Steve’s top 7 most anticipated games of 2016

Hitman: The Return – PC, PS4, Xbox One

Listen, Hitman: Absolution wasn’t that bad. Yes, it was more straightforward than the previous games in the series, functioning more as a stealth shooter rather than a stealth sandbox, but it did have some great, old-school Hitman levels in it. Despite this the game was as well-received (by some fans) as a dogs***-themed Christmas present, and Io Interactive has made the quite reasonable decision to return to the formula that made Blood Money brilliant: large levels, open-ended assassinations, the potential to make your various killings look like accidents – it’s like my dream E3. If it gets it right, it’ll probably be the second best game of the year, after Dark Souls 3. Speaking of which…

Dark Souls 3 – PC, PS4, Xbox One

I played this last year, and like many other video gaming scumbags I essentially described it as Dark Souls with Bloodborne’s combat. Which is at least somewhat accurate, and if there’s anything that encapsulates the early appraisal of video games by the so-called press, it’s ‘somewhat accurate’.

Anyway, this looks great and plays better, another gothic adventure which will make all the weaklings out there cry their eyes out, unable as they are to process that death is part of the experience, you absolute bastards.

The Division – PC, PS4, Xbox One

Wait, wait. I know what you’re thinking: ‘Steve, how can you possibly be looking forward to The Division, a Ubisoft title which is also a Secret Numbers Game?’ Well, look: I played it last year, and it was actually OK. Not amazing, but interesting, at least, and with a new-gen take on New York. Sure, when you shoot people in the head they don’t die, but I can’t hold that against it. Because, setting aside, The Division is a shoot-and-loot RPG which is about as realistic as the f***ing Jungle Book, and I’m looking forward to seeing what the public at large makes of it. Especially when they start comparing the final code’s graphics to the reveal trailers. Oh dear.

Adrift – PC, PS4, Xbox One

Gravity, Interstellar, The Martian, Adrift. They’ve all got one thing in common – space. The other thing they’ve got in common is something the MPAA would probably call Space Peril, wherein a bunch of intrepid people find out their plans to not get totally f***ed in half have been, ironically, f***ed in half. Anyway, Adrift is a first-person disaster sim where you have to navigate your way around your wrecked spacecraft and surrounding environment (space) managing your oxygen levels and recovering possessions of your fellow (dead) astronauts while attempting to survive and get home. Featuring a series of widescreen beauty shots of earth alongside claustrophobic puzzle solving, this could be a superb advert for VR, which is how it was demoed at E3.

Mafia 3 – PC, PS4, Xbox One

This one could go either way. A black lead character in a 60s, moody New Orleans setting, dealing with the after effects of the Vietnam War as well as (presumably) various racial clashes? Sounds interesting, and from what has been shown so far the city looks to have nailed both NPC density and lighting and atmosphere. On the other hand, big budget video games are notoriously terrible at telling stories other than ‘white person does gun rampage’, and the developer talking of its pillars being stuff like “own the battlefield” and “drive like a madman” doesn’t quite fill me with confidence. But the series has a strong heritage built on trying to tell interesting stories among all the firefights, and hopefully Hangar 13 and 2K Czech can balance its extremes well enough to make this work.

PES 2017 -PC, PS4, Xbox One, maybe your phone?

Hopefully the best football game ever made will get even better. On the agenda: stronger goalkeepers, tougher referees, more realistic injuries, and transfers being correct on day one.

Daughter of Fate – FM Towns Marty

An upcoming classic, of that I have no doubt. Where is my daughter? What is her fate? All these questions, and more, will be answered in 2016. Full disclosure: I work with the developer of this game.