It’s a new year, and you know what that means! Resolutions, a new diet and Perfectrundown’s most anticipated games of 2015
1. Grand Theft Auto V
Switching between the various characters as they went about their business in the detailed state of San Andreas was interesting, as was the option to complete the game’s central‘Heist’ missions in different ways. But for all the fantastic sights to see and activities to undertake, it didn’t really gel together as well as some more recent open-world games.
That said, there are a few new features being added that may alleviate that issue. The PC version will be playable from a firstperson perspective; when combined with good old keyboard and mouse controls, this should make gunfights much more enjoyable on consoles.
The other point of interest is the multiplayer component, GTA Online, which lets players explore the city of Los Santos together. The PC has always been the optimum large-scale multiplayer platform, and GTA Online should flourish in this environment. All being well, we’ll have a full review soon.
2. Evolve
This year, the situation changes, or you could say it ‘evolves’ (sorry). Like Left4Dead, Evolve is cooperative but, instead of fighting hordes of AI zombies together, you team up to hunt a single, enormous alien creature that’s controlled by a fifth player. Meanwhile, the alien can hunt other creatures, and from their sustenance, evolve into a more powerful, deadly opponent.
Evolve is intended to be more tense and tactical than Left4Dead’s frantic action. Each hunter character has a very specific role, so they need to work together to stand a chance of overcoming their prey.
In addition, there are several different types of creatures that the opposing player can select, while both hunter and hunted will have to contend with AI flora and fauna. It looks like an intriguing prospect, although it will require more skill and investment than Left4Dead.
3. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
But it’s absolutely definitely coming out this year. Probably. The good news, at least, is that we have a much better idea of what the game will be like.We knew CD Projekt was expanding the previous game’s deep story and complicated moral decisions into a sprawling open world, but now we also know what we’ll be doing in that huge environment.
For the first time we’ll see Geralt of Rivia actively hunting monsters in the wild, using his enhanced senses to track a broad menagerie of creatures across the game’s beautiful open terrain.These monsters are driven by dynamic AI and have life cycles of their own. Some will only come out at night, while others work together in packs.
Of course, Geralt’s ostensibly simple life of killing monsters also brings him into contact with the far more complex beast of humanity. Interestingly, CD Projekt intends to step away from the usual RPG convention of rewarding quest completions with XP and loot, as it doesn’t want to influence decision making.
Instead, it plans for the consequences of your choices to be rewards. Your choices may change the life of a family, the fate of a village or the future of the entire realm. It’s hugely ambitious and risky, but if CD Projekt can pull it off, the Witcher 3 could well be the game to beat this year.
4. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
The Phantom Pain sees players assuming the role of Solid Snake’s biological father Big Boss (also known as Snake), commanding his special ops team in the mid-1980s.
The game mechanics and approach to ‘tactical espionage action’ have been completely reworked. The story will play out in a series of large open environments, traversable by horseback, and will involve infiltrating enemy bases using stealth and tactics reminiscent of games such as Thief and Splinter Cell.
The game isn’t focused entirely on solo operations either. Phantom Pain sports a base-building feature that will expand your spying capabilities, including the ability to call in helicopter support on missions, and even deploy commando troops to scout out locations.
5. Rainbow Six: Siege
The premise initially sounds much like Counter-Strike; however, whereas Valve’s seemingly immortal shooter emphasises speed and accuracy, Siege is much more about gadgets and planning.
Players will need to work together, covering each other from a distance with sniper rifles, protecting a player as they try to move or liberate hostages, and forming strategies for breaching rooms.
The levels are fully destructible, meaning you’ll be able to shoot through walls and blow up floors and ceilings. Of course, the enemy can do the same to you, so you’ll need to gauge the opportune moment to ambush your enemy.
In addition, Ubisoft recently stated that Siege will be entirely ‘input driven’, meaning you won’t ever be locked in a snazzy animation when you need to respond to an event in the environment. In a way, it’s sad that this feature is a big deal, but it’s hugely important in a game that’s all about quick thinking and forming strategies on the fly.
