2017 is going to be a great year for console gaming. This past E3 saw a multitude of new and exciting titles coming to consoles this year. Some are brand new like Horizon: Zero Dawn, and some are long awaited sequels or revivals like Injustice 2, Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Sonic Mania. You'll notice that there are a lot of PS4 exclusives coming this year which will be great for PS4 owners, but probably a bit of a letdown to those gamers still loyal to Xbox. However, the majority of big titles will be coming to Ps4 and Xbox as usual. Another launch to note in 2017 is that of the Nintendo Switch in March. Launch titles haven't been confirmed yet for the Nintendo Switch but it is safe to assume that a new selection of Mario games (Super Mario, MarioKart) will be available at launch or shortly after. In the Nintendo Switch trailer, it also appears as if we'll be getting more third party developer games for the Nintendo Switch (Skyrim).
These are all set to be released between now and summer 2017
1. For Honor (PS4, Xbox one, PC)
Set to release February 14th of this year, For Honor is a medieval period hack and slash that allows players to play as one of three factions: Legion, Chosen, and Warborn. The factions represent Knights, Samurai, and Vikings.
2. Horizon: Zero Dawn (PS4)
Horizon is a third-person action adventure game where players take control of the main character, Aloy. As Aloy explores the robot-ruled, post-apocalyptic world, players are able to fight creatures, take control of machines, and dialogue with non-player characters in a completely open world with no loading screens. Horizon is possibly the most highly anticipated PS4 exclusive of the year.
3. Ghost Recon: Wildlands (PS4, Xbox one, PC)
Set to release March 7th, 2017, the Tom Clancy spin-off is an open world tactical shooter. However, Wildlands does away with the futuristic setting of the division and replaces it with a gritty, current day Bolivian landscape.
4. Halo Wars 2 (Xbox One, PC)
A sequel to the 2009 original, Halo Wars 2 will release February 21st of this year. Set 28 years after the original Halo Wars, the sequel is said to have retained many of the positive qualities of the original plus a large cinematic aspect.
5. Mass Effect: Andromeda (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
The new Mass Effect launches on March 21st and should be the series best game yet. Sequel to Mass Effect 3, Mass Effect: Andromeda is the first open world Mass Effect. The game takes place 600 years after Mass effect 3 in the Andromeda Galaxy, where players are on a quest to find an inhabitable planet for human colonization.
6. Sonic Mania (PS4, Xbox one, PC)
Set to release in the back half of 2017, Sonic Mania is a side scrolling game that returns to the visual style of the Sega Sonic the Hedgehog. The visual style is most likely a salute to Sonic the Hedgehog's 25th anniversary.
7. Detroit: Becoming Human (PS4)
Detroit is a third-person, action adventure game set to release in late 2017. The subjects of the game are androids who have become recently sentient and progress through crime scenes. Through gathering clues, players may choose different courses of action that may succeed or fail based on previous decisions and information collected over time.
8. Guardians of The Galaxy: The Telltale Series (PS4, Xbox one, PC)
Set to release prior to April 25th, the GotG Telltale Series is sure to be a favorite of Marvel fans. Previously Game of Thrones, Walking Dead, and Batman have been released as telltale series and were very successful. The game will be released in a series of episodes over what we can expect to be a couple of months.
9. Starwars Battlefront 2 (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
Developed by EA, Battlefront 2 is set to release in Fall 2017 and include content from "the new movies". The developers have boasted bigger and better landscapes
10. Spiderman (PS4)
Spiderman has no set release date but is developed by Insomniac and was released at this year's E3. The new Spiderman will be completely open world and features a decision-based aspect. The player's choice to kill or spare certain characters in the universe will affect the availability and actions of characters later in the game.
11. Injustice 2 (PS4, Xbox One)
Injustice 2 was just recently confirmed to release on May 16th of 2017. Basically, a DC character skinned Mortal Kombat, there's a lot to love. The sequel features all aspects of the original Injustice plus new characters and a new storyline.
12. The Last of Us: Part 2 (Ps4)
The Last of Us 2 will release in late/Holiday 2017, with a possibility it will be pushed to early 2018. It is a long-awaited sequel to the 2013 original with a surprise twist ending. Ellie will be the main character in the sequel.
13. Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Wii U, Nintendo Switch)
Legend of Zelda is set to release in late 2017 and will be the 19th main installment of the Zelda series. Breath of the Wild will be an open world game following an all-new storyline. Some rumors suggest that Legend of Zelda will release with the Nintendo Switch in March.
14. God of War (PS4)
Another ps4 exclusive, God of War will release December 29th, 2017. The game follows Kratos as he raises his son in the mountains in a reboot of the original series that follows a completely different story. This was Sony's opening E3 title and has stirred up quite a nit of anticipation since then.
Hopefully, 2017 will be as good a year for console gamers as it sounds!
