It is somewhat unfortunate that January 12th is going to miss the deadline, since I'm sure a few Switch titles would make the cut for me, but haven't been officially announced or confirmed yet. The same goes for a few PS4 games I'm expecting to get a release in 2017, but that haven't been thus scheduled yet officially. I'll probably update my list later either for formatting or if other release dates become better known.
1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild : It's been my most anticipated game 4 years in a row now, and although I'm beginning to feel more and more ridiculous, I'm optimistic this'll finally be the year we get to play it. On the upside, at least I no longer have to call it The Legend of Zelda Wii U.
2. Red Dead Redemption 2 : Red Dead Redemption is one of the towering achievements of the 7th generation, and one of my favourite games of all time. I've been hoping for a sequel announcement for over 5 years now. Even though we know laughably little about it, the name alone, and the possibilities it brings with it are enough to make me giddy with anticipation.
3. Mass Effect: Andromeda : In spite of their flaws, I am a huge fan of the Bioware RPGs, so there is no way around this game for me. I'm looking forward to seeing one of my favourite modern franchises brought to life with the Frostbite engine, and hopeful that appropriate lessons were learned from Inquisition's world and quest design.
4. Uncharted: The Lost Legacy : I originally didn't include this one because I wasn't sure if it was scheduled to be released next year. However, with it being eligible, I feel I have to give it a spot. Uncharted 4 is likely going to be my GotY for 2016, and if this standalone story focusing on Chloe and Nadine is anything like it, I can barely wait to get my hands on it. Given Uncharted 4's ending, I'm interested to see ND explore other characters as protagonists in their own spin-offs or even in mainline titles going forward.
5. Horizon Zero Dawn : I'm not terribly familiar with Guerilla Game's previous output, and going from the rather linear Killzone franchise to the much more open Horizon is sure to be quite a challenge. At the same time, the game looks absolutely gorgeous and its setting has me more than a little intrigued. Now that I own a PS4, I find it hard not to get excited for what is looking to be next year's biggest exclusive.
6. Resident Evil VII : I would say that I hold a healthy amount of scepticism towards Resident Evil VII, in part because of the change in direction and the first person perspective, but mostly because of the parts of the game that Capcom has chosen to highlight. I'm definitely willing to sink my teeth into a good survival horror, and I have a lot of love for the RE series, but I'd like to know more about the gameplay balance before committing to an early purchase.
7. Yooka-Laylee : As a KS backer, I had the opportunity to mess with the Toybox for a bit this year, and while the version contained in it is rough, it shows a tremendous amount of potential. As a big fan of Rare's work on the N64, and someone who enjoys 3D action-adventures / platformers in general, I was on board with this game since the crowdfunding campaign was announced, and what we've been shown since has only solidified my desire to play the finished product.
8. South Park: The Fractured But Whole : I managed to finally get back to The Stick of Truth and finishing it earlier this year, but even just playing the first half of it a few years ago, I fell in love with the way the show was brought to life by Obsidian. After that, there's no way I could not want to play the sequel, especially given the focus on the Coon / Mysterion sub-universe (which is one of my favourite SP arcs).
9. Persona 5 : I'm a complete newcomer to the Persona series, and not all that experienced with JRPGs, in general. At the same time, I have found a lot to love in other Atlus games, and the amount of visual style of this one is undeniable. Also, after such a long wait, I'm just itching to see what all the fuss was about.
10. For Honor : This one caught my attention immediately when it was announced, but I was always cautiously optimistic at best about it, mostly because I was worried there would not be much here outside of the multiplayer. Now, having played a campaign demo at Gamescom, I'm much more open to the idea of jumping into it. Alas, the announcement of an internet connection being required has somewhat dampened my excitement, so now I'm thinking I might wait for impressions.
