Team Picks is our monthly feature where members of the team get together to tell you about their most anticipated games of the upcoming month. Why not join in? Let us know what you’re most looking forward to in the comments!
Mario Party 10 – Mario Party is one of those series that have been with me since I first started gaming. Whilst this entry into the series looks questionable, I have faith that the mini games will be a ton of fun. Im hoping that Nintendo out the gamepad to good use. An exciting aspect for me is the Amiibo support. It’ll be interesting to see if these are used beyond what has already been announced.
Battlefield Hardline – A successful Alpha and Beta test of Battlefield Hardline helped restore my faith in the Battlefield franchise after it was shaken to the very core by the technical issues surrounding Battlefield 4. The cops vs robbers concept, original game modes and promise of faster paced gameplay caught my attention immediately and has been supported by the immensely popular Beta test which attracted some 7 million players. In addition to the stylistic changes taking place in this breakout installment into the franchise, episodic singleplayer crafted by Visceral games – the team behind the well regarded Dead Space series – also sounds like an appealing change or approach. Hopefully the game launches well and avoids server issues, as this could be a game I once again sink hundreds of hours into.
Borderlands: The Handsome Collection – I made the naive mistake of purchasing the original Borderlands without having any internet connection and slowly but surely as the dedicated man I am, I chipped away at it until completion. It was alright but needless to say it was a grind all by myself. Up until the release of The Pre-Sequel I hadn’t had what I believed sufficient internet to truly appreciate these games until now. This HD remastering is a great opportunity to see what I missed out on as a team player in the originals sequels.
Ori & The Blind Forest – Once again I default to the choice that I know little to nothing about. DmC: Devil May Cry’s presumably “definitive edition” comes a close second, but I’m more excited to see how Ori and the Blind Forest turns out. We’ve had a huge influx of two dimensional platformers given the rise of the indies, but it’s starting to get to the point where they all feel the same. With a beautiful and breathtakingly unique art style, it’s got me in on a presentation level. It’s time to see if it stands up on a gameplay one.
Bloodborne – Not just my most anticipated this month, but for the entire year, as a diehard fan of the Souls series, I’m looking at Bloodborne as hopefully the spiritual successor that will really solidify the franchise as one of the greatest, and give me reasons not to chuck my PS4 in the bin after the roster of disappointing exclusives.
From the previews detailing the dark and atmospheric environments to what looks like one of the tightest and fluid combat systems in gaming, I have very high hopes for Bloodborne (possible GOTY?). Judging from From Software’s track record, I see no reason why the successful trend can’t continue.
Battlefield Hardline – Not a massive fan of Battlefield, or the whole warfare scene in itself, I have found myself entranced by Battlefield Hardline not just because it seems fast-paced and fun; but because it is a quintessential 80s/90s cop show come to life!
With a range of vehicles and weapons, as well as tactical vantage points and maps encapsulating massive city blocks, the game is sure to breathe new life into the warfare FPS scene. Think the shootout scene from “Heat” but on a larger, more chaotic scale.
Bloodborne – I always had a love/hate relationship with FROM’s Soul franchise, and despite for my love for the gameplay mechanics and such, there was always something missing from the mix that truly intrigued me into spending large amounts of time on these titles. There was simply no narrative theme that reeled me into the experience, and as much as I loved the game design itself, I just couldn’t get into it.
My hands-on with Bloodborne last summer changed all that, and the mix of the great scope, eerie atmosphere and nerve-wrecking gameplay has not only made Bloodborne my most anticipated title of March, but one of my most anticipated titles of the year.
Borderlands: The Handsome Collection – I’m a fan of the Borderlands setting and gameplay, but I never got right into the end-game content, or even the expansions. I feel having it all collected together will help me get right into it, and finally allow me to play the Pre-Sequel. I mean, considering it was developed in the city I live in, I should have some form of pride…
I will say, however, the HD remasters from last year are creeping up on us again this year, and it’s a little sad to see… yet I still keep buying them!
Pillars of Eternity – I backed the crowd fund of Pillars from day one and have keenly awaited it’s release. As an RPG fan, the thought of playing a brand new story and delving into a world with such a rich background is wonderfully exciting. It’s amazing to think that soon we will be playing the spiritual successor to Baldurs Gate II. The mini announcements which have introduced us to the world and it’s inhabitants have already got me ready to plug a fair amount of hours in and let go of reality.
Final Fantasy Type-O HD – Feeling a little starved of JRPG’s on the current gen systems. Type-0 will hopefully quench the thirst before the amazing looking Final Fantasy XV lands sometime in the later future. I played a bit of Type-0 the first time around and am very interested to see how the HD remake is being handled and how it will turn out when it’s released during the middle of this month!
