2015: A Year of Gaming

The End of 2014

I think most would say 2014 has been a fairly successful year for gaming. After the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One released late 2013, we were able to use 2014 to finally get a decent collection of games for the new consoles; however, it has only just begun.

It is looking like 2015 will be the year we finally see what these consoles are truly capable of, so let's take a quick look at some of the most anticipated games of the upcoming year.

Evolve (February 10)

Remember Valve's big co-operative shooter, Left 4 Dead? Well, the developers behind the acclaimed game, Turtle Rock Studios, are back with their first big game since then, Evolve. These ex-Valve developers have since moved on and joined up with publishing company, 2K Games.

Turtle Rock has not abandoned their love for co-operative gameplay, Evolve will be heavily focused on four-player games in which you fight all kinds of enemies, including some large bosses.

Look for Evolve on February 10 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (February 24)

For those of you Elder Scrolls fans that cannot wait any longer for the sixth installment, I urge you to take a look at The Witcher 3. It is another open-world action role-playing game set in a world that is claimed to be an "open world larger than any other in modern RPG history."

It is expected to take approximately 100 hours to complete The Witcher 3, with 50 hours of that being on main story and 50 on side quests. It seems that there is a much stronger focus on the main story than in Skyrim.

Look for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on February 24 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Battlefield: Hardline (March 17)

Hardline is one of the many games that has been delayed recently and, might I add, probably for good reason. After the devastating, bug-ridden launch of Battlefield 4 late last year, I don't think anybody would mind if they took the extra time to make sure we did not see that happen again.

This installment to the series is a bit of a new direction for Battlefield, or for any of the mainstream shooters these days. Instead of the typical war scene, Hardline is set in a cops and robbers-type scenario. Looking at gameplay and the open beta, the true heart of the Battlefield has remained unaffected, only a twist has been added to it.

It may be an important note for some of you that this game's primary developer is not DICE, it is Visceral Games.

Look for Battlefield: Hardline on March 17 for PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

Mortal Kombat X (April 14)

Many would say that Mortal Kombat has stood the test of time better than any other fighting game. While games like Tekken and StreetFighter were top rivals years ago, they do not compete as well anymore on the sales charts as they used to.

One thing that helps make Mortal Kombat such a promising time is the company's patience. Unlike many mainstream games these days, we are not seeing new installments being released annually. NetherRealm has opted to take a quality over quantity approach, similar to Rockstar Games. The consistent success of the Grand Theft Auto series proves how successful that approach can be in terms of quality.

Look for Mortal Kombat X on April 14 for PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

Batman: Arkham Knight (June 2)

Remember when the Arkham games were phenomenal? After many people were unsatisfied with Batman: Arkham Origins, some people questioned the future of the series. Well good news, Rocksteady Studios is back and Arkham is looking as good as ever.

By not releasing to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Rocksteady has been able to include several features that they claimed they were not able to include with the last-gen consoles, including driving the Batmobile.

Look for Batman: Arkham Knight on June 2 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Halo 5: Guardians (TBA - Q3/Q4)

At the time of writing this article, neither 343 Studios nor Microsoft Studios have announced an official release date for Halo 5. It could very easily be delayed until 2016, but lets keep our fingers crossed for that late 2015 date.

For Guardians, 343 has elected to try and bring Halo back to its strong roots by bringing back a heavier focus on the multiplayer aspect, and what made multiplayer so great in the beginning of the series.

Look for Halo 5: Guardians on Xbox One.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (TBA)

Unfortunately, all we know right now is that The Phantom Pain will be releasing in 2015. We do not year have an indication of when in 2015 it will release, but at least 2015 is a start.

We have already had a sneak peak into Metal Gear Solid V with Ground Zeroes, released back in March of this year. Many people were stunned by the fact that it took the average player about 45 minutes to an hour to beat the main storyline for Ground Zeroes, but the gameplay was solid, nonetheless.

After the outstanding success of Metal Gear Solid 4, it is looking like Hideo Kojima could keep the ball rolling with another excellent installment next year.

Look for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain on PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

The Legend of Zelda (TBA)

There has still been no official subtitle for the newest installment in The Legend of Zelda. At this point, we are pretty much just praying that we can avoid the inevitable The Legend of Zelda for Wii U or The Legend of Zelda U titles that Nintendo is throwing around these days. After Super Smash Bros. it is looking all the more likely.

The big focus for this new installment is to give players more freedom by having less defined, bottle-necked zone changes and temple entrances. There is an ongoing discussion among the community about whether the format of the game is truly open-world, but you will have to wait until the game releases to make your own decision on the matter.

Look for The Legend of Zelda for Wii U.

Tom Clancy's The Division (TBA)

The Division was another amongst the many titles that was delayed. It appears that the challenges of the new console generation have hit developers harder than they expected. Earlier this year, Ubisoft announced that The Division would be pushed back to 2015, so hopefully it doesn't get pushed back sooner.

This is a new series for the Tom Clancy games. The success of some of their big IPs, such as Ghost Recon, has dropped over the last few years and The Division has a lot of potential to help bring the name back into the mainstream shooter world. It will be played in an MMO type setting, the first game of the type in the Tom Clancy series.

Look for Tom Clancy's The Division on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and potentially the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (TBA)

Acclaimed developer, Naughty Dog, is ready to strike again with another big game. After the unbelievable success of The Last of Us, a game that many would argue was the best game of the last generation of consoles, they are returning with the next installment in the Uncharted series.

The game is set after the events of Uncharted 3 and still does not have a release date, but is anticipated to launch in 2015.

Look for Uncharted 4: A Thief's End for PlayStation 4.

Honorable Mentions

• Kirby and the Rainbow Curse (February 13)
• Total War: Attila (February 17)
• The Order: 1886 (February 20)
• Resident Evil: Revelations 2 (March 10)
• Project Cars (March 17)
• Mario Party 10 (May 15)
• Dead Island 2 (TBA - April)
• Fable Legends (TBA)
• Gran Turismo 7 (TBA)
• Homefront: The Revolution (TBA)
• Just Cause 3 (TBA)
• Killing Floor 2 (TBA)
• Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (TBA)
• Persona 5 (TBA)
• Ratchet & Clank (TBA)
• Star Fox (TBA)
• Star Wars: Battlefront (TBA)
• The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D (TBA)
• Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege (TBA)
• Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade (TBA)
• Xenoblade Chronicles X (TBA)
• Yoshi's Woolly World (TBA - Spring)