Yes … we’re back from Gamescom in Köln, and we have seen quite a few games that sparked our interest. We already knew about some of them, but some others are completely new to us. So here is a list of top 10 games we are looking forward to after our Gamescom visit!
Well, first of all, let me tell you that this was our first Gamescom, and it was amazing … yet very hectic. We did get some appointments with game developers and hopped in at some booths where we had no appointments at all. We did have an appointment for an interview with the Black Desert Online folks, but sadly … once we got there … there was nobody available for an interview. Probably the heat around the whole Play to Win thing in BDO was a bit too much …
Anyway, we made a little list of top 10 games we are really looking forward to after our Gamescom visit. Some of them are games we have already played (Beta or Early Access), some others are games we already knew about and some others are even completely new to us. We have listed our top 10 here for you to enjoy …
10 – Batman: Arkham VR
VR is hot in Gaming, and some game developers are really focussing on that. Batman: Arkham VR is one of those. We were lucky enough to be able to play the demo at the press booth and we were really impressed!
VR isn’t only about wearing as set of glasses or helm which transports you into a virtual world, but also about being able to interact with things in that VR world, and Batman Arkham VR did just that. Picking up Batman’s mask and putting it on, putting your guns into the holsters and interacting with objects in the world made you feel like you were Batman. Even going down to the Batcave made me a little dizzy … really impressive!
Have a look at the trailer, but I have to say … it doesn’t do justice to the experience of putting on the Batman mask yourself!
Release date : October 2016, exclusively on Playstation VR!
9 – Dreadnought
Dreadnought is an upcoming combat flight simulator for PC. As a player you are the captain of a large spacecraft, and are able to choose between different classes of ships. Each ship has it’s advantages and disadvantages. The bigger ships of course have more firepower but are a lot slower, while the smaller ones have more speed but less weapons. The demo we played involved a 5v5 large scale space battle in which the two teams tried to destroy each other.
As a player you will be able to customise every aspect of your ship, including cosmetics but also it’s payload. The different classes of ships allow you to play as a heavy, assault, sniper, support or scouting class. Apparently each class also has subclasses that allow you to further refine your own play style. Of course the game is all about team play and working together to exploit your enemy’s weakness and destroy your enemies.
The game actually looked darn good and was fun to play, even for someone like me who never played the game before!
8 – Maffia III
Maffia III is the upcoming action-adventure video game from Hangar 13 and published by 2K gaming. It’s the third instalment in the Maffia series of games. As a player you assume control of Lincoln Clay, a vietnam veteran. Your quest? Seek revenge for his friends who got murdered by the local mobs.
The game is set in 1969 New Bordeaux ( fictional recreation of New Orleans) and has an open world design. You can freely explore the games world and complete objectives using a variety of approaches. Weather you choose on going full assault or use stealth tactics, it’s completely up to you. Additionally the game also uses a cover system which allows the player to take cover behind objects to avoid gunfire. And once an NPC has been defeated you can try to interrogate to obtain more information in order to complete your task.
Release Date: October 7 2016
7 – Watch Dogs 2
If you have ever played Watch Dogs, then you will be looking forward to Watch Dogs 2. Watch Dogs 2 takes you to the San Francisco Bay Area where you play as Marcus Holloway, a brilliant young hacker. Your goal is to team up with Dedsec, a group of hackers, to expose the hidden dangers in ctOS 2.0, an advanced operating system networking infrastructure implemented in several US cities.
As with any OS, ctOS 2.0 comes with some flaws and bugs, which can an will be abused by corrupt corporations to wrongfully monitor and manipulate citizens on a large scale. Your goal? The Hack of the Century … take down ctOS 2.0 and return freedom to the people!
Release Date: November 2016, Xbox One, Playstation 4 and PC.
6 – Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord
This is one of the games we didn’t know too much about. Luckily we could still get into an open spot at their press booth. Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is a medieval action role-playing game, developed by TaleWorlds entertainment. The game is set approximately 200 years before Mount & Blade: Warband, during the collapse of the Calradian Empire and the formation of the Kingdoms that appear in Mount & Blade: Warband.
As mentioned, I didn’t know much about the game, but the footage we have seen sparked my interest in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord. The game employs deep and powerful mechanics to combine battlefield prowess with political manoeuvring and diplomacy. During our little chat with one of the devs (who was actually a Belgian guy, speaking Flemish just like is … how cool is that), we were told that quite a few changes have been made to the game. Some UI elements have been polished and new interfaces were added, especially one to conduct diplomatic affairs. You can now also conduct a play from the ramparts of your castle and break a siege with words instead of weapons.
Release Date: No exact release date yet, we heard some birds whisper “somewhere in 2017”
5 – Kingdom Come: Deliverance
One of the games I’ve been looking forward to for a while now is Kingdom Come: Deliverance, a realistic RPG that will take you to the medieval Europe. This game actually started out with a kickstarter campaign back in 2015 I believe. The game promised to be a realistic single player RPG set in medieval Europe, Open-world sandbox with period accurate melee combat. The game features a non-linear story, revolutionary combat system, and of course a large and very realistic, mediavel themed, open world landscape. That was enough to convince me … and so I backed the game on Kickstarter.
Meanwhile the Beta version of the game has been made available to the backers, and I did hop into the game to have a look … and … WOOOOW … the game looks pretty darn good, even on this Mac (bootcamp into Windows of course). Have a look at this E3 gameplay movie and judge by yourself.
Release date: No official release date announce yet …
4 – Master of Orion: Conquer the Stars
This should come as no surprise to people who know me … I just love 4X type of games, and Master of Orion: Conquer the Stars is no exception to that. If you have no idea what a 4X game is, then think of Civilisation, but this time in space!
If you are as old as I am, then Master of Orion might sound familiar, and you are not mistaken. Master of Orion: Conquer the Stars is a reboot of the sic-fi turn-based strategy 4X game Master of Orion, released back in 1993 for MS-DOS and Mac OS. In Master of Orion: Conquer the Stars, you will be able to play as one of the 10 playable races. Your goal is to manage your empire, research technological advancements, and use diplomacy and combat to conquer the stars and destroy your opponents. I have actually been playing the early-access for a while now, and really love it!
Release date: The game is already available on Steam in Early Access, but will be launching on August 25 th!
3 – For Honor
Another game we didn’t really know all that much about … But we got invited to the Ubisoft press booth, where we tried out a few of their upcoming games, including For Honor. For Honor is a hack and slash game set during the medieval period. As a player you can play one of the three factions namely The Legion, The Chosen and The Warborn (Knights, Samurai or Vikings). Each of those have 4 different classes to choose from (Vanguard, Assassin, Heavies, Hybrids).
Players fight against each other using the class-specific melee weapons. The demo we played was all about conquering certain spots on the map and holding those spots from invading forces. The match was set up as a 8 vs 8 battle where one team was trying to take the said spots on the map from the other team. The game was a blast to play and looked gorgeous.
Release date: February 2017
2 – Civilization VI
Another 4X game I’m really looking forward to is Sid Meyer’s Civilisation VI. I have been playing Civilisation since the very first version and I still enjoy the game a lot. With every new version, something new gets added to the game. This time … we’re getting a few new things!
Civilization VI is a turn based strategy game in which you attempt to build an empire that will stand the test of time. From the Stone Age to the Information Age, it is your task as the leader of your civilisation to establish your civilisation, expand it, wage war on your opponents, conduct diplomacy, advance your knowledge and culture and go head-to-head with history’s greatest leaders as you attempt to build the greatest civilisation the world has ever known.
The main new things added to Civilisation VI are the idea of unstacking your city and a new Religion system. Some improvements to your city and wonders of the world are no longer built inside your city, but require some districts next to the city. Districts of course have limitations and bonuses attached to them. A military encampment for example grants a bonus to military structures. As far as religion is concerned, there is now also a concept of faith, and you can win the game by developing the largest worldwide religion.
Release date: 21 October 2016
1 – Star Citizen
On my first day at Gamesom, I had a little spare time and went to have a look at the public halls. One of the booths I discovered was the Star Citizen booth … a game I had NEVER heard of before, but that was about to change quickly. Star Citizen is actually an upcoming space simulation video game which will have 4 main components: first-person space combat, mining, exploration and trading with first-person shooter elements in a massively multiplayer persistent universe!
The game itself is produced by Chris Robert’s company called Cloud Imperium Games. And in case the name Chris Robert doesn’t ring a bell … he’s the person behind the Wing Commander franchise. The Wing Commander series of games was as series of space combat simulation video games released back in the 90’s. I remember spending hours and hours on Wing Commander: Privateer, and I still have the box of the game in the attic somehwere.
Ok … back to the Star Citizen Gamescom Booth … I was looking around and got invited to try out the game. It only took me 5 minutes to get hooked!!! Graphically the game looked amazing and the sense of being able to travel anywhere in the open world was really impressive. At one point I landed on one of the space stations and was looking around on the Landing Pad when another player approached with his ship. I think he noticed me on the Landing Pad since he was gently hovering above it, allowing me to inspect every little detail of his ship. Really impressive … I could even see him sit in the cockpit!!!
The game does include some kind of quest system, or rather some objectives you can complete. Those objectives will grant you currency upon completion which you can then use to buy, repair and upgrade your ship, gear or even to purchase items you can trade in order to get more money.
The game really impressed me … and I’m really looking forward to play it some more.
