Sparky's Update - Hopes for 2015 in Gaming

Heya folks, and welcome to the blog I intended to push out a week ago. I know, you were all super concerned, but never fear, dearest of readers, your "once in a blue moon" fix of Sparkiness has arrived.

2014 didn't exactly inspire a lot of award touchy-feeliness in me, so let's jump straight in to my absurd demands for the new year. Is it still new? I don't know, I can't catch that new year scent anymore. Oh well. Let's call it the New-ish Year Predictions and Demands, shall we? We shall.

GET ON BOARD THE 2015 HYPE TRAIN! I already made up a list of my most anticipated games of 2015. You can check that out. I haven't done any work in explaining why I'm hopeful for any of the games there, as anyone reading this is probably intimately familiar with most of the games on the list.

What I'm Predicting for 2015

The New Exclusives War Is Further Stoked

This would have seeed odd a couple of years ago, but with Killer Instinct, Tomb Raider, Street Fighter V (!), and all the usual timed DLC nonsense building a head of steam in this last year, it's now a reality.

What will be announced? This one really seems like it could go either to Sony or Microsoft, though Nintendo's exemplary showing at E3 this year leaves me perhaps most curious for their exclusives. The smart move for Nintendo at this point is to continue bolstering the first party exclusives as well as content for the New 3DS, which I anticipate will see the most hype this year as they quietly wind down the Wii U.

Nintendo

For Nintendo's side, I'm predicting we'll see a new Fire Emblem get announced, along with new RPGs from Level-5 and Square for the 3DS. It's probable we'll see Bravely Default's sequel get a stateside announcement (has that happened yet?) as well.

I'm guessing we'll also see a bigger influx of developers looking to put content on the 3DS. I think Bravely Default kind of took everybody by surprise, and I'm hoping it influences what developers do on the platform. I'm not really familiar enough with who develops for the 3DS to hazard a guess, but I'm thinking Capcom will probably put out some kind of thing and we'll see Konami slowly crawl back towards the light. Maybe. Hopefully.

Microsoft

For Microsoft, I have to wonder what isn't nailed down out there that they can pick up. It would certainly be a coup for either Sony or Microsoft to lock up Bethesda's next big announcement (see below), but I'm guessing for Microsoft the big money winner will be Blizzard's action-RPG thing Overwatch. With the (from all accounts) successful relaunch of Final Fantasy XIV on the PC and PS4, it makes sense for Microsoft to try to corner a big hitter in the MMO/F2P market, and I think this is the most logical choice. That said, Blizzard's a smart company, and they've always been PC-centric, so this is seriously questionable and not at all grounded in anything even approaching reality.

I'm also going to bet that we see a big Minecraft announcement by the end of the year, even if it's just a teaser. What this will be, I'm not sure. Obviously, we'll continue to see more Xbox exclusive skins, but what about new blocks and designs? Could we see a massive update given Microsoft's staff and cash? Sure. This is pretty much a no-brainer, but who knows what the announcement will end up being?

I'm also guessing Rare ends up coming back in 2015 in a big way, though what that will be is also questionable. I think the safest bet is probably a new kid-friendly IP, with some new mascot-types. We haven't seen a really big platformer from Microsoft in a while, so why not?

Sony

As for Sony, they're definitely the company I'm most curious about, since I put down some cash on their system. I'm guessing they'll continue to play it relatively safe as far as exclusives are concerned. We'll likely see a new platformer - but I'm guessing this time around, it'll be the MIA Jak and Daxter's turn to shine. We've gotta be hitting the saturation point on Ratchet and Clank games, right?

I'm guessing we'll continue to see less and less of the Vita, but it will continue to receive ports of good indie games. If I'm guessing correctly, the PS Now service will start to see PS2 and PS1 games by the year's end, but the Vita will slowly start to see services dropped by year's end leading into its announced demise in 2016.

I'm guessing Sony will also come out with a vague announcement about a reboot of Gran Turismo of sorts. I know the games still put up monster numbers, and the PS4 could seriously use a quality racer. This is the obvious go-to choice. What this game will be exactly is questionable - will it be a gargantuan sim racer in line with what we've seen in the past? Will they update it to reflect the obvious draws of Forza? I hope we see more assists and a rewind, as well as more cosmetic options (please, introduce a paint system similar to Forza. Please!).

Otherwise, I think Sony just needs to stay the course this year. Continue pushing big draw games like Uncharted, put out new IPs like The Order (even if it doesn't wind up being something good, it's something new, and a helluva showcase for the system if nothing else). Keep cranking out the indies, keep updating services like PS+ and PS Now, and add the TV feature. It should be a solid, if mostly predictable, year for Sony.

The Others

As for third parties, the only big question in my mind right now is if Bethesda will finally announce a new Fallout. I was hopeful 2014 would be the year, but I'm almost certain 2015 will see it get announced. I'm perfectly fine with them taking all the time they need to develop a massive, genre-pushing title. If it has to be 2016 or beyond, so be it. I'm also guessing we'll see them go F2P by year's end on Elder Scrolls Online, which will continue to dodder along until it's inevitably yanked in 2017 or so.

I'm really hoping Firaxis comes out of nowhere and announces XCOM - In Yo House or whatever the subtitle ends up being. We could use a good strategy title on the consoles.

I'm going to take a wild stab and say my dark horse developer super secret project will be whatever the Wasteland 2 folks are coming up with next.

What I'm Hoping For (And Most Likely Won't Happen)

-A new Gazillionaire-type game based loosely off Pirates, announced by Firaxis. I don't think I actually want a new Pirates! (but that'd be sort of cool), but a new IP based on a space trader seems right up Firaxis's alley, and I desperately want to see them do something entirely new but still in their wheelhouse.

-A rest for Jagged Alliance. Let it go, fellow fans, and just play JA2. Obviously, no one can get this one right for whatever stupid reason, so let's just let this series ride off into the sunset with a tear in our eyes.

-A Sony-developed Minecraft competitor. Probably in the works, probably won't be announced for a couple of years yet. We are getting that cool Russian-centred game, but I'm talking about a full-on world builder.

-A not-shitty knockoff of Elder Scrolls. Oh, Two Worlds, you looked vaguely interesting, but you sucked balls. Let's see someone come up with a frenzied, soulful competitor to Elder Scrolls, even if it has budget graphics and sounds.

-Ubisoft to take a fuckin' break now and again.

-A new Sony-developed shooter.

-Borderlands 3. Let's face it, this is probably a 2016 announcement.

-A new Suikoden. Haha. Joke's on me. I think this is the tenth anniversary of this being on my yearly wishlist. Sigh.

Everything should end with a Police Squad clip, right? Hit me up with your own predictions, guesses, and wild wishes for 2015. Or feel free to shout at me about mine. Either way, hope you enjoyed reading. Later!

-A rest for Jagged Alliance. Let it go, fellow fans, and just play JA2. Obviously, no one can get this one right for whatever stupid reason, so let's just let this series ride off into the sunset with a tear in our eyes.

What did you think of Flashback? Obviously not much, but...

And also I'd totally like Firaxis to straight up make Pirates 2 or Colonization 2. Not remakes, actual sequels that build on those original DOS games. Hopefully 2015 will be a pretty good year for games regardless.

In regards to Ratchet and Clank, there is supposed to be some kind of PS4 remake-type thing of the first game coming out this year to coincide with that movie that is apparently totally happening this year too. They haven't shown anything or talked about it at all, so hopefully it won't turn out to be another Sonic Boom. Or, maybe it doesn't exist at all and I'm just insane.

@arbitrarywater: I haven't played it, but I've watched enough coverage and read enough reviews of the finished product to know it's a broken, half-hearted mess. The best modern JA game is Jagged Alliance Online, and even that sucks. The dream is dead, long live the dream. Or at least for a while, anyways.

If Firaxis were to do a Pirates 2 type game, I'd want to see the introduction of randomized worlds, ala Civilization or the like. I feel like that setting's been done to death. Or even like a fantasy version - I don't care. Hell, I'd love even just a shiny update of Pirates! But so long as I'm wishing, I might as well shoot for the moon.

@teddie: I'm okay with new Ratchet and Clank games. Aside from that Quest for Booty or whatever it was called, all of them were okay-to-great this last generation. But I'd like to see them get a few years rest, or alternate off with another platformer like Jak and Daxter. Or a new IP, but who are we kidding?

@sparky_buzzsaw: So basically the only way we'll ever see a good Jagged Alliance game is by going back in time and preventing the collapse of Sir Tech, got it. Sounds like you and I have a bodacious time travel adventure to go on because I wouldn't mind a couple more western-developed Wizardry games either.

I'd really just like Firaxis to do something, anything better than Beyond Earth. Ugh. XCOM Terror From the Deep? I'd play that.

@arbitrarywater: I wouldn't mind seeing the basic ideas of XCOM Apocalypse making it to a new game either, if we can leave out the shitty additions. I really like the idea of the corporate rivalries and factions taking the place of countries, and the setting was pretty okay. But however they choose to do it, I just really wouldn't mind seeing more XCOM so long as it has more replayability and flexibility in its settings and missions.

I think someone could make a good Jagged Alliance game given the funding and talent, but you could say that about any game. Flashback was the best attempt at restoring the gameplay, but it lacked the funding to be a properly fleshed game. We'll see someone eventually come back to the idea of a pool of hirable, personable characters in an action-esque game or RPG sooner or later, but for now, I really doubt we'll see anyone make a reasonable stab at the turn-based squad strategy game outside of Firaxis, no matter if it's labeled Jagged Alliance or not. Prove me wrong, universe.

@sparky_buzzsaw: A modern take on Apocalypse would also be cool to see. Just don't pull a Xenonauts and make a slightly updated version of a game you already made.

@arbitrarywater: That's kind of where we're at with sequels though, isn't it? No one outside the biggest AAA companies are able to take the time to develop new engines, animations, effects, and backbone to their stuff. In cases like XCOM, that's okay, because you could see how they can build onto the game and make it hugely better without having to change much of what made it great (I'd argue the same for Bethesda's games, but I know people feel otherwise about New Vegas and Skyrim).

I'm super curious to see if we wind up with more $20-30 games by the end of this console cycle for that very reason. There have to be a few companies out there prepping some new mid-tier engines for the new consoles.

Its nice to know someone else is still clinging to the hope of a new Suikoden. Maybe the release of Suikoden II on PSN will spur Konami to make something? Or, more likely, I'll be making this exact same comment on next year's blog.

@jesna: I hope so. I really, really hope so. I'm wondering if maybe we won't see a return to the handhelds (specifically the 3DS) if there's to be a new one. That seems like the most logical market for a new Suikoden, even if Teirkreis did almost nothing for anyone.

Dunno. I'm hopeful that the success of Fire Emblem and Bravely Default will spur RPG creation, but it's been such a long, weird drought for proper turn-based JRPGs that I'm all but giving up on the genre.

@sparky_buzzsaw: People who liked F3 but dislike New Vegas are bad people. I've said it before and I'll say it again. It was the perfect compromise between the open nature of F3 and Obsidian's superior writing. Also Skyrim is pretty great too. No one makes open world games like Bethesda, and that alone makes a lot of their flaws easier to stomach, at least in my opinion. I know the hardcore grognard-y types at RPG Codex may be apt to disagree, but I can say that Wasteland 2 has too much content for its own good, so there!

Also I'm probably more fine with some franchises being the exact same for the rest of eternity than I care to admit. I'm not sure XCOM is one of them.

@arbitrarywater: it needs some randomization, a ton of new environments and settings, more personable characters, and lots more ways to make it feasible to win as well as the usual additions to the armory and tech stuff, but I can see a lot of mileage in that XCOM backbone. Maybe not more than a few more games, but it certainly has good legs.

And now you've got me curious. Off the top of your head, what games are you thinking of with that kind of staying power?

@sparky_buzzsaw: I'd be A-Okay with another portable Suikoden as long as its a numbered sequel. I wouldn't even mind it being another SRPG as long as it exists, and that last one was about as mediocre as they come.

Fire Emblem and Bravely Default selling well is certainly encouraging, but I think the only thing giving me real hope now is the weird miraculous CRPG revival that's happened this last year or so. A genre that I thought was all but dead has had something like 5 high-profile releases with several more to come in 2015. Maybe if Mighty No. 9 is a runaway success it will convince other Japanese developers to utilize crowdfunding and breath new life into the genre.

If they kept on making Fire Emblem games like the way they've made Fire Emblem games for the past 25 or so years I'd be perfectly okay with that. Same goes for the likes of Etrian Odyssey and like half of whatever Nintendo makes.

Ubisoft can't be stopped. They released a broken game but everyone bought it anyway, and it's not like anyone is holding them accountable for it. They'll also just keep going with this crazy DRM nonsense until people stop buying their games. And seeing as Assassins Creed is a brand that transcends the tiny vocal minority on the internet, I expect most people aren't even aware it's a problem and will continue to buy into their shit.

Capitalism, amirite?

@sweep: It really is on the consumer to quit buying their shit. I'm glad I bought Watch_Dogs at a discount - even if I ended up liking that game, I would have felt dirty buying it at $60.

I don't know. It's not like we're going to be able to do anything to discourage Assassin's Creed sales, right? That monster's just going to keep going and going so long as the games are even marginally okay. And that's just it - if they became terrible games, we wouldn't be having this conversation. But Assassin's Creed is a safely mediocre genre unto itself. With something like Modern Warfare, you could only theoretically do so many modern warfare-ish games before the gamer realizes they've played the exact same multiplayer twenty times before. But with AC, a single player focused game, all you basically need are new settings, new characters, and a bit of new shininess to them and you're going to get your playerbase back.

It's frustrating, to be sure, especially when they ship a busted ass product. But if I were in the Ubisoft executive chair, I'd probably be doing the exact same shit, because why not?

Why would you want Sony to create a Meinkraft competitor?

@hassun: At some point or another, I want to see the next evolution in that style of game. Competition is surely the best and healthiest thing that could happen to Minecraft's future.

@sweep: I don't know about that. Most retailers in the UK are selling AC Unity for about half of the standard price. I don't know if that means there were a lot of returns, fewer sales, or everyone has caught onto the poor reception. At any rate, the price dropped much faster than previous AC games and other games on the market. Will it be enough to send a message, I can't say.

Nice list Sparky. Some solid predictions and a couple of admirable crazy pipe-dreams on here. Here's hoping some of it comes to fruition, especially that Rare point - those guys have been criminally underused of late, and I hope their next outing isn't something Kinect-centric and more in the vein of what they do best.

I don't really have any hopes for the upcoming year myself. Which is crazy, because this is the year that I'm most likely to drop some cash on a hot new console. I should have desires coming out the wazoo in preparation for that, but to be honest, my wishlist amounts to little more than a Fallout 4 announcement and Final Fantasy XV being above average. If both of those things happen then you can call my planned PS4 purchase a certainty and my 2015 a good one.

Oh, and a Happy New Year to yourself, Captain Sparky. It's good to see you back to bloggin', sir.

Personally, my hope for this year is that when the 2015 GOTY discussion rolls around, we're able to set the bar a little bit higher than "games that aren't horribly broken."

-A not-shitty knockoff of Elder Scrolls. Oh, Two Worlds, you looked vaguely interesting, but you sucked balls. Let's see someone come up with a frenzied, soulful competitor to Elder Scrolls, even if it has budget graphics and sounds.

Hey, you take that back! You take that back right now! Two Worlds is an awesome game! Or at least an O.K. game. . .

. . . Alright, fuck it, it was kind of shitty, but it's definitely on my list of guilty pleasure games (the first Two Worlds, mind you. That was B-movie bad territory. Two Worlds II was just bad).

You forgot to mention all of the wonderful animes coming out in 2015!

THE LAST NARUTO MOVIE IS GETTING RELEASED! WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?!

ok 5th try here, site keeps eating my replies

I don't know man

I think next Christmas could be a brutal one for Ubisoft. It's ancedotal and circumstantial but when looking at the annualized franchises out there, I've noticed AssCreed old titles were on sale for steep discounts often this year. You don't generally see that for healthier annualized franchises. E.g. Call of Duty, even the really old ones rarely go on sale and when they do it's almost never 75% off like AssCreed games were three times this past year on Steam etc

re: Fire Emblem- I'd be very surprised if that happens this year, isn't Intelligent Systems shipping another title this year (Project S.T.E.A.M?). i'd love it if it happens though.

What I really hope is that Fire Emblem X Shin Megami tensei resurfaces

re: Capcom - My guess is their big release this year will be Deep Down. Kinda worried about that one

oh and btw Law & Order:Legacies was fairly terrible all the way through. It basically was multiple choice quiz the game . :(

Fun blog dude!

Everyone seems to always forget PC when it comes to gaming. In case anyone missed it here is Rock,Paper, Shotgun´s list of 418 PC games coming in 2015:

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/01/01/best-pc-games-of-2015/

I wish I hadn't read that, I feel like my potential backlog just tripled in size.

Holy cow is there a lot of indie titles on the way