GAMERS DECIDE - Battleborn

24 Best 2-Player Games to Enjoy With Your Best Friend in 2016 (PC)

MichaelLogarta — Thu, 14 Jul 2016 13:33:00 +0000

Why play solo when you can enjoy these awesome 2 player games with a friend?

Gaming’s detractors like to say that video games turn us into basement-dwelling misanthropes, utterly incapable of social graces, or even of making friends. That, of course, is wrong. Gaming has served as bridges between people of different backgrounds, and it continues to do so to this day with the increasing prevalence of multiplayer.

In fact, many among us gamers have found some of our best friends through gaming. And how best to spend time with such friends? Why, by playing more games, of course!

Here then, we present to you the 24 Best 2-Player Games to Enjoy With Your Best Friend in 2016 – games that will challenge, please, and provide great bonding sessions for you and your best bud.

24. Project Zomboid

Why suffer the zombie apocalypse alone? The end of the world is meant for everybody!

The isometric Project Zomboid offers an enormous sandbox world for both you and your friend to enjoy. As for the undead? There are armies of them out there, so you guys better have a strategy for dealing with them. Do you confront them head-on, or do the smarter thing and hide?

Players have to deal with more than just zombies; there’s hunger, illness, depression, and even boredom to worry about. Stay in the safety of your home at night, or venture out together into the wilderness in search of resources. You can farm, fish, trap animals, do carpentry, craft tools, weapons, and shelter… and that’s just a fraction of what the game has in store for you.

Sometimes, you have to spell it out for them.

Fast food.

Zombie parade.

23. Streets of Rage

Nothing says “bonding session” quite like beating the living crap out of hundreds of bad guys together!

Go old-school with Streets of Rage, a side-scrolling beat-em-up hailing from the golden years when arcade gaming was the face of quality multiplayer. In this game, the city has been seized by a crime syndicate. With the corrupt police force on their payroll, lawlessness and mayhem have taken over the streets. Leave it to three young cops, who decide to take matters into their own hands, to put a stop to this reign of anarchy.

You and your friend can choose from three characters: the boxer, Adam Hunter; the martial artist, Axel Stone, or the judo expert, Blaze Fielding. Rearrange your opponents’ faces with punishing punches and kicks, or break their backs with bone-crunching grappling moves. And if you eventually find yourself sick of playing the goody-two-shoes, you can always side with the bad guys for that extra-evil alternate ending!

One of the best 2-player games to enjoy with your best friend, and you can play it right now!

Strike fast and hard.

Ahoy, mateys!

A kick to the head is one of the fastest ways to solve a problem!

22. FIFA 16

Soccer is one of the most beloved team sports in the world, and FIFA just so happens to be the best soccer video game franchise!

Kick balls across the green as one of your favorite teams. Play in any of the 78 stadiums and 50 venues, all modeled after real-world locations. There’s even a Career Mode that lets you manage your own team.

It’s all the more enjoyable, of course, if played with a friend. Impress them with your fancy kicks and passes, then annoy them by scoring as many goals as you can. You can bet your room will be as loud as a pub filled with beer-guzzling hooligans watching a championship match!

Goal? Think again!

Here come your heroes.

That's one powerful kick.

21. Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara

Not a fan of the urban landscapes of Streets of Rage? Fire-breathing dragons, ax-wielding dwarves, and scantily clad barbarians more your thing? Then check out Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara.

What’s amazing about Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara is that it’s not one game, but two: 1993’s Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom, and 1996’s Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara. These arcade classics have been remastered for your pleasure. Up to four players can team up to engage hundreds of the most powerful monsters from Dungeons & Dragons lore, such as skeletons, ogres, and of course, dragons.

Fry your enemies with face-melting magic, bash in their skulls with your shield, pepper them with arrows, or slice into them with your blades. So strap on your leather boots, and get medieval in one of the best 2-player games to enjoy with your best friend!

Magic and mayhem.

Anyone up for barbecue?

Winter is coming.

20. Metal Slug 3

When it was released more than a decade ago, Metal Slug 3 was one the best 2-player games to enjoy with your best friend. Today, it remains one of the greatest run & gun games in the industry.

You and your friend pick your soldiers, then go from point A to point B, wasting countless enemies – such as grunts, tanks, and choppers – along the way. Not only are there several weapons to pick up, you also get to obliterate enemies with your powerful “Metal Slug” tanks.

Metal Slug 3 also features detailed backgrounds and beautifully animated sprites. Yes, they were a huge artistic and technical achievement all those years ago, but damn, does this game still look great today! As the most audacious of the series, you’ll find yourselves dealing with robots, aliens, monsters, and even the shambling undead. Some levels have you flying through the air with a jetpack, riding elephants and ostriches strapped to the hilt with all manner of weaponry, and even getting turned into zombies!

It’s a blast, and it’s a game you can still play today, thanks to Steam.

Toxic seafood.

Watch out for those lasers!

That giant crab means business.

19. WWE 2K16

WWE 2K16 sees the engine that was introduced in its predecessors receiving further upgrades, and it’s a blast!

With more than 120 unique characters, the game has the largest roster of wrestlers in the history of the franchise. And this number doesn’t even include the future DLC characters planned for the game. That’s a whole lot of muscle!

Like its predecessors, WWE 2K16 mines our nostalgia for gold. The 2K Showcase focuses on “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s illustrious career, while WWE Universe features many storylines centering on The Undertaker. MyCareer lets you manage your own superstar, and even gives you the option of either joining or fighting The Authority.

Of course, the game’s best enjoyed with a friend. Pick your favorite wrestlers then pound each other into submission. Or create your own superstars from scratch, then pummel each other in the ring to see who deserves to be called the best. For all these reasons, WWE 2K16 is one of the best 2-player games to enjoy with your best friend.

High-flying badassery.

'Coz Stone Cold says so!

Ready for the kill.

18. Shank

Prefer your beat-em-ups with gallons of blood? Shank is the game for you and your pal!

Because sometimes knuckles aren’t enough, Shank has you playing the eponymous ex-hitman, who just so happens to be really, really good with knives. And chainsaws. And firearms. In fact, Shank is good at just about anything designed for murder. He’s quite the acrobat, too, allowing him to run up walls, and jump onto the shoulders of giant bosses.

But here’s what makes it one of the best 2-player games to enjoy with your best friend. The game boasts a co-operative mode that allows another player to assume the role of Shank’s associate, Falcone. Together, you’ll be slitting throats, shooting bad guys in the face, and ripping into their guts in one of the most violent beat-em-ups around. And it’s all presented in a sweet, comic book style, too!

The bigger they are...

Dead meat.

Hounds of hell.

17. World of Warcraft: Legion

World of Warcraft: Legion is the game’s sixth expansion, and it’s going to be huge. For starters, the Burning Legion are coming back to raise hell on Azeroth. Who are the Burning Legion? Oh, just an army of world-conquering demons who invaded Azeroth several times in the past. They were primary antagonists in Warcraft III, if you can recall. It looks like the Alliance and the Horde will have to put aside their differences (again) to fight off this threat.

And, oh, did we mention Illidan Stormrage, “the Betrayer” himself, is making a comeback, as well? Goes to show that no one stays dead for long in the World of Warcraft!

An enormous new continent called The Broken Isles, a new Demon Hunter class, customizable artifact weapons, a level cap increase, and loads of other goodies await in what will be one of the best multiplayer games to enjoy with your friend!

Spectacular sights.

Illidan Stormrage cosplay.

A peaceful night.

16. HELLDIVERS

Set in the distant future, you and up to three friends must protect Super Earth from the hostile aliens that seek to subdue its population.

This top-down, twin stick shooter puts you smack dab in the middle of chaos. As the elite combat unit Helldivers, you’ll be using powerful guns to rip through endless waves of monsters, driving vehicles or enormous mechs, and… avoiding friendly fire? Yes, in this game, you can accidentally blow your partners’ brains out if you’re not careful where you’re aiming. You can even crush them – or yourself – as flat as a pancake with carelessly deployed supply drops. It therefore pays to coordinate and strategize, lest you want your team destroyed from within.

Helldivers also boasts procedurally generated levels, so every experience is unique. An exhilarating, action-packed game that deserves a spot on this list!

Blood on the battlefield.

Preparing for war.

All hell is loose.

15. Broforce

Bad guys threatening truth, liberty, and the American way? Bring out Bro-force – a paramilitary group of patriotic meatheads who eat grenades for breakfast and excel in the use of overwhelming force. Up to four players can select from a variety of over-muscled commandoes, then run “n” gun their way through terrorist and alien scum.

Relish the fully destructible environments as you devastate strongholds of villainy with showers of sweet napalm. Enjoy an arsenal of insane weapons and gadgets, from firearms and explosives to swords, chainsaws, lightning powers, and jetpacks. Taste the freedom as you employ testosterone-enhanced special abilities – such as dive bombs and lightning-fast horizontal dashes – to blast enemies into hundreds of pieces of pixelated gore.

Get ready for blood, guns, and the rancid odor of man-sweat in one of the best multiplayer games to enjoy with your best friend!

Kamikaze Rocketeer.

Explosions and violence galore.

Rocket jumping.

14. Battleborn

Gearbox Software, creator of the Borderlands franchise, is ready to rock first-person shooter MOBAs with Battleborn.

If those bright, eye-catching colors and charming, cartoony art style aren’t enough to convince you, the game comes with several wacky characters to suit every playstyle. Prefer slicing into fresh meat over riddling skulls with bullets? Battleborn’s resident sword-wielders aim to please. A fan of the arcane? Battleborn’s magic users will wreak havoc on the plains of Solus. And there are guns and explosions galore for everyone else!

Battleborn is among the best multiplayer games to enjoy with your best friend, and it’s out right now!

All colors of the rainbow.

Say hello to your heroes!

Aim for the head.

13. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege puts an emphasis on realism, tactics and teamwork. The game pits two teams against each other: the attackers vs. the defenders. Defenders must protect a location or high value target by setting up traps and positioning themselves strategically within an environment; attackers scout the area using drones, then use gadgets and weapons to penetrate the opposing team’s defenses.

Destructible environments add a layer of strategy to the gameplay. Someone hiding behind an obstacle? Make short work of walls and furniture with a good blast from your firearm. Most importantly, you can also select from several operators, each of whom boasts a unique skill. For example there’s Jager, whose Magpie defense system intercepts grenades before they can hurt your team, and Thermite, whose exo-thermic charges are capable of burning through even the toughest walls.

It’s the thinking gamer’s shooter, and one of the best multiplayer games to enjoy with your best friend!

Protect the hostage!

Lethal weapon.

They won't get past us!

12. How to Survive 2

You’ll have a better chance of surviving the zombie apocalypse with friends!

Team up with up to three other people in local co-op, or go online to join groups of up to 16. Build a camp, craft weapons and items, then prepare to defend yourself from the undead swarms.

Off your enemies with elaborate traps, such as spinning blades that rip them to shreds, or spring-loaded spikes that impale them from below. Or if you want your violence up close and personal, bash their heads in with a guitar, or use your shotgun to shoot them point blank in the face!

How to Survive 2 also gives you endless character customization options, so you can make yourself look like a professional wrestler or a Mad Max psycho. An amazing multiplayer game, especially if you love killing zombies!

Just another ordinary day in the zombie apocalypse.

Are you ready for this?

Overkill.

11. Rampage Knights

Rampage Knights is another gory beat-em-up featuring barbarous medieval warriors.

Those monsters will come at you en masse. So get ready to throw those barrels, swing that ax, and watch the bloody limbs fly. Use explosive magic to turn your enemies into puddles of blood. Then test your skills in battles with gargantuan bosses, such as three-headed dragons, and other horrors to ugly for description.

Rampage Knights’ levels are randomly generated, so every adventure is unique. There are also countless weapons and spells to collect, each one with special abilities.

Definitely 2-player games to enjoy with your best friend!

Sending it back to whatever hell it came from.

The best things come in threes.

Looks like Doom's demons found a new world to conquer.

10. Injustice: Gods Among Us

The Flash vs. Wonder Woman. Green Arrow vs. Green Lantern. Batman vs. Superman. These are the greatest gladiator matches in history, and you can have them all in Injustice: Gods Among Us.

You’ve got dozens of fighters from DC Comics’ stable of heroes and villains, each one ready for a fight to the finish. And because this game is from the makers of Mortal Kombat, expect these battles to get really brutal. Imagine smashing your opponent through the wall, and punching them so hard they fly into the stratosphere. How about chucking a grenade in their direction? Or running them over with the Batmobile? The character roster is as diverse as they come; featuring the aforementioned favorites above, as well as others like the Joker, Lex Luthor, Shazam, Hawkgirl, Nightwing, and Deathstroke.

The game has a great cinematic story mode. But like most fighting games, Injustice: Gods Among Us is best experienced with a second player. So go online and fight others across the world, or invite your best friend over for some quality one-on-one versus matches. Truly one of the best 2-player games to enjoy with your best friend!

If you have to be anybody, be Batman.

The fastest man alive.

All he has to do is squeeze to snuff out this lantern.

9. Magicka 2

An isometric action-adventure game, Magicka 2 puts you in the pointy shoes of a faceless wizard tasked with saving the kingdom.

Unleash hell on the enemy hordes using powerful magic. You’ve got hundreds of spells to learn, all categorized under five distinct elements. Electrocute them with lightning, fry them up with fire, or zap them with a death ray and watch them boil from the inside.

But why enjoy the chaos alone when you can play with up to three other friends? Carpet the ground with blood and gore as you bulldoze through forests, dank caves, and beaches littered with murderous crabs. Just make sure to not to point your wand at your friends, because friendly fire is lethal.

An exhilarating game of magic and mayhem!

A bombastic beach party.

A showcase of powerful magic.

You shall not pass!

8. Left 4 Dead 2

First-person shooter Left 4 Dead 2 returns with its predecessor’s simple yet effective formula, which can be summed up as “four survivors vs. hordes upon hordes of undead.”

The game is all about teamwork, because you have to admit – when faced with an army of running, jumping, and occasionally exploding corpses, it doesn’t make much sense to go solo. Be cautious when raining bullets down on zombies though, as you can accidentally hit your mates.

There are several types of zombies, from agile Hunters to the corpulent Boomers that spray bile and explode upon death. Thankfully, you’ve got a plethora of weapons to waste these monsters with.

The game also procedurally spawns enemies and items, so no two games are ever the same. It also means you’ll never really know what’s lurking around the corner, making for some truly frightening moments.

Firing squad.

They just want to play!

Better start running!

7. Killing Floor 2

If you enjoy your zombie slaughter fast, hard, and gory, take Killing Floor 2 out for a spin!

After selecting one of many perks that can be likened to combat classes, you join a team of six to massacre wave after wave of zombie-like creatures called Zeds. Every wave introduces new enemy types and increases the enemy number, with the final wave pitting you against a boss. Should a player kick the bucket during a wave, he will stay dead until the next wave. The team loses if they’re all killed during a single wave.

Killing Floor 2 has been impressing the multitudes with its exhilarating action and unrelenting amounts of bloodletting, so why not try it out with your best friend?

Showers of gore.

My precious.

Eat this!

6. PAYDAY 2

When being good doesn’t pay, it’s time to don your mask, load your guns, and rob a few banks!

PAYDAY 2 lets you live the life of a criminal with up to three other friends. As a good-for-nothing lowlife, you can do everything from robbing convenience stores and banks, to kidnapping. And as your crew rises up the criminal hierarchy, expect tougher, more complicated, and ultimately more rewarding jobs.

Of course, there’s no one way to be a good villain. You can go for the stealthy approach, striking only at the most opportune times, or you can gun down everyone in a fiery blaze. You can even customize your character by having them learn abilities from five distinct Skill Trees: Enforcer, Fugitive, Ghost, Mastermind, and Technician. You’ll need to hone all your skills, because every scenario boasts dynamic events, meaning you’ll never really know what to expect.

It’s real shady, and one of the best multiplayer games to enjoy with your best friend.

Not your ordinary patriots.

Interior redecoration.

This gorilla's got skills.

5. Resident Evil 6

One of the best multiplayer games to enjoy with your best friend also happens to be the sixth major installment of the undying survival horror series, Resident Evil.

Resident Evil 6 is split into four interconnected scenarios. Each scenario has you playing as one of the series protagonists, such as Ada Wong or Leon Kennedy, and your friend as their partner. Together, you will make your way through cities, facilities, and wildernesses swarming with rotting undead, who would like nothing better than to take a bite out of you. To make matters worse, the new enemy, called the J’avo, are intelligent enemies who are able to coordinate with each other. They may look like zombies with an extra dose of ugly, but they’re far, far worse than your usual shambling corpse!

Thankfully, you’ve got skills with firearms, and you can swing a mean blade for those quick decapitations. Don’t forget those grenades – they come in handy. You can even upgrade your equipment, making them more lethal in battle.

An action-packed horror game that definitely deserves to be on this list!

Live to fight another day.

Leon's got his hands full.

I'm not sure what that thing is, but it looks hungry.

4. Double Dragon Neon

When it comes to beat ‘em ups, no name is more recognizable than Double Dragon.

Your girlfriend is punched in the gut and kidnapped. What do you do? Call the police? Drag the FBI into the mix? Panic? Heck, no! It’s the 80s, and you’re a man! You go to bloody war!

And so goes the story of martial artist Billy Lee and his twin, Jimmy. Level after level, you’ll pave the streets with the battered bodies of your enemies. And in addition to your repertoire of punches and kicks, you can pick up knives, baseball bats, and barrels, and use them against your foes. You can even equip your characters with special mixtapes, which enhances their fighting prowess.

Like all good beat ‘em ups, you can play solo or with a friend. Together, you’ll fight your way through dark alleys, a dojo in outer space, a genetics laboratory, and a creepy cemetery. It’s one of the best 2-player games to enjoy with your best friend, and it’s out now on Steam.

Double trouble.

The soul of a dragon.

A good enemy is a dead enemy.

3. Mortal Kombat X

When 2011’s Mortal Kombat reboot revitalized a franchise that had grown stale from too many uninspired sequels, we knew an excellent follow-up was inevitable.

Then 2015 came along, and with it the exceptional Mortal Kombat X – already being considered by many as the series’ best entry.

With X, Mortal Kombat is back and more gruesome than ever. It injects the franchise with new blood courtesy of eight new characters – some of whom are direct descendants of returning veterans like Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade. Not only are there more than a dozen characters to play as, each fighter also has a trio of distinct fighting styles to choose from, effectively multiplying the roster number by three.

Add to this the return of the much-lauded story mode, robust multiplayer modes, a first-person Krypt, and amazing DLC characters such as Jason Vorhees, the Predator, Leatherface, and the Xenomorph, and it’s no surprise Mortal Kombat X is one of the best 2-player games to enjoy with your best friend!

Sir, what a big sword you have!

Not a fair fight.

Slice and dice.

2. Street Fighter V

One of the best 2-player games to enjoy with your best friend is one that allows you to pummel each other in the face like no other game can: Street Fighter V.

In a move calculated to please all fans, the game’s exceptional roster is a good mixture of the old and the new. Newcomers Rashid and Laura are a perfect fit in Street Fighter mold, while icons like Cammy and Zangief are looking better than ever. Then you’ve got Karin and Rainbow Mika, whom we all have to agree have been absent from the limelight for too long.

But the best thing about the game is how it changes up the formula to make even the old characters feel new. New moves and mechanics, such as the character-specific V-Skills and V-Triggers, will pave the way for a deeper, more tactical fighting game sure to impress casual and hardcore fighting game fans alike.

Of course, Capcom isn’t done improving Street Fighter V. They’re upgrading the game with new features every month. July saw the roll out of the long-awaited cinematic story mode, and we’re still getting new stages, new costumes, and new fan-demanded characters such as Ibuki and Alex. What a great time to be a Street Fighter fan!

That's gotta hurt.

Taking Bison for a spin.

Fancy moves.

1. Overwatch

Overwatch is more than Blizzard’s exceptional competitive shooter – it’s an amazing, colorful story packed with wonderful heroes and villains, not to mention a look and animation quality that rivals Pixar’s best efforts.

Set in the future, the game tells the tale of the now-defunct task force Overwatch, which came into being to fight for humanity during a global robotic uprising known as the Omnic Crisis. As new problems arise, however, it may be time for Overwatch to come out of hibernation.

You have 21 heroes to choose from, and what an eclectic bunch they are! There’s the time-travelling adventurer, Tracer, whose speed and ability to rewind time makes her difficult to kill; D.Va, a South Korean ex-pro gamer who can fight while driving her giant mech or without it; a cyborg ninja named Genji who can kill you with one slash from his sword; a super intelligent gorilla called Winston; and more.

It’s one of 2016’s biggest games, and definitely one of the best multiplayer games to enjoy with your best friend!

Shoot 'em up.

The music of battle.

Heroes never die.

That’s it for our list of the best 2-player games to enjoy with your best friend! Do you feel we left your favorite game out? Tell us in the comments section below!

And if you enjoyed this article, check out the following:

10 Cooperative Games That Require Teamwork to Win

11 Best MMORPGs to Play in 2016

11 Awesome Multiplayer Games Coming Out in 2016

10 Best Multiplayer Horror Games You Should Play With Your Buddies

13 Great Multiplayer Games to Try in 2015 and 2016

Main Image caption:

Double the fun!

Image Gallery:

More on this topic:

project zomboid |
Streets of Rage |
fifa 16 |
Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara |
Metal Slug 3 |
WWE 2K16 |
shank |
World of Warcraft: Legion |
helldivers |
broforce |
Battleborn |
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege |
How to Survive 2 |
Rampage Knights |
Magicka 2 |
Injustice: Gods Among Us |
Killing Floor 2 |
left 4 dead 2 |
overwatch |
Street Fighter V |
mortal kombat x |
Double Dragon Neon |
resident evil 6 |
PAYDAY 2

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Overwatch vs. Battleborn: 5 Differences That Make Them Unique

Marlile — Mon, 06 Jun 2016 19:07:01 +0000

Even though Blizzard’s new game, Overwatch, was just released a little over a week ago, it’s already been constantly compared to the new title that Gearbox released a few weeks ago, Battleborn. I’ve played both games thoroughly, as I’m a huge fan of Blizzard’s recent releases, and I’m writing a guide for Battleborn (and I love Borderlands 2), so I felt it’s time someone pointed out the other side of the coin: five things that these two games don’t have in common. Brace yourselves.

1. The Combat

The battle of the century, no hotfixes allowed.

Much like a hobo with a knife compared to a hobo on drugs, the combat in both these games is very dangerous in very different ways.

Overwatch is by far the more fast-paced game with a roster of colorful characters that all want to murder you. But in Overwatch, murdering you is item number 4 on their checklist because of how easy it is. Weaker characters like Tracer (the British time-traveler) and Zenyatta (the zen robot monk) can be taken out in a single body-shot from Widowmaker (the spider-sniper lady).

Meanwhile, Battleborn is a much more attack-when-necessary kind of game. While you’re encouraged to jump around like a rabid ferret in Overwatch, Battleborn insists that you take your time and work as a team. The latter game has just as colorful a character roster, but the characters aren’t quite as overpowered.

Battleborn also borrows more from the MOBA genre than Overwatch does. In Battleborn, each character has a couple of abilities that need to be manually aimed, a unique basic attack, a passive buff, and an Ultimate that they can activate once it’s off cooldown.

In Overwatch, each character has their own way of moving around the map quickly, their own weapon/gun, and maybe an ability or two. And unlike Battleborn, characters in Overwatch have to attack the enemy and secure kills in order to charge their Ultimate ability before they can use it.

In Battleborn, every character follows the same mold: two basic abilities, a passive, and an Ultimate. The amount of abilities that a character in Overwatch has varies depending on the character; Widowmaker has a grappling hook, poisonous mine, and her Ultimate (3 abilities) while Torbjorn has a turret, armor pack, lava gun, hammer, and passively collects scraps from his enemies, all in addition to his Ultimate (4 abilities, not counting his two different weapons).

Overall, Overwatch is more creative and flexible with how their characters function, while Battleborn dutifully follows a pattern, while still keeping its characters fun to play. Both games do a great job of creating unique characters, but Overwatch’s are more liable to kill you in a couple seconds, while Battleborn’s will probably stun you first, knock you back into their team like a soccer ball, then taunt you with a quick bow and an annoying voice line after you’ve been torn apart.

2. Character Selection

I choose... the protagonist of the game's marketing.

It’s true: two different games made by two different developers and publishers have two different kinds of gameplay. Who would’ve guessed?

In Overwatch, choosing a character is a very flexible process; you’re meant to be constantly switching between different characters, depending on the situation you’re in. Matches feel like you’re meant to drop-in and drop-out on a whim (even though players get penalized for leaving too often – what’s up with that, Blizzard?), since they allow you to change characters mid-game as frequently as you’d like.

Meanwhile, in Battleborn, you’re following the vein of MOBA’s. You select a single character at the start of the match, and you’re stuck with them til the end. Because of this, the game feels a lot more stagnant in its character choice, so you’re not really meant to drop out of the match midway through (and yet they don’t have a penalty for frequently leaving. Did you two mix up your file cabinets or something?)

3. The Guns

To quote the Mad King... Burn them all!

No matter what the developer of the hit game The Slaughtering Grounds says, gun sounds aren’t everything.

Luckily, though, both games have very different and very effective ways of looking at guns.

Essentially, in Battleborn, if you have a gun, you can aim down the sights. Targets are effectively smaller, and it’s much easier to miss. There are also melee weapons in Battleborn, but the guns are the focus of this section. Deal with it.

Meanwhile, in Overwatch, the only characters who can actually aim down the sights and look through their guns’ scopes are snipers. To my knowledge, this means a single character: Widowmaker. The guns in Blizzard’s game are much more run-and-gun, less aiming required. There’s the standard aiming up and down and left to right, of course, but the accuracy for hip-firing is actually pretty damn impressive.

4. The Backstory

A time in the world when everything had Instagram filters.

I know: it’s so brave of me to veer away from gaming-related differences. Oh well.

Let’s be fair, though; this is a huge difference between the two games.

Overwatch is set on an Earth sixty years into the future. Thirty years after the organization known as Overwatch helped restore balance to a war-torn world, conflict is starting to rise again. This is where you and your little 6v6 battles come in. Don’t ask me how, but somehow, those fights are helping.

Vastly different, Battleborn isn’t set on any particular planet or time period. There’s one last star that remains in the entire galaxy, and it’s your goal to stop a mastermind, Rendain, from helping an ancient race, the Varelsi, take over the last star.

Therefore, the cast of characters is much more diverse on Battleborn¸ since they’re from multiple different planets and galaxies, rather than from different cultures on a futuristic Earth.

5. Everything

This sums up the argument pretty well.

It’s not a cop-out, I swear. Just keep reading.

The fact that these two games are being compared in the first place is actually somewhat shocking. TotalBiscuit explained it best in his video comparing the two: they’re really nothing alike except for having a colorful cast of characters.

Truthfully, the only two reasons these two games are being compared is the fact that they were released in similar times, and because they’re not dark, gritty, and slathered in a grey filter like so many of the Call of Duties and Battlefields we’ve been getting for so long now. So when two colorful, lore-rich games come along, we’re obviously going to get excited and even start comparing the two.

And of course, there’s always going to be people that will force a rivalry between two things. Mac and PC, PC Gaming vs. Console Gaming, etc. But I see no reason for there to be a rivalry between Overwatch and Battleborn. They’re similar in some ways, yes, but overall, they’re two vastly different experiences that I personally think everyone should try just a bit of. If you like one more than the other, that’s great. If you hate both of them, that’s fine too. And if you love both equally, then congratulations. It’s all about your opinion, and what you personally think about the games. Why create a rivalry when it’s possible to just enjoy both?

If you enjoyed this article, take a look at these!

11 Best Overwatch Heroes You Should Master

Overwatch: 10 Interesting Facts About This Awesome FPS

And by the same author: The Culling: A New Game Based on The Hunger Games?

Written by Colin Bellairs.

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Overborn or Battlewatch, Take Your Pick.

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11 Great PC Games to Expect in 2016

Cereline — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 23:26:43 +0000

Keep an eye out for these 11 great new games to expect this year.

2016 is sure not to disappoint. Many exciting PC games are expected to come out this year. There is a wide variety of highly anticipated games in all genres and this will only be a list of 11 of those great PC games to expect this year.

11. Battleborn

The game takes place in a space fantasy setting where most planets and stars in the universe were destroyed after some catastrophic event. The star that the heroes of the game have gravitated towards is known as Solus.

The game is designed to be reminiscent of the MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) format while still maintaining a unique first-person shooter mechanic.

There will be twenty-five characters at release and each one will feature unique personalities, abilities, and weapons. It is primarily played in first-person mode and has been uniquely labeled as a “hero shooter”.

There is also a campaign mode that players can work through in solo or co-op play.

Battleborn is expected to release May 3, 2016.

10. Mirror's Edge: Catalyst

Faith Connors, the main character of the game, lives in the city of Glass. In this game players will learn of the character’s origin and help her in her mission to overthrow the corporations who maintain a suffocating grip on the society she is a part of.

The game will feature an urban environment that must be traversed utilizing parkour and other unique exploration methods such as zip-lines. The players will be able to utilize any of the many methods to reach their goal as the game features different routes to objectives.

Multiplayer features will also be an exciting part of this game. Although there isn’t a co-op or competitive mode, the actions of a player in one game might affect the world of another player.

The game is set to release May 24, 2016.

9. Pillars of Eternity: The White March Part 2

Last year, the base version of Pillars of Eternity was released and it received countless amazing reviews and a few rewards, as well. (Such as the Best PC Exclusive and Best Crowdfunded game from PCInvasion.) That game is definitely worth the praise and this year it will be releasing The White March Part 2.

The White March Part 2 will be the second expansion to the Pillars world.

It will add new content such as more quests and abilities. In addition, there will be a new companion added as well: Meneha, the Barbarian. The game will finish out the story introduced in The White March Part 1 and bring the game to a well-rounded close.

The White March Part 2 will be released on Feb. 16th of this year.

8. The Elder Scrolls Legends

The Elder Scrolls: Legends is a strategy card game released based on the Elder Scrolls universe. It was announced at E3 2015 and is scheduled for release this year, although no specific date has been set at this point.

The trading card game will feature key characters who have appeared in the Elder Scrolls universe. Some will be from legends and others from quests that are mentioned in the lore and the games.

7. Dishonored 2

The player will choose between playing (Empress) Emily Kaldwin and Corvo Attano in Dishonored 2. Emily, after being dethroned, wishes to claim back her title. So, she follows the steps of Corvo Attano in becoming an assassin in an attempt to reclaim her title.

Corvo and Emily will go through the same missions but their perspectives and paths will vary. Each character has a unique set of skills that will allow them to traverse the campaign differently.

The player can choose between playing stealthily or not. If they are successful, it is possible to beat the game without killing.

No specific time frame of release has been announced aside from this year.

6. Star Citizen

The upcoming space sim, Star Citizen, offers a chance for gamers to participate in a space trading and combat simulator. Star Citizen gives the player large amounts of freedom in actions and decisions and the player’s decisions will impact the economy and the events of the game.

Interestingly, the game will not feature different servers. Instead, there will be a matchmaking and instancing mechanic that will alter and affect how players interact. Accompanying this mechanic, players are able to choose the amount of exposure to other players.

The game will be a unique blend of online and single player elements that focus primarily on immersion. Much of the drama and events will be player-driven as they navigate this unique space simulator.

The game’s release is to be announced but should be expected in 2016.

5. Overwatch

New from Blizzard, Overwatch is another great game to expect this year. Although there were a few beta tests last year, the full launch is planned for some time this year.

The game will be a team-based shooter thatallows you to play one of twenty-one heroes. The cast of heroes is incredibly diverse: anything from your standard human character to a gorilla scientist named Winston.

The game is expected to release in Spring of 2016.

4. Mass Effect: Andromeda

Mass Effect: Andromeda takes place in the distant future after the events of the first three Mass Effect games. The game will not relate much to the previous three games and choices from the games may be recognized but they will not factor into the major events of Andromeda.

The player will get to explore the new Andromeda galaxy and set out on an all-new adventure.

Players loyal to the franchise will recognize some of the core elements that make the Mass Effect games what they are: new worlds to explore, interesting characters, and action-packed gameplay. All the while, players will get to experience new mechanics and gameplay that has not yet been announced.

As the year progresses, gamers can expect to hear more news about what to expect in the game and they can get excited about the new addition to the Mass Effect universe.

The game is anticipated to release in the fourth quarter of 2016.

3. Torment: Tides of Numenera

The Angel of Entropy is hunting the Changing God and all of the things that he has made – including your character. Your character is known as the Last Castoff and you are the last in a chain of beings that were the result of the Changing God’s constant changing of bodies. Travel across the Ninth World, alternate dimensions, and distant worlds to build your legacy and find your god, the one who sired you, before it is too late and the angel of entropy destroys you, all other castoffs, and the Changing God himself.

Backed by a kickstarter, Torment: Tides of Numenera gives an exciting RPG experience. Richly crafted, the game is focused on story and contains rich dialogue to entice gamers into the isometric world. The game promises to uphold its four pillars advertised in the kickstarter:

A deep, thematically satisfying story; a unique world; a rich, personal narrative; and choice with real consequences.

The game also continues the thematic legacy of Planescape: Torment, a critically acclaimed game from 1999.

Enjoy this vast and satisfying world set to release later this year.

2. X-Com 2

In X-Com 2, become the commander of a military organization struggling to combat the alien occupation of the planet. It takes place twenty years after the aliens have defeated humanity. Through the turn-based battle system, the player will fight for the liberation of humanity.

Beyond simply fighting, the player will also maintain control of the Avenger. The Avenger was previously a alien barge but has been converted into the player’s mobile base.

The game will offer features such as customization of soldiers, new enemies, and a new faction.

It is scheduled to release on February 5th of this year and is available for preorder.

1. Dark Souls 3

Dark Souls 3 makes the top of my list of great games to expect in 2016. Dark Souls 3 is a game that I am highly anticipating, and you should to. As a fan of the Dark Souls franchise, this game is supposed to round out the series while still maintaining all the elements that players know and love.

Some things to expect in Dark Souls 3 are a new mana bar, difficult combat, and a story that promises to be amazing and elusive.

The game will be released in April 2016 so be sure to watch for the exciting addition to the Dark Souls franchise.

There are some new free games coming out in 2016 to look out for as well.

Love horror? Here are some new horror games coming out in 2016.

While you're waiting for these games to be release, enjoy some of the past Final Fantasy games (ranked best to worst).

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The Action-Packed Battleborn Fight

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13 Great Multiplayer Games to Try in 2015 and 2016

MichaelLogarta — Mon, 02 Nov 2015 16:08:09 +0000

Great multiplayer games for you and your friends!

Why play a game solo when you can be enjoying fantastic adventures with your buddies? That’s what great multiplayer games are for: the opportunity to share incredible, out-of-this-world experiences with others. And we’re happy to say that the next few months have a lot of great multiplayer games in store for you and all your friends.

In this article, we list 13 Great Multiplayer Games to try in 2015 and 2016 – games you’ll be spending weeks of your lives playing with your favorite people. What better way to bond with your friends?

13. Fortnite

These days, innovation usually means combining different genres to form an exciting and cohesive whole. Fortnite is a survival game set in a sandbox world where you can build defensive structures from scavenged items.

It’s been described as “Left 4 Dead meets Minecraft,” a formula that’s a perfect fit for cooperative multiplayer. By day, you explore a procedurally generated world and build a fortress from the scraps you’ve gathered. By night, you defend yourself against waves of monsters.

Fortnite sounds pretty sweet to us, and we’re eager to play what will likely be one of this year’s great multiplayer games!

12. Battleborn

Gearbox Software, creator of the Borderlands franchise, is ready to rock first-person shooter MOBAs with the upcoming Battleborn.

If those bright, eye-catching colors and charming, cartoony art style aren’t enough to convince you, the game promises several wacky characters to suit every playstyle. Prefer slicing into fresh meat over riddling skulls with bullets? Battleborn’s resident sword-wielders aim to please. A fan of the arcane? Battleborn’s magic users will wreak havoc on the plains of Solus. And there are guns and explosions galore for everyone else!

Due for a late 2015 or early 2016 release, Battleborn is shaping up to be one of the great multiplayer games you can play real soon!

11. Fable Legends

To be released later this year is Fable Legends, a free-to-play title that has four Heroes working together to destroy an evil Villain.

Players can play as Heroes or the Villain. Each of the four Heroes is a play on a fairytale archetype, such as Prince Charming, a spellcaster, a rogue, and a holy knight. Together they’ll have to vanquish the powerful Villain, who can lay traps on the map and even sic minions on the good guys.

If you’re hungry for a fantasy slugfest of epic proportions, you can’t go wrong with Fable Legends.

10. Sea of Thieves

Not much is known about Sea of Thieves, as it is relatively early in development, and doesn’t even have a solid release date. But what we’ve been shown so far is enough to have us salivate in anticipation.

Sea of Thieves is a multiplayer game in which players assume the roles of pirates. And what is it that pirates are known for? Why, swashbuckling and high adventure, of course! Journey through islands riddled with traps, then set sail on the high seas with your buddies and take on rival pirates. The game will also allow players to craft their own stories using a variety of tools, ensuring every adventure is unique.

Great multiplayer games rarely sound this exciting!

9. Overwatch

We have every faith that Blizzard’s new IP, Overwatch, will be every bit as good as it looks.

From the trailers alone, we can see that first-person shooter and MOBA Overwatch is all about high-octane action. We’re already in love with this brand spankin’ new universe, and the gorgeously designed characters who channel the best of Disney, Pixar, and Western superheroes. Their skills look just as fun to use, from Tracer’s ability to rewind time to Reaper’s barrage of bullets.

Definitely looking like one of 2016’s great multiplayer games!

8. Street Fighter V

Fighting games can count themselves among the industry’s great multiplayer games. And when it comes to this particular genre, one title rules all: Street Fighter.

Street Fighter V looks like it’ll be one of 2016’s best fighters. The roster is a mixture of old and the new, with mainstays like Ryu, Chun Li, and Cammy trading blows with exciting newcomers like Laura, Rashid, and Necalli. We’re also ecstatic that long-neglected characters like Karin, Birdie, and Rainbow Mika are finally getting the attention they deserve!

Capcom is upending the status quo by revising classic characters, giving them new moves, techniques, and ways to get around those annoying fireballs. New mechanics such as the V-Trigger and V-Skill also provide the game with a deeper, more technical side, ensuring a Street Fighter experience unlike any you’d had before.

2016 can’t come soon enough for fighting game fans!

7. Call of Duty: Black Ops III

Call of Duty: Black Ops III takes place in the dystopian future of 2065. Military technology is so advanced that wars are fought in secret by covert operatives, and robots and supersoldiers are the norm. In fact, there’s a rising fear that robots might one day take over. Anything that sounds like the beginning of The Matrix and Terminator is cool with us!

The campaign will support cooperative gameplay and will allow players to customize their character. Multiplayer comes with new playable classes (each with their own unique ability) and weapon customization. There’ll even be a Zombie mode with its own storyline!

One of the great multiplayer games that will be released real soon!

6. Halo 5: Guardians

Master Chief is back for more intergalactic mayhem in Halo 5: Guardians.

The campaign can be played with up to three other players for explosive co-op madness. But as great as that sounds, one of the game’s biggest draws is its new multiplayer mode called “Warzone.” In Warzone, teams of twelve players are thrust into an enormous map where they will have to do battle with each other, and with AI-controlled Promethean and Covenant opponents. There are bases to capture, while killing enemies rewards you with requisition points used to purchase equipment.

Halo 5: Guardians is already proving one of this year’s great multiplayer games, wowing fans and critics alike. With such robust multiplayer modes, there’s no doubt this latest entry in the hallowed Halo franchise has a very long life ahead of it.

5. Tom Clancy’s The Division

A deadly virus has spread across America, leaving devastation in its wake. The only defense against total pandemonium? A special team of tactical agents called “The Division.” As one of these agents, you will be investigating the possible source of the disease, and hopefully return normalcy to a New York that is being held hostage by various criminal elements.

Tom Clancy’s The Division is a combination of third-person shooter and RPG genres, and features a dynamic world with weather conditions and destructible environments. Its multiplayer mode includes squad combat, in which teams do battle in a large open areas. Sounds like it has everything it needs to be one of great multiplayer games that will be launching within the upcoming months!

4. Doom

We can thank the original Doom for popularizing the multiplayer death match, without which none of today’s great multiplayer games would have ever seen the light of day.

Now Doom is back with more guns and gore, looking very much like the perfect update of the 1993 original that started it all. Unlike a majority of today’s multiplayer games, Doom will focus on pure, heart-pounding action. No hiding behind walls like a sissy here; the gameplay is all about speed, about shooting as many targets to death as quickly as possible before moving on to your next victims.

So this 2016, expect over-the-top violence and excitement as Doom reclaims multiplayer from the hordes of wannabes and watered-down shooters out there.

3. Star Citizen

This ambitious science fiction title is many things in one: a first-person shooter, an open-world game, and a space trading simulation. Did we mention it also has a humongous, persistent universe that you can experience with countless other players? It’s an MMO, after all.

Not only will you have the freedom to go anywhere you want and be anyone you want to be in Star Citizen, the game is also visually stunning. That should be enough incentive for anyone to go exploring!

Star Citizen is looking every bit like one of 2016’s great multiplayer games!

2. Star Wars: Battlefront

Star Wars: Battlefront is a first and third-person shooter in which you play either a soldier of the Rebel Alliance or an Imperial Stormtrooper. You then raise hell of George Lucas proportions in worlds like Tatooine, Hoth, and Endor as you attempt to wipe the other side out.

You can drive vehicles from the original trilogy, such as X-Wings, speeder bikes, and fearsome AT-ATs. Best of all, you can also assume the role of Darth Vader and Force choke your enemies to death. Now that’s giving fans what they want!

Missions are cooperative in nature, meaning you have to play with either a team of bots or other players. Meanwhile, the multiplayer supports up to 40 people. It’s not called Star Wars for nothing.

A list of great multiplayer games would be incomplete without Star Wars: Battlefront!

1. No Man’s Sky

Ever wanted to explore the entire universe with millions of other space-farcing adventurers?

Say hello to No Man’s Sky, the eagerly anticipated science fiction title that boasts an entire cosmos of procedurally generated content for everyone to explore.

And when we say “entire cosmos,” we mean a space consisting of over 18 quintillion planets. Don’t bother trying to calculate just how large that number is; your eyes might roll back in their sockets and shoot out of your ears. Of course, you can visit all of those planets – provided you bid farewell to your social life.

Each planet has a unique ecosystem, and resources that you can gather to upgrade your items. You can even purchase your own starship! If all that sounds like one a science fiction fan’s dream come true, that’s because it is. And for these reasons, No Man’s Sky tops our list of great multiplayer games you can play within the coming months.

Honorable Mentions

A single list won’t do justice to all the great multiplayer games on the horizon. So here are a few more games to look forward to!

Battlecry

For Honor

H1Z1

Human Element

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege

So what do you think, fellow gamers? Feel we left something out in the list? Share your opinions with us in the comments section below!

And if you love multiplayer games, you’ll love the following articles:

10 Best Multiplayer Horror Games You Should Play With Your Buddies

101 Best Online Games for 2015 and 2016

10 Best Free Online Games in 2015

10 Best Free Online RPG Games To Play in 2015

5 Best Online Zombie Survival Games

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15 Upcoming PC Games in 2016 That Will Be Awesome

MichaelLogarta — Mon, 19 Oct 2015 08:01:16 +0000

The PC Games in 2016 are going to rock.

2015 is coming to a close. And while the passage of another gaming year may come with some sadness, all it takes is one look at the games lined up for the upcoming year to bring a huge smile to your face.

Simply put, 2016 looks like it’s going to be stellar. Having doubts? Then why not read on, as we list the 15 Upcoming PC Games in 2016 That Will Be Awesome.

15. Tom Clancy’s The Division

When everything goes to hell courtesy of a country-wide pandemic, a special team of tactical agents called “The Division” becomes the last line of defense against total chaos. As one of these agents, your job is to solve the mystery of how the virus spread, and hopefully restore order to a New York that has fallen prey to sociopathic douchebags who treat every disaster like it’s an excuse to break windows and steal TVs.

The game will be set in a large open world, and will combine the RPG and third-person shooter genres. It will feature dynamic weather, crafting, squad combat, and other features sure to make this one of the most exciting PC games in 2016.

Not the friendliest of neighborhoods!

New York... Concrete jungle where dreams are made of... There's nothin' you can't do!

14. Mirror’s Edge Catalyst

One of the most innovative franchises is back with Mirror’s Edge Catalyst. You play once again as Faith, a ridiculously agile woman who trades the use of guns for sweet parkour skills. In fact, she’s so good at what she does that she’ll never have to pick up a firearm; she can take down opponents with a swift boot to the head, while her speed makes her a difficult target.

Unlike the first game, Catalyst will be set in an open world. This means that every objective can now be reached via several non-linear paths. Gameplay will still involve running, jumping, climbing, vaulting, sliding, and zip-lining. Man, we don’t even want to think about what all this parkour is doing to Faith’s knees. She’ll probably be in a wheelchair before she hits 30!

A gorgeous view of dystopia

He's going to be spitting out teeth in a few seconds

13. For Honor

Knights. Samurai. Vikings. In this hack and slash game, you ally yourself with one of three factions, who represent three of history’s most lethal types of warriors. Medieval badassery ensues.

Multiplayer supports up to eight players, but your team will also consist of a host of AI teammates, ensuring every battle is a bloodbath. There are a variety of classes and ways to customize your character. The combat system, “Art of Battle,” allows players to choose from which direction to attack the enemy, and how much strength to put into each attack. And, just to make things more interesting, you can accidentally injure your allies, so be careful where you swing that weapon. You might just end up embedding your blade in your friend’s skull!

One of the most eagerly awaited PC games in 2016!

Off to war!

A clash of cultures

12. Far Cry Primal

The Stone Age: a savage time rarely visited in games – which is one of Far Cry Primal’s greatest draws. Imagine going head-to-head with megafauna ranging from the sabretooth tiger to the gargantuan woolly mammoth. Or surviving a vast, untamed land teeming with forests, swamps, and rival tribes eager to use your skin to make tents.

Like all Far Cry games, Primal will be about survival in a land where the weak is often some creature’s dinner. Set in the open world of Oros, you’ll also be crafting primitive yet deadly weapons, growing your own tribe, and mastering the element of fire. So, will you rise to become the apex predator? Or will you end up a cute dire wolf puppy’s chew toy?

Prehistory has never been this thrilling!

Now this is a hunt!

Prehistoric butchery

11. Star Citizen

Star Citizen seems to want to be a lot of things: a space trading simulation, a first-person shooter (on foot and in the cockpit of a spaceship), a sandbox game, and an MMO. Trying to cram as many genres into one title is often a recipe for disaster. Thankfully, everything we’ve seen so far looks like every sci-fi nerd’s dream game come true.

The amount of freedom you’re given to do whatever you want to do in this massive, persistent universe – which you can enjoy alone or with thousands of other players – is staggering. Oh, and it looks gorgeous, to boot. We’re willing to bet this will be one of the most epic PC games in 2016.

Dodging laser beams

"Fellas, I don't think this is Mars."

10. Battleborn

Guns, swords, magic, explosives… there’s more than one way to slaughter the opposition, and in the first-person shooter MOBA Battleborn, there’s a character for every playstyle.

And because this is from the creators of the Borderlands series, expect unprecedented levels of mayhem and insanity. We can already see some of that zaniness in the game’s art style, which is as fresh as it is comical (not to mention beautifully colorful). A list of great PC games in 2016 would be incomplete without this gem of a title.

Cartoon violence

Pump 'em full of bullets!

9. Street Fighter V

Capcom is taking their hallowed fighting franchise to the next level with Street Fighter V.

In a move calculated to please all fans, the game’s growing roster is a good mixture of the old and the new. Newcomers Rashid and Laura are a perfect fit in Street Fighter mold, while icons like Cammy and Zangief are looking better than ever. Then you’ve got Karin and Rainbow Mika, whom we all have to agree have been absent from the limelight for too long.

But the best thing about the game is how it changes up the formula to make even the old characters feel new. New moves and mechanics will pave the way for a deeper, more tactical fighting game sure to impress casual and hardcore fighting game fans alike.

Someone's not having a good time

M.Bison's going to be seeing red in three... two...

8. Dishonored 2

Dishonored was one of the best stealth games released in recent years, combining solid cloak and dagger gameplay, cabalistic magic, and conspiracy theories, then wrapping it all up in the grim, plague-ridden package that is the industrial city of Dunwall. Dishonored 2 is set to bring all that back, and more.

In the sequel, you play as either Corvo or Emily Kaldwin, who is no longer the helpless child Empress of the first game, but a bonafide badass in her own right. Her magic will differ from Corvo’s, and will include Far Reach, which is kind of like a supernatural grappling hook. She can also turn into a black mist – a great trick if you need to hurtle through a gauntlet of traps, or if you want to show off at parties!

If you think this is an unfair fight, you don't know Emily...

"Oh, it is ON!"

7. Doom

What’s great about Doom is that it really seems directly inspired by the original 1993 video game of the same name, from the monster design down to the violence. Of course now, the developer has modern technology to make the action more heart-pounding, and the killing even bloodier.

Doom will focus on speed and killing monsters as quickly and mercilessly as possible. As such, it won’t have the cover system that many modern shooters are already doing to death. Imagine a train decked out in all manner of weapons charging through a hundred meat bags, and you’ll get a good idea of what the gameplay is like.

Expect guns, gore, and over-the-top action in what will surely be one of the best PC games in 2016.

Giant demons, skeletons with shoulder cannons... you name it, Doom's got it

You guys look familiar!

6. XCOM 2

XCOM: Enemy Unknown introduced us to the joys on blasting alien invaders in the face. XCOM 2 is set to be an improvement of that experience, with new weapons, classes, and aliens.

In XCOM 2, the aliens have conquered Earth. The remains of XCOM, now traveling in their mobile base Avenger, is the humanity’s last hope for freedom.

Like in the first game, you control a squad of soldiers as you try to kill or capture aliens. Success will require the strategic exploitation of the environment, the timely use of your tools, and using the enemy’s own strengths against them. And when not liquefying malevolent extraterrestrials, you’ll be researching technology to give you the upper hand in battle.

With XCOM 2, the PC games in 2016 look very promising indeed!

All decked out

Target sighted!

5. Rise of the Tomb Raider

The 2013 Tomb Raider reboot gave us a more realistic Lara, and a memorable adventure that saw her transform from a frightened girl to a hardened woman who wasn’t afraid of getting blood on her hands.

Rise of the Tomb Raider will continue her story in a quest that will span the globe. Arid deserts? Bone-chilling snowy regions? Wet jungles? She’ll be braving dangers of various types. Not to mention those death-defying stunts will be making a comeback, which will have you wondering once again if Lara Croft is just really lucky, or if she is secretly a mutant with a higher-than-normal tolerance for pain.

Climbing new heights

Death from above

4. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

Deus Ex is one of the best sci-fi franchises of our time, so we can’t be happier about Deus Ex: Mankind Divided.

The game is set in 2029, two years after Deus Ex: Human Revolution. A tragedy called the Panchaea Incident, in which “natural” people were mindlessly attacked by millions of augmented individuals, has led to the global persecution of augmented people. In the midst of all this, we follow returning anti-hero Adam Jensen as he attempts to foil terrorist plots.

The game has more choices than before, including augmentation upgrades that will allow Jensen to do incredible, super-powered feats. And if you thought the first game was beautiful, Mankind Divided captures the look of a dystopian near future so wonderfully your eyes will pop out.

It’s definitely set to become one of the best PC games in 2016.

Hide and seek

Say hello to the future of security

3. Dark Souls III

Everybody has fallen in love with the Souls series, those excruciatingly difficult fantasy RPG games in which you, a pathetic warrior in some grim fantasy world, has to fend off murderous creatures and boss monsters so hideous they put a smile on Cthulu’s face.

Well, rejoice, masochistic Dark Souls fans, because come 2016, you’ll be dying a whole lot in Dark Souls III. The combat will be faster, like Souls offshoot Bloodborne, and will even come with a new feature called Weapon Arts. This means that every weapon will come with a variety of special attacks, and can even affect your battle stance. The areas also promise to be much larger than those in Dark Souls II.

Rest assured, we’ll be playing Dark Souls III along with all the other great PC games in 2016.

Putting those Weapon Arts to good use

Sharpshooting, Dark Souls style

2. Total War: Warhammer

Total War has been giving us some of the greatest strategy war games in the industry. The latest entry in the series will be set in the dark Warhammer universe, where fantasy races such as lizardmen and elves are locked in constant battle.

At launch, you’ll be able to play as any of four factions: the technology-focused human Empire, the Orcish Greenskins, the stalwart Dwarfs, and the Vampire Counts.

Like other Total War games, Warhammer will combine titanic real-time battles with turn-based empire-building campaigns. Unlike the others, there will be magic and monsters such as dragons and giants. Expect oodles of blood and lots and lots of severed heads.

We simply can’t wait for what will likely be one of the best PC games in 2016!

Quit playing with your food!

Stick 'em with the pointy end

1. Mass Effect: Andromeda

Not much is known about Mass Effect: Andromeda, which will be coming late next year. Still, with Bioware’s amazing pedigree, you can be sure this will be one of the greatest PC games in 2016.

So far, we do know that it takes place many years after the events of the original Mass Effect trilogy. Also – and most intriguing of all – the game will explore an entirely different galaxy: Andromeda. For the non-science nerds out there, that’s a real galaxy – one that’s quite close to our very own Milky Way.

So what does that mean? New worlds. New aliens. New technology. New threats. And the two most important things of all, new stories and new adventures.

2016 can’t come soon enough.

A new horizon

Dessert hgh jinx

So, what do you think? Don’t these games make you look forward to 2016? Tell us which PC games in 2016 you’re already dying to play!

Want to know more about what’s in store for us gamers in 2016? Here are some other articles you can check out!

11 Upcoming 2016 PC Games

11 Best PC Games to Watch Out For in 2016

2k Games A List of The 10 Best 2k Games To Play in 2015 and 2016

121 Best PC Games to Play in 2015 & 2016

101 Best Online Games for 2015 and 2016

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2K Games: A List of the 10 Best 2K Games To Play in 2015 and 2016

MichaelLogarta — Mon, 27 Jul 2015 15:44:56 +0000

2K Games has published some of the best games we know; here are ten of them!

Developer, distributor, and publisher of video games, 2K Games is home to titles widely considered to be the best of their respective genres. And they boast games for several of the most popular genres known to the gaming world. First-person shooter? Turn-based strategy? Sports simulation? You name it, they’ve got it.

Here then, is A List of the 10 Best 2K Games To Play in 2015 and 2016. We’ve focused on the most recent games, and included a few that have yet to be released but have all the signs of becoming massive hits. So let’s begin with game number…

10. Battleborn

Blizzard isn’t the only developer with a first-person MOBA in the works; Gearbox Software, creator of the Borderlands franchise, is behind the eagerly anticipated Battleborn, due for a late 2015 or early 2016 release.

Cartoon violence

So why are we excited about Battleborn? Check out those beautiful, eye-catching colors, and that charming, cartoony art style. And this being Gearbox, we can expect stellar shooting – not to mention addictive MOBA elements such as leveling up, interactive battlegrounds, and a roster of eclectic heroes to kick butt with.

Battleborn is a science fiction fantasy hybrid. Its story involves different species fleeing to the planet Solus, where they form factions and fight the Varelsi – the monsters responsible for destroying entire star systems in the universe. Sounds great to us!

That wacky art style...

New look, good old fasioned shootin'!

9. Evolve

Evolve is a first-person shooter with a twist; four players assume the role of Hunters, who have to kill a single alien Monster. The Monster, controlled by another player, has to either kill all the Hunters, or accomplish a secondary goal, such as wrecking a human base so that it becomes a pile of steaming rubble.

That epic 'stache

There are four Hunter classes: assault, support, medic, and trapper. Similarly, there are four Monster types: Behemoth, Wraith, Kraken, and Goliath. While Hunters come with a variety of unique abilities, the Monster can evolve by murdering punier creatures.

It’s innovative and tactically deep, making it one of the best 2K games.

Say good night, freak!

"That tickles!"

8. The Darkness II

Enjoy your first-person shooters soaked in blood and entrails? The Darkness II will turn your stomach as one of the goriest first-person shooters around.

You are Don Jackie Estacado, head of the Franchetti crime family. You also happen to be in possession of the Darkness, a sinister, supernatural force giving you incredible powers.

They should probably just run away

Those powers include controlling enormous worm-like monstrosities that strike at enemies, sinking their teeth into heads, necks, and whatever looks particularly scrumptious to them. And while they’re busy tearing your foes into bloody chunks, you can pump their bodies with lead using your two pistols. Talk about overkill!

One of the best 2K games, if you enjoy your first-person shooters with huge helpings of horror.

Your gun doesn't impress her

Not the best way to go

7. Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth – Rising Tide

We already know how awesome Civilization: Beyond Earth is. But come autumn 2015, we’ll be losing even more sleep with the game’s first expansion pack, Rising Tide.

So what’s new in Rising Tide? Firstly, the game introduces new factions. These were the guys left behind when the first expedition departed from our doomed planet to find a new world to inhabit. They felt a tad sore for having to stay on Earth while their forerunners got to have all that interstellar fun, so they too left for the new planet. And now they want a piece of the pie, and they’re not about to play nice.

It's time to sail the seas!

Aside from a slew of new options, systems, and units, you can also now colonize the seas by building floating settlements. Additionally, there are the new world types, including a chaotic one replete with volcanoes, and one blanketed with ice and snow.

Say goodbye to your social life!

Vast, alien landscapes await

A whole lot of squid

6. NBA 2K16

2K games is known for publishing some of the best sports simulation games, including those in the long-running NBA 2K series.

NBA 2K15 is a clear favorite among fans and critics, with its authentic feel, in-game models so lifelike you’d think you were watching your favorite basketball stars in an actual match, a MyCareer Mode, and even a coaching system that provides real-time feedback.

Dunking in style

Come late 2015, though, we’ll have NBA 2K16. A fan of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant of the 2000-2001 Los Angeles Lakers? How about the 2007-2008 Bolton Celtics’ Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce? In NBA 2K16, you’ll be able to play classic teams culled from the sport’s illustrious history.

We’re confident NBA 2K16 will be just as good, if not better than its predecessors.

Don't underestimate him just 'coz he's wearing glasses

Sign language

5. BioShock 2

Mixing storytelling, a grim yet beautiful world, pulse-pounding action, and genuine frights, BioShock and its sequel, BioShock 2, are modern first-person shooter classics.

BioShock 2 strands you once more in the beautifully decadent underwater city of Rapture. This time, you play as one of the series’ iconic mascots – a Big Daddy.

A house of freaks

Yes, you’re a powerhouse on two legs with a giant drill for one hand… what’s not to love? Plasmids and tonics give you special powers, such as the ability to fling bad guys about like rag dolls, and summon a swarm of bees to encourage your foes to do their best Nicholas Cage “Not the Beeeeeeeees!!!” impression.

You’ve also got Little Sisters to save or murder (you cold-hearted monster!), and a mystery to solve involving young girls being kidnapped and brought to Rapture. You’ve got your work cut out for you, you big lumbering freak, you!

If bullets won't stop her, maybe lightning from his hands will

Burn for me, baby!

4. Borderlands 2

With a bazillion guns to collect and even more bodies to drop in the most violent yet hilarious ways possible, Borderlands 2 revels in the absurd.

Set on Pandora, Borderlands 2 tells the tale of Vault Hunters who must end the rule of the cruel, narcissistic tyrant, Handsome Jack.

That meat shield won't stop a badass like Maya

Borderlands 2 is a first-person shooter RPG, with each of the six classes (the Siren, Commando, Assassin, Gunzerker, Mechromancer, and Psycho) boasting unique, upgradeable skills. It also gives you an overwhelming amount of loot to collect and enhance, from guns and grenades to costumes.

Aside from the stellar gunplay, the comedy will have you in stitches – which we mostly owe to one of the most memorable villains ever created, Handsome Jack.

One of the best 2k games in existence!

That's one way to take that aircraft down!

The local wildlife is pleased to meet you

3. XCOM 2

XCOM: Enemy Unknown is considered one of the best 2k games for good reason: not only is blasting alien invaders into tiny, gooey bits a heck of a lot of fun, the game’s strategy elements is also intoxicating.

XCOM’s addicting brand of tactical turn-based gameplay returns in the sequel, XCOM 2, which will be released late 2015. Set 20 years after the events of the first game, it pits humanity’s remaining defenders against the aliens who have conquered Earth.

Lookin' snazzy in that armor

Like its predecessor, XCOM 2 is squad-based. You’ll have to equip your soldiers with the right weapons and armor, then send them out to capture aliens. Winning means using every tool at your disposal effectively, exploiting the environment, and the smart positioning of your soldiers on the battlefield.

And when not exchanging laser gunfire with malevolent extraterrestrials, XCOM 2 has a new mobile base called Avenger, where you’ll be researching technology to give you the upper hand in battle.

We can’t wait to turn alien scum to dust in XCOM 2!

I think he could use a sandwich or two

I'm betting that sword isn't just for show

2. Sid Meier’s Civilization V

You can’t call yourself a true PC gamer unless you’ve spent at least one sleepless night playing a Civilization game.

In Civilization V, you’re given a randomly generated world to explore and exploit, an empire to build, and enemies to exterminate. Starting at the dawn of time, you grow your territory by conquering neighboring cities or founding new ones. And as the centuries progress, you’ll find that there are many alliances to be made, technologies to research, cultural marvels to build, and, of course, wars to be waged.

Going where no man has gone before!

You can bring prosperity to your people by nuking everyone else and forcing the entire world to bend the knee to you. Alternatively, you can be the first to show off your technological superiority by launching a vessel into orbit. You can also achieve the impossible and unite the world in peace, or win the cultural victory by impressing everybody with your vast collection of priceless paintings.

Trust us, you’ll be chanting “just one more turn” until the wee hours of the morning with Civilization V. Sounds like one of the best 2K games, to us!

Historical dignitaries await to shake your hand... or stab you in the back

Tank army

1. BioShock Infinite

When we think of the best 2K games, one title often pops into mind: BioShock Infinite.

Booker DeWitt, eager to escape his debts, agrees to kidnap Elizabeth from the floating city, Columbia. But it isn’t long before the two are dragged into a rebellion threatening to destroy Columbia, and worse.

Sky's the limit

The President

Infinite combines first-person shooter goodness with RPG elements. Upgradable Vigors grant Booker amazing abilities, such as frying enemies with lightning and summoning murderous crows to peck them to death. Elizabeth, on the other hand, can open Tears in reality, allowing you to reach into another dimension to grab items and interact with environmental features. Together, they are a force to be reckoned with.

It’s not all fun and games, though. Infinite also touches on significant social issues, many of which still affect our world today. So the game’s as intelligent as it is a joy to play.

BioShock Infinite is, hands down, one of the best 2k games – and a favorite here at Gamers Decide!

She needs a hug

Sending them flying

Well, those are the best 2k games for ya! Want to add anything to this list? Leave a comment below and tell us what other 2k games deserve a place in the top 10!

And when you’re done with that, check out these other articles!

See, there are several reasons why 2K Games titles are so popular. One is because they’ve got great stories, as you can see in the article 10 PC Games with the Best Storylines. Not to mention some of them have got really challenging boss fights, which you can read about in the 10 Video Game Bosses Who Slaughtered Millions of Noobs Worldwide.

In the first-person shooter department, 2K Games absolutely delivers, as we discussed in the 10 Best First-Person Shooter Games To Play in 2015.

But it’s not all about shooting things that move between the eyes for 2K Games… they’ve also got strategy games that’ll actually make you smarter, which you can check out in the 10 Strategy Games That Make You Smarter. One of those games is good it inspired a ton of similar brainy games, as the article Top 10 Games Like Civilization. If You Like Civilization, You'll Love These Games discusses.

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E3 2015: Announcing The Top 20 Hottest PC Games And Their Release Dates

Hawkguy — Thu, 18 Jun 2015 15:59:00 +0000

What Are The Best PC Games From E3 2015?

With so many games announced at E3, it can get exhausting trying to memorize which games are worth your time and which ones aren't.

To make your life easier, here's a list of 20 of the hottest PC games, their release dates and trailers.

Enjoy!

20. Mass Effect: Andromeda

Staring off into the sunset of this Brave New World

Mass Effect originally followed the journeys of Commander Shepard as he set out to save all galactic life from a race of murderous AI named The Reapers. However at the end of the third game, every option left Shephard with dire consequences for the rest of the galaxy. It’s for this exact reason that a new trailer for the newest Mass Effect is important- everyone wants to know how the story ended.

As a Mass Effect fan, I’m saddened that all we got was a trailer for the next game. But on the bright side, we got a new trailer for the next game! The moment I saw the Carnifex in the shadowed figure’s hand, I knew what game it had to be. The graphics and gameplay look beyond gorgeous. It also appears that Bioware has given the Turian Ghost jetpack melee to the new main character. The trailer also showed that the Mako will be back in some form.

If you’re a lore junkie like I am, you may have noticed that this trailer has created a lot of questions. For example, that ship this character was piloting travelled without the use of a mass relay. This may seem odd to fans of the previous installments since, at the end of ME3, all of the mass relays were destroyed. So how the heck did this guy manage a lightspeed-esque jump? And how about the enemies that were shooting at the main character? They were making Reaper noises. Are they related to the Reapers? Who are these people?

So many questions remain, but hopefully EA will release more information sooner rather than later.

Release Date: Holiday season 2016

E3 Intro cinematic:

19. Dark Souls 3

I’m looking forward to more intense hack and slash in the years after its release date

Dark Souls was a game infamous for making hundreds of gamers want to smash their TV in frustration over just how difficult the game is. The game takes place in a world where death and life are strangely blurred, and grotesque creatures roam the landscape.

While the story of Dark Souls is interesting, the main attraction for this game is the combat system. A new addition to this game is being able to put your character into a “ready stance” that allows you to either launch a powerful attack that can break guards, or an attack that can launch opponents into the air.

Release Date: TBA

E3 Announcement Trailer:

18 Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

Despite the hate against them, augmented humans are pretty awesome in this game

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided takes place 2 years after the events of Human Revolution. During this time, suspicion and fear of augmented human beings reaches a climax when a bombing occurs that kills several innocent people. From that point on, augmented people are treated like threats to society and segregated away from the general populace. The protagonist, Adam Jensen, returns as the main character in this game and must work to show the world the conspiracy behind why the world the way it is and clear the name of augmented people.

E3’s trailer shows Adam Jensen as he blasts and fights his way through hordes of enemies to bring light on the conspiracy that has lead to the current hatred against augmented people. The weapons in this game and the augmented abilities look fantastic and hopefully more gameplay videos will be revealed as time goes on.

Release Date: Q1/Q2 2016

E3 Trailer #1

E3 Trailer #2

17. Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 2

This seems like a Titanfall reference

Plants Vs Zombies had a very simple premise: zombies are trying to attack your home and you defend yourself by growing plants. When the first Garden Warfare came out, this premise changed into a team vs team third person shooter where players could play as both the plants and zombies. Now in Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 2, the zombies have finally won and conquered all of suburbia. But this doesn’t mean the plants are dead. Instead, the zombies are now on the defensive as the plants invade to take their homes back.

E3’s gameplay reveal shows the audience some of the different classes that are new to the franchise. The Super Zombie class caught my eye the most since it looks like a mix of Green Lantern and parts of Superman. Also showed in the reveal trailer was the Imp which could call down a mech suit for it to fight bosses better.

Release Date: Q1/Q2 2016

E3 Gameplay Trailer:

E3 Cinematic Trailer:

16. Gigantic

Skirmishes can range from a simple 1v1 to enormous 5v5 team fights with Godzillas in the middle

Gigantic is a third person MOBA shooter created by Motiga. The beginning of each game has players fighting over summoning circles that help power their respective guardians until it can fly out and then attack the opposing team. These circles can also be used by players to summon their own mobs to also further trouble their opponents. But unlike other games, at the end of a round in Gigantic, these huge guardians fly into the center of the map and have one large confrontation. The game will end when one of these guardians is dead. During this time, slaying an opposing player will add more strength to your guardian’s attacks, increasing the odds that your team will emerge the victor..

The E3 reveal showed some characters in action, but also showed the effect of summoning specific mobs to attack the enemy team with. Gigantic promises that every game will end in an epic clash between the two teams instead of a fizzle or a one sided fight.

Release Date: TBA 2015

E3 Trailer:

PAX Trailer:

15. For Honor

Samurai, Knights and Vikings all in one big bloody free-for-all. What is there not to love?

This is one of those games that I’m absolutely ecstatic over. For Honor is about medieval battles where the player can choose between being a Samurai, a Knight or a Viking. Once their faction has been selected, they can then go to war in a Dynasty Warriors style game where each player is an elite soldier in an army of AI controlled faceless minions.

What makes this game incredible is how players can act and feel like an elite soldiers. You can cut through the hordes of minions with ease, but the moment you come across an opposing player, it’s almost like having an “oh shit” moment; the feeling that something epic is about to happen is almost tangible.
That exact moment was captured in the E3 gameplay trailer where you can see a Knight face-off with a Samurai. Players can choose which direction they can attack or block, which makes each battle an intricate dance of trying to force your opponent to make a mistake. Based on the E3 video, it looks as though this game will play like a medieval version of Star Wars: Battlefront.

Release Date: TBA

Gameplay video:

Cinematic Trailer:

14. Rainbow Six: Siege

Matches in this game can be pretty intense

Rainbow Six: Siege tells the story of an unknown terrorist organization attempting to destroy the world. In response, the nations of the world have joined together to combat this threat with a specialized group of soldiers. Up until now, fans have seen gameplay regarding the 5 vs 5 game mode where one team plays as the terrorists defending a bomb or hostages, and the other team is playing as the counter-terrorists. What makes this game unique is the emphasis on both destructible terrain and completing an objective. Is the bomb just below you? You could just blow a hole through the roof and drop down.

In the E3 gameplay trailer, I found it interesting to note just how much information players can gain from either cameras in the location or from scout drones. This seems like a small effect at first, but having a tactical overlay of a situation allows players to think about these problems in a similar way a real life SWAT team might.

Once this game is released, I’m sure fans will not be disappointed at this change of pace from the constant warfare simulation games to a hostage rescue situation.

Release Date: October 13th, 2015

E3 Player vs Player combat:

Terrorist Hunt:

13. No Man's Sky

Some planets can be like Jurassic Park

No Man’s Sky is a universe size sandbox game that allows players to explore an entire universe. The scale of No Man’s Sky is gigantic. The universe is filled to the brim with galaxies made of solar systems that each have several planets players can explore. Each individual planet will also have its own form of life and ecosystems. Players can leap out of their starships and explore planets from a first person perspective, or they can fly around the system in their spaceship. All terrain is destructible and wildlife can be killed by the player.

PvP can occur through either ground battles or Interstellar battles. For interstellar battles, players can pilot ships that range from the size of a small fighter to massive battleships, while on the ground, players will have access to a variety of weapons to shoot eachother with.

While this may seem hard to believe, watching everything from the Sony press conference is the best way to truly grasp how large the scope of No Man’s Sky is. There are hundreds of planets that are made by the game system in No Man’s Sky, and as the presenter himself said, there’s a good chance some of these planets will never be visited by a human player.

No Man’s Sky looks like it will leave other MMOs in the dust when it comes to immersing one’s self into a brand new universe.

Release Date: TBA 2015

E3 Sony Press Conference showing of No Man’s Sky:

12: Cuphead

I swear this game is more like an M rated cartoon from the 1930’s than anything else

Cuphead, created by Studio MDHR, follows the characters of Cuphead and Mugman as they journey across their cartoon landscape shooting up characters that get in their way. After losing a bet against the Devil, the pair now have to repay their debt by doing his bidding. The game plays out like a platformer combined with a bullet hell shooter. What makes this game amazing is the stunning graphics; the game looks as though it fell straight out of the 1930s.

Keep an eye on Cuphead because it looks like it will be a sleeper hit. The animations look beautiful and offer an experience that you can’t find with any other game on the market right now. On top of all this, Cuphead will have a local co-op feature so you and your friend can play on one console.

Release Date: TBA 2016

E3 Trailer:

11. Star Wars The Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire

Poor guy has been through a lot.

The Old Republic is an MMO made by Bioware that takes place hundreds of years before the Star Wars prequels. The game has players pick what class and faction (Republic or Empire) they wish to play as. But in the Knights of the Fallen Empire expansion, players will have to unite in order to defeat a new threat that wishes to conquer the galaxy.

The trailer shown at E3 features two brothers as they go through a rough upbringing with an even rougher father figure. The two brothers are shown killing forces of both the Republic and the Empire before everything they do ultimately culminates in a violent duel between the brothers that leads to one of them being mortally wounded.

Bioware promises to return to their roots of character driven story telling and will release this expansion for free to all subscribers of The Old Republic.

Release Date: October 27th 2015

E3 cinematic trailer:

10. Dishonored 2

Why can’t Disney have princesses this cool?

15 years after the events of the first Dishonored, Corvo, the main character of the previous game, teaches Emily, the princess and empress of the Empire of the Isles, how to be an assassin. The characters are put into a similar situation as the first game when another power seizes the throne and the characters are framed for a murder they didn’t commit. Over the course of Dishonored 2, Emily and Corvo must work to clear their name. Just like in the first game, players are able to make significant decisions that can change the entire course of the plot. For example, going through the entire game without killing a single person will reward a different ending (and plot development) than going through the entire game butchering civilians for fun.

The trailer shown below was also shown at E3 2015 and it revealed how players can now take control of Emily or Corvo. The video also features an interesting hookshot-esque mechanic that allows Emily to traverse across terrain with incredible ease or escape through traps. Combined with the ability to temporarily slow down time, Emily appears to offer a different style of gameplay from the first Dishonored.

Release Date: Q1/Q2 2016

E3 Announcement Trailer:

9. Gears of War: Ultimate Edition

It looks scary, but it’s really just a big pushover

Gears of War: Ultimate Edition is a remake of the first Gears of War game that also includes 5 unreleased chapters in its campaign. The game itself is about a military group known as the Cog who defend humanity from an alien invader known as the Locusts.

The gameplay at E3 showed how the entire game was remade from the ground up to be something that is better than the original but also doesn’t stray too far away from what made the Gears of War franchise so popular. Back are the cover hopping and execution mechanics that kept players on their toes. This game is also one of the few times a former Xbox exclusive game is able to be played on the PC (before this it was Gears of War 1 and Halo 2). It was also revealed that players who purchase the Ultimate Edition are also eligible to join the Gears of War 4 Beta.

Release Date: August 25th 2015

E3 Behind the Scenes Ultimate Edition:

8. Star Wars: Battlefront 3

These missions are great if you want to play as rebel scum

Star Wars: Battlefront 3 is the third game in the popular Battlefront series and the first one to be created by DICE. This game is renown for having players take up the roles of the faceless soldiers that fight and die in the background of the Star Wars movies. Each battle features both a large number of players and AI controlled characters fighting over territory and re-enacting key points in the Star Wars franchise.

EA treated its fans to a 5 minute clip of the Battle for Hoth in Battlefront 3’s engine. This was the first time players got a taste of what the game would be like and assuaged away the many worries that plagued fans about DICE creating this game. The trailer ends in a lightsaber lock between Luke Skywalker and his father, Darth Vader, which hints that there will be specific interactions between heroes beyond just swinging at each other and hoping the other one falls down.

Release Date: November 17th 2015 for NA

November 20th 2015 for UK

E3 Hoth Battle:

E3 Multiplayer Missions:

7. Mirror's Edge: Catalyst

Faith is probably one of the few Asian protagonists out there

Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst explores the questions of, “what if corporations took over the world?” and “what if privacy ceased to exist?” The game follows a character named Faith as she explores this dystopian world. This game also serves as a prequel to MIrror’s Edge, which was released on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 back in 2008.

While the world this game is featured around may be fictional, these questions force players to see a world that modern society may be heading toward as corporations play a larger part of politics and individual privacy is sold for more convenience and safety.

At E3, the audience was dazzled by the graphics this game had to offer. But in regards to gameplay, this game was able to stand out because it didn’t feature the main character shooting their way through the world’s problems. Instead, the main character free runs from place to place and uses her martial arts to beat opponents that stand in her way.

Release Date: February 23rd, 2016 for NA

February 26th, 2016 for UK

E3 Announcement Trailer:

6. Doom

Gotta love the smell of roasted demon

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if we put humanity’s greatest technological and scientific achievements against the nigh-unstoppable horrors of hell? In Bethesda’s latest installment into the Doom franchise, players can finally discover an answer to that question. Doom’s story revolves around a mining company on Mars that accidentally opens a gateway into hell. The game puts players behind the gun of a futuristic super soldier that blasts, punches and shoots his way through the hordes of hell as he tries to save whatever remains on Mars.

When this trailer aired at E3, the only thing that came to mind was just how brutal the game looked. It looks as though Bethesda realized what the best points of the older Doom games were and spent years trying to perfect it into the futuristic demon shooter we saw on the show floor. This is definitely a game players should check out for the experience alone.

Release Date: Q1/Q2 2016

E3 showcase:

5. Shenmue 3

Who doesn’t like nice walks along a river side.

Based on the original Shenmue games, Shenmue 3 allows players to take control of the main character named Ryo Hazuki as he searches for his father’s killer. In doing so, the player will have a chance to play out what Ryo’s life is like. This includes getting a job and working to earn money for his journey or playing a plethora of minigames at local shops and parlors. The game will primarily take place in China and revolve around Ryo and his companion Ling Shen Hua.

At E3, during the Sony press conference, Yu Suzuki, the game’s creator, announced that this game would be funded through Kickstarter.The creators of Shenmue 3 were asking for $2,000,000 which was reached in less than 9 hours, making it the fastest game to be funded on Kickstarter. At the time this article was written, the game has reached over $3,000,000.

Release Date: Estimated to be shipped out before 2017

Kickstarter video:

4. Tom Clancy's The Division

Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!

In Tom Clancy’s The Division, a virus is unleashed on the US which causes the government to fall apart. Society soon follows as the world is plunged into complete chaos. In the wake of modern society’s death, sleeper agents from an organization known as “The Division” activate to help piece together civilization.

At first, I wasn’t very excited for this game. It looked like just another shooter with futuristic tech in a post-apocalyptic world. The problem was how this game just didn’t look like it had any personality beyond good looks.

Then at E3, Ubisoft released the Dark Zone trailer. I can definitely say I’m hyped for this game’s release now. The trailer shows its audience what a virtual friendship graveyard looks like. In the Dark Zone, players will encounter AI controlled enemies they can kill for loot and other players that can either be friendlies or enemies depending on what both parties feel like. Each player also has the option of leaving their friend’s party and immediately betraying them. The benefit to all of this violence and Game of Thrones style betrayal is simple: you get to steal everyone’s loot. Do you like that gun your friend is showing off? Well, now you can shove a bullet in his unsuspecting face and steal it from his cold, dead corpse.

Through the Dark Zone, The Division creates a perfect simulator of the intense situations that can occur when two groups of survivors meet one another. You should probably play this game with friends who you know won’t be too angry at you for betraying them.

Release Date: March 8th, 2016

E3 Dark Zone Gameplay Trailer:

E3 Trailer:

3. Battleborn

This game looks pretty fun and quirky

Battleborn is Gearbox Software’s latest endeavour after Borderlands. The game takes place in a universe where a horrible catastrophe has destroyed the majority of other planets. As a result, all of the remaining species have fled to a planet known as Solus. There, the factions squabble over a limited number of resources until a larger threat appears in the form of Varlesi who was the origin of the catastrophe. Each faction makes peace with each other and sends their greatest champions (named Battleborn) to combat the threat.

While this game is usually talked about as a Third Person MOBA, the trailer at E3 shows us how the story is going to work and reveals a few new characters in action. Battleborn looks like a spiritual successor to the famous Borderlands series in that they both incorporate RPG elements such as levelling your characters and loot systems.

There are two differences large differences between Battleborn and Borderlands. The first is that Battleborn looks as though it’s not afraid to take the cartoon element and run with it. But that doesn’t mean it will be devoid of mature themes; any game that talks about a war over limited resources and mass genocide is going to have to explore those themes eventually. Another difference is that Battleborn will have a heavy focus on its player vs player multiplayer modes instead of just a single player.

From my point of view, I was amazed at just how gorgeous the characterization was. Each Battleborn seems like they could be the main character of their own story.

Release Date: TBA 2015

E3 Trailer:

2. Fallout 4

What a great way for a game to begin

The story begins just before the atomic bombs plunge humanity into a post-apocalyptic world. You are living in a suburban home with your spouse, taking care of your newly born baby and just enjoying your life. Unfortunately for your character, that’s when the bombs go off. Your family rushes to the vault but are submerged in dust as another atomic bomb goes off nearby.

Your character awakens, 200 years later, unaged and as the only survivor of vault 111. Now you must find a way to survive the desolate wastelands and reunite with your family if they’re still alive.

Fallout 4 was announced a few weeks before E3, but being able to see it in all of its glory at the show was amazing. If there’s anything you should look at in that video though, please glance at the character creation section. Gone are the days of endless scrollers and feelings of “I think that looks okay. I just wish I could make the hair a smidge shorter.” Bethesda has raised the bar on easy-but-intricate custom character creators by making character creation as simple as clicking and dragging what you want to change. They have even made it so the game will generate a baby based upon the couple you make.

Release Date: November 10th, 2015

E3 Trailer:

Official Trailer:

1. Call of Duty Black Ops 3

YOU HAVE FAILED THIS CITY

Call of Duty Black Ops 3 takes place 40 years after Black Ops 2. Humanity has used technology to improve the human species beyond what was previously thought capable. Super soldiers stride across roaring battlefields as robots play a larger and larger role in every theater of war. The single player campaign will feature the player taking control of a squad of super soldiers as they complete Black Ops missions.

The Multiplayer reveal trailer showed fans a small taste of what multiplayer will be like. Fans of Titanfall may have noticed that Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 uses a similar mantle and wall running mechanic. While I would love to have seen Titanfall be the one to improve on that system, it looks as though Treyarch made the right decision in this adaption since gameplay looks smooth and fast paced.

On a personal note of interest, Treyarch has added a compound bow with explosive arrows. My interest suddenly piqued when the player jumped off a wall and launched an arrow straight into someone’s about-to-be-exploded face. This game is definitely a day one purchase for me just for that alone.

Release Date: November 6,th 2015

Multiplayer Trailer:

Cinematic Trailer:

This has been a great show!

WIth the show almost over, which games did you like the most? Which games are you hyped for?

Leave a comment down below with your favorite title from this year!

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E3's best PC games 2015

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