to give the Wii U the normal five year cycle of previous Nintendo hardware.

I think 2016 has great potential for the growth of the video game industry. Although virtual reality is schedule to arrive in 2016, I don’t see virtual reality becoming a major player for the year of 2016. The recently announced price point of $599 for the Ocolus Rift makes me less certain that this will be a breakthrough year for virtual reality, but possibly in 2017 that change. 2016 will have many more exclusive titles for Playstation 4, Xbox One, and the Nintendo announcement of the NX, which is scheduled to be announced at E3 2016. With the console exclusive games almost surely to draw sales for the actual consoles (possibly even from me), I don’t see much of an opening for virtual reality to be that major breakthrough in 2016. Given that I am predominantly a PC gamer, there weren’t many reasons to make me want to go out and buy a console in 2015, but I expect 2016 to be different.

Although 2015 seemed a bit better than 2014 on the technical side of gaming, there were still issues concerning unplayable games, or games with game breaking or game haulting bugs, particularly on the PC side. In 2016 I would like to see developers and publishers respect the PC release of their games, and would much rather prefer the game be delayed past their console version release, than see a bug riddled PC version on release day.

I think 2016 is a really important year for Nintendo’s existence because very few people (I’m even discouraged) will invest in a Wii U with the NX announcement (and possible release) this year right around the corner. The NX release needs to happen this year in order to make up the lost sales for the Wii U.  I would also like to see Nintendo have a live stage presentation at E3 2016. I admire Nintendo for wanting to do something different with their E3 approach (Treehouse and recorded video), but sometimes you have to just go with the current flow to get to the masses. I thought the public was too harsh on Nintendo for E3 2015 and that they actually had a better 2015 than they are being given credit for, but Nintendo still has a lot to work on when it comes to promoting. Previously, The Legend of Zelda games came out at the very end of that console’s life cycle, and most people expect the new one to be a Wii U game, but I personally think that is a very bad business decision. For Nintendo’s sake, I hope that the new Zelda game is a NX launch title.

As someone who is still a ‘console free agent,’ I’m hoping 2016 is the year that moves me. For specific games, I’m nervous about the quality of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and No Man’s Sky, but highly optimistic about The Last Guardian and Horizon Zero Dawn. Usually the fall contains a lot of anticipated titles (for most people), but oddly enough, January and February contain most of them for me; I am very much looking forward to The Witness, Firewatch, Unravel, Street Fighter V, and whenever Cuphead releases.