Set 20 years after the events of XCOM: Enemy Unknown, aliens have taken over the Earth and are ruling the planet. XCOM has been disavowed and its members have either pledged support to the aliens or gone into hiding.
We assume the role of the Commander, who has been under alien stasis, and with the help of some of our friends try to regain control of our planet. XCOM 2 is a turn-based tactics game wherein the player has to command his squad in battles against the aliens. Developed by Firaxis Games and published by 2K Games, it is scheduled to release on February 5th, 2016. The same game is developed and published by Feral Interactive for OS X and Linus based systems.
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XCOM 2 Cover
12. Mass Effect Andromeda
Get set for a new interstellar adventure in a completely new galaxy in Mass Effect Andromeda. No characters from the previous installments make an appearance in the game and it is like a reboot. But according to the developers, fans will be able to get the same feel for the game as the previous ones. With scores of 89, 94 and 89 for Mass Effect I, II and III on Metacritic, Mass Effect Andromeda has a lot of expectations on its shoulders. Featuring the same style of gameplay as its predecessors along with a host of new features, Mass Effect Andromeda is sure to be an instant hit.
It features the ability to drive the Mako, which is a six-wheeled buggy type vehicle. This can also be seen in the shot below. The game is set years after the first three games but very little information about it has been revealed.
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Mako, six-wheeled buggy
It is being developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts. It is being developed on the Frostbite Engine and will be available only in the fourth quarter of 2016. We are hoping it will be worth the wait!
11. Need for Speed
The story revolves around 5 racers and their ambition of impressing their racing idols. The game consists of real life racers, Magnus Walker, Akira Nakai, Risky Devil, Ken Block and Shinichi Morohoshi. Having 5 different gameplay modes and overlapping storylines, Need for Speed has been completely revamped. It has been already released for the consoles, but will be available for the PC in the first or second quarter of 2016. It has new features like very realistic car modifications and also, for the first time, features actual tuning companies.
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The visuals in the game are the best we’ve seen in a Need For Speed game so far!
10. Street Fighter V
Street Fighter V is a fighting game developed by Dimps together with Capcom and published by Capcom. Like the previous installments of the game, it features side-scrolling fighting gameplay with interactive arenas.
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Street Fighter V is bigger and better this time!
It features 16 playable characters, in which 4 are completely new to the franchise. It has been revealed that more characters will be added with regular updates. The first update will include 6 additional characters and will be released soon after the game.
9. Homefront: The Revolution
Taking the role of Ethan Brady in the resistance movement against a Korean invasion in Philadelphia, Homefront: The Revolution brings back the highly successful franchise back to the forefront.
Set 2 years after the events of Homefront, the Korean army has lost control over some of the states in the west. But despite this, they are gaining control on the eastern states, in which their major target is Philadelphia. But a new resistance is taking shape in Philly, led by Dana, the leader, and Ethan Brady, the youngest member of the resistance, to regain control of the lost areas. The game is being developed by Dambuster Studios and published by Deep Silver. It will be available in the first or second quarter of 2016.
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Invasion by the Korean army!
8. Dishonored 2
Following the footsteps of her protector and mentor, Corvo Attano, Emily Kaldwin must fight back to regain her throne, which is suddenly occupied by a usurper, and to protect the kingdom.
The players have a choice to play as either Corvo or Emily after playing the prologue as Emily. Dishonored 2 retains several features of the previous game as well as new additions. There is a new upgrade system in place and the game will be a lot more challenging, says the developers, Arkane Studios. To be available in the second quarter of 2016, this game created quite a buzz at E3 2015 and will be one of the most awaited titles of the year.
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Dual wielding weapons combined with magic!
7. Rise of the Tomb Raider
Lara is unable to explain the supernatural experiences that she’s been having. She turns to her fathers’ journals which contain vital information about the lost city of Kitezh. She prepares for an expedition to Syria, where she hopes she will find the tomb of the Prophet of Constantinople. The Prophet of Constantinople was a key figure in finding the city of Kitezh. The game describes her adventures in her quest to find the lost city and uncover the secrets of immortality.
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A lot of efforts have been taken to make the hair as realistic as possible.
The game features a much better day-night cycle and has improved stealth gameplay. To be released in the first quarter of 2016, it is published by Square Enix and developed by Crystal Dynamics.
6. Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands
The Bolivian region is in turmoil due to the Santa Blanca drug cartel. With plans to reveal the connections between the drug cartels and the local government, the US government sends an elite group of soldiers with extraordinary experience to tackle them. This is the first time Ghost Recon is venturing into the open world genre. Unlike Advanced Warfighter and Future Soldier, the game is set in the present and will feature military weapons that are in use today.
The game will also have an array of different terrains like snow, mountains and desert. It even has a dynamic day-night cycle along with a realistic weather system. The players can carry out missions at daytime or at night. Both have advantages and disadvantages. To be released sometime in 2016, the game is developed by Ubisoft Paris and published by Ubisoft.
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The game features an open world with different terrains!
5. Tom Clancy’s: The Division
After the collapse of the US government in 5 days due to a pandemic spread, the government activates “The Division”, a group of highly trained agents, aiming to regain control of the government. Leading normal lives, these agents come under the direct supervision of the President and are ordered to do whatever it takes.
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The US has collapsed due to a pandemic. It is now up to the Division to get it back on its feet!
Development began back in 2012 and the game was announced in 2013. But due to several delays the game has been delayed to 2016 and will be released on March 8, 2016. It is being developed by several developers, Ubisoft Massive, Ubisoft Reflections, Ubisoft Annecy and Red Storm Entertainment, and published under the banner of Ubisoft.
4. Hitman
Reprising the role of a contract assassin, Agent 47, will have to go around the world this time, for taking out high profile targets. This includes Paris, Italy, Marrakesh, Thailand, USA, and Japan. Each of the target in the game will have an associated story and the game follows this pattern.
The game shows events 20 years back, and will revolve around how Agent 47 got into the ICA. It also shows what fans have been wanting to see for a long time, how Agent 47 met Diana, his handler.
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Agent 47 is back, more lethal and deadly this time!
Giving more importance to stealth, this game is the sixth installment in the Hitman series. It is being developed by IO Interactive and published by Square Enix. It will be released on March 11, 2016.
3. Mafia III
After surviving a murder attempt from the Italian Mob, war veteran, and orphan, Lincoln Clay plans to take revenge on them. On his endeavor, he is assisted by three allies, Cassandra, Burke and Vito Scalleta. Vito Scalleta was the protagonist of Mafia II and one of the leading characters in Mafia III.
Mafia III consists of a host of new features like a cover system, an advanced stealth approach, interrogation abilities, and hand to hand combat. The players can make use of stealth to complete a mission or go in all guns blazing. The game, being developed by Hangar 13 and 2K Czech and published by 2K Games, will release worldwide in 2016. There is no official announcement on the exact date.
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Lincoln and his allies!
2. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
After the augmented start attacking the normal people, the government is forced to persecute the augmented globally. Adam Jensen must now work with an international coalition to stop terrorists who demand equality for the augmented. Mankind Divided is set in Prague in the year 2029, and it is being developed by Eidos Interactive and published by Square Enix. It uses a new engine, Dawn Engine, based on the Glacier Engine which was used in Hitman: Absolution. The highly praised first person perspective along with the third person cover system returns in this game.
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Adam Jensen – augmented fighting machine!
1. Far Cry Primal
Survival of the fittest is personified in the Mesolithic Period. Takkar, a hunter with exceptional abilities in taming animals, must rise to become the leader of a tribe after his tribe is ambushed in Oros, a valley that was covered in ice. But he must face a lot of challenges from other tribes, animals like mammoths and saber-toothed cats. The exciting gunplay and vehicle combat will be missing from Far Cry Primal as it is set in the Stone Age. Weapons have to be crafted, food has to be made and fire has to be created. Like many other games releasing in 2016, this one too features a dynamic day-night cycle. The game being developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft will hit stores on March 1st, 2016.
That’s it for the thirteen most awesome games of 2016. One common thing that I’ve noticed for some of the games is that they are starting to feature a dynamic day and night cycle. This will render a more realistic feel to gamers. If any of you have any more suggestions, please feel free to jot them down in the comments section.
