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NeoGAF Voted: Most Anticipated Games of 2016

UberTag

Member
With NieR: Automata's announced delay into next year, the redacted Top 10 list of anticipated 2016 games loses another title (granted, it originally wound up in 12th).

1. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (Metacritic & OpenCritic = 93)
Persona 5 (September 15th - in Japan; localization delayed 'til February 14th, 2017) {voted 8th most anticipated of 2014; voted 6th most anticipated of 2015}
Horizon: Zero Dawn (delayed 'til February 28th, 2017)
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (delayed 'til "sometime in 2017") {voted 3rd most anticipated of 2015}
2. Dark Souls III (Metacritic = 89 / OpenCritic = 88)
Mass Effect Andromeda (delayed 'til Q1 2017)
3. The Last Guardian (October 25th)
4. Final Fantasy XV (September 30th)
5. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (August 23rd)
6. No Man's Sky (August 9th) {voted 8th most anticipated of 2015}
7. Street Fighter V (Metacritic = 78 / OpenCritic = 76)
NieR: Automata (delayed 'til early 2017)
8. Tom Clancy's The Division (Metacritic & OpenCritic = 80)
9. Mirror's Edge Catalyst (Metacritic = 71 / OpenCritic = 70)
10. Quantum Break (Metacritic = 77 / OpenCritic = 76)

ON THE TOP 10 BUBBLE

Fire Emblem Fates (Metacritic = 87 / OpenCritic = 86)
Zero Time Dilemma (June 28th)
XCOM 2 (Metacritic & OpenCritic = 88)

Everything else in the active Top 10 is now either out or has a hard release date. Still potential for more slips but it's certainly less likely.
 
bunch of delays, but this is the first year where the most anticipated game will probably be GAF's GOTY

And any year that has FFXV AND TLG actually release has gotta be considered a success on the delay front
 

UberTag

Member
and it really should since it'll be out pretty early.
I can see both Horizon (should get elevated in rank on a lot of Sony fans' lists now that Uncharted is out of the picture) and Zelda (now that it looks even more awesome than thought possible) giving Persona a run.

Hard to imagine it finishing any worse than 3rd place and 1st is certainly within reach. Seems doubtful that anything will be announced for a realistic 2017 release window that could compete with those games in a GAF rankings poll (i.e. new game from Miyazaki or Naughty Dog, a viable release date for Cyberpunk 2077, Smash NX, Mario NX, etc.)
 

Nirolak

Mrgrgr
I would like to propose switching this to a thread that runs twice a year - once in January and once in July - and only votes for games releasing in the next six months.

This should cause people to mostly vote on games they've seen near final versions of, and also result in less delayed titles making it in the list.
 
I would like to propose switching this to a thread that runs twice a year - once in January and once in July - and only votes for games releasing in the next six months.

This should cause people to mostly vote on games they've seen near final versions of, and also result in less delayed titles making it in the list.
Pretty smart because it's a bit ridiculous now how some of these have been up multiple times
 
It's almost a secondary thing to look forwards to in my view (how many will make it this time, and will Persona 5 three-peat? lol)

Gen 8 is rough though.
 

ps3ud0

Member
I would like to propose switching this to a thread that runs twice a year - once in January and once in July - and only votes for games releasing in the next six months.

This should cause people to mostly vote on games they've seen near final versions of, and also result in less delayed titles making it in the list.
Perhaps just shift the boundaries of the thread to say April - March. Slips seem to affect most games moving out of the holiday period into the quarter after...

Also how would you under your scheme decide where TBD games go? Or can they not be voted for? I can imagine it could lead to an anaemic January poll where some of the more higher placed games are games that slipped from the previous poll...

ps3ud0 8)
 
IDK, I think its kinda funny seeing how many games end up delayed. Persona 5 gon be on this year 4 years in a row
KuGsj.gif
 

BY2K

Membero Americo
I would like to propose switching this to a thread that runs twice a year - once in January and once in July - and only votes for games releasing in the next six months.

This should cause people to mostly vote on games they've seen near final versions of, and also result in less delayed titles making it in the list.

I'm cool with that.
 

Aters

Member
I can already predict next year's list:

#1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

#2. Persona 5

#3. Horizon: Zero Dawn

#4. Mass Effect: Andromeda

#5. NieR: Automata


Something that might come out next year: Kingdom Hearts III, the NX launch Mario, God of War 4.
 

Clear

CliffyB's Cock Holster
People need to realize that in terms of "new" big-titles, a gaming year is only 9 months long!

October/November/December are pretty much locked down by the big annual franchises, so if a title pencilled in for Summer slips, its going to fall back into the next calendar year so as to avoid being released at a time when the usual suspects are likely to suck all the air out of the market.
 

Ryoku

Member
I would like to propose switching this to a thread that runs twice a year - once in January and once in July - and only votes for games releasing in the next six months.

This should cause people to mostly vote on games they've seen near final versions of, and also result in less delayed titles making it in the list.

This makes sense. The annoying thing is that more and more games are being announced way too early, and as a result, end up being delayed at least once. I agree with this proposal. What would the lists be called?

XXXX P1 and XXXX P2
XXXX 1H and XXXX 2H
 
I would like to propose switching this to a thread that runs twice a year - once in January and once in July - and only votes for games releasing in the next six months.

This should cause people to mostly vote on games they've seen near final versions of, and also result in less delayed titles making it in the list.

but Nirolak, how else will we laugh at over half the list getting delayed?
 

Eolz

Member
I would like to propose switching this to a thread that runs twice a year - once in January and once in July - and only votes for games releasing in the next six months.

This should cause people to mostly vote on games they've seen near final versions of, and also result in less delayed titles making it in the list.

Isn't the E3 vote more or less doing that already anyway? It feels like it when you see some votes...
 

UberTag

Member
Isn't the E3 vote more or less doing that already anyway? It feels like it when you see some votes...
I would be in favor of retrofitting that E3 vote to instead be a most anticipated game for the second half of 20##. I mean, I voted for games in that list based on the quality of their E3 presentation but a bunch of folks just used it as a defacto second "most anticipated" release list and voted for games regardless of whether they had a good E3 showing or not. It's kind of muddled in terms of what the takeaway should be. But then, you'd have folks griping about not getting to vote for a game like Horizon or Zelda because they're not due until Q1 2017 so that probably wouldn't go over well.

Watching to see what anticipated games get delayed is kind of a tradition at this point.
 
I would like to propose switching this to a thread that runs twice a year - once in January and once in July - and only votes for games releasing in the next six months.

This should cause people to mostly vote on games they've seen near final versions of, and also result in less delayed titles making it in the list.
I guess if most people are annoyed with the format...I was pretty happy with how results turn out, even if games get delayed out of years. Things get delayed unfortunately.

The main essence of the thread is to provide a snapshot in time of what the community is most excited for, even if it's a game that's only seen one teaser trailer, if it's high on someone's mind and it's what excites them the most, it's not invalid. It's what they're feeling, which is what I and the others that help me with the threads like to look for...
 

DKHF

Member
Early guess for the next top 10 (not in order):

Persona 5
Zelda
Horizon
RE7
Mass Effect: Andromeda
NieR: Automata
Detroit: Become Human (assuming it's given a 2017 release window later this year)
Dreams (assuming it's given a 2017 release window later this year)
Spider-Man (if it's given a 2017 release window which I think it could at PSX or something)
Kingdom Hearts III (if it's given a 2017 release window in December which I think it will)
 

JonnyKong

Member
Sorry for the major bump here, I thought I'd look out of interest to see how different the list is compared to how we all feel now.

It's sad, yet expected to see all the delays we've had.

I'm quite surprised Firewatch came out on top of Dishonored 2. Not that there's anything wrong with Firewatch, just thought the latter would have a bigger fanbase.
 

Euron

Member
Welcome to the dankest Most Anticipated Games of 2016 list on GAF. First I'd like to start by both thanking the gaming industry for the hard work put into making 2015 an awesome year and telling Konami to fuck itself once more.

WARNING: Judging by how my 2015 list turned out, approximately 50%+ of the list will most likely end up either delayed to 2017 or slightly to massively disappointing (you'll know what I'm talking about).

Now onto the list.


1. Dark Souls 3: Yep. How original. But regardless of how much I fawn over the Souls series, Miyazaki truly is a master of level design, and his return as sent my hype over the top by default. The combination of DS1's design, DS2's Co-Op and PvP features, Bloodborne's atmosphere, and the return of the #SunBros might make this the best in a legendary series.

2. Uncharted 4: It's Naughty Dog. It's the Last of Us team. If it isn't buggy at release then by default it will be a contender for game of the generation. I don't even think I need to say anymore just watch the E3 Gameplay.

3. Mass Effect Andromeda: Mass Effect was my favorite new series last gen so I'm very excited for the first outing this gen. Hopefully Bioware distances itself from the Reapers as much as possible and crafts a new unique story in a world that isn't anywhere near as repetitive as Dragon Age Inquisition. Oh and the ME3 multiplayer was the best horde mode I ever played. Bring that back.

4. The Legend of Zelda Wii U: There probably won't be another game next year as divisive as this but that's typical Zelda. Admittedly, I'm as nervous as I am excited for the open world. It very well may be the next MGSV but A Link Between Worlds was honestly amazing and one of my favorite handheld games of all time so it's probably in good hands.

5. Deus Ex Mankind Divided: Why aren't we getting more Sci-fi RPG's this gen? Everybody's trying to be Skyrim too hard. Human Revolution was the only game in recent memory to 100% sell me from a single trailer. The sequel looks to expand on choices and get rid of everyone's biggest complaint: The Shitty Boss Battles.

6. Horizon Zero Dawn: WHAAAAAAT?! A NEW IP?! Damn right son. Horizon has been the worst kept secret this gen but the first gameplay looked quite good. Horizon looks to take inspiration from both The Last of Us and Monster Hunter (and Brave) and bring everything together in a beautifully designed world.

7. Final Fantasy XV: Do I actually think it will live up to initial expectations? HAHAHAHA. But I am very much anticipating this game finally releasing and seeing how the gaming community reacts to it. If it succeeds, we get the return of Final Fantasy. If not, well at least there's Kingdom Hearts 3 at some point.

8. Recore: A NEW IP!!!!! Metroid Prime is easily my favorite game of all time and seeing some of the key people behind it in charge of this game automatically places it on my list. The only reason why it isn't higher is...well we don't really know much at all about it and have seen no gameplay. But MS insists on a Spring (Fall) 2016 Release so we should see it soon. Hopefully it'll have a great atmosphere at least.

9. Halo Wars 2: Halo hasn't been in the best position recently. From the MCC Fiasco to Halo 5's divisive campaign and god tier but lacking in content arena mode, the franchise is a bit shaken. So what should 343 do to counter this? HALO WARS 2 BREH!! The original was one of the best console RTS games out there and since it's coming to PC, RTS fans and Halo fans have very few excuses not to pick this up. Hopefully it'll expand on the universe in a meaningful way and deliver exciting battles like the original. Oh and more multiplayer.

10. Gears 4: The disappointing E3 showing made me almost leave this off the list but I'm a big fan of Gears. The series has easily the best gameplay out of any Third Person Shooter that isn't called Vanquish (yo can we get a sequel to this too?) and with key people from the original trilogy like Rod Ferguson on board, hopefully it'll turn out to be something great despite this poor initial showing. On the bright side, at least we're seeing a return to the series' dark atmosphere.


Reality: 3, 6, and 9 will all get delayed to 2017. 8 will be short and not at all like Metroid Prime, 10 will be lacking in content. and 7 will be the disaster we expect it to be. 4 will be the next MGSV
Well we still have 3 months but let's take a look:

1. Checks out, will probably end up being my GOTY

2. A bit of a disappointment, great game and all that but the pacing really killed replay value and the ending felt pretty out of place

3, 4, 6, 9. LOLDELAYS Yeah saw this coming, didn't see Zelda getting pushed though that was a surprise

5. Lost interest after it released and there were reports of the story being kinda unfinished. Might still get it when it's discounted but not much of an incentive right now

7. Could still be great, just so many delays and a poor E3 showing so both have kinda dampened my hype quite a bit

8. Impressions sound pretty bad. Knew it wouldn't be anything like Metroid Prime and it honestly just didn't look too great from what I saw of it

10. I don't even have an Xbox One anymore or a PC that can run this but it looks like it'll turn out pretty good
 

UberTag

Member
Normally I don't bump this thread unless one of the consensus Top 10 gets bumped into the next calendar year but it's probably worth doing now that BOTH of the infamous FFXV and TLG tandem have been delayed beyond Black Friday and the noteworthy titles originally slated around that release window (South Park: The Fractured But Whole and Gravity Rush 2) have recently bolted to 2017.

Will both of these long-awaited titles still make it out before year-end despite missing out on the busiest shopping weekend of the year? Or will this be the very first time that 5 or more of our Top 10 most anticipated games of the year fail to make it out the door?

Here is the redacted Top 10 list as it stands right now...

1. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (Metacritic = 93 / OpenCritic = 92)
Persona 5 (now available in Japan; localization delayed 'til February 14th, 2017) {voted 8th most anticipated of 2014; voted 6th most anticipated of 2015}
Horizon: Zero Dawn (delayed 'til February 28th, 2017)
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (delayed 'til "sometime in 2017") {voted 3rd most anticipated of 2015}
2. Dark Souls III (Metacritic = 89 / OpenCritic = 88)
Mass Effect Andromeda (delayed 'til March 21st, 2017 - rumored)
3. The Last Guardian (October 25th; now scheduled for December 6th)
4. Final Fantasy XV (September 30th; now scheduled for November 29th)
5. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (Metacritic = 84 / OpenCritic = 81)
6. No Man's Sky (Metacritic = 71 / OpenCritic = 70)
7. Street Fighter V (Metacritic = 77 / OpenCritic = 76)
NieR: Automata (delayed 'til February 23rd, 2017 in Japan; localization release date has yet to be disclosed)
8. Tom Clancy's The Division (Metacritic & OpenCritic = 80)
9. Mirror's Edge Catalyst (Metacritic = 69 / OpenCritic = 71)
10. Quantum Break (Metacritic = 77 / OpenCritic = 76)

ON THE TOP 10 BUBBLE

Fire Emblem Fates (Metacritic = 88 / OpenCritic = 86)
Zero Time Dilemma (Metacritic = 83 / OpenCritic = 81)
XCOM 2 (Metacritic = 88 / OpenCritic = 87)
 
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