Top 10 Most Anticipated Games of 2017

The Stick of Truth had a rough development process, but all the hard work paid off as it became an unexpected hit back in 2014. Now, series creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker are looking to up the ante to an even more ridiculous level, pushing the profanity and biting satire as far as they can go. The satisfying RPG mechanics of the original release seem relatively unchanged, which is fine, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it, right? The real draw in this case is the game’s story, as it aims to parody the current oversaturation of superhero movies in Hollywood. The narrative seems to be taking a huge crack at Marvel’s Civil War, as the children divide into two opposing groups after not agreeing with Cartman’s ideas.

Who were the biggest badasses in history? Was it Knights? Samurai? Or maybe it was the Vikings? Ubisoft’s upcoming hack ‘n’ slash multiplayer game puts forth that question in the ultimate battle for guts and glory. Players are able to choose a character from one of the aforementioned warrior groups before storming into large scale, epic battlefields. Combat additionally has a unique mechanic known as ‘the art of battle’ where the player must pay close attention of to the movements of their opponents in order to successfully attack and defend which provides a much deeper experience as opposed to just mindlessly mashing buttons. The creative director of the game has called it a “shooter with swords” and that’s more than enough to grab our interest.

#8: “Scalebound” … has been cancelled.
Dammit Microsoft, now where are we supposed to get our Platinum Games fix for this year… oh wait there is something else:

The original Nier was released back in 2010 to some mixed reviews and poor sales but had since garnered a cult following. Its sequel here however follows a set of completely original characters, namely 2B, an android soldier who can pull off some sweet sword techniques, and has a robot partner that sounds awfully familiar. (Play Pod’s voice, then Legion from Mass Effect 3, it’s the same Voice Actor and filter) Just like with Bayonetta and Metal Gear Rising prior, Platinum Games’ trademark stylish Hack and Slash combat is on full display, this time mixed in with an Action RPG structure and an interesting camera that’s positioned in a way that feels like the game is constantly shifting genre. After wow’ing us with an impressive demo, we’re eager to see what’s in store this March.

Capcom’s survival horror franchise has been on the scene for many years, striking fear into the hearts of gamers since the original title’s launch on the PlayStation in 1996. Unfortunately, in recent times, Resident Evil has lost its way, shifting its focus from uncomfortable atmospheres over to bombastic Michael Bay-style action sequences. Fans have been clamoring for the series to return to its roots and if the demos for Resident Evil 7 have proven anything, Capcom seems to be listening to what the people want. The game is also set to make full use of Playstation VR for those all those souls brave (or crazy) enough to experience the horror up close and personal.

With ‘Prey 2’ being cancelled in 2014, fans wondered when (or if) they would ever be able to dive into this series again. To our surprise, Arkane Studios revealed they were reimagining the series and it looked absolutely glorious. Taking place in an alternate future with highly advanced technology, the player assumes the role of a character aboard a space station where (all together now…) things go terribly wrong. The game combines first person shooting and deep RPG elements, with players able to fully explore the ruined space station overrun with alien creatures, obtaining new powers as the story unfolds. So it’s essentially what Nintendo should be doing with the Metroid franchise – and it’s totally unrelated to the original Prey, but hey, we’ll take what we can get.

Sony is no stranger to supplying their systems with triple-A exclusives and Horizon looks to be the next big thing on the…well, Horizon. Developed by the same team that brought us the brutal landscapes of war in the ‘Killzone’ franchise, Horizon: Zero Dawn looks to push the PlayStation 4 to its limits to deliver a thrilling experience unlike any other. It’s post-apocalyptic setting that seems to combine advanced technologies with tribal, prehistoric aesthetics provides a truly unique gaming world to play in. The visuals are breathtaking, the gameplay looks exhilarating and the amount of options available to the player for how to tackle the many obstacles ahead gives off a sort of ‘Far Cry’ vibe (if Far Cry had giant robotic dinosaurs that is).

Do you feel like nowadays everything is becoming a Shooter or RPG? Well, you’d be justified in feeling that way, because that’s kinda the reality. Thankfully, Yooka-Laylee looks like a breath of fresh air as it brings us back to the colourful 3D platforming days of the Nintendo 64 era. If the game seems eerily similar to the exploits of a certain bear and bird, it should be. As the team behind the project are made up of former members of Rare. Yooka-Laylee seeks to be a spiritual successor to Banjo Kazooie, made evident by its ‘collecta-thon’ style gameplay and goofy gibberish language. This one’s a blast from the past, so get ‘N’ or get out.

Rockstar’s open world western from 2010 was one of the best games from the previous generation, and for a while fans everywhere wondered if the company would see ‘Red’ once again. As if the gaming heavens heard our prayers, While it’s technically the 3rd game in the Red Dead series, Rockstar very suddenly announced a follow-up to the previous game, slated for a release next fall has us very excited. The stunning reveal trailer, although brief, provides several hints for what the sequel could incorporate into both the narrative and gameplay. With only that short teaser and a couple of posters, the hype has already exploded so expect this one to be something huge.

The latest in a long line of critically acclaimed video games, Breath of the Wild looks to energize one of Nintendo’s flagship franchises with even more excitement than ever before; strap in ladies and gents, Zelda is going open world! Breaking away from the more linear, story driven approach that past entries had employed; Breath of the Wild instead feels more like the very first instalment on the NES, dropping players into a massive world with no direction, allowing them to freely explore and experience the adventure at their own pace. While will unfortunately miss the Nintendo Switch’s launch, it certainly looks like the game worthy of picking up the system for … if you don’t have a Wii U.

Before we reveal our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions…

“Sonic Mania” (TBA)

“Sea of Thieves” (TBA)

“System Shock” (TBA)

Bioware created a juggernaut with the original Mass Effect trilogy and from the way things are shaping up for the next installment; they undoubtedly have another homerun on their hands. Set in an entirely new galaxy hundreds of years after Mass Effect 3, Bioware has been hard at work for the past few years creating all new alien species and planets for us to interact with. Oh, and Bioware is claimiung this to be their biggest game yet. Throw in co-operative multiplayer and some amazing graphics and this is sure to be a hit. Any of the games on this list will be worth your time next year, but only one will completely annihilate your social life; sign us up for the Andromeda Initiative, PRONTO.

Do you agree with our list? Which video games are you most looking forward to in 2017? For more exciting lists to look forward to published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.