shinobi602
Member

*Thanks for participating everyone! Special thanks to Doffen, dancrane212 & Kyonashi for their help.*
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GAF Comments:
Well, it's Zelda. It is my most anticipated game since its announcement in 2014, and every time it get delayed the excitement just explodes a little more. The E3 2016's blowout was incredible, and the two trailers we got so far are the cherry on top of the cake. Huge post-apocalyptic open-world, filled with secrets about the background of the new Hyrule. How could I put anything else in first place instead?
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild[/B] : 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.
I've always found it difficult to get into Zelda games. I've loved their music and art since ever I first laid eyes on them, but I've struggled to connect with them as games. With Breath of the Wild, I am confident that this will change. I feel like I can truly explore. I can get lost, discover secrets and tricks, or enjoy the pure nature and the wildlife and just....breathe. I can relax, enjoy the purity and take everything in at my own pace. With a healthy dose of Souls-like combat design and an epic story on top, this sounds like a world to truly immerse oneself in. What a great concoction. And I can jump when I want!
Environments and scenery that encourage exploration simply through their natural beauty, a great atmospheric art style that seems to capture both the impressionist vibe SS attempted and the stylized look of WW, the promise of a massive world with plenty of mystery and secrets just waiting to be found...and it's a new Zelda. That last part alone could justify its position at the top of this list, but this particular Zelda shows potential to actually make it into the ranks of OoT, LttP, MM and WW.

GAF Comments:
Persona 4 is a close second to favourite game ever for me. Maybe it's because I played it at a time when I needed a fun JRPG to put a lot of my time into, but something about the game just really clicked with me. And Persona 5 seems to have everything I loved about Persona 4, but even better. I've never seen any other game with a more appealing style than this, and I can't wait to spend time with the game's world and characters.
I'm not as crazy a Persona fanatic as most of GAF, but I still think they're solid adventures and remarkable for how much fun you can get out of them when factoring in their length. Most games of that length run stale after a while, but Persona 3 and 4 stay fresh for such a long time.
Next entry in one of my favorite series. I've been waiting for more since I finished 4 like seven years ago. Everything I've seen, from the combat to the character design to the music, looks incredible. I expect to spend dozens of hours playing this again. It's been a long time coming.
I played Persona 4 for the first time this year. It was the first time a jrpg really clicked with me. I loved every moment of it. The sequel is already out in Japan and it seems like a worthy successor to the P4.

GAF Comments:
I love RPG's, many devs changed the studio from CDPR to Guerilla and you can almost see how great the impact from rpg veteran devs are. Horizon looks, sounds and plays wonderful. The presentation I saw at Gamescom was nothing new but it looked so good and polished. I think this is the most important title for Guerilla, after a solid Killzone, they want to deliver a masterpiece, and I'm sure, they will!
I've fallen in love with the world they've built, and the gameplay videos have all looked fantastic. I really hope this is the Guerrilla game that showcases their talents. I know many loved the look of Killzone: Shadow Fall but that there was a lot of disappointment in the game. This is a new IP, a beautiful looking game, a new kind of game for the developers, a unique setting, and gameplay that looks different. I'm not against shooters at all, but it's cool to see games that aren't, and I really hope this is as good as it looks.
New IP, neat art style with the machine dinosaurs in nature that make me curious to explore. Combat looks pretty great, with the emphasis on traps like a hunter, being able to tear off limbs and use them to continue to hurt robot dinosaur, or hacking robot deer...it just looks cool, and again so strange the Killzone guys are making this.
It came out of left field at E3 2015. Sony had blown people's minds seconds earlier with the reveal of The Last Guardian, and many wondered how they could follow up such a bomb shell. Horizon came, however, and blew everyone away with the amazing battle against the Thunderjaw. It caught my attention then and there, and subsequent showings have added the necessary extra information I needed to feel confident that this game will be something special.

GAF Comments:
The sequel to one of the greatest games of all time? Yeah, dude, let's go!
Love the setting and Rockstar is world class with open world design. Longest period of time spent in an open world before I started to fast travel, I loved just riding around.
It's R* Games first proper next-gen title. That's all you need to know, really.

GAF Comments:
I'm a sucker for games that do science fiction. In particular, I love stories that explore the idea of an advanced human society that has traveled beyond Earth to befriend (or make enemies with) other species. It reminds me of what I love about Star Trek: The Next Generation; a series essentially based around the concept of humanity joining forces with the rest of the galaxy to explore what's out there. While Mass Effect isn't necessarily the Star Trek game I always hoped for (nor should it be as it's a different franchise), I can't help but feel it evokes a lot of the same sense of wonder of exploring worlds far away from home with a crew of capable allies.
Furthermore, I feel Mass Effect: Andromeda has a chance to capture that 'newness' that the original Mass Effect did. Sure, we'll see old Alien species, but it's also mixed with new ones along with new worlds. Everyone is thrust into unfamiliar territory, without an easy way to get back to Earth. To me, it's the ideal premise for a game about discovery of new worlds, cultures, and the individuals who make that all come together. How much Andromeda focuses on that remains to be seen, but regardless, I can't wait to explore it as Ryder.
Enough time has passed since Mass Effect 3 came and left a bitter aftertaste and now I'm actually yearning for another Bioware epic. My initial hopes of a more Star Trek-y adventure about discovery and conflict in favour of the originals tiresome hero's journey have been dashed, but what we've seen so far still seems like a quality game.
Another game with a promised strong focus on exploration, and another game that looks fantastic in terms of environments and scenery. The combat looks particularly fluid and diverse this time around, going beyond the cover-shooting formula to incorporate options for more offensive tactics. The new alien race that's been revealed doesn't look particularly exciting but I'm sure the devs of Mass Effect will not disappoint in the character depth department.

GAF Comments:
This game has the story madness from Yoko Taro and has fantastic gameplay from Platinum games. I mean this is basically a dream game for me so of course it's the top.
Did not expect a sequel to the original Nier at all but this looks flat out amazing. Excited for the crazy action gameplay and hopefully great soundtrack.
A miracle sequel. Everything we've seen from this shows it's going to be one hell of a ride. I want to hug whoever keeps giving Yoko Taro these opportunities. Pretty much tied with Gravity Rush 2.

GAF Comments:
It's Samurai Souls but with a much deeper combat that is a mixture of character action and Dark Souls combat. Made by the guys at Team Ninja they made the Souls-like game with the best combat.
Souls series sensibilities meets Team Ninja character action is a very enticing idea, and the brief time I've spent playing the technical tests for the game seem to indicate this game is going to deliver. A satisfying challenge and a good sense of atmosphere are carrying anticipation of this game big-time.
The souls franchise is easily my favorite of all time. Over these past few years several games have attempted to replicate it but I feel like none of them comes even close, mostly because I feel like they focus too much on replicating the Souls formula instead of taking inspiration from it to create something unique. And here comes Ni Oh, a game that takes many of the elements I love about the souls franchise but isn't afraid to be its own thing. Based on severa hours with the alpha and Beta, Ni Oh has it's own unique world, story and take on combat, while retaining the good level design, exciting combat and challenge I've come to love from the souls franchise.
From Software is a Japanese company but in many ways their games have a lot of western influence. Ni Oh feels like a more japanese take on the souls concept and I'm loving it.

GAF Comments:
FINALLY a return to survival horror gameplay. It remains unproven if the new perspective and the family member enemy types will result in a game that's as fun as the classics. But the fact that they've been upfront with showing classic gameplay mechanics returning is a good sign. Whether this game turns out good or shitty, I applaud them for trying somethin' new with the series.
I played the Jake chapter of RE 6, tried the Leon, and tried the Chris chapter, and couldn't get into it. So the return to its horror roots is really exciting for me. I don't think I played a good horror game this year, which is a shame after 2015 and Until Dawn, so I'm hoping that RE 7 starts the year off right for horror.

GAF Comments:
GR1 was one of the best games on Vita, and 2 looks fantastic (play that demo). I'm not sure what to expect of the story this time to be honest, but I'm confident it'll be a great game nonetheless.
I absolutely loved Gravity Rush and I can't wait for them to expand this world. It's a shame it got pushed to January but at least it's almost here.

GAF Comments:
Close one with Persona 5, but this gets the edge because I'm really craving jRPG with a surfeit of heart. Clearly it's a reaction to the cynical dystopic social media landscape which has now bled out into the real world. This game looks beautiful, combat may be fixed, going to drop everything for this when it comes out.
I really enjoyed the first game and am super stoked there's going to be a sequel. I hope they manage to make the combat more interesting this time around along with retaining the graphical/music quality.









