The rise in popularity of video games can be traced back to the last couple decades of the 20th century. With the advent of newer and more advanced technologies, they have become ubiquitous in modern life.
Not only have video games become one of the most popular recreational activities, making and selling them has become one of the most proven profitable ventures.
Gamers love playing interesting new games, and competition is fierce among game developers to continually try and make the most captivating new games. I have been an avid gamer for years and have seen this competition among developers improve the overall qualities of the games being produced.
Now there are just so many awesome games being made that it’s actually getting hard to choose what to play. I’m here to make things a little easier for you. Here are the 10 most highly-anticipated games of 2016.
1. Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Action role-playing
Developer(s): Square Enix Business & Division 2
Publisher: Square Enix
Platform(s): PS4, XBO
Release date: TBA 2016
The fifteenth major installment in the Final Fantasy series is said to be darker and more realistic compared to the earlier entries. The gameplay revolves around the exiled heir to the Lucian throne, Prince Noctis, and his companions as they travel across the world to recover the crystal relics from the forces of the evil Niflheim. This game has been a long time coming, as it was first announced in 2006.
2. Homefront: The Revolution
Genre: First-person shooter
Developer: Dambuster Studios
Publisher: Deep Silver
Platform(s): Win, Lin, Mac, PS4, XBO
Release date: 17 May 2016 (NA), 20 May 2016 (EU)
This direct sequel to 2011’s Homefront is set in the year 2029, two years after the events of the first game. It follows the hero Ethan Brady who organizes a resistance against the invading Korean army in Philadelphia. In contrast to the first game, Homefront: The Revolution will present an open-world with many districts that the gamer can explore. Although originally planned for a 2015 release, Deep Silver delayed it to 2016 claiming a desire to give the developers every opportunity to turn the game into a best-selling title.
3. Tom Clancy’s The Division
Genre: Massively multiplayer online game, third-person shooter, action role-playing
Developer(s): Ubisoft Massive, Ubisoft Reflection, Red Storm Entertainment, Ubisoft Annecy
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platform(s): Win, PS4, XBO
Release date: 8 Mar 2016
This game is set in a mid-crisis New York after a smallpox pandemic has swept the United States, collapsing its government in five days. The protagonist is a part of the Strategic Homeland Division, “the Division” for short, a group established to combat the threats resulting from the crisis. They have been authorized by the president of the United States to do what is required to bring back order to society.
4. Dark Souls III
Genre: Action role-playing
Developer(s): FromSoftware
Publisher(s): From Software (JP), Bandai Namco Entertainment (WW)
Platform(s): Win, PS4, XBO
Release date: 24 Mar 2016 (JP), 12 Apr 2016 (WW)
This fourth entry in the Soul series is, like the previous entries, set in a third-person perspective. The gameplay requires the gamer to roam a realm of monsters and the undead trying to unlock the mystery concerning the evil Lords of Cinder. The combats and movements have been made faster and smoother than in the previous entries and although it contains fewer maps compared to previous games, these maps are connected and form an overall large connected world. Like the previous entries, Dark Soul III features multiplayer elements.
5. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Genre: Action role-playing, first-person shooter, stealth
Developer: Eidos Montreal
Publisher: Square Enix
Platform(s): Win, PS4, XBO
Release date: 23 Aug 2016
This direct sequel to 2011’s Deus Ex: Human Revolution is set two years in the future. The hero Adam Jenson returns with newer and improved technology, and body augmentations. In a dystopian future where technologically augmented humans live in segregation from the rest of mankind, the protagonist works to unravel the global conspiracy surrounding the general population’s hatred of augmentations. For PS4, it’s best when paired with a PS4 headset. Mankind Divided combines elements of first-person shooter, stealth and role-playing games.
6. No Man’s Sky
Genre: Adventure
Developer: Hello Games
Publisher: Hello Games
Platform(s): Win, PS4
Release date: Jun 2016
This game will undoubtedly be the biggest game of the year. And I mean that in a literal sense. Dubbed the first open universe game, the players are planetary explorers in an unchartered galaxy. The most interesting feature about this game is its procedural generation gameplay. The virtual galaxy, including all its elements, are randomly generated procedurally via deterministic algorithms. This generation system is capable of creating variations of planets with unique ecosystems and behavioral cycles.
7. Far Cry Primal
Genre: Action-adventure
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platform(s): Win, PS4, XBO
Release date: 23 Feb 2016 (PS4, XBO), 1 Mar 2016 (Win)
A follow up to 2014’s Far Cry 4, the latest spin-off in the popular Far Cry franchise is set in the Stone Age, the beginning of the Mesolithic period (around 12,000 years before present) to be exact. The gameplay revolves around Takkar, a lowly hunter in the fictional land of Oros, who eventually rises to lead a tribe. Takkar starts off stranded in Oros with no weapons or resources after his hunting party is ambushed. The most interesting feature of this game will definitely be the animals, the likes of mammoths and saber-toothed cats, that the user can hunt or tame.
8. Gears of War 4
Genre: Third-person shooter
Developer: The Coalition
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Platform(s): XBO
Release date: Q4 2016
This fifth installment in the Gears of War series is the direct sequel to one of 2011’s most popular titles, Gears of War 3. Although details on this game are sparse, we can expect savage combat and gunplay, in a conflict between humankind and the Locust. The franchise has also developed a powerful legacy around its multiplayer feature and the latest installment will be no exception, providing the user with a multiplayer option along with the single-player campaign.
9. Dishonored 2
Genre: Action-adventure, stealth
Developer: Arkane Studios
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Platform(s): Win, PS4, XBO
Release date: TBA 2016
This direct sequel to 2011’s most popular stealth action-adventure game, Dishonored, is set several years after the events of the first game. The empress Emily Kaldwin is suddenly dethroned by a supernatural usurper and, as a result, the Empire plunges into chaos. Emily follows the steps of her royal protector, the hero of the first game, Corvo Attano, in becoming an assassin as she plans to retake her title as empress. The players will decide at the beginning of the game whether they choose to play as Emily or Corvo.
10. Doom
Genre: First-person shooter
Developer: id Software
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Platform(s): Win, PS4, XBO
Release date: Q1/Q2 2016
Undoubtedly the most awaited game of 2016, Doom will be a follow up to 2004’s Doom 3 and will be the latest installment in the legendary franchise. After entering a “development hell” in the 2000s, the game is finally set to be released this year. The developers have clarified that the story of the game will neither be a prequel nor a sequel to the previous games, and will instead start off independently. Executive producer of id Software, Marty Stratton, has pointed to “badass demons, big effing guns, and moving really fast” as the key principles of the game. Undoubtedly, this game will be just as legendary as the previous Doom games.
