Shooter

Halo 5

Halo 5

Developer: 343 Industries
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Expected release: Fall 2015
While the story has remained mostly under wraps, with the recent multiplayer beta we’ve been given a look at what’s to come and it looks fantastic. “Halo 5’s” new multiplayer will has a slew of new abilities and some new weapons to add into the mix, though the biggest focus that 343 seems to be looking for is a player oriented experience with fast action and explosive matches made even faster with the new abilities. In addition to the sprinting introduced in earlier incarnations, we now have a charge to slam into enemies while sprinting, the ability to slam to the ground when sailing through the air, and both the ability to slid along the ground and climb up edges you’d otherwise be unable to jump to. The newest game in the Halo series is definitely going to stand out among 2015 releases, we can only hope that 343 continues to live up to Bungie’s legacy.

Star Wars: Battlefront

Star Wars: Battlefront

Developer: EA Digital Illusions CE
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Expected release: Holiday 2015
The long awaited revitalization of the Star Wars: Battlefront series is almost here and after the disaster that was the first few months of “Battlefield 4”, people are justifiably worried. While the game is meant to be Dice’s interpretation of what Battlefront should be, there will still be elements from the original games and it is being made with the Frostbite 3 engine.

Rainbow Six: Siege

Rainbow Six: Siege

Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher: Ubisoft
Expected release: 2015
Spiritual successor to the Rainbow Six series, “Rainbow Six: Siege” takes the game in a new direction focusing on destruction and tight 5v5 battles. The game shares little, if anything, in common with the original games though from gameplay footage it looks to be a promising FPS strategy game.

RTS

StarCraft 2: Legacy of the Void

StarCraft 2: Legacy of the Void

Developer: Blizzard Entertainment
Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment
Expected release: First half of 2015
“Legacy of the Void” is the final installment of the StarCraft 2 trilogy and with it comes a host of changes that will add a whole new realm of replayability while completely changing competitive gameplay. Casual players will be getting two new co-op games, the Archon Mode where two players share control of a base and battle against two other players and Allied Commanders where players choose a commander and take on different scenarios. Terran will be getting two new units: Herc, a bruiser than grapples onto enemies and soaks up damage and the Cyclone which chases or leads on enemies while blasting them from afar. The Zerg also are receiving a few new units: Ravager, an evolution of the roach capable of destroying force fields and doing high damage, the Lurker finally making its comeback from Brood War with its linear attack. Though the Protoss will only be receiving the Disrupter, a micro-intensive ball of death.

Grey Goo

Grey Goo

Developer: Petroglyph Games
Publisher: Grey Box
Released: Jan. 23
A long needed entry into the RTS genre, Grey Goo adds a breath of fresh air to the genre. Despite its goofy name that might turn off some players, Grey Goo is an intense and difficult game that challenges players at all difficulty levels and provides interesting and fun gameplay for the three playable factions, Beta, Humans, and Goo.

Fighter

Mortal Kombat X

Mortal Kombat X

Developer: Netherrealm Studios
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Expected release: April 14
First Mortal Kombat to make its way to the newest generation of consoles, “Mortal Kombat X” will be the tenth in the longstanding Mortal Kombat series. One of its primary features will be based around every character having three fighting stances that can be changed between at any time throughout a fight. Each style will focus on different aspects of gameplay like for example being more special moved based or aggressive melee. The developers created “Injustice: Gods Among Us” since its last “Mortal Kombat” release and will be including that game’s ability to interact with objects in the environment.

Street Fighter V

Street Fighter V

Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Expected release: 2015
The fifth installment of one of the premier tournament filled fighting games. First seen in a YouTube video that was swiftly taken down, “Street Fighter V” was officially announced the next day. The game will support cross-platform gaming but will only be available for the PS4 and PC’s.

Tekken 7

Tekken 7

Developer: Bandai Namco Games
Publisher: Bandai Namco Games
Expected release: February 2015
“Tekken 7” is expected to drift away from team battles and instead focus on one-on-one fighting. With new mechanics being introduced it certainly looks like a strong contender in the series. Controversy has been stirring over the sexualization of their female characters but this game is far from the first to hold such accusations.

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About The Author

Grant Bickelhaupt is a Blast video game writer

2 Responses

  1. Jareth Smith

    Another disappointing list from someone who’s clearly a PS4 and Xbox One sycophant. How the hell can you write a list like this and NOT have on it Xenoblade Chronicles: X, Star Fox, or Super Mario Maker? Rubbish list which merely highlights the utterly tedious and relentlessly violent nature of PS4 and Xbox One titles.

    Reply

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