Are We Looking at One of the Best Gaming Years in Recent Memory?

When Fallout 4 dropped in the waning months of the year, I remember thinking, my gawd, 2015 might be one of the best video gaming years that I could remember in my adult life. Even as Fallout obliterated relationships, employment attendances and porn traffic, the game was so heralded with so many individual testimonies of crazy shit happening in the game, it was hard to imagine that not only was it possible for the game to be Game of the Year, but was barely in the discussion for some sites and critics. This was, Fallout, after all. The seemingly final form of one of the most beloved gaming franchises in history and yet, this was the kind of year it had been in gaming. The kind of year, where no matter how hardcore a gamer you were, it was possible that you didn’t even play a game yet that someone else considered the best game of the year.

Starting the year off with Saint’s Row IV and Dying Light (opposite sides of the quality gaming coin for diversity sake). But the year included some games that were not only the best of that year, but the best of the last several years like Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Bloodbourne, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Batman Arkham Knight, Halo 5: Guardians, Mortal Kombat X and my personal Game of The Year, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. 2015 was FLAMES. But 2017 doe? 2017, said game recognize game and 2015 lookin’ mad familiar. Of course, any prediction for how great the gaming year can be is based on speculation and even 2015 fell prey to some expectations. Games like Evolve, Star Wars: Battlefront, Rainbox Six: Siege, Battlefield Hardline and The Order 1886 weren’t terrible games, but had tons of hype that ultimately wasn’t fulfilled. This could very well happen this year too, even though less of the AAA seem to be in the margins and living on potential like some of those other titles.

So let’s go with what we know so far this year. We are only two and a half months into the year and we’ve already been blessed with Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, a triumphant return to it’s scary and disturbing roots. February gave us For Honor, a unique melee combat game with an addictive gameplay and unique multiplayer. That month capped off with what would in most years be a Game of the Year favorite in Horizon Zero Dawn.

But literally a week later, that Nintendo Switch dropped that mixtape that had some bangers, but what is probably the anthem of the year in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Show me a gamer that got their hands on a Switch and I’ll show you a person that has proclaimed it one of the best games…Of. All. Time. I know. That shit sounds crazy right? Don’t make it false, fam. Here’s the crazy shit though, Ubisoft dropped an open world co-op tactical shooter (Ghost Recon: Wildlands) along with the highly reviewed slasher in Nier: Automata and hardly anyone noticed. You know…cuz Zelda.

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B-b-b-but wait, its gets…better. Somehow. Mass Effect: Andromeda drops in March too. New Mass Effect, fam? Have you seen this shit yet? And then April gives us Persona 5? What’s your budget look like? Cuz I’m not sure how I’m feeding the family in the months to come.

What I’m trying to say, is this year lookin’ like like 96 Bulls outchea. Other big name games that are confirmed for this year are listed below: Gonna be an expensive year fam. Still…Here. For it.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Prey
Injustice 2
Tekken 7
Dirt 4
Boundless
Crackdown 3
Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series
Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite
Metal Gear Survive
Outlast 2
Red Dead Redemption 2
Shenmue III (are you even serious, fam?)
Middle Earth: Shadow of War
Super Mario Odyssey
God of War
Last of Us Part 2
Days Gone
Destiny 2
Spider-Man

and on and on and on…

What Games are you looking forward to most this upcoming year? What’s getting your hard earned knot?

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  • William is the Editor-In-Chief, leader of the Black Knights and father of the Avatar. With Korra's attitude, not the other one.

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