One year ends and another begins, which means that we’ve undoubtedly seen a massive amount of incredible games come onto the market. But that also means there was an equally huge amount of gaming disappointments.
To help you better understand the gaming landscape this year, we thought we’d give our opinion on what’s so hot that you’ll need to handle with gloves, and what’s so uncool that you’d be embarrassed to be seen with it. Read on to find out.
Hot
- Nintendo
It would be fair to say that since the Xbox and PlayStation came along, Nintendo lost its dominance over the home console market. The Wii and Wii U might have made a small splash, but was nowhere near as culturally relevant as the NES, SNES, or Nintendo 64. All that could be about to change however, when Nintendo unveils its latest console called the Switch. Released this year on March 3, the Switch will be a revolutionary little thing, in that it can be played as either a home console or a portable device. Add to the fact that an incredible-looking new Zelda game will be one of the launch titles, and you’ve got yourself a product that is bound to put Nintendo back on the map. - Microsoft
Sony may have already released the Pro console – simply a more powerful version of the still fantastic PS4 – but Microsoft are aiming to crush their closest rival with the introduction of the Xbox Scorpio later this year. Whilst the new console is really just an upgraded Xbox One (albeit cleverly marketed with a new name), the Scorpio does look set to have the most insane power and incredible graphics capabilities on the console market. - Online PC Gaming
With the PC gaming market worth a whopping $36 billion in 2016, it’s not hard to see why developers and players alike are clamouring to be a part of this ever-rising area of gaming. Games like Overwatch, League of Legends, Dota 2, and World of Tanks are considered the hottest property, with some of the titles being played in gaming tournaments that take place in arenas across the world. However, due to the existence and easy accessibility of setting up your own gaming server, packages like these have allowed gamers to form their own leagues and only play with those whom they know. Minecraft and Counter Strike: Global Offensive easily lead this category and will unquestionably continue to conquer and expand the realm of gaming servers.
Not
- Virtual Reality Gaming
Sorry VR, but you are all style and no substance. The use of the word ‘gimmick’ has never been more appropriate when it comes to describing VR gaming. Reports of people bashing into furniture, tripping over, or experiencing headaches and motion sickness whilst wearing the VR headsets are all too common. And worst of all? The games are boring, or somewhat fun for 10-15 minutes, but have no replay value or longevity. Though VR gaming had promise, the novelty has worn off so fast. - No Man’s Sky
Easily a game that will feature on many top disappointments of 2016, if anyone is still playing No Man’s Sky in 2017, then it’s simply out of some sense of misplaced loyalty—presumably. Cited as one of the biggest gaming letdowns in history, NMS was a failure simply because of how much hype surrounded it and what was promised by the marketing machine. Tedious gameplay that forces you to wander around uninspiring landscapes makes NMS a monumental catastrophe. Plus, at $60, it was an expensive catastrophe too. - Pokémon Go
Seriously, does anyone still play this?