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3 Games to Buy for Next Gen in 2015

Don’t know where to spend your gaming budget in 2015? We’re here to help.

After being released in 2013, Next Generation Consoles are nearing two and a half years old. With release day games like Titanfall and Killzone Shadow Fall the consoles had some very mixed reviews. The general consensus was to wait a year or more and just stick with the users old console so next gen gaming can have some time to improve and have some better titles.

Well now here we are in 2015, so how are Xbox Ones and PS4‘s doing?

So far this year we have had some mediocre games with a few highly notable ones. Titles such as Bloodborne, Mortal Combat X, and Dying Light show us the excellence, beauty, and potential next gen offers where games like The Order remind us that maybe it’s only… beauty.

There is still about 8 months left in the year and that means plenty of upcoming releases. With plenty of time but only a limited amount of spending money, Pixelpine has taken the courtesy of helping you figure out where your money should be going when buying your Xbox One or PS4 games for 2015.

Here are the 3 top options coming out on Xbox One and PS4 at some point this year:

 

Star Wars: Battlefront 3 – November 17, 2015

Making a surprise appearance at E3 in 2013, publisher Electronic Arts rocked the gaming world by announcing that the start of the third instalment of the Battlefront series was underway. Almost two years have passed and now the millions of fans who have waited since 2005 for another Battlefront title only have to wait until November. Whether you are one of the decade old fans or new to the series this game will be a must buy.

The unique third or first person shooter portraying a cultural classic lets you relive the old Star Wars battles from both sides of the force and gives you the option to even change the course of the galaxy.

 

Tom Clancy’s The Division – TBD, 2015 

It was tough putting this up as a must buy because there is such little information available about the title but what information there is gives it a very appealing edge.

Based from the story in the Tom Clancy series, The Division sets us about a month after a black friday resulted epidemic in New York City. You, the player, are a part of a last resort unit called The Division. You’re mission is to live among the people of what is left of New York and do whatever necessary to prevent the fall of society and help piece it back together.

This game is an MMO and the map is HUGE. It lengthens throughout all parts of New York City. Although very little gameplay has been revealed for the game this video will give you a good idea of what to expect when the title is released:

 

 

Batman Arkham Knight – June 23, 2015

So far the Batman series have been very successful and there are many reasons to believe that his title will be the best of the series.

The map is bigger, the weapons are better, the villains are harder, emotions are strong and the bat mobile is more badass than ever. With improved next gen graphics and fighting mechanics Batman Arkham Knight will be the most action-packed and exciting of the series.

A Game That Could Go Either Way

 

No Man’s Sky

As a bonus here is one game worth checking out this year:

From small studio producer and developer Hello Games, No Man’s Sky is an incredibly unique game. It is a game of exploration and the only game where the exploration is truly unique to each player. Why is this? Because each player can be exploring a part of the game no other person in the world has ever explored, literally.

Hello Games has developed an engine where the map is self creating: infinite.

The game takes place in the universe. Each player is set in a spaceship on a random planet. Players can fly and explore this planet and its vegetation but have the option to leave and fly out into the universe where thousands, millions of planets are waiting to be explored due to the self creating world. The more you play the more chance you will have to progress and increase your ships weaponry, armour, and engine.

With such a unique concept for a game and coming from a small developer No Man’s Sky is a wildcard at the moment to whether it will be the game of the decade or a game not worth buying. Your best bet will be to wait until it comes out and to watch reviews and gameplay to see if the game will suit you.


 

We hope that this article helps you in deciding where your gaming budget will be going for the rest of the year and stay tuned to Pixelpine for reviews for each of these titles.

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Splatoon may be the missing link for Nintendo

The Wii U FPS exclusive Splatoon could be a revelation for Nintendo. (Photo/e3.nintendo.com)
The Wii U Shooter exclusive Splatoon could be a revelation for Nintendo. (Photo/e3.nintendo.com)

Nintendo is one of the most successful entertainment juggernauts in the world. Almost all of their first-party game characters are international icons that have become a part of our culture. But as time has passed, the rise of Call of Duty has shown us one thing: gamers love first-person shooters and that is not going away anytime soon.

It’s an overstatement to say that Nintendo has held on by a thread in the modern era because their previous console, the Nintendo Wii, has sold over 101.02 million consoles worldwide. So the recent Wii U struggles are most likely a temporary situation that is being remedied as we speak with the release of Mario Kart 8.

Nintendo will not be a platform for everyone through purely third-party titles as many studios have given up making their triple-a titles for the system and its confusing Gamepad controller.

But if Nintendo can break the ice and create new IPs that are of the shooter variety, they could wipe the competition with shooters and their already successful first-party favorites (Mario Kart, Mario Party, Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong, etc.)

Splatoon is a very important experiment for Nintendo. Can they make a shooter title molded from the core values and creativity that is Nintendo and succeed not just critically but commercially as well?

From what we saw at E3 2014 in June, Splatoon is a multiplayer 4-on-4 shooter, where players use ink for offense, defense and transportation around the maps. It looks both fun and strategic and exactly what a Nintendo shooter would look like.

I am very excited for this title and hope it succeeds and spurs Nintendo to explore more ideas for shooters (keeping my fingers crossed for a shooter spinoff of Super Smash Bros., with all of Nintendo’s greatest characters in a team deathmatch).

Check out the Splatoon announcement trailer from Nintendo’s digital E3 press conference.