The Player2 2016 video game draft continues. Make sure you check out Round 1 for all the rules and regulations to this epic contest.
The 2016 Player 2 Video Game Fantasy Draft – Round 3
Paul James – The Legend of Zelda Wii U
Things started getting a bit tougher for me when it got to round three, a few higher profile games that I was eager to draft had already been stolen (Final Fantasy XV, Street Fighter V), but I was thrilled to see that The Legend of Zelda Wii U was still available. Now I have a great love of the Zelda franchise, but as do many of those who will inevitably be reviewing the game when it releases. My only concerns involve it releasing in this calendar year, but I have faith. 2016 will be the return of Zelda, and I expect that I will reap excellent returns from the game when the reviews begin to roll in.
Sarah Ellen – Mass Effect: Andromeda
As the woman who attends her gym attired in N7 tanktops, there was very little doubt that I would grab Mass Effect: Andromeda as one of my picks and hold it tight to my bosom. There may be no sign of Shepard except in the recent N7 Day promotional video, but there is enough content from the series to make a very successful spin-off title that harnesses the hardware of the next console generation. Bioware have shown that they can develop quality content for the new console generation (with Dragon Age: Inquisition getting a High Distinction in its reviews). The biggest risk with choosing this game is not the unknown direction of the franchise, nor the fact that no one has seen a beta release yet, but that there is the potential that this will not release in 2016 and I will look three shades of fluent moron. I am putting my fingers in my ears and singing loudly to myself that this will be a 2016 release neernie neernie neer.
James Swinbanks – Crackdown 3
I’m a big fan of the Crackdown series, and I don’t care what anyone else has to say about it. The first one was great, and the second was even better. Yes, you heard me. They were great, big, stupid, dumb fun. And thankfully Crackdown 3 looks to be more of the same. Did you catch that cool trailer with all the rockets flying around and the surrounding buildings getting completely blown to hell? That’s the one I’m talking about. The only thing I’m concerned with is just how reliably that will all work, considering it has to make use of Microsoft’s server cloud to make all of that work. This also means that the singleplayer campaign will lack a lot of that destruction. A disappointment off-the-bat, sure. But I feel confident that Crackdown 3 will deliver on what it needs to, so it’s my 3rd pick for the Player 2 2016 draft.
Matt Hewson – Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Many would argue that the original Deus Ex is the best video game of all time and to be honest I would have a hard time arguing with them. This means that any entry in the franchise is met with open arms by millions of gamers looking for it’s unique blend of stealth/action/rpg. Mankind Divided should be a smash hit, all the developers need to do is take what worked in Human Revolution and fix what didn’t (those boss battles). It is for this reason that I am sure this game will score at the top end of the scale. A safe bet for round three that I feel I am seriously lucky to be able to pick. The only big question I have is will Adam Jensen every meet JC Denton? It would certainly be interesting to see.
Adam Rorke – Pokken Tournament
Wow, if you had to pick a game that was always going to be a complete stab in the dark, this one is my obvious choice. There is logic to this madness though, as many know I keep an eye on the eSports scene quite a lot and Pokken, despite purely being in the arcades in Japan, has been generating a lot of hype behind it and gathering quite a lot of buzz. It’s easy to see why, Pokemon is just as popular today as it was when Red / Blue / Green landed on Gameboys across the world. Since then we’ve all been screaming for a real time fighting game that features these little glorious bastards, and I think Pokken is going to be that game!
Stephen del Prado – The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was one of the most highly acclaimed games of 2015, in part thanks to CDPROJEKT RED’s continued support, polishing the title well after it’s release date. Given that this is the last we’ll see of Geralt’s adventures, provided CDPR can focus on compelling story content akin to the Bloody Baron quest line rather than the divisive combat system, I have faith they’ll deliver something above and beyond what they’ve accomplished so far with the series.
And round three is done! Stay tuned for round four tomorrow and don’t forget to let us know how we are doing and what your picks would be in the comments below.
