9. Mortal Kombat X
Platform: XO PS4 PC 360 PS3
Genre: Fighting
Developer: NetherRealm Studios, Showtime Studios (last-gen)
Release date: April 14
Injustice: Gods Among Us is an excellent title, but even so we're stoked to see NeatherRealm return to its gorier fighting franchise - particularly given how good 2011's Mortal Kombat is. X will once again bring buckets of dismemberment and gruesome x-ray special moves, but will also lift from Injustice in allowing fighters to interact more with the environment. Each character will have three different variations, and the non-linear storyline - which follows on from the last game - will place an emphasis on aged veterans, new characters, and the next-generation offspring of the previous fighters. That last point explains the inclusion of Cassie Cage, the daughter of Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade, and the other newbies sound interesting: an insect-like woman, an armored dwarf-woman/giant masked brute combo, and an Aztec-inspired "blood god".
8. Tom Clancy's The Division
Platform: XO PS4 PC
Genre: MMO/ARPG/Shooter
Developer: Ubisoft Massive
Release date: 2015
As we said last year: look at that gameplay trailer. Just look at it. If that doesn't have you excited, you might want to revise your medication dosage. There are so many "What the..!" moments, from the map to the environmental interactivity to the destruction to the future tech, and Ubisoft's new-gen Snowdrop Engine dazzles. What's more, The Division takes place in a persistent online open world, so it's likely there will be content for days, and plenty of other gamer squads to frag. With the Splinter Cell franchise alone, Ubisoft has had plenty of practice creating top-shelf third-person shooters, and The Division looks like it could be the French company's best yet.
7. Evolve
Platform: XO PS4 PC
Genre: First-person shooter
Developer: Turtle Rock Studios
Release date: February 10
Left 4 Dead and Counter-Strike prove Turtle Rock know how to create exceptional multiplayer games, and honestly, we already know Evolve is going to be another one. Its keenly-balanced asymmetrical play, unique classes and abilities, teamwork requirement, and cat and mouse feel make it an exhilarating experience from the outset. Evacuation - a five-match story mode where wins confer advantages across maps - sounds cool, too. So really our only questions are: what will its longevity be, and what's the deal with all that DLC?
6. Rise of the Tomb Raider
Platform: XO PC
Genre: Action-adventure
Developer: Crystal Dynamics
Release date: 2015
The 2013 reboot of Tomb Raider was a triumph - a title that beat Uncharted at its own game and set a new bar for cinematic action-adventures. With Rhianna Pratchett (Mirror's Edge) and Camilla Luddington on board again, expectations are sky-high for the follow-up. PlayStation 4 owners need not fret too much though - Rise will no doubt come to that platform at an as-yet unspecified date.
5. Bloodborne
Platform: PS4
Genre: ARPG
Developer: From Software
Release date: Match 27
From Software's Souls games are among the most influential RPGs of all-time, so it's no surprise that its new IP, Bloodborne, is garnering so much attention. The gameplay looks faster than that of the Souls titles though, with a more agile hero taking on larger hordes of enemies. A new health regain system will incentivise an aggressive approach too, and new dual-mode weapons will no doubt be satisfying to wield. If he packs as much mystery and death into this one as he did Souls, director Hidetaka Miyazaki will have another smash on his hands.
4. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Platform: PS4
Genre: Action-adventure
Developer: Naughty Dog
Release date: 2015
And here's another reason PlayStation 4 owners won't mind waiting for Rise of the Tomb Raider - a new Uncharted title from Naughty Dog, which is fresh off creating arguably one of the best games of all-time in The Last of Us. The studio has promised more sandbox environs to play in, Troy Baker plays Nathan's brother, and better combat, among other things. Adventure awaits.
3. Star Wars: Battlefront
Platform: XO PS4 PC
Genre: Action
Developer: EA Digital Illusions CE
Release date: Late 2015
Has it really been a decade since the last Battlefront title? That's crazy. But what's crazier is how high we have allowed our hype level to rise for this reboot of Pandemic's beloved series. Half a dozen developers have been rumoured to be attached to this game over the years, so knowing that a studio with the pedigree and resources of DICE is at the helm is making the wait just that much more excruciating.
2. Batman: Arkham Knight
Platform: XO PS4 PC
Genre: Action
Developer: Rocksteady Studios
Release date: June 2
Warner Bros did an alright job with Batman: Arkham Origins, but something was definitely missing. Judging from what we've seen of Arkham Knight, that something was Rocksteady. Basically, Knight looks brilliant: the Batmobile, the new gadgets, the new characters (an all-new villain!). If this isn't the best Batman game yet, we'll eat our cowl.
1. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Platform: PC XO PS4
Genre: RPG
Developer: CD Projekt RED
Release date: May 19
It kinda had to be didn't it? And for good reason: this game looked incredible 18 months ago, and our excitement has only ratcheted up from there. Everything here looks vastly improved on the already-excellent Witcher 2, and the stakes look as high as they can get. We can't wait to finish the trilogy, and then start it all over again from the beginning.
- gameplanet.co.nz
