It's difficult to believe that 2015 is already halfway over. This year has proven to be a massively successfully year for Hollywood, but also for game developers. Releases like Fallout 4 and Halo 5 have game fans scrambling to gather up enough change to pay off their preorders in time for release day. While we can't have everything, here are five games that you should definitely maybe have in your preorder list, or at least be excited for in 2015.
#5. Rise of the Tomb Raider (Xbox One Timed Exclusive)
When I first played the 2013 reboot of Tomb Raider, I was fairly impressed. The graphics were so amazing that it was surprising my dinky quad core laptop could handle the superior graphics at their lowest setting. The gameplay was fluid, and the combat felt right at home amid Lara Croft's action-packed survivalist story. My main issue was that the game was too short. That, or I was simply too fast at beating it. Either way, I had a personal problem with the overall length of the game. I felt that so much more could have been added, and felt a little cheated by the story length. Luckily, Square Enix managed to steal my heart away with the amazing graphics and soundtrack, and the gameplay was brought to perfection.
I have extremely high hopes for this sequel, in that I hope that it has a much longer and more substantial story, and that it will completely blow me away from the first Tomb Raider game. The original prequel seemed to come at just the perfect time, just when everyone had forgotten about the series, it comes in rampaging like Nathan Drake on the run from bloodthirsty pirates. I want to see so much more in this game, and I've no doubt that the developers have something truly special in store for fans of the series.
I have extremely high hopes for this sequel, in that I hope that it has a much longer and more substantial story, and that it will completely blow me away from the first Tomb Raider game. The original prequel seemed to come at just the perfect time, just when everyone had forgotten about the series, it comes in rampaging like Nathan Drake on the run from bloodthirsty pirates. I want to see so much more in this game, and I've no doubt that the developers have something truly special in store for fans of the series.
#4. Star Wars Battlefront (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
Ten years after the release of the hugely successful Battlefront II, LucasFilm, EA, and DICE come together to bring us the battles we could only dream of. The game can be played from either first or third person perspective, which is something I'm really excited for. I wasn't aware that previous iterations allowed you to play the game from first-person perspective, but I eagerly look forward to blasting away rebels as a stormtrooper or vice versa. Apparently, you can even play as various Jedi or Sith, though DICE has declined to go into detail about this. Whether or not they'll be used as temporary power-ups like the previous games or special characters to play in various matches, it will be awesome to see classic Star Wars characters revived as 1080p, 60 frames per second characters that look almost as lifelike as their human counterparts.
#3. Halo 5: Guardians (Xbox One Exclusive)
Halo is one of the most widely acclaimed first-person shooter franchises in gaming history. Unlike the other shooter series that are considered "widely acclaimed," however, Halo is the only one that I have maintained an active interest in. I've dabbled in Battlefield and Call of Duty here and there, but they just haven't kept my attention nearly as well as Halo has. Perhaps it's because I have so many fond memories with childhood friends that involve Halo that keeps me attached, but there's no denying that I still find the series awesome to this day. I still haven't gotten through The Master Chief Collection, but it's apparent that something happens to our hero after the events of Halo 4. The appearance of this new protagonist shows me that 343 are taking a nice departure from the flagship character that has held the main Halo games together since the beginning. Let's hope that he can keep the ship afloat after Master Chief is long gone.
From what I played in the multiplayer beta, it looks to be a ton of fun. Granted, I wasn't a massive fan of how they blatantly ripped off the jetpacks that have appeared in every first person shooter game since Titanfall, but I guess if it works, developers will rolls with the punches. Even still, I have the Limited Edition pre-ordered (that Guardian statue was tempting) and I will be the first in line for the midnight launch. It's still the only shooter series that I will consistently pay attention to that doesn't use zombie modes to trap me in obsession.
From what I played in the multiplayer beta, it looks to be a ton of fun. Granted, I wasn't a massive fan of how they blatantly ripped off the jetpacks that have appeared in every first person shooter game since Titanfall, but I guess if it works, developers will rolls with the punches. Even still, I have the Limited Edition pre-ordered (that Guardian statue was tempting) and I will be the first in line for the midnight launch. It's still the only shooter series that I will consistently pay attention to that doesn't use zombie modes to trap me in obsession.
#2. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (PS3/4, Xbox 360/One, PC)
This one is most definitely a Hideo Kojima game. Screw you, Konami. I'm not letting you take all the credit from him. Qualms about the publisher aside, Hideo Kojima seems to have made his swan song out of Metal Gear Solid V. From the player panned release of the prologue Ground Zeroes more than a year ago, the overall outlook of Metal Gear Solid V didn't look too bright. luckily, in the time since then, Kojima has released snippets of information out to the public, through episodes known as "Kojima Station." He managed to keep the official release date of the rest of his game a secret, until the day before his announcement a hack revealed the true release date of September 1st. That would have definitely made my list as the most surprising release date ever before E3 came around and Bethesda dropped their bombshell.
This looks to be the largest Metal Gear Solid game to date, complete with a spectacular open world style of gameplay. Although it seems that open world games are all too commonplace nowadays, I tend to view it as a welcome addition into the Metal Gear Solid series, even if this is the last true game. I'm all for open world games, and the massive gameworld that has been revealed in The Phantom Pain has made me more than ecstatic for its forthcoming release. Between this and Mad Max, I'm really going to have my hands full for a long time. But that's going to pale in comparison to my absolute, hands-down most anticipated game of the year...
This looks to be the largest Metal Gear Solid game to date, complete with a spectacular open world style of gameplay. Although it seems that open world games are all too commonplace nowadays, I tend to view it as a welcome addition into the Metal Gear Solid series, even if this is the last true game. I'm all for open world games, and the massive gameworld that has been revealed in The Phantom Pain has made me more than ecstatic for its forthcoming release. Between this and Mad Max, I'm really going to have my hands full for a long time. But that's going to pale in comparison to my absolute, hands-down most anticipated game of the year...
#1. Fallout 4 (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
This may not have made my list if it hadn't been for the massive surprise that Bethesda revealed a few weeks back. Now, everyone saw the trailer revealed on the site, but the biggest surprise was at E3, where Bethesda revealed the release date to be later this year (November 10, to be exact). Not only that, but Bethesda also revealed a super limited edition that has a full working PipBoy that can also be used with a second screen app with the game. I was lucky enough to snag a preorder on GameStop's website literally minutes before it went out of stock.
I absolutely adored Fallout 3 and its subsequent DLC, and had a blast playing New Vegas. Fallout 4 seems to be luring gamers back into the tried and true Bethesda format, creating an all-new expansive open world for gamers to explore and new choices to make. You can even build your own settlements and create your own weapons out of various junk that you scavenge throughout the wasteland. The enormous attention to detail that Bethesda is putting into their new iteration of Fallout seems to be greatly benefiting their final product- we can only hope that they deliver on their promises (Spoiler alert: They will.)
There are plenty of other games that I am more than excited about: Mad Max, Yoshi's Wooly World, Super Mario Maker, Until Dawn, Rare Replay, to name a few. These are simply a few of the best and the most promising out of the upcoming roster. 2015 seems to be one of the best years for gaming in a long time, and a lot of gamers' wildest dreams are becoming reality for them. This truly is the best year in a long time to be a gamer.
There are plenty of other games that I am more than excited about: Mad Max, Yoshi's Wooly World, Super Mario Maker, Until Dawn, Rare Replay, to name a few. These are simply a few of the best and the most promising out of the upcoming roster. 2015 seems to be one of the best years for gaming in a long time, and a lot of gamers' wildest dreams are becoming reality for them. This truly is the best year in a long time to be a gamer.