The mind-blowing gob-smacking ball-busting 2016 Predictions Thread

With Axis having all but vanished from GNamer, it falls to someone else to set up this bastard.  Who else but your old almost-former admin., Balladeer?  Here are my predictionés, then:

Nintendo:

1. Zelda U makes grown men cry.  (Measured objectively by a 94+ Metacritic score.  Gotta happen this year, right?)
   
2. Starfox 0 to border on greatness, but isn't quite able to use the boost to get through.  (Measure objectively by an 83-89 Metacritic score.)
   
3. Bravely Default: End Layer is more of the same, with a worse soundtrack and with a much better second half.
   
4. Pokémon Z finally gets tossing announced.  It's a 3DS game, not an NX or whatever one.
   
5. Nothing on Metroid or F-Zero, proles.
   
6. Pokémon Go is roundly criticised for drowning in microtransactions.
   
7. Nintendo release Mario on mobiles, in some form or another.
   
8. The NX to be the much-rumoured hybrid.
   
9. NX announced with a 2D Mario. Cue much wailing and screaming and clawing at faces.
   
10. E3 will still be better than 2015's, but not as good as 2014's.

Everyone else:



Apparently I do care slightly about the multiplats now, but not enough to make more than a throwaway prediction about them.

Ooh. Always fun, this thread. I had a quick gander at last year's thread before coming here. Axis's predictions were almost entirely bang on apart from one:

Axis wrote:

5. Iwata will still remain.

Let's do some predictions though. Here's mine!

Ninty

Star Fox Zero will be a solid game - high 80s on Metacritic.

Zelda U will be delayed to launch alongside an NX version.

The NX will be a hybrid.

Nintendo's foray into the mobile market will prove lucrative for the company, and we'll see more of their IPs featuring in mobile games.

Sony

The PS4 will still be dominant by years end.

The Last Guardian will underperform, but it'll still be good - low 80s score.

Horizon: Zero Dawn will blow everyone away - 90+ score.

No Man's Sky will disappoint.

Microsoft

The Xbox will close the gap with PS4 on sales due to a mid-year price cut.

Cuphead will be this year's indie darling.

Nintendo

Zelda U will be sex on a disk

Starfox will also be good

NX is a hybrid

It plays Wii U and 3DS games just fine, making a Twilight Princess esque cross-release unnecessary.

Sony

PS4 will continue to be the most successful machine on the market...

...despite the fact nothing comes out for it.

Microsoft

Re-Core will be really solid

Scalebound will look amazing at E3, making that delay into 2017 even more painful

Multiformat

Dark Souls 3 will be a fantastic game and the perfect expression of the formula but won't capture hearts like the original or Bloodborne purely by virtue of treading old ground.

Life is Strange 2 will be excellent but everyone will hate it because it isn't the same as the first one

Reactions:

I should rephrase that - I didn't mean MS would fully catch up, but would close the gap.

Eh - more objective than I am on my own anyway. Also I'm firmly on the "**** microtransactions" side of things.

I agree with pretty much all of Jay's predictions. Drunka seems much more optimistic about Ninty, and much more pessimistic about everyone else! (Although I agree that barely anyone seems to be excited for NMS at this point.)

The thing is, between the rush of Starfox, Fire Emblem and Dark Souls at the start of the year and the finale of Zelda and Gears of War at the end of the year, there's not a lot coming out in 2016 I'm particularly fussed about.

Ill do the rest of the predictions later but I want to say that I'll go against the grain and say that the NX will NOT be a hybrid

Time for a dose of good ol Athrun realism in this here thread methinks!

Nintendo

-Star Fox to be an okay, but nothing all that great, title. Decent gameplay in a too short package and no other compelling hooks besides selling on nostalgia

-Completely agreeing with Shanks, I say NX to NOT be a hybrid, instead being something that shares a library between a home console and portable model

-Zelda U to suffer a wee bit too much of wrpg syndrome, too much empty space with repetitive stuff in it, only unlike Xenoblade X it will lack the insane ambition in its aesthetics

-Persona Feat. Fire Emblem Cosplay to flop commercially.

-Fire Emblem Fates to do well, with people continuing to act like it's Pokemon rather than two different storylines featuring the same setting like it is

-The art of being able to properly advertise to continue to elude Nintendo

Sony

-Everything worth a damn delayed to 2017

-Sales taper off a bit

-Slim model revealed at E3

-Persona 5 to release in 2016, but still get another delay before then

Microsoft

-Continue to be completely irrelevant

Virtual Reality

-To turn out to be a commercial curiosity and nothing even close to a game changer

I've ballsed this up

Decent bunch of predictions Mas but...

masofdas wrote:

Final Fantasy VII Remake part I comes out

I would be gobsmacked if this one was true by year's end.

Isn't part 1 already pretty much done though? I reckon we could see it around e3 time.

Okay, just read that they've already finished the main story of Part One. I retract my earlier statement Mas, sorry.

Tried keeping this to realistic predictions but started drifting to Wish list territory at times.

Nintendo

Star Fox Zero to be a good to great game - 80s on metacritic etc - but to sell like crap
Star Fox Amiibo series announced to coincide with release: Fox, Falco, Slippy, Peppy, Arwing and Wolf
Super Mario Maker DLC released - offering Super Mario Bros 2 (Doki Doki Panic one) and Mario Land assets/themes
Despite what was said we get more Smash Bros DLC - Sakurai and his team aren't involved though. They're busy with a new Kid Icarus game.
Zelda U is stunning and amazing.
Nintendo make megabucks from Pokemon Go - this leads to them making Pokemon Blue/Red available on mobile.
Metroid Federation Force has had a graphical overhaul and has a semi-decent single player mode. Reviews in at around 60-70% and isn't as bad as we were expecting.
Grezzo announce a new 3DS Zelda game but more in the style of OoT/MM 3D then Triforce Heroes.


NX is officially revealed. Backwards compatible with WiiU and 3DS and has the option for off screen/portable play. And maybe a VR Headset.
Zelda U will get an NX port
New Metroid game from Retro Studios to be a launch game
A new Mario game for NX  - a cross in styles between Mario 64/Sunshine and the Galaxy games
Final Fantasy VII remake to be released on NX

Nontendo

The Last Guardian is delayed until 2017
GTA V gets some significant single player DLC
Crackdown 3 is released and rated highly
Yooka-Laylee is released but reviewed poorly due to being old fashioned and having too many stuff to collect
Mirror's Edge Catalyst is a major disappointment and the fans of the original are outraged
No Man's Sky is average
Uncharted 4 is named best Uncharted yet but plays much like the others.
Doom is a very fun, yet uninspired, game that is quickly forgotten about
New Perfect Dark game announced
Naughty Dog tease at a sequel or spinoff to Last of Us
FIFA 17 has minimal changes from FIFA 16 but myself and millions of others will still buy it. At least add the Japanese national team.
Surprise return of Timesplitters
PlayStation Network to be down due to serious hacking a further 3 times this year.
Game of the year is between Zelda U, Dark Souls 3 and ReCore

JayMoyles wrote:

Okay, just read that they've already finished the main story of Part One. I retract my earlier statement Mas, sorry.

Actually I think your more right the first time as they have said there not sure how there going to split the game up but I reckon we will play something maybe a demo of FFVII remake in 2016 on are PS4s which will be the only console we see it on sorry Nintendo fans wanting it on NX, maybe when it's all done it 5 years.

Drunkas I just know is masbait but Dead Lemons like Crackdown 3 is released and rated highly is quite funny seeing we know it's out the summer and multiplayer only that it will be out but unlikely to be highly-rated because of online only and few others I find funny.

Dead Lemon wrote:

Metroid Federation Force has had a graphical overhaul

Yes please! I am not a fan of how the art style looked when we last seen it.

The 3DS will have a steady year with games aimed at the hardcore contingent, as well as a few mass-market ones (Tomodachi Life 2 perhaps announced?). No more Zeldas though, the system is heaving with them. Perhaps another remake on the 3DS that will give Christmas a big game – Mario Sunshine perhaps?

The Wii-U will receive a kick up the arse with Twilight Princess HD reviewing well (9/10), Starfox underwhelming (7/10) and the new Zelda being a large if slightly empty game (still gets 9/10s) and Nintendo drip-feed FREE DLC in the form of quests and new abilities to fill in some gaps.

NX to be introduced at E3 as a Vita-level handheld system that connects cross-platform with a powerful home console. Marketed as the hardcore gamer’s console that bridges the gap between casual mobile play and evenings in front of the TV. The handheld system can be bought individually so others at home can have their own profiles/saves/data with them.

The new Club Nintendo to be shown in either a Direct or E3, which is an all-in-one account that has an app etc.

Virtual Console to be gradually added to the app stores for phones. Ties in with the Club Nintendo account.

The NX to launch at Christmas with the new Zelda, Pikmin 4, a new IP and a party game – Wii Sports X or something.

One more Zelda that's not 3 swords, for those who barely played it

*takes plunge*

Nintendo

1) Miitomo receives lukewarm applause, is not substantial
2) Share prices spike when next mobile game is revealed
3) My Nintendo - or whatever the Club Nintendo replacement ends up being called - to overreach a bit, include something like Achievements
4) Star Fox 0 to sell pretty well on nostalgia alone, not live up to hype
5) Zelda U Nintendo's winter game of choice, be excellent
6) 3DS's Year of the RPG to include Pokémon Z (honestly, I reckon that's barely a prediction at this stage) (which means it'll be totally wrong )
7) Wii U to get a Mario sports game (besides the Olympics one)
Captain Toad game on 3DS

I can't wait for Cool Dude Captain Toad on 3DS.

Always forget that. :rook:

...

Hasn't Pokemon Z already been confirmed / outed by CoroCoro or upcoming in there Feb issue.

Surprised to see no NX predictions form you Zero also anyone think that the new account system maybe paid for like Xbox Live & PSN but we get free VC games.

Haven't they said that subscription services devalue their games? I don't see that happening.

Maybe but I would more then happy to pay for a better online service from Nintendo / DeNA then what we got now on 3DS & Wii U.

I don't think Nintendo's online content justifies it at this time. They don't have the big guns like CoD, BF and FIFA for it to be a must buy.