Keeping with the theme of last week’s article about my Top Five Hyped Games, here are the top five things that I hope happen in the coming year. Some are less likely than others but a guy can dream, can’t he?
The Elder Scrolls VI Announced
I am a HUGE fan of the core Elder Scrolls games. Mostly Oblivion and Skyrim, the latter being my number one game of all time. It’s a pretty big hope that it gets announced considering it’s only been four years since Skyrim’s release and there were five years between the fourth and fifth in the series.
It’s probably the least likely to happen on this list as there just hasn’t been enough time and if Bethesda Game Studios wants to make another grand stride in the world of RPGs like they did with Skyrim, then they need to take their time. So let’s move on to the next, more likely, hope.
Fallout 4 Announced
I know, I know, “another Bethesda game, really?” I hear you, but this one is more likely because of the timing. As I said, it’s been four years since Skyrim released and nearly seven since their last foray into the Fallout universe. Yes, New Vegas came out in 2010 but it was made by Obsidian Entertainment, which means Bethesda is due for another iteration.
Hopefully they announce the title because I really could use another post-apocalyptic trip from the vault. Not to mention, the rest of the gaming world is pining for it.
The Division Release Date Confirmed
According to GameStop this is a game that is due out on December 31st, meaning it was given a release window of 2015 but not given a specific month and day.
I am pretty pumped about The Division, the reason it didn’t make last week’s article is because I don’t expect it to actually come out this year. I think it’s going to end up being an early 2016 release. It’s a very ambitious game and with the issues Ubisoft had with last year’s ambitious titles, Watch Dogs and Assassin’s Creed: Unity, I’m worried about the future of their releases. I hope that, if it does actually come out this year, that it is in a polished state and they don’t have issues with servers like every other online title.
If The Division doesn’t come out, I hope we see more in-depth gameplay and that they announce an official release date (not just a window) and a beta or demo of some sort would be welcome too. This is another game I don’t mind Ubisoft taking their time with. I don’t want them to have to downgrade it like they did with Watch Dogs and AC: Unity.
No Man’s Sky Gameplay Features Explained
Everyone and their brother got super excited about this game when it was teased in 2013. This past year they’ve shown a lot of “gameplay” footage. Here’s my issue and hope for the new year: show me some actual gameplay features.
We know three things about No Man’s Sky: you can go anywhere, you have weapons, and possibilities are endless. Here’s what I want to know: is there a crafting system? Can I build houses/structures/vehicles? Can I name things I am the first to find or is that auto-generated(I assume it’s auto-generated considering the horrid possibilities)? Is there currency to upgrade ships/weapons? Is there any gameplay other than shooting stuff and exploring? Can you trade with other players you might meet? These are only a few questions from a laundry list of things I hope are revealed about the game this year.
Without these being addressed, I’m honestly only mildly interested in the game. It will add a lot to my hype-meter if these are, to some extent, answered. Hopefully we’ll find out, I really want to be excited for this game.
Micro-Transactions Stay Out of AAA Titles
My least favorite trend of late, and I know I’m not alone, is the addition of micro-transactions in games that they don’t belong in.
Let them stay in crap mobile titles but, please developers, keep them out of AAA titles. They have no place there. You’ve spent hundreds of thousands of hours and millions of dollars to craft a beautiful game with great, meaningful content. Let the player enjoy that without being asked if they want to spend $7.85 to unlock the “Sword of Super Specialness” which only takes two hours of actual gameplay to unlock. I get that not everyone has dozens of hours to put into a game, but don’t make those people ruin the experience for those of us who do.
Make us work for that awesome sword, make us feel like we deserve the right to wield it and not just that we make enough money to buy it, making it feel like a cheap toy as opposed to something we worked long and hard for and use as something to brag about to our friends without their response being “Oh, I just bought it day one.” In 2014, micro-transactions were put in games they had no business being in; hopefully they’ll at least stay out of major releases in 2015.
Here’s to a great year of gaming in 2015 and let me know your hopes in the comments.
Published: Jan 7, 2015 07:06 am