Jan 012016
Welcome to 2016! I’ve looked at the best games I played last year, and while many “older” games are on my list for this year (Kingdom Hearts and Witcher for sure), we’ve also got great new releases to look forward to.
Last year it didn’t go so well… of my most anticipated games for 2015, one was delayed, one suffered launch issues on my platform of choice, two I just didn’t get around to yet, and one I’m currently playing.
But this year I’ll play all of those and my newly-anticipated games. Hah, backlog!
Okay, so the chances of that happening are slim. But hey, you never know.
Note: only games with announced 2016 release dates are on this list. So no Ace Attorney 6, despite my excitement for it.
Let’s take a look.
My Top 5 Anticipated Games of 2016
First up, a familiar face…
5. Cosmic Star Heroine
Appearing on my list two years in a row is Cosmic Star Heroine, an upcoming sci-fi RPG from Zeboyd Games.
Despite being planned for a 2015 release, it’s been delayed, but I’m not worried. Zeboyd shares regular updates on Cosmic Star Heroine’s development, and it’s coming along well.
Both the PS4 and Vita versions were playable at this year’s PlayStation Experience.
And speaking of those versions, Cosmic Star Heroine will receive a limited-run physical release for PS4 and Vita. As a backer, I’ll have one of the first opportunities to pre-order a physical copy… and I probably will.
Cosmic Star Heroine is a traditional RPG styled after games like Chrono Trigger, and I can’t wait to finally play it this year.
4. Project Setsuna
We still know very little about the mysterious Project Setsuna, titled Ikenie to Yuki no Setsuna (Setsuna of Snow and Sacrifice) for its Japanese release.
It was one of Square Enix’s many delightful E3 announcements. It’s a traditional RPG in the style of Chrono Trigger (wait… am I repeating myself?) with an ATB combat system.
In a demon-ridden land where it’s always winter, a maiden named Setsuna goes on a journey with a mercenary and other companions to sacrifice herself in order to appease the demons. The story’s theme is “sadness,” but I assume we’ll still try to fight Setsuna’s fate.
Have a look at the trailer.
With so much confusion around the FFVII remake, I’m even more excited for a new turn-based RPG from Square-Enix.
Setsuna is due out on February 18 in Japan, with a Western release to follow later this year. I can’t wait. Restore my faith, Square-Enix!
(And yes, I know I didn’t include it in my list of most-anticipated turn-based RPGs. My enthusiasm for it surged. Plus I feel more confident about its 2016 release.)
3. Yooka-Laylee
The bear and bird are back!
Well, not really. They’re a lizard and a bat, and they’re named Yooka and Laylee rather than Banjo and Kazooie, but Yooka-Laylee promises to channel the spirit of Banjo-Kazooie.
Back when it was known as “Project Ukulele,” I expressed my hopes that it was a spiritual successor to my favorite 3D platformer… and it is!
With former Rare employees on the development team, Grant Kirkhope involved with the soundtrack, and early gameplay previews that feel like a blast from the past, Yooka-Laylee is shaping up to be the Banjo-Threeie we never got.
Yooka-Laylee is planned for PC/Mac/Linux, Xbox One, PS4, and Wii U, with an intended release window of October 2016.
Just watching that footage fills me with a nostalgia for Banjo-Kazooie. I can’t wait!
2. Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
Yesterday, I realized (to my own surprise) that Mario & Luigi: Dream Team was one of the best games I played last year.
And although I had my doubts about it at first, Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam sounds like a game I’ll love. Most of the reviews after its European release praised both its gameplay and writing, and that’s what I want.
People say its funny. Fun. And filled with surprises.
It may be more Mario & Luigi than Paper Mario, but maybe this will help Paper Mario cast off Sticker Star’s shadow and become a great RPG series again!
And so, what is my #1 top anticipated game to be released in 2016?
…
1. Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue
Excuse me, that’s Kingdom Hearts HD II.8 Final Chapter Prologue.
Let’s face it. I’m hooked. I also really like poking fun at this game’s title, but more importantly, I’ve fallen into a deep abyss of Kingdom Hearts and I don’t want to leave.
Kingdom Hearts 2.8, which contains a remastered version of Dream Drop Distance, a new chapter in the story called Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage, and Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover, which (as far as I know) tells the story of Kingdom Hearts χ through cinematics.
(Speaking of which, when is Unchained χ coming out in the West? They promised it at E3, and I want to play it… before 2.8, if possible!)
I hope to catch up on the entire Kingdom Hearts series before this collection comes out. I’ll also need to get a PS4. But neither of those things changes the fact that I’m more excited about Kingdom Hearts HD II.8 Final Chapter Prologue than about any other game already announced for 2016.
Are you interested in these five games? What 2016 games are you looking forward to the most?