1.
Star Wars Battlefront : 10 years. By the time this game releases next year, that's how long it will have been since the last real installment in the series. They were the first games I ever loved, and I hold them so dear to my heart. They introduced me to online multiplayer, and immersed me in my favorite films better than any other Star Wars game before it. DICE has massive expectations to live up to, and after the Battlefield 4 debacle I'm scared to death of having my dreams crushed yet again like so many times before. Just make it like the old games with a DICE spin or two, and just please have it work. We've come close to having it back so many times now that the thought of it failing again is just too much to take. I've been waiting 10 years for this so of course it would be #1 on my hype list from the second it was announced.
2.
Batman: Arkham Knight : Probably my favorite new franchise from last gen. For me the Batman franchise is second only to Star Wars, and these games did for Batman exactly what Battlefront did for Star Wars. They made me feel like I was there. For the first time I could feel like I was the Batman, and Rocksteady did such a masterful job of it that they are arguably the greatest licensed games of all time. However, the last installment came from a different studio and watered down the series with more of the same despite having arguably the best story and presentation of the series. I'm just glad we get to have the original creators at the helm for one last ride before the franchise gets placed in new hands where it will probably never be the same like so many others today.
3.
Halo 5: Guardians : This series has been my life for nearly a decade now. The best memories I have gaming all came from playing this series throughout the years. So much has changed though. Halo just isn't Halo anymore. It's becoming something else entirely, but that may not be a bad thing as long as it remains something unique. Halo multiplayer at its worst has still been better than any other on the market to me. It's just difficult to accept that we may never get another true Halo game, but the Master Chief Collection helps with the pain. At least when it works it does. I have faith that 343 can make something worthy of the Halo name, but if we have another online population flop again then they will be running out of chances. With that said, I've had to bump Halo down a few spots in my list which would normally be #1 on a yearly basis.
4.
Rise of the Tomb Raider : I had never touched a Tomb Raider game before until last year. It just never seemed like it was something for me, but the reboot's reveal got enough of my attention to finally check this series out. I picked up the Legend, Anniversary, and Underworld games, and I got hooked quickly. The puzzles. The charm. The environments. It was all so fun and challenging. I got pretty hyped for a next-gen version of this, but the final product definitely threw away some of this in exchange for a gritty Uncharted competitor. It wasn't a complete failure though. Some aspects of Uncharted could really help Tomb Raider flourish, but more work has to be done to balance both styles which I'm confident Crystal Dynamics can achieve with this sequel.
5.
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege : This is the first shooter in a long time that has actually impressed me by trying to do something different and actually push the genre forward instead of just making adjustments to the Call of Duty formula that has put innovation of this genre in a choke hold for years now. What they are doing with destructibility is nothing short of amazing. Any wall, floor, door, etc. can be destroyed to create new pathways. So much emphasis is placed on teamwork and communication to coordinate tactics to win which is something so few shooters push anymore. It all just looks and feels so unique and refreshing from the rest of the pack of sequels and clones that fill this genre that for the first time in a long time I'm actually excited to play a new FPS.
6.
No Man's Sky : The game's official reveal at VGX last year was simply mind blowing. I had probably never seen a demo as impressive as that one before. This game felt like it was going to pave the way to the future of games, but everything that has been shown since then has just been more of the same. Like many others, I didn't really know what it was that we were even supposed to do, but maybe that's a good thing. They've come out and said some of the various things we can do, but they have to be hiding something up their sleeves. It has impressed and intrigued me enough to land just outside the top 5 of my list. I'm hoping for something that will make me feel blown away, but if the content of the demos is the best thing we're going to get then I'd be okay because its impressed me so much.
7.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain : The idea of an open world stealth game intrigued me enough to say that this will be my first Metal Gear game. I've known for a long time how loved this series is, but I just simply never got around to playing it. I had hoped to pick up the series at some point, but the Legacy Collection was so overpriced and the HD collection doesn't include all of the games. However, with Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain releasing on Steam, I've decided to hold off purchasing the rest of the series out of hope that they too will come to my favorite platform some day soon. I'll probably not pick it up next year to wait for impressions and give Kojima a bit more time to announce Steam releases for the rest. I've always hated jumping into a series anywhere except the beginning.
8.
Cuphead : The art style alone caught my attention from the moment I saw footage of this game for the first time. It appears to be a perfect little love letter to the classic animated cartoons from as far back as the 1930's. I've seen so little of it that I have no clue how the game will actually play, but the concept is just so unique that I can't help but get excited to play it next year. With that said, it has firmly solidified itself in my top 10 games to watch for next year. I just hope we get to see a little bit more of it soon.
9.
Inside : As soon as I heard that the creators of Limbo, one of my favorite little indie games, was going to release a new project next year it instantly caught my attention. Then at E3 this year we got our first look at it, and it certainly looks intriguing. It seems to be retaining aspects of that dark and simplistic art style I loved about Limbo as well as its more subtle way of storytelling. I'm expecting the gameplay to seem mostly the same with the story and environment to be the defining aspect of the title, but all of this is yet to be certain until I've got the game on my hard drive next year. If the quality is anything close to Limbo's then I'll greatly enjoy it.
10.
Splatoon : I had a rather long debate with myself for awhile over what I should place in the final spot of my top 10 for next year. There are so many great games coming next year after so many delays from 2014. In the end I ultimately settled on Splatoon. Its such a unique take on the shooter genre, but unfortunately I doubt I will have a Wii-U anytime soon in order to play it. This was the biggest factor against including it in my list, but I know for a fact that if I had a Wii-U then it would be right up there among the top spots of my list. Finally, a shooter that the whole family can enjoy.
Honorable Mentions:
x.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt : I've have yet to finish both Witcher games, but each one has held my attention a little longer than the last. Hopefully the final entry helps break my habit.
x.
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End : This series has rubbed me the wrong way from the start, but I can't help myself from coming back. It just oozes charm. Maybe this one will finally click with me.
x.
Quantum Break : Remedy's games have never quite gotten to me like they have for others, but they just have a style that's unlike any other. It should be a fun experience.
x.
Tom Clancy's The Division : I fear I will get bored quickly, but I can't help but be impressed by the demos so far. Seems like something that would be a pain to play alone though.
x.
Until Dawn : I had no interest in this game until its recent stage demo. Now it feels like it would be a blast to play with a group of friends around screaming at each other over what to do.
x.
Routine : Although Alien: Isolation already scratched that sci-fi horror itch, I can easily handle more. No release date has been announced yet, but its a definite pick-up if it comes next year.
x.
Dying Light : Its Mirror's Edge with zombies. What isn't there to like? Its definitely a exciting concept, but their previous work on Dead Island left something to be desired.
x.
Amplitude : I missed out on the original back in the PSX days, but the amount of love this series gets has gotten me on board. Its hard not to get excited about something from Harmonix.