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| Source: Konami |
When a video game finds itself branded with the coveted 10/10 score, the likes of which are rarely glimpsed, the reviewer in question is essentially saying:
“This is an amazing video game. It is as close to perfection as it is possible for a video game to come. This video game offers up everything that is great about the medium of video games – and then some. You, and everyone you know should play it immediately.”
Or something like that.
Video games, after all, rarely manage to reach the heights of a 10/10 review (or 5 out of 5, depending on your preferred publication). A video game has to be something special to find itself on the tail end of a 10/10 – it has to push boundaries and offer up a progressive take on its genre, whilst feeling natural and comfortable to play at the same time. It’s a tough thing to get right, but – generally speaking – you know a 10/10 when you play one.
Each year, just a handful of games are met with 10/10 reviews. Looking ahead at the eclectic set of video games set for release across the span of 2015 (and some thereafter), here are 10 titles that just might have what it takes to nab that elusive “perfect” score…
10. Batman: Arkham Knight
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| Source: Rocksteady Studios |
It would be an understatement of sorts to merely state that the Batman Arkham games have been “successful.” These titles have emerged as behemoths of the industry, garnering overwhelmingly popular critical reviews and great commercial success. Is there any reason to doubt that the fourth instalment, Arkham Knight, will be any different?
Set a year after the events of Arkham City, Arkham Knight will see Batman going up against the Scarecrow as the latter attempts to unite the Caped Crusader’s worst enemies in a bid to end him once and for all – including a new and terrifying foe.
And guess what? This time players will be able to drive the freakin’ Batmobile, which is as good a reason as any to assume this game will garner 10/10 reviews (also: there are apparently no loading times, either, which is frankly genius).
The hype surrounding Arkham Knight is kind of immense, of course, and from what has been unveiled so far, things are looking incredibly positive. There’s no reason why Arkham Knight won’t be the best Arkham game ever, after all – especially since the environment is five times bigger than that of the open-air Arkham City prison. What a playground!
9. The Witness
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| Source: Thekla Inc. |
Braid turned out to be one of the most popular indie games ever made – a throughly original and ultimately shocking little title that packed tons of creativity and replay value into a seemingly “simple” platform package. With its cute graphics and time travel gimmick, it was something of a sensation upon release and garnered great critical reviews.
So it’s not hard to believe that The Witness, designer Jonathan Blow’s long-awaited follow-up, will emerge just as victorious as Braid once did, come release day.
According to the press release, The Witness is “a puzzle adventure game, experienced in the first-person view. The player, as an unnamed character, finds himself on an island with numerous structures and natural formations,” which sets the stage for a mysterious quest built with secret mechanics that its developer is desperate to keep under wraps.
From what has been glimpsed thus far, though, the game itself looks gorgeous; there’s a good chance that Blow could have a second masterpiece on his hands with this one.
8. Until Dawn
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| Source: Supermassive Games |
It’s rare that a survival horror game will ever live up to hype and expectations, but Until Dawn – the upcoming title from developer Supermassive Games – could do just that.
Though the plot – which has six friends spending a night in a log cabin whilst being hunted by a serial killer – is super familiar, Until Dawn isn’t your run of the mill horror title.
According to the developer, this game is wholly unique on account of its innovative narrative approach. That’s to say, each 9 hour play-through utilises a special in-game system called the “Butterfly Effect” in which “any choice of action by the player may cause major unforeseen consequences later on.”
Which means that everybody’s experience of Until Dawn will be totally different. Not to mention that the graphics are stunning, and the voice acting is of the professional kind. Seriously: this game stars actress Hayden Panettiere and everything! Here’s hoping that it manages to grant players an unforgettable experience with ultimate replay value, then.
7. Inside
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| Source: Playdead |
Release Date: TBA 2015
Remember Limbo? It was that amazing little game from Danish indie developer Playdead that everybody was talking about for months on end back in 2010, thanks to its intricate level design, creepy atmosphere and finely detailed world.
Well, now Playdead are back with their follow-up to Limbo. The game is called Inside, and from what has been made available to see thus far (by way of an E3 teaser trailer), it looks absolutely fantastic. It almost appears to be a spiritual sequel to Limbo, with the dim visuals and platform gameplay, but there’s a sense of progression and maturity – not to mention that it looks to have been made even darker in tone. Who’d have thought?
Major details are light, but there’s no reason why this won’t turn out to be an indie masterpiece. Expect 10/10 reviews across the board come release day, then.
6. Rise Of The Tomb Raider
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| Source: Crystal Dynamics |
Release Date: Q4 2015
After a series of disappointing titles, the Tomb Raider franchise finally rebooted itself back to its former glory with a gritty origin story that revealed there was life in the old series yet.
That’s to say, 2013’s Tomb Raider – developed by Crystal Dynamics – was met with fantastic reviews all round, most of which praised the pacing and atmosphere of the game. Rise of the Tomb Raider, then, picks up years later in Siberia, with the titular heroine on a mission to prove she’s not insane.
Rise of the Tomb Raider purports to improve on the original chapter in every way, and there’s no reason to believe that it won’t succeed. Interestingly, the game will feature a crafting system, which will give players the opportunity to scavenge and combine materials from plants and animals – there’s very much an emphasis on “survival” with this one.
Fingers crossed that this turns out to be the first Tomb Raider game since the original and its sequel, Tomb Raider II, to find itself met with scores of 10/10.
5. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
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| Source: Konami |
Release Date: September 1 2015
Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes proved to be something of a disappointing experience – more like an extended demo than a full-on game. But taken as an appetiser for the main course that is the upcoming Phantom Pain, and all could very well be forgiven.
After all, The Phantom Pain looks insanely good on every level; a vast and sprawling epic of a game that appears to be taking what is great about the MGS franchise and making it even greater – not to mention the added addition of free-roaming gameplay, a first for the series, coupled with combat sequences and a home base.
There has been a lot of controversy and tons of production problems associated with the release of Phantom Pain, of course (talks of creative struggles within Konami), but given what has been glimpsed thus far, and the integrity of the entire MGS franchise to date, there is hope for this game; hope that it will secure itself as one of the Playstation 4’s best releases ever, and as an easy candidate for a huge explosion of 10/10 scores.
4. Mario Maker
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| Source: Nintendo |
Release Date: September 2015
Nintendo fans have been waiting for something like Mario Maker for a long, long time – to the point where its very unveiling almost feels like a joke or an April Fool’s trick.
Essentially, the game is poised as something akin to Super Mario Level Designer; the game literally allows players to build platform levels using an intricate toolbox built from all the classic Mario enemies, power-ups and pipes – complete with the option to render it using either 8-bit or modern 3D graphics. The idea is that players can create their own Mario levels, separate them into worlds, and pass them around between friends.
To repeat that one more time: YOU CAN LITERALLY MAKE A MARIO GAME.
This is a dream come true for all the Nintendo lovers who have spent countless hours wondering if they have what it takes to design their own Mario game.
From what looks to be its easy-to-use design, beautiful graphics, ability to share with friends, and creative potential, there is arguably no game more inherently exciting on the horizon than this one. Just through existing, it automatically earns a preliminary 10/10 score.
3. Assassin’s Creed Syndicate
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| Source: UbiSoft |
Release Date: October 23 2015
There have been great Assassin’s Creed games and there have been not so great Assassin’s Creed games; whilst many instalments in this sprawling franchise have felt immersive and carefully made, other chapters have felt half-assed and rushed.
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, two years in the making, appears to fall into that of the former camp – a return to form for a franchise known to occasionally phone it in.
Set in Victorian London during the Industrial Revolution, Syndicate finally offers players the chance to scale the rooftops in one of the environments that fans of Assassin’s Creed have been pining for every since people starting saying, “Hey, where would be a cool place to set an Assassin’s Creed game?” Going by the footage glimpsed thus far, the developers have taken a lot of time and energy to ensure that London has been properly rendered.
It looks to be the most promising Creed title in a long time. Yes, like other instalments in the series, Syndicate will make use of famous historical persons of its timeframe, so Charles Dickens and Charles Darwin will both appear here, apparently. But really the main reason everybody wants to play this game is to climb Big Ben, isn’t it? Don’t fret: you can.
2. Halo 5: Guardians
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| Source: 343 Industries |
Release Date: October 27 2015
Halo 4 was a solid game, but in retrospect it wasn’t a particularly memorable chapter in the Halo franchise. It did everything that a good Halo game should, of course, but it lacked that oomph factor. You don’t remember Halo 4 in the way you remember Halo or Halo 2 or Halo 3, even. Halo 5, on the other hand… well, the oomph factor looks to be firmly in place.
In other words, Halo 5 is switching things up with a twisty and exciting plot, which shifts the focus from Master Chief slightly and positions the player as a different Spartan named Locke, who’s tasked with seeking out the iconic hero as the galaxy explodes around him. Little else is known of the story right now, but it already has fans of the series salivating.
Halo 5 is also the first Halo game to appear on the Xbox One, so you better believe that 343 Industries have pushed the boat out with regards to every aspect – graphically, narratively, and in terms of its gameplay, weapons, enemies and script, Halo 5 has the potential to be the most impressive chapter in the sci-fi saga yet. 10/10? Very likely.
1. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
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| Source: Naughty Dog |
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is the longest way off of all the games mentioned here, but it also might be the one title of the entire bunch most likely to find itself branded with an endless stream of 10/10 scores upon release date. Why, you wonder?
Well, firstly, it’s an Uncharted game, and all three Uncharted games thus far have either been masterpieces or close to masterpieces. Secondly, this is the first Uncharted game on the latest generation of consoles – can you imagine the possibilities? Thirdly, Naughty Dog are one of the great game developers of this here modern era (The Last of Us, anyone?)
The plot, set three years after the events of the previous game, find hero Nathan Drake settled into a normal existence. Out of nowhere, Nathan’s long lost brother appears and pulls him into a conspiracy, which – according to developer Naughty Dog – will be “his greatest adventure yet and will test his physical limits, his resolve, and ultimately what he’s willing to sacrifice to save the ones he loves.”
It seems rude to suggest that this is going to receive anything less than a 10/10 game.
Let us know if you know any other coming games in the comments!
Source: http://whatculture.com
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