2017: A Taste of Things to Come – Part Two

So yesterday we talked a little bit about how Bethesda has been getting their hands on older franchises and rebooting them. Well, another one of those reboots, or in this case, a “re-imagining”, that we can look forward to this year is Prey, which should be out by the first or second quarter of this year for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. The original Prey was enjoyed some success back in 2006, and it was supposed to get a sequel, but that project ended up dying in development hell. The new title is being developed by Arkane Studios, the same folks behind the Dishonored series. A first-person shooter with a heavy emphasis on narrative, the new game takes place in the 2030s, in an alternate timeline where President Kennedy survived the assassination attempt in 1963, and the US space program was even more heavily funded, leading to conflict with aliens, because of course. The game looks amazing – a huge space station to explore, with a wide variety of interior architectural styles. Gameplay is supposed to borrow some elements from Dishonored, but without the focus on stealth, and a more RPG-like character development system. Best of all? The trailer seems to indicate some sort of Groundhog Day-like time loop, which could make for a very intriguing premise indeed.
 

Speaking of long development times, it looks like we'll finally get to see the next installment in BioWare’s Mass Effect series this year, after it was officially announced way back in 2012 and then slated for release in 2016. Mass Effect: Andromeda, coming to PC, Xbox One, and PS4, is an entirely new story taking place 600 years after the events of Mass Effect 3, in a different galaxy even. The new environment will be a much more expanded, much more open world than in previous installments, and with a much more fluid class system. Andromeda will use the Frostbite 3 engine, the same one used in EA’s recent sports and action games, including Star Wars Battlefront. Oh, and don’t worry – you can rest assured that BioWare has included the ability to form romantic partnerships with all kinds of alien creatures.
 

Another major game that we didn’t get to see in 2016 was Destiny 2, which is now set to release this year. Bungie’s Destiny was supposed to be their next Halo, and while the game did bring in a lot of cash (over $500 million on the first day at retail, for instance) and has earned itself a dedicated fanbase, it failed to make the same kind of epoch-defining impact that Halo: Combat Evolved did 13 years before. The game as originally launched was criticized as lacking in story, and too heavily focused on loot farming. It also launched with lots of bugs. But Bungie’s had a lot of time to learn, and the expansions and updates to Destiny have been well received. On top of that, they seem to know about their problems in the lore department, which is probably why they’ve hired the lead writer from Halo 4, which added a lot of story depth to that series, and Mass Effect: Andromeda. Aside from that, few details are known about Destiny 2 at this point, but the odds are pretty good it will be one of this year’s top-selling games.

Nioh is yet another big game being delayed until 2017, but at least it has a set release date: February 7th in the US and February 8th in PAL regions. This PS4-exclusive title is being published by Sony outside of Japan (Koei-Tecmo’s got it there), and developed by Team Ninja, the studio behind Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive. Set in Japan during a fictionalized version of the Sengoku period c. 1600, Nioh is an ARPG featuring what has been called Dark Souls-like gameplay in a samurai setting. And actually, if you’ve read the novel Shogun, the storyline will be somewhat familiar – except this game has it’s fair share of supernatural elements. Enemies often come in the form of yokai – essentially demons of Japanese folklore, and the ones in the game are based on real mythological characters. Two demo versions of the game were released last year, and if the full game is anything like the demos, this game might be one of the best things to come out of Japan this year.

One of the biggest announcements of the past year was the sequel to Rockstar’s 2010 open-world western-themed action game Red Dead Redemption, which has built up a serious fanbase due to its engaging gameplay, memorable characters, gorgeous settings, complex morality system and excellent, deep storyline. Set to release in the fall for PS4 and Xbox One, we can expect Red Dead Redemption 2 will hopefully follow in the footsteps of its predecessor (and honestly, 2004’s Red Dead Revolver was a damn good game, too), and it is very likely that the studio that brought us Grand Theft Auto V will be putting as much love and detail into this project as everything else they’ve been doing lately.

Another PlayStation-exclusive franchise getting a “soft” reboot this year is God of War, developed by Sony’s Santa Monica studio. The game brings back Kratos, but in his latter years, serving as mentor to his son. He also has a thick beard. Announced at E3, the new God of War also moves the setting into Norse mythology, seeing as Kratos sort of wrecked the whole Greek pantheon and all. And that’s not all that’s new – the gameplay has been completely overhauled, for a very different experience compared to other games in the series. The camera angle, while still third-person, is freely moveable here, and the game will also feature more RPG elements, including crafting (who doesn’t nowadays, honestly?). This is shaping up to be a good year for reboots of old favorites, it seems.

While the launch of Nintendo’s newest console, the Nintendo Switch, is a big deal in and of itself, the best part about it is probably the fact that we’ll be seeing new installments in some of the most beloved and iconic franchises since the 1980s. And while it does look like a certain Italian plumber will be making his console debut, little information has been released on that so far. But Nintendo’s other poster boy Link will be launching a new game on the new console as well as the Wii U – The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will be the 19th main installment in the series, finally seeing light after being delayed for almost two years. Breath of the Wild really looks like it’s set to, ahem, breathe new life into the franchise, as well as serve as a bold point of departure – the new game will feature a wide-open world (said to be approximately 12 times larger than the one in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess) where dungeons can be played in any order, an advanced physics engine, a wide variety of weapons with multiple uses (that also degrade with use), and a Link who can jump and climb just about any surface. And since this is Nintendo and it’s 2017, you can bet the farm that this game will be compatible with Amiibo figures – in this case, the most iconic being the Wolf Link Amiibo.

Well, that about sums it up for the games at the top of the list for us in 2017. Of course, there are others – the 2D platformer Cuphead, with a look and feel based on 1930s cartoons, of all things, looks promising, or at least interesting, and the strategy-RPG hybrid Iron Harvest will introduce us to an alternate early 20th century where powerful walking machines rules the earth. We’re looking forward to playing and reviewing as many of these games for our readers as we can, and we wish you all a Happy New Year!