Grim Fandango Remastered
Tim Schafer's classic adventure game is a little tough to play nowadays, what with the awkward control scheme. (Adventure games had trouble moving into the 3-D graphics era.) This fully updated version promises to introduce this Day of the Dead-themed puzzler to a brand new audience. —Chris Kohler Double Fine
Grim Fandango Remastered
Tim Schafer's classic adventure game is a little tough to play nowadays, what with the awkward control scheme. (Adventure games had trouble moving into the 3-D graphics era.) This fully updated version promises to introduce this Day of the Dead-themed puzzler to a brand new audience, who will never know that protagonist Manny Calavera used to control like a tank. New controls, new graphics and a score played by a live orchestra mean there's nothing that hasn't been given a nice new coat of paint. It'll debut on PlayStation 4 and PS Vita alongside PC versions in January.
Expected Release Date: January 27, 2015
—Chris Kohler
Kirby and the Rainbow Curse
Kirby: Canvas Curse was one of the first games that showed how unique touchscreen gaming was going to be. You moved Kirby around the screen by drawing roller-coaster loops and hills for him to roll around on. Almost 10 years hence, it's finally getting a Wii U sequel. —Chris Kohler Nintendo
Kirby and the Rainbow Curse
Kirby: Canvas Curse, released in 2005 on the Nintendo DS, was one of the first games that showed how unique touchscreen gaming was going to be. You moved Kirby around the screen by drawing roller-coaster loops and hills for him to roll around on. Almost 10 years hence, it's finally getting a Wii U sequel. The Claymation-style, stop-motion aesthetic will bring back fond memories of California Raisins Christmas specials.
Expected Release Date: February 13, 2015
—Chris Kohler
#IDARB
This game, which its developers crowdsourced ideas for on Twitter, is a bit hard to explain. But I'll try. It's a fast-paced 2-D arena sportsball game—think soccer mixed with Super Smash Bros.—built with the idea of couch-based cooperative multiplayer in mind. It's the perfect game to play in-person with friends. —Bo Moore Microsoft
#IDARB
This game, which its developers crowdsourced ideas for on Twitter, is a bit hard to explain. But I'll try. It's a fast-paced 2-D arena sportsball game—think soccer mixed with Super Smash Bros.—built with the idea of couch-based cooperative multiplayer in mind. But it's also so much more. The short version is: it's the perfect game to play in-person with friends. And by sending messages to the #IDARB Twitter account, your friends (or enemies) can alter the rules of the game as you're playing it.
Expected Release Date: February 2015
—Bo Moore
Final Fantasy Type-0 HD (and the Final Fantasy XV Demo)
Type-0, originally released on the Sony PSP in Japan, is said to be one of the best recent Final Fantasy games. Now it's finally coming to the U.S. Although you'll be tied to your Xbox One or PS4 instead of playing it on the go, it'll have (somewhat) upgraded graphics. —Chris Kohler Square Enix
Final Fantasy Type-0 HD (and the Final Fantasy XV Demo)
Type-0, originally released on the Sony PSP in Japan, is said to be one of the best recent Final Fantasy games. Now it's finally coming to the U.S. Although you'll be tied to your Xbox One or PS4 instead of playing it on the go, it'll have (somewhat) upgraded graphics. It'll also come with a demo for the very long-awaited Final Fantasy XV, so we can finally see what the heck they've been doing all this time.
Expected Release Date: The game and demo ship on March 17, 2015. (Just don't expect the full Final Fantasy XV this year.)
—Chris Kohler
Bloodborne
The next game from Dark Souls creator Hidetaka Miyazaki, Bloodborne follows in that series' footsteps of punishingly difficult action RPG gameplay. —Bo Moore Sony
Bloodborne
The next game from Dark Souls creator Hidetaka Miyazaki, Bloodborne follows in that series' footsteps of punishingly difficult action RPG gameplay. This PlayStation 4 exclusive offers a larger arsenal as well as significantly faster paced gameplay with more of a focus on risk-reward, as opposed to Dark Souls' careful, delicate play.
Expected Release Date: March 24, 2015
—Bo Moore
Mighty No. 9
When Keiji Inafune, erstwhile Capcom employee, asked the Internet for money to make a Mega Man-esque action platformer in 2013, fans responded in a big way with over four million dollars in Kickstarter dough. A private beta build has shown that Mighty No. 9 is shaping up to be as challenging as Mega Man fans might hope for. —Daniel Feit Comcept
Mighty No. 9
When Keiji Inafune, erstwhile Capcom employee, asked the Internet for money to make a Mega Man-esque action platformer in 2013, fans responded in a big way with over four million dollars in Kickstarter dough. Inafune’s company Comcept has spent 2014 showcasing every new enemy and design concept in a steady stream of updates, openly calling for fan input every step of the way. A private beta build has shown that Mighty No. 9 is shaping up to be as challenging as Mega Man fans might hope for, yet distinct enough so that it can’t be dismissed as a mere clone.
Expected Release Date: April 2015
—Daniel Feit
Batman: Arkham Knight
I skipped the last couple of Batman games when I heard they weren't as good as developer Rocksteady's transformative Arkham Asylum and Arkham City. Now that Rocksteady is back on the series with Arkham Knight, I'm paying attention again.—Chris Kohler Warner Bros.
Batman: Arkham Knight
I skipped the last couple of Batman games when I heard they weren't as good as developer Rocksteady's transformative Arkham Asylum and Arkham City. Now that Rocksteady is back on the series with Arkham Knight, I'm paying attention again. You'll get to play around in a giant-sized Gotham City, and for the first time in the series you can drive the Batmobile around the whole thing. But do you really need a Batmobile when you can glide everywhere? I'm curious to see how it all shakes out.
Expected Release Date: June 2, 2015
—Chris Kohler
Below
From Capy Games, Below is a top-down adventure game that harkens back to the roguelikes of yore. It combines the punishing difficulty of games like Dark Souls with Zelda-style combat, an atmospheric setting and emphasis on exploration. That means the story will unfold via your interaction with the environment. —Bo Moore Capy Games
Below
From Capy Games, the team that brought us Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP, Below is a top-down adventure game that harkens back to the roguelikes of yore. It combines the punishing difficulty of games like Dark Souls with Zelda-style combat, an atmospheric setting and emphasis on exploration. That means the story will unfold via your interaction with the environment, perhaps somewhat like thatgamecompany's Journey. Below will debut on Xbox One and Windows.
Expected Release Date: TBD 2015
—Bo Moore
Broken Age: Act 2
Double Fine made Kickstarter history in 2012 when it landed $3.2 million in crowdfunding to create a new point-and-click adventure game. It released the first half of the game early this year, and it proved to be a very funny, challenging, original take on the genre. —Chris Kohler Double Fine
Broken Age: Act 2
Double Fine made Kickstarter history in 2012 when it landed $3.2 million in crowdfunding to create a new point-and-click adventure game. It released the first half of the game early this year, and it proved to be a very funny, challenging, original take on the genre. But the second half has been delayed quite a bit. Hopefully it won't be too long into 2015 before we find out the fates of Shay and Vella, or before we all forget what happened in Act 1.
Expected Release Date: In its last update to Kickstarter backers, Double Fine says it hopes that Act 2 will be in beta by "late February," and that it hopes to ship the final product at some point later in the spring of 2015.
—Chris Kohler
Xenoblade Chronicles X
Wii U has a lot of great couch multiplayer experiences, but not much in the way of grand single-player adventures. This sequel to Wii's best role-playing game promises another lengthy quest from some of the masters of the craft. And this time, you get to stomp around the world wearing a giant robot suit. —Chris Kohler Nintendo
Xenoblade Chronicles X
Wii U has a lot of great couch multiplayer experiences, but not much in the way of grand single-player adventures. This sequel to Wii's best role-playing game promises another lengthy quest from some of the masters of the craft. And this time, you get to stomp around the world wearing a giant robot suit.
Expected Release Date: Spring 2015 in Japan; later in 2015 for the rest of us.
—Chris Kohler
Crackdown
The original Crackdown was a brilliant take on Grand Theft Auto that spawned a sub-genre of superhuman open-city games like Infamous and Sunset Overdrive. Crackdown 2 sucked. Here's hoping this reboot for Xbox One gets back to the fun. —Chris Kohler Microsoft
Crackdown
The original Crackdown was a brilliant take on Grand Theft Auto that spawned a sub-genre of superhuman open-city games like Infamous and Sunset Overdrive. Crackdown 2 sucked. Here's hoping this reboot for Xbox One gets back to the simple joys of high-jumping exploration and roundhouse-kicking enemies to death that made the first game so wonderful.
Expected Release Date: Microsoft hasn't put any official date on Crackdown yet, but given the timing of the announcement at the 2014 E3, we're expecting it to hit in the later part of this year.
—Chris Kohler
N++
This PS4 stylized ninja platformer is the latest---and reportedly final---incarnation of the 2004 PC freeware title N and its enhanced console remake N+. It’s the kind of game where death is frequent and inevitable, but the fun factor keeps you coming back for one more try. —Daniel Feit Metanet Software
This PS4 stylized ninja platformer is the latest---and reportedly final---incarnation of the 2004 PC freeware title N and its enhanced console remake N+. It’s the kind of game where death is frequent and inevitable, but the fun factor keeps you coming back for one more try. Metanet Software had hoped to release N++ in 2014 but now have eyes on “spring 2015.” In the meantime, the team has been sharing behind-the-scenes development information on Tumblr, explaining everything from level design concepts to color palette options.
Expected Release Date: It's been delayed a lot, and Metanet is currently targeting "spring 2015."
—Daniel Feit
Everybody's Gone to the Rapture
From the team that brought us the wonderful experimental game Dear Esther comes a bigger, crazier expansion of that game's first-person, meditative, exploration-based gameplay. As the title says, everyone on Earth has disappeared except for a handful of people, and you get to poke around and see what the heck is up. —Chris Kohler The Chinese Room
Everybody's Gone to the Rapture
From the team that brought us the wonderful experimental game Dear Esther comes a bigger, crazier expansion of that game's first-person, meditative, exploration-based gameplay. As the title says, everyone on Earth has disappeared except for a handful of people, and you get to poke around and see what the heck is up. This PS4 exclusive won't be for everyone: You've really got to be into the concept of just walking around and looking at stuff. But looking-at-stuff aficionados will be in heaven.
Expected Release Date: TBD 2015
—Chris Kohler
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number
The original breakout indie hit action game combined a retrogamey, Smash TVish top-down viewpoint with disturbingly brutal violence, pixel graphics, heart-pounding intense gameplay driven by remarkably smart design and a surreal fever-dream-like ambience. All we want is more. —Chris Kohler Devolver Digital
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number
The original breakout indie hit action game combined a retrogamey, Smash TVish top-down viewpoint with disturbingly brutal violence, pixel graphics, heart-pounding intense gameplay driven by remarkably smart design and a surreal fever-dream-like ambience. All we want is more.
Expected Release Date: First quarter of 2015
—Chris Kohler
Inside
Did you enjoy Playdead's game Limbo, in which you are a child making your way through a bleak, depressing, scary, monotone 2-D world? Well, then you'll probably love Inside, the studio's next game, which could be described exactly the same way. Well, I guess there are a few colors now. —Chris Kohler Playdead
Inside
Did you enjoy Playdead's game Limbo, in which you are a child making your way through a bleak, depressing, scary, monotone 2-D world? Well, then you'll probably love Inside, the studio's next game, which could be described exactly the same way. Well, I guess there are a few colors now. And instead of a silhouetted horror world, it's more of a shadowy dystopian society. But the broad strokes are there. We don't know much more about it!
Expected Release Date: "Early" 2015
—Chris Kohler
The Magic Circle
Jordan Thomas, creative director of BioShock 2, is now directing this indie game that has you playing a giant triple-A vaporware game in an unfinished state while its development team bickers over why it's not getting done. As an interloper, you can hack every element of the game to progress through it. —Chris Kohler The Magic Circle
The Magic Circle
Jordan Thomas, creative director of BioShock 2, is now directing this indie game that has you playing a giant triple-A vaporware game in an unfinished state while its development team bickers over why it's not getting done. As an interloper, you can hack every element of the game to progress through it. I love the idea of a game that comments on the messed-up business of videogame design.
Expected Release Date:Thomas and his team say they're targeting a 2015 release. But should we expect a game about vaporware to actually ship on time?
—Chris Kohler
Mario Maker
Can you believe it's taken this long for Nintendo to put out a make-your-own-Mario? Dragging and dropping scenery and enemies around with a stylus is the perfect use of the Wii U GamePad, and play-testing your creations is fun right from the start. You can switch the graphics around to mimic your favorite Mario game's style. —Chris Kohler Nintendo
Mario Maker
Can you believe it's taken this long for Nintendo to put out a make-your-own-Mario? Dragging and dropping scenery and enemies around with a stylus is the perfect use of the Wii U GamePad, and play-testing your creations is fun right from the start. You can switch the graphics around to mimic your favorite Mario game's style. The big question is, how much restriction will Nintendo put on your ability to share your creations?
Expected Release Date: At E3, Nintendo pegged this for "first half of 2015," but at The Game Awards in December it shifted to a more non-committal "2015." So expect it around Christmas, or in 2016 because Nintendo.
—Chris Kohler
No Man's Sky
Indie developer Hello Games had a nice little hit with the Evel Knievel-inspired bike-jumping game Joe Danger. Now it's thinking bigger---as big as the universe. No Man's Sky promises a practically infinite number of procedurally-generated planets to explore. —Chris Kohler Hello Games
No Man's Sky
Indie developer Hello Games had a nice little hit with the Evel Knievel-inspired bike-jumping game Joe Danger. Now it's thinking bigger---as big as the universe. No Man's Sky promises a practically infinite number of procedurally-generated planets to explore, each with different combinations of weather, atmosphere, creatures, terrains and natural resources. Once you discover a planet, you can alert your friends---nay, the world---to what you discover there, and they can visit.
Expected Release Date: TBD 2015
—Chris Kohler
The Rest of Telltale's Game of Thrones
Telltale Games' episodic choose-your-own-adventure game based on the hit HBO series got off to a crazy start at the end of this year, turning the series' signature blend of political scheming and surprise deaths of the people you like the best into a gripping videogame. But the bulk of the story will be played out in 2015. —Chris Kohler Telltale Games
The Rest of Telltale's Game of Thrones
Telltale Games' episodic choose-your-own-adventure game based on the hit HBO series got off to a crazy start at the end of this year, turning the series' signature blend of political scheming and surprise deaths of the people you like the best into a gripping videogame. But the bulk of the story will be played out in 2015, with five more episodes yet to go. We know we're not exactly going to get to kill Ramsay Bolton at the end of this story, but can we at least get through it without him killing us? (And what's in the North Grove?!)
Expected Release Date: We expect the whole thing to be finished up before the end of 2015, probably with a retail release of all the episodes on a disc for the holiday season.
—Chris Kohler
Ori and the Blind Forest
Announced at E3, this took home a swath of best-in-show awards for its gorgeous Studio Ghibli-inspired aesthetic, and classicly precise controls. Ori is a coming-of-age tale that plays out like a Metroidvania-style open-ended platforming action game. —Bo Moore Microsoft
Ori and the Blind Forest
Announced at E3, this took home a swath of best-in-show awards for its gorgeous Studio Ghibli-inspired aesthetic, and classicly precise controls. Ori is a coming-of-age tale that plays out like a Metroidvania-style open-ended platforming action game, with a touch of RPG mechanics. It's slated to hit Xbox One and PC this year.
Expected Release Date: "Early" 2015
—Bo Moore
Million Onion Hotel
Gameplay in Million Onion Hotel, an iOS game I saw at the BitSummit festival in Kyoto this year, is simple: Tap onions on a Bingo-style grid to score points before time expires, but multiple bingos unlock bonus modes and even cutscenes featuring a colorful cast of characters. —Daniel Feit Onion Games
Veteran Japanese developer Yoshiro Kimura debuted this puzzler at BitSummit 2014 and promptly received two awards. Gameplay in Million Onion Hotel is simple: tap onions on a Bingo-style grid to score points before time expires, but multiple bingos unlock bonus modes and even cutscenes featuring a colorful cast of characters. Unlike most timed puzzle games that last as long as players have patience, Kimura says Million Onion Hotel has a finite number of levels and secrets to discover.
Expected Release Date: The official website still says 2014, and clearly that's not happening, so we expect to see it sooner rather than later this year.
—Daniel Feit
The Witness
Jonathan Blow's time-bending puzzler Braid was one of the earliest breakout hits that touched off the indie-game revolution. The Witness is a first-person game set on a deserted island that's inexplicably strung here and there with a series of maze-like mini-puzzles. —Bo Moore Jonathan Blow
The Witness
Jonathan Blow's time-bending puzzler Braid was one of the earliest breakout hits that touched off the indie-game revolution. In the following years, details about his next game, The Witness, remained scarce. What we know is that it's a first-person game set on a deserted island that's inexplicably strung here and there with a series of maze-like mini-puzzles. Beyond that, we don't know much else, but given the brilliance of Braid, we have high hopes for this PC, PS4 and iOS release.
Expected Release Date: TBD 2015
—Bo Moore
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Crystal Dynamics' 2013 reboot of Tomb Raider was a breath of fresh air into a stale series. The sort-of open world that let you hunt animals and scavenge parts was a nice blend of linearity and exploration. You even got to raid tombs in elaborate puzzle sequences. So of course I'm looking forward to playing this sequel. —Chris Kohler Microsoft
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Crystal Dynamics' 2013 reboot of Tomb Raider was a breath of fresh air into a stale series. The sort-of open world that let you hunt animals and scavenge parts was a nice blend of linearity and exploration. You even got to raid tombs in elaborate puzzle sequences. So of course I'm looking forward to playing this sequel. (And of course Microsoft locked it down as an Xbox One and Xbox 360 exclusive for the time being, so PlayStation players will have to wait.)
Expected Release Date: Holiday 2015
—Chris Kohler
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
The third Uncharted game was a bit of a drag, but developer Naughty Dog made up for it with the outstanding The Last of Us. Judging by this new game's title, perhaps it'll wrap up Nathan Drake's story? Early looks at the game's graphics engine promise some of the most realistic, lifelike effects we've ever seen in any game. —Bo Moore Sony
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
The third Uncharted game was a bit of a drag, but developer Naughty Dog made up for it with the outstanding The Last of Us. That game's directors, Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley, have returned to Uncharted for the series' PlayStation 4 premiere. Judging by the title, perhaps it'll wrap up Nathan Drake's story? Early looks at the game's graphics engine promise some of the most realistic, lifelike effects we've ever seen in any game.
Expected Release Date: TBD 2015 -- it's probably PS4's big holiday release.
—Bo Moore
The Legend of Zelda (Wii U)
We don't really know much about Nintendo's next Zelda. It'll take place in a big open world, and Link's horse will automatically avoid running into trees as you're dashing through it. Fill in the rest with your imagination, and you'll see why Zelda fans are so stoked. But can those mountains in the distance live up to the mountains of hype? —Chris Kohler Nintendo
The Legend of Zelda (Wii U)
We don't really know much about Nintendo's next Zelda. It'll take place in a big open world, and Link's horse will automatically avoid running into trees as you're dashing through it. Fill in the rest with your imagination, and you'll see why Zelda fans are so stoked. But can those mountains in the distance live up to the mountains of hype?
Expected Release Date: Nintendo's still promising this for 2015, but has it ever released a console Zelda game without a big delay (or two)? There's a first time for everything...
—Chris Kohler
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