The new open-world game No Man’s Sky hits stores this August.
It’s a good time to be a Playstation 4 owner. Sony’s console arguably boasts the most impressive lineup of exclusives, and that’s only looking to be truer in 2016.
This year, dozens of incredible-looking games are headed to the platform, and the variety is pretty incredible; we’ve got everything from open-world sandbox games to online shooters to RPGs and story-driven horror adventures.
Especially ahead of E3, where many of these titles should see additional trailers, here’s what PS4 fans should be keeping an eye on in 2016.
‘No Man’s Sky’
The new open universe adventure No Man Sky features the largest video game map in history. Your goal is to explore the universe, but it is literally not possible to see everything, as the game includes 18 quintillion planets. 18,446,744,073,709,551,616, to be exact.
That’s because the game automatically generates itself based on complicated formulas the developers have come up with, and so when you stare off into the distance in No Man Sky, every single star is a place you can really journey to.
“With us, when you’re on a planet, you can see as far as the curvature of that planet,” the game’s chief architect, Sean Murray, told The Atlantic. “If you walked for years, you could walk all the way around it, arriving back exactly where you started. Our day to night cycle is happening because the planet is rotating on its axis as it spins around the sun. There is real physics to that.”
‘Boundless’
In the same vein, Boundless is essentially No Man’s Sky meets Minecraft. It’s got the same blocky art style and sandbox elements of Minecraft, combined with the incredibly vast open world nature and online features of No Man’s Sky. Worlds in the game are randomly generated, but unlike in Minecraft, players can interact with others around the world via PS4 and PC cross-platform online multiplayer.
You travel around to different worlds using portals, and once you find one that you like, you can use a Beacon to set it up as your permanent home. Not everything is peaceful, though, and the worlds are also filled with Predators that must be defeated. It’s an ambitious project, so let’s hope it doesn’t face any major delays, as at the moment it’s scheduled to be released in 2016.
‘The Last Guardian’
Originally referred to as Project Trico, The Last Guardian is a third-person adventure-puzzle game developed by genDESIGN and using an art style reminiscent of Shadow of the Colossus.
The game follows a young boy who has been kidnapped and finds himself in a large castle, and he must try to escape while also forming a friendship with a giant griffin named Trico. A lot of the game will involve trying to use Trico in order to solve puzzles, having him help you to reach destinations while you’re still controlling the boy the entire time.
The Last Guardian has been in development since all the way back in 2007, and it was originally intended to be released on the Playstation 3. Now, one console cycle and nearly a decade later, the game is finally expected to hit store shelves in 2016, although an exact release date has not yet been announced. We will likely be hearing more about it at E3, so stay tuned for updates.
‘Drawn to Death’
Drawn to Death has got to the weirdest concept for a game on this list, but it also looks like it could end up being one of the most fun. This online shooter takes place entirely inside the world of a teenager’s notebook, which is full of strange sketches and illustrations that come to life in a deathmatch arena. Most of the weapons are based on odd ideas a kid might doodle to the side of his notes in class, like a lizard that’s also a flamethrower. Sure, why not?
The game comes from David Jaffe, known for Twisted Metal, Calling All Cars and God of War. It’s expected to be free to play and should hit the Playstation Network sometime in 2016.
‘Gran Turismo Sport’
Racing games sure have come a long way over the years, and Gran Turismo Sport looks like it will easily be the most visually impressive to date. For one, just watching that trailer there are so many shots where it’s virtually impossible to tell whether what you’re seeing is a video game or actual footage. Plus, the game will be compatible with the Playstation VR, meaning it will be a completely immersive experience; the series’ creator, Kazunori Yamauchi, described the VR experience as very good and natural.
Weirdly, this Gran Turismo will not have dynamic time or weather, which is odd considering it’s so heavily emphasizing the immersive elements with the VR experience. Still, you’ll be able to select the time and weather before a match starts, and the game boasts an impressive 130 cars to choose from. There will no longer be a beta of any sort as was initially planned, but the release date is scheduled for November 15.