Best Games 2016: Deus Ex, Gears of War 4 and more
Best Games 2016: Deus Ex, Gears of War 4 and more
This is shaping up to be an intriguing year for gaming. A series of strong sequels from some of the biggest franchises in the business are on the way, but more importantly, new hardware is set to go on sale, too, bringing virtual reality into our living rooms and potentially new consoles as well.
Here's a rundown of what the critics think will make gamers tick in 2016:
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
What will surely be one of the biggest releases this year is out now, to near universal critical acclaim.
Uncharted 4 – the final instalment in the Uncharted series – is set several years after the last game, and sees protagonist Nathan Drake retired from treasure hunting. The unexpected reappearance of his previously presumed dead brother Sam sparks Drake back to life and sends him in search of Libertalia – a long lost pirate colony.
Critics are impressed to say the least. Gamespot gives the title 10/10, saying that the single player journey is "remarkable" and that it's a game many will talk about "for years to come".
Release date: Out now
Gears of War 4
The Gears of War series has slowly but surely become a bastion of Microsoft's video gaming offerings. Gears 4 looks set to deliver on its promises by the bucket load - the trademark close-quarters combat, along with the next generation of horsepower provided by the Xbox One and the Unreal 4 engine, stand to make this a best-selling title of 2016. Despite being the first in the series to be developed by The Coalition, "fans shouldn't fear for the series being placed in new hands; The Coalition includes studio manager Rod Fergusson, who helped create the original title at the series' previous developer, Epic Games", Gamespresso says.
Release date: 11 October
Quantum Break
At the forefront of Xbox One's aspirations to merge media platforms, Quantum Break bundles together a time-warping sci-fi shooter and a live-action television series, with a cast pulled from The Lord of the Rings and X-Men films. With the use of time-hopping, Quantum Break offers a DIY element to the show's storylines, with player choices in the game affecting the corresponding episodes. A brilliantly ambitious project, "if it works well, it could revolutionise interactive storytelling", says The Guardian's Matt Kamen.
Release date: Out now
Doom
It's the return of the most famous and, perhaps, still greatest first-person shooter game of all time. In this reboot of the classic series, Doom will have "badass demons, big effing guns, and moving really fast" as key principles, according to one of the game's makers, Marty Stratton. Despite some criticisms of being too violent, the trailer has whetted the appetites of many for the custom maps and massive multiplayer elements it promises.
Release date: Out Now
XCOM 2
It's a testament to 2012's XCOM: Enemy Unknown that four years on, it's still one of the finest modern strategy games, says The Guardian's Matt Kamen. This long-awaited sequel turns the previous game on its head and puts you in charge of guerrilla human forces that have been crushed by the increasingly dominant aliens. Firaxis Games's Greg Foertsch told GamesRadar it is all about hit-and-run tactics. "Your enemies outnumber you, are better armed, and have the home field advantage, so you need to hit 'em fast and get the hell out before backup arrives," says the site.
Release date: Out now
Final Fantasy XV
When Final Fantasy XV arrives, it will have officially been in development for ten years. Despite name changes, platform shifts and a brand new director taking over, it's actually looking like it might have been worth the wait. Fans of the previous games will be in for a shock, though, as it is a major departure from previous versions, providing a darker atmosphere that focuses on more realistic human characters than before. The new unconventional battle mode will "split the opinion of the traditional fans of the series, but will appeal to lovers of action games", says DualShockers, and it's still likely to sell a huge number of copies.
Release date: 30 September
The Witness
The Witness is likely to be one of the smartest titles released in 2016 and is a must for players who love games which are puzzling, abstract and filled with Eureka moments. Players take up the role of an anonymous and unseen protagonist exploring an abandoned island split into several small but highly different regions.
There's virtually no instruction whatsoever from the start – a core element of how the game plays out. Scattered around the island are hundreds of panels, all of which are prompts for line puzzles that start off simple but become devilish. There's a range of mechanics to learn – some are logic based conundrums where the rule requires working out, others are far more abstract and feed into the wider environment. The Telegraph says that "deciphering the island's secrets is like learning a language", adding that it's a game which delivers seriously satisfying moments "just from correctly drawing a line on a grid". It's available on the PS4 via the PlayStation store, as well as on PC.
Release date: Out now
Dark Souls 3
The third Dark Souls game – and the fourth in the Souls series – is set in the Kingdom of Lothric and lulls you into a false sense of security from the start, says the Daily Telegraph. Players take on the role of undead warrior The Ashen One, who is tasked with averting the apocalypse by defeating a series of bosses.
Reviewers have praised the design, combat, storytelling, difficulty and setting, with Stuff calling it "brutally enthralling".
Release date: Out now
No Man's Sky
No Man's Sky is a new space exploration and survival game where players can explore an entire galaxy of 18 quintillion planets, many of them with their own forms of life – and many of them hostile. The game is procedurally generated – meaning algorithms hold the key to generating the vast galaxy but all the players will find the same planets, plants and lifeforms, so the universe is completely shared. Gamers can upload new discoveries, collect resources and trade to upgrade their ships in a journey to the centre of the galaxy, or straight down a black hole. According to Game Rant, visiting every planet for just one second would take five billion years. Our sun is due to burn out in 4.6 billion…
Release date: 10 August
Gran Turismo Sport
Fans will be waiting for Gran Turismo 7 a little longer as the next instalment in the legendary series isn't a major flagship title but a standalone entry.
It's set to be the first Gran Turismo release on the PlayStation 4 and already has formidable competition in the form of Project CARS and Asetto Corsa, recently released titles which have been received well by fans of the genre.
Even better graphics and a more realistic physics model are a given, but what players really want are big improvements in the audio department. Gran Turismo has a guilty past of neglecting how cars sound – critics often make scathing comparisons to vacuum cleaners - and GT Sport needs to make big advances in this area in order to feel like a complete package, says Alphr. Race modes will range from casual, arcade-style pick-up-and-go racing to full-blown FIA-sanctioned competition.
Release: TBA
Battlefield 1
Dice has revealed the trailer for its next Battlefield instalment, taking the game to a First World War setting and moving away from the futuristic warzones most first-person shooters favour.
Players will make use of the era's weaponry and tactics in a game featuring a single-player campaign mode alongside the 64-player grand scale combat multiplayer mode that keeps fans of the series coming back for more. With old-school weaponry and equipment come new challenges – waging trench warfare solo is said to be significantly more difficult than doing it as a member of a squad.
Critics have been quick to compare the game with its most-known rival, Call of Duty, and have praised the developers for their bold choice of setting. Forbes notes that while Battlefield has impressed both visually and conceptually, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, has, "to put it lightly", been received very poorly by fans and critics alike.
Release: 21 October
Mafia III
The third update in the 2K's successful Mafia franchise won't be out until 7 October, but there is already considerable interest in the game, not least of all due to the subject matter. The plot tackles racial tension in late 1960s America and the struggles of a war veteran returning from Vietnam.
In Mafia III, you play as Lincoln Clay, a man of mixed parentage who grew up an orphan and went on to fight in Vietnam before returning to a New Orleans in turmoil.
The game depicts "the racism and prejudice against black people that was present in the deep south in 1968," says Cnet. So how sensitively will this be handled?
"It's far too early to tell if the topic of race will be handled with care rather than flaunted for the sake of controversy," says Mafia III.
Mafia III certainly looks impressive, although some critics are concerned that a first-person shooter may not be best forum for a complex exploration of race relations.
"Given the option to explore the nuanced problems facing black communities in the 1960s or diving deep into the mechanics of shootouts, I know which one I would choose," Gamespot says.
Release: 7 October
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Mankind Divided was due out earlier this year, but the huge expectations surrounding the game saw the original release date of February being pushed back to allow developer Square Enix as much time as possible to perfect it.
It's set in 2029, two years after the last game, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and is a dystopian, cyber-punk vision of the future. Players control protagonist Adam Jensen, a former private security officer now working with Interpol against terrorists. The game combines elements of first-person shooters with third-person role plays and will be available on PS4, Xbox One and PC.
Release: 23 August
Games not coming in 2016
Nintendo Wii U owners could be disappointed with news that the next instalment in the Zelda series is set to be delayed until March 2017.
According to Forbes, the new title is coming alongside the release of Nintendo's next console, the Nintendo NX, and will launch across both the new and current Wii U platforms. Fans will learn quite a lot about the game this summer, though, as Nintendo has pledged to make it the focus of its E3 Expo plans. Fans will be waiting for Gran Turismo 7 a little longer.
New hardware in 2016
PlayStation gamers have plenty to look forward to this year, with the release of the PlayStation VR virtual reality headset and a whole host of titles and experiences tailored for it, as well as VR modes built in to upcoming games.
It launches on 13 October with a price tag of £349, although you'll need a PlayStation Eye camera, too, which is another £39. A pair of PlayStation Move controllers could be a wise investment as well if you plan to adopt PlayStation's virtual reality platform. With more than 40 million PS4s sold since its introduction in 2013, the PS VR will likely prove the most popular way into high quality virtual reality, away from the more expensive and PC-based headsets such as the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.
That's not all, though. Sony has also confirmed it is planning to release a new PlayStation console. Currently codenamed the Neo, it is a step upgrade from the PS4, with 4K playback and gaming alongside an even better VR experience. It will be compatible with the current PS4 and play the same games on the same network, just in a special Neo 4K mode. It's thought it could launch this Christmas.
Microsoft is planning a similar move – the company has confirmed it is also introducing a refreshed, 4K version of its Xbox One with VR capabilities, but it won't arrive until late next year.
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