2016 is finally over and done with, and thank Arceus for that. However, 2016 was a good year for games; and if that’s any indication, 2017 is looking pretty bright on that front. I’ve gone through all games currently scheduled to be released this year and picked out 15 for you to put in your calendar and stay on the lookout for.
As with my previous lists, I set myself a few rules:
- AAA titles can appear, but the entire list could not be made up of them.
- Games featured here either have concrete release dates or have released enough screenshots or gameplay to suggest they have a good chance of actually releasing in 2017. Sorry, Red Dead Heads.
- The games on this list have all been formally announced as of this point.
- Games are presented in alphabetical order, as this is not some sort of ranking.
Now that we know the score, let’s take a look and see what 2017 has waiting for us in world of video games.
The Church in the Darkness
Release: Early 2017
Available: PS4, Xbox, PC, Mac
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The Church in the Darkness is a procedurally-generated infiltration game set in the 1970’s and centered around a fictional religious group that bases its beliefs in Christian theology and socialist tenants. Players are tasked with locating the character’s nephew who has moved to the group’s South American stronghold; called ‘Freedom Town.’ As the game’s map and characters are generated differently through each playthrough, the complete motivations of the titular church may not always appear the way this all sounds. With this in mind, players must decide how to proceed, using both stealth and violence to make their way to their goal. Developer Paranoid Games has indicated that the game doesn’t necessarily have a concrete storyline as much as the factors generated are meant to give the player freedom to react as they might in reality; for better or worse.
Cuphead
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Release: 2017
Available: Xbox, PC
Cuphead, the run-and-gun boss rush adventure, was first announced during Microsoft’s E3 press conference way back in 2014. Since then, the game has suffered multiple delays, but taking one look at it, how could it not take time. Immediately, the first thing that stands out is Cuphead’s art style. The art is hand-drawn prior to rendering, meant to invoke the 1930’s era of cartoons such as Disney’s Mickey Mouse series. The game’s story pits the titular Cuphead against a barrage of colorful bosses to repay a debt to the devil, because what’s an indie game these days without the dark lord himself? Going from boss to boss requires walking on a old-school RPG overworld map that also holds its own secrets. A co-op mode is included that gives a friend the ability to play as Mugman, who has his own set of abilities. Hopefully it won’t take a deal with the devil to get our hands on Cuphead this year.
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Hello Neighbor
Release: Summer
Available: PC
If you spend a lot of time watching live streamed gaming, you might have already become familiar with Hello Neighbor. In actuality, the game has been in Alpha for most of 2016, and people have been testing for some time. In Hello Neighbor, players take on a new arrival to the neighborhood and discover that one of the other homeowners might be killing people. Taking it upon themselves, the player infiltrates the neighbor’s home to investigate. Gameplay consists of using resources within the home to avoid detection by the neighbor, lest they find their own end. Being an alpha, the developer Dynamic Pixels have been hiding clues as to what the neighbor’s deal actually is (looks like Satan’s involved, told you indies love the dark lord), creating a group of theorists and fans already trying to put it all together.
Horizon: Zero Dawn
Release: February 28th
Available: PS4
Sony’s newest first party IP offering since Knack came as a blow out announcement, complete with robot dinosaurs, a futuristic world overcome by nature, archery, and a female hero to boot. Zero Dawn is intended to be the start of a “trilogy,” suggesting that we likely aren’t going to get all the answers desired after looking at the various trailers and gameplay released. Even so, it’s hard to not feel excited about this newest concept from Guerilla Games. Already the title looks like it’s all in when it comes to putting crazy and awesome looking stuff in. Additionally, getting fresh IP is a very good move for all involved. Many sequels did not sell nearly as well as expected last year, indicating that consumers are finally feeling fatigued by established franchises. Inadvertently, Zero Dawn now bears the burden of creating a new franchise in the midst of this. On the other hand, robot dinosaurs.
Injustice 2
Release: May 16th
Available: PS4, Xbox
The first Injustice was a pretty solid fighting game on a mechanical level, finally giving fans a proper DC Comics fighting game (even if the costumes were hideous.) Being able to punch the Joker into space as Superman is hard to top, but Injustice 2 is setting itself up to be a proper evolution of what was established. Newcomers including fan favorites Blue Beetle and Supergirl promises new challenges. Adding a loot drop system that lets players customize both the stats and appearances of fighters is an interesting deviation from formula, and I’m very interested to see how that’s balanced. Even better, the tie-in comic for Injustice, which is much better than the actual game’s narrative, will return as well and it’s been suggested that’s been used to inform Injustice 2’s story line.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Release: March
Available: Switch, Wii U
The latest entry in the Zelda series might be one of the most anticipated games of the series history, if not Nintendo’s entire catalog. BotW has suffered multiple delays, to the point where it has basically outgrown the console it was designed for. Even so, BotW looks to be one of the most ambitious titles Nintendo has tried to put out, at least in terms of taking inspiration from other games. Turning Hyrule into a gigantic map where Link must not only explore to find equipment, but to discover the story is a bold move; both as a return to basics for the series and on a scale not intended in Nintendo’s canon this way. BotW also promises to be the first real test of Nintendo’s new console, the Switch. Can it handle the scale better than the Wii U? Will it be a better experience because we can take it with us, or feel like too much? I’m glad we won’t have to wait much longer for answers.
Mass Effect: Andromeda
Release: March 21st
Available: PS4, Xbox, PC
It’s been a fairly long time since the incidents of Mass Effect 3, but despite that there is an expectation for Andromeda to restore the franchise to glory. With that in mind, Bioware has taken the series to an entirely different galaxy to allow them more freedom to create a new set up without being beholden to continuity. Things are looking pretty good for the game so far, keeping a lot of the familiar that made people fall in love with the games while making it clear that we’re not getting the same as the previous games. There are some concerns: such as classes going away and no details on its replacement, and for some reason crafting has been added, but I’d rather see a series trying something new than play it safe. As I said before with Horizon, the consumer base seems to be drained when it comes to iteration sequels. Either way, people will likely be happy as long as they can kiss multiple aliens.
Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: Mega Battle
Release: January
Available: PS4, Xbox, PC
We’re hitting peak 90’s nostalgia this year with a Power Rangers feature film hitting theatres. Now, more of that movie has been revealed via toys than actual information, so it’s probably not going to be good. One upside comes in the form of a beat-em-up featuring the original Mighty Morphin’ team. Including the original music and a comic-book style, Mega Battle plays like a Streets of Rage revival. As a huge fan of that old show and these types of games, I’m incredibly stoked. Beat-ems are just the right kind of arcade action to play for relaxation from time to time, and Power Rangers are a perfect match. Of course, all of this is pretty cheesy, so I wouldn’t expect anything life changing, but not every game needs to be expansive and deep to be enjoyable. However, much like the movie, we have yet to see a lot of the game and it is supposed to release later this month…
Night in the Woods
Release: February
Available: PS4, PC, Mac, Linux
A game funded on Kickstarter, Night in the Woods takes place in an anthropomorphic version of small town America similar to Zootopia’s designs. Players take on Mae, a cat who has returned to her hometown of Possum Springs after dropping out of college. Possum Springs has changed due to its local coal mines closing and a mysterious force in the woods creates mystery. What follows is a story of “mental illness, depression, the stagnancy of the middle and lower classes, and the slow death of small town America.” Mae can adventure in similar ways to platforming, but the developers have stressed the game is narrative focused as opposed to gameplay focused. As a crowd-funded game, NitW has a chip on its shoulder thanks to the failures of Mighty No. 9 as well. While I believe in crowd-funding, there is a lot of expectations on these games to be good. That said, NitW looks like the right kind of curiosity to succeed.
Rime
Release: May
Available: PS4, Xbox, Switch, PC
Originally a PS4 exclusive, Rime was recently re-revealed to the world to be available on just about anything that could play it. Another game announced long ago only to now show its face, Rime appears to have retained its Ico meets Zelda gameplay and Ghibli aesthetic, and it looks great. A puzzle solver, players will need to use everything in their environment to proceed through a cursed temple and find freedom. Elements such as native creatures, disappearing structures, and even a day/night cycle have been implemented to add layers of creativity and complexity to each puzzle. Even from the brief shots of the newest trailer, we can see diversity added to these puzzles, which will be necessary to keep things engaging. If you were a fan of The Last Guardian last year, you’ll definitely be looking forward to this one.
Scalebound
Release: 2017
Available: Xbox, PC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-ZVMU_KA-M
As a long time fan of Hideki Kamiya’s work, I am so desperately in need of Scalebound. Combining amazing things like dragon taming, swords, archery, rock music, good headphones, and a protagonist whose name might as well be Dante, Scalebound checks all my boxes. The now standard Platinum Games polish is all here, even if the game is designed to be at a slower pace than previous titles like Bayonetta. Players are put up against gigantic monsters similar to Dark Souls, but unlike those games, players are not alone. Instead, a giant dragon is a partner to players. The dragon is normally controlled by an AI, but can be commanded and even taken control of for a time; though that puts the player at major risk of damage. These kinds of designs are both inspired and straight up awesome.
Sonic Mania
Release: 2017
Availability: PS4, Xbox, PC
As a child born in 1991, I have a certain affinity for Sega’s willy blue hedgehog and his sassy Twitter account. That said, the years haven’t been the kindest to the mascot character. It could be said that a lot of why is because Sonic Team hasn’t really been sure what to do with Sonic’s gameplay. That leads us to Sonic Mania, a return to form for the series. Announced as a part of Sonic’s 25th Anniversary, Sonic Mania promises to be a modernized classic, sticking to the basics of the Sonic the Hedgehog classics, but with cleaned up visuals and new abilities. What is really uplifting about Mania is who is actually making it. The team includes PagodaWest Games, known for creating an unofficial HD remaster of Sonic 2; and programmers Christian Whitehead and Simon “Stealth” Thomley; who worked to port multiple Sonic classics to PC and mobile successfully. All of these guys understand the fundamentals of the classics and have been shown to work well with Sonic Team. Things are starting to look bright for the Blue Blur.
Tacoma
Release: 2017
Availability: Xbox, PC, Mac, Linux
Tacoma is the anticipated follow up title from Fullbright, creators of Gone Home. The game was announced back in 2014, but was delayed after playtesters indicated that Fullbright might want to rework some things in the game. Being set on a space station 200,000 miles from Earth, Tacoma tasks players with exploring the abandoned station to locate a powerful AI and investigate how the station was abandoned. Where Gone Home required players to fill in the blanks of the story based on text, Tacoma includes technology that lets players actually replay events to see them in motion. The station has a creepy, Rapture-esque vibe, but that only helps pad the excitement. Things likely aren’t as complicated as they seem, but if Tacoma is able to tell a deeply personal story like Gone Home did, it won’t need to. The magic of Gone Home was the ability to tell a somber yet not unhappy story. The story stuck with me and gave me something to meditate on; and I hope Tacoma can do the same.
Tekken 7
Release: 2017
Availability: PS4, Xbox, PC
The next stage in one of the most venerated fighting games of all time, Tekken 7 looks to take a step forward in its design. Adding two new battle mechanics, the first allowing for more power when health is critical and the second allowing attacks while being hit, are sure to change the way the game is played both professionally and casually. Tekken 7 has actually already seen life in Japan thanks to an early release, but the word is good. 7’s story is anticipated to be “darker” and offer resolution to long running plot threads. It is also clear that Namco Bandai is really targeting eSports with this title, similar to Capcom and Street Fighter V. Where SFV stumbled, however, was a massive lack of content at the beginning; something Tekken 7 seems intent on not replicating. Expect to see a lot of this game on Twitch in the new year.
Yooka-Laylee
Release: April 11th
Availability: PS4, Xbox, Switch, PC, Mac, Linux
For a certain subset of the gaming community, the release of Yooka-Laylee is like a coming home party. Probably the most well known Kickstarter darling, Yooka-Laylee smashed crowdfunding records in mere minutes of the campaign’s beginning. Created by a team of developers from Rare’s golden days, Yooka-Laylee is meant to be a spiritual successor to the team’s previous platforming darlings. To some, that might not seem like much. Yooka-Laylee could be easily seen as more of the same instead of something new, but after nearly ten years of nothing quite like Banjo-Kazooie or Donkey Kong 64, this is a welcome breath of fresh air. Again, the weight of the Mighty No. 9 disaster looms, but backers have played a beta version of the game and have reported good things. After the miserable time many had in 2016, this is one colorful palette cleanser I think many will get behind.
There’s far more coming out in 2017 that couldn’t fit on this list. For example, I finished drafting this before realizing I completely forgot about Resident Evil 7, which is something that doesn’t normally happen. That’s how deep the bench is this year. Is there something you’re really looking forward to not featured? Are you excited for any of these games, or why not? Let us know in the comments, and here’s to a good 2017 in gaming!
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