Uncharted 4 is one of the games to look forward to this year.
Uncharted 4 is one of the games to look forward to this year.
Opinion by
Siobhan Keogh takes a look at the games everyone wants to play in 2016.
Mirror's Edge Catalyst - PS4, Xbox One, PC, May 26
No game flows like the original Mirror's Edge. It's essentially a parkour simulator, but a really great one with a slightly wonky plot and a fantastic art style. When you start running and chaining jumps seamlessly from obstacle to obstacle, moving forward without stopping, it's exhilarating. But about halfway through the game, you start to have to use guns. When you're in the flow and you have to stop to shoot a gun, the adrenaline fades. And suddenly Mirror's Edge becomes ordinary. Boring, even.
This is why people are so excited about Mirror's Edge Catalyst, because the potential is there for a truly incredible game. And since EA has announced Catalyst will not include gun combat, everything's coming up Milhouse.
Sci-fi strategy series XCOM is a cult classic which has been around a long time - at least 22 years - and has a massive, passionate following. So XCOM 2, despite the name, is not actually the second in the series - far from it. There have been at least seven different titles flying the XCOM banner.
But when XCOM: Enemy Unknown was released in 2012, it revitalised and modernised the series. It was a tremendously addictive and challenging game. XCOM 2 is the much-anticipated sequel to Enemy Unknown, and takes place 20 years later.
That Dragon, Cancer - PC, Mac, Ouya, out now
Warning: this game will not be fun. The Green family is using games as a medium to tell an autobiographical story about their son, Joel, who fought a four-year battle with cancer and died at 5.
It's a point-and-click adventure game, but the genre seems beside the point. The intention of the game was to stop there - to show what life was like with Joel. But after Joel passed away, the game was reworked to memorialise him.
It's important that, as games grow and develop, they cover all ends of the emotional spectrum, just like film and television do. Games that make me feel strongly - whether joy or grief - are always unforgettable.
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End - Playstation 4, April 27
I walked down the aisle at my wedding to the theme music from Uncharted. The action series, full of Indiana Jones-style romps through exotic countries, is a favourite of many because of its well-written characters, beautiful environments and developer Naughty Dog's ability to get the best graphics out of PlayStation consoles.
Uncharted 2 was a masterpiece on those fronts, and had one of the best playable opening scenes ever. Uncharted 3 was a slight letdown as the environments were created first and the story written around it.
Though the environments were beautiful, it made the story feel slightly disjointed. Hopefully Naughty Dog has learned and will prioritise story and characters over pretty things.
No Man's Sky - PS4, PC, June
No Man's Sky is not the first attempt to create a near-endlessly explorable world. But it may be the most vast, infinite game universe we've ever seen, containing over 18 quintillion explorable planets.
I didn't even know a quintillion was a thing. But No Man's Sky has more than sheer numbers on its side.
In this first-person survival game you'll play as a planetary explorer, flying your spacecraft around this huge universe. You can land on and take off from any planet you see, and engage in combat with other vehicles. In other words, it's the space exploration game that fans of the genre were waiting for long before the game was announced.Fi
