While 2014 has been a largely disappointing year in field of games - some of the big releases of the year, like Assassin's Creed: Unity, were filled with bugs while other anticipated titles seeing their release dates pushed to 2015. However, then year wasn't a total write-off and we've already listed the games we enjoy the most this year. Having said that, we have high expectations from 2015, and here are the 10 titles we look forward to the most.
1. Batman: Arkham Knight
Batman: Arkham Knight is the first next-gen outing of everyone's favourite superhero. The Arkham series has been consistently good, with combat in particular being a delight, and hopes are high for this game too. And while the last three games featured a solid narrative and a host of villains from the comics, this entry features the Batmobile and a new antagonist known as the Arkham Knight.
However we're most interested in simple pleasures it promises such as being able to strike fear into hearts of common criminals just before swooping down to end their crime spree in a style befitting the caped crusader.
Expected date of release: Summer 2015
2. No Man's Sky
No Man's Sky has you going where every sci-fi loving fan has gone before - space. This time however you're exploring its depths minus any heavy-handed direction, trying-too-hard-to-be witty sayings, or god rays much like the slew of sci-fi movies we've been treated to. In their place is a gorgeous galaxy that has you exploring planets galore, each of which has its own unique environment and creatures.
The scale is immense and from partaking in space battles to diving into the very depths of a planet's seas, there's a lot to do. There's a welcome focus on exploration rather than narrative. With the game's many planets being procedurally generated much like FTL: Faster Than Light, expect a different play-through every time.
Expected date of release: PS4 in June, followed by the PC.
3. Rogue Star
Expected to launch in early-2015, this iPad game will bring the joy of space exploration titles to tablets. The genre is seeing a bit of a revival thanks to games like Star Citizen and Elite: Dangerous, but if you're looking for a game that mixes combat, smuggling, mining, and the simple joy of flying between planets, then Rogue Star sounds like a good pick for mobile gamers.
Expected date of release: Early 2015
4. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Unlike other franchises that have yearly releases, Sony's flagship series has been on quite the hiatus. The last time we regaled in the adventures of everyone's favourite male Lara Croft, Nathan Drake was on the PS Vita with Uncharted: Golden Abyss. This was followed by the spin-off card game Uncharted: Fight for Fortune, but we've seen very little else.
That was of course until this year's PlayStation Experience that showed off a generous amount of gameplay featuring exotic locales, stealth mechanics, and satisfying melee combat. It's looking spectacular to say the least.
Expected date of release: Sometime in 2015
5. Halo 5: Guardians
The Halo series is synonymous with the Xbox. While we got a collection of the series stalwart Master Chief's greatest hits with Halo: The Master Chief Collection, there's been very little else. With Halo 4, new developers 343 Industries had proved that they could make a very proficient game, but it felt a little flat, so there's a lot of attention being given now to Halo 5: Guardians.
With a rather promising multiplayer beta going on, we can't say we're not interested to see how this sci-fi first person shooter shapes up. Expect to be blasting through hordes of aliens late in 2015.
Expected date of release: Late 2015
6. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
A world bigger than The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim? Check. An emphasis on shaping the aforementioned world around you by the choices you make? Check. Almost a hundred hours of things to do? Check. There's very little reason not to be piqued about The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - even more so if you're a fan of role-playing games. Throw in improved combat and an array of fantastical beasts to battle against and May can't come soon enough.
Expected date of release: May 2015
7. Submerged
We don't know too much about the upcoming iOS game Submerged, but the Unreal Engine 4 powered visuals are amazing. In the game, you have to explore an ancient city, to try and find supplies in a simple fishing boat, and scale the ruined buildings. Not much is known about the gameplay yet, but developer Uppercut has some good titles in their backlog already so we're quite excited. The game is expected sometime in 2015 and if this is what mobile games are starting to look like now, then we are officially living in the future.
Expected date of release: Sometime in 2015
8. Bloodborne
Bloodborne is not for the faint-hearted. Borrowing a page or two hundred from many a goth fantasy, you're thrown into Yharnam City, it's a sinister place wrapped with Lovecraftian horrors and beasts that haunt your every move. Fear not however, you aren't left defenceless. With swords and guns aplenty you have most of what you need to get by.
Don't expect it to be easy considering that it's made by the creators of Dark Souls. The combat is quicker with an emphasis on attacking moves compared to the Souls' series that had a more balanced approach to the proceedings.
Expected date of release: March 2015 for the PS4
9. Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain
This year's Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes gave us a taste of what to expect from the genius that is series creator Hideo Kojima. However with a criminally short duration of its main campaign, we were left wanting more. We can't wait to get back into the boots and eye-patched guise of soldier of fortune, Big Boss to sneak and skulk our way across a myriad of interesting vistas all while soaking in a story that's got more twists and turns than your daily soap opera.
Expected date of release: Mid-2015
10. Runescape Legends
This year, one of the games we loved the most was Hearthstone, a competitive card game with characters set in
Blizzard's World of Warcraft. Runescape - which first released in 2001 - is an even older massively multiplayer roleplaying game, but over the years it had to settle for playing second fiddle to Blizzard's behemoth. After the unexpected surprise of Hearthstone, Runescape is trying to play catch up yet again, but the first few teasers we've seen for Runescape Legends looks similar.
We loved Hearthstone, and if more games of this genre come out with the same focus on art as well as gameplay, then we're certainly looking forward to it.
Expected date of release: Sometime in 2015
Of course there are plenty of other big games that have already been announced for a 2015 release. So tell us which game you are looking forward to the most, via the comments.
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