Reid Main

Now that E3 has come and gone I think it is finally safe to say we have the release dates for the vast majority of games that are going to come out in 2017. Sure there could be a couple of outliers who announce their release in the coming months but, with the size of the list I have going right now, it will be hard for me to find time for them.

Since I have been trying to play at least one new game a month in 2017 I thought it would be a good idea to list all of the games I think I will end up playing by the end of this year.

Splatoon 2 (July 21, 2017)

While Splatoon 1 was a fun game I just never really got into it. I think with the addition of a single-player mode and the ease of use of a Switch (booting up my Wii U was just painful) I think I'll get much more into this game.

Dauntless (Founder's Alpha starts August 18th, release 4th quarter 2017)

Dauntless is a free-to-play hunting game in the same vein as Monster Hunter. Players can pay for various cosmetic items or temporary boosts but the most important items in the game (crafting materials, armor and weapons) cannot be bought. Supposedly you cannot buy your way to power. You can only pay for things to make your character look more badass. The developers behind Dauntless, Phoenix Labs, have been very open about their development process so far and as a result I have incredibly high hopes for this game. It will be the first high definition hunting game in the West in almost five years.

Dauntless is offering Founder's Packs for players who want to buy into the game to get early access as well as some nice trinkets for supporting Dauntless before launch. I purchased a Founder's Pack because I really believe in what Phoenix Lab's is doing and I want to see more hunting games in the West. That means that I will get to play Dauntless on August 18th when the Founder's Alpha does live and hopefully the game will release in full in the 4th quarter of 2017.

XCOM 2: War of the Chosen (August 29, 2017)

X-COM is probably my favourite game franchise of all time and XCOM 2 was my #2 game of 2016, behind Monster Hunter Generations.

I've made dozens of attempts to beat XCOM 2 but only succeeded once so far and still had an absolute blast. I am in the middle of a Commander Ironman run which I hope will end in success before this DLC comes out and then I can jump right into another play-through with War of the Chosen.

Firaxis has talked up dozens of quality of life improvements to the core gameplay as well as the addition of several new game mechanics which should make the game even more strategic. I could not be more excited for this DLC.

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (August 29, 2017)

It's Rabbids meets Mario meets XCOM. I did not think I would have any interest in this game but after seeing some gameplay I am incredibly hyped. The only concern is how am I going to find time to play this when XCOM 2: War of the Chosen is released on the same day?

Destiny 2 (September 6, 2017)

I really want to say I will resist playing Destiny 2 but if one or two friends starting playing and ask me to jump in for a raid I would probably cave. Also who doesn't want more Cayde-6?

Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite (September 19, 2017)

2017 is apparently the year of story driven fighting games for me and Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite feels like it is going to pick-up where Justice 1 & 2 left off. I played a lot of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 in University and am really excited to get back into the franchise in September.

Middle-earth: Shadow of War (October 10, 2017)

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor was my game of the year for 2014 so I could not be more excited for Middle-earth: Shadow of War. The Nemesis system now allows players to create entire armies which they must use to assault fortress to unseat its Warchief. Everything about this game seems like they took the first and cranked it up to 11.

I was going to say that this game could get me to buy an Xbox One X but since that is not released until a month after (seriously what the fuck was Microsoft thinking) I'll probably end up getting Shadow of War for PC. I would like to play it on my couch but I think the Nemesis system and scale of the world will really benefit from my beefy gaming rig.

Super Mario Odyssey (October 27, 2017)

I was always going to play Super Mario Odyssey. There was absolutely no doubt about that. But with the new hat possession mechanic I have not been this excited about a Super Mario game since Super Mario Galaxy 1.

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (October 27, 2017)

I really hope I get an opportunity to play this game but I think with Super Mario Odyssey coming out the same day it is going to be really easy for it to fall under my radar.

Star Wars Battlefront 2 (November 17, 2017)

Star Wars Battlefront 2 is on this list strictly for the single-player. If it isn't good then I'm not buying. I got enough solid multi-player games to occupy me for many years already.

BattleTech (beta soon, release 4th quarter 2017)

I am a huge fan of Harebrained Schemes so their next game, BattleTech, is very much on my radar. I debated going through BackerKit to get access to the beta but there are so many games coming out this summer that I think I'll just wait until the fall to play BattleTech.