The Most Anticipated Video Games of 2015 part 1

Batman: Arkham Knight ,June 2.

 The fourth main entry in the blockbuster Batman: Arkham series hopes to overcome the glitchiness and lack of innovation in 2013's disappointing Batman: Arkham Origins and return the franchise to its original glory. The new hardware certainly won't hurt, as this will be the first game in the series available for the PS4 and Xbox One. Also encouraging is a switch back to original development team Rocksteady Studios, which took the last game off. Arkham Knight picks up a year after events in Arkham City and finds Batman (voiced once again by Kevin Conroy, also absent from the previous game) at the peak of his powers, which he'll need to defeat Scarecrow (among other villains). The Batmobile—yes, you'll be driving it—has a major role in gameplay for the first time, which, combined with the larger-than-ever open world setting, has us thinking that this could be Grand Theft Auto: Arkham City. One thing the new game won't have, however, is multiplayer.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain .

 

Picking up nine years after Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes left off, this much, much larger (we hope) stealth action-adventure follows a revenge-seeking Snake (voiced by Kiefer Sutherland) through several massive open-world settings in the mid-1980s, including Africa and Afghanistan (during that country's war with the Soviet Union). Gameplay is similar to that ofGround Zeroes (with some elements returning from Peace Walker as well), though simultaneously far more complex and far less limiting. Phantom Pain will also come with a free copy of the brand new version of multiplayer title Metal Gear Online.

Mortal Kombat X , april 14.

The Xth (or 10th, as some might say) installment in the classic fighting franchise is being developed in tandem for the current- and previous-generation consoles by two different developers, with NetherRealm Studios (who handled the well-received 2011 franchise reboot) tackling the PS4 and XB1 versions. Expect a more cinematic visual style (running at 1080p and 60fps on the new hardware), new interactive backgrounds, and a new character variation system that will allow you to change up your fighting style (from among three choices) prior to each fight and unlock special moves—providing more depth and replayability for each character than in previous games. A handful of new characters will be joined by returning names like Sub-Zero, Kung Lao, Raiden, and Kano.

Rise of the Tomb Raider :

This sequel to the strong 2013 series reboot returns Camilla Luddington as the voice (and motion-captured body) of Lara Croft and continues to develop the heroine's story after the traumatic events of the previous game. How it does so, precisely, is still a mystery. As is when it will do so. As the A.V. Club so accurately puts it, "Rise Of The Tomb Raider is slated for release in 'holiday 2015,' a game industry term for spring 2016." To the anger of non-Xbox gamers, Rise will be a timed exclusive on Microsoft consoles, though ports to other hardware are possible next year.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, May 19.

A batch of Witcher 3: Wild Hunt hands-on previews, including our own, are inbound soon, but in the meantime the folks at CD Projekt have a new teaser to tide you over, which includes a smattering of gameplay footage. Not a sizeable smattering, admittedly, but it sure is pretty—at least as much as an up-close shot of a tongue-waggling undead (is that a Noonwraith?) can be considered an aesthetically-pleasing experience. 

The big question at this point, as CD Projekt's Jose Teixeira admits in the video, is whether the delays—the game was originally supposed to be out for the 2014 holiday season—have afforded the developers enough time to fully realize their vision. Unlike the first two games, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will be fully open-world, and 30 times larger than its predecessor, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, which was no slouch in the size department itself.

"The time we took will be given back in quality," Teixeira says in the video. We'll find out soon enough. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which CD Projekt says really and for true will be the end of Geralt's saga, will be out in May.

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End 

Several years after his last adventure, retired fortune hunter, Nathan Drake, is forced back into the world of thieves.  With the stakes much more personal, Drake embarks on a globe-trotting journey in pursuit of a historical conspiracy behind a fabled pirate treasure.  His greatest adventure will test his physical limits, his resolve, and ultimately what he’s willing to sacrifice to save the ones he loves.

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