20 Most Anticipated Games of 2017

2017 is here and lining up to be a massive year for gaming. With everything from big-name sequels and indie titles to new IP blockbusters, there’s something for everyone. But in the spirit of highlighting the biggest and most exciting games coming in 2017, here’s our most anticipated:

Resident Evil 7

Release date: 24 January 2017 (Xbox One, PS4, PC)

After Resident Evil 6 took an all-out action approach, Resident Evil 7 brings everything back to what first defined the series: survival horror. You now explore the world from first-person, and the environments are suitably dark and dingy, recapturing the sense of dread and suspense from the earlier games. The game’s demo has already been terrifying gamers who’ve been brave enough to play it, so we’re excited to see what kind of chilling scares and first-person combat await in the full game.

Nioh

Release date: 9 February 2017 (PS4)

Team Ninja’s ghostly game about a cursed samurai (who looks an awful lot like a certain Witcher you might know) is very much a Dark Souls clone, but it’s got a lot going for it that has us excited. The emphasis of Nioh is on fighting styles and combat strategy, allowing you to alter your stance when attacking enemies, with each stance having pros and cons to it. However, the lead character William is also an elusive fellow and players will need to use his speed and dodging ability to outwit bigger foes. It looks to be an interesting title that will punish you for daydreaming but reward you for perseverance. We’re in!

Sniper Elite 4

Release date: 14 February 2017 (Xbox One, PS4, PC)

Sniper Elite 4, the stealthy shooter, is back with even more gruesome bullet time and enormous open-world levels to sneak through. Grizzled sniper Karl Fairburne is still battling his way alone through World War 2 and he’s made it as far as Mussolini’s Italy where the Nazis are welcomed guests. Spoiler: Karl doesn’t feel quite the same way.

For Honor

Release date: 14 February 2017 (Xbox One, PS4, PC)

Medieval warfare game For Honor sees players take on the role of a Viking, Samurai or Knight, with each faction offering its own unique abilities. Unusually, players use controller’s analogue sticks to control movements and actions in battle, demanding greater accuracy to be successful. There will be a full campaign mode for each faction, as well as multiplayer (which will be a sure hit). Like Assassin’s Creed and the Tom Clancy games, Ubisoft is looking to turn For Honor into its next big franchise, so keep an eye on this one.

Horizon: Zero Dawn

Release date: 1 March 2017 (PS4)

Killzone developer Guerilla Games’ upcoming post-apocalyptic action game Horizon: Zero Dawn is looking to be something quite special. We’ve seen quite a bit since its E3 2015 reveal, with the gameplay and story looking sublime, but there’s obviously a lot more to the game to discover ourselves. The game relies heavily on its hunting, stealth and combat mechanics in order to survive the harsh environments and giant robotic beasts that look something like Terminator dinosaurs. Horizon: Zero Dawn definitely has our attention.

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands

Release date: 7 March 2017 (Xbox One, PS4, PC)

Ubisoft is ditching the advanced tech you might typically associate for the Ghost Recon franchise, making Ghost Recon: Wildlands a more rugged, down-to-earth take on team-based military ops. The tactical warfare takes place in modern-day Bolivia this time around, as you and your elite squad of specialists work to systematically take down a drug cartel in a giant open-world setting.

Mass Effect: Andromeda

Release date: 23 March 2017 (Xbox One, PS4, PC)

Eager space-explorers will be glad to know that Bioware’s fourth entry in the Mass Effect franchise, Mass Effect: Andromeda, is releasing this year. Andromeda sees players will take on the role of Ryder (who can be male or female, depending on your decision). Ryder is a Pathfinder, who’s tasked with leading humanity’s search for a new home in the uncharted and unforgiving region of an entirely new galaxy as part of the Andromeda Initiative (hence the game’s name). The franchise’s traditional class system has been done away with, with a branching skill tree now the standard progression system, giving players the chance to boost or change up their skills and gameplay style throughout the game. Of course, in addition to the RPG elements, there’ll also be tons of shooting, traversing, and squad dynamics at play.

Yooka-Laylee

Release date: 11 April 2017 (Xbox One, PS4, PC, Switch)

Old-school 3D platformers are in dire need in the gaming landscape of today, but Yooka-Laylee is set to change that. Beginning as a pie-in-the-sky Kickstarter project, Yooka-Laylee garnered some serious attention from gamers who managed to provide more than enough funding for the game. With some quality pedigree in the development team (with some members being a part of the original Banjo-Kazooiestudio, Rare), Yooka-Laylee is looking to be a love-letter to long-time gamers and to remind the new generation of the colourful jumping days of yesteryear.

Prey

Release date: 5 May 2017 (Xbox One, PS4, PC)

Prey is an interesting-looking sci-fi FPS and a re-imaging of the 2006 shooter of the same name. This time, however, everything has been thrown out the window for a completely new story and setting to the original. Developed by Arkane Studios, the team behind the Dishonored games, Prey has you confined on a space station that’s been overrun by shape-shifting, shadow-like aliens. Protagonist Morgan Yu will have to fight back against these invaders in a struggle to survive, even as his sanity seems to deteriorate bit by bit.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Release date: TBA (Wii U, Switch)

Nintendo is finally releasing its long-awaited current-gen Zelda game in 2017, and it’s coming to Wii U and the yet-to-be-released Nintendo Switch console. The game is quite easily the largest and most ambitious game in the franchise to date, featuring new gameplay elements like changing weather patterns and scalable cliffs. There is also a wider array of weapons like spears and axes that Link has access to, along with the ability to pick up food to replenish health. Enemies also live in colonies rather than scattered randomly around Hyrule, and the game is compatible with several coming amiibo figurines.

Crackdown 3

Release date: Q4 2017 (Xbox One, PC)

The Crackdown series has produced a cult-like fan-base among Xbox gamers. The franchise follows The Agency, who deploy a cybernetic police-force in crime-ridden cities to take down the bad guys using some pretty nifty gadgets, guns and incredible superhuman abilities. The third instalment was shown off at Gamescom 2015, and it really came in with a bang. Fully destructible environments, multiplayer, and a massive city are only some of the incredible features that await us in Crackdown 3. The game will take advantage of the Xbox One’s cloud computing feature, to up the processing power of the console and capabilities of what can happen in the game.

God of War

Release date: TBA (PS4)

It’s official – Kratos is back… and he has a son. God of War is getting a reboot, although this time the game is wrapped up in some intriguing Norse lore, rather than Greek mythology, featuring Kratos with a beard and brutal war axe. The game will revolve around Kratos’ relationship with his son, Charlie, who players will also be able to take control of. The gameplay demo gave us a look at the game, which is similar to past God of War games but refreshingly different too. Of course, the giant creature battles return and look better than ever.

Crash Bandicoot: N.Sane Trilogy

Release date: TBA 2017 (PS4)

Fans have been demanding it for quite some time, and finally Sony has listened. Everyone’s favourite bandicoot is making his return with the Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy, which is a collection of high-definition remasters of the first three Crash Bandicoot games. The trilogy adds new features across all three games, including unified checkpoints, pause menus, and save systems, including both manual and automatic saving, and time trials, which were first introduced in Warped. It also features high-definition 4K resolution and remastered audio.

Days Gone

Release date: TBA (PS4)

Days Gone is a new post-apocalyptic zombie title from Bend Studios, who worked on the underrated Uncharted: Golden Abyss on PS Vita. Set in the beautiful, volcanic scarred high-desert of the Pacific Northwest, Days Gone is an open-world action-adventure game where you play as Deacon St. John, a drifter and bounty hunter who has to use his former biker days to gain an edge in a world where survival is the only option. It looks gorgeous and the sheer volume of zombies on-screen gets us excited to what the game has in store.

Spider-Man

Release date: TBA (PS4)

We’ve had a few Spidey games in recent years, but they’ve always been tied-in to film releases; and we’re craving an adventure that really explores Spider-Man’s villain roster and one that takes the story to new places. Thankfully, a new title is being developed by Insomniac Games, the great team behind Rachet and Clank and Sunset Overdrive, who’ve proved time and again they can make fast-paced action games with interesting movement mechanics, making them a perfect match for web-slinging Spidey. The first trailer for the game looks great, and we’re just hoping the final product sticks its landing.

Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite

Release date: TBA (Xbox One, PS4, PC)

Always wanted to use Street Fighter‘s Ryu to punch Iron Man in the face? Well, good news is that the epic clash between two storied universes returns with Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, the next era of the highly revered action-fighting game series. The sequel also return to its two-on-two tag team style match ups, unlike the three man team in the previous games. Plus, the Infinity Stones are featured as powe-ups for characters with Ryu using the Power Stone to strengthen his attacks, while Captain Marvel came move faster with the Time Stone, for example.

Injustice 2

Release date: 2017 (PS4, Xbox One)

NeatherRealm Studios’ superhero fighting game, Injustice, was a smash hit with fans of the genre and DC enthusiasts, and a sequel is on the way. Injustice 2 not only picks up the incredibly-interesting alternate timeline story-arc, but it also ups the roster of fighters, throws in new costumes and upgradable gear (which can help players boost their fighters ala RPG-style), and it also delivers some gorgeous visuals to boot.

Tekken 7

Release date: TBA (Xbox One, PS4, PC)

Tekken 7 is the next iteration of Bandai Namco’s famed 3D fighting series, bringing back veterans from the King of Iron Fist tournament alongside some spiffy-looking newcomers – including Kazumi Mishima, Kazuya’s mother who can perform literal tiger uppercuts with her beast companion. Expect plenty of heavy-hitting animations, devastating ground bounce combos, and bizarre backdrops. Yip, Tekken is back.

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

Release date: TBA (PS4)

This isn’t a brand new Uncharted game, but its not an expansion either. In The Lost Legacy you play as Chloe (from Uncharted 2: Among Thieves) who teams up with Nadine Ross (yeah, from A Thief’s End) to track down an ancient Indian artefact. Does that mean it’s co-op? Unlikely, as the pair will likely assume the same dynamic as Nathan and Sam in the main game. It’s more Uncharted, which is a great thing, and you don’t have to own the original to play.

Red Dead Redemption 2

Release date: TBA 2017 (Xbox One, PS4)

Arguably the most anticipated game of the entire year, Red Dead Redemption 2 is set to take gamers back to the Wild West for another cowboy-packed, smoking-gun adventure. To be honest, not too much is known about Red Dead Redemption 2, as Rockstar have been pretty tight-lipped, but based on the first trailer, we can expect a far larger world, more characters, gorgeous visuals, and a compelling story which may or may not include RDR’s original hero, John Marston. In addition, Rockstar also recently registered the domain for “Red Dead Online”, suggesting that the developer will follow the framework of GTA V, which had a fully-fledged online component called Grant Theft Auto Online.

What game are you most excited for this year? Let us know by tweeting @MenStuffZA and commenting below.

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