Returning to Form and Reinventing the Old
It can be argued that PC gaming is defined by the Shooter genre. From classic Doom to Overwatch, shooters have always held a special place in gamer’s hearts. 2017 promises another powerhouse year of guns, gore and gadgets as we take a look at the most anticipated Shooters of the next 12 months.
1. BATTALION 1944
Release: Currently in Closed Alpha
Battalion 1944 looks to bring back classis FPS gameplay
What is it: Based on Battalion 1944’s Kickstarter video, one would think they are watching gameplay of a Call of Duty re-skin mod, and if the developers at Bulkhead Interactive are to be believed that’s kind of the point. Promising to harken back to the days of Counter Strike 1.6 and Quake, Battalion 1944 does away with perks, unbalanced leveling systems and micro-transactions (don’t hold your breath on that last one). Instead, Bulkhead Interactive wants to give players a fast paced, skill based multiplayer shooter with “no grinding, no ‘exosuits’, just you.”
Website: http://www.battaliongame.com/
Kickstarter Page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bulkheadinteractive/battalion-1944-pc-xb1-ps4
2. Prey
Release: TBD 2017
Prey 2 will drop the player in an alternate 21st century where JFK survived and pushed his space program
What is it: 2006’s Prey was a sleeper hit for many that would go on to warrant a sequel, aptly titled Prey 2, which was made to sound like a spin-off more than a traditional continuation of the first game’s story. The player was set to play a bounty hunter on an alien world using advanced technology to catch their…prey. And then it was cancelled. But E3 2016 surprised us all with Bethesda announcing a fresh take on the original game concept. Featuring space stations, crafting and combat against hostile aliens; Prey sounds as if it’s taking quite a few cues from the likes of Dead Space and Fallout but with that Bethesda flair that players have come to expect.
Website: https://prey.bethesda.net/
3. Resident Evil 7
Release: January 24th, 2017
Resident Evil 7 may fill that gap that many players developed after Silent Hills was cancelled
What is it: Some would argue Resident Evil isn’t a shooter, or at least didn’t start out as one, but given how action oriented the last three were, there is no reason not to consider the latest survival horror outing from Capcom to be much different. That isn’t to say this game is looking to be a letdown at all. Cryptic trailers, new content updates for a demo and creepy, cannibal farmers are all coming together masterfully in what appears to be the absolute worst episode of Ghost Hunters ever.
Website: http://www.capcom.co.jp/residentevil7/us/index.html#_top
4. Mass Effect: Andromeda
Release: March 2017
Mass Effect: Andromeda will utilize the Frostbite engine to bring it's Titular galaxy to life
What is it: Mass effect is one of those game series that needs no introduction. No matter how you may feel about the ending of the trilogy, it’s impossible to deny the excitement over a promised new trilogy of games set in Mass Effects Post-Shepard universe. Bioware is bringing players an entire new galaxy to conqueror, all in the name of exploration and in glorious 4k resolutions. The new game follows the Ryder Children who are sent into the ubiquitous galaxy to find new planets for Humans to colonize. Expect much more info and a new trailer at N7 day, November 7th.
Website: https://www.masseffect.com/
5. Quake Champions
Release: Closed beta coming 2017
Classic Quake Characters like Ranger and Gore look to be returning
What is it: Earlier in this list we discussed how Battalion 1944 was aiming to recreate the golden age of FPS’s with its skill based gameplay. In a surprise twist, Bethesda and Id are bringing the genre defining Quake into the modern world with Quake Champions. Settling itself into a niche somewhere between Quake III arena and the likes of Overwatch or Battleborn, it plans to give PC shooter fanatics 120 hz gaming with unlocked Frames per second, weapon drops and multi-tiered levels alongside a large character pool where each avatar has a special ability that gives them a unique benefit during the battle. Expect rocket jumps and lightning guns when the beta opens sometime in 2017.
Website: https://quake.bethesda.net/en
6. Ghost Recon: Wildlands
Release: March 7th, 2017
Ghost Recon: Wildlands will tackle concepts pulled right from the headlines
What is it: Like Mass Effect, anyone who considers themselves a gamer has probably heard of Ghost Recon. What started as a fairly hardcore military sim has spawned innumerable sequels and offshoots, Ubisoft’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands biggest pull is the choices it grants the player, not just in load outs and outfits but in how to tackle missions; something that was certainly missing from their last outing into Co-op, The Division. Whether it’s quiet or loud, it’ll be up to the players to decide how to take down drug dens and Drug lords when it comes out March 7th.
Website: http://ghost-recon.ubisoft.com/wildlands/en-US/home/index.aspx
7. Sniper Elite 4
Release: Feb. 24, 2017
Early trailers for Sniper Elite 4 tease another opportunity to hunt Hitler
What is it: The Sniper Elite series has always been one of those underdog series of gaming. Popular enough to warrant sequels and zombie spinoffs but never one to be mentioned in the discussion of AAA games. Sniper Elite 4 brings what makes the series great and adds to it. Larger maps, the ability to climb, more involved enemy A.I, booby-trapped dead bodies (booby-corpse?) and binoculars that will tell you about your enemy up to and including their history. The E3 video in particular showed a German soldier’s background involved him joining the Hitler’s Youth at 16 to impress his girlfriend whom later married his best friend. Tough luck, Fritz.
Website: http://sniperelite4.com/en
8. Overkill’s The Walking Dead
Release: TBD
Overkill will need to keep the bleak atmosphere of the comic book to appeal to fans
What is it: Probably the game on this list with the least known about it. Overkill, famous for Payday 2, is working on a Co-op FPS based on Robert Kirkman’s stellar comic book series, The Walking Dead. While very little is actually known about the game a VR experience demo at E3 last year gave a taste of what players should expect from a company that has made its name on Co-Op first person shooters. Overkill has also promised “unprecedented crossovers” with Payday 2 characters and the world of the Walking dead. This would not be the first time the heisters have had interactions with zombies, a DLC heist involving Left 4 Dead’s ‘No Mercy’ Hospital was made available for the first Payday game.
Website: http://www.overkillsoftware.com/games/overkills-the-walking-dead/
9. Star Citizen: Squadron 42
Release: 2017
Star Citizen is the "Most successfully crowdsourced Video Game ever"
What is it: While Star Citizen itself has been in Open alpha for some time, the buzz over its single Player counterpart, Squadron 42, is palpable. Boasting a huge cast including Mark Hamill, Gary Oldman and Ben Mendelson, Star Citizen: Squadron 42 is looking to set itself up as the definitive space combat game of the last decade. Utilizing Cryengine 3 and all the features that keeps Star Citizen players upgrading their rigs, Squadron 42 tells the tale of space fighter pilots fighting an alien race for domination of the galaxy. The player will control a custom character who serves with the ubiquitous squadron in both space combat and first person shooter segments, “seamlessly”, on the ground (or corridors of a space ship). Get to your ships when it releases in 2017.
Website: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/squadron42#
10.Metal Gear Survive
Release: 2017
Because Metal Gear Solid 2 wasn't strange enough
What is it: The controversial first Non-Hideo Kojima directed Metal Gear game in the series does, despite the controversy, look promising. Taking the fantastic gameplay and engine that made MGSV the game that it was, Metal Gear Survive is certainly in tune with the sometimes manic nature of the Metal Gear series. In Survive you play one of the remaining soldiers from Big Boss’s now defunct “Militaries’ Sans Frontières”, who after the events of Ground Zeros is teleported to an alternate dimension where crystal infused zombies (among other beasts) roam freely. Are you still following? Despite sounding like a DLC add-on, this is a full sized game that will be sneaking into availability sometime in 2017.
Website: https://www.konami.com/mg/survive/#
BONUS-Kojima’s reaction: https://twitter.com/HIDEO__KOJIMA_/status/766029309555445760
The Shooter has always been a hallmark of the PC. It is the place to test your hardware and your skills better than any other type of game out there. Between tech heavy games like Star Citizen and twitchy FPS’s like Quake Champions, it looks like 2017 will be no exception so get your battle station ready and say your prayers to GabeN… you have some games to play
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