New year, new hype (top 10 2016 wishlist)

2016 looks like a beast of a year

So 2016 is definitely here by now. Instead of typing out some new years resolutions that I barely have related to gaming (just get a new laptop. That's kind of it) I have more to say on trying to organize the ridiculous amount of games coming out. Besides, that'll help me sort out laptop savings versus game savings. However there's too much for just the 10's, so lets also branch off a few for a "wait" list instead of simply a wishlist. As usual though this is not a list to be taken too seriously. As the year goes on, things change, and stuff happens, and expectations are also a bit of a bad thing to look to as they can tear us from the reality. This list isn't concrete, things could fall flat, or just not look that interesting as they come close. Meanwhile other things might seem even better over time. However as I see the year now, this is what has my attention.

10) Dying Light: Enhanced edition

I've been meaning to get this game, but its price has stayed higher than I'd want it to be. Scavenging around, flying through the air doing some minor FPS platforming, and the fact that I actually liked Dead Island made me look up to this game fairly positively. However I just didn't really care to get in on it so soon, and with such a generic open world format. Now when I was about to cave in on a $35 ranged deal I found for it, there's suddenly this new storm of info on a total revision. Its not just that it combines the DLC, which I don't feel a huge need for, but rather its the fact that it'll have advanced AI enhancements and completely revamped and improved gameplay right on the disc. No 10GB+ downloads as I'm sure other have to do every time they put the game on their HDD. As bad as that sounds, I'll pay a $40-60 price range for that convenience rather than simply for the combined DLC. Also I'd just like to support a dev that actually does this super edition enhancement stuff for free, as a content update after about a year since the game's launch is rare. That's some good support, while most companies try to make you pay for a brand new game.

9) Starfox Zero

Ugh, this one is a weird one. I can't figure out whether or not I truly want it enough to put down the money. I don't like rail shooters, and similar reflex based arcadey junk, but at the same time Starfox is just one of those games that does its story right in that awkward way that truly grips you. The quality of what it does is high, the story is there but shallow to the point of curiosity, the community surrounding the games and story are awesome (there's an animated series I've been patiently awaiting through last year), and its... well, its starfox. There's just something special about it, but not something special enough to totally erase the stuff I don't like about it. Meanwhile Nintendo's typical bullshit means this game wont dare move to compete for your money, and 2nd hand market wont help out with that either, so it'll be around $60 for the next 8 years or so. To its more positive credit though, the gameplay looks a bit more open, supposedly has been partially developed by Platinum (who are awesome), and.... well, its starfox? Yeah I dunno, this game is one of the shakier ones on the list, but ever since it was announced I couldn't help but think of it on my "to-buy" list moving forward. Its the kind of game I might be happy to pull out and play for an unsual burst of arcadey on-rails shooting fun. If Nintendo really wants to be awesome, they'll help me out deciding with a demo (and hopefully one that you can actually put on your Wii U instead of playing awkwardly at the store).

8) Yooka-laylee

...and I barely know squat about this one. I don't think I need to either. As it edges closer to release I'll give it a better glance, but as of now I know its 1) Made by former people of Rare's team that stands by B&K as one of their golden creations. 2) is a 3D platformer riding hard on the "B&K was awesome, so lets do another" idea. 3) You're reading the blog of somebody who grew up on, treasures, and begs for these kind of games. So... basically the concern comes down to how true to form it is (no jump-less Tinker BS), and if it can truly survive and be good enough based on crowd funding efforts. Outside of that, I can see very little going wrong. This should be a game to look forward to without necessarily sticking my nose too far into information fetching. Wait for it to come out, listen to fans, and if they say its on par with the 3D platformers of old I think I'll have no choice but to give this game so well earned support and welcome an entry into one of my favorite genres that AAA just forgot about.

7)Moon Hunters

I still remember the first time I saw the trailer of this. "Moon hunters coming to PS4 and Vita? What's that? A... myth based RPG?" ...and watched the trailer. The music struck a cord, the visuals were beautiful , the promises of a digital dream concept realized, and the entire thing together just shot an unusually strong sense of energy through me that had me physically feeling a sense of excitement. This was all lining up perfectly at first sight and I wanted to throw money at the screen and have it materialize on my vita right at that second. So why 7 out of 10 on the list? Well... since that time, there's been room for doubt. The team has been wishy washy with some of their original plans, scrapped a couple features (though also added some others to be fair), and haven't sounded the most reassuring on the Vita port (EDIT: But its still confirmed to be in the plans, by around summer. I haven't given up all hope for them to do this). On top of that, the prototype game they said to try which was an influence for their direction was kind of bad to the point of having me analyze the trailer and actually develop worries like how the combat accuracy actually looked horrible at the time (isometric fighting with only 4 straight directional input, it feels awful compared to 360 rotational dexterity). Despite the concerns though, we're still talking about a game that lets you play a mythical hero, develop that hero, fight legendary monsters, save the moon goddess, and is built for small sessions of replayability with stories that add on top of each other. The game has some amazing potential and still seems to be made just for me with a true RPG focus on mythology, folk tales, and adventure.

6) Stories: The path of destinies

...and then came Moon Hunters V2. Okay well the games are quite different, but they both have one very awesome thing in common: It feels like they're checking off my wish list and making a game I'd want to see. A swashbuckling fox rogue up against an empire, a love interest from the enemy side, sacred treasures and curses, a world set in the skies with air ships, and a narrator who tells your fairy-tale type adventures in the many ways you can take it. Oh please, please, please turn out as good as you sound. All 3 of these last places are all indie games that could easily become some of the best games I could ever play if they just do their job as ideal as they sound... which is admittedly unlikely. I'm fairly reasonable and don't expect pure 100% expectation matching, and with the details being as they are its hard to get an accurate feeling for any of these games. However what I do know has my excitement, imagination, and intrigue all fired up and I think I can place these games around the upper parts of this list as a side of cautious optimism... with a lot of great hope tucked away. By the sound of it, this particular game is also releasing early into the year, possibly even next month. So hopefully we'll be seeing if the first of three indie games is a worthy purchase very soon.

5) Rise of the Tomb Raider

Tomb Raider 2013 was pretty awesome if you weren't stupid enough to think it was like an Uncharted game. I never get the comparisons beyond their shallow view of archeology hero 3rd person shooter game. That shallow premise aside, that's all they have in common. I loved how Tomb Raider played out like a 3rd person shooter with a heavier emphasis on exploration and soft puzzle solving. It had an extra element of gravity and character adventure to it that really tapped into something fairly intuitive and fun in me once I got in the right mindset for it. The sequel to the reboot sounds like its doing everything right to be way more than what the already great 2013 entry was set to be. Thanks to the stupid deal with Xbox though the game is doing poorly, and is out of my access. However when it does get here it'll probably be improved, come with the unique sounding DLC, and will of course still be a great adventure game if critics are to be believed. I really look forward to this. It sounds like a safe bet for a great shooter and adventure.

4) Horizon: Zero Dawn

Now for an unsafe bet, but one I still feel really damn good about. When this game first showed its face at E3, I was amazed and loved every single thing about it. The premise, the character, the gameplay, the environment, the fact that the trailer fooled me into thinking it would be CGI trailer crap but instead turned out to be one of the most impressive and re-watchable footages of gameplay in the whole show. It was so good I had to run and get someone else to show it to regardless of their lack of PS4 just to ask them if they thought it was just as ridiculously good. It was so good that I can't possibly see or let Sony live down the idiotic idea to get these concepts focus group tested. Oh, and uh, this is an open world adventure RPG game developed by the same guys that make my favorite FPS franchise, so that's also kind of a big deal. In the end that E3 trailer was enough to bottle up my hype, and with Guerrilla's reputation I'm almost certain to buy this game. I expect flaws in this new IP and new genre for Guerrilla, I expect some harsh critics that dare to give it a dreaded 7 (yeah, number scores still suck), and I expect to not care as I take a chance on this amazingly ambitious game and tear its scrap apart gawking at every positive detail that may lie under it. I really think they have something special, and contrary to Killzone hype I may just stay in the dark and let this nice little thing be a surprise. I don't think I can see myself backing down from this one, its just got so much ambition and my own personal trust in it. I'm hoping it ends up well

3) Doom (4)

DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM to the rest of FPS, because Doom is coming out and looks amazing! Well, okay, I've got to be honest and say there are some concerns. Something about the trailer just didn't... gel right about the asthetics. I think it was the health pick-ups spilling out of bodies like popcorn and sucking into your system like tiny little digital cubes. That weird disconnect aside, this game seems spectacular. Timesplitter style map making, amazing multiplayer, old-school FPS gameplay, and a promising action packed campaign. This should be a safe bet for content packed FPS this year, and is a game I am certainly hyped for.

2) Dishonored 2

Oh Bethesda, few could land two spots in a row this close to each other on excitement, but you could pull it off. You've got great open world games yourself, and in the mean time also hold in some of the best single player linear developers in the industry. Well played, you still have my attention and my urge to throw money at you in return for your hopefully consistent high quality entertainment. Oh and as for specifically discussing Dishonored 2? Why would I do that when you can go look at it yourself. Go on... look it up, read the interviews, watch the CG trailer that manages to still impress, and then go play Dishonored 1 again. That's all it takes. Dishonored is such a great game, and does so much right. If you asked me what game represents what angle I come from and appreciate in known gaming, I would instantly point you to it.

Treasure, sneaking, open linear level design that is full of surprises and deep replay value, fascinating eccentric characters that just ooze style, dark mystic tones mixed with the right amount of silly cheesiness, spying on people and snooping through letters, environmental story telling, that "just one more try, I got this!" hook in trial and error, so many gadgets to play with, a revenge story that has dynamic endings with different character reactions, subtle side-objectives that influence the world, FPS platforming, physics manipulation, and melee combat. Pretty much everything interactive and tone based that I've ever loved in gaming is found right here, in this amazing stealth action game set in a naval steampunk English world where you play as an assassin out for revenge. Now imagine a sequel that is doing all of that AND more. By more I mean a brand new character to choose, more complex leveling system, and entire new set of powers as chosen by the character, and of course its on more advanced technology (duh). Oh, and the fact that one of those two characters is a matured Emily, the little girl you rescued and presumably raised from last game, blew my mind and sets a perfect premise for a sequel and gives you a potentially amazing character to build off of. There's still so many details left untouched, gameplay yet to be seen, and yet if they announced a CE of this tomorrow it would be painful for me to resist it. I am thrilled for this game, and I can't imagine it not delivering.

1) Ratchet & Clank

You knew this was coming if you pay attention to this humble little blog. You knew this would be here, you knew I would make a big deal of it, and you know this doesn't even have to try hard to be my GOTY. It just has to show up, does what it does best, and be great. Its Ratchet and Clank, one of my favorite franchises ever, one of the only 3D platformers left on the market (even if its not a pure one), and its last two true adventure releases (crack in time/Nexus) were nothing short of spectacular. This game is a remake of its low point start in the series, ties the story in better with furture games, introduces early Dr.Nefarious (AKA: Best video game villain ever), and has a movie to go alongside it. Oh and its built for the PS4 and looks almost exactly like you're playing a Pixar film based on what I've seen. Oh, and its coming out with a movie that actually looks good and has been partially written by the game's writer. Oh and its only $40. Oh and its.... going to suck hours of my life away as I play through it again, and again, and again, occasionally stopping to play with extras, revisiting my favorite cut-scenes, and digging around that last planet for just that extra bolt so I can unlock that cool looking alien skin on my hard mode NG+ playthrough. That is of course, if it all turns out to be good, but I really have little doubt. Maybe I could be concerned with it being the remake of the weakest link, and thus it may not have say... arena battles? But that's still not enough to dampen my optimism for this game.

At this point I'm fully on board with hyping this game. There isn't a month that passes by without me remembering to check the news, scan the internet for new stuff related to it, and just retrack through some fond old memories, wallpapers, and fan commentary on thinking back to just how grateful I am for the better parts of this franchise. This franchise is like the definition of fun incarnated into an image of a cartoony looking cat with an oversized space laser gun, and that's what you get to spend 10-15 hours playing as (and that's just one round of it, you've got to play it again on NG+ to truly beat it). To say I'm excited for this and disappointed with the rest of the net for downplaying it (even PlayStation focused sites outright forgetting it) is an understatement. Most people just see this game as existing, if they even know that much about it. To me though, this is that special game that truly clicks with me and ignites a sheer joy that comes from a long lasting franchise that goes way back, and fills me with that "this is why I game!" levels of excitement. This game just needs to show up, be itself with all the formulaic valuables a fan could want, and introduce a couple minor tweaks and new story bits. Do that, and it could easily be one of the best smiles you can get from a disc that I have all year. In the mean time... well, I still play Crack in Time annually and find myself still feeling like its one of the best games and 3D platformers ever made. Up Your Arsenal and Deadlocked are very close beside it. Looking at this game, its the next actual full length Ratchet & Clank adventure since early 2009, and we more than deserve this to be a good one that releases this year after that kind of wait and after putting up with some bullshit spin-offs that just didn't work. This is by far, my most anticipated game of this year and something I have a locked $40 saved up for. I'm also planning, similar to wolfenstein, a few well themed articles leading up to its release.

Just... look at it!

Now what about those other games that couldn't make the list, but still have me anxiously waiting the 2016 results for? What other incredible games are coming out this year that have my attention, despite being well out of likely budget range for their immediate release? Well...

Wait-list...

• Uncharted 4 - Yeah I know, PS fanboys would love to hang me for putting R&C on the #1 spot and not having this on the entire top 10 list (or worse, TR, which idiots think is a poor clone of Uncharted). However fact is, I'm just not that uber hyped. Maybe that will change, but as I see it I can really wait here and rent it instead.
• Rime- If this comes out this year, I'll probably have to kick something else off of this list. Rime just looks like my idea of an Ico game done right (I'll uh... explain that again soon). However I don't think I've heard from this game for a while, to the point where I forgot about it while already starting on my top 10 list. Maybe... it really isn't top 10 material? I dunno, I want to see some more from it, but I've got hopes and a wish to grab this game when it comes out, but I've got a decent amount of caution as well warning me that perhaps... it is just another Ico type of game done like an ico-ish game.
• Tekken 7 - Love Tekken as far as fighters go, but its still a stupidly simple and restricted game where its basically about two guys punching each other until health is out. I cannot possibly see how this genre gets by on $60 launches, but whatever. I'll wait it down.
• Zelda Wii U - Yeah I'm excited to see what this supposedly hyped up "open world-ish sorta" Zelda is all about. Show me something cool, free up the mundane formula, and you may have me on board with this.
• Warriors stuff - Look there's just going to be a lot of warrior stuff as usual, and now that I actually care this stuff is on my watch list. However I have plenty to enjoy right now, plenty coming up this year, so there's really no rush for even one of these.
• Warhammer Vermintide - Awesome rat creatures swarming over gothic medieval towns, great melee combat, and bots... sounds like my kind of game, and the PS4 version releases soon. However the multiplayer focus has me questioning its buy-ability out of the gate in such a big year.
• Far Cry Primal - Heck yeah! Love far cry, love weird themes like this, and love melee combat. Well.... good melee combat, which may not exactly be present here. This... this looks, um.... yeah, I might wait and see I'm kind of scratching my head on this one.
• No Man's Sky - Nice premise, but it seems like it could easily be shallow and forgettable. I'm just not on the hype train for this, but I've got a close eye because I really do want a good relaxing yet adventurous space game, and it may deliver on that. ...that is, assuming its supposed to happen this year.
• Dreams - What the-!? How the... what is this thing!? It sounds amazing, but I just have a natural skepticism that it'll work so easily. I hope it turns out great though, and if it does then it'll instantly get me attention. Until then, its just loosely on my radar.
• Dark Souls 3 - Love the souls series, but I have yet to finish a single one, and Dark Souls 3 just... hasn't done anything to get me beyond a blissfully ignorant shrug. I believe it could be awesome if not spectacular, but right now all I feel is that I don't need it and there's way too many other interesting things coming out. I think I see myself waiting on a GOTY edition for this one.
• Mirror's Edge: Faith- A very weird and hard to explain choice, but this game does look... curious. I'd like to hope it recaptures or even perfects what made the old one good by its cult fanbase's standards, while also doing something interesting with its new approach. I think it could be a good game, but... as much as I hate to say it (and I know it'll upset the fanbase that knows EA has ridiculous standards and are ready to can the franchise), but I just can't see myself paying $60 for it. I'd love to rent it, wait for it at $40 or less, and it may just be something shockingly good. Lets hope for that. Meanwhile I have a friend who has it under a microscope analyzing it for everything it does right and wrong from the original. Since he's a super fan, I hope he's happy with it as well, but he's definitely got different expectations than me.
• The Last Guardian- Look, I really don't think this one is for me. Linear design, push puzzle = do thing, and then "Feel stuff" moments. There's better things out there that do this for far less the price. I'm really not a fan of Team Ico's stuff. I can see the appeal, kind of, but I can't say I'd put down big money for any of it. Despite all that though I always watch onto their stuff with curiosity, and in the long run I don't think I'll rule this title out for the right sale.
• Firewatch - Son of a- I was nearly done with this article when I remembered just how amazing this game appeared to be. There's just way too much to keep up with honestly. So this game puts you in the weird yet intriguing situation of being a forest ranger. The premise then takes off to do just about everything it can to wrap you up in drama, suspense, and mystery. Along the way there's a lot of dynamic chatter and some silly looking physics fun, so it looks like a great experience-based sort of game to enjoy. May certainly look into it. 

So yeah, with this many upcoming releases, 2016 looks to be a ridiculous year full of interesting stuff. Lets hope most of the desired experiences deliver. Just be cautious even when optimistic. Anything can fail, including even my super-hyped R&C release that should be easy to get right. Be careful, look into mechanics and not pure emotions to spot the bad ones, but also be ready to have some fun. Whatever you're hyped up for, I hope it ends up doing well.

Look to the stars, wish upon them, but don't try and fly into the sun.