Rocket Chainsaw’s Most Anticipated Games of 2016

January 1, 2016

The New Year is here, and with a new year comes another slate of massive titles to be released! With so many titles being released, including a number that were meant to come out in 2015, there’s a lot of excitement being bandied about. Even by Jarrod, the professed hater of games. We here at Rocket Chainsaw decided to take some time and let you know what we consider to be out most anticipated titles of 2016. We’d love to hear from all of you what you want the most this year, so read on and then let us know!

 

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Zach

The Legend of Zelda (Wii U)

Zelda games never fail to fill me with this special sense of whimsy and adventure that few other games manage to achieve. Sure, there are definitely some nostalgia goggles clouding my vision but that doesn’t change the fact that every home console Zelda game has managed to impress me and been a highlight, if not the biggest highlight of the year they released. Will it be as revolutionary or iconic as some of its predecessors? Probably not. Will it be the most favourably reviewed and popular game in 2016? Potentially, but honestly, I doubt it. Will it be one of my personal favourite games by the end of 2016. Almost certainly.

 

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Jarrod

Nier 2

I’m not convinced it’ll match the surprise of the original, but Yoko Taro’s authentic quirkiness combined with Platinum’s masterful design is a borderline dream team combination that’s bound to result in at least something distinct and memorable. It’s a game that probably shouldn’t exist, and honestly doesn’t need to. But here we are. If I could be convinced that Mass Effect 4 will indeed come out in 2016 you could maybe put that here instead, but for now Yoko Taro’s inevitably bizarre action adventure takes the crown.

 

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Adam

Final Fantasy XV

After the tragic misstep that was the FFXIII trilogy, it’s great we can finally move on. It’s been five years since we were in an FFXIII-less world, and people forget that Final Fantasy was a well-respected franchise back then. Before 2010, the last major entries were the fantastic FFXII, the quirky but solid FFX and the great PlayStation trilogy FFVII-FFIX. The re-release of FFXIV as A Realm Reborn was well received, and the first demo of FFXV was promising. Maybe, just maybe, Square-Enix can move past the nonsensical storylines, boring characters and weird mechanics of the last decade of FFXIII and pull the series back into an RPG fans are actually excited for.

 

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Joseph

Hitman

After the mixed reception of Hitman Absolution, IO Interactive appear to be returning to the series’ popular open sand-box environments and making the experience less liner. I’m looking forward to once again having the freedom to discover a route to my target and choosing an assassination method. I’m not convinced the “Intro pack” release model is the correct way to market the game, but I’m confident the final product will be a return to form for Agent 47.

 

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Anthony

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

Naughty Dog’s standout Uncharted series is set to reach its epic conclusion in the fourth and final chapter, A Thief’s End. Also making its debut on PS4, the team behind The Last of Us – Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley – are returning to craft Nathan Drake’s final outing. Expectations are understandably high for the title, but from all the media we’ve viewed so far, Naughty Dog are again aiming to deliver a title full of non-stop action, platforming and hair-raising set pieces. Uncharted’s trademark characters and humour are also set to return, with Nathan joined by his usual cohort of Sully and Elena, as well as newcomer Sam Drake – Nathan’s long-lost brother. The duo set out to discover another long-lost treasure, with a plethora of goons and their own malevolent plans in hot pursuit. With countless years and hours invested in experiencing the adventures of Nathan Drake, Naughty Dog’s final chapter of the Uncharted series is the treasure of 2016’s gaming lineup.

 

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Tim

Mirror’s Edge Catalyst

The first Mirror’s Edge was my favourite game of the last generation, not so much because of what it was, but because of what it tried to be. It had this beautiful, clean aesthetic that very cleverly conveyed a sense of dystopia without looking like one. Not to mention its fantastic soundtrack by ambient master Solar Fields. When Catalyst was announced, I was cautiously optimistic at first, knowing how easy it can be for such a brilliant idea to be saddled with mediocrity, but the more information that comes out about Catalyst, the more excited I get. DICE seem fully aware of the issues the original game had, and I’m willing to trust them to produce a Mirror’s Edge game that lives up to what the first game clearly wanted to be.

 

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Horizon: Zero Dawn

Like a lot of children, I absolutely loved dinosaurs and robots when I was younger, and obviously that means I adored the Dinobots. So when I saw some leaked concept art for a game with robotic dinosaur enemies, I was definitely more than a little interested. I get to fight robots that are modelled off animals and dinosaurs? Yes, please! Then, when the gameplay reveal was shown at E3, I was hooked. The post-post-apocalyptic world, with a tribal setting and colourful landscapes looked absolutely gorgeous. The third person viewpoint and gameplay looks to be right up my alley, and the RPG-systems below the surface just continue to sweeten the deal for me. Having a female protagonist, Alloy, also makes me happy as it’s still something that many publishers push back against. Only time will tell just how good Horizon: Zero Dawn will be, but it’s definitely my most anticipated title of 2016. However, if it wasn’t for the shitshow that was Crackdown 2, this might have been a different story.