5 Games I'm Looking Forward To In 2016

I declare 2016 as "The Year of Jason".  Somehow, someway, there are five sequels to video games all coming out in the same year that I really want to play.  Three of them are sequels to games in my top 10 list, while the other two are sequels to games I really liked but thought a sequel would never happen in a million years.  What is going on here?

Part of me wonders if this is the last year I can look forward to a loaded slate of games that appeal to me.  This is a climate that is constantly pushing games in a direction that I don't care too much about.  Multiplayer only games. Open world games that put quantity over quality.  Microtransaction laden mobile games.  Annualized games.  Square Enix continuously making every mistake possible (lemme give you money!).  Approximately 17,000 shooter MOBA's are coming out this year as well which I'm sure the crowded marketplace will let all these games do well......

Because of these trends though, the games I list here might actually attract others as they stand apart from the rest.  And maybe, just maybe, this may keep me interested in AAA games for years to come.

Persona 5 

If I'm completely honest, I'm probably more excited about this game than any other on this list.  Every trailer and interview makes this game look like Persona.  It doesn't look like it could have been fucked up.  All the cool life sim, dungeon crawling. turn based RPG combat seems to be intact.  Atlus, the studio who makes Persona, is on a roll and doesn't seem to know how to make a bad game (the gamblers fallacy in me says they are due for a stinker but, again, fallacy).

Yes, this game is anime as hell so some of you are already passing on this one.

I still need to temper expectations.  Persona 4 is GREAT and expecting Persona 5 to even match that game, nevermind surpass it, is stupid.  There is something in the trailers and developer interviews that has me worried.  Atlus has a tendency to add something new to every game and for Persona 5 that new thing is.........................................

Okay, you know me right?  What is the one thing I continuously complain about in almost every blogpost?  I love games that use it but I'm always annoyed when they do it "Shitally"....

You guessed it, Persona 5 is going to have stealth mechanics because reasons.  I hope these are isolated incidents and not a main part (kinda like Persona 3's full moon events) because this can really defeat the purpose of EXP.  You gain EXP through battles, yet, a good stealth game wants you to AVOID combat.  What is the purpose of stealth in a game like this?

I hope Atlus knows what they're doing here.  They have never done stealth before.  It's the part I'm the most worried about.

Mirrors Edge: Catalyst

I'm not sure if this game counts as a "sequel".  It seems more like a reboot, which pisses me off because the story of the original Mirrors Edge is pretty damn good but there are loose ends.  You never see the "governor" who is in control of the city and the guy who is pulling the strings.  I want to explore more of that damnit!

Still though, this game sold poorly, so a sequel/reboot is a minor miracle.  This game has easily one of the most fascinating free run systems I've ever seen, requiring the player to input commands to do climbing, jumping, wall running, flipping, etc.  It's the exact OPPOSITE of the Assassins Creed free run system which is press forward to do everything.  The combat system is ass, yes, but the beauty of Mirrors Edge was that most of the time you could avoid combat not by stealth, but by pure fucking speed and your ability to parkour.  There were times using combat was mandatory though, which sucked, but the great parts of this game were not overshadowed by them in my opinion.

That said....looks like VICE fixed the combat because that is all they fucking talk about leading into this game.  But, why tho????

Mirrors Edge is about the parkour damnit.  I don't give two shits about the combat*.  And what is this open world nonsense?  Mirrors Edge had great level design due to mostly linear levels.  I am beyond worried on this one.

*I'm fine with them fixing a broken combat system but the previews seem overbearing to the point that combat is a major feature of the game.  THAT'S A PROBLEM.  I'd like more great level design where you can run away and parkour away from guards spraying bullets at you rather than giving you a better way to fight them....because that eats into your parkour controls and all of a sudden we are playing Assassins Creed again.

Dishonored 2

Uh....spoiler for this game even existing.  The main trailer shows the girl you go out to save becoming your apprentice like some sort of Leon:The Professional shit except she's like a teenager or early 20's which makes Corvo ancient......whatever.

Dishonored was awesome.  It seemed to be a spiritual successor to Deus Ex (wait for it) and handled stealth beautifully.  As an assassin, you often can take a route that leads you to not kill your target, and the game GODDAMN CHANGES.  Unlike some other heavy choice orientated games, that only affect dialogue, actual GAMEPLAY changes according to your actions.  It is amazing.  Kill most targets and overall people?  More zombies show up in town.  Go a pacifist route, and it's a bit easier in town but harder to pull off in missions since seemingly every cool toy is for the homicide route.

As far as this sequel goes...I have no idea what to expect because we know nothing.  I just hope it's as good as the original.  Anybody who has played the original Dishonored might wonder how this game can even exist with the endings but OH MAN, it gets way worse.

Authors note:  Thanks for not letting me embed your TRAILER video Bethesda.

Deus Ex:  Mankind Divided

Calling it now...DELAYED UNTIL 2017...or, it seems like the game that is most likely to be delayed.

How does this game exist considering the multiple endings to Deus Ex: Human Revolution?  What we know is this game takes place a few years later where augmented humans are ostracized lower class citizens.  This of course leads to a terrorist group and Adam Jensen gets involved though he probably didn't ask for it.  The Illuminati's involvement has been kept hidden of course and who knows what Megan is doing.  Luckily, this has potential to tell another existential, question your morals, social commentary, type of game that was done SO well in DE:HR. I really love the story in Deus Ex.

However, a world like this makes one of the endings to DE:HR impossible.  Another ending makes this outcome highly unlikely.  Out of the 4 endings to DE:HR, only 2 are really viable, maybe 2.5*

*SPOILER to the endings of Deus Ex: Human Revolution (highlight to read).  [I always liked the refusal ending.  It seemed more like what Adam Jensen would choose rather than play god and control the message.  Too bad the game treated it like the bad ending.  I guess the developers hated it too cause Jensen dies in this version. Also, the Sarif ending makes this world highly unlikely because it eluded to society becoming more accepting of augments.]

The trailers are annoying me more than hyping me though.  It looks like the game is a 3rd person cover shooter which, yes, DE:HR was sort of that, but it was a stealth game first. If it goes more shooter heavy, will it even be Deus Ex anymore?  Hopefully the trailers are only showing off one style of play because that stealth system is SOOOO good.  I can see some people being put off from the game because the shooting mechanics were kinda wonky IF you wanted to treat the game as a shooter, so maybe they are appealing to those people?  Just don't let it come at the expense of the stealth please.  MGSV did it.  You can too.

Mass Effect: Andromeda

Have you seen my blogs header?  You knew this was coming.

While absolutely nothing other than "in development" is confirmed about this game, leaked information makes it sound like this game is going to be a Dragon Age: Inquisition clone in space.  A push back to the first Mass Effect's heavier exploration aspects is a mixed feeling.  Looks like the Mako is definitely back, which gives me nightmares, especially if exploring means taking 10 minutes to drive to an anomaly for 1,000 credits or medi-gel.  A lot of the exploring in DA:I lead to a whooooole lotta nothing (those fucking shards) so if ME:A really wants to go that route, please make it worthwhile instead of the same old repetitve bullshit.  The game will likely have a gazillion side quests that have little or nothing to do with the main story, not have a meaningful story themselves, or even worthwhile rewards if DA:I is a good predictor.  I'd prefer more time spent into things with substance than dozens of cookie cutter side quests PLEASE don't let it go here.

One of the best parts of the Mass Effect trilogy has been its intriguing story, its superbly made universe, and its fantastic characters.  Open world games have difficulty being good in these categories even though ME1 did it well and MGSV was open world and came pretty damn close to being great here.  Things are getting better when it comes to story and open world games.  I hear even Fallout 4 improved (or at least gave it some thought).

I will write more about this game and the fact that it's set in the Andromeda galaxy raising a FUCK LOAD of questions I have another time.  For now, let me just say this, this game has the highest potential to be disappointing.  Simply by putting it in Andromeda (fuck it - why are we going there?  Are we getting a new list of aliens?  How many of the old ones are in the game?  HOW did we get there?  Was it a Mass Relay?  What about the Reapers if they should or shouldn't exist?) it makes us look like we are playing the role of the invaders.  This is going to be really tricky if Bioware wants us to be the "good guys"

Authors note:  Thanks for not letting me embed your TRAILER video EA.  

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Click on August of 2015 on the right to see my Mass Effect Month posts.

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Jason's Top 10 Favorite Games, Part 2

Part 1 is here ya dig?

3.  Final Fantasy IX

RPG's, where you can steal things from plants.

While Final Fantasy VII is the popular choice, and Final Fantasy VI is the "correct" choice, it is Final Fantasy IX that I absolutely love.  It's the last Final Fantasy until re-inventing the series for every installment became a nervous tick for the developers at Square Enix.  It's a throwback to all the old school FF stuff I loved growing up.  And while yes, that did mean a plot that eventually boiled down to a magic rock, it also had charm, subtlety, and a goddamn sense of humor.

I love the characters in this game.  Many have long story arcs with actual character development.  They fucking change during the course of the game.  Granted not every character is great (Eiko is the token JRPG magical child mage, Quina is annoying comic relief, and Amarant, is uh, just sort of there), but the good ones are far better than the dead weight.  Zidane is the last good protagonist Final Fantasy has ever had.  Garnet is a sheltered princess who gradually opens up in a believable way.  Steiner is a noble knight who tries too hard NOT to be a buffoon.  Even Freya has some good parts early on.  But this one guy.....THIS ONE FUCKING GUY......

.....best Final Fantasy character ever. Vivi's story is one of identity issues and as someone playing this game at 17 years old, this guy was me!  He goes from a timid, nervous, friendless mage who learns what he is (yes, what), what he was created for, decides to defy that purpose, fight with his new found accepting friends, aaaaand his late game "Doomsday" spell is the most powerful attack in the game if you ignore the legendary weapons.  Vivi is arguably my favorite video game character of all time.  He even has a tragic ending that I'd rather not talk about because FEEEELS.  

This game held my #1 spot for a long time.  The battle system is classic, top-notch Final Fantasy.  The inventory system is great.  The music!  Shit!  I almost forgot about the music!  So many great themes.  The only reason it's not in my #1 anymore is because; 1. The top 2 are better, 2. The last 1/4th of this story gets stupid (Zidane is a clone from another planet who is also the angel of death or some shit), and 3. I still don't know who the final boss is supposed to be.  God maybe?

2.  Persona 4

Lazy demon fighting teenagers

Who would have thought that a 1/2 dungeon crawling, turn-based RPG and 1/2 life simulation game would be this damn good?  The combat is entertaining and very challenging.  Random encounter monsters can easily one hit kill you if you have the wrong Persona equipped.  Boss fights are a real struggle and even the early ones don't go down easy.  The life sim portion has realistic weight to its story.  Creating friendships effect your stats and improve your personas.  There is also an in canon explanation for WHY they effect your personas stats. They didn't just take the Final Fantasy approach of "not explaining anything ever."  This game is fucking brilliant.  

I wasn't completely blind to this game though because I played Persona 3 first and debated putting that game on this list too.  Persona 3 had some enraging flaws though and all I could think about after completing it was playing Persona 4.  Not only did P4 live up to the hype in my own head, it surpassed it and fixed every major flaw in P3.  I don't think I've ever seen a sequel do that in any entertainment medium.  The only thing that could come close is Robocop in the new Avengers movie.  (Please don't actually do that.  I was joking).

Centered around a murder mystery, the story of this game takes many twists and turns, all of which seem plausible and not completely out of left field (I'm looking at you Metal Gear Solid series).  You eventually have to decide who the murderer is and the game doesn't hold your hand about it.  You have to piece together the clues on your own and it's SO refreshing to see a game do this and do it well.  

The real heart of this game is the characters (noticing a theme here reader?).  Not one single character fits into a typical stereotype, except maybe Yosuke, but even he seems real.  Not only that, but every character has some sort of deep dark secret that you literally fight as a monster in a dungeon. This game is also very progressive in that it has an almost gay character and one of the only Trans characters I can remember in a video game.*  Even the character I thought I would hate going in, Teddie, grew on me and I admit to laughing at a couple of his stupid bear puns.  Oh and Chie is the best.  Just, just the best.

*I think ATLUS chickened out by not having Kanji actually be gay.  He just likes feminine things?  Okay fine, but he ALSO has a thing for Naoto and feels relieved when Naoto is revealed to be a girl.  Naoto is obviously Trans but the game never outright says it.  However, it's really cool that Naoto feels more comfortable acting and dressing like a boy despite being born a girl.  HE is accepted for this and is treated like no big deal after the Persona battle.  Story-wise, I can excuse ATLUS for not making more of a statement since these are both high school teenage characters that might not fully understand who they are. I just thought I should clarify.    

Side note:  This game has the best boss battle theme of all time, especially 20 seconds in.

1.  Mass Effect 2

"Good choice.  Yes.  Would not recommend Mass Effect 3.  Outcome, problematic."

Obviously.  I echo AJ's words but I want to elaborate on two points.

1.  The Characters

YES.  I am aware that almost every loyalty mission boils down to "daddy issues", either figurative (Tali, Grunt and arguably Garrus), metaphorical (Jack and Samara), or literal in THREE cases (Jacob, Miranda and Thane).  I don't care.  Legion and Mordin's don't, so it's moot.

I am also aware that some keyhole into stereotypes, mainly Garrus, Grunt, Jack and "Every Man" Jacob.  Mayyyyyyybe Miranda.   But again I don't care.

These are some of the most actualized characters I've ever seen and a big reason why I LOVE this game.  Even the stereotypes feel real.  Familiar faces from Mass Effect like Garrus and Tali feel like they've grown (Liara too even though she doesn't join the Normandy).  New characters are interesting including Legion, in which I NEVER would have thought a geth would join the crew.  

But nobody is as cool as Mordin.  Granted, his best and worst moment comes in Mass Effect 3 (RIP), but he is really the only character to fight back against Shepard.  During his loyalty mission, if you start questioning him on his work with the genophage, he actually fights back!  This is the first time in a game I've ever been worried about losing a squad mate because we had a philosophical difference.  Out of any character in the series, Mordin is the only one who NEVER shows a sense of awe from being in the presence of Shepard.  

2.  The Suicide Mission

Hands down the best final level in video game history.  Nothing else even comes close.  Video game lives are at stake!  I was soooo worried about losing somebody I obsessively improved everything I could and spent at least 15 minutes deciding what tech expert to send in the vent, who to lead the 2nd team, and who to hold the biotic field.  The mission has perfect fusion between gameplay and cutscenes too.  Oh...and the music is awesome.  

I could write an entire article on why The Suicide Mission is so great...so I'll probably do that sometime.

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Check out PART 1 here.

See AJ's Top 10 Favorite Games here, which are far better than mine.  

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