Kim's Most Anticipated RPGs Of 2015

As the year comes to close, I’m always anxious to look at what’s in store for the next, especially for my favorite genre: role-playing games. The best part? I usually find more is coming out than I even realized. Plenty of cool RPGs are due to hit in 2015, such as Final Fantasy Type-0, Bloodborne, and Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 Record Breaker, but this wouldn’t be much of a list if I included everything I’m interested in. Narrowing it down to a few titles was tough, but these are the games most on my radar. RPG forecast: Looking fantastic.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

The Witcher 3 made my list last year and the delays haven’t changed my enthusiasm in the slightest. I like that CD Projekt RED is taking the time to give Geralt the send off he deserves. Every time I see something new from the game, like Ciri being a second playable character, I'm even more excited than before. At this past E3, it ended up being my game of the show as CD Projekt RED showed how some difficult choices would reflect in the world. Who can you really trust? And that’s what I’m most excited to see — choice and consequence play out in an open-world adventure. CD Projekt RED has already shown it knows how to make compelling choices. Throw in anti-hero Geralt and I’m more than excited to see his finale shakes out. This is his story and as we’ve seen it’s all shades of gray.
Persona 5

Atlus hasn’t revealed much about Persona 5 (aside from a trailer and red and black color scheme), but the franchise has such a fantastic pedigree that I don’t need much to raise my enthusiasm. If you think about it, the last main entry launched in 2008, so we’re due for a new cast and adventure. As much as I love Persona 4’s cast, I’m ready for new blood, and the Persona series never lets me down in the character department.
The trailer already showed the game in modern-day with the main character riding Japan’s rail system. The main character looks bored, stuck in the rut of a routine, and soon he’s out in the hustle and bustle of the city, swarmed by people. So far Atlus has also revealed that a conflict will be the characters feeling restrained by the rules of society, which makes sense in the context of the recent trailer. I have a feeling it will be about them breaking free and doing what’s right for them, not what society wants, but that’s just my speculation as a Persona fan. Of course, I’ll be interested to see how that conflict ties into dungeons and taps into our characters special powers. We saw a blue surge of electric light at the end of the trailer. That’s the only hint so far.
Xenoblade Chronicles X

Xenoblade Chronicles also made the list last year, even though I knew it was a long shot for a 2015 release. This is one I’m hoping doesn’t slip to 2016, as it’s definitely a game the Wii U could use right now. At least at this past E3 we got a taste of the game in 43-minute live stream that answered many questions. Xenoblade Chronicles X is a spiritual successor, not a direct sequel to the fantastic Xenoblade Chronicles. Still, it taps into many of the same philosophical ideals. An epic space battle between two alien races incidentally causes Earth’s destruction. Humans attempt to evacuate before Earth blows up. Your main character, who is completely customizable right down to gender, ends up crashing into alien planet. From here on out, it’s up to you to find answers and life. The world shown off in the demo already looked amazingly vast and varied (even housing a city that looked like a futuristic Los Angeles), and that’s just a slice of the game. Throw in dinosaur-like creatures and mech battles, and the world is just a cool place of discovery. Xenoblade Chronicles was all about evolving the JRPG, and I expect Monolith Soft will take X to new heights for a new generation.  
The Banner Saga 2

The Banner Saga ended up being one of my favorite games of last year, breathing new life into the strategy/rpg genre with choices around every bend. The fight was never easy; forcing you to manage troops and encounter unexpected obstacles such as illness. It was Stoic’s first outing and now the developer has had time to assess what worked and what didn’t. It’ll be interesting to see if and how your choices from the first game, especially the ending, play into The Banner Saga 2. Not much has been revealed outside of an announcement trailer, but I’m all in for another round. The first game left me feeling the sting of my poor choices, and even when I succeeded wondering if there was something I could have done better. For better or worse, The Banner Saga forced me to go with my gut, never really offering me an easy choice. I can’t wait for another entry that challenges me both on and off the battlefield.
Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance

I’ve been a longtime fan of the Disgaea series. I love its wacky humor and the way it forces you get creative with your strategy. Tower attacks, anyone? The fifth entry is raising the stakes with a longer campaign (16 chapters!) and bigger battles (up to 100 enemies on screen, compared to the 30 in past entries). The theme is revenge, which is a delicious topic in itself for the Netherworld. NIS said the storyline is much darker this time around, but you can still expect plenty of parody and laughs. After all, you have a character that’s obsessed with curry and one who acts like a princess and treats everyone like they’re her slave. A revenge mode also plays into theme with, letting you deliver the ultimate payback. Disgaea 4 still remains one of my favorite entries; NIS went all out with it. I have a feeling it will be doing just the same for Disgaea’s PS4 debut. I can’t wait to get back into that crazy, evil world.
Tales of Zestiria

Tales has continued to charm me throughout the years. I love the the action combat, and the franchise has a knack for building character bonds. Tales of Xillia added some refinements to the series, but Tales of Zestiria looks like it’s offering even more. I had the opportunity to test out a Japanese build at Namco Bandai’s TGS event and liked what I experienced. Zestiria returns to the franchise’s classical roots, taking place in a traditional, medieval setting. The common theme is coexistence and this plays into the two lead characters: Sorey and Mikleo. Sorey is human, while Mikleo is a seraph. Sorey can transform in battle, using Mikelo and other seraphs’ powers. Different seraphs lend Sorey different elemental powers; elemental weaknesses are front and center for this entry. I’m most interested in finding out more about the other cast members. From what I’ve seen, this is the best-looking Tales game yet, and I can’t wait to get another big console entry in the series.

Looking Ahead At Five Big Conversations Of 2015

Yesterday, we closed the book on the biggest discussions of 2014. That story bookended one I wrote on the very first day of the year. Now, we’re starting the process all over again.
Much has changed in the past twelve months, and I also suspect that the industry will look very different one year from today. Here are some of the things I expect we’ll be talking about as 2015 evolves.

Consumers will remember the lessons of fall 2014’s failuresI’ve written two large opinion pieces about the problems facing the industry over the past few months. Some publishers have been releasing broken games, pushing annualization to the point of absurdity, and ultimately following a “ship now, fix later” approach. These practices cannot continue. They simply aren't sustainable.
As I mentioned earlier this week, the industry is fueled by enthusiasm for the product and faith in those who sell it. Gaming is an experience, but it is also a business.
Those publishers that remember that customers deserve respect will find themselves with a loyal following in 2015. Those who continue on paths that prioritize fleetness over fidelity in their releases may suffer a backlash.
Whether consumers match their purchasing behavior to their attitudes about broken products is something we’ll be watching carefully in the new year. Talk is one thing. Action is another.

Current generation defined (and likely not by resolution parity issues)Looking back at the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, it’s easy to see the trends in retrospect. Among other notable developments, the seventh generation brought console gaming online in the first meaningful way.
Everything we do is connected now (as evidenced by single-player experiences affected by recent online service outages). We may not be living in an “always online” world yet, but we’re getting very close.
The eighth generation still has yet to solidify. Will it be a period of innovative gameplay like Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor’s Nemesis system? Are we headed for years of replaying “definitive versions” of the same games? Will publishers be more cognizant of franchise fatigue, or are we on track for annualization to become semi-annualization?
Are the delays of 2014 going to pay off for publishers and, if so, will we see more willingness to hold games until they are ready? Are platform-holders going to contract for more third-party exclusives to defray costs? As the stories of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 are closed for good and more consumers upgrade, 2015 will start to form the legacies of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

Who will Nintendo be in 2015?When the Wii U was announced, it was accompanied by a flashy trailer featuring AAA games from third-party publishers. When it launched, it had support of many industry powerhouses. Today, Nintendo is carrying the console by itself.
There is no doubt that the company’s first-party offerings are solid. This year’s Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. wowed gamers, and with the stylistically impressive Yoshi’s Wooly World and Kirby and the Rainbow Curse arriving in 2015, striking visuals will continue to be showcased on the system.
Next year also promises major titles for a different slice of the audience. Xenoblade Chronicles X and the as yet unnamed The Legend of Zelda title are both due in 2015. I’m not convinced that the Wii U will ever thrive as it was once intended (too much of the original plan has changed), but with smart financial management and promotion, its legacy could be still be led with mention of great titles and not disappointing commercial performance. And, yes, the success of Amiibo figures at retail certainly doesn’t hurt.

Publisher business models will adapt to surviveIf the failures of fall 2014 revealed anything, it’s that the AAA model is weakening. For the past few years, the mid-tier has eroded, budgets have exploded, and developers live and die by the success of their most recent title.
Blockbusters aren’t going away, but we’re likely to see growth in other areas. Big publishers are choosing to explore episodic gaming. Square Enix is publishing Dontnod’s Life is Strange in segments and Capcom is releasing Resident Evil Revelations 2 in weekly installments.
Microsoft attempted to use the model for Swery’s latest game, D4: Dark Dreams Don’t Die. Reports suggest that the first episode hasn’t performed well, which reveals the business benefit of the system.
If publishers further explore the television “pilot” model, they’ll be able to gauge success and cut losses before investing in an entire game. Had Airtight’s Soul Suspect been released episodically instead of as a full title, perhaps the company would have been nimble enough to recover from poor sales.
The downside is that gamers could be left with more unfinished tales. We tolerate it on television (though usually with a substantial amount of grousing). Will we do so in another medium?
Blizzard’s success with Hearthstone will also likely inspire other developers to take risks. The wildly popular collectible card game was the work of a relatively small team. And while we don’t know exactly how much money was earned and spent on the project, with 20 million registered users, I’m confident that the results are tipped strongly in Blizzard’s favor. Expect more experimental teams in play in 2015 (and that the collectible card game is going to replace MOBAs as the must-have in every publisher’s portfolio).

The true cost of virtual reality will determine successVirtual reality is tricky, because it doesn’t neatly fit in a box as a product. It’s not a full standalone platform, because it requires a PC, console, or phone in order to work. It’s not a peripheral as we typically thing of them either, because comfortable experiences are crafted specifically for the displays.
In order for virtual reality to be commercially successful, consumers will need to both experience it and understand how to talk about it. What comes hand-in-hand with that is knowing the full costs.
As an example, those that want to experience the Samsung Gear VR (a partnership with Oculus VR) need to have a new Samsung Note 4. That cost must be factored in addition to the display unit.
Right now, we don’t know exactly what PC specifications will be necessary to use the first consumer Oculus Rift. We do know, however, that stable frame rate is crucial for the experience, which means that a high end rig is likely necessary.
The question then becomes about cost tolerance. How much are consumers going to be willing to spend to experience virtual reality at home?
It wouldn’t surprise me if when we find out the cost of an Oculus Rift display that the company announces partnerships with PC manufacturers. Licensing an “Oculus Ready” label would be smart word of mouth, drive enthusiasts to those retailers, and help interested parties more easily define the costs.
And if 2015 goes by without retail, living room virtual reality? It’s hard to imagine that our readers who have been hearing us talk about it for years will continue to read stories about a technology that doesn’t seem like it will ever materialize in a meaningful way.