10. Witcher III
Woah, there bud, Witcher only at NUMBER TEN!?!? Well, I never played a Witcher game so I honestly don't know what to expect from this series. But with what is being said about this game, how lively the world will be, how HUGE it would be and whatever improvements they're making to the combat, I am very much interested in playing this game. The only thing holding it back at number 10, outside of me not knowing what the series is like, is that I hope this isn't like Skyrim. I don't know why but Skyrim just never got me hooked but if this game is anything but Skyrim, I'm down for it.
9. Splatoon
A common complaint regarding Nintendo these days is that they always make Mario and Zelda and Pokémon games and while all this is true, they do make new IPs, more often than you might think. True, a lot of their new IPs are either RPGs or portable games but there is Splatoon. What could've almost been a Mario game turned into a fully fledged new IP. And it looks awesome. Splatoon is basically a colorful, Third Person Paintball game where you take control of these squid girls, trying to fill the map with your team's color and morph into squids to move around the arena. It's Nintendo's first serious attempt at online multiplayer but this game also has a solo mode! I'm not just excited for this game for the amount of customization this has but also because it's a new IP developed by young, new developers. It gives me hope that Nintendo may start pumping out new IPs more often and let the new generation take over which is something they really need to do.
8. Star Fox Wii U
Being that I'm a huge Nintendo fan, I'm excited that they finally brought back one of their most beloved series, Star Fox. About time, guys! Either way, Star Fox Wii U is back to the aerial gameplay of the first 2 Star Fox games. This time around, Shigeru Miyamoto is trying to work on how to implement the GamePad to this new game. Personally, I'm not too thrilled about it which is why this game isn't any higher on the list. Hopefully they give you the option to have traditional controls, like Star Fox 64 3D did. Either way, this game being back to what made Star Fox great in the first place is enough reason for me to be excited.
7. Batman Arkham Knight
I really need to get around to play the Arkham games... But thankfully I own Arkham Asylum on Steam. Either way, Arkham Knight. The final game in the Arkham trilogy... even though it's the fourth game. Okay, I'm messing with you. It's the final installment in the Arkham games developed by Rocksteady, who made the first two games that just happen to be the best in the series. With this game having an open world and the ability to drive your batmobile and the Joker being SPOILER ALERT dead, I am curious what they can do with all this. But I have 3 great games to play before I get around to play this fantastic game so the wait is the least of my worries. And goodness look how pretty this game looks!
6. Yoshi's Woolly World
Coming from Good-Feel, Yoshi's Woolly World is sort of the spiritual successor to the AMAZING Kirby's Epic Yarn. While Kirby's Epic Yarn played and felt very different then any other Kirby game in the series, it managed to establish an identity of its own and being a great game in this long-running series. Yoshi's Woolly World is sort of a continuation of the easy and relaxing gameplay of Kirby's Epic Yarn with the mechanics of one of my favorite games ever, Yoshi's Island (God, this game was good). So it isn't a straight up copy of Epic Yarn. I'll be a bit cautious however because Yoshi's New Island was, um, disappointing from what I've heard. I just hope this game makes up for it.
5. Metal Gear Solid V The Phantom Pain
I have just played one Metal Gear Solid game, that one being Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty on the PS2 but it was great enough to make me realize that the MGS franchise is a great one. With the fifth installment, the game is going to introduce a big open world, a first in the Metal Gear Solid series. It is also bringing a better multiplayer mode. Now we've all heard of how stupid it was that they released a 2 hours game. But from what I've heard, these two hours were pretty good, albeit short. But with what I've experienced with the MGS2, I am excited for this new game.
4. No Man's Sky
From the moment this game was announced in the Spike Game Awards 2013, I fell in love with this game. We may have seen many open world games on this list but how about an open universe, where you can travel through different solar systems and planets, fight hostile forces and interact with the flora and the fauna of the planets you explore? Yeah, that's No Man's Sky. In this game, you are trying to reach the center of the galaxy and to do that you have to upgrade your ship by trading collecting and finding resources on the planets you explore. This game is going to be BIG. And as a guy who loves space and exploration, I can not wait for this game. And this game looks beautiful!
3. BloodBorne
Ah, the Dark Souls series, a series that I love so much for it's challenging and punishing gameplay. Enter Bloodborne, the spiritual successor of the Demon/Dark Souls series that takes place in a more Victorian-esque setting where the gameplay is more fast-paced and more offensive than the Dark Souls series. You are more agile than you were in the other games and there is a new Risk vs Reward system in this game where you regain health by striking back your attacker. So it's not just some carbon copy of the previous games with just a new setting. But of course, it's great to see Hidetaka Miyazaki back as the director because, to be fair, Dark Souls II didn't exactly feel as great as the other two with the game many questionable design choices which may be due to the fact that he didn't direct Dark Souls II. Regardless, Bloodborne is THE game that makes me want a PS4. Screw it, I'll buy one right away!
2. The Legend of Zelda Wii U
I love The Legend of Zelda so much. So it would make sense that it ranks high on my list. Granted we don't know much about the latest game in the series, what we do know is very exciting. For one, the game is going to be open world. Actual open world. We're not talking Wind Waker here, we're talking you being able to go wherever you wanna go from whatever angle you want to go. And this game is huge! Not sure how big (Aonuma said that Kyoto is the base for this game), with temples and landmarks all over the world. Also, you have to deal with boss-like enemies on the field! Apparently you can glide using a sail cloth in the same fashion you do in Wind Waker with the Deku Leaf. Eiji Aonuma seems determined to break free from the traditional conventions of the other Zelda games. That's exciting to see Aonuma being gutsy enough to try new things. I just hope this game turns out to be the best darn Zelda game ever! But Zelda Wii U is only number two. What game can possibly top it?
1. Xenoblade Chronicles X
Why, the former champion of last year's list of course! Xenoblade Chronicles quickly became one of my favorite games of last generation, hell, one of my favorite games of all time and I'm not a big RPG guy to begin with. So the sequel would be very welcome. With each trailer I am excited for the game. It's huge and it mechs, you fight big dinosaurs and you are playing as a group of humans that escaped Earth to form a colony on another planet. And did I mention that Hiroyuki Sawano, who made the soundtrack for Attack on Titans, is going to make the soundtrack for this game. You have 300 hours of gameplay in a world that is five times bigger than the original Xenoblade game. The environments look rich and lively and is a true testament to what the Wii U can do without having the power of a Playstation 4. The game is impressive to say the least. With each new trailer, my excitement for this game jumps up a notch. Because of all this, Xenoblade Chronicles X is my most anticipated game of 2015.
So yeah, we have a hell of a year ahead of us and hopefully, we don't see anymore of these games that didn't deliver what they promised. See you next time!
