Well we’re into 2016 now, and with the 2015 Game of the Year stuff out of the way, it’s time to look forward to games that will be coming out this year! So here’s a list of games that I’m personally looking forward to.  Now this isn’t a full list, since some stuff hasn’t even been announced yet since it’s so early.  And my list does tend to lean toward the Nintendo side, because I don’t have a PS4 or Xbox One yet.  But one of the things I’ll be looking forward to is finding out if those systems will have more games that interest me this year.  It could very well happen, you never know!  Well, at any rate, here are some games I’m looking forward to in 2016!

LEGO Dimensions Level Packs (Wii U)

LEGO Dimensions came out last year, but not all the Level Packs I wanted. Some got carried over into this year, and one of them was Ghostbusters. That’s one of my favorite movies of all time, so I’m looking forward to playing more of it in LEGO Dimensions.  The pack comes with one Ghostbuster (not sure who), a little LEGO Ecto-1, and a Ghost Trap.  I think that LEGO Ghostbusters could be a whole game!  There is a character pack that has Slimer, but it doesn’t unlock anything in the game besides the character, so I won’t be getting it.  The other LEGO pack is Midway Arcade Classics, which I’m really looking forward to seeing.  That pack comes with an Arcade Guy, an arcade cabinet, and a car that looks like the one from Spy Hunter!  The Ghostbuster pack will be out in late January, and the Midway one will be out in the spring.

LEGO Marvel Avengers (Wii U)

And speaking of LEGOs, another LEGO game is coming out later in January, and it’s LEGO Marvel Avengers. There’s already been one LEGO Marvel game, so it’ll be interesting to see how different this one is.  It’s a separate game from LEGO Dimensions, and I hope I get to review it when it comes out!

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam (3DS)

I’m a little leery about this one since the last two Mario RPGs were not as good (Mario & Luigi: Dream Team and Paper Mario: Sticker Star). But I’ll probably still check this one out anyway because it’s a crossover title between the Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi series, and that seems interesting.  At the end of January, I plan to write a blog where I rate every Mario RPG, so be on the lookout for that.

Final Fantasy Explorers (3DS)

It looks like the Final Fantasy take on Monster Hunter. I’m not sure I’ll like this game or not, but the nods to the classic FF games interest me, so I might check it out.  I just don’t know yet.  Speaking of which, Final Fantasy World on the PS4 is one of the few games on the console that looks interesting to me, and that may come out this year.  As for Kingdom Hearts 3, I don’t think it’ll be out until next year, knowing how they are with the franchise.

Mighty No. 9 (Wii U)

This game is FINALLY coming out in February (hopefully). I’ve been calling it “Not Mega Man” because that’s essentially what it is.  It’s made by one of the folks who helped create Mega Man, but he left Capcom.  So he made this game instead.  Hopefully it’ll be as much fun and addicting as Mega Man is!

Project X-Zone 2 (3DS)

This strategy RPG really isn’t that good, gameplay wise. But its strength relies on the cast of characters, all of which come from other game companies like Namco, SEGA, and Capcom!  The original game in the series was called Namco X Capcom and it was on the PS2 and never came to the US.  But the next game was on the 3DS, and it did come out over here.  I probably wouldn’t have gotten the third game in the series, but it does have Phoenix Wright in it, so I’ll have to get it!  I’m a sucker for anything Phoenix Wright related.  I’m only disappointed that the new game doesn’t seem to have Tron Bonne and the Servebots in it, as they are some of my favorite Capcom Mega Man characters!

Mega Man Legacy Collection (3DS)

And speaking of Mega Man, in a couple of months we’ll be getting this collection of the first six Mega Man titles! I already have it reserved so I can get the gold Mega Man amiibo!  I’m only disappointed because the last Mega Man collection we got had 8 games in the series, plus two arcade titles.  And this one just has the six on the NES.  But oh well.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD (Wii U)

Twilight Princess on the Wii was actually one of my least favorite Zelda games. It was just too dark and brown and muddy and smeary.  Usually bad graphics don’t bother me in a game, but in this case, the dull visuals sometimes made it hard to see where you can and can’t go.  But however, Twilight Princess had some of the coolest Zelda dungeons, and Princess Zelda in that game was just plain awesome.  So I’m willing to give this one a second chance, and maybe the HD graphics will make things look a little sharper, too!  Plus, I reserved the special edition that comes with the Link Wolf Amiibo, so I’m all set!

Star Fox Zero (Wii U)

I’m not a big fan of Star Fox, but I certainly don’t HATE the series and I’ve played all the games. So I’m willing to give this one a try when it finally comes out this year.  I’m a little worried about the controls, and I have a feeling they just delayed it so they can add Amiibo support.  But hey, I could be wrong!

Pokken Tournament (Wii U)

I like the idea of a Pokemon fighting game, and I think it’s interesting that this game was made by the same folks who do Tekken. I’m not very good at fighting games, but I’m willing to give this one a try anyway.

Odin Sphere (PS3)

Odin Sphere was a 2-D hack and slash game by VanillaWare on the PS2, and I loved it. It had problems, for sure, but I just enjoyed the characters and graphics and even the item management system was fun.  They are remaking it with a Nordic subtitle that there is no way I’m going to remember how to spell.  It’s going to be for the PS4 and Vita, but I’ve also seen that they’ll put it on the PS3 as well.  So I may check it out on the PS3 if it does.

Digimon: Cyber Sleuths (PS Vita)

There is a new Digimon game coming this year from Namco Bandai with the subtitle Cyber Sleuths. It says it’s coming to the PS4 here, but in Japan it’s also for the Vita.  And I just got a Vita for Christmas, so I’d like to play it on that.  So hopefully Namco will put it on the Vita in the US as well.  They usually do, so here’s hoping.  I don’t know what kind of game Cyber Sleuths is supposed to be, but it looks…interesting.

Speaking of games from Japan that haven’t been announced in the US yet, but I hope they do, Capcom announced and/or released two Phoenix Wright games in Japan on the 3DS last year. The first was Phoenix Wright X Sherlock Holmes, which actually stars Phoenix’s ancestor, and the other is Phoenix Wright 6.  I don’t know if Capcom will release them in the US or not, but I’ll certainly be looking forward to an announcement.  Here’s hoping!

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero (Wii U)

The neat thing about indie games is that sometimes they come out of nowhere and take you by surprise. And sometimes they take forever to come out.  The latter is the case with this new Shantae game, which I think was on my “Cary is Looking Forward in 2015” blog last year!  So hopefully it’ll come out in 2016 because I’m a big fan of the Shantae games!

PixlCross (Wii U)

And speaking of indie games, this is a picross title that’ll be out on PC and Wii U. I’m hoping to play it on Wii U because I just prefer playing games on consoles instead of computers. I’m just weird that way I guess.  Anyway, the neat thing about PixlCross is that it’s made by some people I know, and they also help run a web site I like to visit called PixlBit.  Maybe you’ve heard of it? 🙂  I hope I get to review it!

Conclusions

And that’s all I’m looking forward to right now that I know of. I’m sure as the year goes along and events like E3 come and go, there will be more games announced for me to look forward to.  In the comments section, let me know what you think of my picks, and tell me which games YOU’RE looking forward to in 2016! Later!  –Cary

Tags: Misc