oprainfall is proud to present our annual lists of Most Anticipated Games. Unlike previous years, we will be spreading out our lists over multiple days this year as we move closer to 2015. Today, we have Podcast Manager Azario Lopez.
What better way to look forward to video games coming in 2015 than to make a top 5 list! So I’ve decided to put some diversity into my list with games from different genre’s and budgets.
Bloodborne
Demon’s Souls was one of the hardest games I’ve ever played on my PlayStation 3. I can remember turning my console off in fits of rage after a death only to turn it back on seconds later for the slim chance of finding my dead body. It was a game I never expected to be addicted to, but it definitely filled a void that was missing in my life. So when I heard at the 2014 E3 conference that Demon’s Souls director, Hidetaka Miyazaki, was coming back for another PlayStation exclusive, I was on board before I had a chance to even watch gameplay.
The game is called Bloodborne and at first glance it looks like a new Demon’s Souls or Dark Souls, but as combat begins you realize that this is so much more. There was a slowness that came with the combat in Demon’s Souls that, while adding to the difficulty, turned possible fans away from the title all together. Bloodborne seems to fix that while keeping the difficulty of the previous entries. The combat is fast, granting players the option of a more offensive approach to battling as opposed to constantly being defensive in Demon’s Souls. Moreover, the game looks amazing on the PlayStation 4! Its dark paths and intimidating enemies are something that I cannot wait to experience, putting this game at the top of my list for 2015.
Tales of Zestiria
I am a huge fan of the Tales of series and I’m so happy that this game is getting localized the same year as the Japanese release. Bandai Namco never seems to focus too much on graphical improvements (cough…Square Enix) and all the effort seems to be put into making the combat as fun as possible. With Tales of Zestiria, I really think they’ve outdone themselves. There is no more loading screens between battles, keeping the action fast and allowing the player to battle on different terrains rather than the same battle screen over and over. The characters in Tales of titles are always well developed and interesting; they make you feel like you know them, so when something happens that breaks up the group or even kills a member off, you feel hurt. This is done by putting in so much time for character development. I have complete faith that Bandai Namco will make Tales of Zestiria as amazing as the other titles in the series. I cannot wait to play it.
Hotaru no Nikki: The Firefly Diary
I don’t know much about this game, but it looks beautiful. Art can be a huge selling point for me, and from the first Hotaru no Nikki screenshots released, I have been wanting to get my hands on this adventure game. The game puts you in control of a firefly with the task of leading a girl out from the bottom of ruins. You will be able to switch between the light and shadow worlds in order to continue your quest to freedom. I am very happy to get my hands on this game in February 2015 on the PlayStation Vita.
Helldivers
I enjoy playing games with my friends, but with that being said, I don’t play a lot of multiplayer games. Helldivers — created by Arrowhead Studios, who also developed Magicka — is a procedurally generated top down shooter currently only announced for all 3 PlayStation platforms. You are given a lot of strategic control over where you are deployed and how you will go about completing the games objectives. But the most exciting thing to me about this game is that you can play with your friends, regardless of which PlayStation console you own. Another interesting and challenging mechanic is that friendly fire is always on; and with that said, this game is going to be chaotic, hilarious, fast paced and loads of fun.
The Awakened Fate Ultimatum
Let me just put this out there: I love dungeon crawlers and 2013’s The Guided Fate Paradox was a very well-received game for me. When I heard about the sequel, The Awakened Fate Ultimatum, I was unsure if support for this niche genre was enough to get the game localized. Well, that thought passed pretty quickly because the game received a release date for March 2015. The Awakened Fate Ultimatum is very text heavy and a lot of time is spent developing the story, which I enjoy since this story seems to be a tragedy. The combat is fought on a grid and you walk up to enemies to engage in combat. So, I’m excited to give it the 50+ hours of my life that it is probably going to take from me.
