We haven’t yet glimpsed the biting breeze of June, yet already we seem to have the two titles with the greatest claims on the title of Game of the Year. Has this year peaked too early?
With a shorter, polished, far-less-broken experience, Bloodborne brought the Miyazaki vision to the masses. It was Dark Souls taking a step towards the mainstream, and combined with Sony’s marketing budget, suddenly everyone was talking about Bloodborne, in the way we’ve been talking about Souls for ages. I found that post from Serrels to be quite accurate. Smile & nod, yes, yes. It’s not annoying, because I love seeing new Miyazaki fans, but just a little funny.
As for The Witcher 3, it’s the biggest game this year for me. Hell, just have a look at this site. It’s all about The Witcher 3 at the moment, in the same way as it was all about Destiny when that was coming out. Bloodborne and The Witcher 3 were pretty much the main things I was looking forward to this year.
Even other than that, I think some of the main contenders for GOTY are already out. Ori and the Blind Forest was critically acclaimed, and Mortal Kombat X is fantastic. Heroes of the Storm is set to come out in the second half of the year, just barely, at June 2nd.
Dirty Bomb could likely be very good, and if The Witness actually drops this year, I’ll be loving that. We’ll probably get a few surprises along the way, as well. But I don’t see those beating what’s come out already. Nor do I have much hope for Mad Max. And when it comes to your CoDs and your Halos, colour me a jaded old curmudgeon who expects uninspiring food for the masses.
Have we peaked? What releases later in the year can beat this incredibly strong first half? And even though both The Witcher and Bloodborne came out at this time because of delays, could publishers be realising blockbusters don’t need to come out right before Christmas?
Comments
87 responses to “The Big Question: Has This Year Peaked?”
I am looking forward to Mighty No. 9 more than any other game right now.
Metal Gear Solid V
V for victory!!
Yeah this. I’m biased as hell but the year won’t be complete until I can get my hands on Phantom Pain. It’s going to change my life (in that I’ll spend another 350 hours in a dark room)
+1
Every years peaks at the MGS release… or sf but thats not till 2016 so MGS it is!
Um, Batman…….
After the last couple I’m not sure. It could be amazing but think it is getting into the Assassin’s Creed style of iteration that will be good but “Just another batman game”
To be fair, Origins wasn’t made by the same company… It was a push from WB to get another Batman game out between City and Knight… It was a pure cash grab release from the Publisher because the devs wanted to focus their efforts on polishing a next gen release.
Was not aware of that. Still don’t think it will make a GOTY but could be better than I thought
To be fair though, Origins managed to get back some of the atmosphere that City was missing IMO, even if they didn’t make progress with anything else (Edit: Although I remember the boss fights being a small smidgeon better than Asylum/ City?).
So it wasn’t a complete miss, but definitely still more of the same.
I have tentative hopes the The Division will be amazing
I’m glad those hopes are tentative, because it’s been pushed back to 2016..
I sure hope it will be, but it’s 2016 for now.
Originally i did too, but ubi have just had fuckup after fuckup – let alone the drastic differences between their trailers and the actual end product. I would be pleasantly surprised if its actually any good, but not buying into any hype/trailers for it.
Ubisoft. Not a chance.
Y’all, MGS V, Firewatch, and Mad Max haven’t come out yet. Keep it in your pants!
*Woolly Yoshi
Then the pantstime truly begins.
Persona 5, anyone?
I’m predicting that -despite their previous “2015?” statement- the West will see Persona 5 in 2016.
Would love for Atlus to prove me wrong though.
No, NOOOOO *catches fire*
This guy.
Damn tootin
In terms of AAA RPG’s i don’t really see anything beating the Witcher or Bloodborne. It’s going to be a close fight between the two at the end of this year.
There is still room for a lot more other games to shine. MGSV being probably the big one. I really hope EA/Origin really put effort into Battlefront, but i feel its just going to be a money grabber.
IMO:
– Better Gameplay/ world/ lore/ atmosphere/ music: Bloodborne.
– Better sense of adventure/ choices/ character development (Bloodborne’s not really about that in it’s defence)/ ‘RPG’ elements: The Witcher 3.
Anyone else want to pit the two off? (preferable have either played or not played both. Not just played one or the other. lol)
Yeh its so hard.
I actually prefer Bloodborne as a whole. The Witcher is brilliantly executed, the visuals are amazing. But there are times i have put down the Witcher to do other things, because i know said quest chain will take too long or i need to concentrate on the story. Bloodborne however i could stop and play, and still be immersed without needing the energy to really concentrate. Yet slow trotting through a storm in the witcher is sooo grand. I love them both.
Quick, we need a Call of Duty or some other shoddy fps to come out to take top spot, because having to choose between these two games will tear my soul in half.
Isn’t Halo still this year? Guess that’ll have to do 😉
I expect that the marketing for Halo will be brilliant whereas the game will just be merely good.
I hope to be proven wrong on the second part
Possibly. I’ve always liked the idea of Halo more than playing Halo personally.
Yeah sane, the lore is better than the games. Have you been listening to the “hunt the truth” campaign. Sooooo good
No I haven’t, I spend too much of my time trying to unravel Bloodborne’s mysteries ATM lol.
IMO the game has just hit that stage that every Souls title hits, when people finally begin to understand and unravel it after several playthroughs and some research. Of course I miss a lot of it the first time I play, but it’s still wildly fascinating.
Well, The Witcher 3 probably has enough content to have me playing it for the rest of the year. And it’s definitely the frontrunner for my Game of the Year so far.
Unless there’s a surprise title I really adore, the only thing that can knock out The Witcher 3 for me is Star Wars Battlefront. Which will likely be my sentimental favourite just because it’s Star Wars.
I do have high hopes for Mad Max, but doubt it can live up to the movie. Also waiting for Life Is Strange to finish up before playing it. But who knows what E3 will bring?! Counting down the days.
Halo slinks into the background saying ‘I’m still cool’
http://www.reactiongifs.us/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/fellow_kids_steve_buscemi.gif
Other than the Lego games (not too sure on Dimensions yet) I’m not really hanging for anything. Which is good, because it gives me a chance to save some money to do some PC upgrades.
I am actually stupidly excited about Lego Jurassic Park 😀 😀 😀
Same here. I plan on seeing the movie then buying the game straight after.
It’s gonna be a blast!
I’m pumped for both. But the movie drops on the 11th and the game on the 17th which I’m finding annoying, I was hoping for a dino filled day.
I’m still looking forward to Until Dawn, Halo 5, Batman, and MGSV. This year ain’t done just yet.
I still need to finish Bloodborne, as well as GTAV PC, and the only other game on my radar for this year is Batman so the year doesn’t look overly exciting to me. Hopefully E3 changes that.
Personally I can’t wait for Halo 5.
But unless E3 has some ridiculously out-there news (Fallout 4 in December??) then nope, we’re done.
I find it hilarious you list bloodbourne for the masses when it only released on one platform.
Seriously sick of sony and Microsoft locking down franchises
Bloodbourne? What’s that?
Ahhhh so many people misspell Bloodborne, really gets to me more than it should.
Blüdbjôrn
That’s actually amazing.
A bloody version of the Bourne Trilogy.
Did you ever see Osmosis Jones? It’s like that, but instead of a cop you have a red blood cell secret agent with no memory
With over 20 million PS4s sold, I’d consider that to be the masses.
While console exclusivity can be annoying, it’s one of the main things differentiating consoles at this point, so it’s vital for competition.
To be honest, I don’t even mind exclusives. They have a tougher job to do, because they are only available to half the market, so they have to be good quality (especially for AAA games) if they want to reach good sales targets and what not.
They’re also representative of a console, so they almost have to be the best quality.
I think the main problems with this generation are the reliance on DLC, shipping unfinished products (so many patches), and even timed exclusivity. I’d rather full exclusivity than timed exclusivity, ala Rise of the Tomb Raider, because that’s just annoying.
I’m going to have to dodge so many spoilers!
This guy are smrt
NFS, no mans sky…. and I just remembered last night….. tony hawk 5 lets hope it has a PC release
I dunno, there’s still some pretty good looking games on the horizon this year: Batman, MGSV, and possibly Mad Max too.
Of course, nothing is going to topple Bloodborne, so the short answer is YES, but the rest of the year could still be great regardless.
Batman was, and remains, my most-anticipated game of this year. Now that Uncharted 4 and WiiU Zelda have slipped, it’s pretty much running unopposed at this point.
Metal Gear Solid V? Doom? Persona 5? Starfox? Rime? Firewatch? The Last Guardian (Maybe)? Batman Arkham Knight? Soma? Xenoblade Chronicles X?
Maybe @junglist should check the release schedules across the retailers and other game sites, and then make sure he actually has working links in his articles.
Bring back Serrels.
I pretty much point out whenever Serrels remembers to include a link in an article because it never happens
Kind of think this way of thinking can be a little dismissive of smaller indie titles that haven’t had the marketing push that some of the aforementioned games have got. Saying the gaming year has peaked without really knowing what surprises the indie scene might have in stall paints a picture that AAA games are the ones that matter most.
Then again, I might just be biased because I have a game coming out later this year :3
The TAY marketing machine will take care of that when them time comes. 😛
Which is gonna topple those AAAs from their high horses &/or unicorns!
I’m almost sure of it
I completely agree, and I guess there are two separate points there. In terms of the year peaking, certainly indies will surprise us. But in terms of GOTY award tallies, they don’t have a chance against the aforementioned triple-A. And that’s coming from someone who has given many GOTY awards to indies.
Well I for one am looking forward to Mad Max. Looks to me like the bastard child of Borderlands and Rage, two games I enjoyed very much. The thrid person aspect doesnt thrill me but the rest looks good. GOTY, probably not but still should be very good. Every other game I am looking forward to is now next year. I do hold hope that we see some great games at E3 that are coming this year though. Oh and HotS, also not GOTY but it is a damn good game.
If by “peaked” you’re complaining that great/popular games like DA:I, Witcher 3 and Bloodborne have set a high bar, then sure, ok. I think Halo 5 will struggle but that’s my perception based on my strong dislike of Halo 4 which doesn’t seem to be shared by the majority.
MGSV will probably be okay, I’m sure MGS fans will adore it. I can’t comment really, MGS4 was popular but I simply can’t bring myself to actually play the games in order to enjoy what seems to be an amazing story.
I hope Mad Max is good but I’m not expecting it to be.
I feel like the last year of games has been a bit sluggish as it seems a lot of devs are shy about releasing until current-gen adoption is higher. I think we’ll have a big Christmas but the games themselves won’t be groundbreaking. Next year will be pretty good.
Interested to see what comes out of E3, even though those games announced probably won’t get here this side of 2017.
Star Fox & Xenoblades Chronicles X say Hi
Eh The witcher 3 has been a let down and bloodborne got repetitive. I hope it hasn’t peaked but pillars of eternity was amazing.
wat.jpg
June 2nd is still the first half of the year 🙂 Second half starts July 1st.
Anyway, I do think there are other games on the horizon. Arkham Knight, Xenoblade Chronicles X and Starfox are all due out sometime this year. The final expansion to Starcraft II, Legacy of the Void, should (should) also hit before the end of the year.
Unfortunately, two games that would have likely been contenders…Legend of Zelda and Uncharted 4, have both been pushed to 2016 now.
Yeah, I’m on Nintendo platforms so Starfox, Xenoblade Chronicles X, Splatoon, Yoshi are all in front of me. (and Codename STEAM is in the post)
Maybe they aren’t GOTY contenders (maybe)… but still a lot of goodness in late 2015.
Also, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate is probably the best thing I’ve played so far this year.
I don’t get why people say Bloodborne is “less broken” because in my experience there were a lot of issues with the game when it came out that made it unpleasant to play, especially around enemy AI and collision. In terms of the year peaking, it hasn’t really started going uphill yet for me. I thought Bloodborne was going the biggest game of the year for me but it didn’t really keep my interest. Perhaps it’s because I was hoping for a hardcore DMC or Bayonetta, not the next Souls game iteration so my expectations tainted the experience. I’m really keen for Disgaea 5, MGS V, and Salt and Sanctuary though.
No love for Arkham Knight? But really for me it peaked after Bloodborne. Never played Witcher 2, so don’t really care for the sequel. Batman will be good if bittersweet. Other than the Bloodborne DLC I don’t think anything is coming out now on current gen that’s of interest (unless you’re including PS3 for “current gen” in which case I’m looking forward to Tales of Zestiria!)
As for game of the year, I think Bloodborne getting the same hype as Witcher 3, despite being a console exclusive, should say quite a lot. But then, I’ve not played Witcher 3.
There’s rumours floating around of potential other platforms for the Zesty localisation.
That’d be pretty cool, I just assumed PS3 because my Xbox has been relegated to a dusty shelf
Still rumour at this point AFAIK. Official platform is just PS3.
As far as I’m concerned, the year won’t have hit its peak until Xenoblade Chronicles comes out to the West. And even then, there’s still Star Fox and Persona 5 to wait for. Bloodborne and The Witcher 3 are both great, but I’d hardly go around saying that the year might as well be over in regards to video games.
Don’t forget Assassin’s Creed Syndicate. I have high hopes for that game. I expect it will reinvigorate the series and offer a fresh new experience into the AC franchise.
LOL.
You even get some special shoelaces for pre-ordering!
The the games I want this year are free: Heroes of the Storm and Armoured warfare
I’ve yet to dig into The Witcher 3, and I know that I’ll love it, as I did the first two games, but I have a sneaking suspicion that my GOTY will either be Drift Stage, or The 90’s Arcade Racer (if it releases this year). I’ve been waiting forever for games like these two to come along, so they’ve got me more excited than just about anything else on the horizon 😀
I’d say the year has definitely peaked with Bloodborne and The Witcher 3, but there’s still MGSV.
ARKHAM KNIGHT 😀
But before then, FALLOUT 4 NEWS 😀
Splatoon, Xenoblade Chronicles X, Persona 5 will all be sitting pretty highly for me, I think.
Plus Yoshi’s Woolly World, Star Fox, Mario Maker, Tales of Zestiria and possibly a few other things floating around, too.
Maybe if gaming sites stopped jerking themselves off over every “big” franchise release and quickly labeling it “Game of the Year!” as soon as it comes out instead of waiting for the year to get close to ending and then look back at what they liked and are still playing at that point.
Throwing “Game of the Year” on something before it even hits shelves has destroyed the label. Same with “Game of the Year Editions” of games that got given the label due to the early point they released.
Persona 5 and MGS:TPP say hi also! Fallout 4?
I haven’t been taken aback by TW3 so far, in all it’s accomplishments, I don’t find it engaging thanks to the controls. Bloodborne was a boon though, cannot wait for the expansion reveal.
Plus E3 will no doubt have some things that will blindside us all.
This year feels like the best year in gaming for a very, very long time, and it’s only May.
Nope, it absolutely has not peaked yet. A few of the good games coming out this year:
– Rainbow Six: Siege
– Batman: Arkham Knight
– Star Wars: Battlefront
– MGS 5
But the year’s peak will be…
No Man’s Sky.
Final Fantasy XV may not equal The WItcher 3 but the demo is veeery encouraging.
Also, Persona 5 and (personally) Tales of Zestria. Although I think ToZ is lined up for the PS3…
For those complaining about Bloodborne’s exclusivity, all the Dark %s games eventually came out for PC. Eventually.
There will probably be people annoyed at me for mentioning my copy of Bloodborne is still in its shrink wrap.
I’m pretty sure Bloodborne will remain a PS exclusive, just like Demon’s Souls did. From memory, FROM confirmed that absolutely at one point.
Considering it was Sony published and distributed and they’ve never released a game on PC before, it’s basically certain
I’ll wiggle out of that one by saying I said Dark %s, not Demon %s 🙂
But, you’re probably right.
I’m not a fan of platform exclusivity, but I know why it happens. Game consoles are sold by the games first, and other features second. Ergo the console manufacturers sponsor exclusives to pull gamers their way.
This is probably pretty much the only reason anybody bought a Wii U. The standard Nintendo franchises, plus the occasional exclusive such as Bayonetta 2, very likely explain 100% of the Wii U’s sales.
I look forward to many of these games (released or not) in 2 years or so when their prices have dropped enough for my George Castanza-esque requirements of price (pretty much under $20 and also at a time when I have money, Alien Isolation is a game I missed out on when it was on sale, but more sales are coming, then I shall seize my chance).
Nah, we still have Batman: Arkham Knight and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain to go. They’re the releases I’ve been the most keen for this year, Witcher 3 and Bloodborne have just been nice bonuses. I love them, but the Arkham and MGS series have always blown me away.