Now that the festive season is over, it’s time to reflect…Reflect on how much we ate and drunk…Reflect on events and things in the news…And most importantly, reflect on what’s coming out in 2017!
With 2016 being a rather…Alright year for gaming (*COUGH* No Mans’ Sky!! *COUGH*), 2017 is shaping up to be one hell of a year for our beloved systems – So here’s a list of what I deem as the Top 10 Upcoming Games of 2017!
10) Gravity Rush 2 (Jan 20th)
When I first got a PSVita for Christmas a few years back, I saw that December’s Playstation Plus games for December included Gravity Rush – I decided, “Sod it, why not?!”; what ensued was a wonderful experience full of style, addicting combat, interesting gameplay and endearing environments…However, the game was held back by awkward controls, and the PSVita’s limited screen.
After seeing the Gravity Rush 2 Demo, I have to say that the leap to PS4, and to bigger screens, is certainly one that is set to renovate Gravity Rush as a whole; the game now looks and seems a hell of a lot less clunky, dizzying and awkward, and now looks like it has a sense of direction, purpose, and ground (Ironic since you’ll spend half the game off the bloody floor!). I have to say that, whilst Gravity Rush 1 had it’s desperate flaws, Gravity Rush 2 sets out to innovate, and secure the franchise into Sony’s history as a classic.
9) Resident Evil 7 (Jan 24th)
Hoo-boy January is gonna be a busy month for me…As you’ve probably seen all over the internet, Resi 7 is set to bring good old Resident Evil to it’s slightly corny horror roots, taking away the run’n’gun, Micheal Bay-inspired turn that Resident 5 & 6 took, and instead shoving gore, horror and darkness into our very faces. Having been terrified by the extensive demo, Resident Evil 7, similarly to Gravity Rush 2, seems to look to correct the wrongs of the franchise, and to breathe life into this IP.
8) Horizon Zero Dawn (Mar 1st)
Now, now, I can hear you all cry “Joe?! How bloody dare you put this gem this low!?!”…
…I know, I know, I want to believe the hype too. However, after being severely bummed out by No Mans’ Sky (I even bought the Collectors’ Edition for God’s sake!!), I now have became wary of hyped, upcoming releases; my fears are that, despite the unique look and take Horizon Zero Dawn seems to bring, it’ll just be another Ubisoft “Tower Secure” game. Now, I’m sure that’s incorrect, however I am keeping my eyes extremely fixated on Horizon Zero Dawn. I want to be hyped, and I want to dive in and pre-order…But I need to see it properly first.
7) Crash Bandicoot: N Sane Trilogy (2017)
Oh be still my beating heart – Words cannot describe how happy I was to see my little orange Bandicoot back on a Playstation system (Other than the titles post-Wrath of Cortex) finally once more, and to see new remasters of the original three titles sung nothing but swallow chirps in my heart…
…Nostalgia-boner over, the Crash Bandicoot Trilogy seems to aim to not only bring the wonder and fun of Crash to a new generation, but to test the waters once more, to see if interest is still there for more traditional Crash games. Personally, I’m wary of the success, but with a supposed feature list mimicking the Halo Anniversary titles (Old & New graphics toggleable), I can’t say I’m not excited to see that tangerine tornado blast back onto my screen once more.
…And I swear if they put the old PS1 intro as the bootup screen, I might just cry.
6) Prey (Spring 2017)
Now, I played the original Prey back on the Xbox 360 when it first launched, and my unhold Christ did I hate the socks off of it – Uninteresting gameplay, a nonsensical plot about Native American spirit animals fighting against aliens?! No thank you. Not to mention that the multiplayer was supremely outclassed for the time…
…However, to see Prey revived once more, and not only resurrected, but transplanted into an entirely new IP (In my eyes), is something you don’t see every day; from the old gameplay to the psychological effects events have on our protagonist, I have to admit that it has piqued my interest, and has me curious to see what comes out of this…
5) For Honor (Feb 14th)
As with Resident Evil 7, For Honor has been a popular game of choice for YouTubers and gamers alike to take a look into medieval warfare at its’ finest, with an extensive beta phase just ended, I have to admit that For Honor looks to be the next big thing to take over my gaming life. With me being hooked on watching battle videos from people like TearsOfGrace, I honestly cannot wait to step foot on the battlefield, claim some heads, and slice some infantry.
4) The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Mar TBC)
Here we go. The big ones. With the Nintendo Switch coming out some time next March, TLOZ: Breath of the Wild looks to be a launch title for the system, showing off the extensiveness of the Switch. Now, I’m not here to harp about the Switch, but instead about Breath of the Wild – Adopting a new open-world format, where players can supposedly “Walk straight to the last boss” from the opening cinematic, it’s interesting to see this big of a change to what was a traditionally rather linear game – Speedrunners will revel in the tricks you can seem to pull off, and enjoy seeing how optimised runs can be; it seems to be the one Zelda game to sort the men from the children, and I couldn’t be more excited.
3) Yooka-Laylee (Apr 11th)
Coming from the depths of Kickstarter (Which, in 2016, has seemed to be a rather…Unreliable platform for games), Yooka-Laylee again seems to carry over the theme of 2017 – Innovation. Revamping the traditional Banjo-Kazooie gameplay, adding a dash of next-gen to it, and improving nearly every aspect of it, Yooka-Laylee looks to be a love letter to traditional 3D Platformer junkies such as me. With charming characters, beautiful graphics, nostalgic worlds and designs, and nothing but pure Platforming gameplay, Yooka-Laylee couldn’t come at a better time, where we live in an industry nearly void of Triple-A Platformers.
2) Persona 5 (Apr 4th)
First off, WHY DID YOU GET DELAYED.
Second off, Persona 5 is the next numbered entry in the legendary Shin Megami Tensei: Persona franchise, which hasn’t seen a new numbered release since Persona 4 in 2008 – Persona 5 takes the core elements of nearly every modern SMT game, chucks red, white and black paint on it, drenches it in style and ‘puhsazzh’, and ramps things up to 11 – Gameplay is streamlined from previous iterations, Personas are gained from interrogating enemies, Fusion and Skill Retainment is easier than ever, the characters are some of the most human we’ve ever seen, and the story takes dark turns and twists in a similar way to Persona 2 and 3.
Gone is the happy-go-lucky nature of Persona 4, and so returns the bleak, dark settings that made Persona originally; all of the game looks to deliver, based on Japanese reviews, with newcomers and long term fans alike absolutely loving the socks off of this entry, and have basically already deemed it’s place in Atlus’ legendary collection of IPs.
1) Red Dead Redemption 2 (Autumn 2017)
The final entry in my list, and the one game I’m most looking forward to in 2017 – Red Dead Redemption 2. As a self-confessed addict of Red Dead Redemption back on the previous gen consoles, I couldn’t be happier to roam around the Wild, Wild West once more, popping the heads off of bandits, muggers and criminals, hunting in the dense forestry of the American wilderness, and finding my way on the various provinces of the USA.
I’m so excited, infact, that I’m doing what I’ve only ever done for Persona 5. Going in blind. Words simply cannot explain my anticipation of the next entry in the Red Dead franchise.
That’s all folks! So, if you have a Top 10 list of your own, let us know down below, and if you have suggestions, feel free to post them on our social media, or in our comments!
Ciao~!