The Most Anticipated Games of 2017 (Part 2)

Now’s the time to get into our 2nd and final listing of 2017’s most anticipated games!

Outlast 2

In the 1st part of our most anticipated games of 2017 list, we made sure to mention the 7th entry in the Resident Evil series. For the 2nd part of our list, we’re gonna have to bring up the next official entry in the Outlast series. As far as playable survival horror games go, the 1st Outlast game made us shake uncontrollably at every turn. After hopping into the demo, Outlast 2 has reassured us that it’ll be even scarier than before. Instead of being locked within the walls of an insane asylum, we’ll have to brave the dangers of a dark forest. We’re ready to haul ass at the sight of anything horrific and scream our heads off all the while. ” No conflict is ever black and white.”

Horizon Zero Dawn

Guerrilla Games has done enough work putting the Killzone FPS franchise together for the PlayStation brand. We’re glad they’re deviating from their most developed project and moving onto something entirely different. Horizon Zero Dawn throws us into a vibrant world that’s been taken over by mechanical dinosaurs and other types of wildlife. As a young hunter known as Aloy, we’ll venture through every part of the game’s forestry and take down massive creatures that contain the goods needed to survive. The gameplay we’ve seen so far showcases battles on a massive scale and a tale that we can’t wait to figure out the intricacies behind. This action RPG looks to be one of 2017’s earliest contenders for best PS4 exclusive.

Pre-Order Horizon Zero Dawn here.

Sonic Mania

Christian Whitehead. Headcannon. PagodaWest Games. SEGA of America. All of these parties have come together to produce a playable callback to the 2D glory days of Sonic The Hedgehog. Sonic Mania looks like the Sonic CD sequel that we’ve always wished for. Everything from the retro visuals right on down to the catchy soundtrack has us anticipating Sonic’s return to side-scrolling action. This platformer is taking it back to basics – three playable heroes (Sonic, Tails and Knuckles), plenty of dangerous zones to explore and end-of-level Eggman boss fights. Sonic Mania is the return to form that the Sonic franchise desperately needs.

Pre-Order Sonic Mania for PS4 here.

Pre-Order Sonic Mania for Xbox One here.

Pre-Order Sonic Mania for PC here.

South Park: The Fractured But Whole

The foul mouthed kids who reside in South Park already had a ball engaging in some wild mystical adventures. Now they’re ready to adopt their best superhero/super villain alter-ego’s for a “Civil War” of epic proportions. Players can once again create their own small town kid and develop them into a hero to be reckoned with. The RPG battle system has received several improvements, you can recruit 13 members from Coon and Friends and even explore the small town at night. There’s gonna be a ton of offensive moments strewn throughout this sequel and we can’t wait to be shocked and have our jaws hit the floor. South Park: The Fractured But Whole is going to be so offensively entertaining.

Pre-Order South Park: The Fractured But Whole here.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

So the Nintendo Switch is set to launch in 2017. And we’re betting that one of the very best games that will release right alongside it is the latest Zelda game. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has been in development for a good while and it’s been pushed back several times. But we think this is all for the better because Nintendo knows how to assure gamers that their biggest franchises will always be great. Breath of the Wild gives us a new rendition of Link who’ll run around a huge open-world. There’s loot to collect, dungeons to investigate and an even more intense combat system to become skilled at. Link’s next adventure could be the killer app that the Nintendo Switch desperately needs to attract us all.

Pre-Order The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild here.

Yooka-Laylee

Once Rare Replay came out, it reminded everyone of how open-ended and entertaining Rare’s N64 platformers are. Playtonic Games is reaching back into that era of huge platforming/collect-a-thon games for their 2017 release. Yooka-Laylee adds the charm and 2-animal team-up mechanics that the old Banjo-Kazooie games had. This spiritual successor partners up a very mobile chameleon with an incredibly snarky bat. If you loved everything about those past N64 platformers, then Yooka-Laylee is what you’ve been waiting years to play. This is one of the few Kickstarter-backed projects that we trust wholeheartedly.

Pre-Order Yooka-Layley for PS4 here.

Pre-Order Yooka-Layley for Xbox One here.

Tales of Berseria

The JRPG scene is getting a bit crowded with upcoming releases, but that’s actually a nice problem to have. Once you’ve spent enough time saving your Noctis’ kingdom in Final Fantasy XV, make sure you bring all that Square Enix enthusiasm to Bandai Namco’s Tales of Berseria. This title is going to tap into more mature themes for its plot this time around. The lead heroine Velvet Crowe is out for revenge and she’s going to do it alongside a party full of interesting allies. The fast-paced battle system returns with even smoother maneuvering, plus the new Soul Gauge, Break Soul and Switch Blast mechanics showcases even bigger finishing moves. Tales of Berseria is a January 2017 release you shouldn’t ignore.

Pre-Order Tales of Berseria here.

Gravity Rush 2

Now that we’re up to speed on Kat’s ventures into gravity-defying battles, we’re fully prepared to enjoy her upcoming quests. Gravity Rush 2 brings her back and this time she’ll adopt two extra fighting styles (light and heavy attacks help add some variety to her airborne arsenal). Gravity Rush 2’s demo put everything that’s great about the game on display – lovely cel-shaded graphics, pleasant music, an additional character who’s surrounded in mystery and some fun missions. As a series that’s moved on from the PS Vita to the PS4, it might finally garner the massive fan adoration it demands.

Pre-Order Gravity Rush 2 here.

Red Dead Redemption 2

Go check out the viewer numbers on the reveal trailer for Rockstar’s next foray into the Wild, Wild West. That should tell you how hype everyone is for the next chapter in the ongoing Red Dead Redemption saga. Red Dead Redemption 2 looks to be another open-world gem that’s going to pull in a ton of awards if it truly drops this year. The rumors about this game has us combing through gaming forums looking for facts. Multiple characters? A prequel storyline? An even bigger world to hunt, shoot and go horse riding in? We don’t even need a ton of official details about Red Dead Redemption 2 and we’re STILL excited for it.

Pre-Order Red Dead Redemption 2 here.

Persona 5

The Japanese gaming audience have heaped plenty of praise upon this JRPG already, so we already know that it’s far from a letdown. Persona 5 is the stylish sequel that we knew was going to grace the PS4 after the excellence that is Persona 3. We’re already huge fans of the cast (that huge cat thing is plush doll material!), the relationship-building components return and the dungeons look as flashy as expected. Becoming a “Phantom Thieves of Hearts” means we’ll have a ton of fun stealing all that bad mojo from people’s hearts. Persona 5 presents a trippy premise to a series that’s known for being so outlandish and boisterous.

Pre-Order Persona 5 here.

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