UPDATED 09:15 EDT / JANUARY 02 2015

3 exciting non-sequel games coming out in 2015

gaming-controller-consoleThere is nothing wrong with a good sequel. In fact, there are many games whose sequels were arguably better than the original—games like Assassin’s Creed II or The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind.

But seeing the same handful of franchises come out year after year can get tiresome, especially when the games start to blur together in an endless stream of releases.

Fortunately, 2015 has a few exciting games coming out that are not sequels, remakes or reboots, and for once they are from some big name developers.

 

Overwatch

Overwatch

Blizzard Entertainment is one of the last developers gamers would expect to release a new IP. Warcraft and Starcraft are two of the biggest franchises in PC gaming history, and they are still going strong after 20 and 16 years respectively.

So it came as quite a shock at Blizzcon 2014 when Blizzard announced Overwatch, a game that is not only an entirely new IP, but one whose gameplay enters new territory for the developer—the first-person shooter.

Overwatch is a highly-stylized, team-based shooter with art and gameplay reminiscent of Team Fortress 2 and Borderlands. While no official release date is set for Overwatch, Blizzard plans to begin open beta testing soon, which bodes well for a 2015 PC release.

 

Splatoon

Splatoon_Wii_U_gameplay_screenshot

Nintendo Co., Ltd. is known for imaginative hardware innovations, but like Blizzard, Nintendo tends to stick to its tried-and-true brands like Mario.

Splatoon is a quirky third-person shooter with colorful graphics that promises to take advantage of the capabilities of the Wii U’s unique controller. Players can use the controller’s gyroscope to aim their character, and the screen provides a detailed view of the level map.

The game will have a single-player mode, but the primary focus will be on the multiplayer, which supports up to eight players in a 4 vs 4 game.

The exact release date for Splatoon is “To Be Determined,” but the game is slated for a Q2 2015 release on the Wii U.

 

The Order: 1886

the-order-1886-screen-05-ps4-us-16jun14

Not every new game is a colorful, team-based shooter. Sony Computer Entertainment’s The Order: 1886 is a single-player adventure game set in a a bleak, steampunk London complete with zeppelins, tesla coils and cool mustaches.

The story is set in an alternate history Victorian England with an Arthurian twist. Players take on the role of Galahad, who – if you’re rusty on your Arthurian legend – is the son of Lancelot. Galahad and his allies in the Order hunt monsters that have been plaguing the city.

The game is an over-the-shoulder shooter with plenty of big guns, hideous monsters and, hopefully, and interesting story.

The Order: 1886 is set to release on February 20 for the PlayStation 4.


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