With 2014 almost a full month behind us, the Non-Fiction Gaming crew looks forward to 2015 in anticipation. Will this year bring us a better standard of gaming? Or sink us further into bitter resentment of over-hyped games? Read on to see what has us optimistic.
The Witcher 3
Senior Stiv
There are several games being released this year, both big and small, I’m looking forward to play. But, more than any it’s going to be The Witcher 3. CD Projekt Red is taking everything they’ve done right with the series predecessors and bringing it to an open world setting.
Exploring an area that rivals the size of Skyrim is enough to draw me in. Thanks to recent gameplay footage it looks like missions will be varied and the world is actually quite lively. Unlike the cities and towns in Skyrim, The Witcher 3’s cities are reasonably packed with people making the world actually feel like it’s inhabited.
I know it received another setback, but if it means CD Projekt Red will deliver a highly polished, I’m more than willing to wait.
Life is Strange
KRS 2
I would have picked Arkham Knight as my most anticipated game of 2015 but the fact it has shamelessly held so much story and gameplay content hostage behind pre-order “bonuses” and exclusive console deals, I have come to hate the game and all the terrible business practices it represents.
Obviously, I’m looking forward to all the major releases coming to Wii U but I’ll take this chance to talk about the only non-Nintendo game I want to play.
Life is Strange is an indie developed game that is going to be released episodically similar to Walking Dead. The story is about a girl named Maxine helping her old friend, Chloe, investigate the disappearance of another girl. Maxine discovers she has the power to reverse time influence the course of short-term events.
That seems like a rather cool mechanic to me since in it means you can make a choice, watch the short-term consequences of your action before going back to witness the other turn of events. However, you still have to deal with the long-term butterfly effects since Maxine can’t move time too far back. If executed well, this could make an incredible narrative experience!
Still, given the crushing disappointment of a year 2014 was (unless you owned a Wii U), I’ll just assume Life is Strange is terrible until proven otherwise.
Tom Clancy’s: The Division
Dan
Even with the author of the books deceased, the Tom Clancy’s gaming brand continues to explore new avenues – and The Division could well be its most exciting incarnation to date. After seeing some more footage at PAX Australia last year I’m keeping my eye on the latest splinter from the Tom Clancy brand.
Set in New York City after a pandemic sends the U.S. into chaos, it follows a team of sleeper agents attempting to restore order in the destroyed setting. The Division merges solo campaign and massively multiplayer online action for what should be a powerful concoction.
That’s it from some of us! What games are you looking forward to this year? Let us know in the comments!
